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USE THIS BLOG TO POST: Music Reviews |
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ARTIST: George Harrison SONG/ALBUM: All Things Must Pass GENRE: Rock RATING: 10
The evidence was there all along. As The Beatles lurched toward their messy break-up, George Harrison was reaching his creative peak. Consider "Something," "Here Comes The Sun," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and it’s clear that, away from the ugly in-fighting and legal squabbles that ultimately brought an end to the greatest pop band of all time, Harrison was steadily growing more confident as a songwriter. Still, when the quiet Beatle stepped forward in 1970 and released his own stunning masterpiece, All Things Must Pass, the listening public was caught off guard. The three-album package -- in effect, rock’s first boxed set -- was a remarkable debut that revealed just how much of Harrison’s talent had been overshadowed by Lennon's and McCartney’s. Without his most famous band mates, Harrison turned instead to such illustrious side players as his best friend Eric Clapton (who was of course falling in love at the time with Harrison’s wife, Patti), Billy Preston, Dave Mason, Gary Wright, Badfinger, Ringo and even a 19-year-old Phil Collins.
And while Bob Dylan doesn’t appear in person, his presence is felt in the lovely opening track, "I’d Have You Anytime," which he and Harrison co-wrote, and in "If Not For You," which Harrison sings with unaffected sincerity. Re-mastered and re-released nearly three decades following its original debut, All Things Must Pass sounds just as urgent, resilient, and uplifting as ever. With thirty years of hindsight, Harrison wrote in his liner notes: "It was difficult to resist re-mixing every track. All these years later, I would like to liberate some of the songs from the big production that seemed appropriate at the time, but now seem a bit over the top with the reverb in the wall of sound." But frankly, Harrison was wrong. Phil Spector’s sweeping arrangements help lift these tunes to celestial heights, complimenting their spiritual themes and adding to the album’s monumental stature. Case in point: "My Sweet Lord," which sparkles with Krishna clarity in its classic version, but sounds stripped of life in its later, misguided reworking. These sweetly melodic tunes need no updating. From the sheer sonic rush of "What Is Life" to the brooding mysticism of "Beware Of Darkness," All Things Must Pass remains an essential rock opus -- one that Harrison never surpassed. Posted October 20, 2006 8:43 AM | | |
ARTIST: Stevie Wonder SONG/ALBUM: Innervisions GENRE: R&B RATING: 9
The third album in the 1970s’ creative eruption of Stevie Wonder is a dazzler, revealing the many facets of his genius. There is MOR Stevie, crooning ballads “All In Love Is Fair” and “Golden Lady.” Jazz-fusion Stevie sailing through complex changes and riffs on “Too High. Latin Pop Stevie playing a fast-talking Romeo on “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing.” And for the first time ever, an overtly political Stevie, crying out on the hard-driving “Higher Ground” and “Living For The City.” Lines such as “To find a job is like a haystack needle / ‘Cause where he lives they don’t use colored people” were miles from the genteel sounds Stevie was making just three years previous.
Not only was he pulling brilliant songs out of thin air like a musical Merlin, he was also producing, arranging and playing nearly every instrument on this record, including drums.
Innervisions also marked Stevie’s full-on embrace of electronic instruments. Tutored by synth masters Malcolm Cecil and Bob Margouleff, Stevie quickly seduced the wire-sprouting Moogs, ARPs and Clavinets into doing his soulful bidding. Check out the futuristic “Visions” to hear how even transistors and circuitboards can have hearts.
Along with Talking Book, Fulfillingness First Finale and Songs In The Key Of Life, this record is a milestone in R & B music, as vital today as it was thirty years ago. Posted December 11, 2006 10:04 AM | | |
ARTIST: Squeeze SONG/ALBUM: Argybargy GENRE: Pop RATING: 9
One summer afternoon in 1981, I went into the local record store with the intention of buying an album by the hard rock trio Triumph. That was my taste at the time. As I was browsing, I heard the needle drop on a record playing in the store. Suddenly, there was a burst of clean electric guitars, a driving drumbeat and a voice that sounded like the reincarnation of John Lennon circa '65. “They do it down on Camber Sands, they do it at Waikiki . . .” went the opening line. I got goosebumps. It was like nothing I’d ever heard. So melodic, so fresh, so energetic. That was my new wave conversion, at the hands of Squeeze.
