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USER: Jim2nd USER TYPE: Reviewer ARTIST: Pat DiNizio SONG/ALBUM: Songs & Sounds GENRE: Rock RATING: 5
"I can go anywhere/I can do anything/I can laugh at the world/No one's listening," declares Pat DiNizio in "Running, Jumping, Standing Still," one of the 12 distinctive songs on his first solo album, Songs and Sounds. DiNizio led the critically acclaimed Smithereens for 15 years, and for much of that time it may indeed have seemed to him that not enough people were listening. Although the New Jersey quartet grazed the Top 40 once with "A Girl Like You," the band's '60s-rooted pop-rock sound seldom reached the full audience it deserved.
With DiNizio as their principal songwriter, the Smithereens sounded like Bruce Springsteen might have if he'd preferred the Beatles to Bob Dylan. On Songs and Sounds, DiNizio builds on this legacy, with songs like "Today It's You" reflecting his careful study of bands like the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Who. "Running, Jumping, Standing Still" echoes the Who's "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere," but the British Invasion bands aren't the only conspicuous influence on Songs and Sounds. Although the album was produced by '60s-style rock specialist Don Dixon, it reveals a new interest in jazz and funk. Songs like "I'd Rather Have The Blues find the singer crooning to the accompaniment of saxophonist Sonny Fortune, formerly of Miles Davis' band. Fortune is joined on this album by Stranglers’ bassist JJ Burnel and drummer Tony Smith, who's worked with Jan Hammer, Carlos Santana, and Lou Reed. This versatile combo helps DiNizio explore much new territory.
The album’s bluesiness suits the songwriter's outlook. The mood of melancholy ballads like "Liza" and "No Love Lost" reflects both the end of the Smithereens and of DiNizio’s marriage. "Ultimately, it's about loss," he said of the album. But that assessment shouldn't worry Smithereens fans much. Songs and Sounds is well endowed with the characteristic energy and tunefulness of DiNizio's earlier work. Such songs as "124 MPH" and "Everyday World" show that power-pop delight remains one of DiNizio's fondest moods. Posted September 22, 2006 3:53 PM | | |
ARTIST: Caedmon's Call SONG/ALBUM: 40 Acres GENRE: Pop RATING: 6
There are several love songs on 40 Acres, the fourth album by Caedmon's Call, but "Table For Two" is not about a romantic dinner. When guitarist Derek Webb sings that "You know the plans that You have for me," he's talking to God. Caedmon was a 7th-century English religious poet, but the Texas septet's approach to its faith is not esoteric. Neither is its approach to music. Such crisply melodic songs as "There You Go" and "Petrified Heart" have a purely musical appeal that should grab the ears of listeners who don't even hear the message.
40 Acres has been called the band's breakthrough album, and Webb gives much of the credit to producer Glenn Rosenstein, who's worked with such diverse performers as U2 and Ziggy Marley. "I feel we've finally settled into the sound that is us," says Webb. "The album sounds like our live shows because of the way it was recorded." Like a lot of bands that have crafted a broad-based style, Caedmon's Call has more than one songwriter. Webb wrote five of the new album's 11 songs, and Aaron Tate, who is considered a full-fledged member of the Caedmon’s Call family even though he doesn’t perform with the group, penned another five. The remaining tune, "Climb On (A Back That's Strong)," was written by Shawn Colvin and John Leventhal, and fits seamlessly with the others. While Webb sings his own songs, lead vocals on Tate's contributions go either to the band's other guitarist, Cliff Young, or his wife Danielle.
