Nick Jonas & The Administration

Yes, you read that headline correctly.  The first solo album from one of Disney’s famous or infamous Jonas Brothers has hit the streets, and the result is Who I Am  by Nick Jonas & The Administration.  Now, I imagine every review of this CD is going to state the same notable facts: 1) The Administration is a tight, journeyed four-piece band consisting of three former members of Prince’s band the New Power Generation, and they sound as great as I imagined they would (huge Prince fan, here, in case you didn’t know); 2) Nick wrote half of the songs himself and co-wrote the rest, doing I think a remarkable job at song craft for someone so young; 3) He sounds like he’s trying a little too hard to be the next John Mayer, and the register of his voice makes it impossible to forget he’s only 17.  Having said all that, however, this is a genuinely decent pop record.  Looking into the Jonas Brothers phenomenon a bit, it turns out it was originally meant to be a vehicle for Nick’s solo career, but people at Disney liked the brothers-thing and went in that direction.  I’m sure a few years from now Nick will be a true solo artist and he just may turn out to have some serious staying power.  Check out this new release and see what you think!

The rock and roll super group, 2.0

I’ve talked about the idea of super-groups before, but two new CD’s have come out that put a nice new twist on the formula.  Typically, the super-groups we’re all aware of (Cream, Blind Faith, Traveling Wilburys, Velvet Revolver, to name a few) are peers.  The musicians in question are typically similar in age and level of notoriety.  This is not the case for the two newest entries into this “genre,” Them Crooked Vultures and Tinted Windows.

Vultures features lead singer/guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), drummer Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), and then… wait for it… bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones (uh… oh yeah, Led Zeppelin).  Dave Grohl is very well respected and everything, but Led Zeppelin is definitely in another stratosphere than the Fighters and Queens.  The music is fun, rocking, and quite catchy.  It’s not really as heavy of any of the members other bands, but sounds more like a well oiled machination of all three.

The next group, Tinted Windows, really stretches the boundaries of super-groups, as its members include vocalist Taylor Hanson (Hanson), guitarist James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), bassist Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), and drummer Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick).  There’s about 30 years separating Carlos from Hanson and, to some, just about as great a divide as far as musical integrity goes.  Cheap Trick hasn’t been around for 35 years by accident, and Hanson – the group – suffers because the members are young, brothers, and originally hopelessly bubblegum.  The fact that the brothers Hanson are very strong musicians and songwriters seems to have been ignored over the years, so it’s nice to see Taylor break into a higher level of acceptance.  This album is good old-fashioned R’n'R, circa the New Wave era channeled through an undeniable filter of Cheap Trick.  It’s another one of those “roll the windows down and enjoy” kind of records, so I hope you do just that.  As long as it’s not snowing.

In memory of Erich Kunzel

I’ve been running an inventory of our Orchestral section this week, and I came upon one of my all-time favorite albums, and I realized mentioning it would perform a double duty.  I think everyone who loves and appreciates music should hear this CD, and I also think everyone should appreciate the man who conducted this record, and who passed away a few months ago.

Erich Kunzel, conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra since its inception in 1977,  died September 1, 2009.  I have always loved Kunzel’s work, far superior to my ear than Lockhart or Williams with the Boston Pops, and I was truly saddened by his passing.  The first thing I did upon hearing of his death was to listen to my favorite of his many records with the CPO, Pops Plays Puccini.

There has long been a tradition of arranging operatic works and arias for orchestras, but this is one of the finest examples of gorgeous melodies meeting perfect arrangements.  Puccini’s operas Tosca, Madama Butterfly, La Boheme, Turandot, and Gianni Schicci contain some of the most memorable and emotional music ever written, but for those who don’t enjoy listening to opera – and there are many – this music remains elusive.  But with collections like this one, there is no potential barrier between the music and the listener.

So, treat yourself to a beautiful interlude of music and check out Pops Plays Puccini.  It may even lead those of you who are hesitant about opera to take a chance on the full experience of Tosca or Madama Butterfly.  Or it may just leave you ready to hit repeat, and listen all over again.

What’s your favorite “lost” album?

I wanted to make a brief entry this week based on a personal bit of rediscovery I experienced over the weekend.  I’m sure all of us have an album that we really loved at some point in the past yet haven’t actually heard in ages.  For some it will be something from high school, college, or some other revelatory point in our lives.  For me, it’s an album from 1989 that I picked up in a bargain cassette bin (remember those?).  It’s a completely unheralded and still out-of-print CD from Peter Frampton called When All the Pieces Fit.  I haven’t heard it in at least 10 years, but found a copy over the weekend and have been quietly giddy ever since.  This album is, I still feel, the kind of thing Eric Clapton has been trying to do for years: create a tuneful, melodic, yet rocking piece of work that while wholly in the adult-contemporary vibe, doesn’t lose anything in the transition.  Frampton’s “Holding On To You,” “Now and Again,” and the riff-filled opener of “More Ways Than One,” are simply perfect pop/rock songs.  I dearly hope this CD will come back in print some day so everyone can enjoy it, but that’s not really my point.