Argybargy was a life-changing record for me, and twenty-five years later, I still adore it. The third album for this affable Brit band found songwriting team Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford hitting their stride in a major way. The combination of smarts, storytelling and pop charms on perfect three-minute songs like Pulling Mussels (From The Shell),” “Another Nail In My Heart,” “Misadventure” and “If I Didn’t Love You” warrants all comparisons to Lennon & McCartney. Songwriting doesn’t get much better than this.
Even with plenty of brilliant moments to come in their career, Squeeze would never quite recapture the magic of Argybargy. It was the Meet The Beatles of the ‘80s. Posted December 11, 2006 10:02 AM | | |
ARTIST: Dusty Springfield SONG/ALBUM: Dusty In Memphis GENRE: Pop RATING: 9
It was Atlantic Records head Ahmet Ertegun who had the idea. After hearing Dusty Springfield’s soulful take on the Goffin & King tune “Some Of Your Lovin’,” he thought, “Why not send Dusty down south to record with Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd?” It had worked like a charm for another of Ertegun’s divas, Aretha Franklin.
Springfield arrived at American Studios in Memphis with a bag of what she later called “left field” material. Aside from a few gritty R & B songs, such as “Son Of A Preacher Man” and “Breakfast In Bed,” she brought a Randy Newman ballad (“Just One Smile”), a Bacharach & David sophisticated number (“In the Land of Make Believe”) and an arty Michel Legrand theme (“The Windmills of Your Mind”).
The sessions didn’t go smoothly. Dusty felt intimidated by the setting, and her shy and painstaking way of working - one line at a time - was at odds with Wexler and Dowd’s more natural methods. Tempers flared. Ashtrays flew. At the end, Dusty was convinced that she’d delivered a disastrous recording. She refused to listen to the album.
And initially, the critics agreed. But time and distance has revealed this to be a masterpiece. An unlikely meeting of slinky Memphis funk, classically-influenced string arrangments and sophisticated material, all fused together by Springfield’s supremely soulful voice.
Re-released by Rhino in 1992 with a heaping plate of extras and lost recordings, this is an essential building block for any record collection. Posted December 5, 2006 8:43 AM | | |
ARTIST: Billie Holiday SONG/ALBUM: Lady In Satin GENRE: Jazz RATING: 9
As diaries of heartbreak go, this may be the most profoundly sad and honest series of entries ever committed to vinyl.
In February 1958, an ailing Billie Holiday entered the studio for what would be her final recording sessions. Though she was only in her early forties, hard living had taken its toll. She was gaunt and frail. Her voice was just a ghost of its former glory. And because she knew it, she was nervous. But she still had her greatest gifts: exquisitely languid phrasing and an ability to transform a lyric into a dramatic monologue. The songs she chose were harrowing unrequited love ballads, such as “I’m A Fool To Want You,” “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” “I’ll Be Around” and “Glad To Be Unhappy.”
While every song is its own three-minute trailer for Holiday’s haunted life, none approaches the riveting emotional charge of “You’ve Changed.” When halfway through she cries out, “You’re not the angel I once knew / No need to tell me that we’re through,” you’re hearing the sound of a heart fracturing in two.
Holiday’s ravaged performances, backed by Ray Ellis’s autumnal orchestral arrangements, and solo spots by jazz aces such as Urbie Green and Mal Waldron, amount to a kind of beautiful pain, a sweet sweet suffering and a record that will stay with you long after the last note fades away.
