tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77496752024-03-08T06:34:03.752-05:00Music & MoreBecause music has the power to make life betterWilliam Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.comBlogger647125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-90894051069475329782024-02-26T19:08:00.001-05:002024-02-26T19:08:55.186-05:00Bela Fleck - Rhapsody in Blue (Thirty Tigers, 2024); It's a Function of Flex Talent and Gershwin's Durability<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4NXZIa1oY9OF1lggWxVrxDI212IepBkz7s8DwiqvWQqXDfq8kilGsZ6YdbX2U5kAQSaj2EbvuoIfkUBuD_ZOccWGcdAP75ugNd8Da8es0BiUg38jpt89y0d_jBpcWkIUFYccXZcPY99ARKjhdeowQdhT_C1fsbS3YPkVPMVE8TXwZMKfZqvQYQ/s901/Blog.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="901" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4NXZIa1oY9OF1lggWxVrxDI212IepBkz7s8DwiqvWQqXDfq8kilGsZ6YdbX2U5kAQSaj2EbvuoIfkUBuD_ZOccWGcdAP75ugNd8Da8es0BiUg38jpt89y0d_jBpcWkIUFYccXZcPY99ARKjhdeowQdhT_C1fsbS3YPkVPMVE8TXwZMKfZqvQYQ/w640-h354/Blog.webp" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Photo: <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stevie Connor, The Sound Cafe</span></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5QTl_EDUy791bAwwIM1PFcV4f3ejN_tr0wgAmTp79Q-DMVP3bV8aHaKW-swhDfZsLM7Ei9IRnQ7rzWkFJfW8bJNWgo4nzYzuIhq-0RjytgHOVOo2gDXXo0JRtfOPDU1pQ5I4HdACrLnoeyQ5sCtdin0-Ft16opSSan8cjpJR7sl8E7VU__ic0g/s1000/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5QTl_EDUy791bAwwIM1PFcV4f3ejN_tr0wgAmTp79Q-DMVP3bV8aHaKW-swhDfZsLM7Ei9IRnQ7rzWkFJfW8bJNWgo4nzYzuIhq-0RjytgHOVOo2gDXXo0JRtfOPDU1pQ5I4HdACrLnoeyQ5sCtdin0-Ft16opSSan8cjpJR7sl8E7VU__ic0g/s320/blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Despite the many achievements of Bela Fleck combining bluegrass and jazz, I've got an admission to make. I do remember when Fleck first appeared playing jazz with his banjo. Although I've heard songs here and there, in all these years I have never taken the opportunity to see him play live or even listen to one of his albums. Perhaps it was that I was never all that enthusiastic about the bluegrass part of the equation. That is... until now. </span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>Fleck has just released his latest long player called <i>Rhapsody in Blue</i> to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the piece's debut. I've read that <i>Rhapsody in Blue</i> was first performed on February 12th, 1924 in NYC at </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span>Aeolian Hall (believe it or not, that building still exists)</span></span><span>. I always love the piece. I don't know how far back I go with the </span><i>Rhapsody</i><span>, but no, I wasn't there for it's debut. It was already familiar to me when I had the privilege of playing it from the prospective of the third clarinet section of my high school concert band. That was before United Airlines adopted the soundtrack for their advertising starting in the 1980s. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>Fleck offers two fully formed versions of </span><i>Rhapsody in Blue</i><span> on his new album. The first version on track one is called "</span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">Rhapsody in Blue(grass)" and it is essentially a picker's paradise. Fleck and his associates play the piece on all manner of string instruments and I must say that they truly play the heck out of it. This piece was completely arranged by Fleck, which is a complex achievement greater than the ability of any single player.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6px;">Track three, which is the more traditional "</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">Rhapsody in Blue" preformed by Eric Jacobson & the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Although that may initially sound more familiar to the listener, it is no less an accomplishment for Fleck as he arranged this version to omit the piano part and replace it with his banjo. He speaks at length on this subject at his <a href="https://www.belafleck.com/about" target="_blank">website</a>. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6px;"><br /></span></span></span></span><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The three shorter tracks keep up the Gershwin theme quite nicely. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">"Unidentified Piece for Banjo" appears on track two, a Gershwin composition discovered in the Library of Congress archives, it has been heretofore unrecorded and unheard. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">On "Rhapsody in Blue(s)", which appears as track four, Fleck lifts portions of the <i>Rhapsody</i> and arranges them for a different set of players: Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and Victor Wooten.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span face="brandon-grotesque, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.6px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Fleck takes a lessor known Gershwin composition to end on a high note with</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.6px;"> "Rialto Ripples",</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.6px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">track five.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">On his website, Fleck offers a thought on Gershwin and his compositions, which reflects my own reaction to this album:</span></p><p></p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #212121; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"I do hope that he would have loved it, that he would have gone,</span></span></p><p style="color: #212121; hyphens: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">‘Man, this is not what I expected, but I’m happy that the artist brought something different to it.’ Classical musicians do that all day long. The great ones find a way to inhabit a piece, and the composer would thank them for bringing themselves into it.</span></p><p style="color: #212121; hyphens: none; margin-bottom: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">That is what I would aspire towards, to head in that direction."</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Bela Fleck penned an article in which he has a great many fascinating things to say about the historical significance of this composition, <a href="https://www.wbgo.org/music/2024-02-14/we-must-face-harms-done-bela-flecks-defense-of-george-gershwins-rhapsody-in-blue" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Listen to "Rhapsody in Blue(grass)" from the album:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="415" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8DHPxRZFWQE" width="500" youtube-src-id="8DHPxRZFWQE"></iframe></div><br /><span face="brandon-grotesque, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.6px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></span><p></p></div><div><span face="brandon-grotesque, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.6px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></span></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-13241766014989707952024-02-23T16:50:00.003-05:002024-02-23T17:03:14.583-05:00Nouvelle Vague - Should I Stay or Should I Go? (Kwaidan Records, 2024); Call Me A Fan
<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="1200" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh101Z0VYDOPRL94vYo88r31nR3NTJGW_XGk250JLjhT8svttxClxMcO3BGXn7W7aridNjUBIWqcpBcaAQaV2iw3XucVy4Hc8GuBv0La12JQp8qmb5kF5UEuooXxMK51bCCJj7nfUDTZMmXkvaoXjFpIojqyYkha7MDNs6iXKceZQ5MnE1WKwYI3A/w656-h413/Blog.jpeg" width="656" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Photo courtesy of Nouvelle Vague Music</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15lVMVUq5vGmmGcPLwv7sDWzPnhGuLlEi0HhHxIa3sGXOILRAv00E1a5EGROY7OLGL_IL8cm7PU7siicpZo0lDbb11tMWe6TXzRUDekwZv7eIGQLSrCR3UZlJlDQb8u_ztOGjgDMUwbr5g0U-rXLsqos6geU_nGj-a74wQdp2_R12yDpVrN9O9A/s840/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="840" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15lVMVUq5vGmmGcPLwv7sDWzPnhGuLlEi0HhHxIa3sGXOILRAv00E1a5EGROY7OLGL_IL8cm7PU7siicpZo0lDbb11tMWe6TXzRUDekwZv7eIGQLSrCR3UZlJlDQb8u_ztOGjgDMUwbr5g0U-rXLsqos6geU_nGj-a74wQdp2_R12yDpVrN9O9A/s320/blog.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I knew I'd run into these guys before, possibly on their first album, which I kind of liked. What I wasn't prepared for was, in reading the press surrounding the release of their new album, <i>Should I Stay or Should I Go?</i>, was the fact that they've been at it now for twenty years and that this is their eighth album. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Nouvelle Vague was formed in France to do cover versions of post-punk and new wave classics (hence the name). They intended to cover these songs in a bossa nova style. This band has no lead singer; they prefer to assign female vocalists on a song by song basis.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I'm no expert in new wave or the British singles chart, but a listen to their new record reveals that it is not a tribute to The Clash or even political bands of that ilk. It is covers of some nicely chosen British and European hits going back to the 1970s. I could name some examples. but I don't want to spoil the opportunity to listen to it as I did, without looking at the tracklist first. Listening to it in this way will put a smile on your face more than a few times, if you let it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"Doing </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">bossa nova covers" would be an oversimplification of what they do. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Nouvelle Vague has refined their art into a well thought out style that includes </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">bossa nova for some tracks. Some of their covers are b</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">ossa nova adjacent and some of the songs may even use b</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">ossa nova as a jumping off point. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I didn't know that much about </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Nouvelle Vague going in, but after listening to </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Should I Stay or Should I Go?</i> you may call me a fan.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="408" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ToW1lfFF8XM" width="536" youtube-src-id="ToW1lfFF8XM"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div>
William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-70221014526169504562024-02-18T20:18:00.009-05:002024-02-20T19:56:15.956-05:00Billy Joel - Turn the Lights Back On (2024, Columbia Records), First New Record In Over 30 Years; Check Out His Interviews With Stephen Colbert and Howard Stern<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4uADgyErNPnpY8R9wpfWocfEWB2vf0aa8U1D-sHdi55FN9KNazb61BkLA4mcTjqgf0W-XZzYf_I-QQr_uiG27okkM1jAKvRkRV73OeuCYIjkO4J8VtqDmj2C_EKYiSWy3ab6J6vgcZKIkSQPjP5TEtSp0lSKW0zFQYYKOrmm6UP1F9mRZrxiuQ/s764/blog.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="764" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4uADgyErNPnpY8R9wpfWocfEWB2vf0aa8U1D-sHdi55FN9KNazb61BkLA4mcTjqgf0W-XZzYf_I-QQr_uiG27okkM1jAKvRkRV73OeuCYIjkO4J8VtqDmj2C_EKYiSWy3ab6J6vgcZKIkSQPjP5TEtSp0lSKW0zFQYYKOrmm6UP1F9mRZrxiuQ/w565-h319/blog.webp" width="565" /></span></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Have you heard the new Billy Joel record, "Turn the Lights Back On"?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="460" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UOf6CMbHPuA" width="553" youtube-src-id="UOf6CMbHPuA"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><span>"Turn the Lights Back On" is the first new popular recording released by Joel in over thirty years. This blog didn't even exist when the last Billy Joel album, <i>River of Dreams</i>, was released in 1993. Note: </span></span><i>River of Dreams </i><span>was Joel's last album of popular songs, he did release a classical album after that</span><span>. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I could never understand how someone so amazingly talented as Billy Joel (just consider his discography) could just flip a switch and turn it off and leave it off for over thirty years. Part of what made that possible, performing live concerts, might also have had the opposite effect. Joel begins to answer that question and many more during this week's conversation with Howard Stern; more on that below.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The song starts with just piano and voice and on first listen, it sounds like there is no way that all this time could have passed. When the meaning of the song kicks in, we find that Joel is singing about regret and reconsideration and it's clear that this song's emotions are plainly on its sleeve. The crux of the tune is whether the singer has waited too long. The music amplifies the emotions and the gist of the lyrics is something that can apply to more than one situation. We can think he's talking about his music career or maybe about a relationship. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Turning the "lights back on" is such a great metaphor. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Like some of his best work, it's non-specific, open to interpretation. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I love it and I'm glad to have him back. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">In multiple interviews, Joel explained how he came to write after many years of resistance. He explained that he came to like collaboration as compared to his earlier career when he would toil in solitude, which contributed to his dislike of songwriting. The main instigator in all this was songwriter and producer </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Freddy Wexler, who not only co-wrote the track but also produced the recording. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>Joel played the new song <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/349974811341745" target="_blank">live on the Grammy Awards</a> telecast on 11 February 2024. Four days later, he guested on <i>The Late Show with Stephen Colbert</i> <a href="https://youtu.be/eo1tRMs9SzA?si=g9QnZGGXwcNFLv8a" target="_blank">(one segment was posted to YouTube</a>). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>On Valentines Day, Joel sat down with Howard Stern in Miami for a long form interview, complete with a grand piano on which Joel freely illustrated the conversation. I've never seen a rock star so open and honest in an interview as Joel was with Stern. You can hear the <a href="https://www.siriusxm.com/player/episode-video/entity/4464dd7a-1510-30f9-81ca-8704ed4bf213">entire audio interview</a> on SiriusXM. S</span><span>everal segments of that interview have been posted to YouTube. Click for <a href="https://youtu.be/7X_nftPFn6o?si=wagLTMaPPT1i2Y8j" target="_blank">Clip 1</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/TluMiRjGiUc?si=ycSRlz_LHqCoWqTu" target="_blank">Clip 2</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/tk48JcOrchE?si=EtxkM-vJ61t2huGW" target="_blank">Clip 3</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/usmvUz83WU4?si=qpvA4Al7VaZlHPfh" target="_blank">Clip 4</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/5GKhrXFQofo?si=SA8P0XK6tJC57-dU" target="_blank">Clip 5</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/gywmPPdpGyg?si=UsPVvc24IxQ1tDUR" target="_blank">Clip 6</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/_6JGqf9GsHg?si=wXSojCNrCn9Zr_T2" target="_blank">Clip 7</a>.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiCiTIRdFudRmBOe7xC2A6A45NGR8O2JK_YBl7s9-VNPjNeena_UHsqLMFK7dPs3JY6Dbaub-eDYHSUZlZzkfUbO4VsuK_JRhPFa8QB2skWNcbgKXNhC71figQ1RE3TMj4g0Dx-LzSQ4gNx4eadN5PgaBYOd5ovbjmII6vrsoZHXzvAmJSzikUw/s1000/GettyImages-1986698692.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiCiTIRdFudRmBOe7xC2A6A45NGR8O2JK_YBl7s9-VNPjNeena_UHsqLMFK7dPs3JY6Dbaub-eDYHSUZlZzkfUbO4VsuK_JRhPFa8QB2skWNcbgKXNhC71figQ1RE3TMj4g0Dx-LzSQ4gNx4eadN5PgaBYOd5ovbjmII6vrsoZHXzvAmJSzikUw/w568-h320/GettyImages-1986698692.webp" width="568" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #89959d; font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Getty Images for The Recording Academy</span></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><br /></div></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-63113135965757350822023-12-31T14:08:00.069-05:002024-01-31T19:33:41.837-05:00The Best Music of 2023, Album of the Year: The Who, Who’s Next : Life House (Super Deluxe); Plus My Picks for the Top Thirty Starring (in the Top Ten, alphabetically) Jonathan Butler, Cat Power, Louis Cato, Everything But The Girl, The Hooters, Amos Lee, Stephen Marley, Duke Robillard, The Rolling Stones and Taj Mahal and Much More<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwh267h8mgnccqaWFj3-R0dcC9LebUQxmZsliOYFK4QPCSJdIaY0aqvcg5QsSQ5XQzo3nPiFvGdwilKgD9Kyyfjiu9F_614MtZmKUS_fPml-io9VpVhiM3K8C7Jsr__KJkeXndTp_JqnijMr6tWwwvMFfuDYYUX-Fc6jyH-vqRjz2ZXD5_HvVlw/s550/thewho_over.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="550" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwh267h8mgnccqaWFj3-R0dcC9LebUQxmZsliOYFK4QPCSJdIaY0aqvcg5QsSQ5XQzo3nPiFvGdwilKgD9Kyyfjiu9F_614MtZmKUS_fPml-io9VpVhiM3K8C7Jsr__KJkeXndTp_JqnijMr6tWwwvMFfuDYYUX-Fc6jyH-vqRjz2ZXD5_HvVlw/w640-h381/thewho_over.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Photo courtesy of the band</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Welcome to my year end list. Sifting through the new releases each week, using multiple sources, is a lot of work. Boiling that down to a list of thirty is tougher still. It would be nice if there were a gate keeper with anything like my preferences, but I have not found one yet. This list is likely to be nothing like any other year end list that you will see, not NPR, not the NY Times, not Rolling Stone, not even WXPN. That said, I thank you for reading this list and my comments about each of the entries. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">About my list, the artists' age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, country of origin, all have no bearing on their inclusion. My criteria is pretty simple. As I may have mentioned in the past, I want to hear singers with a strong voice, one that shows a little personality. I'm looking for production that allows every instrument to be heard clearly (instrumental albums are welcome, too). What I don't want to hear are wishy-washy vocals, vocals buried in the mix, etc. A strong melody is good, too. My bottom line, if you will, has not really changed in all these years: I am looking for music that excites me, even the quiet stuff. The real excitement is the urge to write about it; the idea that others will listen to a given record is what keeps me going. If I think about it, that urge has fueled my career since the earliest days of college when I first learned about radio broadcasting. It's why I became a radio disk jockey and why the full-time job I had after college was the best job I think a person could possibly have. So, that's what you're looking at below and why each and every album is on my list.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Above all, please have a great new year and keep it safe, healthy and happy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ngNMAqRpAYQAJoeM1oMGT3TGyuA-hggom0_zpkgpN4tY2OTXMe7shMr8CbtRZAssmuX1TplzJcb8AOxKtguFGYMqrv0RRHBC01TRwd-tHUdotym7fp4i7F_gh6-qrWi-hMM8KWAlpMIDHV2XjpD8GtcP-eXUqmcd8ABtSwY-DcRAgj_G2PL32g/s1400/81Rd+1mlPZL._SL1400_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ngNMAqRpAYQAJoeM1oMGT3TGyuA-hggom0_zpkgpN4tY2OTXMe7shMr8CbtRZAssmuX1TplzJcb8AOxKtguFGYMqrv0RRHBC01TRwd-tHUdotym7fp4i7F_gh6-qrWi-hMM8KWAlpMIDHV2XjpD8GtcP-eXUqmcd8ABtSwY-DcRAgj_G2PL32g/w200-h200/81Rd+1mlPZL._SL1400_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><b>Album of the Year: </b></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><b>The Who - Who’s Next: Life House </b>(Super Deluxe)</span></div></b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">In 1969, the Who set popular music on its ear when they released the double LP <i>Tommy</i>. </span><i style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Tommy</i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> was not only a concept album, but it was a rock opera, which had never </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">been done before. Within that pair of vinyl LPs were some of Pete Townshend's best writing, some of it even reflected in hit singles like "Pinball Wizard" and others appearing as album tracks. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">They went out on the road with a live version of <i>Tommy</i> along with some well chosen blues and some of their crowd favorites from earlier in their career. They played some of the best live rock that had ever been heard, as excerpted at Woodstock and for the single platter <i>Live at Leeds</i>. The Who, at that point, was clearly on a roll.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">The hard question was what to do next. Pete Townshend conceived the<i> Life House</i> project, and even wrote and recorded some demos. Pete's only problem regarding <i>Life House</i> was that he envisioned too many applications, and a cohesive musical entity never coalesced. Ultimately, a handful of the <i>Life House</i> tracks got full recording and production becoming the album we know as <i>Who's Next</i>. This is arguably the closest that the Who ever got to pure musical nirvana with no bum track anywhere on <i>Who's Next. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>For this super deluxe release, we have a gargantuan box set that includes many things, starting with the </span><i>Who's Next</i><span> album</span><span> remastered. We also get to hear</span><span> several preliminary recording sessions for the </span><i>Who's Next</i><span> album. </span><span>F</span><span>or the first time ever, </span><span><span><span>all of the </span><i>Life House </i><span>demos have been collected in one place. Also included are a couple of live concerts from London and </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span>San Francisco </span></span><span><span><span>from that same year</span><i>. </i><span>These shows include some of the songs from </span><i>Who's Next</i><span>, as well as some of the </span><i>Life House</i><span> tracks.</span></span></span><span> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I'm not going so far as to say that this is a lost album, but I understand the faithful who look at it that way. As unprecedented as the Who's career was in 1971, this release provides the most complete picture yet. I am pleased to make this my album of the year in a most competitive field. See the <a href="https://www.thewho.com/the-who-announce-super-deluxe-multi-format-release-for-whos-next-life-house/" target="_blank">press release</a> for details on the box set and a background article by Pete Townshend.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>I am reluctant to comment further about the significance of the </span><i>Life House </i><span>project, but there is ample analysis of it online. That said, a couple of thoughts occurred while listening to the newly remastered </span><i>Who's Next. </i><span>Even though I had always considered Keith Moon a good drummer, and even though I've heard this album a million times or so, one thing I noticed this time was truly how important Moon's work was to each and every song. As much as I thought I knew this record, listening to it now was in some ways like hearing it for the first time. I also gained even more respect for what a nearly perfect album it is. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b>The Top Ten </b>(Alphabetically by Artist)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgun1kCG9eX0hcuN9UJdE9TGtiGyvVvR5MLeObuqvbxgcUnOVMeirZahtQM5UPLbKwF8XrgvaVAOkLAN3ysf757mBWXMRrVyGl06d1Z_PuNH8LokeXt0fW8JsC4qzD-ERlP11IgoZ96QAQh8YRJVIriZF-TXUF5Xe8GYoB2zV-_fGsWTXxE4xfDOQ/s700/Album%20Cover.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgun1kCG9eX0hcuN9UJdE9TGtiGyvVvR5MLeObuqvbxgcUnOVMeirZahtQM5UPLbKwF8XrgvaVAOkLAN3ysf757mBWXMRrVyGl06d1Z_PuNH8LokeXt0fW8JsC4qzD-ERlP11IgoZ96QAQh8YRJVIriZF-TXUF5Xe8GYoB2zV-_fGsWTXxE4xfDOQ/w200-h200/Album%20Cover.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div></b><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jonathan Butler</b><b> - Ubuntu</b></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>With your eyes closed you might think that this is a long lost Stevie Wonder album. It's not, but as Butler recently told NPR's Morning Edition, Wonder did phone him to say how much he loved Butler's version of his song that opens this album. One thing lead to another and Wonder wound up appearing on the track. </span>I was already loving this record before I learned that one of my favorite musician-songwriter-producers, Marcus Miller, made the album with Jonathan Butler. <span>Overall, the album has a wide open acoustic sound, defined by acoustic guitar, bass and drums. Other instruments add gorgeous solos, such as violin, piano, sax, guitar (both electric and acoustic), etc. The melodies are as beautiful as the sentiments expressed in the lyrics. Butler explained the significance of the title, </span><span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.36px;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.36px;">To show humanity to your brother is what ubuntu in South Africa meant. I am because you are. You know, I am because we are. It's the humanity towards others that matters even in the face of apartheid, even in the face of racism, the wickedness and stuff, the hardships that we've seen." Butler was born into apartheid in Capetown, South Africa. He may be listed as a jazz artist, but this album is truly impossible to categorize. <i>Ubuntu</i> is a record that is so tremendous, you don't want it to end and I can report that it is no overstatement to say that this is one of the best, if not the very best, album on this list. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.36px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0a7H53rsqtCy3NZ0EzypWrInXpZpMvthBmftU2P0Ps_kEeTXob8puEJR_flY4TvnXYSRuThp6RslhnuL1266iHz10AGHYdiUuNNZVxpsDpCz2lgawKBueB6PNz53SgoV_3HkVj5jUNCFLOgBWLnMXW39vJBGuseVCaiMik2l9ulzrq20e5YlNg/s3000/thewho_over.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0a7H53rsqtCy3NZ0EzypWrInXpZpMvthBmftU2P0Ps_kEeTXob8puEJR_flY4TvnXYSRuThp6RslhnuL1266iHz10AGHYdiUuNNZVxpsDpCz2lgawKBueB6PNz53SgoV_3HkVj5jUNCFLOgBWLnMXW39vJBGuseVCaiMik2l9ulzrq20e5YlNg/w200-h200/thewho_over.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Cat Power - Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert</b></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Singer, musician and songwriter Chan Marshall, performing as Cat Power, has released a live album in which she lovingly recreates an historic Bob Dylan concert. On the new album, Marshall took to the stage at London's Royal Albert Hall to do a song for song recreation of Dylan's 1966 show at the Manchester Free Trade Hall. This show has immense significance because, halfway through, Dylan switched from solo acoustic to full electric band (it was bootlegged as <i>The Royal Albert Hall Concert)</i>. Marshall, who has always had a penchant for covers, calls this a reimagining. The fact is that she sounds terrific doing this material. Marshall doesn't try to imitate the voice, but she does capture the magic of Dylan's compositions. The electric band starts right after "Mr. Tamborine Man" and sounds almost exactly like Bob Dylan's albums from the late 60s. Dylan got a lot of pushback at the time from folk purists, but it's hard to argue with a show that ends with a superb sounding song such as "Like a Rolling Stone." Of Bob Dylan, Marshall says, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i>“</i>More than the work of any other songwriter, </span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Dylan’s songs have spoken to me and inspired me since I first began hearing them at 5 years old.” </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.4px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtstZl72MA0xIPZxtSwseqYflSvJbSpRcNn386kpy-6b6KvpbLSN9lHMSKj_qiixA_V3B1gQZgMY-IItULKStzjPSxwcCIA-X2odybVG-HSaK3ugNnXocf94b9FY9UDoqJcmvuBCRD_hTNjhcJJhITtElBp4YH8mC9JGDT-LZMbbXOe8CwSaqnAQ/s700/Album%20Cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtstZl72MA0xIPZxtSwseqYflSvJbSpRcNn386kpy-6b6KvpbLSN9lHMSKj_qiixA_V3B1gQZgMY-IItULKStzjPSxwcCIA-X2odybVG-HSaK3ugNnXocf94b9FY9UDoqJcmvuBCRD_hTNjhcJJhITtElBp4YH8mC9JGDT-LZMbbXOe8CwSaqnAQ/w200-h200/Album%20Cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">Louis Cato - Reflections</b></div></b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Louis Cato is known for being the bandleader on Stephen Colbert's The Late Show. Listening to that talented band on the air, you would have no clue what Cato's album <i>Reflections</i> sounds like. Start with a voice that's somewhere between a Stevie Wonder and a Raul Midon. This record has a lot in common with Jonathan Butler's <i>Ubuntu.</i> It's mostly acoustic and other than a Rolling Stones cover, he wrote or co-wrote the entire record and he co-produced it. Cato's sound is a good deal more soul reminding me of nothing so much as Amos Lee playing acoustic soul music when I first heard him. Cato is delightfully melodic and adept at storytelling. One song is better than the next and you'll be amazed by the way the Stones' "Miss You" translates as a soul song when boiled down to its acoustic essence. This is a record I didn't see coming, but I'm sure glad it did.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidT3xE27wKswrh5CngjjnGNmHfVnCGDQcr7dSvNMETftnoNaWBnvr9VlNv3jVJBbSu344A8XPfms4hS4WLQmy_hnCv26Z19nO1kTt_GYaPkHkE-yMtjRMIGIX_uv-UhRyM1LF1yrJdY1gJo6u3xg2FqAqwcHTil8zZbvvi-Di8irRQ0E0zmkXsWw/s300/Album%20Cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidT3xE27wKswrh5CngjjnGNmHfVnCGDQcr7dSvNMETftnoNaWBnvr9VlNv3jVJBbSu344A8XPfms4hS4WLQmy_hnCv26Z19nO1kTt_GYaPkHkE-yMtjRMIGIX_uv-UhRyM1LF1yrJdY1gJo6u3xg2FqAqwcHTil8zZbvvi-Di8irRQ0E0zmkXsWw/w200-h200/Album%20Cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Everything But The Girl - Fuse</b></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Fans and listeners of </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">Everything But The Girl (</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">EBTG) were excited to learn, earlier this year, that the group would resume their career after a nearly 24 year hiatus. Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt (who record as EBTG) had plenty to do over that time. In addition to raising their three kids, Thorn released four solo albums, including a well received Christmas album. Watt was busy with his Buzzin' Fly label, disc jockey work, both club and radio, and three solo albums of his own. They also each became published authors. When they decided to record together again in 2021, the decision to revive the name </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">wasn't an easy one, but ultimately proved to be the most appropr</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">iate. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">It wasn’t like we had a master plan. But it quickly became EBTG – this life seemed to come into it that we didn’t have a lot of control over. Sometimes we’d communicate with a look about whether things were good or bad; we seemed to have an instinctive feeling for the economy we wanted to use, the minimalism of the arrangements, the fact that the lyrics should be emotional, not sentimental. All these things that seemed to be a part of what we do suddenly all seemed to fall into place. Which is quite exciting.” (Ben Watt to Alexis Petridis, The Guardian) </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">The sound of the group doesn't so much seem to pick up where they left off as it does show where they are now. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">Watt's</span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"> sonic synth work has only grown to match Thorn's vocals, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">w</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">hich are even richer than before. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">A good part of the audience just wants to luxuriate in the sound of Thorn's voice; I know because I'm one of them. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabge94UJAb_HJO_OJMg1ZagBcSzdlDrBWzmnrYy5y4kgSzAdxMrvQsdC_6oANQ_cFLZFMQMkETE4GDFlxeOU57Z5S86PRZSOSOA-23eVcnhR9GZKrjd6HU8kPjDAZQd1rkl0WI-xAPyJnSH-yoiwHc_3FLIK1wo7UEh0bO9m24L4Uv9DVdv4Rzw/s1654/Album%20Cover.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="1654" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabge94UJAb_HJO_OJMg1ZagBcSzdlDrBWzmnrYy5y4kgSzAdxMrvQsdC_6oANQ_cFLZFMQMkETE4GDFlxeOU57Z5S86PRZSOSOA-23eVcnhR9GZKrjd6HU8kPjDAZQd1rkl0WI-xAPyJnSH-yoiwHc_3FLIK1wo7UEh0bO9m24L4Uv9DVdv4Rzw/w200-h182/Album%20Cover.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Hooters - Rocking & Swing</b></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">In the years before The Hooters signed with Columbia Records they developed quite a large and loyal following in the Philadelphia area. In those days, they self-released an album and a couple of singles. The Hooters played the club circuit pretty relentlessly and in many ways I liked that period the best. Back then, they played a great combination of reggae, ska and rock. With this new album, their first in thirteen years, they offer up a significant return to those roots. <i>Rocking & Swing</i> consists </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">of eight new recordings some of which were tracks from their past. In addition, on CD and digitally, they include a bonus track of a live "Man In the Street" from their Keswick Theater encore of November 2022 (longtime fans may remember that they furnished a live tape of this song to local radio in their early days). When I first heard </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><i>Rocking & Swing</i>, I could not believe my ears as to the way that they had gone back to their reggae/ska roots; it was a thrill. According to the press release, "</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The result is a bold musical leap into the future with a loving nod to the past!"</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBs8CMnw2zCcKLm53I2rMDegJlqc3Ml3Xesz1dvjcv-cuf-Vajor_UEMvXjUaFQWDPxuLzpSOU29a7UlDuXkGibQuXpHWLjhS3p7AEEzfPwanWDzJnD1XyB1m2i6GyCwzPo1HmQ1DpEaDhyOHStL13Sa11bZR1aLTqtY9Ki6rS6zQ0OI_6-J6Yw/s2048/thewho_over.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBs8CMnw2zCcKLm53I2rMDegJlqc3Ml3Xesz1dvjcv-cuf-Vajor_UEMvXjUaFQWDPxuLzpSOU29a7UlDuXkGibQuXpHWLjhS3p7AEEzfPwanWDzJnD1XyB1m2i6GyCwzPo1HmQ1DpEaDhyOHStL13Sa11bZR1aLTqtY9Ki6rS6zQ0OI_6-J6Yw/w200-h200/thewho_over.webp" width="200" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Amos Lee - Honeysuckle Switches: The Songs of Lucinda Williams</b></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span>Amos Lee has always had a way with a soulful song and acoustic guitar. </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">R</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">oughly twenty years ago, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">I first heard Lee sitting in with one of the WXPN disc jockeys and playing acoustic soul tunes live on the air. This was prior to his first album. In the intervening years, Lee has had tremendous success. Now, in late 2023, Lee has returned to those acoustic soulful roots on his newest release </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><i>Honeysuckle Switches: The Songs of Lucinda Williams.</i> This album is decidedly not like a best of album; it's better. No, you won't hear stuff like "Passionate Kisses," "Change the Locks" or "Car Wheels On a Gravel Road." etc. Instead, Lee gives us a more thoughtful and emotional set of compositions from the Lucinda Williams songbook. As a long time listener of Williams' music, every track on the Lee record was not only beautifully selected, but astonishingly well rendered in what had to be a very personal project for Lee. Each song is based on his voice and acoustic guitar with other instruments judiciously added as needed. It was a thrill to hear songs like "Are You Alright," "Greenville" and "Little Angel Little Brother," just to name three. I have listened to both Williams and Lee for a very long time and this album works beautifully for both of them.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZ8Dybi-95duydYuL-YWLwdBR3UPc-UjKTm6QTxIQ9gg-8LGvaDXORwZ5q2dN4jlRUAW5VE7OSuMNjgd9-esOY8cO0FlAbV663VyWXaHpbm5lcUPCalqwLzcI5-QYMHSfhetwWp0kwkUeI7AYk7pk6lkMo-tFh6U4Jidaxmc1Mf_cY3hiYi7VbA/s1280/Album%20Cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZ8Dybi-95duydYuL-YWLwdBR3UPc-UjKTm6QTxIQ9gg-8LGvaDXORwZ5q2dN4jlRUAW5VE7OSuMNjgd9-esOY8cO0FlAbV663VyWXaHpbm5lcUPCalqwLzcI5-QYMHSfhetwWp0kwkUeI7AYk7pk6lkMo-tFh6U4Jidaxmc1Mf_cY3hiYi7VbA/w200-h200/Album%20Cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Stephen Marley - Old Soul</b></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>When you listen to <i>Old Soul</i> by Stephen Marley prepare to throw out everything you know about reggae music. Even though Marley is reggae royalty as the second son of Bob Marley, and even though his voice sounds uncannily like that of his father, this album does not sound like any reggae that we've heard before. Sporting an acoustic sound with a variety of other instruments meticulously added to the mix when needed, </span><i>Old Soul </i><span>includes some Stephen Marley originals and some well chosen covers from all over the musical map - from Sinatra to the Beatles to Ray Charles, all the better to elude genre classification. Which is just the way perfectionist and singer-songwriter, musician and producer Marley likes it. In addition to wonderful cover versions, there are some guests on the album, such as Damian Marley, Buju Banton, Ziggy Marley, Eric Clapton, Bob Weir, Jack Johnson and Slightly Stoopid. For his part, Clapton adds some tasty guitar leads to a cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff." I wish I had more room to tell you all the things I love about the record. Once you get past all the guests and all the cover songs, the track I like the most is the autobiographical title track "Old Soul"; it's really special.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpOXnL22mNuzjFnhbooaMx6vsiR8wT-KD7uUJVkKBcj_3ZukOBYYj-Wi4nbSJXlZSQpVcbFwrmq-dHjLb3gXRcjMAzHmM4z95XS2UgZ8bzvOgUpAsFV8LWKen0LYE2UO05UhKdFmyDHd3KVlW-6DrPRUfzzSez-J0JIsSsUbbZ8yujRf2Cux2VA/s1000/Album%20Cover.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpOXnL22mNuzjFnhbooaMx6vsiR8wT-KD7uUJVkKBcj_3ZukOBYYj-Wi4nbSJXlZSQpVcbFwrmq-dHjLb3gXRcjMAzHmM4z95XS2UgZ8bzvOgUpAsFV8LWKen0LYE2UO05UhKdFmyDHd3KVlW-6DrPRUfzzSez-J0JIsSsUbbZ8yujRf2Cux2VA/w200-h200/Album%20Cover.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Duke Robillard - A Smooth One</b></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span>Duke Robillard's extraordinary guitar talent has carried him to back the likes of Robert Gordon and Bob Dylan as well as to </span>co-found Roomful of Blues, all the while making 37 albums of his own, flying somewhat under the radar (household name-wise). When Robillard was in Europe, the opportunity arose to play with an organist named <span style="background-color: white;">Alberto Marsico and a drummer named </span><span style="background-color: white;">Mark Teixeira to work as an organ trio. <i>A Smooth One</i> is the happy result of that live one afternoon recording session </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">Bruino, Italy</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;">. The sound is a tasty combination of Marsico's Hammond organ and Robillard's mellow electric guitar, all anchored by </span><span style="background-color: white;">Teixeira's steady beat. </span><span style="background-color: white;">The engineering is as amazing as the playing. Sonically, this set is right in my wheelhouse, so to speak. The sound of the Hammond organ along with the electric guitar is something I could listen to all day. The contents of the set make it better still. In addition to two Robillard originals, there are eight covers of jazz standards like "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You" and "Sweet Georgia Brown." If you know your classic jazz and blues, you might recognize some of these instrumentals. According to Robillard, "</span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;">This album shows what can happen when you bring three like-minded musicians together for a few hours in the studio. I hope the fun we had recording it now carries over to the listeners." It does.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVWpdiYGODUarnejZxt9K97dgvDWZtkvg9fhyV2EWGSIn29n7G2V5qg4lrRt8hJN1FYKyFmABaHATOCgcpnc34ig3ldcMlfIKdoNAXOHSMhF3Nt8m3LfPbXLTiTOHFzjtoel3X03Viu8OmEgdYztcdmFbycjQa-TUDVK-TV7mbXlzzczqytHzFQ/s1000/thewho_over.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVWpdiYGODUarnejZxt9K97dgvDWZtkvg9fhyV2EWGSIn29n7G2V5qg4lrRt8hJN1FYKyFmABaHATOCgcpnc34ig3ldcMlfIKdoNAXOHSMhF3Nt8m3LfPbXLTiTOHFzjtoel3X03Viu8OmEgdYztcdmFbycjQa-TUDVK-TV7mbXlzzczqytHzFQ/w200-h200/thewho_over.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds</b></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><span>This will not be about how the Rolling Stones are getting old but don't sound like it or that Mick Jaggar and Keith Richards are celebrating the big 8-0 this year. It also won't be about the fact that </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><i>Hackney Diamonds</i> is their first original new music in 18 years. What I will say is that I believe that The Stones reached their peak during a ten year period from <i>Beggar's Banquet</i> (1968) through <i>Some Girls</i> (1978). Those albums were magic and nothing can touch them. The records since then have all had their excellent moments, but I am here to say that in the last forty five years they have not made an album better than </span><i style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">Hackney Diamonds. </i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">That may seem like a radical statement, but there are many great tunes on this new album. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">I've always liked their slower stuff and no, there's no "Angie" or "Fool to Cry" on here, there is a very nice triplet to close the album. Keith Richards sings lead on the melodic "Tell Me Straight," which includes a dynamite guitar solo. The slow and pleasing "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" (featuring Lady Gaga) makes a perfect lead-in to the Muddy Watters penned track that closes the record. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">Also appearing with The Stones are guests Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Elton John and original members </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">Bill Wyman and </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">Charlie Watts. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">I don't know how they keep coming up with those iconic sounding riffs, but I can tell you that there's a lot to like on </span><i style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">Hackney Diamonds.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3o3jcf0FlzLXw6Bhn9bOn84J1mQLVjfH3mBQp85nK-u7lr7yH9Hg2PVp2emlXPIWo1IEdFgwOkgkWYTrXKSenRQGwpcwWr_c65RZGAkVFevg3umhhTx6GiEwISTtuc0qr8SEU1C-d0EFTp2IptU7Xmsz_i8QMb9SfoYgYXRxTr8g0w08yj_4Xg/s1000/Album%20Cover.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3o3jcf0FlzLXw6Bhn9bOn84J1mQLVjfH3mBQp85nK-u7lr7yH9Hg2PVp2emlXPIWo1IEdFgwOkgkWYTrXKSenRQGwpcwWr_c65RZGAkVFevg3umhhTx6GiEwISTtuc0qr8SEU1C-d0EFTp2IptU7Xmsz_i8QMb9SfoYgYXRxTr8g0w08yj_4Xg/w200-h200/Album%20Cover.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Taj Mahal - Savoy</b></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Taj Mahal and producer John Simon have been talking about and planning for this album for many years. <i>Savoy</i> is an album of jazz and blues standards like no other that you've ever heard. It's not like any of those great American Songbook albums by Rat Pack era vocalists. In fact, I was thinking during "One For My Baby (And One More For the Road)" that this version gets down to the blues and jazz of the original composition much more authentically than the well known Frank Sinatra version. All of the songs on here are like that. The production is top notch. Nothing is hurried, the songs are anchored with the dependable rhythm section of </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Leon Joyce, Jr. on drums and </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Ruth Davies on bass. The core group also features </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Danny Caron on guitar, </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">John Simon on piano and Taj Mahal doing lead vocals. His voice sounds like a friendly cross between Dr. John and Louis Armstrong. Add to that dynamite material that we all know, just the right soloists for each song, and some superior backing singers. The album is satisfying on every possible level; I could not love this record any more.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="text-align: justify;"><div style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b>The Top Thirty: Numbers 11 - 30 </b><span>(<i>Alphabetically by Artist</i>)</span></span></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHyf-AFkp0Q5-s_Vxox7JNWYJSNOQtZdvA3d4Mpjkq7WXSg4R_8LtAESQpW-6k1_RcBZcLuzEvcNiwLcFcBSyJ-l7Zhm8pc_jZAR28W34Nrh9ofLmqSg9_16PY8IB3yiB_2lDJNC82T1doPdUjLgM3qHSjbggjud2aP2AdmVEdxhyJ4hvN1CAuQ/s1200/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHyf-AFkp0Q5-s_Vxox7JNWYJSNOQtZdvA3d4Mpjkq7WXSg4R_8LtAESQpW-6k1_RcBZcLuzEvcNiwLcFcBSyJ-l7Zhm8pc_jZAR28W34Nrh9ofLmqSg9_16PY8IB3yiB_2lDJNC82T1doPdUjLgM3qHSjbggjud2aP2AdmVEdxhyJ4hvN1CAuQ/w200-h200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Blood, Sweat & Tears - What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?</b> (Original Soundtrack) (Live)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Following the release and massive success of their self-titled second album, BS&T embarked on a month long State Department sponsored goodwill tour behind the Iron Curtain in eastern Europe providing these previously unreleased concert recordings. This wonderful album may provide a time warp back to 1970, but it does not answer the rather provocative question posed in it's title; for that, you need to see the film documentary of the same name. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sHO4NIZYsd9z_Mxr6AGrs4158MMSkCXAcHGjktFxn130xfRIu-agnlX6h3Y-btwbQkxppTA9Uamv0O54DWpPuP8xnZsr1xBUvLl4yxEW1Hn5TiY_yvO9gGZtQ1CytweE4rgpD24XO5ovOCHis73do_9hUrMiIyRstCgBtaxgBaz8WgeiHMNAxQ/s383/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="383" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sHO4NIZYsd9z_Mxr6AGrs4158MMSkCXAcHGjktFxn130xfRIu-agnlX6h3Y-btwbQkxppTA9Uamv0O54DWpPuP8xnZsr1xBUvLl4yxEW1Hn5TiY_yvO9gGZtQ1CytweE4rgpD24XO5ovOCHis73do_9hUrMiIyRstCgBtaxgBaz8WgeiHMNAxQ/w200-h200/blog.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Brandy Clark - </b></span></span><b style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: justify;">Brandy Clark</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The latest Brandy Clark album (her fourth) features guest performers such as Derek Trucks, Lucius and Brandi Carlisle, who also produced. Clark's songwriting rings so true and the eleven tracks are so well performed and produced that they will knock your socks off. The two Brandys reportedly bonded over the fact that they are both from the Pacific Northwest, and I am pleased to report that the resulting album is a complete joy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORI9g-CZCsML5gUtsWZOnnUmyooUZXE2-V2-8kOJc7VBOqeXtFSqwDhNa9f_xmKkqNH5yxUQ61hxOhtZAu5PQhQC0HUmIPsaeMJDRUuaWYLgH_KEKaA7wj3Pe3-oGy68vhyd4IQ09YRc1yKhV-mKB4mlZx79TGzGY36Jfi91mJLj5c9pBZKbSEQ/s1000/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORI9g-CZCsML5gUtsWZOnnUmyooUZXE2-V2-8kOJc7VBOqeXtFSqwDhNa9f_xmKkqNH5yxUQ61hxOhtZAu5PQhQC0HUmIPsaeMJDRUuaWYLgH_KEKaA7wj3Pe3-oGy68vhyd4IQ09YRc1yKhV-mKB4mlZx79TGzGY36Jfi91mJLj5c9pBZKbSEQ/w200-h200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Bruce Cockburn - O Sun O Moon</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Bruce Cockburn is primarily known as a folk artist, but he can rock with more intensity than other bands and has proven over his fifty + year career that he can do most anything. On </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">his most recent album</span><i style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">(his 38th), Cockburn hits many styles and the acuity of his lyrics combines subjects as diverse as environment and spirituality with the everyday. On top of all that, Coburn's voice and guitar don't miss a step making </span><i style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">O Sun O Moon</i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> one of his best.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LxYI0nao-TWoRk1G6-UIivsPoRUTPl7i2XKrn7LFow5Gm8WitEks3esq0pLzE6U5a9TU1jq-WmFVpMPh1JjR2A72ezk53eAYutec6zlye4VdXP85Wxt9wrQJOCqSTTUY0vwudGJraVDeCsulw0H0Swnna_bjqUkVfgn_sDV1zv9l81pqsf3tKg/s1000/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LxYI0nao-TWoRk1G6-UIivsPoRUTPl7i2XKrn7LFow5Gm8WitEks3esq0pLzE6U5a9TU1jq-WmFVpMPh1JjR2A72ezk53eAYutec6zlye4VdXP85Wxt9wrQJOCqSTTUY0vwudGJraVDeCsulw0H0Swnna_bjqUkVfgn_sDV1zv9l81pqsf3tKg/w200-h200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Count Basie Orchestra - Basie Swings The Blues</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The Count may be gone but his band continues, and on this amazing album we hear classic blues laced with soul and jazz and backed by that swinging big Basie band. The high powered guests include </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush, Keb’ Mo’, Robert Cray, George Benson, Shemekia </span></span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Copeland, Ledesi, Mr. Sipp, Lauren Mitchell, Bettye LaVette and Charlie Musselwhite all working in the service of making one of the best records of this, or any other, year.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: trebuchet; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: large; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: trebuchet; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: large; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArCqQgH4G1oPOASnRpL6twjYlUUIwxwA2xhCPV_caqY2lW7VUAVkMp45uhfchNVhyphenhyphencjZq4gRl2lthx9TSwYsKJ4J_mf6u6Cg6ykqmS28RXyzirwjkmnYBbDilXo-qYcMiAYeNT__j8O7VoG71l-RZQDhw75bptq2VgPWrUtRKSrs8j4jvqSqo1g/s316/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArCqQgH4G1oPOASnRpL6twjYlUUIwxwA2xhCPV_caqY2lW7VUAVkMp45uhfchNVhyphenhyphencjZq4gRl2lthx9TSwYsKJ4J_mf6u6Cg6ykqmS28RXyzirwjkmnYBbDilXo-qYcMiAYeNT__j8O7VoG71l-RZQDhw75bptq2VgPWrUtRKSrs8j4jvqSqo1g/w200-h200/blog.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Iris DeMent - Workin' On A World</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: trebuchet; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those who earmark Iris DeMent as a folk artist with country leanings (a la Emmylou) may be in for a surprise on <span><i>Workin' On a World</i></span>, </span></span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: trebuchet; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: large; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">her seventh album and first since 2015. Tackling heavy political and social issues laced with an optimism that is underlined by the nature of the backing band, DeMent has made an album that I want to listen to in 2023. I've always loved the combination of piano and organ that is all over this well produced record. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: trebuchet; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: large; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9xY3gO-s7_OrjbraiuZg9EUKmquPnSbXLdogkizyRjhQx07IVz7WLcGnRs8vXuLJ_pJEafS2Ii7bT3D2PvYM4g8Bu4SaGCD45P4ayPG8dnR3Qbu9rQm_SxpyivSDzsb93uNvvXMvevdh5UrXxqn89Z3oPGWYwy14PMXCMZGNZbdqf1H4UordWQ/s1000/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9xY3gO-s7_OrjbraiuZg9EUKmquPnSbXLdogkizyRjhQx07IVz7WLcGnRs8vXuLJ_pJEafS2Ii7bT3D2PvYM4g8Bu4SaGCD45P4ayPG8dnR3Qbu9rQm_SxpyivSDzsb93uNvvXMvevdh5UrXxqn89Z3oPGWYwy14PMXCMZGNZbdqf1H4UordWQ/w200-h200/blog.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Djabe & Steve Hackett - Live In Győr</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">As if to counter the potential "living in the past" impression of his Genesis Revisited tours, for the last twenty years (or so) guitarist Steve Hackett has been sitting in with Hungarian fusion band Djabe. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">This 2+ hour live concert is a complete delight and it is amazing to hear how well Hackett's guitar is integrated into Djabe and similarlarly, how well his own material has been reimagined to include the fusion band.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbfasMT4KpYn-dtDVE4HQmdmPFBpf3XbKLF-UMX-PxTnoLei-Us_pjod0HxVCGgl5tximo4m-V3-yElNC0B-p7XTP_1JBaz-QjgMlgXzyP-GTIjmJe2_fI625EvDYy_Uv4d0Jg2zDzJ9xvuooegsQQhEM-1xrTFkTQJ0z3YIbWDMSci1-myDfVA/s2560/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="2560" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbfasMT4KpYn-dtDVE4HQmdmPFBpf3XbKLF-UMX-PxTnoLei-Us_pjod0HxVCGgl5tximo4m-V3-yElNC0B-p7XTP_1JBaz-QjgMlgXzyP-GTIjmJe2_fI625EvDYy_Uv4d0Jg2zDzJ9xvuooegsQQhEM-1xrTFkTQJ0z3YIbWDMSci1-myDfVA/w200-h200/blog.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Peter Gabriel - i/o</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The one time Genesis frontman has a solo career, now in its sixth decade, and yet we haven't had a new Peter Gabriel album in about twenty years, so this is a welcome return, indeed. Thankfully, there is no apparent attempt to duplicate past successes, but <i>i/o</i> does offer twelve tracks of exquisite melodies and examples of Gabriel's brilliant songcraft. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4CcZCxhboOqi8EEx1PV5dDiHZbF3Jgx4u-EBDDnNo1czOuSganL3zj9j0vXPiNMYYmX3dZuE4F68z0vrL2tys7vv3TwCt6K-cw4ey-XsZ9SK52UfZfZIwuxESEZyVA5LtP53iHuXhUc3nsSxWijscF1j9VNFK7mWt9v02BWK-Dp5j34ikxdIKg/s270/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="270" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4CcZCxhboOqi8EEx1PV5dDiHZbF3Jgx4u-EBDDnNo1czOuSganL3zj9j0vXPiNMYYmX3dZuE4F68z0vrL2tys7vv3TwCt6K-cw4ey-XsZ9SK52UfZfZIwuxESEZyVA5LtP53iHuXhUc3nsSxWijscF1j9VNFK7mWt9v02BWK-Dp5j34ikxdIKg/w200-h200/blog.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Steve Hackett - Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Like Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett was an original member of Genesis, now into the sixth decade of his solo career. Among his many guitar pursuits, Hackett periodically releases new albums and he (and his terrific band) play</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> the old stuff in tours that he calls "Genesis Revisited." This album offers the best of both worlds in a complete live concert that has an excellent selection of his solo tracks along with the fantastic execution of </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Genesis'</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> classic <i>Foxtrot</i> album to celebrate its 50th anniversary. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUuVuxP-wkwnmgz9_jsIVHAJSO5ED24imOyT90kygGEm1_etIWQSpM2nSLiPhCrvx6RN7h5sDUL0XkVHCHWmJhJU8Hxr37XReHVnyJQsZUjfpwuvjfyA-txe55P1skP4bGitneQB10sVg6Xshv33lIBSe6IiamqceEUKLT83f9C_BZ3HC0IDdFA/s1500/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUuVuxP-wkwnmgz9_jsIVHAJSO5ED24imOyT90kygGEm1_etIWQSpM2nSLiPhCrvx6RN7h5sDUL0XkVHCHWmJhJU8Hxr37XReHVnyJQsZUjfpwuvjfyA-txe55P1skP4bGitneQB10sVg6Xshv33lIBSe6IiamqceEUKLT83f9C_BZ3HC0IDdFA/w200-h200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Weathervanes</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Recently Jason Isbell has been the beneficiary of some very high voltage praise; I've heard things like "greatest living songwriter." I don't know about all that, but what I do know is that Isbell's excellent songwriting is only the beginning of what makes his latest album </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><i>Weathervanes</i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> so great. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_d-ZPie0EMwxBJTk4oNNnGYO5QOkavbCTynK3h6k-Kg5nyeBYC-7oVRrDVCNqRrjt_nUOMYoSTgRxHqBrf_XI9V0Y6XoA3PhCn-e4LSkv1K0xkpZLOmrrMn7EUFot7ciX-O10fAYOh_uRYoHJF34uHaj8RiD5MZxkxvBhsfzsuU1Xt2SP8pGJpw/s450/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_d-ZPie0EMwxBJTk4oNNnGYO5QOkavbCTynK3h6k-Kg5nyeBYC-7oVRrDVCNqRrjt_nUOMYoSTgRxHqBrf_XI9V0Y6XoA3PhCn-e4LSkv1K0xkpZLOmrrMn7EUFot7ciX-O10fAYOh_uRYoHJF34uHaj8RiD5MZxkxvBhsfzsuU1Xt2SP8pGJpw/w200-h200/blog.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Coco Montoya - Writing On The Wall</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Coco Montoya can stop you in your tracks with his strong and soulful vocals or his fabulous blues guitar along with a crackerjack backing band that includes some amazing keyboard work by Jeff Paris. Montoya spent about twenty five years learning from the best including Albert King, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and stints with Albert Collins (over ten years) and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (the 2nd generation) before starting a solo career that is now in its fourth decade. His latest album, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><i>Writing On The Wall</i>, can take its place right alongside his heroes.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBJ02d_oh7w5RUNLBl9fBexhXeCNsQhR0KVurTEHtZ02dA8DJ48SwHlqtCgn2jq_050AhHf_cjsS6fIh1dT70Ur64qW3EGTIJPJUydOqJis8xL4AilEVS_ly5_vAbasiRHN3BvabVvo9s5neSMKm2ABR7YgQo0rhdwp03ggfyAOrQlDq1NAwgkg/s1000/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBJ02d_oh7w5RUNLBl9fBexhXeCNsQhR0KVurTEHtZ02dA8DJ48SwHlqtCgn2jq_050AhHf_cjsS6fIh1dT70Ur64qW3EGTIJPJUydOqJis8xL4AilEVS_ly5_vAbasiRHN3BvabVvo9s5neSMKm2ABR7YgQo0rhdwp03ggfyAOrQlDq1NAwgkg/w200-h200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Jenni Muldaur & Teddy Thompson - Once More: Jenni Muldaur &Teddy Thompson Sing The Great Country Duets</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">This album offers up Jenni Muldaur, daughter of Maria, and Teddy Thompson, son of Richard and Linda, singing classic country duets originally recorded by </span>George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, and Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. Both Muldaur and Thompson are singers, songwriters, musicians and producers in their own right, but they sound like naturals at this and none of the tunes sound anything like what's been on the country chart in recent times; you might call this old school with music dominated by a weepy pedal steel or violin. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg869R8cLpMipPPunoto23Z68uhzFGCqUROLZ62OO0ozlMj9o6i3dxDdMo_b8VJZZGnU1tKlsT6sZzbVZg-mwjIS9kihfiIvlhCzV49BR8-mGidb4ywM5TTltyyjLrr1aXpBj7_qyrCIpRj4_yQidfQpwOR-LJcYEUA0Kr9cyENcEcCyEZdq45znw/s1000/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg869R8cLpMipPPunoto23Z68uhzFGCqUROLZ62OO0ozlMj9o6i3dxDdMo_b8VJZZGnU1tKlsT6sZzbVZg-mwjIS9kihfiIvlhCzV49BR8-mGidb4ywM5TTltyyjLrr1aXpBj7_qyrCIpRj4_yQidfQpwOR-LJcYEUA0Kr9cyENcEcCyEZdq45znw/w200-h200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Willie Nelson - I Don't Know A Thing About Love: The Songs of Harlan Howard</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">For his umpteenth album, Willie Nelson dips into the songs of Harland Howard with his longtime producer Buddy Cannon and an electric band, to come out with an album that is truly the best of the best. Nelson's voice sounds more youthful than ever, the steel guitar work is extraordinary, and the songwriting is superb with such songs as "I Don't Know A Thing About Love," "She Called Me Baby," and "Busted" (which you may know by Ray Charles). Willie Nelson has done a great many things in his long career, but it doesn't get any better than this.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_f-v0f0nLt6nhRn_PqkZrZhEqmZkaM2ujOi0sHjETg5ZLI6GbTU2yZr5wZ0IdPsLS5gyjaigSy0KX-lkj0JISVRha5SDWhjn0Unzi5iXGTzvb4ZGR8k3RL1xw-TJlBKNUZ3xmrxXwC6AX4iqnAjgh_uo-xLFdA-nMeqYvhohyD8P0ITK3cJjuFQ/s316/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_f-v0f0nLt6nhRn_PqkZrZhEqmZkaM2ujOi0sHjETg5ZLI6GbTU2yZr5wZ0IdPsLS5gyjaigSy0KX-lkj0JISVRha5SDWhjn0Unzi5iXGTzvb4ZGR8k3RL1xw-TJlBKNUZ3xmrxXwC6AX4iqnAjgh_uo-xLFdA-nMeqYvhohyD8P0ITK3cJjuFQ/w199-h200/blog.jpeg" width="199" /></span></a></div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Dolly Parton - Rockstar</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">With so many layers of phoniness so often seen in showbiz, you really have to respect someone like Dolly Parton. In 2022, when the <span style="background-color: white;">Rock</span><span style="background-color: white;"> & </span><span style="background-color: white;">Roll Hall of Fame</span> informed her that she would be inducted, Parton tried to politely decline saying that she was country, not rock & roll; the Hall inducted her anyway. Parton concluded that she better make a rock & roll album. Starting with a list of her favorite songs, she invited all of those artists to participate in the recording (they all said yes), and on top of that, she wrote a batch of her own songs which all populate this packed double album. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYLjp4Ysk6Z3JAvltK-W_BrULTWHBU06qY7PiRpY3SATAcilBhajb3B2BVfG2mFWyLlE7tVPM1KYqAM3vqh2Ctkm3bXD-4Q-sf6KcPgIfaVBTntiR0ayZGGspxcA6k2pK0jxWNTGcag4CNCAWCz68QK7OpRbrF9d8kF5vIi9Gvtczx9k2LfKjfQ/s500/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYLjp4Ysk6Z3JAvltK-W_BrULTWHBU06qY7PiRpY3SATAcilBhajb3B2BVfG2mFWyLlE7tVPM1KYqAM3vqh2Ctkm3bXD-4Q-sf6KcPgIfaVBTntiR0ayZGGspxcA6k2pK0jxWNTGcag4CNCAWCz68QK7OpRbrF9d8kF5vIi9Gvtczx9k2LfKjfQ/w200-h200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Scary Goldings: LIVE feat. </b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b>John Scofield</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I think what initially attracted me to this record was the sound of Larry Goldings' Hammond B-3. Ultimately, I wouldn't know how to compare a supergroup of session musicians playing a live, all instrumental jazz/funk workout, which this is, with an album of songs with lyrics. I just know that I like it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyI0JBKDvFaz-eejelN4GwqPRXE2P5K_W9naQJJNJ66EZfk10TYq4O4Ig6p_46zxUeBvn5PECSK-fh3JAs0psy18yzUMBtjUPinSPOSIh8sn7uy70omfevFSiXELISt_f0_e9uof0EhTAyK9C3xG_246op4D8gtQ5WDWXQwUPAU0Rx6xOTyxJZw/s1000/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyI0JBKDvFaz-eejelN4GwqPRXE2P5K_W9naQJJNJ66EZfk10TYq4O4Ig6p_46zxUeBvn5PECSK-fh3JAs0psy18yzUMBtjUPinSPOSIh8sn7uy70omfevFSiXELISt_f0_e9uof0EhTAyK9C3xG_246op4D8gtQ5WDWXQwUPAU0Rx6xOTyxJZw/w200-h200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Jake Shimabukuro - Grateful</span></b></div></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Performing mostly on the traditional instrument of Hawaii (the ukulele), this is that rare album in which the originals are as excellent as the covers, songs like "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", "Love Will Keep Us Alive" and more including (how could you not love) an instrumental version of "Hallelujah." In these fast times, there is something to be said for a quiet, gentle and melodic album like <i>Grateful,</i> by Jake Shimabukuro. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqiwUY6i1N9LesUkKL68fB9GA0u2MgJ4xkX6GgAHLeEkVpOBIUxElLvcqsNtWzNEqooxzYxcrD6_tiR8KaISvPEbPHyVT8GLHiD5jobSkf4XAQ6ONjPmfut88grSikx1OH6HNXxAcB7Imwx7oTLB-AoecklYqx1k05GRjg-rr3eILjGiExKaUIg/s2400/blog.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="2400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqiwUY6i1N9LesUkKL68fB9GA0u2MgJ4xkX6GgAHLeEkVpOBIUxElLvcqsNtWzNEqooxzYxcrD6_tiR8KaISvPEbPHyVT8GLHiD5jobSkf4XAQ6ONjPmfut88grSikx1OH6HNXxAcB7Imwx7oTLB-AoecklYqx1k05GRjg-rr3eILjGiExKaUIg/w200-h200/blog.webp" width="200" /></a></div><span><b>Strawbs - The Magic Of It All</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">With classic folk-rock like <i>Grave New World</i> and their progressive triumph <i>Hero & Heroine</i>, the Strawbs owned the 1970s. Those albums still sound good, and with vocalist and chief songwriter Dave Cousins at the helm, they spent a couple of decades exploring the possibilities of an acoustic Strawbs. Recently, they have rediscovered the electronics and their latest album, <i>The Magic Of It All</i>, has a myriad of styles and is exciting and enjoyable in every possible respect.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjySUOKB28B-J-ayAzgLZ7qgGdf5bcdP93xsQGf6_oyGpdBmTQIdEr_4IY5WNr1ieTFhkEjSqAbji99wpmTCpb_0jeqPwykAV8EZtpZOmoQY0eWLowf2ShethVbfq-jPdOoYR4Be4Tjd3jCc4bCn16E1nPTI5a4ZzIak7gpXWo1CB07tQhwV69WA/s700/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjySUOKB28B-J-ayAzgLZ7qgGdf5bcdP93xsQGf6_oyGpdBmTQIdEr_4IY5WNr1ieTFhkEjSqAbji99wpmTCpb_0jeqPwykAV8EZtpZOmoQY0eWLowf2ShethVbfq-jPdOoYR4Be4Tjd3jCc4bCn16E1nPTI5a4ZzIak7gpXWo1CB07tQhwV69WA/w200-h200/blog.jpeg" width="200" /></span></a></div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Teddy Thompson - My Love of Country</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Although the son of famous parents, Teddy Thompson is an accomplished singer, songwriter, musician and producer in his own right. Thompson has always had country leanings in his recording career (this is his eighth release) and with this album and his duets album, this year he is all in. Together with producer <span style="background-color: white;">David Mansfield, he whittled his list of favorite songs down to ten, which include more and less well known country classics and standards such as "Cryin' Time" and </span><span style="background-color: white;">“I Fall To Pieces,” all well done.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKd7YmDQV5VVq_CE1Y30zBTyj-On89B6Lnm5Nii6GUxnCJdPTfQtquqxv2KeLig25H5BVdxMa277alzRESy670emYUB4GY8Qp0uJGUgne7gDcb_QacheroLZrxwmQz_qaLtapw8IgShKXSz0GpFWh3zz7YCktrxYv3AYNPnJWyW9b9hcGp8jL3g/s1024/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKd7YmDQV5VVq_CE1Y30zBTyj-On89B6Lnm5Nii6GUxnCJdPTfQtquqxv2KeLig25H5BVdxMa277alzRESy670emYUB4GY8Qp0uJGUgne7gDcb_QacheroLZrxwmQz_qaLtapw8IgShKXSz0GpFWh3zz7YCktrxYv3AYNPnJWyW9b9hcGp8jL3g/w200-h200/blog.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Robin Trower - Joyful Sky</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Robin Trower hit the mark he could never repeat on his first solo album, <i>Bridge of Sighs</i>, and it's amazing title track. He spent the next 50 years making reliably good blues/rock albums, but he could not combat that they had a certain sameness. This year, Trower found the solution with the voice of vocalist Sari Schorr and a delicious array of slowed down tempos to make the album we always knew he had in him.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sAAjpFKcqPH9avUj7_iMHEqyHocIxbzbh6fD_60vjgra2IvYS96W_aHmPCAK4Veu965O1tNb7qiI4-jcbe7KoFkFKfq_NlHu3kcHJUaI2cTgz2iURYnbn5ohE85DQH8ljrzw0Nt_sS9CGZZ4edMl5WzhFR_wS7uMuZUGVsurEbTMOfCk-Clu8w/s1200/blog.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sAAjpFKcqPH9avUj7_iMHEqyHocIxbzbh6fD_60vjgra2IvYS96W_aHmPCAK4Veu965O1tNb7qiI4-jcbe7KoFkFKfq_NlHu3kcHJUaI2cTgz2iURYnbn5ohE85DQH8ljrzw0Nt_sS9CGZZ4edMl5WzhFR_wS7uMuZUGVsurEbTMOfCk-Clu8w/w200-h200/blog.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Billy Valentine & The Universal Truth</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Recorded in the charged environment of Covid and George Floyd, vocalist Billy Valentine and his team chose message songs to record. With an all star jazz band, Valentine made this a reality and a very solid jazz album at that. But, what really put the album over the top for me were four excellent covers starting with a wonderful version of "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (Stevie Wonder), a jazzy <span style="letter-spacing: 0.225296px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Sign Of The Times” (Prince), </span>a superb <span style="letter-spacing: 0.225296px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Wade In The Water” (Traditional/Ramsey Lewis), and closing with the perfect </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.225296px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"The World Is A Ghetto" (War).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.225296px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.225296px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySpx92JTb_VdBRSCl8pZtsHMLYDHL77DIbkDw65LDQS26Sl5-zAg76Yn5Z9m5JmYIUWzpPNOEj3PMG0TuH8S0Zq5hP49Cy14kcydfAgvEBklJm2bqjVDOjqaky3MewejwIzUMSy3QDfcNdly9QTZNzhqR6ZADNaQ40Ow5JKBCyaUvDA659T15yw/s1500/blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySpx92JTb_VdBRSCl8pZtsHMLYDHL77DIbkDw65LDQS26Sl5-zAg76Yn5Z9m5JmYIUWzpPNOEj3PMG0TuH8S0Zq5hP49Cy14kcydfAgvEBklJm2bqjVDOjqaky3MewejwIzUMSy3QDfcNdly9QTZNzhqR6ZADNaQ40Ow5JKBCyaUvDA659T15yw/w200-h200/blog.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The War and Treaty - Lover's Game</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.225296px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">War and Treaty is the group name used by husband and wife principles Tanya and </span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Michael </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Trotter</span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.225296px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> who sing all the songs and wrote most of them, too. I was going to say how much I love the soulfulness of the slow stuff, but I like their rock 'n roll, also. They clearly have it both ways on <i>Lover's Game</i>, and we're all the richer for it.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.225296px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></span></div></span><p></p>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-66112125378270990882023-12-21T19:06:00.004-05:002023-12-23T19:17:31.163-05:00The Best Christmas Music of 2023; Check Out Holiday Gems from The Gothard Sisters, Samara Joy, The Philly Specials, Seth MacFarlane, Johnny Mathis, Gregory Porter, Kate Rusby, Straight No Chaser, Chet Atkins, Linda Ronstadt and many more. <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1320" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbnedzM6n1DmcXrXg38nnhgf9pdJ0E3mzPQezXbgCuRQOFgBDi7aBVgAZMbwssBI_UF-OEu96dngluJqyc47P4sQfpS98VrpmfhGb1W0xWNNdQCtyPeuNXh-6z7OhSDdNCkaJ2MYZmaafcEV4I5_ctcEgJp2t8ivaX6KSu13SfGsNPfgyXTCt3A/w640-h426/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.webp" width="640" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Garret Roberts, Beaver County Times</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> <br />Greetings! It's that time of year again. It's probably no revelation if I point out that it comes around faster each year. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">If you think about it, most of the albums are recorded in the middle of the summer in order to come out now. Years ago, I used to be fairly strict about not listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, that is until I began writing about it. In order to keep up, some years I would begin listening to Christmas music as early as right after Labor Day. When people would hear me listening to Christmas music in September, October, even November, they usually comment (sometimes derisively) something to the effect of, "You must really like Christmas music." Mostly, it wasn't worth the true explanation, so I'd say something like, "Guilty as charged." My main reasoning there is that it's all true. I found that I really do love Christmas music. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I was going to go into my pet peeves about Christmas music, but in what follows is a Christmas music horror story by guest columnist Sara Clancy. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i><b style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Have a Cup of THIS!</b><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">There are two kinds of people who work retail during the Christmas season; those who can block out the piped in music and blithely go about their tasks and those who go quietly insane. (I'm told there is a third type who enjoys the whole thing, but I've never met such a person.) I belonged to the group that required medication before punching in.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Imagine for a moment, say, 35 chirpy songs in a random order that repeats throughout the work day. Multiply it by a 40 hour week times the number of weeks between Halloween and New Year's. Now plug in such masterpieces as "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" and that winter #MeToo song everybody hates and try to maintain your yuletide equanimity enough to get through your 8 hour shift without doing yourself a harm.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">You can have strategies, like confronting the late, great John Lennon with a "thanks so much for reminding me that another year is over, and no, I haven't done anything of note! Nothing whatsoever. Now, piss off!" (while the customer looks for someone else to help him find an "I Can Haz Cheeseburger" calendar for his wife). Or you can shut down Judy Garland's plaintive hope for your tiny little Christmas by gently asserting that though you appreciate her wish, your whole family is 3000 miles away, you're stuck at a Barnes & Noble and, in your experience, the fates generally<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><del style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">don't allow shi</del><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>aren't known for being kind.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">These are songs I theoretically, possibly, just maybe might have even liked had I not heard them 625 times a season. It can warp your appreciation for the genre permanently, I'm afraid, as even now, some 25 years later, I still get an unpleasant shudder of dread should Burl Ives assault my carefully arranged good cheer in the cheese section at Trader Joe's.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Never mind the truly awful; the chipmunks, barking dogs, children's choirs, Mariah and the melisma maidens and the 160 celebrity versions of "Santa, Baby." The only holiday music untouched by this retail blight are actual carols, preferably on acoustic guitars, harpsichords or symphony orchestras, without vocal accompaniment. As these are generally tasteful and religious in nature, they are absent from most retail establishments and remain safe.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">So, if you want me between now and New Year's Eve, I'll be holed up in front of the fireplace with my hot chocolate, my dog, ...and John Fahey, George Winston, maybe Joan Baez or even the Monkees singing <a href="https://youtu.be/riG85oA6Wy4?si=25pzc...">"Ríu Chíu."</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Happy Holidays!</span></i><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Guest columnist </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Sara Clancy is a published poet who lives in the Arizona desert with her husband and her dog & cats. Sara is a former retail worker and repetitive Christmas music survivor.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /><u style="font-weight: bold;">New goodies for 2023</u><b>: </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJXVp-zis9sWzYV8o0xhbM7_81B3Zvl62P-dBmUO6Q5okTC6gNiYPZU0U9dGXBEAWElkHxOK7lWo8um-FpQ6m33AaONe63f5fn96Vu1Svs-Nr_RL_y9eK769e_3P5IX4-9UF4-jTLu4KHgznKMdde9j_EcAo4NncEu9lGRzdU_KMQ8Xq5C2_2xg/s1200/1200x1200bb.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: trebuchet; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJXVp-zis9sWzYV8o0xhbM7_81B3Zvl62P-dBmUO6Q5okTC6gNiYPZU0U9dGXBEAWElkHxOK7lWo8um-FpQ6m33AaONe63f5fn96Vu1Svs-Nr_RL_y9eK769e_3P5IX4-9UF4-jTLu4KHgznKMdde9j_EcAo4NncEu9lGRzdU_KMQ8Xq5C2_2xg/w200-h200/1200x1200bb.jpg" width="200" /></span></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b>Jessie James Decker - Decker The Halls</b><br />With many irons in the fire so to speak, Jessie James Decker is among other things a social media influencer, a book author, and a recording artist whose latest EP is the holiday themed <i>Decker the Halls</i>. The six tracks include two well written originals (one is a Decker co-write), one carol, and three old favorites. "Sleigh Ride" takes the Phil Spector style and includes a dynamite guitar solo that might make you think that this EP comes direct from Christmas party central. I enjoyed this one.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-0008a359-7fff-16da-27ab-15edfe31f03a"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnERyclr8MNNzGyg9TUxpFKWG-64mvDjCWuHXLuJyR9uQdDbnjXEFVfEsOx5YXBxIhw_-oyT7TbDZ6BpQfr0ew7K8AYQygFeQW6I7tJABCeEHnzQIS7maliv-lCQEgJuntf7qK8c2o6A14AhaGYTmouC0lgBOhVgVXEIBmcTjidCSZKCgPx3trA/s1200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnERyclr8MNNzGyg9TUxpFKWG-64mvDjCWuHXLuJyR9uQdDbnjXEFVfEsOx5YXBxIhw_-oyT7TbDZ6BpQfr0ew7K8AYQygFeQW6I7tJABCeEHnzQIS7maliv-lCQEgJuntf7qK8c2o6A14AhaGYTmouC0lgBOhVgVXEIBmcTjidCSZKCgPx3trA/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><b>The Gothard Sisters - A Celtic Christmas</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span><i style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">A Celtic Christmas</i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is the Gothard Sisters' third Christmas album. I was first introduced to this delightful Celtic band about thirteen years ago when they released their first Christmas record, </span><i style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Christmas</i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">. What makes the Gothards unusual is that no matter how much they sound like a Celtic band from the Emerald Isle, the fact is that they hail from the Pacific Northwest. It’s no accident that they play beautifully and that the violins are a highlight of their sound; the three sisters were classically trained on the violin and they surround themselves with similarly talented players. Along with one original tune, "Winterberrry Set," the program is mostly traditional Christmas carols with gorgeous familiar melodies that you can get lost in. I have enjoyed listening to the Gothard Sisters over the years (even saw them play live), and to think that it all started with a beautiful Celtic Christmas album like this one…</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRy2ZHgguhjNBL08qV_-QXIs3sJaD4pRSbuEDOhwej2RCO7Wz1rreApi5-Nkbgk5FBjzWz8RHOripaplu2VNCVAuTzdTfAMUvrDuvDn57Oom8oB0pV3NJX3RCC1ZfhUhHkmlv1ldX37c4Hwe-OUSdf8WAwcpMTa9TPPRdWbxYngh-qpdW958vFGQ/s1000/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRy2ZHgguhjNBL08qV_-QXIs3sJaD4pRSbuEDOhwej2RCO7Wz1rreApi5-Nkbgk5FBjzWz8RHOripaplu2VNCVAuTzdTfAMUvrDuvDn57Oom8oB0pV3NJX3RCC1ZfhUhHkmlv1ldX37c4Hwe-OUSdf8WAwcpMTa9TPPRdWbxYngh-qpdW958vFGQ/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Adam Hawley - What Christmas Means to Me</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We really have a wealth of great jazz records this year. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>What Christmas Means to Me </i>features a workout on Adam Hawley's </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; white-space-collapse: preserve;">electric </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; white-space-collapse: preserve;">guitar. The chunky /funky jazz guitar not only leads the all-star ensemble, but it also plays the very familiar melodies at the same time, and that's quite a feat. The mostly instrumental record features a couple of great sounding vocals: Kat Hawley on the gospel tune "Mary Did You Know" and Matt Cusson on Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home." Someone who heard this album the last time I played it remarked, "This makes me want to go home and take down my tree, so I can put it up again." I can't make any testimonial better than that!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WmY_s-kda3VDvCsDvR1kAkD6chNb4Dy4XByv7vCYS4AykP5mPpYVXCuBqkcnXiwcoNY5Oz_q-r2TcY8uOW0oz4_eO1T81W14kIVoXm67-DjAEUT1-afUNMW6V2pHu8iF6-LpHg7JlBEfSE5bVjUOL1YMkevJ5nUKR6CWCtRG-BMbLSEU_CPyEQ/s1000/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WmY_s-kda3VDvCsDvR1kAkD6chNb4Dy4XByv7vCYS4AykP5mPpYVXCuBqkcnXiwcoNY5Oz_q-r2TcY8uOW0oz4_eO1T81W14kIVoXm67-DjAEUT1-afUNMW6V2pHu8iF6-LpHg7JlBEfSE5bVjUOL1YMkevJ5nUKR6CWCtRG-BMbLSEU_CPyEQ/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Samara Joy - A Joyful Holiday</b></span><br /></span>In 2021, Samara Joy won the hearts of everyone who heard her debut album, not to mention the awards and accolades, too numerous to list here. For only her third release, this holiday EP offers six tracks of wonderful Christmas jazz. Of the five studio recordings, Joy sings one new original song along with covers of some Christmas classics. W</span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">hether on piano or electric guitar, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Joy's gorgeous voice is matched with some delightfully jazzy backing. I have to mention that the version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" has the original unmodified lyric (I wouldn't expect anything less). She sings Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song" jazzier than the original. The EP closes with a live version of same in which she sings a duet with her father Antonio McLendon. The aptly named, A Joyful Holiday, has good vibes to spare.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHRXEGSuhDJqxGsLUQeqgMlP7JaeX4o4jioI9ax5SSW4MreOdy3NqSpGhfMiBcnNqgCJhcXT8cfHXcqmRR1zQTus39Ox0oYPgg9e1Fr2YZAOrv-HYI7EZ5_oKyRWEXkxMILS7MIyweguXrLvx-EUaORdwo3AjbbTKkQRlsEa8AnT6PCrbVa9BQQ/s1200/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHRXEGSuhDJqxGsLUQeqgMlP7JaeX4o4jioI9ax5SSW4MreOdy3NqSpGhfMiBcnNqgCJhcXT8cfHXcqmRR1zQTus39Ox0oYPgg9e1Fr2YZAOrv-HYI7EZ5_oKyRWEXkxMILS7MIyweguXrLvx-EUaORdwo3AjbbTKkQRlsEa8AnT6PCrbVa9BQQ/w200-h200/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson - A Philly Special Christmas Special</b><br /><span>Flush with the success of last year's charity Christmas album, the stalwarts of the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line, Kelce, Mailata and Johnson, have decided to do it again. Along with producer Charlie Hall (of </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Philadelphia's own War On Drugs), they have come up with a real gem. Backed by an all star band of Philadelphia musicians, they turned their attention to a superb set of holiday favorites plus one original. In addition, they have a guest list that includes Amos Lee, Patti LaBelle, Waxahatchee, Travis Kelce, Jordan Davis, and Howie Roseman. What makes this all work is that Kelce, Johnson and Mailata really can sing. Kelce even wrote and sings the album's only original song, "Santa's Night." Opening with perhaps the greatest Christmas song of all (Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song") and running through songs first famous by the likes of Judy Garland to Mariah Carey, the </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Philly Specials (as they now call themselves) play it straight for the most part and like last year they save the ad-libbing for the end of the record. If you're an Eagles fan, you'll love all of the holiday greetings integrated into the last track, "Auld Lang Syne." I didn't even mention that the album includes Jason's version of an Italian novelty song, "Dominick the Donkey," or the Eagles' Howie Roseman taking a turn at singing "The Dreidel Song." There's a lot to love on this album, but for me none so much as the brothers Jason and Travis Kelce covering The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York." Not only have the lyrics been reworked for Philly and the brothers, but these guys sing the heck out of this song. By the end of it's transformation to </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"Fairytale of</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Philadelphia," you too will be charmed.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><b><span><a href="https://www.udiscovermusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/We-Wish-You-the-Merriest-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://www.udiscovermusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/We-Wish-You-the-Merriest-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b><b><span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Seth MacFarlane</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and Liz Gillies - </span>We Wish You The Merriest<br /></span></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">People who know Seth MacFarlane from the <i>Ted</i> movies or <i>The Family Guy</i> animated tv show, are always surprised by his music career. The man can really sing, plus he has a healthy fixation on the Sinatra style singers whose stock and trade is The Great American Songbook. MacFarlane pays attention to every detail; he even has a collection of the actual sheet music that arrangers wrote specifically for Sinatra recording sessions. Now, MacFarlane turns his attention to Christmas, and he has joined forces with Liz Gillies to help sing their way through the holiday season. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><i>We Wish You The Merriest </i>sticks to popular song and offers mostly familiar favorites. Among thirteen tracks are several gems that you don't hear all that often, such as "Happy Holiday," "That Holiday Feeling" and the title track. </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4zF3TBsd6Xog59oYwzh1JlZaAuNkkdpJMnalpWhtik9HFLQFMHKd6QEUYDIPCPOO6YJFJOOS_FvSoVcVBoGrv0b5qOv9qEF_Myrzsmhz3LIuxJ5V2ogzglMfwWBvSKATUOE_-J33lICD5tcZHsn23YRG1bVgN53QTZucyJbGboIkNK0rRiuVvA/s768/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4zF3TBsd6Xog59oYwzh1JlZaAuNkkdpJMnalpWhtik9HFLQFMHKd6QEUYDIPCPOO6YJFJOOS_FvSoVcVBoGrv0b5qOv9qEF_Myrzsmhz3LIuxJ5V2ogzglMfwWBvSKATUOE_-J33lICD5tcZHsn23YRG1bVgN53QTZucyJbGboIkNK0rRiuVvA/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Johnny Mathis - Christmas Time Is Here</b><br />No, Johnny Mathis is not dead. And yes, he has been recording for a really long time. <i>Christmas Time Is Here </i>is his seventh Christmas album, his first in ten years, and it's surprising in several different ways. First, I would have to say that the quality of his voice is amazing. I'm not saying that it's good for age 88, but it's good without qualification. If you are at all familiar with Johnny Mathis, you would instantly know that it's him. Furthermore, his style and his range is a treat for the ear. The second thing that I find surprising is how intimate it is. Most tracks consist of voice and a very talented piano with a reserved rhythm section and some judicious use of orchestra. The net result is an album I want to listen to. I'll admit that I'm too young to know when Mathis was huge in the pre-Beatles era, but the truth is that he has been recording all these years and now has attained a sort of pop royalty. This set is mostly popular songs along with a carol or two. On one song, Mathis duets with Kristen Chenoweth of Broadway fame. All told, </span><i>Christmas Time Is Here</i><span> is a nice gift from Mathis to both old and new fans. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nt5kcYB8sPZyxN59aQWBFSmgqh099q8N6pBgrzQBwEu2a359WU_bGLoznM2rG4NPDv1NIL5pMYaxDTM5BxFxEh8Fsdups3bHVzRRSVazKM0hHb_9HLL8aEug49CHyVsvNsHyOzRTklNuNmgkymjQtDnw-WYZAa4pPU_dUtiCiUANDN0kHiMWwA/s1200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nt5kcYB8sPZyxN59aQWBFSmgqh099q8N6pBgrzQBwEu2a359WU_bGLoznM2rG4NPDv1NIL5pMYaxDTM5BxFxEh8Fsdups3bHVzRRSVazKM0hHb_9HLL8aEug49CHyVsvNsHyOzRTklNuNmgkymjQtDnw-WYZAa4pPU_dUtiCiUANDN0kHiMWwA/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Pinot Noir Brass - Pinot Noir Brass Christmas</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>I have always liked the combination of Christmas music and brass. There is actually a long tradition of that, but we haven't heard from such an ensemble for a very long time, until now. Trumpet and flugelhorn player Rick Braun brought together a group of L.A.'s finest horn players to form a brass quintet. When it was time to record, it was a unanimous decision to make it a Christmas album; the sessions also included some serious wine tastings, thus the group's name. In order to make the fifteen tracks dazzle the listener, more than great playing is involved. With a mix of originals, medleys and old favorites, </span><i>Pinot Noir Brass Christmas</i> offers a touch of tradition along with arrangements of the cool classics of Christmas that are constantly rewarding.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlhJV8n9p4LVCmZjisSlQKwozUWiS708S3clJUXy0fyieWdpqcD-LaspT-mE6I_1zKA5qxGdOKaq4hJ-IO4BLPqZXtf1JKVOwWZVVSBEYAc6_xECA2e_C5P7NQW032wYXgqUYzNr27-GRFyxn8v1WYJiuTr_rDsOhCjqfkfLBrqRZd6VOUdVD-w/s1000/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlhJV8n9p4LVCmZjisSlQKwozUWiS708S3clJUXy0fyieWdpqcD-LaspT-mE6I_1zKA5qxGdOKaq4hJ-IO4BLPqZXtf1JKVOwWZVVSBEYAc6_xECA2e_C5P7NQW032wYXgqUYzNr27-GRFyxn8v1WYJiuTr_rDsOhCjqfkfLBrqRZd6VOUdVD-w/w200-h200/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.webp" width="200" /></a></div><b>Gregory Porter - Christmas Wish</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The first thing that strikes me about </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Gregory Porter'</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">s </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i>Christmas Wish</i> is that his voice </span><span>reminds me a little of Nat King Cole. Not that he's a sound-alike, but he makes me think of what Cole might have sounded like without the cigarettes. Cole reportedly liked the texture that smoking gave his voice (nevermind that Cole left us way too soon because of lung cancer). The bottom line is that Porter has an extraordinary instrument in his voice. </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Christmas Wish</i><span> a mix of more and less well known carols, some well written originals and a couple of nice covers. The pace is on the relaxed side with an uncluttered production style: just voice, piano, some gentle rhythm plus orchestra. I have many favorites on this album, but I want to mention one of them. The penultimate track is a wonderful version of Stevie Wonder's "Someday At Christmas." This song seems more timely with every passing year and the sentiment that resonates the most is the wish for a future filled with peace, love, and freedom. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i>Christmas Wish </i>by<i> </i></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Gregory Porter has everything that I could want in a Christmas album.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgKFAyy7hdmHsI7Xeo5Pkad949T-xICbayP1LSCOK1F5hjLa_9S3Fu1MZrCYTzSoJANzaXxMiKe63K6sJZ7vrINvVUqnL0VPfTU40PS_bNpWonRdifFYJS6Rs6VM-NF7baCFnS9ZUB7XdyojOxHXXhEQqSjrEVeewNRVsVw64xVFwC4V7sO0PJQ/s640/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgKFAyy7hdmHsI7Xeo5Pkad949T-xICbayP1LSCOK1F5hjLa_9S3Fu1MZrCYTzSoJANzaXxMiKe63K6sJZ7vrINvVUqnL0VPfTU40PS_bNpWonRdifFYJS6Rs6VM-NF7baCFnS9ZUB7XdyojOxHXXhEQqSjrEVeewNRVsVw64xVFwC4V7sO0PJQ/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Kate Rusby - Light Years</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;"><span>Kate Rusby's name is synonymous with quality traditional British folk music, and she also writes her own music in a similar style. Rusby describes it as </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span>"joyful memories of music, family, community, warmth and happiness - and a little wine!" I consider myself fortunate to have heard Rusby in the early days of her career and to have been so impressed by her voice and her approach to this material that I take notice whenever I see her name. I've read that <i>Light Years</i> is Rusby's seventh Christmas album. On it she combines traditional carols, both unfamiliar and very familiar, some cover tunes and some original music that she wrote. On her last Christmas album, I found Rusby's humorous cover of "I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas" to be strikingly ironic in light of her more serious image. On <i>Light Years</i>, she does it again, not once but twice, with "Nothin' For Christmas" and the more traditional sounding parody "Arrest These Merry Gentlemen." Otherwise, I 'd like to point out that on this record, Rusby has largely replaced the expected backing of violins, mandolin and pennywhistles in favor of a brass section. I also love her take on "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas." I will also note that the song "Nowell, Nowell" is an old English carol that modern audiences will instantly recognize, albeit with some lyrical differences. There is a lot to love on </span></span><i style="background-color: white;">Light Years</i><span style="background-color: white;"> by Kate Rusby; it's one not to miss.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeXojhZf-hW2GKkLPgU5K1wOA0iSN-AOnG0DrPPYoFKrpu6TRWeSGuCfEwKL-tOeTjhXiPXouGPjpRNM7xEVvinQDhMloji4ZmkwvHD9jzW4BSanpJHt3GQTHSJcYUpN8_-jvcFUwEv5w5g5UeKfqR_omDf1cyX5jusNPMSyh4dldSemhuitbAA/s1000/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeXojhZf-hW2GKkLPgU5K1wOA0iSN-AOnG0DrPPYoFKrpu6TRWeSGuCfEwKL-tOeTjhXiPXouGPjpRNM7xEVvinQDhMloji4ZmkwvHD9jzW4BSanpJHt3GQTHSJcYUpN8_-jvcFUwEv5w5g5UeKfqR_omDf1cyX5jusNPMSyh4dldSemhuitbAA/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Adam Shulman - We Wish You a Funky Christmas</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span>This is another great Christmas jazz album, this time being an all instrumental affair. The familiar melodies are played alternately on saxes, keyboards and synths. The familiar part is just a jumping off point for a keyboard driven jazz session. Listening to Shulman's work on the Fender Rhodes electric piano, I stopped to look up whether Deodato ("Also A Sprach Zarathustra") had ever made a Christmas album. He did not, but the fact that these tasty jams made me even think of Deodato should tell you something (in a good way). These sessions always come back to the familiar melody to finish. </span></span><i>We Wish You a Funky Christmas</i><b> </b>by Adam Shulman is surely one of the joys of Christmas this year.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wirjIopGBN-CXxhKpkGD2UgyhsvP7VqT-3_PzIjDhTaUsCGTkPZ8M2jDBAZkdSl9iHF5dGyO_noDtevfcz9KoSWzf2bnJYSXH_6UKdsOqmf9uoqIeFgj7jnUcxvq60DcQYQf4onQASt2Xc3nsgEM9_tBBsi9K5N6u1ZsHGUJXTAOuZ_GD6204Q/s500/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wirjIopGBN-CXxhKpkGD2UgyhsvP7VqT-3_PzIjDhTaUsCGTkPZ8M2jDBAZkdSl9iHF5dGyO_noDtevfcz9KoSWzf2bnJYSXH_6UKdsOqmf9uoqIeFgj7jnUcxvq60DcQYQf4onQASt2Xc3nsgEM9_tBBsi9K5N6u1ZsHGUJXTAOuZ_GD6204Q/w200-h200/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Straight No Chaser - Stocking Stuffer</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;"><span><i>Stocking Stuffer</i> is the new Christmas EP by Straight No Chaser, consisting of well known cover tunes, some less known cover tunes, and a few well written originals. The originals are so well done in fact that it's hard to tell them from the less known cover tunes. </span></span><span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;">Furthermore, there is so much going on in the under twenty two minute running time that this EP is not only hard to categorize, it's also hard to characterize. There are so many lyrics contained in these eight songs that they could almost be rap songs. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;">And, that doesn't even include the familiar fare, like "The Little Drummer Boy," "Feliz Navidad," or "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."</span><span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;"> The best way I can describe this record is to imagine this uber-talented a cappella group standing on a street corner somewhere, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;">maybe </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;">around a fire burning in a trash can. It's not exactly doo-wop, but it's close. At this point we've come to expect that the sound of the instruments is coming from the mouth and we aren't supposed to be wowed by this, but the sharp sound of a drumstick hitting the rim of a drum still amazes me. </span><i style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;">Stocking Stuffer</i><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;"> is a well named addition to the </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;">Straight No Chaser </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124;">holiday repertoire.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #202124; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8OHZ-L_F-HumWhbGt7jJ_sSTVLqloxnTapmFoMbxqOKVpfFd-l_eMjBcRrtV2XBUkFztDHh7NIb9Pd3OlGs1Wz989mJlxIwQWUU5kN0Ng4vckBMqSTtc-KBEp_Py4LigZNQiD9d2ZeyPdsZJNBtthygsGA7OPrSUBtMss0edrN9j1aLDZd_oRQ/s1500/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8OHZ-L_F-HumWhbGt7jJ_sSTVLqloxnTapmFoMbxqOKVpfFd-l_eMjBcRrtV2XBUkFztDHh7NIb9Pd3OlGs1Wz989mJlxIwQWUU5kN0Ng4vckBMqSTtc-KBEp_Py4LigZNQiD9d2ZeyPdsZJNBtthygsGA7OPrSUBtMss0edrN9j1aLDZd_oRQ/w200-h200/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Isaiah J. Thompson - </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202124;">A Guaraldi Holiday</span></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;">Isaiah J. Thompson is a gifted pianist who recently studied at the Julliard School of Music where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees. His list of accomplishments and awards is already too long to list. On his latest release, he tributes jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, who wrote and performed original music for the Peanuts' holiday specials including <i>A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown</i> and most importantly, <i>A Charlie Brown Christmas. </i>The thought occurred to me that even though the Christmas music doesn't start until track five, and even if you've never heard of Peanuts or Vince Guaraldi, that this is one of the best jazz records that you could want to hear. All the better if you are familiar with Guaraldi's groundbreaking music for those Peanuts' specials. Thompson's amazing piano work is matched by the level of the musicianship of his band, the soloists, and the vocalists. Only a handful of tracks have vocals, most of the tracks are instrumental. The album's set is particularly well chosen and sequenced. There have been other tributes to Guaraldi over the years, but I am enjoying this one quite a lot; considering my affection for the Guaraldi music, that's really saying something.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxANYwax12PHcf6JzcNhhE4jx3nFRWcHSDrgnrscn9vuXto51yme90jRw3kZvnSWe1b7g-eh88_WvRqU6UwzcfwCcSFgWNivdll74XCyspm0cibHkYSgCh4BKouhdK7UTDcQRBHyNfy4jTqUPykr8OP32BLJTKpeFF7sNwoaKjS154SOOweaclfw/s1000/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxANYwax12PHcf6JzcNhhE4jx3nFRWcHSDrgnrscn9vuXto51yme90jRw3kZvnSWe1b7g-eh88_WvRqU6UwzcfwCcSFgWNivdll74XCyspm0cibHkYSgCh4BKouhdK7UTDcQRBHyNfy4jTqUPykr8OP32BLJTKpeFF7sNwoaKjS154SOOweaclfw/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Mads Tolling - Cool Yule</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">When the album opens, my first thought was... we haven't had one of these for a while, a very mellow instrumental album of the classics of Christmas. What we have here is some very jazzy violin and piano. After some delightful playing on some very familiar tunes, we find out that this album is much, much more. Mads Tolling is an accomplished jazz violinist who hails from Copenhagen, Denmark and here features </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">The Mads Men (Colin Hogan on piano, keyboards and accordion, Gary Brown on upright and electric basses, and Eric Garland on drums). In addition to the American favorites, Tolling also includes some seasonal songs from his native Scandinavia. The Nordic tunes include a nod to Danish favorite Hans Christian Anderson, whose fairy tales have been an inspiration for generations. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span>Otherwise instrumental, <i>Cool Yule</i> features a g</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">uest vocal by Sonny Fredic-Pedersen on the title track.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Surprisingly, this is a lesser known composition from comedian Steve Allen, who co-created and hosted the Tonight Show; he was also known for writing hundreds of songs, including "Cool Yule." Tolling has played for the Turtle Island Quartet, the Stanley Clarke Band, solo albums, session work, and extensive touring both here and abroad. His violin together with Hogan's piano creates music that is just as delightful as can be. </span><span style="background-color: white;">The listening pleasure derived from this album could only make it a </span><i>Cool Yule<span style="background-color: white;">. </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><u>Reissues, Remasters, Collections, Expanded Deluxe Editions and etc.</u></b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><div style="text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKq_IyPJ7jsdNCb6CuNvYE2frfZQNhwVGo5NwAQvcMJWHZeNa_fJslsvFUTNMPb5jXP_WP9K_qYeKQJXXBnXsFi_p_2PwY9dggQV4tKkolqeMlF7zMLNYEC07BqlxUlA-5JqjcWtRxigoYk3u0tRjLrs7t3QQafw_zWQPHLvY4sRznYp0-UBbIHQ/s1393/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1393" data-original-width="1385" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKq_IyPJ7jsdNCb6CuNvYE2frfZQNhwVGo5NwAQvcMJWHZeNa_fJslsvFUTNMPb5jXP_WP9K_qYeKQJXXBnXsFi_p_2PwY9dggQV4tKkolqeMlF7zMLNYEC07BqlxUlA-5JqjcWtRxigoYk3u0tRjLrs7t3QQafw_zWQPHLvY4sRznYp0-UBbIHQ/w199-h200/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="199" /></a></div>Chet Atkins - </b><b>The Complete RCA Victor & Columbia Christmas Recordings</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">In 2019, Real Gone Music, in association with Second Disc Records, curated and released a collection of all of Atkins' Christmas recordings from both labels. Ordinarily, when Real Gone releases a compilation, they don't make a huge number of copies, so their titles often sell out. Such was the case with this Atkins' collection. Fortunately, in September of this year, the Legacy label authorized a digital-only reissue of this record. With 46 tracks, originally spanning two CDs, this set includes a number of rare singles and other one-offs as well as three LPs in their entirety. The first two are two different versions<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>Christmas with Chet Atkins</i>, originally released in 1961 and rerecorded in 1976. The third album </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>East Tennessee Christmas</i> was released in 1983. Better than half of the tracks in this set are totally instrumental, and some have background singers. We can forgive the few tracks with kid singers because the producers probably meant well. Over the years, no matter what the production style, there is one thing that runs through every track, and that is Atkins' beautiful guitar work. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwyZ-rXm_Re8GKup4C40ZeO51u-y5asE6BkrsfjbJDxYsojkz6N8zjmvim68k_dJNIXnDz2M7zq95rZUhvKa9VA4s0u3imcOW4gRAuK59xs8ImPvJZ6fVBJqP_3KW9EfBWJuMZyTlHegjbdITuI-7uHebtG_PbWLWjuKf4ksQ3MjeFrR6YlwjQQ/s1200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwyZ-rXm_Re8GKup4C40ZeO51u-y5asE6BkrsfjbJDxYsojkz6N8zjmvim68k_dJNIXnDz2M7zq95rZUhvKa9VA4s0u3imcOW4gRAuK59xs8ImPvJZ6fVBJqP_3KW9EfBWJuMZyTlHegjbdITuI-7uHebtG_PbWLWjuKf4ksQ3MjeFrR6YlwjQQ/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli, Virginia Bocelli - A Family Christmas (Deluxe Edition)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This album first came out last year and<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"> </span><a href="https://billsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-best-christmas-music-of-2022-unwrap.html" target="_blank">everything I said about it then still stands</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">.</span> The <span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">new tracks included on the deluxe edition are "Let It Snow," "Silver Bells," "E' Natale!" and "Winter Wonderland" plus there are six bonus tracks. Ordinarily, I have an issue with next year deluxe editions. But Bocelli's team has stated that the four tracks are newly recorded and they are a glorious addition to an already excellent album. In fact, "Do You Hear What I Hear" sounds like a tour de force for the generations of the Bocelli family represented here. On top of that, the six bonus tracks are bonefied collector's items, such as a track that they recorded with Pentatonix and one where they sing "Feliz Navadad" with The Simpsons. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">Virginia Bocelli (11) is featured prominently on the new recordings and not only does she sound terrific, but she sounds much older than her age.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">All things considered, the ten new tracks make this album well worth buying. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">I would like a label such as this to offer a replacement procedure, but we have yet to see that happen. So, the question is, would you buy this again if you already had it? The answer is, I would.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKjIxP8ORL3EC12xYpLCrvPVUQQWaycZYds_osPgHZzrvMHtxWj5ggeoT5vXXKOvWXBbjV4ujmJ6yvG5NuIKZrf3rfLVZS22eQG1hgKHrbNfTA7t-0wT6aDiN_6ijCssSrYpQymrXJiK9ffiF5dCGsBhCXnOf9flQnyu1NzbqUgxIq_CvmfY2YQ/s1000/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="1000" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKjIxP8ORL3EC12xYpLCrvPVUQQWaycZYds_osPgHZzrvMHtxWj5ggeoT5vXXKOvWXBbjV4ujmJ6yvG5NuIKZrf3rfLVZS22eQG1hgKHrbNfTA7t-0wT6aDiN_6ijCssSrYpQymrXJiK9ffiF5dCGsBhCXnOf9flQnyu1NzbqUgxIq_CvmfY2YQ/w200-h199/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Tamar Braxton - Winter Loversland (Deluxe Version)</b></div></span><i>Winter Loversland</i> is the 2013 Christmas album by Tamar Braxton, Toni's little sister. Legacy has authorized this digital-only release of the deluxe version. Previously a Target exclusive, the special edition adds two tracks to the ten track original. Familiar favorites are the order of the day and Tamar is quite a vocal talent in her own right. This album even includes the rarely covered Carpenters' Christmas classic "Merry Christmas Darling." <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTQCuRpKh4zEWlrFILTkFK6XndGeBMsztNA_RgzQFH2HymhRxHuIjFwBYseIqbZeTiFH3GYyp-1f5D0AMbx0GTnOSDBcyP7k1KnDzZZuCJ5IvGEb8kPzySUA0O6Dd9uTYagpD3tS4LcFzB1jjyMhSeKyMxUCpU3rLHglvzSmDC1UZkaXEeSHtbQ/s1500/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTQCuRpKh4zEWlrFILTkFK6XndGeBMsztNA_RgzQFH2HymhRxHuIjFwBYseIqbZeTiFH3GYyp-1f5D0AMbx0GTnOSDBcyP7k1KnDzZZuCJ5IvGEb8kPzySUA0O6Dd9uTYagpD3tS4LcFzB1jjyMhSeKyMxUCpU3rLHglvzSmDC1UZkaXEeSHtbQ/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Chicago - Greatest Christmas Hits</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>Although the world may not need to hear every group's version of the Christmas classics, as someone who has been listening to Chicago since their first album, there is something comforting about hearing those classic songs in the familiar voices and horn section of Chicago. That said, I should also point out that none of their productions are what I would call relaxing, even their slow take on "The Christmas Song." Still, it's nice to have these guys around at this time of year. This album, </span><i>Greatest Christmas Hits</i><span>, has songs drawn from all their previous Christmas releases. This reissue comes in either digital, CD or color vinyl including original songs, as well as the beloved favorites that they do so well. It's good to have a serving of their prodigious Christmas output on one platter. For all you super fans, Rhino.com has a three disc package of Chicago's original Christmas albums and they've also made a playlist of all the tracks for your </span><span><b><span>streaming pleasure.</span><span> </span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIlLXGEBBWHRv0Q_EKI2xOXiqrVbo_f0wx-aBsA6Ep5kLR5B5QN333DG22VCwkaiPyr16dOam3fphH_0QAJxJht0JQxn4DgKuGu6JFenqNGUd_UFWQ7rNOwvw50pYEcqGfLMtgarR5_Uof6r1TiaOyiZONmbFMMC4mK-UtzHklQS8MOAcECbiBA/s640/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIlLXGEBBWHRv0Q_EKI2xOXiqrVbo_f0wx-aBsA6Ep5kLR5B5QN333DG22VCwkaiPyr16dOam3fphH_0QAJxJht0JQxn4DgKuGu6JFenqNGUd_UFWQ7rNOwvw50pYEcqGfLMtgarR5_Uof6r1TiaOyiZONmbFMMC4mK-UtzHklQS8MOAcECbiBA/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Bing Crosby - Bing Crosby's Christmas Gems</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">To listeners of a certain age, Christmas music begins and ends with Bing Crosby. There have been numerous Crosby Christmas albums over the years, but this one includes some lessor known and rare tracks from the Crosby archive. The Crosby voice is deep, strong and smooth on these fourteen tracks that comprise</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> <i>Bing Crosby's Christmas Gems. </i>In addition to two songs with Kathryn Crosby, this album also features duets with Ella Fitzgerald on "Marshmallow World" and the medley he sang with David Bowie on "Little Drummer Boy/</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Peace On Earth</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">." The latter came from a British TV special, and it's good to have this on a Bing Crosby Christmas record. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLv52GFqdQtsrNHN-QtVeOHKKcowJvTpKJTw_rCByDncQRM6ODBFlEZPkYW1GElwrmG4xDwSyFp9OZdkvO6iXGHG7TItB7o5VxaEroe43EnWyYgH7_MwWIbskDzHqNrj378sKiMmhQv3uBTTodHp69st51lOvVpai-cYBy3wG-DTCauW2hFgsFYA/s1200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLv52GFqdQtsrNHN-QtVeOHKKcowJvTpKJTw_rCByDncQRM6ODBFlEZPkYW1GElwrmG4xDwSyFp9OZdkvO6iXGHG7TItB7o5VxaEroe43EnWyYgH7_MwWIbskDzHqNrj378sKiMmhQv3uBTTodHp69st51lOvVpai-cYBy3wG-DTCauW2hFgsFYA/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Elton John - Step Into Christmas</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Elton John never made a proper Christmas album, but he did release a killer Christmas single back in the 1970s. Back then "Step Into Christmas" was all over the radio and if you bought the single, "Ho! Ho! Ho! (Who'd Be A Turkey at Christmas?)" was the B-side. This digital-only reissue puts those two tracks together with five odds and ends from the vault, which includes some nice live tracks. Download or stream this little Christmas gift from Elton John and party like it's 1973.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEOxOyIxP63YjbV77mJlrVVoN7-COORURd_Q_IWqgMwvcqw-3T0S7ihy5Lww6lAY20V8bZTwRQupQu_iJDkY5-SkHO3y7eieKw81YKZ0Jc9p4JmSiqMNWxv6RLdrvoKLQMBua719ClA9f8DRH1sRJeODxJEcM0-5D5lyV_elOOP5HCRkOpFe0hw/s600/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEOxOyIxP63YjbV77mJlrVVoN7-COORURd_Q_IWqgMwvcqw-3T0S7ihy5Lww6lAY20V8bZTwRQupQu_iJDkY5-SkHO3y7eieKw81YKZ0Jc9p4JmSiqMNWxv6RLdrvoKLQMBua719ClA9f8DRH1sRJeODxJEcM0-5D5lyV_elOOP5HCRkOpFe0hw/w200-h200/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Brenda Lee - A Rockin’ Christmas With Brenda Lee</b><br />If you've been anywhere near a radio at Christmastime during the last 60+ years, you've undoubtedly heard Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." Now with this digital only reissue, you can hear this and three other tunes of the season by Lee (you may disregard the remix that closes this EP). This recording starts with the original 1958 version of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," recorded when Lee was a young teenager. Lee was a major cross over star in the pre-Beatles era and her life story is a good read. Meanwhile, see your favorite platform to stream or download and you can rock around the Christmas tree to your heart's content.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyKP3dcv5XIAMxUTHrxTZcyC9qvCRdEvITN9ys2_Q__UY-kDZaIvyjgj87YkonFnnzgvXSZCkk46vyrEaWnQDdJUNArBvQ5OityWj4c-utmDytGV2SXVvNc_66RueR7phI6717MYBQWcBGqC7Vt2cMXIuweIb-54DEimQtXRLNar7Q-hhitYlvA/s300/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="300" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyKP3dcv5XIAMxUTHrxTZcyC9qvCRdEvITN9ys2_Q__UY-kDZaIvyjgj87YkonFnnzgvXSZCkk46vyrEaWnQDdJUNArBvQ5OityWj4c-utmDytGV2SXVvNc_66RueR7phI6717MYBQWcBGqC7Vt2cMXIuweIb-54DEimQtXRLNar7Q-hhitYlvA/w200-h199/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Teddy Pendergrass - This Christmas (I'd Rather Have Love)</b><br />In the last few decades of the 20th century, Philadelphia International Records was to the City of Brotherly Love what Motown was to Detriot. Philadelphia International had no shortage of hitmakers, but one stood out in particular. Having made his name singing lead with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass struck out on his own and became the lurvemeister of Philly soul. It's easy to see why he had such appeal. </span>Pendergrass' fourteenth and last studio album, <i>This Christmas (I'd Rather Have Love)</i>, was his first and only holiday release. Long out of print, this digital-only reissue celebrates 25 years since this album came out in 1998. There are three originals here <span style="background-color: white;">“Christmas and You,” </span><span style="background-color: white;">“Having a Christmas Party,”</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and </span><span style="background-color: white;">“Happy Kwanzaa.” Other than these new songs, Penndergrass sings some covers and carols including a wonderful version of "The Christmas Song." I also have to mention that I realized that no one else this year has covered John & Yoko's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)," and Pendergrass closes his album with a superb rendition of this timeless classic. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzdVLqRyq1ZJbu9s2_5v8271gh7z1rLgf53u0DFIh4W8YiMWxetJBVJpPxBH0ZVhb6TuRuM8qj68e3CSJiOwiNLw8-JLlElfNHED44Eq3qR0A9NqE5LJkvrevvssuPRvr8ooUlTH_yaNWe0sruXxIEL5ISz7QiQbAPIHpUgpwZ4mB6pzhAwMLgg/s300/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzdVLqRyq1ZJbu9s2_5v8271gh7z1rLgf53u0DFIh4W8YiMWxetJBVJpPxBH0ZVhb6TuRuM8qj68e3CSJiOwiNLw8-JLlElfNHED44Eq3qR0A9NqE5LJkvrevvssuPRvr8ooUlTH_yaNWe0sruXxIEL5ISz7QiQbAPIHpUgpwZ4mB6pzhAwMLgg/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Linda Ronstadt - A Merry Little Christmas</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This album was so out of print that I had almost forgotten it. Good that the powers that be reissued this on CD in a new digipack. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">A Merry Little Christmas seems like two albums in one. On the first five tracks, Ronstadt has made a rather old fashioned sounding record of the popular classics of Christmas. I'll just mention that "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" includes the jollier Frank Sinatraized "hang a shining star" lyric that was also written by the song's author. After the first five, it's a very different album, mostly Christmas carols with a church-like vibe. On some songs, it's hard to discern Ronstadt's voice from the church choir-like backing vocals she's using. The is definitely not your basic Christmas album from a rock star. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">The bottom line is that Linda Ronstadt may be more devout than we might have thought.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpT9EqdH7GH9Yp-woXTviCIj6hEN2UZfiyln7MBC5tcZYaEp8MQzHcsb0r3KViIU3Ykj037hyYc-MwW3zQpYgGXikl7RCiL7slDh5THH3jadBw9xY2SAkW9LjcqNhmH1SeszEBSATlibfpymSxmsNu3v7ZhalHAZ7ZmMuqBndxCaepv1x2eADIxQ/s1000/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="1000" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpT9EqdH7GH9Yp-woXTviCIj6hEN2UZfiyln7MBC5tcZYaEp8MQzHcsb0r3KViIU3Ykj037hyYc-MwW3zQpYgGXikl7RCiL7slDh5THH3jadBw9xY2SAkW9LjcqNhmH1SeszEBSATlibfpymSxmsNu3v7ZhalHAZ7ZmMuqBndxCaepv1x2eADIxQ/w200-h198/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The Smithereens - Christmas With The Smithereens</b><br />The legendary Smithereens Christmas album was out of print, but it has just been reissued by Hollywood Records. I would be hard pressed to think of a better rock Christmas album. The Smithereens cover a track I've never seen on a Christmas album and that is the Who's "Christmas" from <i>Tommy</i>. They present "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as a rap song leading into a blistering version of Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run." <i>Christmas With The Smithereens</i> is a complete joy from start to finish.<br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkifjacYjfZSjnGhCjCCvpaPnJHYSzBT0Y6DtX8ANaU7pwM9kUXjHVSpcsPhVr3DukQ3yS1EvBqDf_XvvUNa_4kPnDQnb_H86sAh_b5T832xfxRJLbxyJ7DNxK73xTP9cysdwd7pOYCpAhWheu8yO0VosIcb2nANDX_2o0Lj8JkpXz7XMhr8bkQ/s600/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkifjacYjfZSjnGhCjCCvpaPnJHYSzBT0Y6DtX8ANaU7pwM9kUXjHVSpcsPhVr3DukQ3yS1EvBqDf_XvvUNa_4kPnDQnb_H86sAh_b5T832xfxRJLbxyJ7DNxK73xTP9cysdwd7pOYCpAhWheu8yO0VosIcb2nANDX_2o0Lj8JkpXz7XMhr8bkQ/w200-h200/71h1Hw697fL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Soundtrack - The Complete Christmas On The Ponderosa</b><br />If you are into music from the sixties, more specifically TV shows from the sixties, and even more specifically if you liked a certain western that played every Sunday night at 9 PM on the NBC network, you are in for a Bonanza of a treat. A few years ago, Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records put together <i>The Complete Christmas On The Ponderosa. </i>The good news is that they have reissued this collection digitally. When the set opens, it sounds like either a Christmas special or a Christmas episode. It doesn't matter which, we get some holiday dialogue from co-stars Dan Blocker (Hoss) and Michael Landon (Little Joe) and from Lorne Greene, the star of the show (Ben "Pa" Cartwright). The rest of the way, Greene does all of the heavy lifting. He is a strong voiced singer in the classic Hollywood mode. The Christmas tunes are primarily carols and it gets more and more religious as you listen. The set concludes with a soliloquy that I've only ever heard one other time; it was decades later in the Rockefeller Center Christmas Spectacular. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHTv_IRPREjjjtxj1li2PctgXZKO4QR-E3qun3fPWo1p2-8bUxZSC5iru4fWuEr8riBrfuMrqoAjVGAlptGgxXhiqoXCwgfX95RFU_wYmeIQ5pr7HIxvackAc4NlrWph0lWf9kiacnHUibuE-LXGoeNvSwAPKCviwjEcSpaT7zdzeX-GuKfJTPg/s632/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="632" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHTv_IRPREjjjtxj1li2PctgXZKO4QR-E3qun3fPWo1p2-8bUxZSC5iru4fWuEr8riBrfuMrqoAjVGAlptGgxXhiqoXCwgfX95RFU_wYmeIQ5pr7HIxvackAc4NlrWph0lWf9kiacnHUibuE-LXGoeNvSwAPKCviwjEcSpaT7zdzeX-GuKfJTPg/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.webp" width="200" /></a></div>Liz Story - Songs of Christmas</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Liz Story was signed by the Windham Hill label in their first generation and before New Age became a marketing concept. At that time, she released an album titled The Gift, which was a lovely solo piano rendering of Christmas music. That album has been with me all these years and it's included in a digital only reissue called </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Songs of Christmas. </i>This release collects all of her Christmas and holiday themed recordings, including one offs like single tracks that appeared on various artist compilations over the years. It's still very relaxing to listen to this music, and it's better still to have it all together in one place.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEneBGreBsAAqPKToBqsX5YjwYOUR5U-RZXxPSglDk9AItJtw4kVWmTB2H4go4UzWw3ul5i_eXfSQvJmCgo-L0RIUdgO6Pt9icLYcDMbfzvmL91lVrWhl_ZSjAIhxCySCkWT8pxLlIxqd9VALbo52KdrbEY9gvSIRr87sH7rgcr2U0VDtIczxV-g/s1200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEneBGreBsAAqPKToBqsX5YjwYOUR5U-RZXxPSglDk9AItJtw4kVWmTB2H4go4UzWw3ul5i_eXfSQvJmCgo-L0RIUdgO6Pt9icLYcDMbfzvmL91lVrWhl_ZSjAIhxCySCkWT8pxLlIxqd9VALbo52KdrbEY9gvSIRr87sH7rgcr2U0VDtIczxV-g/w200-h200/91fQYcJYN9L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Various Artists - Stax Christmas</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><span>A good Stax collection for me works a lot like a good Motown collection, except that the artists are not so much overplayed. Not that I don't love them both, but I'm pleased to tell you about the new <i>Stax Christmas </i>compilation. The set opens with a heretofore unheard a</span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box;">lternate mix of</span><span class="TextRun SCXW254795303 BCX0" data-contrast="none" data-mce-fragment="1" lang="EN-US" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW254795303 BCX0" data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> the Otis Redding classic </span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6;">“Merry Christmas Baby.” This song is one of the cornerstones of Christmas. Listening to this, I was thinking that although I've heard this single many times (many ways), I have never heard it sound as clean as this. There are many excellent versions of this Johnny Moore/ Lou Baxter composition, but this one by Otis may be worth the price of admission all by itself. But wait; there are eleven more great tracks on this record, not the least of which is a superb recording of </span><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6;">“Blue Christmas.”</span><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6;"> The Elvis hit sung by Carla Thomas is a newly unearthed take. There are ten more holiday tunes from classic Stax artists like </span><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6;">The Staple Singers, Rufus Thomas, Isaac Hayes, and many more. Let's just say that there are many reasons to be joyful on a </span><i>Stax Christmas.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-79841935869402805702023-08-21T18:06:00.018-04:002023-11-21T18:56:47.262-05:00Peter Jackson's "Get Back" Documentary Film Rises From the Ashes of "Let It Be" and Beatles' Fans Are Loving It<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1667" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFbaAp42TPVXoH7c149NXL01jOmHvFt6SnfJkN1dOebFAaiF2iKlxMG1MwysY3ROdlhLPp9c4nCf1gaEFteYnJjI95hll8vHj7BEjgt5KtVO9UFUXOhZ47GDUzOIiqcSOOWAKP-ZjTk5JXbU-zGO2dEA_1sTh36q6VtRkNI0-859OzC99wFUM8g/w640-h360/beatles.png" width="640" /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: start;">Screenshot via YouTube</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><span><i>Get Back</i>, the three part documentary film, was made by world class director Peter Jackson (<i>Lord of the Rings </i>trilogy) </span><span>from the same film and tape elements that were used in the making of The Beatles last movie </span><i>Let It Be </i><span>and the </span></span><i>Let It Be </i><span>album. Even though the </span><i>Let It Be</i><span> movie played in theaters over fifty years ago, and even though it has disappeared from circulation, memories of that movie remain strong. The 80 minute run time was divided between The Beatles working in the cavernous Twickenham studio, the basement studio at Apple Headquarters, and the triumphant rooftop concert at the Apple HQ. Despite the good feeling of the final sequence with no narration, the overall effect of the movie was depressing, especially the first part. If you wanted a portrait of a band breaking up, this was it. It's no surprise then that this film did not receive home video distribution. For a short time, </span><i>Let It Be</i><span> was available as a rental only VHS title, but by the mid-80s it was completely off the market. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">The two films, Peter Jackson's <i>Get Back</i> and Michael Lindsay-Hogg's <i>Let It Be </i>couldn't have been more different, even though they were made from the same source material. Before we get into the Jackson film, there are some things worth knowing. Based on public reporting at the time (which was nicely fleshed out in Jackson's film), the project consisted of about two weeks of rehearsals, which took place in January 1969. The project was intended to culminate in two live concerts that were to be broadcast on TV and accompanied by a documentary film of the rehearsals directed by Lindsay-Hogg. The trick was that within the two weeks of rehearsals, the Beatles planned to write fourteen new songs. The short time frame was due to Ringo's start date for filming the movie <i>The Magic Christian</i>. At some point, the live TV concerts got scratched, but the Beatles soldiered on, continuing to write, record, and film. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Ultimately, the live shows were replaced with plans for a live concert on the roof of the Apple HQ building. That conclusion of the plan took place on January 30, 1969 as nicely depicted in Part Three of the Jackson film. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>Engineer Glynn Johns (Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, among others) had been brought in to helm the live project. Johns pieced together audio from the month long project in accordance with the original concept presenting all new songs recorded live with an intentional "warts and all" sound (this meant leaving in mistakes and such). During an interview, that was part of a recent <i>Rolling Stone Music Now</i> podcast, </span><span>Johns explained </span><span>that they were going for an aud</span><span>i</span><span>o</span><span> </span><span style="background-color: white;">vérité documentary style. </span><span>The proposed </span><i>Get Back</i><span> album was put together by Johns and an acetate was created. All four Beatles rejected it. If I might add, I've heard the acetate (it was widely bootlegged on CD) and the group made a wise decision. At that point, the <i>Get Back</i> project was shelved.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>Later in 1969, t</span><span>he Beatles came together to record and release <i>Abbey Road</i></span><span>. Even though it was not the last album to be released, </span><i>Abbey Road</i><span> was, in fact, the last album they recorded together. Meanwhile, at the behest of John Lennon (according to Johns), the </span><i>Get Back</i><span> tapes were given to Phil Spector, who produced the album we know as <i>Let It Be</i>, released in 1970. The Spector production raised a bit of controversy, especially amongst purists. Even though it took some time, it was that controversy that prompted the release of </span><i>Let It Be... Naked</i><span> in 2003, a version that removed all of Spector's production. But, that's a story for another day.