While I don’t want to take anything away from this terrific album of covers by Firewater, I wanted to use this post as an opportunity to remind everyone how much cool music there is out there, if you only look, and take a chance on something you’ve never heard before. Case in point, Songs We Should Have Written by Firewater. I guess you could call these guys – led by Tod A – a rock band, or an indie rock band, but their sound can have a little gypsy feel to it, using a wide variety of instruments to create their unique sound. I first came upon this because this CD contains a cover of “Hey Bulldog” by The Beatles, and as I’m always curious to hear Beatles’ covers, and this – in particular – is one of my favorite Beatles songs, I gave it a try. I LOVED their cover, because I always knew this song could rock this hard, but you also have to appreciate a cover album that opens with a Sonny Bono tune, and lays claim to covers by Johnny Cash, The Rolling Stones, and the traditional tune “This Little Light of Mine.” This is a great CD I’m sure you’ll enjoy, but I also hope people take my suggestion and pull something of the stacks by someone they’ve simply never heard of before. Really take a chance. You might love what you find.
Let me say, right at the start, that you do not have to be a fan of the Twilight books or films to appreciate the fantastic soundtrack albums that have accompanied each picture. I, personally, love the books and the films, so the music works even better for me, but each of the currently four soundtrack albums are a great blend of quiet, acoustic songs, indie rock, and overall a very cohesive sense of atmosphere (there will be a fifth CD when Breaking Dawn, part 2 is released next fall). I’ve discovered a handful of amazing artists through these CD’s, and some truly great songs. Among my favorites are “A Thousand Years,” by Christina Perri; “Possibility,” by Likke Li; “Supermassive Black Hole,” by Muse; and “Eclipse (All Yours),” by Metric. I’ll let you figure out which soundtracks they’re on.
These are the kind of collections that certainly gather strength from repeated listenings so, even if you aren’t into the books or films, you need to check out the music!
Rhino Handmade has produced lots of great specialty sets in the last few years, but the group that has benefited the most from their in-depth attention has got to be The Monkees. The latest 3-disc set focuses on their 7th album, Instant Replay. This was the first disc to feature the trio of Nesmith, Dolenz, and Jones, as Peter Tork had recently left the group. And although their final records (Instant Replay, The Monkees Present, and Changes) had much less success than their earlier works, there are still some great songs. I’ve always loved “I Won’t be the Same Without Her,” “Through the Looking Glass,” and “You and I.” But the real value of these sets can be found in the extensive alternate mixes, mono mixes, and backing tracks that explore every aspect of the process that was the Monkee machine. Some would say these sets go into too much detail, but for those of us inclined to dive head first into this kind of floor-to-ceiling coverage… have at it!
After seeing Lou Reed on television the other night, I instantly had the primal need to hear one thing: Magic and Loss. This album from 1992 was Reed’s meditation on life, death, and loss in the wake of two close friends of his suffering from cancer, and eventually passing away. Coming three years after his other highly acclaimed album New York, this album is a classic Reed style, in that it holds pretty tight to the “2 guitars, bass, and drums” model of classic rock n’ roll, but also contains some of his finest lyrics. The single “What’s Good” was actually a hit record for Reed – he hasn’t had many – and it opens the record with one of my favorite verses of all-time:
“Life’s like a mayonnaise soda / And life’s like space without room / And life’s like bacon and ice cream / That’s what life’s like without you.
This album is filled with treasures, though it’s certainly a heavy and thought provoking CD. The song “Cremation” is astounding, and every track is worth multiple listenings. I’ll be honest and say that I’m not that versed in Reed’s entire career, but I’ve listened to New York and Magic and Loss dozens of times. So take a listen to the magic… and the loss.
Some of you probably know that I believe Kelly Clarkson to be the best pop singer around. I don’t expect or need everyone to agree with me (though you should), but I wanted to make sure I gave you the word on her latest release, Stronger.
I’ve played Kelly’s previous CD – All I Ever Wanted – hundreds of times, and it was a perfect blend of up tempo tunes, ballads, rockers… just a perfect jukebox for Kelly’s voice. I am happy to report that Stronger is just that: an even better blend of songwriting and performance that combines instantly memorable melodies with perfect sequencing between tempos, styles, and lyrical content. And because I always look for the most content I can provide to HPL patrons, we own the Deluxe Edition of this CD which contains four songs not on the standard release, including a lovely closing ballad called “The Sun Will Rise.” I can’t possibly choose a favorite song here, but my easy-replays would be “You Love Me,” “Standing in Front of You,” “I Forgive You,” “You Can’t Win,” and the title track, “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger).”
These are the kinds of songs that can keep a great day going or turn frustration into relief. I kid you not. So carve out some time for this CD. It’s perfect.
I first met Mark OToole in the late 1980′s. He was a local performer with a phenomenal voice and a strong sense of stage presence. To give you a sense of his stage presence, he typically appeared on stage alone, with the only musical accompaniment being a prerecorded music track. Sometimes he had a friend on guitar, and Mark often played guitar as well – if I’m not mistaken – but even when it was just him, alone, you had to watch. Most importantly, you had to listen.