If you’re in the mood for unrequited love, this is the masterpiece of the genre. Posted November 29, 2006 1:27 PM | | |
ARTIST: U2 SONG/ALBUM: All That You Can't Leave Behind GENRE: Rock RATING: 9
Musical trends wax and wane, and fame, as we know, is often fleeting. So admit it: when it comes to popular culture, absolute statements should be met with guarded skepticism. Still, U2 has undeniably established itself as the most influential rock band of its generation. As proof, just cue up All That You Can't Leave Behind, the band's 10th album and the third major milestone in its long, successful career. In 1987, The Joshua Tree swept across the musical landscape and established U2 as the pre-eminent band of the '80s. In 1991, the Irish rockers re-invented themselves with the dark ironies of Achtung Baby. Then, with two decades of music behind them, U2 reached the point where most rock bands become tired, timid, or simply spent. On this impressive album, however, Bono and his mates rushed headlong into the 21st century with one simple goal: to return straight-ahead rock to a place of pre-eminence.
Gone are the gimmicks that drained the life from the band's immediately previous efforts. Instead, the ill-advised theatrics are replaced by instant anthems that synthesize everything that has made U2 great for so long -- sweeping melodies, soaring lyrics, an unmistakable sense of purpose, and an unshakable belief in redemption. Bono has said that what he expects from rock is transcendence, the kind he associates with Bruce Springsteen. And that's what U2 delivers here, with music that arcs like a rainbow over a junkyard. Producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, whose names are synonymous with electronic moodiness, have kept the murkiness to a minimum on this album, and instead have allowed the band to showcase what each member does best. The Edge's chiming guitars add richly layered textures, in bold brush strokes and subtle nuances. Drummer Larry Mullen and bassist Adam Clayton construct an unfaltering rhythmic foundation. And most importantly, Bono voices the band's restless yearnings with clarity and conviction -- from the gorgeous sonic rush of "Beautiful Day," to the mid-life stirrings of "New York" and the awe-inspiring "Walk On," which would become the redemptive anthem of a nation following September 11th, 2001. All That You Can't Leave Behind is the kind of seamless, organic work that can only be created by veteran artists with a profound, instinctive sense of each other's talents. Grand but not grandiose, political but not pretentious, this musical masterpiece rouses the spirit and shocks the nervous system with a sense of splendor. Posted November 9, 2006 3:35 PM | | |
USER: improv USER TYPE: Reviewer ARTIST: Bill Evans SONG/ALBUM: The Last Waltz GENRE: Jazz RATING: 9
Looking back now on how pianist Bill Evans spent the last months of his life in 1980 -- his liver failing and his dependency on drugs exacting an ever-increasing toll on his health -- one might reasonably assume that this 8 CD box set, which comprises his last concert recordings, would provide little more than a poignant postscript to a remarkable career in jazz.
Nothing could be further from the truth. As those who were fortunate enough to hear Evans play in clubs during this period know, his artistry and concentration somehow seemed impervious to the troubles that afflicted him offstage. The famed "Evans-like touch," which by then had already become shorthand in jazz parlance for lyrical grace and harmonic finesse, was still very much evident, refreshing vintage pop and jazz ballads in subtle or surprising ways and infusing original material, both old and new, with a questing spirit and deeply felt emotions. By all rights, Evans should have been playing nothing but major concert halls in his later years. His credentials, after all, placed him in the highest ranks of jazz. Though best known for his highly influential stint with Miles Davis’ band in the late ‘50s circa Kind Of Blue, Evans distinguished himself in the company of a broad array of jazz and pop musicians, including Charles Mingus, George Russell, and Tony Bennett. On the The Last Waltz, we find him exploring and sometimes re-inventing a mostly familiar repertoire with the intuitive support of bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera. While the template for these intimate performances at Keynote Korner in San Francisco was created some twenty years earlier, during Evans’ landmark collaborations with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, the trio format continued to fuel the pianist’s imagination and yield fresh ideas. As a result, there’s not even a whiff of rote recitals among these 65 tracks, even though Evans had performed "Waltz For Debby," "Nardis," "Emily," and "The Touch Of Your Lips," among other favorites, countless times. As Derk Richardson points out in his informative liner notes, Evans didn’t seek to stretch out so much as dig in. He was convinced that by constantly mining the possibilities of trio performances, he’d find more than ample artistic rewards. He was right, of course, and with The Last Waltz he bequeathed to us yet another volume of extraordinary music. Posted October 26, 2006 3:52 PM | | |
ARTIST: Frank Sinatra SONG/ALBUM: In The Wee Small Hours GENRE: Pop RATING: 9
It’s 3 am. You lie awake, staring at the ceiling, watching replays of a familiar movie. It’s the one where you lose the girl. Not just the girl, but the love of your life. And now there’s nothing to do but to regret and wish for a second chance.