This is probably the only time I’ll ever mention an album that is not part of the HPL collection, but my point here is bigger than just one CD.  Sometimes, most times, nostalgic urges fulfilled leave us disappointed.  We go back to our favorite childhood haunts to find ourselves baffled that we ever found them enjoyable.  I was thrilled to find When All the Pieces Fit so true to my memory, so I thought it would be a nice experiment to pass along.  A suggestion for all of us to seek out some long beloved album and revisit it.  Yes, everybody loves Led Zeppelin IV, but have you heard it lately?  Tori Amos’ Under the Pink, was in my CD player for weeks, but I haven’t heard a note of it in years.  What’s your favorite “lost” album?  Seek it out, and see if it lives up to your expectations.

At home with friends… and Joshua Bell

There is something in… I’ll say commercial music these days, that says the fastest way to send a record up the charts is to release a “duets” collection.  I’m not sure when this trend started, though the first thing I think of is Frank Sinatra’s Duets album from 1993.  After that, every artist who had reached a certain level of legendary status seemed required to release their own version, in their own way.  In the years since, we’ve had duets albums by Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Jerry Lee Lewis, Anne Murray, George Jones, Elvis Presley, and with their own distinct collections, Herbie Hancock, Chris Botti, and Kenny G.  This is certainly only the briefest of lists, but you get the picture.  This is all leading up to another duets album that follows the mold set by The Chairman, The King, and The Killer, but this one seems much more organic and far less commercial (though I’m sure it’ll sell by the truck load).

Taking inspiration from the informal performances held at his home during parties or casual get-togethers, the brilliant violinist Joshua Bell has released At Home With Friends.  The first thing I took from this album is how seamlessly these disparate performers fit together on the album.  The second thing I took was a slight sense of envy.  I mean, how many people can consider artists like Kristin Chenoweth, Sting, Anoushka Shankar, Dave Grusin, and Edgar Meyer close personal friends?!?  Anyway, this is a terrific album filled with vocal pieces and instrumentals, and a perfect blend of popular music, classical pieces, and broadway standards.  I definitely think you’ll be playing this one for years to come.

Last holiday update of the season

For those of you who love seasonal music – and by our circulation numbers I know you’re out there – I just wanted to offer a quick round-up of some of the new holiday albums on our shelves this year.  Christmas albums tend to be less adventurous than other albums, so if you see a title by an artist you already enjoy, chances are the holiday offering will sound like more of the same (with the possible exception of Bob Dylan).  This is meant in a good way, of course, so I hope you enjoy any or all of the following, new CD’s.

 Michael McDonald’s This Christmas ~ Sugarland’s Gold and Green ~ Barry Manilow’s In the Swing of Christmas ~ Rob Halford’s Winter Songs (yes, Rob Halford, as in former lead singer of Judas Priest) ~ Tori Amos’ Midwinter Graces ~ Sting’s If on a Winter’s Night ~ Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas ~ Neil Diamond’s A Cherry Cherry Christmas ~ Olivia Newton-John’s Christmas Wish ~ Christmas Jug Band’s On the Holiday Highway ~ Carla Bley’s Carla’s Christmas Carols ~ Loreena McKennitt’s A Midwinter Night’s Dream ~ Jerry Douglas’ Jerry Christmas ~ Bob Dylan’s Christmas in the Heart ~ and the following collections:

Now That’s What I Call a Country Christmas ~ Gotta Have Gospel: Christmas ~ A Very Special Christmas 7 ~ Putumayo’s A Family Christmas ~ and, of course, the rerelease of that modern classic, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Singing Songs of Christmas.  Seriously.

Enjoy, enjoy, and be well.

The trick that doesn’t get old

If you ask most people about the band Cheap Trick, I dare say many of them would have heard of the band, but other than a couple of songs played three-gazillion times on the radio, they would never have actually heard their music.  Trick released a fantastic album in 2006 called Rockford, loved by fans and critics alike, and for their recent follow-up, they decided to do something a little… unique.