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Getting back to the Peter Jackson documentary film, <a href="https://d23.com/peter-jackson-talks-the-beatles-get-back/" target="_blank">Jackson explains in interviews</a> that he found himself in London on another matter, and in a meeting with the current Apple Corp. brass he decided to ask about <i>Let It Be</i> outtakes. His timing couldn't have been better, as the executives wanted to know if there was another documentary film to be made from the never-before-seen outtakes. Jackson then spent a week reviewing the films; he volunteered on the spot. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">"...<span style="background-color: white;">They just left me alone, and I watched [the footage]. And I was laughing, and I thought it was unbelievable—I can’t believe I’m seeing Paul compose ‘Get Back’! This is incredible… The guys were </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit;">so</i><span style="background-color: white;"> funny, and it was so great; it was not what I had in my head for 30, 40 years… </span><span style="background-color: white;">” (Courtney Potter, D3, November 23, 2021)</span></span></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back in New Zealand, Jackson and his team went to work with over 60 hours of film that was shot under the direction of Lindsay-Hogg. Additionally, they listened to over 150 hours of audio tape recorded during the project. After watching and listening to all of this material, they carefully catalogued it in order to recreate the sessions chronologically. Jackson and his team meticulously edited it down into a new film. At that point, the decisions of what to leave in and what to leave out must have been brutal. The resulting 7 hour and 48 minute film (complete running time), divided over three parts, is a master work deserving all of the accolades it has received. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="299" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Auta2lagtw4" width="611" youtube-src-id="Auta2lagtw4"></iframe></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is no voice-over narration, just a text overlay that delivers the necessary facts. Part One opens with a nice history of the group using archival photos, films and recordings to set the stage for what's coming next. From there the film takes you day by day through the project in chronological order. At the start of each day's session, they show a calendar with the previous day marked off and they note which day of the project this is. As the sessions progress, they play many songs. You see them writing the songs that are now very familiar from the <i>Let It Be </i>album, as well as songs that wound up on <i>Abbey Road</i>, solo albums, and there are even a couple of unreleased songs in there. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you've ever wished that you could be fly on the wall during a Beatles' session (and who hasn't), this film is a dream come true. The familiar tunes fly fast and furious; you see all the visitors to the sessions, plus there is lots of conversation between the lads. In the first few days, being that it's early January, there are some New Year's greetings. Everyone is very polite to each other saying "Good Morning" and such. </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Without getting into a blow by blow description, we do indeed see (as Jackson observed) Paul McCartney writing "Get Back," literally from scratch. At other times, Paul is a veritable font of melody, playing piano on "Let It Be" and later on "The Long and Winding Road." Both songs are fully realized musically even though half the lyrics remain to be written. In the case of the latter, he rolls on with the piano melody to "<span style="background-color: white;">Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight," which we know from the second side of <i>Abbey Road</i>. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is some nice dramatic tension created (near the end of Part One) when George Harrison, rather matter of factly, states that he's leaving the Beatles now. This gets resolved in Part Two, but not before some hidden microphones capture a very revealing conversation between Paul and John. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Part Three includes the famous rooftop concert in its entirety. I just love the way Jackson cut it to include street interviews and every step of the police attempt to shut it down. Even though we all know how it ends, even though they knew it would end that way (with the police station merely yards away), and even if you've seen this film before, you'll still get nervous about whether they'll get to perform all of the songs that we know they do.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">For Beatles fans, this new film is a wonderful gift. </span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p></span></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-41753294984173241752022-12-31T22:28:00.220-05:002023-06-18T20:30:04.598-04:00The Best Music of 2022, Album of the Year: Joan Osborne, Radio Waves; Plus My Picks for the Top Thirty Starring (in the Top Ten, alphabetically) Dr John, Buddy Guy, Marc Jordan /Amy Sky, Brennen Leigh, Alex Malheiros, Keb' Mo', Catherine Russell, Bruce Springsteen, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros. and Many More<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWPvFE4UPi-49TCTAxuwlTj-7_wjxq689K6LJY5opOYJ2pzhgfawueO7pntRWeuxbMDf_DkcX-o7QBMAQFagsx93Q824NDSh3cA5aKAD0877h0-JurjgCTvIwUg8_Q-yqqL3ysYNUHq0cJ7ZICbS7toB5-kZQ-U-ef7O6XOfmGhnEksMVXDQ/w448-h234/71-TmEi4QxL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpeg" width="448" /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Photo courtesy of the artist</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Welcome to my happily old fashioned list of the best albums of 2022. I'm old fashioned in the sense that I'm a holdout for the idea that the full length album is still an art form. For me, the album is still the thing, as you'll see on my list (below). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The music industry was altered by Covid in so many ways that in 2022 it seemed
as if the forces were retooling to resume some kind of new normalcy going
forward. A lot of good music was recorded and released. My cut down picks for
the thirty best albums of the year was as fraught as any prior year with so many
records wanting to be on that list. So, go to the streaming service of your
choice and spin these albums while you read a few remarks about why, in my
estimation, they are the best releases of the year. </div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Album of the Year: Joan Osborne - Radio Waves</span></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="clear: both;"></p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSuhSd0o7620rmSLiBGagQWLSmWwcpKqwg1t8HbmuMufw-5etzDEss56budt9osv85GfTdHryq9uXJv8I40RCV6fzHHfLwc7jFN1rNyMTz7DhbDOnIMFPszqIpG0JhOZbLla2dHwGSae4yJe9rsECXMlUQLCvbx1uNg1PQUaouPz6mwLQ1Rk/w280-h280/71-TmEi4QxL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="280" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Nevermind that she hit it out of the park on her first try with the album <i>Relish</i> in 1995. Joan Osborne's reputation as a songwriter was cemented (for me) with the release of Pretty Little Stranger (2006) and Breakfast In Bed (2007). On the former, she set out to make a country album and on the latter, it was a soul album that she created. For each of these two albums, Osborne picked the best classic tracks of the genre, filling about half of each with covers and the rest new, original material. The thing of it was that each of these albums had original songs that were as good as the cover songs, which were the cream of the genre. I have gone up and down with her other albums, but from that point on it seems as if Joan Osborne really has something special. I have to add that, when it comes to live performance, Osborne holds the remarkable qualities of being both adventurous and fearless at the same time.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">After Jerry Garcia died, Osborne signed on to be a vocalist on a summer tour with "The Dead" (comprised of the remaining members of The Grateful Dead with Warren Haynes of Govt. Mule filling in for Garcia). In addition, I had the good fortune to hear a tribute live recording of the double LP <i>Eat A Peach </i>(The Allman Brothers Band), in which Osborne sang lead along with the Hillside Singers. So, it was with great excitement when I heard that Osborne was taking advantage of the Covid lockdown to go through her 25 year collection of recorded live radio performances.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On <i>Radio Waves</i>, we have live versions of many of your
favorite songs from her career. For example, you hear songs such as “Saint
Teresa” and “One Of Us” from <i>Relish</i>, “Little Wild One” along with two
previously unissued demos, and a handful of superb Osborne covers of pop, rock
and soul classics like “Dream A Little Dream”, Bob Dylan's “Make You Feel My
Love”, Dave Mason's “Only You Know and I Know” and the magnificent set closing
version of Sly and the Family Stone's “Everybody Is A Star”. Osborne is so good
at material like this that there was no question in my mind that this had to be
elevated to my Album of the Year. Truth be told, she had me at Stevie Wonder's
“Love’s In Need of Love Today”. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><u>The Top Ten</u>: </b>(<i>Alphabetically by Artist</i>) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>Dr John - Things Happen That Way</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikXGeshNwGjHAc51SEHTaMifafTwcwqSOZ_n5hRLww9sn36HSftFzXs9d9N5xlpf1TZs_18dzn-B7_j2v8-dpPak3tXzZpDs2iAsm2lyeIaoXwglN_XSZVpKUH_6tp_fopSiMZ0T5KGCxmrrRdw3oL6-a0diITns09qpYm3_vHeEAxLNiTaXo=w200-h200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span>Dr. John has been quoted as saying that he always wanted to make a country album. As someone who has been listening to the good doctor (his real name was Mac Rebennack) since the '70s, I'm here to say that this record, completed just before his 2019 death, is country only to the extent that it includes many country standards in the set and the sound is more intimate than you might expect. He burst onto the scene as Dr. John The Night Tripper, performing in costume a </span><span>heady</span><span> brew of rock, soul, gospel, jazz, and a big slab of New Orleans funk. <i>Things Happen That Way</i> has a beautiful sound that is a function of Rebennack's co-production with arranger and multi-instrumentalist </span></span><span>Shane Theriot. Helping Rebannack complete the album sessions were guest appearances by artists such as Willie Nelson and Aaron Neville. The album consists of three new Dr. John originals, co-written with Theriot, as well as numerous covers that include his own composition "Walk On Guilded Splinters." In the production, every instrument can be clearly heard. </span><i style="background-color: white;">Things Happen That Way </i><span style="background-color: white;">is a fitting conclusion to a career well lived. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: justify;">Buddy Guy - The Blues Don't Lie</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsoq2CYziHe1vtWOmJuLTGpytf-n3ckkI9W6STgsfYWiM0lCcZEWd3hpoWW5uo0rj1De1GTSKJBvKurvl-YV4P2RcgDT2IbOHXta7MILbYHUZrTwVhV11YzAsiZauK59n1xMCsmhgJIGzOx45jn9bgbuuwWlb5dcUZMYCMXkcatxF9em37l_U=w200-h200" width="200" /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">Buddy Guy turned 86 this year, but you'd never know it listening to</span></span><span><span> his latest release, <i>The Blues Don't Lie,</i> a sixteen track blues extravaganza that finds Guy at the top of his usual form. The program features mostly new originals, penned either by Guy or his producer /drummer Tom Hambridge. Among the sixteen tracks, there are three covers of songs by the likes of B.B. King, The Beatles, and Slim Harpo. On the album are numerous high power guest appearances, such as Mavis Staples, James Taylor, Jason Isbell, Elvis Costello and more. Buddy Guy is going strong on </span></span><i>The Blues Don't Lie; </i><span>it's one not to miss. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Marc Jordan, Amy Sky - He Sang She Sang</b></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiANJGWkJ-1nCqxhR8XQdYN4O5nPQdr7yOO0sX-ejLmc7SutZve8OCfFouN4zQvbynJ9uUE3FDARmGV9kdlfe0oBjeC8yytiBDrp3esX3RSm7RwJhJpxxOmfBLVnHrIrcy8qGpxchJbwV6DV51dBy2vWMBIfuN130Zi1IT60xLi_PK8k-GmxTo=w200-h200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Marc Jordan and Amy Sky are two Canadian singer-songwriters who are more well known north of the border than they are in the US, which is something of a crime. Married to each other, <i>He Sang She Sang</i> represents their first full length duet collaboration. The album is artfully curated and consists of five new original songs and eight covers, mostly classics from the seventies. With excellent arrangements, performances and production, the only thing better than the gorgeous sound of this record is the quality of the material. Referred to by Sky & Jordan as the second Great American Songbook, these covers offer some of the best songwriting of the 60s and 70s and the new originals fit right in. After opening with the universally known, but still disarming, "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty), they sang a particularly beautiful take on Smokey Robinson's "Ooh Baby Baby." As a longtime fan of Richard and Linda Thompson, I just love that they chose to sing Richard's "Dimming of the Day." There have been many covers of the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," but none come close to this one for expressing all the emotion in the Brian Wilson original from <i>Pet Sounds</i>. If you are unfamiliar with these two incredible artists, or even if you've listened to them for years, there's no time like the present to avail yourself of <i>He Sang She Sang</i>.</span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-align: justify;">Brennen Leigh feat. </span><b style="text-align: justify;">Asleep at the Wheel </b><b style="text-align: justify;">- Obsessed With The West </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB-KERldE8wR37yucwf_Xa7s1-XdzxKxsQ5QKFKCZpHB321IZXXmM6QzmpEigHCTxH2NokVSOS3XEeD_T5rnEVjhAneUhU9jr3NPkPRDJ_LP5Ka1PJsUFuBKpIx3A3aL7EdGtJt4CVOhfDrreFO1IWNcWG90OzisD8BrJv57X2u6-ZeN7xlJg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB-KERldE8wR37yucwf_Xa7s1-XdzxKxsQ5QKFKCZpHB321IZXXmM6QzmpEigHCTxH2NokVSOS3XEeD_T5rnEVjhAneUhU9jr3NPkPRDJ_LP5Ka1PJsUFuBKpIx3A3aL7EdGtJt4CVOhfDrreFO1IWNcWG90OzisD8BrJv57X2u6-ZeN7xlJg=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Brennen Leigh is a s</span><span style="text-align: left;">inger-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">joined forces with Texas western swing experts </span><span style="text-align: left;">Asleep at the Wheel </span><span style="text-align: left;">to make her 7th album, </span><i style="text-align: left;">Obsessed With the West</i><span style="text-align: left;">. The title refers to Leigh's obsession that she's had since childhood. If you have ever listened to The Wheel (as they're called), they have never sounded better than they do here. They have been popularizing western swing music for better than 50 years. Leigh, who wrote all the songs on the album, sounds like a perfect fit. Ray Benson, who normally leads Asleep at the Wheel, can be briefly heard on track 2, but otherwise he hands over the wheel to Leigh, and the results are just outstanding. I could direct you to listen to "Comin' In Hot", but all the others are just as good. </span></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: justify;">Alex Malheiros - Tempos Futuros</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></div></span></div></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLIlztonyh2jTJRXh2_WriEo_uzs7RsDE0-P6khSYrrnFHKwsB14nRm6c-8euzY-xb-RX-saYCsc1jgqrVFHaaczEXmyPsS2KfmuKrEYb8YkGxrG7MVjIdf6c_SV07G1G9Y5Pu3_I5wgSHV0xnR_ylrU9heGiOa5L8bnPNCYyrNwZkz8G1zcA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><b><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLIlztonyh2jTJRXh2_WriEo_uzs7RsDE0-P6khSYrrnFHKwsB14nRm6c-8euzY-xb-RX-saYCsc1jgqrVFHaaczEXmyPsS2KfmuKrEYb8YkGxrG7MVjIdf6c_SV07G1G9Y5Pu3_I5wgSHV0xnR_ylrU9heGiOa5L8bnPNCYyrNwZkz8G1zcA=w200-h200" width="200" /></b></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I have been a fan of Brazilian jazz, pop, and bossa nova for as long as I can remember. Although I haven't personally had the pleasure, Alex Malheiros has been one third of the popular Brazilian band Azymuth (who "</span><span face=""Avant Garde", Avantgarde, "Century Gothic", CenturyGothic, AppleGothic, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">pioneered a one of a kind fusion of space-funk, samba and jazz since the early seventies"). </span><span style="text-align: left;">Malheiros plays the bass and <i>Tempos Futuros</i> is his latest solo album. It starts with the electric bass and encompasses all of the Brazilian rhythms and funk that you might expect. On top of that, synthesizers turn this into a rather spacey sounding jazz romp. About halfway through, Malheiros unleashes the bassa nova style background singers and the result sounds like something you might hear in the clubs of Sao Paulo, if not all of South America. There is a warm melodic nature to these tracks that will keep you coming back for more. </span></div></span></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Keb' Mo' - Good To Be...</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxdzHTrI71WBV9rSY-y8r3WGb5O7VtsXpI0lClI7-MAowNBtjt4PP_A3pmiyP1MnoEX9HWQ2ztTSjfjcUFlbEf-v7FzfgSEgFARRaGdMsnAzGK56Naix_9ZpD-4K-Tlphk_-30GSfZs8hCkJJGuvmePN4HtsL4gnjVkRK3WiYF9YAvVGlcuXY=w200-h200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Mo', who currently resides in Nashville, recently went back to </span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">California and purchased the childhood home he grew up in. This album was written in both Nashville and in that Compton home. The album, especially the title track "Good To Be (Home Again)," </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: justify;">is about finding out who you are, how you got to be that way, and learning that you can go home again after all. Mo's strong, distinctive voice and</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: justify;"> guitar skill</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: justify;">, as well as </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: justify;">his effervescent personality</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: justify;"> and songwriting expertise are all evident on </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: justify;"><i>Good To Be... </i>Most of the songs are new originals, either written or co-written by Mo' or his drummer and co-producer Tom Hambridge (who performed a similar role for Buddy Guy, above). There is also one song co-written by Mo's son Kevin R. Moore. The album's sole cover is an evocative version of Bill Wither's "Lean on Me." As with all </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: justify;">Ke</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: justify;">b' Mo' albums, this one provides a complete listening experience that will leave you feeling good. </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Catherine Russell - Send For Me</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZqW8xXzVw1NA7YQPT7SgtudQ99pmAMmcixb94Je45P7M6J2CoqYBjz4R7lVPXHsZ3MaLsyY5g3011syfwsA9Jo9tRGzLAq_jDgbyT4sFjs7kjBuIlbt0ddy56TNlbsJ_27OZgJ6F8BOEH3o3FFlp-FiR_fZUWZ65j31VL06s8Yl7-sdR_rMw=w200-h200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">When I saw Steely Dan in the fall of 2019, I knew that the female vocalists in the touring version of Donald Fagen's band were quite extraordinary, especially on songs like "Dirty Work." I must have missed the introductions because I had no idea that I was seeing someone with the storied experience of Catherine Russell; yes, that was her. The first thing that struck me about Russell's latest release, <i>Send For Me</i>, was the excellent swinging vocals. After that, you notice that the backing music is dominated by horns, woodwinds, and piano with the occasional mellow jazz guitar, a sound that is timeless by nature yet easily evokes the 1940s and 50s. Russell is a vocalist who carefully selects her material and, in this case, it's romantic songs most often associated with the icons of that period such as </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: left;">Nat King Cole,</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: left;">Billie Holiday,</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: left;">Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong, just to name a few. The songs are so well selected that you won't mistake this for any other album of covers. This album is so delightful that I was happy to find more such music in the following release, which is a </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: left;">Top Ten Bonus Disc.</span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>Steven Bernstein Millennial Territory Orchestra feat. </b><b>Catherine Russell - Good Time Music (Community Music, Vol. 2)</b><span><br /></span></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpixR7al8FulEz9R4wlm6t3ZMEt-iBCrjjYHpv0WRvUt7pjaRZHIBpilxLdXIcNbLQe14CqKT2Z6htAZvPyhiullA2V12drLN1JEu2EyS6RDGxqB26nBh1aoj7J90D2Bpe0QTVy3WgzL7kR8TYrP29T0vpKuQaHa6dHvSOTOkQl2FQcerQTSo=w197-h197" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="197" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Steven Bernstein is a talented trumpet player, arranger, and band leader. Bernstein endeavored to work with various groups of musicians, with whom he has a lengthy relationship, to record four albums within a twelve month period. The second volume of this series, </span><i>Good Time Music (Community Music, Vol. 2),</i><span> also features the vocals of Catherine Russell. Even though Bernstein's scope of material may be wider than on the Russell record (above), the results are no less spectacular. </span></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Bruce Springsteen - Only the Strong Survive</span></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxm2qh3g-uVRx0neCo11DJTIH0Z6OcPseJE20kMWfWacunAPzG-ctQTvEm4kh4AW0CvBmfaxn6b7heG-pC3LUHkpQ2wwiYcpkKrmlxg80vJdW4Nu5TEWixSmsP4ZlzjvJudRZzcgmqA88hVhuBUGZ13DY9LWPtG7VERzTjnVTPHz9MZbO40lA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxm2qh3g-uVRx0neCo11DJTIH0Z6OcPseJE20kMWfWacunAPzG-ctQTvEm4kh4AW0CvBmfaxn6b7heG-pC3LUHkpQ2wwiYcpkKrmlxg80vJdW4Nu5TEWixSmsP4ZlzjvJudRZzcgmqA88hVhuBUGZ13DY9LWPtG7VERzTjnVTPHz9MZbO40lA=w196-h196" width="196" /></a></div>Bruce Springsteen's latest is a covers record. In his own words, “I wanted to make an album where I just sang. And what better music to work with than the great American songbook of the Sixties and Seventies? I’ve taken my inspiration from Levi Stubbs, David Ruffin, Jimmy Ruffin, the Iceman Jerry Butler, Diana Ross, Dobie Gray, and Scott Walker, among many others. I’ve tried to do justice to them all — and to the fabulous writers of this glorious music. My goal is for the modern audience to experience its beauty and joy, just as I have since I first heard it. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it.” Anyone who has seen or heard a Springsteen concert in the last nearly fifty years knows that he is no stranger to covering the soul classics that he grew up with. On </span><i style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Only the Strong Survive, </i><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Springsteen took it a great deal further, carefully crafting the 15 soul singles that made the cut. The end result here has more in common with his recent solo album than his work with the E-Street Band. I especially love his version of the Temptations "I Wish It Would Rain," but all 15 of these tracks are winners.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><b style="background-color: white;">V/A - Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)</b><span style="background-color: white;"> Original </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">Motion Picture Soundtrack [Live at the Harlem Cultural Festival, 1969] </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFrKvnX4J96mGrR0hhW_b6SPc3_eeRVcw-W13igENn__Ajmy1nZBx46sQ5Snk-73vIgkmjmk92IjlEXtMVzQAk19fRJGD7kaYO93EgAVTTpqlQKRNF8NowDYqdmmTENz_p-b9FrOR73TnetUiNi2DgQNc6ZuH8Uzjceaf6Y2BdFeM18ACz-Yk" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFrKvnX4J96mGrR0hhW_b6SPc3_eeRVcw-W13igENn__Ajmy1nZBx46sQ5Snk-73vIgkmjmk92IjlEXtMVzQAk19fRJGD7kaYO93EgAVTTpqlQKRNF8NowDYqdmmTENz_p-b9FrOR73TnetUiNi2DgQNc6ZuH8Uzjceaf6Y2BdFeM18ACz-Yk=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div>As a fan of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in 1969, I can't help but think that as many things as the planners got wrong, the one thing they got right was that the whole thing was filmed and recorded. That same summer there was a Harlem Cultural Festival. Known unofficially as Black Woodstock, the festival included a series of six free concerts held in Mount Morris Park. Although they also filmed and recorded all of it, for a number of reasons, nothing conclusive was done with this footage. Sure, they made a couple of one hour television specials, but otherwise these films were locked away in a basement for over fifty years. Fortunately, </span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (The Roots) secured permission to use these materials and he directed an excellent documentary movie called </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">2021)</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"> </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">that won the Oscar for Best Documentary</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">. </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">Which brings us to the soundtrack, a Grammy winning double album consisting of performances drawn from the film. Highlights are too numerous to list, however I was thrilled to see The 5th Dimension, B.B. King, and Herbie Mann to name a few, plus (the only band to perform at both festivals) </span><span>Sly & The Family Stone. Their performance </span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;">was stunning</span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;">.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live In Colorado Volumes 1 & 2)<br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: left; float: left; font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img 1995="" a="" addition="" albums="" all="" and="" archive.="" band.="" band="" been="" border="0" bought="" countless="" culture="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" dead="" death="" did="" drug="" ever="" fan="" fine="" from="" garcia="" grateful="" have="" height="197" hours="" however="" i="" in="" incarnations="" incredibly="" jerry="" latch="" live="" long="" members="" much.="" music="" nbsp="" not="" numerous="" of="" on="" playing="" remaining="" repertoire="" s="" shows="" since="" so="" span="" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71nEGPxxsrL._SL1500_.jpg" studio="" surrounded="" that="" the="" this="" to="" toured="" varied="" width="197" world="" /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">I won't say that I was burned out on The Dead, but when I first spied this new band featuring Bob Weir in the new release list, I must admit that my initial reaction was less </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">than enthusiastic. But, I still needed to listen. And the more I did, the more the quality of these performances knocked my socks off. </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">These recordings were released as Volume 1 and Volume 2, but I'm counting them together for the sake of this list. The actual performances spanned four days in June 2021</span><span> at Red Rocks (Morrison, CO) and the Ford Amphitheater (Vail, CO).</span></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61ixBfMzBaL._SL1500_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="198" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61ixBfMzBaL._SL1500_.jpg" width="198" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left;">The thing about these albums is that while they both feature the familiar lead vocals of Bob Weir, it sounds to me like every song was taken back to square one and arranged so that this new ensemble's versions are </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left;">the most thoughtful and unhurried</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left;"> that </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left;">I've ever heard. There are way too many great moments to list, but I will mention that Volume 2 contains a gorgeous "Eyes of the World" that segues seamlessly into Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and back out again. I think that most every track equals or exceeds the originals by The Grateful Dead. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left;">The amazing fact is that although we've heard all these songs hundreds (if not thousands) of times before, they now seem new again.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left;"> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The Top Thirty: Numbers 11 - 30 (Alphabetically by Artist)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggUM-TqQlCtBV6gQPf6X4WNvh3VFs1HvXMuWE-cp0jbEmGC27jpaqAs3sEexPacnEJVpmyh7BLdIPiuqHg70v2goaJJbSAlJRYgN_F7csMG1cGYLn4mo-SWNa1zuMiU5c05Qbd7nBVaK2XTfhFNJKK2tUgiUCK3TUWqD9CsheZToPjBxjeHQs" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggUM-TqQlCtBV6gQPf6X4WNvh3VFs1HvXMuWE-cp0jbEmGC27jpaqAs3sEexPacnEJVpmyh7BLdIPiuqHg70v2goaJJbSAlJRYgN_F7csMG1cGYLn4mo-SWNa1zuMiU5c05Qbd7nBVaK2XTfhFNJKK2tUgiUCK3TUWqD9CsheZToPjBxjeHQs=w121-h121" width="121" /></a></div><b>The Bros. Landreth - Come Morning</b><br />The Bros. Landreth really write a good song and they have a knack for making excellent albums, of which this is the latest. On </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Come Morning, </i>it seems like the emphasis is more on melody and harmony. This album (like their live show if these Canadians should come to your town) should not be missed. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0v8VaeqYLCLW2wgIL8Mj1UlaqgapuJtzFkPx2TmnFKTtYI5_sc8m-jEdT-k51d_7vRvdMJ8CR3Gr4HP6jaUVj3bvC7zNwtghJrSndJtpv3SsG0WKIn_kYi2ILoV5UUuSI7P-ELniCejcOrn5qxJ4j9w2U0X1BCZ67SsFSXmPNMyD4BUPXekw" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0v8VaeqYLCLW2wgIL8Mj1UlaqgapuJtzFkPx2TmnFKTtYI5_sc8m-jEdT-k51d_7vRvdMJ8CR3Gr4HP6jaUVj3bvC7zNwtghJrSndJtpv3SsG0WKIn_kYi2ILoV5UUuSI7P-ELniCejcOrn5qxJ4j9w2U0X1BCZ67SsFSXmPNMyD4BUPXekw=w122-h122" width="122" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Cactus Blossoms - One Day</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Cactus Blossoms set themselves apart from other country rock bands with their next level songwriting, swinging sensibility, excellent vocals, and irresistible sound that's based on superior musicianship. Their sound includes electric piano, bass and drums seemingly joined at the hip, and a choice of guitars: excellently played pedal steel, standard style solos, and electric guitar with just enough vibrato to give it that retro twang. As I listened to this release I didn't know that the principles were brothers, even though some of the vocals reminded me of The Everly Brothers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG7wy81UlTsVuFSIZBnETAZ4bcRkefbou4V0wps2VdujP6PIQyXfJs7iEDdVRgUv22VVpzdIVv1_Dj1jBNkVwRU7FSaJ46YofT3_BpCqP2fBe_lDlPLjrZC6CXOz2duYnZ8B6kVGNsZW-vSntL0FI91WW4khLyCyWcAnr0VdKXC8SPUh1ZcrE" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG7wy81UlTsVuFSIZBnETAZ4bcRkefbou4V0wps2VdujP6PIQyXfJs7iEDdVRgUv22VVpzdIVv1_Dj1jBNkVwRU7FSaJ46YofT3_BpCqP2fBe_lDlPLjrZC6CXOz2duYnZ8B6kVGNsZW-vSntL0FI91WW4khLyCyWcAnr0VdKXC8SPUh1ZcrE=w125-h125" width="125" /></a></div><b>Cowboy Junkies - Songs of the Recollection</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">During Covid, the Cowboy Junkies entertained themselves, and ultimately us, with an album of cover songs as they are often wont to do. Their full sound, with singer Margo Timmins and all the musicians working at the top of their game, is why they sound so good on fare like "Five Years" (David Bowie), "No Expectations" (Rolling Stones), "Marathon" (Vic Chesnutt), and six more. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi27ElcjRDkF09bi23ahmBpuK-K9Pmg7VvN2SmBxqpHegMlkIyQI4RhW96AkTvDps-cmBg5aEJA7iydqneXtmA2WKyIepKgU9mEHDpFaBEATne_1Y0dxop0LV1pdpObgBblhp3-JL9DjV2SBArtFGkGxydJZ1J8JLC-XZhO6LuDphhZemqSSzU" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi27ElcjRDkF09bi23ahmBpuK-K9Pmg7VvN2SmBxqpHegMlkIyQI4RhW96AkTvDps-cmBg5aEJA7iydqneXtmA2WKyIepKgU9mEHDpFaBEATne_1Y0dxop0LV1pdpObgBblhp3-JL9DjV2SBArtFGkGxydJZ1J8JLC-XZhO6LuDphhZemqSSzU=w125-h125" width="125" /></a></div><b>Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters - Mercy Me</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">Ronnie Earl is the consummate guitar playing bluesman. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">His 28th album includes twelve tracks, divided between originals and covers.</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"> W</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">ell chosen material is by the likes of John Coltrane, Ruthie Foster, and two more that I have to single out. Earl closes the album with a version of Jackie Wilson's "</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">Higher and Higher" that I can only describe as ebullient. He also chose a song that appeared for the second time on this list, Dave Mason's </span><span style="background-color: white;">"Only You Know and I Know,"</span><span style="background-color: white;"> with a superb version (see also Joan Osborne, above). <i>Mercy Me</i> may be the equivalent of a double LP in length, but it will leave you wanting more.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNdWvv79o_fFFIAV0ohAx24JIC-lZ7xTxwByIDg5j43hVRrG3dJ8cobB5kGSVkpQ8FuXmBtk7MNOIm6QN6Ofuz6WoSvZmTsudVD7gBCBgrbHzSlluJJPuthyuvP7Aj5O4owADP04UgEW4TqMq4sdl7bymHwhyN3xcC6YVBTTJJTjm3URdp_H4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNdWvv79o_fFFIAV0ohAx24JIC-lZ7xTxwByIDg5j43hVRrG3dJ8cobB5kGSVkpQ8FuXmBtk7MNOIm6QN6Ofuz6WoSvZmTsudVD7gBCBgrbHzSlluJJPuthyuvP7Aj5O4owADP04UgEW4TqMq4sdl7bymHwhyN3xcC6YVBTTJJTjm3URdp_H4=w128-h128" width="128" /></a></div></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><b><span>Jackie </span><span>Evancho </span><span>- Carousel of Time</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span><span><i>Carousel of Time </i>is a remarkable tribute to the songwriting of Joni Mitchell sung in the beautiful voice of </span></span><span>Jackie </span>Evancho. The song selection covers Mitchell's first five albums and includes favorites, deep cuts and even a B-side ("Urge for Going"). The sure-handed production creates a fitting tribute that will please any Joni Mitchell fan. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh230JVgqemTTZNubzPRerB0y-kbuyWbs-2QIyQ8eTsI0OWmA3QuYmKNIaOo0YVwt6eI2jHql2qovpuQA-gXbngoy36LiogXo7UydmicXWH0gpC-YW0xzm5-FaxrQPCHOjr9twQK-9XABxCCnMi990ul_a7amtO53LDrubHePGhWouAgveIAQQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="540" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh230JVgqemTTZNubzPRerB0y-kbuyWbs-2QIyQ8eTsI0OWmA3QuYmKNIaOo0YVwt6eI2jHql2qovpuQA-gXbngoy36LiogXo7UydmicXWH0gpC-YW0xzm5-FaxrQPCHOjr9twQK-9XABxCCnMi990ul_a7amtO53LDrubHePGhWouAgveIAQQ=w131-h131" width="131" /></a></div><b>Steve Forbert - Moving Through America</b></div><div><span>One of the things I like best about Steve Forbert is that although his singer-songwriter career is now in its fifth decade, his voice doesn't sound that much different than it did on <span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-left;">his 1979 debut <i>Jackrabbit Slim</i>. Another big reason that </span></span><span><i>Moving Through America</i> succeeds is that Forbert has a knack for turning the everyday slice of life into a story song. </span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiY9aor9sJo5BPsMl2WOAfX-NsceLcHbt4VtJq9mxsOhUwirdzI12ZjdLF-tQFn_78B8JcemmZwqqgRBjLXYkxAgw1fHD0_sQ6ZUJLmE1531q1H5fiwT73S3A1LDKL6M6IMud-_-Xyw4rsGggPehmvMpUqUZOvOgVF_JpcnI5sxPoNqaxPDLug" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiY9aor9sJo5BPsMl2WOAfX-NsceLcHbt4VtJq9mxsOhUwirdzI12ZjdLF-tQFn_78B8JcemmZwqqgRBjLXYkxAgw1fHD0_sQ6ZUJLmE1531q1H5fiwT73S3A1LDKL6M6IMud-_-Xyw4rsGggPehmvMpUqUZOvOgVF_JpcnI5sxPoNqaxPDLug=w126-h126" width="126" /></a></div><b>George Is Lord - My Sweet George</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>At the risk of restating the obvious, both this album and this band are a tribute to the music of George Harrison. </span><span>Unlike other tribute bands, this one is not a soundalike. </span><span>What makes this work for me is that the sweet sounding vocals of Anna Pomerantz are accompanied by music that can stand comparison to the originals. </span><span>One of the real strengths of this album is that it includes Beatles and solo songs written by George, most so utterly familiar that the fact that they pull it off is quite an achievement for this young band from the L.A. music scene.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiD9LlGgbpw9i0eRPblQByPFmaFpfxrS1IuSJ4JyNbzLOCTl4G6dplQs-UdK8xNcuIlPgHjkvw6YW00jVHH8d2-_MSZzi7A4g3bwqrmyMCTkdRViBurz1JQNQA0p2Vm2SEQyXb1FqoX2u9lQh7FVv6TzO5kcO7CFK_J89F1aHqWNPCeQhnFfVs" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiD9LlGgbpw9i0eRPblQByPFmaFpfxrS1IuSJ4JyNbzLOCTl4G6dplQs-UdK8xNcuIlPgHjkvw6YW00jVHH8d2-_MSZzi7A4g3bwqrmyMCTkdRViBurz1JQNQA0p2Vm2SEQyXb1FqoX2u9lQh7FVv6TzO5kcO7CFK_J89F1aHqWNPCeQhnFfVs=w126-h126" width="126" /></a></div><b>Ashley </b></span><b>McBryde - Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2020, Ashley McBryde's last album splashed quite successfully over the country charts, so it was a nice surprise to find that her follow-up is a concept album that I would call rootsy Americana. The back story is that she woodshedded with a handful of her musician friends and they wrote and recorded this album in about a week. The concept is that all the songs come from a fictitious town, and McBryde shares the lead vocals with her co-writers who perform as the various characters in the songs. With the masterful production of John Osbourne it all works beautifully, and the end product is as satisfying as it is unexpected.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgcilaAfWFi7uXJ95E7NTr-QpRSawoAbTCJZecHU1KvA4JSfdezJnXMAzY2R8qrS9uD4sUAJpe_DPCRH-qncYB2f1kdaTBxZRTK0oCCMgjRHa00l8Rkwclfd2j-B5ubLFn1A_s2J6F88Okg1kB7e1pA3-d0huUoTCDL0_45mP5mR_WCbFsUU4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgcilaAfWFi7uXJ95E7NTr-QpRSawoAbTCJZecHU1KvA4JSfdezJnXMAzY2R8qrS9uD4sUAJpe_DPCRH-qncYB2f1kdaTBxZRTK0oCCMgjRHa00l8Rkwclfd2j-B5ubLFn1A_s2J6F88Okg1kB7e1pA3-d0huUoTCDL0_45mP5mR_WCbFsUU4=w129-h129" width="129" /></a></div><b>Raul Midon - Eclectic Adventurist</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The last time I saw Raul Midon play live (a few years ago), he said that he was working real hard on his guitar playing. So, it's not really a surprise to find that Midon's latest album (his 8th) should be an album of guitar instrumentals; and what instrumentals they are. Midon invited guest guitarists, such as Stephane Wrembel and Dean Parks, to duet with him and then wrote tracks with each guest in mind. The resulting album, <i>Eclectic Adventurist</i>,<b> </b>is gorgeous and exhilarating beyond imagination. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLfAROauc1b0-g8ulfO2OlhVk-IaMKzQ3B-f0mg81VztWPbyfJMPCrYIUsgFhRFKdjv27y0sENIZ0a1qU7FgwhIfFFDv2AFmXKwXLjbtB8q8Xort6htMi_yjH7TKMHDXAGQBJcFU3UHxqmE3h0ZUP5dA3OUk4wgdzZDppmJs3cdXQS6JpdQRs" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLfAROauc1b0-g8ulfO2OlhVk-IaMKzQ3B-f0mg81VztWPbyfJMPCrYIUsgFhRFKdjv27y0sENIZ0a1qU7FgwhIfFFDv2AFmXKwXLjbtB8q8Xort6htMi_yjH7TKMHDXAGQBJcFU3UHxqmE3h0ZUP5dA3OUk4wgdzZDppmJs3cdXQS6JpdQRs=w131-h131" width="131" /></a></div><b>Rae Morris - Rachel@Fairyland</b><br />What I like best about Rae Morris' latest album is the degree to which it doesn't sound like what populates the top of the singles chart. After two major label records, in which Morris was supposed to be the next big thing, she has changed labels and her songs now reflect her personal vision. <i>Rachel@Fairyland </i>has all the charm of those singles and EPs that Morris used to make before her big label signing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7t1PXfAwxgNH3EtOB-TElS1GjqHJ_SpD1boC-GtYG4XMuKVSlEEhVBVarR5iv4LM_ApHhhUu5XruLZKIbPnoai0vwKT6SEU9I0avaLUlf5Ncpnnn9x-uSSwK7ooILuKaXKprx2PVKtKvPtnWj4IUVffSAZNUR2wEi0s10-inAz0bTL34U_pA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7t1PXfAwxgNH3EtOB-TElS1GjqHJ_SpD1boC-GtYG4XMuKVSlEEhVBVarR5iv4LM_ApHhhUu5XruLZKIbPnoai0vwKT6SEU9I0avaLUlf5Ncpnnn9x-uSSwK7ooILuKaXKprx2PVKtKvPtnWj4IUVffSAZNUR2wEi0s10-inAz0bTL34U_pA=w132-h132" width="132" /></a></div><b>Willie Nelson - A Beautiful Time</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Willie Nelson's new album for 2022, <i>A Beautiful Time</i>, is notable for several reasons. The album may have been released on Willie's 89th birthday, but his voice sounds as if he has not aged at all. The program this time focuses on country songcraft with about a dozen new originals penned by Willie, his longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon, or some of Nashville's top songwriters such as Rodney Crowell. Although there are a good number of songs about getting old, it's good to know that Willie has not lost his sense of humor: "<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">I don't go to funerals, and I won't be at mine."</span> On top of all that, we have two dynamite covers: Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song" and the Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends." Good stuff.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDy4FSXCQOnQ1p8R90vb7BXFN75wT2CHvS6cMFhsvklSwDDAhkZlXrJhi4my5ABFgjlQ7i3MFWbjNlLbL00togjRaIaJYY7F0mYJ5opspLxt2KqxGbxNQhp9mSuM6HNjVMPWxz43WrB3LPowj4MQQnwi4rJ4vSzT5v1ab6AlLH3BtduTWp1_g" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDy4FSXCQOnQ1p8R90vb7BXFN75wT2CHvS6cMFhsvklSwDDAhkZlXrJhi4my5ABFgjlQ7i3MFWbjNlLbL00togjRaIaJYY7F0mYJ5opspLxt2KqxGbxNQhp9mSuM6HNjVMPWxz43WrB3LPowj4MQQnwi4rJ4vSzT5v1ab6AlLH3BtduTWp1_g=w136-h136" width="136" /></a></div><b>Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Dirt Does Dylan</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has seemingly been around forever, or at least since the 1960s. They were responsible for the iconic triple LP, <i>Will The Circle Be Unbroken, </i>still a touchstone for country, bluegrass, and Americana music. Now in 2022, with some new members, this band has never sounded better than they do on these ten tunes selected from Bob Dylan's fertile first ten years or so. Although it only scratches the surface of </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Dylan's</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> songwriting talent, it </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">goes without saying t</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">hat </span><i>Dirt Does Dylan</i><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> is a fitting tribute.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikpPs_jxsDYxap6VECFKqWtSzbNxiCWtlhUJYZ_r4FJIHSxoGI2RJcp_W-pUgJUA19MvGeeqJlVs1EHt9u0bPji6ESOEc958cM3BxgxDRvsf3K0EbEmi4yYQvhzq1532gt6WuGZaQGvVKHPqnro8fEwzXRXVrLbwCogj9gMfyXGpHgFMqR17o" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="765" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikpPs_jxsDYxap6VECFKqWtSzbNxiCWtlhUJYZ_r4FJIHSxoGI2RJcp_W-pUgJUA19MvGeeqJlVs1EHt9u0bPji6ESOEc958cM3BxgxDRvsf3K0EbEmi4yYQvhzq1532gt6WuGZaQGvVKHPqnro8fEwzXRXVrLbwCogj9gMfyXGpHgFMqR17o=w136-h136" width="136" /></a></div><b>North Mississippi All Stars - Set Sail</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The AllMusic guide called the latest album by North Mississippi All Stars the best blues album of 2022. What you need to know to have some perspective is that Luther Dickinson and his colleagues have perfected a style of rootsy rural blues that you are more likely to find on a backroads back porch played by musicians who care deeply about this music. My first reaction to <i>Set Sail </i>was that the first half of the record sounded like a continuation of Luther's recent string of excellent solo albums. Only after that does it sound like a follow-up to the last NMAS record. Sporting a great new batch of original compositions, <i>Set Sail </i>is also replete with many guest musicians including Stax stalwart William Bell, whose vocals are still amazing at age 83. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOM5VNbaitqqgiSK8U4WFAxkHNYs0zK3mkFvmOK76Niay4eapAzD70XUoKb30BtlQ9tQM9Ws1LNgTzjCQhC_Z8SZzwv4yqqmWltt8mpJgZVkqLpkOH29OW0XGsNgBSps0f6l0TprwGUb0ZQ2zSCAR6asZnFLUjtAyCzsAHCaSwOLeNKfib7VE" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOM5VNbaitqqgiSK8U4WFAxkHNYs0zK3mkFvmOK76Niay4eapAzD70XUoKb30BtlQ9tQM9Ws1LNgTzjCQhC_Z8SZzwv4yqqmWltt8mpJgZVkqLpkOH29OW0XGsNgBSps0f6l0TprwGUb0ZQ2zSCAR6asZnFLUjtAyCzsAHCaSwOLeNKfib7VE=w143-h143" width="143" /></a></div><b>Oz Noy, Ugonna Okegwo, Ray Marchica - Riverside</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Locked out of the normal New York venues during the pandemic, guitar wizard Oz Noy joined forces with two musicians living nearby (bass & drums) to play a series of free concerts in Riverside Park, NYC. Noy's fans, who have seen his device-laden performance rack, may be surprised to learn that for these shows Noy plugged directly into a battery powered amplifier and played with an incredibly light touch. All three musicians had a background in jazz and, as such, they immediately had a set of standards that they all knew; over time they wrote some new tunes. Ultimately, they took this project into the recording studio and this album is the happy result. <a href="https://billsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2022/02/oz-noyray-marchicaugonna-okegwo.html" target="_blank">Read my complete article</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjddm4YGujmRfucnpXVLOpUQaBpORyx1vc6UTNPKgyz0DZPA7b9l9xj8Ma095nWl7-ouy-GgyYTxIj2N_eUGeCaWG9gpR92nMX3tgE23F8h03I83SZXSUtASTPXuqn-hwCzDU4QEcdW6fl_GVibRBuxFbJPTO39JRFd3tTiJqMRR6ZvxAZAOGo" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjddm4YGujmRfucnpXVLOpUQaBpORyx1vc6UTNPKgyz0DZPA7b9l9xj8Ma095nWl7-ouy-GgyYTxIj2N_eUGeCaWG9gpR92nMX3tgE23F8h03I83SZXSUtASTPXuqn-hwCzDU4QEcdW6fl_GVibRBuxFbJPTO39JRFd3tTiJqMRR6ZvxAZAOGo=w149-h149" width="149" /></a></div><b>Flora Purim - If You Will</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are old enough to remember Chick Corea and Return to Forever, you may already know Brazilian jazz vocalist Flora Purim. She was the one singing "500 Miles High," which brought her worldwide acclaim in the 1970s. Often working with her husband, percussionist Airto Moreira, her expressive voice has graced countless jazz albums over the years, not to mention her own successful solo career. <i>If You Will</i> is both her new album and a newly recorded retrospective; it even includes a gorgeous new version of "500 Miles High" along with other career milestones and some new material. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJEqrCSyz7lMsIATjw0E71ESliFaas9R4oKA4Ym3fLJeyHYqdOzKEPhBBgVOqvMP6ovXORsI3aaHhkIZF_XzP0mp53wRf5PawvXiFASZQ8hdYgz2VZVxRFICplMjUlw7jwiLsL70b7cWeCfFcSMPjHzIZUB8njBwcS_g4pL4pvk72D6pW2rCo" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="600" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJEqrCSyz7lMsIATjw0E71ESliFaas9R4oKA4Ym3fLJeyHYqdOzKEPhBBgVOqvMP6ovXORsI3aaHhkIZF_XzP0mp53wRf5PawvXiFASZQ8hdYgz2VZVxRFICplMjUlw7jwiLsL70b7cWeCfFcSMPjHzIZUB8njBwcS_g4pL4pvk72D6pW2rCo=w153-h137" width="153" /></a></div><b>Bonnie Raitt - Just Like That...</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are a few things you have to love about Bonnie Raitt. One is that she's a hold out for the old way of recording a new album and taking it out on tour. For another, she still can write and sing like no one else. Plus, she plays a mean slide guitar. <i>Just Like That...</i> is Raitt's eighteenth studio album and features the Grammy winning title track. The album offers a slate of new originals alongside well chosen covers of songs by The Bros. Landreth, NRBQ, and Toots & the Maytals. Bonnie Raitt is a total pro at this. <a href="https://billsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2022/06/bonnie-raitt-lucinda-williams-mann.html" target="_blank">Read my recent concert review</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEger7aODmaVxqCf-uKjyElmVNICwzd1RG-kae9bbMbuEsgCXnUvZ95UMkSti0_RcL1GP-xwxSwzamU5qo1z8ZVZwDYnO_02SagmobVoqOnP49eV0Fao7o4k-YwoesBWeN3M1cJd_4e4_B4U7mju7cF288NLSdBbAB_67V7oA3NEskoAaYS6ub0" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="2500" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEger7aODmaVxqCf-uKjyElmVNICwzd1RG-kae9bbMbuEsgCXnUvZ95UMkSti0_RcL1GP-xwxSwzamU5qo1z8ZVZwDYnO_02SagmobVoqOnP49eV0Fao7o4k-YwoesBWeN3M1cJd_4e4_B4U7mju7cF288NLSdBbAB_67V7oA3NEskoAaYS6ub0=w156-h156" width="156" /></a></div><b>Sophie & The Broken Things - Delusions of Grandeur</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's been many a year since I've been quite so knocked out by a debut album like <i>Delusions of Grandeur </i>by Sophie & The Broken Things. Recorded in Nashville, this is alt-country or Americana as a general category; it reminds me sometimes of Lucinda Williams. Sophie Gault is a powerhouse singer, songwriter (she wrote or co-wrote most of this record) and multi-instrumentalist. When you listen to this it's hard to know which to be more impressed with, the strong vocals, the extraordinary compositions, or the perfect sounding performances and production. Ordinarily, I would like my readers to hear all of the albums I've listed, but if you only check out one item from this year's list, let it be <i>Delusions of Grandeur </i>by Sophie & The Broken Things. It's that good.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0XSdwqKPxg_YGUmJiE8XObkcmOwj87NjBWjL9jQZNqhuGtrq15pZRIxMlQHK8CbM7C2GSdMRQAZVWjyyWOhAxh7wnK1ib6-hc7NooNRX3Qp7ITSQRMaaZE8Ax1MJEB1RJAzEY5XTXy0WUalVr0CCLFpSr6Fl1OZCnvceMx3I99-7nyru3Yo/s1000/91jy3AeHwoL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0XSdwqKPxg_YGUmJiE8XObkcmOwj87NjBWjL9jQZNqhuGtrq15pZRIxMlQHK8CbM7C2GSdMRQAZVWjyyWOhAxh7wnK1ib6-hc7NooNRX3Qp7ITSQRMaaZE8Ax1MJEB1RJAzEY5XTXy0WUalVr0CCLFpSr6Fl1OZCnvceMx3I99-7nyru3Yo/w159-h159/91jy3AeHwoL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="159" /></a></div><b>Cole Swindell - Stereotype</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I must admit up front that I was drawn to this album by <a href="https://youtu.be/pW98g-Fb-EU" target="_blank">a really clever remake</a> of the 1996 Jo Dee Messina hit "<a href="https://youtu.be/dTBvMrQXfVg" target="_blank">Heads Carolina, Tails California</a>." The entirely new set of lyrics casts the song as an episode in a Karaoke bar that references the original song. I should also point out that Cole Swindell is a bona fide multi-platinum country superstar. <i>Stereotype</i> is Swindell's fourth album and it contains a duet with Lainey Wilson among a number of mega selling <span style="background-color: white;">#1</span><span style="background-color: white;"> country</span><span style="background-color: white;"> hits. It wasn't necessarily the above that muscled this release onto my list, it was the fact that most every song on the album has the potential to do likewise. </span></div></span></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVxt56rJAUMFzyzE9xcZMb2TKxhmLuBkJEOqZDva_FmpnQwOBxd0-Y--ZEsRNJE_OZpxlSirGiTDHge28N8DFDQRxuQfT7ims8DNv6h1w2IGctb1rG3xf25NPanW2UMbDSu-cLHs5lVF1pV7-F1BNPQrfyKcYA2-n-461To99A0mkRcZMEMNE" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVxt56rJAUMFzyzE9xcZMb2TKxhmLuBkJEOqZDva_FmpnQwOBxd0-Y--ZEsRNJE_OZpxlSirGiTDHge28N8DFDQRxuQfT7ims8DNv6h1w2IGctb1rG3xf25NPanW2UMbDSu-cLHs5lVF1pV7-F1BNPQrfyKcYA2-n-461To99A0mkRcZMEMNE=w159-h159" width="159" /></a></div></span><b><span style="background-color: white;">Rosie </span><span style="background-color: white;">Thomas - Lullabies for Parents, Vol. 1</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">After ten years away from recording to tend to her family, Rosie Thomas is back with a five track EP called </span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Lullabies for Parents, Vol. 1.</i><b> </b>Conceived as the centerpiece of a multi-media resource for new parents of all ages, the EP consists of three new originals and covers of Mariah Carey and Bjork. Thomas, always one who likes working with her friends, offers up a ton of guests on this release including Sufjan Stevens, </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Shins, Iron & Wine, The Head & The Heart, and many others.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> When you listen, one message comes through. No matter who wrote or who sang, the fact is that every track shows Thomas' unique ability to put across a delicate melody. These songs seem like they have a direct line on your heart and you don't want them to end. </span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHJeKUcVPWDWDMrtlrSW8N9Aoee3blAtACUDI8sh-AlFUf7z8HBhHGuLWoEy_DnRJqYrvUiS7tvD6BEp7V7qOAUPeksJE9fg0r1MlqviYIzSmpIkR3uxRsYKa_nrOpWy8MRSYi5FaXJL9xy-H8zDVnnOJGrrSU9mUi4mZc6eUGVIu6vusKQ-8" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHJeKUcVPWDWDMrtlrSW8N9Aoee3blAtACUDI8sh-AlFUf7z8HBhHGuLWoEy_DnRJqYrvUiS7tvD6BEp7V7qOAUPeksJE9fg0r1MlqviYIzSmpIkR3uxRsYKa_nrOpWy8MRSYi5FaXJL9xy-H8zDVnnOJGrrSU9mUi4mZc6eUGVIu6vusKQ-8=w164-h164" width="164" /></a></div><span><b>Leah Weller - Freedom</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Leah Weller's debut album shows off her vocal talents in the realm of neo-soul and pop in a set of tracks that is a triumph of production. Singer-songwriter Weller develops a finely honed vibe in collaboration with producer Steve Cradock. Sounding both brand new and retro is a good trick, but Weller comes by the ability naturally considering that her parents are Paul Weller (founder Jam, Style Council) and Dee C. Lee (former singer Wham!, Style Council). The nice thing is that you don't even need to know the Style Council to totally enjoy </span><i>Freedom </i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">by Leah Weller. </span></span></div></div></span></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-77325835673417224672022-12-01T17:23:00.038-05:002023-11-26T15:12:35.895-05:00The Best Christmas Music of 2022; Unwrap Holiday Gifts from Andrea Bocelli, Joyce Cooling, Andrea Corr, Gloria Estefan, Chris Isaak, Dave Koz, Loreena McKennitt, Jane Monheit, Pentatonix, Joss Stone, and Many More<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUctTuC5hswS4R4-AU9BKS-oxWSWBmDZLgtPWqYUbWrvEFtia8o_fBKYMvFTEv3_iVQiwtMvxcMooloFfkNrap-cZZ77y4ceOd6GHp-iYuYMz-15i6IALhTJU0bHjm4vK2LbwvBQP1dEXbevOL-DmLNwsRhK3o6N8Kr_5zjsoI00uv_h_hiE/s1284/charlie-brown-christmas.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1284" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUctTuC5hswS4R4-AU9BKS-oxWSWBmDZLgtPWqYUbWrvEFtia8o_fBKYMvFTEv3_iVQiwtMvxcMooloFfkNrap-cZZ77y4ceOd6GHp-iYuYMz-15i6IALhTJU0bHjm4vK2LbwvBQP1dEXbevOL-DmLNwsRhK3o6N8Kr_5zjsoI00uv_h_hiE/w528-h351/charlie-brown-christmas.webp" width="528" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Welcome to the new Christmas releases for 2022. There are some really good ones this year. I am always amazed by the resiliency of the Christmas repertoire. Even though we may have heard the same songs hundreds of times, they still have the capacity to delight us. The artists who go out on a limb to write new music occasionally come up big. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I was in the viewing audience when CBS debuted their first animated special featuring Charlie Brown and his friends, <i>A Charlie Brown Christmas</i>. At the age of twelve, I was more interested in the characters and the groundbreaking story than the conjunction of Christmas music and jazz. I knew right away that this special truly was, and that it knocked it out of the park in every possible way. In those days, there was no cable tv, no streaming, and no such thing as home video. Specials were only shown once a year, at most. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I still remember hearing the actual soundtrack LP for the first time. The album by the Vince Guaraldi Trio blew me away then, and every time I've played it since. The good news is that Blue Note has opened up the vaults and prepared a special edition with almost four hours of recordings from the original sessions. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">So, come on and check it all out; there's lots of great listening here to sweeten your holidays. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">We extend to all our best wishes for a safe, happy, and peaceful holiday season.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">New music is listed first, followed by reissues and various additions. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">New goodies for 2022</u><b>: </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL0ZvR7n0r9ipODBrqQq_J2WmKFC-4w8keRh-lFNsFpKF70mabRSdPw4dWIBkUgW5HekIV39Ml51X-3eO71y_1_i1YydFUgeaTK97MpUChBgeG6VA2m4vcHWxDhscK0vwhOJffct6y5OiVjMRuScthqTUVzzHmjF9x-ddC0a8fLpSesry4d8/s522/91kOQv7SHbL._SX522_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL0ZvR7n0r9ipODBrqQq_J2WmKFC-4w8keRh-lFNsFpKF70mabRSdPw4dWIBkUgW5HekIV39Ml51X-3eO71y_1_i1YydFUgeaTK97MpUChBgeG6VA2m4vcHWxDhscK0vwhOJffct6y5OiVjMRuScthqTUVzzHmjF9x-ddC0a8fLpSesry4d8/w200-h200/91kOQv7SHbL._SX522_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Backstreet Boys - </b><b>A Very Backstreet Christmas</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">As they approach their 30th anniversary as a band, Backstreet Boys, who have always considered themselves more of a vocal group than a boy band, have just released their first Christmas album. With mostly familiar favorites, it's easy to imagine these guys standing on a street corner somewhere singing these songs. Along with their voices, the most prominent part of the mix is usually the rhythm, which you'll know by the ubiquitous finger snapping. Older songs like "Winter Wonderland" and newer songs like "This Christmas" and "Next Christmas" all lend themselves to this approach. The 'Boys also add a couple of originals for good measure. Note: Target has an exclusive deluxe edition with two additional tracks.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpRHTb368xJjGZY63b-w-RyCJBDM7rXayUzSgJmPNq5uUmP6Wjtu49eoIr6_fkGPTvztyXX4L2pBX7D6A6ZoIupSTx0DwVQbQs1zINeodeOmTiJHjbkCg5_xh3rWq2jINL_aAwBwrHoQqu2P2Wt11ujW4VyljXoyeybqFKK6NCg2Gn8aRc1k/s1500/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1477" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpRHTb368xJjGZY63b-w-RyCJBDM7rXayUzSgJmPNq5uUmP6Wjtu49eoIr6_fkGPTvztyXX4L2pBX7D6A6ZoIupSTx0DwVQbQs1zINeodeOmTiJHjbkCg5_xh3rWq2jINL_aAwBwrHoQqu2P2Wt11ujW4VyljXoyeybqFKK6NCg2Gn8aRc1k/w197-h200/AB.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>Andrea, Matteo & Virginia Bocelli - A Family Christmas</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Andrea Bocelli has been a world-renowned singer of </span><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">classical, opera</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> and pops for almost the last thirty years. On this album, he shares the vocal duties with two of his children, son Matteo (25) and daughter Virginia (10). The program is warm and inviting with selections that include superb sounding carols like "Do You Hear What I Hear" amidst popular songs like </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">José Feliciano</span></span><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">'s "Feliz Navidad" and John and Yoko's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." The instrumental backing is applied sparingly, and one thing I find refreshing about this record is that there are about five tracks that aren't generally heard on Christmas albums. Andrea Bocelli seems to have passed his musical gift to the next generation. <i>A Family Christmas </i>is one of the most enjoyable releases this year. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZk45EYhbM32DcohMDH6Pk3CXArZAG9B9VoNkZbKZsDk92jgSScn5h3_g-nVpDy7x8sLW33AgoOdymqkVdaWxez2-M7-KsuLwyRGtPvu7uk17N3IdTDGpO8Xwb26yHCTMzO-7OLVRWCKDWrkbUF-Nq-Wi0eHXMjYYqEWgX0QlQR2WUUvBpJVE/s1400/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZk45EYhbM32DcohMDH6Pk3CXArZAG9B9VoNkZbKZsDk92jgSScn5h3_g-nVpDy7x8sLW33AgoOdymqkVdaWxez2-M7-KsuLwyRGtPvu7uk17N3IdTDGpO8Xwb26yHCTMzO-7OLVRWCKDWrkbUF-Nq-Wi0eHXMjYYqEWgX0QlQR2WUUvBpJVE/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Davis Causey & Jay Smith - </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Pickin' On Christmas</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: center;"><i>Pickin' On Christmas </i>is a delightful and relaxing instrumental record that pairs Davis Causey and Jay Smith playing their guitars on a set of mostly popular favorites plus one original tune. "Following A Star," an original penned by Causey, is also notable for the participation of guest Randall Bramblett. Originally recorded in 1998, it was given to friends and relatives that year. Smith passed away shortly after the recording and Causey dedicates the album to his memory. Maybe it's me, but I tried this record in spite of the title. There is a series of bluegrass albums entitled <i>Pickin' On</i>... and I was happily surprised to hear that this was not one of them. I</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: center;">t is truly a gift that this year sees a general release on Strolling Bones Records, as this is one of my favorite holiday releases of 2022.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/Sarah_Connor_-_Not_So_Silent_Night.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="203" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/Sarah_Connor_-_Not_So_Silent_Night.png" width="203" /></a></div>Sarah Connor - Not So Silent Night</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">According to her bio, Sarah Connor is a singer-songwriter in her native Germany. Listening to her latest release, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: center;"><i>Not So Silent Night</i>, I take away a couple of things. First, the album is in english and I can pick up no trace of an accent. The second thing you need to know is that of the thirteen tracks on this record, twelve of them are new originals. I should add that Connor is a really talented songwriter in addition to being a first-rate vocalist. Writing new original Christmas songs is really hard, but Connor comes up with material that is constantly inventive and clever and this goes way beyond the title track. As for whether listeners will want to hear these songs five, ten, or twenty years down the road, that's anyone's guess. But, just to put a point on her accomplishment, Connor closes the album with what may be the best written Christmas tune of all time, at least the version sung by Nat King Cole may be the most beloved. When Sarah Connor sings "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts Roasting), her version compares favorably to Cole's. I haven't heard a version this nice in many a year. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-R2K9LW6LYAZiGFrhu3Fe2A7TT_tNsxag_ypbT2U0ezACyZY4VyL2QhqtyQWzsFnhJm3aoF40iDa9SRN9dNt8v_0v81xTAuyWZ9i53_bYx0Io3F20ozQ0GlB7-FIfIcMxzvhTA_dPsKaxYNqoO0kjcpeQ5RFJaF1I0rS4yjw5SAhJVMu0SAg/s640/JC.