Frank Sinatra understands. In 1955, he was watching the same movie, having broken off with the love of his life, Ava Gardner. Translating his personal pain into an album of torch ballads, Sinatra created one of the most perfect soundtracks ever for that late, late show on your ceiling.
The titles read like chapters in a heavy-hearted tale: “Mood Indigo,” “I Get Along Without You Very Well,” “I See Your Face Before Me,” “When Your Lover Has Gone,” “Last Night When We Were Young,” “I’ll Never Be The Same.” Inhabiting Nelson Riddle’s melancholy arrangements, Sinatra brings an understated ache to the lyrics, investing them with drama and complete believability.
This album marked one of the first when his voice had deepened and darkened from his days as a bandstand crooner with Tommy Dorsey. Along with that maturity came a vulnerability and frailty. Instead of effortlessly sailing through a song, Sinatra had to rely on his method-acting- like ability as an interpreter. What he does here is more than singing. It’s storytelling.
When you’re in a late night mood, thinking of the one that got away, there is no better musical companion than Sinatra’s In The Wee Small Hours. Posted October 10, 2006 10:05 AM | | |
ARTIST: Audioslave SONG/ALBUM: Revelations GENRE: Alternative RATING: 9
There are plenty of new bands out there pretending to be rock stars, filling iPods and radio play lists everywhere with disposable, passionless music. Then there’s Audioslave – a band pieced together from the ruins of two of the greatest rock outfits of the 1990s.
The pairing of former Soundgarden lead vocalist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine’s guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk was among the most hyped superstar mash-ups in rock history. History tells us that supergroups rarely live up to the sum of their parts. But Audioslave has proven to be a glorious anomaly, producing three albums during the past five years – 2002’s Audioslave, 2005’s Out of Exile and the new Revelations – that arguably rank among the best rock albums of all time.
What makes Audioslave special? You could point to the taut, original songwriting, or to Cornell’s charismatic, ferocious classic-rock vocals, or Morello’s innovative, mind-bending lead guitar work, or a rhythm section that will kick your ass. Whatever it is, the magic and the chemistry is on full display in the new Revelations, an album that blends fist-pumping anthemic rock (“Somedays,” “Shape of Things to Come”) with funky, post-modern fist-pumping funk and soul (“Original Fire,” “Broken City”). Toss in pointed, fist-pumping political statements (“Wide Awake”) and the occasional fist-pumping power ballad (“Until We Fall”) and you’ve got the makings of an authentic rock classic. Posted September 26, 2006 7:57 PM | | |
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: 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: 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 | | |
ARTIST: Boston SONG/ALBUM: Boston GENRE: Rock RATING: 9
It’s still the biggest basement tape ever made.
Decades before Garageband or ProTools rendered home recording as easy as stamp collecting, a former Polaroid employee-turned-musician named Tom Scholz built his own crude multi-track tape machine. Sequestered in his basement with instruments and a head full of song ideas, he constructed a rock masterpiece, one track at a time.
Thirty years and seventeen million satisfied customers later, the first Boston album has been remastered and repackaged for a the i-Pod generation. While the stadium-ready guitar riffs and city-sized melodic hooks will touch a chord of nostalgia for those who remember when, what’s remarkable is how startlingly fresh and modern the record still sounds. The skin-tight syncopation and explosive chorus on “Rock ‘n’ Roll Band.” The space race build-up of “Foreplay / Long Time.” The sunburst dazzle of Brad Delp’s vocal harmonies on “Peace Of Mind.” And of course, the gorgeous chords and majestic dual guitar leads on “More Than A Feeling.” These are blissed-out thrills that measure up to whatever’s riding high on the charts this year, or any year.