First, they released a new album called The Latest, which continues the success of Rockford, combining the rock & roll fun of their classic work with terrific production values and – in my personal opinion – a much higher quality of song writing and performance than they’ve had in years.  But if that wasn’t enough, they also released their own song-for-song version of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band!

Anyone who’s listened to Cheap Trick knows they’ve taken a heavy dose of inspiration from John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and this amazing tribute – while surprising to some – makes perfect sense.  Since The Beatles themselves never performed this album live, why not let Cheap Trick do it?!  This is just straight out rock & roll from a band that’s been together for 35 years, paying tribute to their idols.  They even throw in a bit from Abbey Road, which is both a nice surprise and a fabulous addition, musically.

So throw caution to the wind and re-discover the well-honed rock & roll of Cheap Trick.

Well, ’tis the season

Thought it would be nice this week to shed some light on a few holiday albums you might overlook when browsing through the bins.  These are albums that may not spring to mind when you think of holiday music, and they certainly are not the ones you’re going to hear on 24-hour holiday stations like 105.7 or 103.3.  But they’re terrific, all the same.

Jimmy Smith’s Christmas Cookin’ (or Christmas ‘64 as it’s also known), is one the finest instrumental holiday records you’ll ever hear, led by the stirring and always amazing sound of Jimmy’s Hammond B-3 organ.  He opens with the coolest arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” you’ve ever heard, and doesn’t let up.  If you’ve never heard it, now is literally the time.

Jerry Douglas, one of the finest dobro players in the world, has released his first holiday CD called Jerry Christmas.  This is a collection of acoustic tunes so artfully handled that I’m sure they’d slip through the cracks of radio programmers, despite the notoriety Jerry’s gained through playing with Alison Krauss.  Again, this is mainly instrumental, and a wonderful new addition to the genre.

Lastly, we have a collection I know you’re not going to hear on WPLM this year, The Best of Blues: The Christmas Collection.  I mean, where else are you going to hear Eddie Campbell doing “Santa’s Messin’ with the Kid,” or Albert King’s rollicking “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’?”  So mix it up a little bit this season, and give your ears a present.

Something fun

With the sudden influx of holiday music in the stores and on the radio, I thought I’d mention a CD that’s just good new-fashioned fun.  I listened to it the other day and was reminded how the best surprises are the ones that truly come out of nowhere.  The album in question is Kellie Pickler’s self-titled CD.  This is her second album since coming in sixth on the fifth season of American Idol, and it’s just about a perfect country record.  Where some country fans have issues with Carrie Underwood’s records sounding too pop and over-produced (which may be true, but they’re still great records), Pickler’s music is the kind of clean and clear sounding country sure to please fans of classic as well as today’s pop-country that dominates the airwaves.  Pickler had a hand in writing a lot of the songs on this record, and I really think she could be around a lot longer than many of those who actually won American Idol.  One song, “Best Days of Your Life,” was written by Pickler and fellow rising star now borderline superstar Taylor Swift, and it has everything a good contemporary country song should have: a breakup, a strong woman, great harmonies, a rockin’ beat, and an undeniably catchy melody.  I’ll be honest, I love Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, and Britney Spears’ new single is positively infectious (in a good way, mind you), but I can’t tell you how happy I am to have a collection of songs by a young woman that’s about empowerment, confidence, real love, and just simple fun.  This is “roll your windows down and turn it up” country, and I hope we get a lot more music from Miss Pickler.

Long Road Out of Eden

I’m happy to say that after what seemed like an eternity of being a “Walmart Exclusive,” the long-awaited reunion album by Eagles is finally available everywhere, and we finally have it at HPL.  Long Road Out of Eden is a treat for fans both old and new, with the boys sounding as good as ever, with a bit of 21st century technology to help make them sound even better.  What’s more, there are 20 tracks spread across two CD’s, so there’s plenty to hear from the group that once swore they wouldn’t reunite until “hell freezes over.”

After a terrific reunion concert in the early 1990’s, Eagles actually released an album entitled Hell Freezes Over, but that only included a few new songs, combined with re-recordings of old favorites.  This is the first full length release from Frey, Henley, Walsh, and Schmidt since The Long Run in 1979!  That’s a heck of a layoff, but the new material stands right alongside their 1970’s classics.  The vagaries of public consumption and the popularity of musicians over 60 means this album won’t have been heard on the radio too much, but there’s something so comforting about their brand of California country-rock.  They also know exactly how to craft an “Eagles” record, leading off with “No More Walks In the Wood,” a beautiful piece of harmony vocals that reminds us all how naturally these men work together.  Their voices draw you into their songs, and those songs are truly as well crafted as their earlier work.  Pick this one up and spend another afternoon with Eagles!