The diversity of voices is one of the many elements that make the group's sound exceptionally rich. "Shifting Sand," a showcase for Danielle, suggests Joni Mitchell, while the band's two percussionists give songs like "Thankful" a jazzy exuberance. Drummer Todd Bragg thumps trash cans on the latter tune, but to him -- as to his bandmates -- the music of Caedmon's Call is not simply a joyful noise. "We want to give a genuine, real-life picture of what it means to be a Christian, on and off stage," he says. "We have never just wanted to be entertainers." Posted September 22, 2006 3:12 PM | | |
ARTIST: R.E.M. SONG/ALBUM: Up GENRE: Rock RATING: 8
With the resignation of drummer Bill Berry in the fall of 1997, many suspected that R.E.M.’s Up would be missing something. And it was. Minus Berry, the album lacks the live feel of a rock band -- and just as well, as the Athens, GA foursome hasn’t been a true rock band since 1994’s guitar-driven album, Monster. Surprisingly, Berry’s departure added to R.E.M.’s sound by allowing its members to explore new musical terrain. "At My Most Beautiful," a touching piano sonata, and "Airportman," the album's opener, with its soft tones, whispers, and gentle feedback flourishes, suggest that this is not the same R.E.M. responsible for putting alternative rock on the map with such previous efforts as 1986’s Life’s Rich Pageant and 1987’s Document.
Lavish strings and lofty vocals adorn "You’re in the Air," where a close listen reveals subtle guitar squeals amongst the conga beat. "Why Not Smile" begins with an acoustic guitar rolling over folky melodies, but soon builds into an amalgam of organ whines, distorted bursts, and click-clock rhythms. R.E.M.’s remaining members may have calmed as the years have gone by, but Up’s sonic foragings and well-placed intricacies are evidence that, while styles may change, the band's pop sensibilities have only improved with age. The album isn’t a complete departure in form, however. "Hope" opens with a fluttering drum machine and synthesized bloops, evoking an attempt at electronica; but when Michael Stipe’s distinctive vocals and imaginative lyrics enter the scenario, familiarity instantly returns. Beneath the new masks, old faces give each song identity as traces of the band’s former selves pepper much of the album. "The Apologist" is classic Stipe lyricism, self-deprecating in its beautiful one-sided conversation, while the guitar bombast of the otherwise solemn "Sad Professor" is reminiscent of the heavy-handed approach of Monster.
While Up is the one of the most wandering of the band's albums, it’s not the only time R.E.M. has taken risks. Most every album has shown a different side of the band. Up, however, manages to show all sides, without lapsing into redundant rehashing or unnecessary alteration.
Recommended Listening: Counting Crows - August & Everything After (1993, Geffen); R.E.M. - Out of Time (1991, Warner Bros); Patti Smith - Radio Ethiopia (1976, Arista); Beth Orton - Trailer Park (1997, Dedicated); The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground (1969, Verve). Posted September 21, 2006 4:09 PM | | |
ARTIST: Robert Pollard SONG/ALBUM: Waved Out GENRE: Alternative RATING: 7
Even though only a handful of talented artists with big dreams ever actually become rock stars, that never stopped forty-something Robert Pollard from inching toward his goal with each successive album. Pollard started as the frontman of Guided By Voices, a living bastion of indie rock. But after so many lineup changes (23 at last count), the band has since become an alias for Pollard himself. Since 1987, he’s released more than a dozen GBV albums, countless singles and EPs, and excellent solo efforts, including Waved Out, recorded with the help of former GBV members.
Like Beat poetry, his lyrics are symbolic nonsequiturs, vague as they are vivid. “The vines and the fiery baboons / Are they not free from the trees?” he sings on Waved Out’s "Just Say The Word." What does that mean? What did the indecipherable lyrics of Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit" have to do with it going down in history as a powerful rock anthem? The same theory applies to Pollard. Taking inspiration from progressive and psychedelic rock atmospheres combined with the titanic sounds of heavy metal and punk, Pollard is a virtual fountainhead of searing riffs and surging tempos. Judging by his previous albums, which are usually crammed with around twenty songs clocking in at roughly two minutes apiece, he seems compelled to put every wicked lick that pops into his head on record. Although this hasty practice might make for quantity over quality, such is not the case with Pollard’s records, which continue to get stronger with each passing year.
Waved Out’s refined song structures are evidence that Pollard has grown more comfortable in the studio. Although previous albums’ lo-fi production values and fragmented arrangements were celebrated for their raw ambition, often they were inaccessible to most. But fans of the slicker, more complete feel of mainstream rock should have no trouble accepting the more polished Pollard. However, never losing sight of his origins, he fills each distinct beginning and end with a crude sound that invigorates as it stuns with bombastic aplomb. With a stage presence that matches his music’s explosiveness, Pollard was meant to be a rock star. But even if he never gets his shot at a stadium tour, he’ll persevere, always believing in his mantra, “Long live rock!”