In the extensive liner notes, Tom Scholz says, “The possibility that anyone would be listening to this album thirty years into the future was incomprehensible.”
Maybe it seemed that way in his basement back in ‘76. But Scholz & Co’s potent formula of “love and music” is likely to be around for another thirty years. And that’s more than a feeling. Posted September 8, 2006 12:58 PM | | |
ARTIST: Alejandro Escovedo SONG/ALBUM: The Boxing Mirror GENRE: Country RATING: 9
Critics are always looking for the next rock ‘n’ roll poet –someone who can forge a transcendent musical experience out of the raw materials of drums, guitars and lyrics. Plenty of artists have been given the tag over the years – from superstars Bob Dylan and Bruce Springteen to cult favorites Leonard Cohen and Steve Earle. But right now, the poet laureate of rock has got to be Texas singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo, an artist capable of transforming a simple folk song into a symphony of catharsis. Escovedo’s musical pedigree goes back more than 30 years and includes time in a series of influential American rock bands, including The Nuns, Rank and File and The True Believers. But he emerged as one of the singular voices in American music in the 1990s with a series of solo albums that explored life – from the promise of love to specter of death – in irresistible songs that blended eloquent lyricism and sophisticated arrangements and instrumentation. “The Boxing Mirror” is his first studio album in six years, a layoff prompted in part by illness. He was diagnosed with Hepatitis C a few years ago and was near death when he began work on the album. The music that came out of that experience is Escovedo’s best to date, ranging from romantic rock ‘n’ roll chamber music (“Looking for Love,” “The Ladder”) to hard-charging, wrenching, kaleidoscopic rock (“Break This Time,” “Sacramento & Polk”). It’s also an album about losing one’s way, then finding a way to step back from the brink. Songs like “Arizona” and “Died Little Today” explore the consequences of selfishness and bad decisions, but simmer with a hope rooted in the desire for with redemption. As the title implies, this is a story of a fight, in this case between Escovedo and himself. The album is produced by the Velvet Underground’s John Cale, whose production credits include seminal work by Patti Smith, the Stooges, Nick Drake and Squeeze. Adding Cale to the Escovedo mix gives “The Boxing Mirror” a savage, edgy grace. Easily one of the best rock records of 2006. Posted August 10, 2006 5:51 PM | | |
ARTIST: k.d. lang SONG/ALBUM: Shadowland GENRE: Country RATING: 8
Twenty-five years after Patsy Cline died, her spirit returned to Nashville in the form of a big-boned vegetarian Canadian singer named Kathryn Dawn Lang. With a mission to pay tribute to her idol, k.d. surrounded herself with old guard country legends, including producer Owen Bradley, Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee and Kitty Wells, plus a session band of forgotten Music Row all-stars. She shunned the new digital technology of the time and recorded live to analog tape, not only recapturing the magic of Cline’s great records, but making one of the best country albums of the ‘80s.
After starting with the languid Chris Isaak-penned opener “Western Stars,” k.d. tips her hat to country songwriters, from Roger Miller (“Lock, Stock and Teardrops”) to Harlan Howard (“I’m Down To My Last Cigarette”) to Cindy Walker (“Sugar Moon”). As Cline often did, she also transforms a few jazz standards (“Black Coffee” and “I Wish I Didn’t Love You”) into weepy honky-tonk ballads.