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-R2K9LW6LYAZiGFrhu3Fe2A7TT_tNsxag_ypbT2U0ezACyZY4VyL2QhqtyQWzsFnhJm3aoF40iDa9SRN9dNt8v_0v81xTAuyWZ9i53_bYx0Io3F20ozQ0GlB7-FIfIcMxzvhTA_dPsKaxYNqoO0kjcpeQ5RFJaF1I0rS4yjw5SAhJVMu0SAg/w200-h200/JC.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Joyce Cooling - The Holiday's On!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Joyce Cooling is a musician, singer, and songwriter. Cooling's specialty is jazz and with seven albums plus an EP to her credit, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>The Holiday's On! </i>is her first holiday album. The album offers seven originals written by Cooling and Jay Wagner. Cooling favors the electric guitar and I've enjoyed her work since the late 90s. This set is perfect for fans who may be tired of hearing the same holiday repertoire repeated over and over again. Cooling recalls writing the title track quickly. The song came together easily and it was previously released as a digital single for charity NAMI (</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">National Alliance on Mental Illness). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61X36lNDXKL._SL1200_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="800" height="181" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61X36lNDXKL._SL1200_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Andrea Corr - The Christmas Album</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">When Andrea Corr recorded </span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>The Christmas Album</i> it seemed like the producer wanted it to sound different from the rest. You can hear it right on the opening cut, a glorious take on "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas." At one point, the song shifts gears into a very New Orleans style "Jingle Bells" and back again. Corr's very appealing voice is well suited for quieter fare like "The Christmas Song," which features her voice, piano and some light strings. She is also very good at capturing the mixed emotions of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (complete with the original lyric). Corr is a natural on songs like "Blue Christmas" too, which is a duet with Ronnie Wood. At the outset of her career, Corr was in a Irish family band called The Coors, which included a brother and three sisters, all with extraordinary voices. When they released their first album, their label sent them to the U.S. to tour retail locations. I was fortunate to catch one of these in-store appearances. After an acoustic set, they stayed to meet the audience. I was so totally bowled over by them that I've been a fan ever since. These days there are solo records and Andrea has even branched out to movies. So, to receive a solo album such as this, is truly a gift to us all.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1_enWxQ3RbqX_yQntQDVdzw7fPM5Tm6RRnukn4ZuU10xa90jr_NGvkY9tEf-W_LktYa8C2Hnoub5K-ZFtXJRWiS2kEsxRi9psBMV8tR6Xtcx7HzECuH_ae19s-y1Y8HyUJFUqgjGUIO5D9SGgtTUmH6JEgmqntj5VSga3ZrSd_hbAJCq66c/s1500/JC.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1_enWxQ3RbqX_yQntQDVdzw7fPM5Tm6RRnukn4ZuU10xa90jr_NGvkY9tEf-W_LktYa8C2Hnoub5K-ZFtXJRWiS2kEsxRi9psBMV8tR6Xtcx7HzECuH_ae19s-y1Y8HyUJFUqgjGUIO5D9SGgtTUmH6JEgmqntj5VSga3ZrSd_hbAJCq66c/w200-h200/JC.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Kat Edmonson - </b><b>Holiday Swingin'! (A Kat Edmonson Christmas Vol. 1)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>Kat Edmonson is a musician, singer, and songwriter who specializes in jazz, pop, and the place where jazz and pop meet on Broadway. </span><span><i>Holiday Swingin'! </i>is her first Christmas album, her sixth overall, and sounds like nothing else you'll hear this year. The tracklist may look like other Christmas albums, but these have a swinging style that belongs only to Edmonson. There are a number of things that make this album special. The song line-up has some selections you wouldn't expect. Sometimes she riffs on the song, and sometimes she'll make a song completely her own. You've never heard "The Christmas Blues" like this one. It may remind you of the Dean Martin classic before it veers into uncharted territory, and the "O Christmas Tree" that follows puts a perfect point on it. I must mention that listening to the new </span><span style="text-align: center;">Jane Monheit (below) and then </span><span style="text-align: center;">following it with Edmonson's </span><i>Holiday Swingin'! </i><span style="text-align: center;">definitely enhances the listening pleasure of both. However, </span><span>I would recommend this album unconditionally.</span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpODhJF290yUIjzg7ZUvnGZ7MLyRaisEDvcwdOEFIyKbZfRJOIbDeWICt_f4ZPdOXIw_r_Q0SzuTjXWz35hynknKsMA31hefG5HecETqFE5BVwdvISixQi0FI91oCpgsfVRn1-GD2jmdeIJINSqi2KW-r8Xz4JuN-jrE1ZWDBs9uhsi2sPC4/s500/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpODhJF290yUIjzg7ZUvnGZ7MLyRaisEDvcwdOEFIyKbZfRJOIbDeWICt_f4ZPdOXIw_r_Q0SzuTjXWz35hynknKsMA31hefG5HecETqFE5BVwdvISixQi0FI91oCpgsfVRn1-GD2jmdeIJINSqi2KW-r8Xz4JuN-jrE1ZWDBs9uhsi2sPC4/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Gloria Estefan - </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Estefan Family Christmas</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;">Three generations of Estefans appear on Gloria's second Christmas album, </span><span style="text-align: center;"><i>Estefan Family Christmas. </i>It's pretty much warmth and good vibes as they sing their way through a seventeen song set, consisting of mostly holiday hits like Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" and Alvin and the Chipmunks' classic "Christmas Don't Be Late." There are snippets of dialogue that sound like they might have been part of a holiday TV special. Performers, in addition to Gloria, include daughter Emily, son Nayib and his wife Lara, and grandson Sasha. Her musician husband Emilio even makes his vocal debut on </span><i style="text-align: center;">Estefan Family Christmas.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiQ3PET5653FxJLwUGba_uK_MYZN0KJzsUJPhUSPWxmw8zED0j3mTKXpMzUSm6h8OyDeaTsVwvT856SVxROpejLGBxYr3yXyL3cdElwk0SFPX9XUYSzqLhZG51RSHoBqdzZUW4iPjFMh3gh1Vj5sdeHI3peAee5xaGhD6e6bEIYMwAdGE9e0/s522/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiQ3PET5653FxJLwUGba_uK_MYZN0KJzsUJPhUSPWxmw8zED0j3mTKXpMzUSm6h8OyDeaTsVwvT856SVxROpejLGBxYr3yXyL3cdElwk0SFPX9XUYSzqLhZG51RSHoBqdzZUW4iPjFMh3gh1Vj5sdeHI3peAee5xaGhD6e6bEIYMwAdGE9e0/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></b></span></span></div><div><div style="clear: left; float: left; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b>Jessy J - California Christmas, Vol. 2</b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Jessy J, a jazz saxophone player, follows her <i style="background-color: transparent;">California Christmas</i> (2016) with a second volume. Like her first one, this album immediately separates itself from the crowd just because it sounds so good. Other than the appealing tone she gets on her sax, and the magnificent choice of material, this is the result of excellent production by J and Jeff Lorber. All of the instruments can be heard clearly, especially the sax. That quality may seem simple, but it requires meticulous attention to engineering, mixing, and mastering the recording. <span style="color: #18191b;">J draws from an array of handpicked musicians including her normal players along with </span><span style="color: #18191b;">some invited guests. </span><span style="color: #4a4a49;">Among the three vocal tracks, "O Holy Night" takes a nice soulful turn with guest singer </span><span style="color: #4a4a49;">Maurice Smith, who also appeared on </span><i style="background-color: transparent;">California Christmas, Vol 1</i><span style="color: #4a4a49;">. The vocal arrangement of "Go Tell It on the Mountain" explores the hymn's gospel side. </span><i style="background-color: transparent;">California Christmas, Vol 2</i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #18191b;"> includes </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #18191b;">arrangements that you are not likely to hear any place else. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #18191b;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkdTahw97d_CImpbGesKbSrrlAPRZu4YUZcgb-wC47vviiTi1CzlCJQ9TOcHFnTSuhc1NbsH8bU2iFV0IjQ_ucb2NdHzjnBQb0Y62k7qjh5aLMTrYcAgFmGeIbf98UNB2RoFUfMTDTLvOyXEmMEJUS6zQo0Y4nZc-Voxqv19T4UUuATvMDfOY" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; display: inline; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="488" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkdTahw97d_CImpbGesKbSrrlAPRZu4YUZcgb-wC47vviiTi1CzlCJQ9TOcHFnTSuhc1NbsH8bU2iFV0IjQ_ucb2NdHzjnBQb0Y62k7qjh5aLMTrYcAgFmGeIbf98UNB2RoFUfMTDTLvOyXEmMEJUS6zQo0Y4nZc-Voxqv19T4UUuATvMDfOY=w199-h199" width="199" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;">Chris Isaak - </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">Everybody Knows It's Christmas</span></b></div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For Chris Isaak's second Christmas album he has written eight new originals to record along with five familiar favorites on </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Everybody Knows It's Christmas. </i>Isaak, who is no stranger to the top of the charts, still sounds like something of a cross between Roy Orbison and Ricky Nelson, heavy on the Roy Orbison. Interesting that he's on Sun Records now; he always seemed the embodiment of the rockabilly elements that defined the label when Sam Phillips founded it. With his smooth delivery, good looks, and talented band, Isaac has made one of the more enjoyable holiday albums this year. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UsuiGp7ma9x61nKsxe25lOaHIf1DBHiEgAnFAHZCqwG_lbwyxSvT93OfIFZNbXl2EU1i8PCbyGCfj9XgPavyr5I-UVOXvFz3iFYdAli3G054CC8g83FdJcjjDBHf59d4VxvV-zmbpN3UnDUQfdYfEvxDPq-uGP3c_JA8-hnRWINYyZP2Q5c/s522/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UsuiGp7ma9x61nKsxe25lOaHIf1DBHiEgAnFAHZCqwG_lbwyxSvT93OfIFZNbXl2EU1i8PCbyGCfj9XgPavyr5I-UVOXvFz3iFYdAli3G054CC8g83FdJcjjDBHf59d4VxvV-zmbpN3UnDUQfdYfEvxDPq-uGP3c_JA8-hnRWINYyZP2Q5c/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Dave Koz - Dave Koz & Friends: Christmas Ballads (25th Anniversary Collection)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Smooth jazz saxophonist Dave Koz celebrates the 25th anniversary of what he calls the longest continually running Christmas tour. On his new album, <i>Christmas Ballads</i>, Koz chose to record songs that he had not recorded on his previous Christmas albums. It's a gem of a lineup that includes songs like "The Christmas Waltz" and the Carpenters' classic "Merry Christmas Darling." Accompanying Koz is a veritable jazz super group of David Benoit, Rick Braun, and Peter White. The record is mostly instrumental but for a nice John Lennon medley of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and "Imagine," sung by Rebecca Jade. I've always felt that there is a special relationship between Christmas music and jazz and "</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Dave Koz & Friends: Christmas Ballads (25th Anniversary Collection)"</i> is a perfect example. </span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CdFvlpBgGRAIOJfNbWVP3Ebs0JEFABrhOudB7RTcExDFffvqrpSVKIbRw1YBDAve51OGTa1wWNgFfxuLNxAZAMgn_SdL9V0xSrGiJFtccRysYoAYJc-BdLmLyyRNRf96DRNxAzpbBgwTKvjktTTUKF3rkQOmd4N9WpqxGh9pFbqqh2esE2c/s1500/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CdFvlpBgGRAIOJfNbWVP3Ebs0JEFABrhOudB7RTcExDFffvqrpSVKIbRw1YBDAve51OGTa1wWNgFfxuLNxAZAMgn_SdL9V0xSrGiJFtccRysYoAYJc-BdLmLyyRNRf96DRNxAzpbBgwTKvjktTTUKF3rkQOmd4N9WpqxGh9pFbqqh2esE2c/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Loreena McKennitt - </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Under A Winter's Moon (Live At Knox Church, Stratford, Ontario / 2021)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;">In the 1980s, American radio (of the AAA or AOR persuasion) began playing Canadian musician, singer and songwriter Loreena McKennitt. McKennitt's strong and clear voice, combined with a penchant for incorporating other cultures' music into her compositions, quickly caught the ear of anyone listening. Those in search of a Christmas album zeroed in on her second release <i>To Drive the Cold Winter Away</i> with its splendid version of "In the Bleak Midwinter," which has become a standard. All that is to explain that even though that album dealt with winter, it was not a proper Christmas album and that (with the exception of her </span><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Winter Garden </span></i><span style="text-align: center;">EP</span><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">) </span></i><span style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="color: #4c1130;">t</span>he McKennitt faithful have waited until now, on her 16th album, for this double CD. I am happy to report that </span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><i>Under A Winter's Moon, A Concert of Carols and Tales</i></span><b style="text-align: center;"> </b><span style="text-align: center;">was well worth the wait. Beautifully recorded in Knox Church in Stratford, Ontario, that location may have just as easily been </span><span style="text-align: center;">Stratford, England. Spoken word readings, such as <i>A Child's Christmas in Wales</i>, are interspersed throughout the program. F</span><span style="text-align: center;">or those who want the whole live Christmas experience, </span><span style="text-align: center;">McKennitt brought the requisite musicians and produced an album for the ages. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoVA4-h06zsEeBREyiw6xKn8Vd-lYPGDWD1rV0rKkspBoZ2S9PmTYWInhwQQbZTxY1FejnIuDtMBm7Xw9aJOwquYdQ0SKlQr2amuDUmKxURKHvzZjw6nCvAZvhQNAgPhe0mgUY7pPU1H1pEaQS87pnFfvBgQ62Ai_Q6q0bbREik86ZGJ1aX4/s522/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoVA4-h06zsEeBREyiw6xKn8Vd-lYPGDWD1rV0rKkspBoZ2S9PmTYWInhwQQbZTxY1FejnIuDtMBm7Xw9aJOwquYdQ0SKlQr2amuDUmKxURKHvzZjw6nCvAZvhQNAgPhe0mgUY7pPU1H1pEaQS87pnFfvBgQ62Ai_Q6q0bbREik86ZGJ1aX4/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Jane Monheit - </b></span><span style="text-align: center;"><b>The Merriest</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;">Jane Monheit, who has honed a career at the top of what I like to call the supper club jazz-pop portion of the music business, gets jazzier than you'd think on her latest Christmas album, <i>The Merriest</i>. The program is familiar tunes, the older the better (with one notable exception). There is one song, </span><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"(Christmas) Stay With Me," that was written by Cy Coleman (Broadway) that makes its recording debut here. "The Christmas Song," as sung by Nat King Cole, was already jazz-pop to start with and when you do a song that's so utterly familiar, you can't stray too far from the original. The other material on here is much friendlier to an little swingin'. As her publicist explains, "</span><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When classic Christmas songs are dipped in the sweet, luscious swing of jazz music, the results are always as warm and soothing as hot cocoa and chestnuts." The combination of the quality of her voice with that of the performances, the arrangements, and the production makes this record feel both new and old at the same time. I should also point out that Monheit's take on the standard "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" easily surpasses neatly every other version I've heard, and makes this album indispensable. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGyxjYU7XobM49fIq5ibJ8B_DClXfJQ8Qm47tp9AB7lwTa2saX18A6sdWKCJRkLKlrMKU3HraKUgfhKXxSy2rDjjPRCTVLG1G6BmwvvX7Xv24TnVA-U7VapQmH1cL2SmZjopQ5HHlvfIR47UmjPy5m0sY237-L7DRSx8coSWVPU8mZ9S1j9U/s545/AB.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="545" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGyxjYU7XobM49fIq5ibJ8B_DClXfJQ8Qm47tp9AB7lwTa2saX18A6sdWKCJRkLKlrMKU3HraKUgfhKXxSy2rDjjPRCTVLG1G6BmwvvX7Xv24TnVA-U7VapQmH1cL2SmZjopQ5HHlvfIR47UmjPy5m0sY237-L7DRSx8coSWVPU8mZ9S1j9U/w200-h200/AB.webp" width="200" /></a></div>Allison Moorer - </b></span><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Five Holiday Favorites - EP</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;">With four Christmas carols plus "Jingle Bells," it's just Allison Moorer's voice and guitar. The vocals are strong and the backing is acoustic except for a glorious "Oh Holy Night," which is played on electric with a tasty guitar solo in the middle. This EP is about as Americana as it gets. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3s-szypzcD22nAtontgr_PV4Tc8siEjZCQMhCHPbZ6_kP84rEW4jTqBodTjRxt40FU1Mtr0NFERfTUYupeniWsz-XY6Y-yYqOmRgTuROz9l1Io7fZZpD0Opdf3_daDWimUvZSJ6UCrR8MxjyihCXyAK2KvUef8acoyV6PFrm8sNx_Z3WwQ8/s522/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3s-szypzcD22nAtontgr_PV4Tc8siEjZCQMhCHPbZ6_kP84rEW4jTqBodTjRxt40FU1Mtr0NFERfTUYupeniWsz-XY6Y-yYqOmRgTuROz9l1Io7fZZpD0Opdf3_daDWimUvZSJ6UCrR8MxjyihCXyAK2KvUef8acoyV6PFrm8sNx_Z3WwQ8/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Jamie O'Neal - </b></span><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Spirit & Joy</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">One of the hardest things to do is to write or sing new, original Christmas music and have it be memorable. Nashville singer-songwriter Jamie O'Neal does just that on her first Christmas album, <i>Spirit & Joy</i>. There are four such songs here, three of which O'Neal co-wrote, and not only do they feel like Christmas but one of them, <span style="background-color: white;">"Gulf of Mexico," is one I'd like to hear a lot. </span>O'Neal's distinctive voice and the relaxed sound of her backing musicians, make the familiar favorites sparkle. Several generations of her family join her on "<span style="background-color: white;">Do You Hear What I Hear?" </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">Collin Raye </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">duets with O'Neal on "Silver Bells." </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;">Although everybody and their brother has done "White Christmas," this is one version that you'll want to hear. The real standout on Spirit & Joy for me is "</span></span><span style="background-color: whitesmoke;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Please Come Home for Christmas" </span></span><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; font-family: trebuchet;">(which also has vocals by Rodney Good)</span><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; font-family: trebuchet;">; in fact I would place this rendition on par with the Charles Brown original and the Eagles cover version. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL973GJqtUmfCVtoNQfzGmbEZBVl-LzTnWfW945xE4KKPNbOSKWQ27i3y0tFE3J08FVhtGnkmRx2P9aiaAsKR7RGmhY8dfYmDPFUgCRka3GGT1VUFYX9OXIMnnJ013VSufdWAaU-cKsWk_HAHLVXuSRkV_CstBdUWoFA03clD2bhG8BC79x8/s522/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="522" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL973GJqtUmfCVtoNQfzGmbEZBVl-LzTnWfW945xE4KKPNbOSKWQ27i3y0tFE3J08FVhtGnkmRx2P9aiaAsKR7RGmhY8dfYmDPFUgCRka3GGT1VUFYX9OXIMnnJ013VSufdWAaU-cKsWk_HAHLVXuSRkV_CstBdUWoFA03clD2bhG8BC79x8/w200-h199/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Pentatonix - </b></span><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Holidays Around the World</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span><span style="text-align: center;">And now for something completely different... from Pentatonix. Just when you thought they had recorded every Christmas song in the known universe, here comes </span><span style="text-align: center;"><i>Holidays Around the World</i> complete with songs and guest recording artists representing ten different countries spread over four continents. The Grammy winning vocal quintet offers up, as they put i</span><span style="text-align: center;">t, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529;">seven holiday staples and five originals. We're not really used to hearing Pentatonix in a backing role, as they are with Meghan Trainor on the original "Kid On Christmas." She sounds good, but you may be forgiven if, like me, you mistake this for some other album being that this is only track one. And the new sounds don't stop there. Chinese sensation Lang Lang lets his remarkable piano do the singing on "Jingle Bells," truly a family friendly production. Of the less familiar artists, I love the version of "Feliz Navidad" turned in by La Santa Cecilia and Pentatonix. "Last Christmas" does double duty representing both Japan, with the artists H</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #212529;">ikakin & Seikin, and Great Britain from </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; text-align: center;">where</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; text-align: center;">the composition comes. If any of the tracks sound like grand production numbers, know that there is an accompanying TV special. Ho ho ho!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZGN-KT1LZgsZZJVxbJekq-_LzPwK9Iet29n-8KP2o_IYTHT2YuuOb1_cegyfnY-xbW1dublCZkFs-qA4XBSI_cJ_k5l_X7P4YouL7PNwkhnFlRJKP1pCrX8muNVa0foLyE7NzJf8yR6akONeUnFrfcyALyJvYk1j4OqzktCgPm3hDLX6aP0/s522/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZGN-KT1LZgsZZJVxbJekq-_LzPwK9Iet29n-8KP2o_IYTHT2YuuOb1_cegyfnY-xbW1dublCZkFs-qA4XBSI_cJ_k5l_X7P4YouL7PNwkhnFlRJKP1pCrX8muNVa0foLyE7NzJf8yR6akONeUnFrfcyALyJvYk1j4OqzktCgPm3hDLX6aP0/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Joss Stone - </b></span><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Merry Christmas, Love</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It's a nice touch that Joss Stone opens her first ever </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Christmas album with a reading of the first verse of "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: trebuchet;">Twas The Night Before Christmas." I don't think her British </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: trebuchet;">audience would necessarily find her English accent to be cute, but here in America (and in the rest of the world), it may be another story... For Stone, who started out singing vintage R&B and soul, the soulfulness of her voice seems simply effortless on this set of holiday tunes. It almost seems like a contradiction that Stone's band has turned into a full orchestra, complete with backing singers and the whole nine yards. You can hear it immediately after the recitation when the album launches into "Let It Snow." The production is impeccable rendering this a timeless Christmas classic. All of the tracks on this album receive, more or less, the same treatment. I must point out that on her version of Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts Roasting...) the backing has been stripped down to just piano and strings, and Stone sounds like she totally gets it, even the nuances of Nat King Cole's iconic recording. <i>Merry Christmas, Love</i> consists of sixteen tracks, most of them familiar favorites, along with a couple of Christmas carols and two new </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: trebuchet;">originals “If You Believe” and “Bring On Christmas Day.” The combination of soulful voice and ultra traditional arrangements brings to mind the Diana Ross Christmas albums. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Also of note...</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/PhillySpecialChristmas.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="317" height="198" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/PhillySpecialChristmas.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata & Lane Johnson - </span>A Philly Special Christmas</span></b></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>There used to be a tradition of novelty records in pop music. Christmas novelty records used to be plentiful, but now it's become a lost art. There used to be sports novelty records, too. Does anyone remember "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" for the World Series winning </span><span>1980</span><span> </span><span>Philadelphia Phillies or "The Super Bowl Shuffle" by the 1985 Chicago Bears (Jim McMahon and Co.)? Now, the (hopefully) Super Bowl bound Philadelphia Eagles have produced a seven track Christmas album<i> A Philly Special Christmas</i>. All of the money raised by this record is destined for charity. It is worth noting that all of the physical records (CDs and vinyl) were sold out before the release date, so the only way to obtain this is by digital download or by streaming. It's also worth noting that this does not sound like a novelty record; these guy can really sing. By that I mean, the primary protagonists from the Eagles' O Line: </span><span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;">Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson. Right from the top, Mailata has a wicked falsetto on "White Christmas," which might remind you of the Temptations' version. They pretty much play it straight with the basically good time Christmas tunes, backed up by the cream of Philadelphia musicians. They even have play-by-play announcer Merrill Reece reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas." This set doesn't even mention The Eagles until the last two tracks. The last cut is a very Bruce Springsteen inspired version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" with lots of fun ad-libbing that you will love. Whether or not you follow the Philadelphia Eagles, you cannot go wrong with </span></span><i>A Philly Special Christmas</i><span>.</span></span></div></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b style="text-align: left;"><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><u>Reissues, Remasters, Collections, Expanded Deluxe Editions, and etc.</u></b></div></u></b></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPMfvD03STz30CHCqG4w8b03Y0-kX6kNfkvqZl9b9FKBAGH3TS9yM4zjxi9XFmueluST_x8dGK5ZEDGnMlbMtJA_Bf_6e1qgo3GqWZ17pDRaYg8PL-yUQ0C5hkcY93NIHDZkt88q46EbL-1BrTI7_DcbLyKJM2K8WpD3_IsHS-1JD6Ak2dq8/s1200/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPMfvD03STz30CHCqG4w8b03Y0-kX6kNfkvqZl9b9FKBAGH3TS9yM4zjxi9XFmueluST_x8dGK5ZEDGnMlbMtJA_Bf_6e1qgo3GqWZ17pDRaYg8PL-yUQ0C5hkcY93NIHDZkt88q46EbL-1BrTI7_DcbLyKJM2K8WpD3_IsHS-1JD6Ak2dq8/w196-h196/AB.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>Louis Armstrong - </b><b>Louis Wishes You a Cool Yule</b><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Over the years the great Louis Armstrong recorded any number of Christmas songs, but he never made a proper Christmas album. Now, all of those songs have been collected on the new<i><b> </b></i></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Louis Wishes You a Cool Yule. </i>Even though most tracks have been heard before, the last track, a Louis Armstrong reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas," is previously unreleased. All told, this is one of the best Christmas albums that you are likely to hear. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTluQ6WXVIA18SX5iyN9Hlg6UTTZUuLUNA8pRe4jwtKzALhBSI_-mB_HjcizQE0FWi9I5W66-ozG2v4Mp-lEXIyVr7WzbKPx4-NrdjmkIllXy_aTHSw0mVBEEEsH0nhzdIw17AwIZlFQwmGRrqwUg8fvpIveKt3dRSDoYeoPnhF8BGDra8Jd4/s500/51CVUBs4i7L._SY580_.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTluQ6WXVIA18SX5iyN9Hlg6UTTZUuLUNA8pRe4jwtKzALhBSI_-mB_HjcizQE0FWi9I5W66-ozG2v4Mp-lEXIyVr7WzbKPx4-NrdjmkIllXy_aTHSw0mVBEEEsH0nhzdIw17AwIZlFQwmGRrqwUg8fvpIveKt3dRSDoYeoPnhF8BGDra8Jd4/w206-h206/51CVUBs4i7L._SY580_.jpeg" width="206" /></a></div>Ray Charles - The Spirit Of Christmas (Remastered)</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span>During his career, Ray Charles only released two Christmas albums. They are both excellent and essential. <i>The Spirit of Christmas</i> was recorded in 1985 and is the only studio album Ray made for the holidays (the other is a live concert recording). The good news is that </span><i>The Spirit of Christmas</i><span>, which was out of print for the last decade, has been remastered and is once again available. This album is every bit as good as you might hope. It has his usual backing band including </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span>the Raelettes. The program consists of familiar favorites (carols and popular songs) and some very well written originals. Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard</span></span><span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"> and saxophonist Rudy Johnson also guest. T</span><span style="background-color: white;">he title track was used in the movie </span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation</i>. </span></span></span><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">It's fair to say that this album sounds like no other Christmas album.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHv1QoGJlASLl9tzYt0IacThnf7YQDisTtSSLQCOpZtnI0a0KWIrF7qyb_q7Pc5XieX2z8cSOPEFLMX5cqshM_FuVsru1FX9Y-Uhz_m_qN2zvh3C-5XjG1hPWDYNsObN7J1eLQC_LzA8phhCGYBEbOVyAnmtXZRF9aZRVZMMhoQXGvIRst0Q/s522/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHv1QoGJlASLl9tzYt0IacThnf7YQDisTtSSLQCOpZtnI0a0KWIrF7qyb_q7Pc5XieX2z8cSOPEFLMX5cqshM_FuVsru1FX9Y-Uhz_m_qN2zvh3C-5XjG1hPWDYNsObN7J1eLQC_LzA8phhCGYBEbOVyAnmtXZRF9aZRVZMMhoQXGvIRst0Q/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Judy Collins - Christmas with Judy Collins</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>One of this year's real treats is the reissue of <i>Christmas with Judy Collins</i>. Collins is possessed of a voice that is strong, clear, and perfect for a Christmas album; she's made four of them. </span><i>Christmas with Judy Collins </i><span>is the fourth and was released in 2013. There's nothing new in this release, but it's good to have this record back in print and available. Not many singers could pull off an a cappella "I'll Be Home For Christmas," but it sounds beautiful sans instruments. The album is extraordinarily well performed and produced. That girl sure knows how to make a Christmas album.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></div></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWtj8VDZoi6sns5Cuiq3tpJ0uPHQ30AqEnxI41oMP6StgSw-6HkP3PoleP0xK-N-T-jhhTN430zHasWSFCE38HPb7jzOpEzGY_fCxKLNDPXrfLP1Z3LWE1-fnyFqOTJHWKj3MRO00rwtzE3gb9HG4s1glRgS81l2jqr2IhkEndhYLOIuBDr8/s500/51CVUBs4i7L._SY580_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWtj8VDZoi6sns5Cuiq3tpJ0uPHQ30AqEnxI41oMP6StgSw-6HkP3PoleP0xK-N-T-jhhTN430zHasWSFCE38HPb7jzOpEzGY_fCxKLNDPXrfLP1Z3LWE1-fnyFqOTJHWKj3MRO00rwtzE3gb9HG4s1glRgS81l2jqr2IhkEndhYLOIuBDr8/w200-h200/51CVUBs4i7L._SY580_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Vince Guaraldi Trio - </b></span><span style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">A Charlie Brown Christmas (Super Deluxe Edition)</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;">On December 9, 1965, when the special <i>A Charlie Brown Christmas</i> debuted on the CBS television network, the twelve year old me knew it was something special, but at that age I was not focused on the music or on how brilliant it was on any number of levels. That message didn't sink in until some years later when I first heard the soundtrack LP. The mixture of jazz and Christmas music was just the start of it. The way in which Vince Guaraldi captured in music the many emotions we all have during the holidays at one time or another, so accurately parallels the plot of the program that it's a wonder unto itself. Full disclosure: This has been my #1 Christmas album for over 50 years. I am happy to report that for the deluxe edition, they have not only remixed and remastered the album, but they have also released the recording sessions that were used in the making of it all. This box set is not for everyone, but if you want to hear the artistry of the Vince Guaraldi Trio, then you might wish to hear numerous versions of the each song. When I listen to these sessions, my appreciation for this music only grows.