Mark’s music has shifted over the years, but standards were always an important part of his repertoire. He’s been performing for years in Las Vegas, and his new CD The Crooner, is a perfect encapsulation of what Mark can do. He has a beautifully warm and deep voice, and absolute control over that voice. Most singers allow far too much vibrato in their voice when they hold longer notes, but Mark can use a little, a lot, or none at all and hold a crystal clear note for bar after bar. It really is a pleasure to hear a voice like his finally captured on disc. On this CD, he opens with Madeleine Peyroux’s “Don’t Wait Too Long” for a touch of the contemporary, and moves throughout popular songs with an ear for classics like “When I Fall In Love” and beloved yet under-performed songs like “Maybe This Time,” and “We’ll Meet Again.” The arrangements are great, the production is excellent, and anyone who enjoys hearing a truly great voice will enjoy this disc. I know I do!
One of the greatest bands to ever hit the stage was The Time. The only problem was, if you’d only heard their albums, you never really heard The Time. Originally formed by Prince in 1981, the band was kind of an excuse for Prince to be able to create and record material under a different name, and then give himself the perfect opening act – a band with a killer groove, but a band through which he made a lot of money. Now, I love Prince – always have – but he certainly messed around with the members of The Time. So, four albums later (if you never heard Pandemonium from 1990, do yourself a favor and check it out), the boys were gearing up for a new project – one created entirely on their own – and Prince decided to deny them use of the name “The Time.” And although that name is very recognizable, the guys saw this as a chance to really start fresh, so they renamed themselves The Original 7ven, and have just released Condensate, a truly great record.
Everything that made The Time famous – and an amazing live act - is here: killer grooves, great musicianship, the sexy stylings of Morris Day, the rocking guitar of Jesse Johnson, and the writing, arranging, and performing skills of the great Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It’s been a very long time since a record impressed me this much on a first listening. Even some of my all-time favorites took a few turns to fully grow on me. But one listen to “Condensate,” “Cadillac,” or “Toast to the Party Girl” was more than enough to make me keep this disc in heavy rotation. I have always loved The Time, and always wished I had more of their actual music to listen to, rather than another Prince vanity project. But now I’ve got what I always wanted. The Original 7ven. Killer!
I remember a time in the 1980′s when you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing a song by Dan Seals. After gaining fame as half of England Dan & John Ford Coley, Seals began a highly successful career as a country artist. His career maintained a steady but quiet presence through the 1990′s, and he passed away in 2009, at the very young age of 61. The songs that I, personally, remember him for came from his 1988 release, Rage On. This CD has been out-of-print for a long time, but I recently found a copy and was thrilled to be able to add it to the collection. The biggest hit off this record was “Addicted,” a Cheryl Wheeler song that did great things for both Seals and Wheeler. But there are also some true gems in “Big Wheels in the Moonlight,” “Rage On,” and “Twenty-Four Hour Love,” among others. The sound here is the definitive style of late 1980′s mainstream country, just before country-pop or country-rock started to take over the airwaves. This is a wonderful, solid, and highly enjoyable record. I hope you give it a try.
After seeing her in her Black Widow costume for the upcoming Avengers movie, I found myself remembering a quieter side of Scarlett Johansson. Best known as the star of Lost in Translation, Match Point, and many other films, Scarlett has two albums to her credit; her first album called Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008) which was a collection of Tom Waits songs from albums as diverse as Raindogs and Alice, and Break Up (2009) with Pete Yorn. While not what many expected, I thought Johansson’s voice was almost a perfect match for the earthy and guttural Waits melodies, and the Pete Yorn collaboration was even better, as their voices worked perfectly together. 
The Yorn record has a really vibrant kind of throwback-cool sensibility that works front-to-back, though the lead off track “Relator” is still my favorite.
Johannson may not be the greatest singer in the world, or even the best actor/singer (that title still belongs to Minnie Driver, in my opinion), but these albums create a very dreamy and hypnotic collection of moods and hidden melodies that proves more than entertaining. I think she was trying things out with the Waits record, and really starting to come into her own with the Yorn collaboration. Hopefully, there will be more to come.
Yes, this is an easy recommendation. I’ve always been an admirer of Tony Bennett’s voice, and this collection of duets, released in his 85th year, shows he still has complete control of his instrument. Unlike the great Mr. Sinatra, whose Duet records were released when he was in his late 70′s, Bennett’s voice is still quite strong, though certainly more mellow and warmer. Sinatra also sang with somewhat adult-contemporary performers, exclusively. But while Sinatra and Bennett both duet with the likes of Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, and Willie Nelson, Bennett has the truly more contemporary pairings with people like John Mayer, Amy Winehouse, and Lady Gaga – with whom he does a great rendition of “The Lady is a Tramp.”
It’s also interesting to note that both Bennett and Sinatra’s Duets albums were produced by the same man – Phil Ramone. So there is an odd sense of continuity between these two legends of popular song. This is a very high quality collection of tunes, paring classics like “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” with “Yesterday I Heard the Rain” or “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me).” This is the #1 CD in the country for a reason, people, so give it a listen!