The success of this audacious undertaking all hinged on one factor - lang’s voice. And she delivers in octave-spanning, skylark-soaring spades. As producer Bradley says in the album notes: “As a singer, k.d. is anything she wants to be . . . a rare talent with a great voice and an imagination to go along with it.” Posted December 5, 2006 8:42 AM | | |
ARTIST: Randy Newman SONG/ALBUM: Little Criminals GENRE: Alternative RATING: 8
The thing about Randy Newman’s straight-faced satire is you don’t always know when he’s joking. Upon the release of his fourth album in 1977, the world beyond his cult following finally came face to face with this brilliantly acerbic composer, courtesy of a bouncy Top 5 hit called “Short People.” The newly initiated bobbed their heads, they sang along, but when they hit the line, “Short people got no reason to live,” their eyebrows shot up. “Wait a minute. Is this guy serious?”
As they got deeper into the album, they were probably further perplexed by material that bore no resemblance to songs they’d ever heard before. Newman was singing about a loan shark (“You Can’t Fool The Fat Man”), a grieving daughter (“Texas Girl At The Funeral of Her Father”), a boy who wants to be a policeman (“Jolly Coppers On Parade”) and a dying city (“Baltimore”). Admittedly, with his unsentimental bent and nasally voice, Newman takes some getting used to. But once you tune your ears to his frequency, you’ll be moved to both tears and laughter. He’s quite simply one of the most interesting, original songwriters of the last fifty years, and this is one of his quintessential albums.
The range of styles and moods here is remarkable. From the mysterious short fiction-like tale of “In Germany Before The War” to the Laurel Canyon country parody “Rider In The Rain,” Newman draws you into his three-minute worlds, gives you a quick tour, then moves on to the next exhibit.
For the uninitiated, this record is a fine place to start, followed by Sail Away and Good Old Boys. Posted November 29, 2006 1:22 PM | | |
ARTIST: Howard Jones SONG/ALBUM: The Best of Howard Jones GENRE: Alternative RATING: 8
Howard Jones is to music what Bill Paxton is to the movies. A perpetual underdog. An interesting character who consistently turns out good but underappreciated work. Not a household name, but one of those types that make you say, “Oh yeah, I like that guy.”
Since his debut in 1983 with “New Song,” this Brit has been quietly infiltrating the charts with his elegant keyboard-based pop. “What Is Love,” “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life In One Day,” “No One To Blame,” “Like To Get To Know You Well” - Jones has landed in the Top 40 a whopping nine times.
Aside from songs that sport more hooks than the walls at the Guggenheim, what makes Jones so easy to like is his consistently upbeat, altruistic viewpoint. His lyrics explore themes of individuality (“New Song”), self-determination (“Pearl In A Shell”), aging (“Life In One Day”) and truth-seeking (“Always Asking Questions”) without ever sounding heavy-handed or trite. When you listen to a song like “Hide And Seek,” with its hope that we can all recognize humanity in each other, you can’t help but feel like a better person.
One of the nicest surprises here is a cover of Donald Fagen’s “I.G.Y.” With it chorus refrain of “What a beautiful world it will be” it’s a perfect fit for Jones’ own philosophy.
In all, this album contains eighteen good reasons to say, “Oh yeah, I like that guy.” Posted November 29, 2006 1:21 PM | | |
ARTIST: Dolly Parton SONG/ALBUM: The Grass Is Blue GENRE: Country RATING: 8
Despite the success she’s enjoyed in Hollywood and on international tours, Dolly Parton has never really left home, or abandoned the bluegrass music that first inspired her to sing. Her love for southern string band music and tight, keening harmonies has never been entirely overshadowed by all of her achievements in pop music, television and film. Yet until the release of The Grass is Blue, Parton’s first full-length bluegrass album, recorded evidence of the singer’s devotion to music popularized by the likes of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and the Louvin Brothers has been parceled out only here and there, scattered across numerous albums that generally appeal to fans of mainstream and pop music.