Recommended listening: The Beatles, Revolver (Capitol, 1966); Badfinger, Magic Christian Music (Capitol, 1970); Cheap Trick, Cheap Trick (Epic, 1977); T. Rex, The Slider (Relativity, 1972); Mott the Hoople, All The Young Dudes (Columbia, 1972). Posted September 21, 2006 3:43 PM | | |
ARTIST: Fountains Of Wayne SONG/ALBUM: Out of State Plates GENRE: Alternative RATING: 8
Fountains of Wayne have the kind of musical leftovers that most bands would be proud to call a main course. This double CD-set culls the best of their B-sides, covers, holiday songs and live tracks into a kind of White Album smorgasbord.
There’s much to love here, from dark character studies (“Comedienne”) to silly character studies (“California Sex Lawyer”) to songs about drugs (“Elevator Up”) and break-ups (“Small Favors”) and air force heroes (the poignant “Imperia”). And the band reveal their influences in an eclectic choice of covers - Bacharach & David (“Trains and Boats and Planes”), ELO (“Can’t Get It Out of My Head”), Aztec Camera (“Killermont Street”) and Britney Spears (a sweaty, slowed-down version of “Baby, One More Time”).
There are also two new songs, “Maureen” and “The Girl I Can’t Forget” - both of them punky and packed with hooks. The latter encapsulates everything that’s great about FOW - a suburban love story (NJ, undoubtedly), told by a self-effacing narrator, a lyric full of well-placed details and inner rhymes married to classic pop chord changes and harmonies. And like their best songs, the whole thing sounds tossed-off.
In the album liner notes, Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger write, “Please forgive the length of this compilation but this stuff was taking up a lot of space and we had to put it all somewhere. Enjoy in moderation.”
You may find it difficult to honor that last request. Posted September 21, 2006 3:39 PM | | |
ARTIST: Elton John SONG/ALBUM: Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player GENRE: Pop RATING: 8
Elton’s sixth studio album, released in January 1973, is the one where everything came together for the British piano man.
It has the first appearance of the classic line-up of his band - Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone. It has cinematic strings and punchy horns, arranged by Paul Buckmaster. It has what became a trademark blend of boogaloo rockers (“Elderberry Wine”), sweeping ballads (“Blues For My Baby And Me”) and bluesy honky tonk (“I’m Gonna Be A Teenage Idol”). And it has the two monster smashes that lifted Elton to superstar status. Though they may be overfamiliar to us now, “Daniel” and “Crocodile Rock” are still four-minute miracles of pop tunesmithery. One of the first hits to ever feature a Mellotron (that flute-y sound), “Daniel” was Elton and writing partner Bernie Taupin’s moving anti-Vietnam ode, sung from the viewpoint a young man watching his older brother go off to war. The fizzy “Crocodile Rock” makes affectionate nods to ‘50s hits “Runaway” and “Speedy Gonzales” while making you feel nostalgic for the ‘50s, even if you didn’t grow up in that decade.
This reissue comes with four bonus tracks, the highlight of which is a gorgeous solo piano version of “Skyline Pigeon.” “Dreaming of the open / Waiting for the day / He can spread his wings” goes the chorus. Elton could be singing about himself upon the release of this career-changing album. Posted September 21, 2006 3:36 PM | | |
ARTIST: World Party SONG/ALBUM: Dumbing Up GENRE: Rock RATING: 8
When last we heard from Karl Wallinger in 2001, he had been dropped from his deal. His manager had died, then Karl himself collapsed from a brain aneurysm. The future looked bleak. He had surgery (or as he says, he had his “head sawed in half”), then relearned to walk, talk and sing. This album was started before his collapse, and finished after his rehabilitation.
Though an acceptance of the unpredictable nature of fate has always been a theme of Wallinger’s writing, songs like “Another 1000 Years” and “See The Light” seem to speak directly to what he’s been through. And “The Best Place I’ve Ever Been,” though on the surface a simple love song, is a celebration of the miracle of everyday living, by a man who’s been to the edge and back.
Not that it’s all zen and happiness. Wallinger being the activist he is, there’s plenty of righteous anger too. “Who Are You?” and “Here Comes The Future” are flower-powered missiles aimed Bush and Blair, and “Always On My Mind” is an acid-tongued letter to an ex-love. But like Mary Poppins, Wallinger believes in the spoonful of sugar approach to delivering these kind of rants. The melodies are so strong that you may miss the lyric the first few times around.
Like all World Party records, Dumbing Up makes no concessions to modern trends. It sounds like it was made in 1968 on an analog tape machine with real instruments. That’s not to say it comes across old or dated. It’s more that it sounds timeless. Posted September 21, 2006 3:34 PM | | |
ARTIST: Paul Simon SONG/ALBUM: Surprise GENRE: Pop RATING: 7
Picasso was still painting at ninety-one. Graham Greene wrote novels well into his eighties. There are many examples of artists in other disciplines creating vital works at an advanced age. But when it comes to rock, the jury is still out. As many of the greats - McCartney, the Stones - get into their sixties, there’s been an evident slide in the quality of their work.
Ever since Graceland, Paul Simon has been defying this law of diminishing returns. He’s embraced styles outside of rock music. He’s pushed himself to experiment with songwriting form. For that alone, he deserves kudos.
On Surprise, Simon continues to deconstruct the pop song. Lyrics are half-spoken, half-sung. Multiple syllables are jammed into small metric spaces. Tenses are blurred, as are first to third person narratives. When it works, as it does on memorable pieces like “Another Galaxy” and “Outrageous,” it makes for a bracing listen. You get the sense that you’re hearing something daring and new.
Helping Simon plot the sonic terrain on Surprise is ambient master Brian Eno. As he’s done for David Bowie and U2, Eno creates textures here that sound organic and electronic. For example, “That’s Me” processes the combo of guitar-bass-drums into something like tinkling music trapped inside a blue bottle. “Wartime Prayers” is distant, muted grandeur, as if applied with a soft paintbrush. “Beautiful” sounds like an acoustic guitar swallowed by two Powerbooks.
Though he indulged in full-on nostalgia with the recent reunion tour with Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon seems set on moving into the future as an artist. Here’s hoping he lives to ninety-one. Posted September 18, 2006 9:05 AM | | |
ARTIST: Lewis Taylor SONG/ALBUM: Stoned GENRE: R&B RATING: 7
Lewis Taylor arrives on our shores with some heavy recommendations in tow. Brit music mags like MOJO have been frothing at the mouth for years, comparing him to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Fans like David Bowie and Elton John swear that Taylor is the best thing they’ve heard in ages.
Stoned, his US debut, an expanded version of his third album, features twelve songs written and performed by Taylor, plus two choice covers. So, does he live up to the accolades? While he’s not quite Stevie or Marvin (is anyone?), there’s definitely something special going on here.
First time through, I was dazzled by the production and the vocals. On “Positively Beautiful” and “When Will I Ever Learn” Taylor layers his voice into elaborate collages, with silvery falsettos darting through masses of oohs and aahs. It’s definitely something he learned from Marvin (I’d wager that Taylor has worn out his copy of Here, My Dear), but he brings his own harmonic sense to it. There are even jazzy touches, a la Swingle Singers, here and there. No doubt about it, this guy has got killer pipes.
It took a third listen for the songs to grab me, but there are some beauties. Especially memorable are “Shame” and “Til The Mornin’ Light.” Delicate, funky, with supple melodies elevated by interesting chord progressions, arranged in surprising ways. “Lovin U More” and “Throw Me A Line” both sound like should-be-hits.
Taylor may not be R & B’s second coming, but there’s enough promise in Stoned to make me think that he just might have an Innervisions in him yet. Posted September 18, 2006 9:03 AM | | |
ARTIST: Van Hunt SONG/ALBUM: On The Jungle Floor GENRE: R&B RATING: 8
Nuance is a word you don’t hear much anymore, especially when it comes to the X-treme antics of contemporary R & B music. For those who favor the delicate over the dumbed-down, and the sidelong glance over the shagging bump ‘n’ grind, Van Hunt is your man.