On The Grass Is Blue, Parton decided to celebrate bluegrass without interruption or studio cosmetics. The musicians who greeted her in the studio were all seasoned pros -- respected pickers and singers including dobroist Jerry Douglas, mandolinist Sam Bush, fiddler Stuart Duncan and vocalist Allison Krauss. Parton brought along some of her own songs, both old and new, and soon the singer and ensemble were at work infusing an intriguing collection of tunes with the passion and spirit of bluegrass music. True, some of the songs were overhauled in the process. Billy Joel’s "Travelin’ Prayer" may seem an unlikely choice for a bluegrass album, but Parton’s adaptation works wonders, and with a little gender-bending she even manages to make the Louvin Brothers’ "Cash On The Barrelhead" sound as if it were always intended to be sung by a woman. Parton doesn’t interpret the old songs on the album so much as revel in singing them again. She takes particular delight in reprising Lester Flatt’s comical "I’m Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open," brings a haunting tone to Johnny Cash’s "I Still Miss Someone," and reaffirms her often overlooked talent as a songwriter with compelling performances of "Will He Be Waiting For Me" and "Steady As The Rain." Reflecting on the results, Parton said, “I think The Grass Is Blue is the purest thing I’ve ever done.”
Posted November 9, 2006 3:53 PM | | |
ARTIST: Johnny Mathis SONG/ALBUM: Merry Christmas GENRE: Pop RATING: 8
Posed in front of a painted winter backdrop and decked out like a skier, Johnny Mathis looked like a fresh-faced kid when his first holiday album cover was photographed. In fact, Mathis was only 23-years-old when he recorded Merry Christmas with the Percy Faith Orchestra in 1958, one year after he'd become the biggest selling pop vocalist in the U.S. Listening to this record, it's easy to understand his phenomenal success. His trademark sound -- soaring range, amazing breath control, a violin-like tone, and clipped, perfect enunciation -- makes his voice the ideal instrument for these holiday standards. And his choice of material is impeccable. "The Christmas Song" may be most closely identified with Nat King Cole, but Mathis' version could hardly be more lovely. When his breathy, hushed vocals glide up and down the melody without a hint of effort, the effect is soothing and sublime. On "I'll Be Home For Christmas," his voice floats over a gauzy string section and imparts a dreamy sense of longing to the lyrics. And on "O Holy Night," as the music builds into a glorious crescendo, Mathis delivers the concluding lines with as much power, control and passion as opera's greatest tenors. Posted November 9, 2006 2:32 PM | | |
USER: jules USER TYPE: Reviewer ARTIST: Shelby Lynne SONG/ALBUM: I Am Shelby Lynne GENRE: Country RATING: 8
When Entertainment Weekly announced its Best Albums of 2000, here’s what it said about Shelby Lynne: "Ten songs that transform shattered relationships and substance abuse into sweet, redemptive soul; production values so subtle that three-chord tunes morph into lush symphonies of sound; and an angelic voice with enough sex and bluesy grit to charm the devil are what make this album the runaway choice for No. 1.” And the top honor was richly deserved.
This Alabama native has distilled her life's tragedies and triumphs into a gutsy, gorgeous work of art. When she was a teenager, Lynne watched as her father shot her mother and then turned the gun on himself, leaving her in charge of her younger sister. With half her heart filled with a passion for music and the other half riding an adrenaline rush of rebellion, Shelby Lynne hit Nashville as an already divorced 19-year-old -- untamed and unwilling to follow country music’s rigid rules. She recorded a hit duet with George Jones and made five albums that sold poorly before deciding to pack it up and head home to Alabama again. Woodshedding with producer Bill Bottrell, she vowed make the album she’d wanted to make her whole life. Part classic country, part Dusty Springfield, part Aretha Franklin, This Is Shelby Lynne is as near perfect a record as you're likely to hear -- a throwback of sorts for older listeners, yet a blast of fresh air for younger ones. The opening strains of the first track, "Your Lies," come crashing through the speakers with a flood of swirling strings, as symphonic and dramatic as some of Phil Spector’s best work. From then on, each song mines a different emotion and style -- from the hushed resignation of "Leavin" to the bluesy midnight musings of "Black Light Blue." This album earned Lynne a Grammy for Best New Artist, an irony that wasn’t lost on the performer.
Posted November 9, 2006 2:22 PM | | |
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