From the opening tracks of his sophomore album, it’s obvious that this young soul singer is in touch with his inner Curtis Mayfield. Elegant arrangements, deliciously sly grooves, melodies that dance like a silk scarf in the wind. On upbeat tunes “If I Take You Home” and the hit-worthy “Being A Girl,” Hunt flaunts songwriting chops to match his seductive sound. His ballads are just as strong. “Daredevil, Baby” recalls Stevie Wonder in his early ‘70s prime, while “Mean Sleep” stairsteps from verse to chorus with neatly constructed twists and turns. Album closer “The Night Is Young” achieves a Bic lighters aloft anthemic quality without being cheesy in the least.
Though he shares a co-producer credit with Bill Bottrell (Sheryl Crow, Michael Jackson), multi-instrumentalist Hunt is behind all of the writing, along with most of the arranging, performing and singing here. It gives Jungle Floor a cohesiveness that’s missing from many modern R & B records (where it’s not unusual to have seven different producers).
Kanye and Usher may be grabbing the headlines, but for my money, Van Hunt has got the sound - and the nuance - to go the distance. Posted September 18, 2006 9:02 AM | | |
ARTIST: Keb Mo SONG/ALBUM: Suitcase GENRE: Alternative RATING: 7
Most modern bluesmen traffic in nostalgia, never straying too far from old-school influences. Kevin Moore, better known as Keb Mo, is a master of everything from acoustic Delta roots music to hard-rockin’, electrified Chicago blues. But when he plays, it’s never just about diggin’ up bones. In the eight albums he’s released since 1994, Mo has established himself as the quintessential post-modern blues innovator, putting the blues in a modern context that blends everything from pop, rock and folk to jazz, hip-hop and Latin stylings. His latest album, Suitcase, is a sophisticated, stylish addition to his catalog, mixing smart, singer-songwriter-style storytelling and intricate, engaging pop-blues arrangements.
Recorded at the appropriately named Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, Suitcase ranges from graceful love songs ("Still There for Me") to love-gone-wrong soul ("Rita") to cool, Latin-tinged laments ("The Itch"). Mo sings about redemption ("I’m a Hero"), lust ("Whole Nutha Thing") and friendship ("Eileen"). He prosecutes a wayward lover "Remain Silent") and pledges his passion and fidelity to another (I’ll Be Your Water").
Along the way, he reminds us that this is still life left in the blues. Posted September 15, 2006 3:14 PM | | |
ARTIST: Neko Case SONG/ALBUM: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood GENRE: Alternative RATING: 8
Is she an American or a Canadian? A country singer or a punk with pop-star pipes? A red-headed, indie-rock sex symbol or the reclusive Marlene Dietrich of the post-punk world café? It doesn’t matter, really. It’s better to let Neko Case just be Neko Case – a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enimga, to borrow a phrase from Winston Chuchill. Mysteriousness is a lost art in the modern popular culture, where the media hunts artists as celebrity prey, feeding them to us until we are gourged and fat and can stomach them no more.
Case has the voice and the looks to be a pop princess. Thankfully, this is a priestess is aiming for higher ground. Her latest album, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," is a modern fable, an epic, 12-song tone poem that looks for beauty and love in an inscrutable, venomous world. You won’t find that message on the surface of songs like "John Saw That Number," "Dirty Knife," "Lion’s Jaws" and "Maybe Sparrow." But it’s there all the same, lurking amid a dark, fairy-tale lanscape populated by murderous wolves, haunted widows and valium-toting brides. Just press play and lose yourself in the music and the moment. Somewhere in the folk-rock-country noir, you’ll get a feel for the world, back when it was old and strange, and everything will become clear. Or maybe it won’t. But who cares? Just hang on and enjoy the ride. Posted September 14, 2006 4:08 PM | | |
ARTIST: David Rice SONG/ALBUM: Greenelectric GENRE: Alternative RATING: 7
Although a romance’s demise often resonates with feelings of emptiness, singer-songwriter David Rice emerged through his own heartache with something to show for it. His terrific album, Greenelectric, witnessed the dissolution of a four-year relationship between its creator and his love, and the songs reveal the internal struggle Rice should be proud to have endured. Between bouts of self-depreciating apology, Greenelectric is a collection of forlorn tear-jerkers, rejuvenating anthems, cynical encouragement and other complicated repercussions of true love.
Armed with a 12-string acoustic guitar, Rice wrestles with conflicting emotions within an equally contradictory arena of solemn ballads and explosive rockers. The old cliché, "better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all" arises in "Another Sign Of Life," in which Rice, after deciding not to "cut out her face," sings "I pasted up the pictures we had taken just to prove another sign of life." "Watching You Remembering" is the album’s most heart-wrenching flashback, as each word seeps with emotion: "I’m breaking everything I touch / I’m pitted out and shriveled up / I walk uncertainly / Lord, lend me your disease / Nothing stirs the shadow tree / Like watching you remembering." Rice's bittersweet, slightly obscure lyrics are poetic, allowing interpretations to run deep within each song’s imagery.
Love isn’t Rice’s only muse. His life has been one of adventure and hardship coupled with a do-it-yourself aesthetic. Born in Houston, Rice spent his high school years penning dozens of songs. After landing a steady local gig and dropping out of school, he lived on a philosophy commune in Switzerland and supported himself by busking on the streets. He then taught music to the mentally retarded at a Wisconsin summer camp before returning to his home town to host film nights at a local coffeehouse. Life experiences left Rice with a wealth of inspiration and influences, evidenced by music that rings of rural Americana enhanced by worldly sounds. His poignant strumming accentuates his lyrics while offering a voice of its own, and his throaty vocals are at times a breathless whisper in your ear or an anguished howl in your face. "Your green, electric words have poisoned me,” he sings to his love on "Thirsty Girl." That being the case, Greenelectric serves as the perfect antidote.
Posted September 12, 2006 7:37 PM | | |
ARTIST: Venus Hum SONG/ALBUM: The Colors in the Wheel GENRE: Electronic RATING: 8
A lot happened in the three years since Venus Hum released their critically acclaimed debut: they got dropped from their deal as a result of corporate merger, electronic music went out of vogue and vocalist Annette Strean lost her singing voice.
All bands go through highs and lows, but it seemed the trio was being tested. More than once, they even considered packing it in.
Instead, embracing the philosophy of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (not to mention a better songwriter), they have returned with a disc that resonates with the heartbreak and hardships they’ve been through, but more significantly, a new lightness and tongue-in-cheek humor.
The album kicks off with the gently burbling ballad “Turn Me Around” (the first appearance of guitars for the band) and the Teutonic electro-stomp of “Yes And No,” continues through the lost superhero theme “Do You Want To Fight Me?” and the moving, daydreamy centerpiece, “Katie Nanna,” then dances off with the T.Rex-goes-to-the-moon pop of “Pink Champagne” and the affecting lullaby, “Go To Sleep.”
What’s clear as the last note fades is that Venus Hum have transformed the questions and uncertainty about their future into a statement of resolve - a record that is intelligent, tuneful, and able to provoke and caress with equal efficacy. Posted September 11, 2006 10:13 AM | | |
ARTIST: David Mead SONG/ALBUM: Tangerine GENRE: Pop RATING: 9
When is the last time you heard an overture on a pop record? How about dueling ukuleles? Or a song done entirely a capella?
Tangerine has all that plus a lot more. From the opening title track, which riffles through tantalizing snapshots of the songs to come, David Mead makes it clear that he’s out to create something more inventive and ambitious than merely a collection of catchy three-minute songs.
The gauntlet thrown down, the ride begins with a spindizzy calliope twirl on "Hard To Remember" and the jaunty '70s stomp of "Chatterbox," continues through the confidential tale of “The Trouble With Henry” and the moody and moving centerpiece, "Hunting Season," then winds down with the Cinemascopic "Suddenly, A Summer Night" and the affecting Randy Newman-ish ballad, "Choosing Teams."
To help him squeeze the sweetest nectar possible from the tracks, Mead enlists producer / multi-instrumentalist Brad Jones (Jill Sobule, Butterfly Boucher). Together, the pair wrap the tunes in sensitive arrangements, with an anything-goes palette of instruments and textures - from vibraphones to modern classical strings to Brian May-style guitars.
But what really gives the album its emotional center is Mead’s voice. Always a thrillingly acrobatic singer with a romantic tilt, he strikes a more conversational tone here. On songs such as "The Trouble With Henry" and "Sugar On The Knees," it's as if he's leaning across the table at a coffee shop, telling you a confidential story.
Like the fruit it shares a name with, Tangerine is full of complex, tangy flavors - ones that you won’t tire of tasting. Posted September 11, 2006 10:11 AM | | |
ARTIST: Willie Nelson SONG/ALBUM: The Songs of Cindy Walker GENRE: Country RATING: 8
Willie’s pal, the late country songwriter Harlan Howard, once said, “Cindy Walker is the greatest country songwriter I’ve ever heard.”
Willie Nelson must agree. For this album, he’s recorded a baker’s dozen of Walker’s finest, and he’s done it old school, with producer Fred Foster at the controls and instrumental backing that sounds like a classic early ‘60s album (complete with Floyd Cramer-ish piano licks and Jordanaire-style background vocals).
A little about Cindy Walker. Born in Texas in 1918, she made her way to Hollywood in the early ‘40s, scoring hits with Bing Crosby. In the mid-’50s, she turned to songwriting full-time, penning tunes for Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb and Roy Orbison, among others. Walker’s approach was to write words and melody, without accompaniment. Unable to play an instrument, she enlisted her mother to provide piano backing.
Every song here is a gem. “Bubbles In My Beer” and “Don’t Be Ashamed Of Your Age” are western swingers with the kind of economy and elegance of language that brings to mind Irving Berlin at his best. She’s equally adept on the ballads. Perhaps her best-known song, “You Don’t Know Me,” is still one of the most aching portraits of unrequited love ever written.
With all this wonderful songwriting on display, it’s easy to forget about the artist delivering the tunes. But Willie’s happy to walk a step behind the songs, letting them do most of the work. In some measure, Willie has become the successor to Sinatra, in the way that he places emphasis on the emotional story of a lyric, conveying humor and heartbreak in equal measures.
For fans of classic country, this record is a must. For songwriters, it’s a how-to textbook. Posted September 11, 2006 10:09 AM | | |
ARTIST: Carole King SONG/ALBUM: Music GENRE: Pop RATING: 8
How do you follow one of the biggest albums of all-time? For Carole King, the answer was: quickly. In 1971, after releasing the earth-moving Tapestry in March, she encored nine months later with another album, Music. Though it sold four million copies at the time and boasted a top ten single, it is almost completely forgotten today. It deserves better.
On the surface, Music could be Tapestry Part 2. It has the inviting organic sound, the warm vocals, the top-flight songs. Sticking with a winning formula, King enlists the same producer, Lou Adler, and the same musicians, including Danny Kortchmar, Ralph Shuckett and Charles Larkey. James Taylor even stops by again to harmonize on a song.
But King was also moving forward, taking chances. The socially conscious opener, “Brother Brother” makes an appreciative nod to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On album (released almost the same time as Tapestry) while “Carry Your Load” touches on themes of war and peace. After her split with husband-lyricist Gerry Goffin, King began collaborating with a new partner, Toni Stern. Of their three songs on Music, two are stone classics. The single “Sweet Seasons” is a deliciously catchy ode to a simple life in the country, while the yearning “It’s Going To Take Some Time” became a huge hit for the Carpenters (King’s version is leaner, but no less lovely).
If you’re looking to add another thread to your copy of Tapestry, try some Music. Posted September 11, 2006 10:06 AM | | |
ARTIST: Harry Nilsson SONG/ALBUM: The Point / Skidoo GENRE: Pop RATING: 9
Harry Nilsson could write a song for any occasion.
This 2-fer release, which includes soundtracks for a movie and a TV special, is a wondrous display of his versatility. Given the assignment by director Otto Preminger to “sing the movie’s closing credits” on Skidoo, Nilsson did just that, constructing a Broadway-style romp whose lyrics take in everyone from stars Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing to the gaffer and the best boy. “Garbage Can Ballet” finds Harry playfully imagining romance among the compost pile (“An old piece of ham is in love with some lamb”) while instrumentals “Tony’s Trip” and “Escape: Possible” suggest he could’ve easily had a career as a John Barry-esque film composer.
The Skidoo tunes are only the appetizer for the main course here. The Point, an original animated musical about a misfit boy named Oblio, is Nilsson at his most charmingly whimsical. While “Me And My Arrow” and “Everybody’s Got ‘Em” explore friendship and self-reliance, “Think About Your Troubles” starts with a man staring into a cup of breakfast tea, then in ten circular lines, evolves into a meditation on death and reincarnation. What’s remarkable is how these songs work on different levels, appealing to kids and adults, without shortchanging either.
Rounding out this generous 30-song disc are four previously unreleased tracks, including the bouncy “Girlfriend,” a song that was reworked into “Best Friend,” the theme for the TV series The Courtship Of Eddie’s Father.
If you’re only familiar with Nilsson from his hits “Without You” and “Everybody’s Talkin’,” here’s a chance to get to know him better. Posted September 8, 2006 1:03 PM | | |
ARTIST: Feist SONG/ALBUM: Let It Die GENRE: Alternative RATING: 8
Sometimes you can’t find any new records that excite you. Seems everyone’s trying to sound like Coldplay or the Ramones or some obscure ‘80s synth band. Then along comes the breeze of something truly fresh to restore your faith in pop music. That’s what Feist does for me.
She does it with a mix of classic values - melodies to die for, lyrics that ding the bullseye of the heart, and a lovely, understated voice that has echoes of Rickie Lee Jones. How she presents all this is a revelation. For example, on the beguiling “Mushaboom,” the arrangement is a quiet conversation between buzzy acoustic guitar, trombone, vibes and handclaps. Out of these minimal strands comes giddy beauty. She uses similar elements on “Lonely Lonely” and the time-stopping title track, which turns on the phrase “The saddest part of a broken heart / Isn’t the ending so much as the start.”
This demure Canadian can also be extroverted, as on “One Evening,” a song that percolates with a kind of melodic soul that recalls the Bee Gees at their best. Later in the disc, Feist actually covers a Bee Gees hit, “Inside And Out,” and makes it her own. Ditto on her takes of “Secret Heart” by Ron Sexsmith and the devastating closer, “Now At Last,” a forgotten standard written by Bob Haymes in the early ‘50s for Blossom Dearie.
Record collection feeling a little stuffy? Let Feist in. You’ll be glad you did. Posted September 8, 2006 1:01 PM | | |
ARTIST: Sam Cooke SONG/ALBUM: Night Beat GENRE: R&B RATING: 9
Night Beat is the perfect title for this album, suggesting not only the languid, after hours tempo of the music, but also beat in the sense of a familiar path trodden nightly by a restless man. Even further, beat in the sense of poetry. These songs speak in wee hours poetry - that direct language of 2 am, when all affectations and clever rhymes are stripped away to bare the cries of the soul.
And was there ever a finer soul crier than Sam Cooke? Though he’s best remembered for hits such as “You Send Me” and “Wonderful World,” the syrupy strings and corny Ray Conniff-style singers on those records often diluted the power of Cooke’s amazing voice.
On Night Beat, he’s surrounded by a hipster quintet that includes Barney Kessel on guitar and Hal Blaine on drums. Spare arrangements free Cooke’s voice to soar, delivering potent soul cries like “Get Yourself Another Fool” and “Fool’s Paradise,” as if he’s confessing to you in the privacy of your own room.
As Cooke digs deeper into lonely (“Lost And Lookin’”), lonelier (“Mean Old World”) and loneliest (“I Lost Everything”), he achieves a fundamental definition of soul over and over: Singer bares soul, listener has soul moved.
In one of the few interviews he did before he was murdered in 1964, Sam Cooke said, “You must make your audience feel what you feel. You have to stir up emotions and literally lift them from their chairs.”
Prepare to be lifted. Posted September 8, 2006 1:00 PM | | |
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