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Fda6RwgsM8581JE_WWUSXCgWoP7cZQYPFpyMa1w3Rq5lNdGmplLsJcy3CUdQPPIO-ivrhQ8ATDAwJ_1XYNn2qOB7zdGTKlGB3m8lzHc6h-hjufx0wVztRVE7DDy_vzyrOXm3nQ_69lHw7NoGyALR-gJWZv7wYSy2LcorXeqSczM2DjiSHzc/s545/NJ.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="545" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Fda6RwgsM8581JE_WWUSXCgWoP7cZQYPFpyMa1w3Rq5lNdGmplLsJcy3CUdQPPIO-ivrhQ8ATDAwJ_1XYNn2qOB7zdGTKlGB3m8lzHc6h-hjufx0wVztRVE7DDy_vzyrOXm3nQ_69lHw7NoGyALR-gJWZv7wYSy2LcorXeqSczM2DjiSHzc/w200-h200/NJ.webp" width="200" /></a></div>Norah Jones - </b><b>I Dream Of Christmas (Deluxe)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">By virtue of the hit "Don't Know Why" the world recognized Norah Jones' talent right off the bat with her first album <i>Come Away With Me</i> (2002). For nearly twenty years, Jones' participation in Christmas music has been limited to just one song, "Peace." In 2021, she released her first full length Christmas album,<i> </i><i>I Dream Of Christmas. </i>This record consisted of thirteen tracks: new original songs, popular Christmas standards, and recent holiday hits, all of which shared Jones' unique musical style. This was easily heard on favorites like "White Christmas" or Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas." The only thing that this album lacked... was... more of it. Now expanded to 24 tracks, <i>I Dream Of Christmas, </i>the deluxe edition, includes all of that and more. There are five new tracks recorded live at the <span style="background-color: #f7f7f7;">Empire State Building in NYC, a studio version of </span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7;">"</span>Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,"<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"> and the four bonus tracks only available previously on special editions. While there is something to be said for the original album reflecting the artist's vision, the bonus tracks that this deluxe edition carries have their charms as well. You can't go wrong either way.</span></span></div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1p767p8ke59_FZI9bVD3gfNz9xSDcCvC-hxF1gnvaGG7z9yhsbE6i25zjBIj78n5MSgKCrppCr0PR3qaJe609GoX0hOJihAOiOI-_tvVZsfzFPSWI-UQa_RCH8LxQW8oW_8Zxs4VsqNb_ACXhVHZesdle-5Lo01YPanDTxhKGxPQrLKXwaco/s1280/REba.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1p767p8ke59_FZI9bVD3gfNz9xSDcCvC-hxF1gnvaGG7z9yhsbE6i25zjBIj78n5MSgKCrppCr0PR3qaJe609GoX0hOJihAOiOI-_tvVZsfzFPSWI-UQa_RCH8LxQW8oW_8Zxs4VsqNb_ACXhVHZesdle-5Lo01YPanDTxhKGxPQrLKXwaco/w200-h200/REba.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Reba McEntire - The Ultimate Christmas Collection</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">If Reba McEntire is not the original country artist, she might be the first such to substantially cross over to the pop market. This year, for your listening pleasure, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i>The Ultimate Christmas Collection </i>brings together the best tracks from her three Christmas albums (1987, 1999 and 2017). In addition, this release also includes last year's single, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">"I Needed Christmas." Ho! Ho! Ho! It's Christmas in Reba-land.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahV7evPkBKaF3Nq-JOWfzW8GuwhWaEN5s4RV7dxDKTV_KcxXr8QCNYNvlEByS4ryF4kJ9AmKEQ9sZgfvMjG0V3Zl0wkK0EDHVJ2m3GeUI8aSAEZErB7OUUdxiFmSQ4IwF2nlJbzcY2SJ_TabPDtY0GyZou6YpokTxz3OFxyU4DclQAr3YxBU/s500/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahV7evPkBKaF3Nq-JOWfzW8GuwhWaEN5s4RV7dxDKTV_KcxXr8QCNYNvlEByS4ryF4kJ9AmKEQ9sZgfvMjG0V3Zl0wkK0EDHVJ2m3GeUI8aSAEZErB7OUUdxiFmSQ4IwF2nlJbzcY2SJ_TabPDtY0GyZou6YpokTxz3OFxyU4DclQAr3YxBU/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The Miracles - A Soulful Christmas</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span>One of the best reissue gifts this year is <i>A Soulful Christmas</i> by The Miracles. What's so special about this record is not even hinted at on the cover or in the name. Back in the 1960s, this group used to be billed as Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. Smokey may have chosen to bill this as The Miracles in deference to the other Miracles. They may be a good vocal group, but hey, there is only one Smokey Robinson and I am happy to report that he's singing lead on every one of these excellent tracks. The program here is a friendly selection of favorite carols, popular songs, recent hits, and even a couple originals. </span><i>A Soulful </i><i>Christmas</i><span> was first released in 2001, and with this reissue comes for the first time a vinyl edition. Everything you need to know about this album is right there in the opening track, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose..." </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cXpZRScrj6KinJtPFI8KzfG015-NZzcQNgbuZlYSb-h5lq8IV4vypA6JwXX6aH-76Hq_UDb1EEEHmLeC5nukF3CG71V0dCVFUiK2-5aWF7BBOojnH1dFwH8BJBEEARJeqceC6cQyl0M4UioxfEmz4uw75U3EK6y2u-Y4TGxcH61a0qxp6DA/s522/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cXpZRScrj6KinJtPFI8KzfG015-NZzcQNgbuZlYSb-h5lq8IV4vypA6JwXX6aH-76Hq_UDb1EEEHmLeC5nukF3CG71V0dCVFUiK2-5aWF7BBOojnH1dFwH8BJBEEARJeqceC6cQyl0M4UioxfEmz4uw75U3EK6y2u-Y4TGxcH61a0qxp6DA/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Dolly Parton - A Holly Dolly Christmas (Ultimate Deluxe Edition)</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i>A Holly Dolly Christmas </i>was first released in 2021 with twelve tracks, sounding a lot like a Christmas party hosted by Dolly Parton. She sang on every track, often accompanied by guest artists. This year, for the super ultimate deluxe edition, eight bonus tracks have been added. Two of them came from exclusive retail versions of last year's release. The other six are new to </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">A Holly Dolly </i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i>Christmas </i><span>and includes a guest turn from Rod Stewart duetting with Dolly on "Baby, It's Cold Outside." There are also some originals penned by Parton. And, the party continues...</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yq2gQgggs7y6u8uJ8y0Ys5CWd8d5CwqIZqttw3NOIQlmzV5fqInqhJgD-UUB1CjQLe_mVFT97iyl0tGTFyTxv_7BQdaZ7h7iSg_ldv2wd1GsrfZsGorJepgqX6lL4_d95Vn9x49txLgfVLRvgT1LVSHLjleSuCuSEBh8vxh08i_5QaGuNfk/s300/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="300" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yq2gQgggs7y6u8uJ8y0Ys5CWd8d5CwqIZqttw3NOIQlmzV5fqInqhJgD-UUB1CjQLe_mVFT97iyl0tGTFyTxv_7BQdaZ7h7iSg_ldv2wd1GsrfZsGorJepgqX6lL4_d95Vn9x49txLgfVLRvgT1LVSHLjleSuCuSEBh8vxh08i_5QaGuNfk/w200-h199/AB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>V.A. - </span>Country Christmas Greatest Hits</span></b></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I don't generally follow the mainstream country artists, but this album does knock it out of the proverbial park on every track. The material sticks to the popular song repertoire of Christmas. Superstars abound such as Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, and Darius Rucker to name a few. They pretty much all do new or recent recordings and they do throw in a classic, Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" for good measure. Various artists' Christmas albums like this used to abound, with albums devoted to a theme, label samplers, etc. Now they are more sporadic. The trick is to look at the tracklist and if you are interested in the artists then <span style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><i>Country Christmas Greatest Hits</i></span></span> might be just the thing for under your tree. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pWJOyvbtIVg8wB31xHdrvnlQabZ9jC-Mrx4mRKK2KBQUZu5pj8tZyMhltwsdQtGGDM20nW8nPEW4Uh-mfTKytYhVXzr-oGoeDsNZgN7cK1DBdFTkYdCc2sU7oY56GkTdURSC5VsXUNcp0oTFupVngzKyp1cXqK66OTB6qEeqQOaR_aoi2ck/s522/AB.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pWJOyvbtIVg8wB31xHdrvnlQabZ9jC-Mrx4mRKK2KBQUZu5pj8tZyMhltwsdQtGGDM20nW8nPEW4Uh-mfTKytYhVXzr-oGoeDsNZgN7cK1DBdFTkYdCc2sU7oY56GkTdURSC5VsXUNcp0oTFupVngzKyp1cXqK66OTB6qEeqQOaR_aoi2ck/w200-h200/AB.jpg" width="200" /></b></a></div><b>V. A. - Holidays Rule</b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">This is exactly what I was referring to above. </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">Holidays Rule</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> was first released in 2012 and featured mostly alternative rock artists with a few ringers thrown in to keep you guessing. The overall approach here is pretty reverent to the material, which is drawn from a wide swath of the holiday repertoire. The artists represented include The Shins, Rufus Wainwright, Paul McCartney, and The Civil Wars just to name a few. Even if you don't know all of the artists, give this one a shot and you may find that in fact holidays do rule.</span></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-77297018197705930522022-11-25T21:21:00.008-05:002022-11-26T20:20:56.204-05:00One from the Heart (Zoetrope, 1982) Is a Better Movie Than You Think; A Stellar Soundtrack Composed By Tom Waits and Sung By Waits and Crystal Gayle Is a Big Reason Why <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqmyYo_POmI85rPpNe13PUuDM9zSEnp9MbFrlA4aKvrGJ1BvMsjl7KCpH15NDjnAinq86CnlpVF1r-3wwGuoIxRL03gpL0heI96hk_4-6FPY_w4TMvM2q21jLoJMk2_VZLyohaXZdx-_Y-L0BxDzOcm3UxseVy7futU6zQG-Bu-wPT2RxEyN8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="957" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqmyYo_POmI85rPpNe13PUuDM9zSEnp9MbFrlA4aKvrGJ1BvMsjl7KCpH15NDjnAinq86CnlpVF1r-3wwGuoIxRL03gpL0heI96hk_4-6FPY_w4TMvM2q21jLoJMk2_VZLyohaXZdx-_Y-L0BxDzOcm3UxseVy7futU6zQG-Bu-wPT2RxEyN8=s16000" /></span></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Images courtesy of Zoetrope Studio</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Gem from the Record Room and from the Movie Shelf: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Francis Ford Coppola wanted <i>One from the Heart</i> to be a simple romantic comedy, ostensibly the antidote for his then latest film <i>Apocalypse Now; </i>a</span><span>ntidote in the sense</span><span> that it was intended to be everything that </span><i>Apocalypse Now </i><span>was not.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">No one would ever accuse Coppola of not thinking big, so perhaps it was impossible for him to make a small picture. For starters, he tried to make <i>One from the Heart </i>at the same time he transformed the then vacant <span>Hollywood General Studios, that he had just bought, into the Hollywood home of Zoetrope.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiL5VeS32fc1WIv6Hfb-Sf3CiEHgp8jNP0TQ98ZunuFqEGMIuH9ZtJZDrmnKzKAEcFmNRELRUI8UHS1he4kMyvsXbXZFAJXX8tZ6_qNI3BuP_p0953ZFEUsYTfrYqZGchf9XD4jvS9tgGfoYmU7jNymad3Kmz6_nEMDaUSvqLIyY2KZFE4hAqs" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="297" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiL5VeS32fc1WIv6Hfb-Sf3CiEHgp8jNP0TQ98ZunuFqEGMIuH9ZtJZDrmnKzKAEcFmNRELRUI8UHS1he4kMyvsXbXZFAJXX8tZ6_qNI3BuP_p0953ZFEUsYTfrYqZGchf9XD4jvS9tgGfoYmU7jNymad3Kmz6_nEMDaUSvqLIyY2KZFE4hAqs=w263-h400" width="263" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Even though the story of <i>One from the Heart</i> all takes place in one night in Las Vegas, every scene required the construction of a set there on the lot. As if that weren't enough, Coppola conceived a new kind of electronic filmmaking in which storyboards for each scene were recorded on videotape. The video could be reviewed and revised in real time. These dreams of Coppola's conspired to make a "small movie" into a major production. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The highly stylized movie that resulted was more visual and more musical than the average love story. And although this is a musical, the characters don't break into song as they do in a traditional musical. There are numerous ways in which one could interpret the music; I prefer to subscribe to the theory that the songs are inspired by the thoughts of the two main characters.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I don't need to detail the many business difficulties that Coppola encountered during the making of the movie, but it's safe to think that the negative advance publicity played a part in the lackluster reviews that met the initial release. The first week's box office was low, according to the Making of- documentary; Coppola reportedly pulled the film from theaters effectively cancelling its run. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>One from the Heart</i> has a simple story. Taking place on Independence Day, <span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Frannie (Teri Garr) and Hank (</span>Frederic Forrest) complete their fifth anniversary dinner by breaking up. The movie follows each of them as they look for love in their home town of Las Vegas. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">One can say that over the course of the night, the city where nothing is exactly as it seems, provides the perfect setting for Frannie and Hank to each live out their dreams, at least for a little while. It's no spoiler to report that these two find their way back to each other before the night is out. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The dialogue between Frannie and Hank sounds either ultra realistic or partly improvised, or maybe both. What makes this movie really work is the music. When you hear the voice of composer Tom Waits, you are somehow in connection with the mind of the Hank character. S</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">imilarly, when you hear the voice of Crystal Gayle, you know that it's inspired somehow by the Frannie character. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Reviewers watching the movie cold at preview screenings can be forgiven for not getting it. The 2003 revival release on DVD brought a pristine transfer of the film, plus a second disc full of bonus material that included several behind-the-scenes documentaries, as well as </span></span><span>previously unreleased demos and alternate takes from the soundtrack and much, much more. Viewers at home have the advantage of repeat viewing and </span><span>can now more fully appreciate the beauty of </span><i>One from the Heart.</i><span> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="481" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gLBNDvF3XbU" width="578" youtube-src-id="gLBNDvF3XbU"></iframe></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">When it comes to the soundtrack album, I don't think I could love it more. Although I feel that way about far too much music to ever narrow it down, <i>One from the Heart</i> by Tom Waits with Crystal Gayle solidly falls in my all time top ten albums list. It shares the list with albums by The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Bruce Springsteen, just to name a few.</span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Why exactly is that? Well, every album has a number of essential variables that must come together to create greatness. There is the songwriting, the vocals, the instrumental performances, the arrangements, and the production. For my money, the most important ingredient is the songwriting; if all the other elements were at the top of their game, but the songwriting was subpar, you would definitely not have a great album. But, if the songwriting excels and any of the other variables is questionable, you could still have a great album. </div></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">With all of the music beautifully written by Waits, <i>One from the Heart</i>, in my opinion, goes way over the top in every one of those categories I specified above. Longtime Waits fans probably know that his writing can far exceed the gruff exterior he offers on most of his work. But, for these he goes way beyond any other record he's ever made in terms of the smoothness of his voice and the way he carries a melody. There are songs that sound like he is almost crooning; I think he's expressing his inner Louis Armstrong. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>I'm hearing almost the same effect coming from (then country star) Crystal Gayle. I recently took a close listen to her signature hit song, "Don't It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue," which also crossed over to the pop chart (the Billboard Hot 100) where it peaked at #2 for three weeks in 1977. </span><span>That vocal was superb of course, but </span><span>Gayle's</span><span> vocals in </span><i>One from the Heart </i><span>are filled with nuance and emotion and they transcend her country career in ways that the earlier hits only hinted at. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Much has been written about this film soundtrack. I especially loved the writing on <a href="http://www.fainebooks.com/blog/one-from-the-heart-an-underappreciated-movie-soundtrack-part-1 " target="_blank">Edward Allan Faine's blog/podcast</a>, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>"</span>Tom got a huge assist from two unlikely sources—film director Francis Ford Coppola and the serendipitous, genre-busting addition of country singer Crystal Gayle, who, with her pure country voice, limned Waits melodies better than he could himself and, in duets with Tom, wedded that tear in her throat with the gravel in his.</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>"</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br />When I watch the movie now, I notice a slight difference between the music in the movie as compared to the music on the soundtrack album. The songs are the same, but in the movie it might be that the music was recorded in a separate session for the filming. It's almost like hearing a live performance. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Some casual viewers /listeners might not even notice, but I found this small thing exciting. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Yes, I am trying to entice you watch or listen. This is how the film opens.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="495" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wcHtJ3whjX4" width="596" youtube-src-id="wcHtJ3whjX4"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT9FC2T5QdlYdLabJXGxITlj32beg-xpq4kA8tNyTPhKbew8GaL5uQpX53rhQfNw15FpYpxKlGTyLFHPNX2bDFVqK7z0CFuoB_yoGX8eBvO6p2xI3WVDVfGgXNmxgwFU0UV3OT1CnJzQEoWJ7kS7tFJs8jLUCvnlCmfiafq-5qlY1lbd6vpLg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="500" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT9FC2T5QdlYdLabJXGxITlj32beg-xpq4kA8tNyTPhKbew8GaL5uQpX53rhQfNw15FpYpxKlGTyLFHPNX2bDFVqK7z0CFuoB_yoGX8eBvO6p2xI3WVDVfGgXNmxgwFU0UV3OT1CnJzQEoWJ7kS7tFJs8jLUCvnlCmfiafq-5qlY1lbd6vpLg=w320-h317" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><u>Tracklist</u>:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">1. Opening Montage: Tom's Piano Intro/ Once Upon A Town/ The Wages Of Love (instrumental)</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">2. Is There Anyway Out Of This Dream? </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">3. Picking Up After You </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">4. Old Boyfriends </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">5. Broken Bicycles </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">6. I Beg Your Pardon </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">7. Little Boy Blue </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">8. Instrumental Montage: The Tango/ Circus Girl </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">9. You Can't Unring A Bell </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">10. This One's From The Heart </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">11. Take Me Home </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">12. Presents (instrumental).<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Credits: </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">All songs written by Tom Waits. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Bones Howe</i>: engineer, re-mixing, production and sound. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Geoff Howe</i>: engineer. Tim Boyle: second engineer. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Dave Demore</i>: second engineer. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Bob Winder:</i> second engineer. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>David Alexander</i>: front cover photography. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Tom Waits</i>: vocals, piano, orchestra arranger ("Circus Girl"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Crystal Gayle</i>: vocals. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Bob Alcivar</i>: piano ("Once Upon A Town", "Is There Any Way Out Of This Dream?"), orchestra arranger and conductor ("Once Upon A Town", "The Wages Of Love", "I Beg Your Pardon", "Circus Girl", "This One's from The Heart", "Presents"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Greg Cohen</i>: bass ("Once Upon A Town", "The Wages Of Love", "Is There Any Way Out Of This Dream?", "Picking Up After You", "Old Boyfriends", "Broken Bicycles", "I Beg Your Pardon", "Little Boy Blue", "The Tango", "Circus Girl", "You Can't Unring A Bell", "This One's from The Heart", "Presents"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Teddy Edwards</i>: tenor sax ("The Wages Of Love", "Is There Any Way Out Of This Dream?", "I Beg Your Pardon", "Circus Girl", "This One's From The Heart"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Pete Jolly</i>: piano ( "The Wages Of Love", "Picking Up After You", "Broken Bicycles", "I Beg Your Pardon", This One's From The Heart"), accordion ("Circus Girl"), celeste ( "Presents"). - <i>Dennis Budimir</i>: guitar ( "The Wages Of Love", Old Boyfriends"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Shelly Manne</i>: drums ("The Wages Of Love", "Is There Any Way Out Of This Dream?", "Old Boyfriends"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Jack Sheldon</i>: trumpet ("Picking Up After You", "I Beg Your Pardon", "The Tango", "Circus Girl", "This One's From The Heart"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Gayle Levant</i>: harp ("I Beg Your Pardon", "This One's From The Heart", "Presents"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Emil Richards</i>: vibes ("I Beg Your Pardon"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Ronnie Barron</i>: organ ("Little Boy Blue"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>John Thomassie</i>: percussion ("Little Boy Blue"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Gene Cipriano</i>: tenor sax ("The Tango"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Larry Bunker</i>: drums ("The Tango"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Chuck Findley</i>: trumpet ("Circus Girl"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Dick Hyde</i>: trombone ("Circus Girl"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Don Waldrop</i>: tuba ("Circus Girl"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Lonny Morgan</i>: woodwinds ("Circus Girl"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>John Lowe</i>: woodwinds ("Circus Girl"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Leslie Thompson</i>: harmonica ("Circus Girl"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Victor Feldman</i>: tymps ("You Can't Unring A Bell"). </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Joe Porcaro</i>: Glockenspiel ("Presents").</span></div><div><div><span face="sans-serif"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRg2VvkjMvr_V1wDYNQRkGp4BOh05Viq25QYqUPoHGKyxVw3s6GID2hbFvdSIFdsOvqQG7mzcr8RDIhRp-yg_UAW1uC6vfZi87sp8CoVOd1mIyUU4fMXP5ePJ2MpJaUrtW2TZsjI28msjezTzEUxtfEDIwYN4v2s6SBSosBNvP806yA1YZ5OQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRg2VvkjMvr_V1wDYNQRkGp4BOh05Viq25QYqUPoHGKyxVw3s6GID2hbFvdSIFdsOvqQG7mzcr8RDIhRp-yg_UAW1uC6vfZi87sp8CoVOd1mIyUU4fMXP5ePJ2MpJaUrtW2TZsjI28msjezTzEUxtfEDIwYN4v2s6SBSosBNvP806yA1YZ5OQ=s16000" /></span></a></div></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-67505717349485687962022-08-07T19:05:00.002-04:002022-08-09T16:13:01.573-04:00Richard Harris - MacArthur Park (1968); Irish Actor Harris Takes the Song You Loved To Hate To # 2, Inspiring Tons of Cover Versions Including One By Will Lee Who Crushes It Live On Letterman<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><img alt="" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-NvqHyza-3dTRmiSJpwR_mNOYnsiW4eV0aQpzieP8gDF294_D-GfyfYcShS9ScSShVpmWu9V6vSvub7SUjNc5xsV08VaNhiNNmeWwyX8Gc8Fl8mQQJNkywAaA6uiHJxPBws32xWk-uDXphyHwxEDfQx-4GAQMMAHHu-Aae4U4gAUc6BUYID8=w633-h357" style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;" width="633" /></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;">Photo: Tourism Media. MacArthur Park, L.A., California</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Gems From the Singles Box</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">"MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris </span><span style="text-align: center;">reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of 1968. Harris has been know to say that although he was not a singer, he approached the song as an actor and he gave it his all. The songwriter Jimmy Webb, who also played harpsichord on the Harris track, had a long and successful career penning hits for the likes of The 5th Dimension ("Up, Up and Away"), The Brooklyn Bridge ("Worst That Could Happen"), and many hits for Glen Campbell (including "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", and "Galveston"), just to name a few. But Webb really outdid himself when he wrote "MacArthur Park". </span></div></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="300" height="603" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnIOAer6XhTeuJHIpryqSVgru0m-sz1Dt1HIz3vR6v1G3xYmH7rnF36HbNtx0wNspKVQ07WxubmC1ist_pyH1W3kb-3uC6kFLokOMeN7CfVZ4Be0a1TpAQUWKL4HhnDkMwnsKpRbYieWe9vZ6-sPslKGGoyh5xoKzLHsciBNnxcpzJjv-g-do=w354-h603" style="text-align: center;" width="354" /></span><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-h5964smnjmtFrhwpOtrjNqscGQEmpl1ycfUbM1Oi9BulDxOyHH5YkCDXJCvn_V1VbygO_DMcto6GF7-Q9eQ9r8A6rKbL5cAaM2S0osX32lAnkRew9J4fy0i14gezIDC8z0blOE90QnK3mJWzYqF9iV_-gWDb4MnaO6K0Agc1cZ-gMoGnSDc=w296-h292" width="296" /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Photo: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">Larry Ellis/Daily Express</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When "MacArthur Park" was released as a single, it was one of the longest songs ever to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. For comparison, "Hey Jude" by The Beatles was a long one, too, clocking in at 7:11 while most hit singles fell around 3 minutes, plus or minus. When "MacArthur Park" was played in rotation at most Top 40 stations in May and June of 1968, the reaction was huge. Webb has explained that he wrote the song about a failed relationship, in which they had spent a good deal of time in the actual MacArthur Park in LA.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Listen to Richard Harris' version of "MacArthur Park"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sD-zTwi3_GU" width="566" youtube-src-id="sD-zTwi3_GU"></iframe></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Listeners fell into several camps regarding the lyrics, either good, bad, or laughable. The metaphoric lyrics were certainly open to interpretation, but something about the record piqued the interest of musicians, record collectors, basically the entire music community. Once ignited, that passion has continued for over 50 years to this day. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/5930" target="_blank">Second Hand Songs</a> lists nearly 200 versions of "MacArthur Park" including well over 100 vocal covers; the remaining are instrumentals. Chartwise, only Donna Summer's disco version did better than the Harris original, scoring a #1 in 1978. Interestingly, when Richard Harris peaked at #2, the record that kept him out of the #1 spot was "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fun Fact: In Alpert's long career (he's still going), "This Guy's In Love With You" was his only vocal performance and he had to be talked into it by the song's composer, Burt Bacharach. But, I digress.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Sampling some of the many covers is both fun and informative. Many of them are over-wrought as you might expect. On the other hand, Dionne Warwick sounds a little too relaxed, never letting down that veneer of cool sophistication. Diana Ross, who cut a version with The Supremes, sounds positively supreme. In the Motor City, the Four Tops scored a Top 40 single with their live version. I'm a fan of Levi Stubbs and his group, but I would rather hear them go even heavier on the soul and less reverential to the original. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">One of the most surprisingly excellent versions was done by Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins as an instrumental guitar duet. Longtime fans of Atkins would expect such from a guitar master, but while Reed had guitar prowess of his own, he was known more for his singing on hit country songs like "Amos Moses."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Of the many covers of </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"MacArthur Park," a few others stand out. Glen Campbell's version contained a somewhat unexpected treat; Campbell himself plays an electric guitar solo during the instrumental break. </span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>One of the best cover versions <span>comes from a live performance by Will Lee with Letterman's studio band. As detailed below, Letterman gave the guest musician slot</span></span><span> to a special performance of </span>"MacArthur Park" and augmented the usual studio band with so many additional players that the assembled musicians began to look like an actual orchestra, lending credence to the name The CBS Orchestra. The studio band adopted the name when they moved over to CBS from NBC. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This version is such a tribute to the Harris original that Lee even sings</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"MacArthur's Park" as Harris (mistakenly) did. Lee would be the first to tell you that he's no Richard Harris, but man 'o man he does the song proud. Plus, he has a tremendous falsetto. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Lee is like a music super hero. It starts with playing bass and other instruments as a session musician with credits on literally hundreds of albums; he also produces many more. In that same vein, Lee is the music director for multiple artists' concerts, the kind with a house band (such as the Love Rocks NYC annual benefit concert). He has also played in David Letterman's studio band dating back to Letterman's daytime show (1980). Lee co-founded the world's premier Beatles tribute band, The Fab Faux, in which his participation continues to this day. Somehow, with all that, he found time to write and record three solo albums. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="441" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BnZGnWauxBI" width="569" youtube-src-id="BnZGnWauxBI"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Many thanks to Will Lee for this description from his YouTube page:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My version of how it went down:
This great and controversial song penned by Jimmy Webb, was something David Letterman originally had in mind for us, The CBS Orchestra, to do as a “bumper” song (going in and out of commercials). We tried it out at rehearsal one night and I think Paul went back to Dave and reported that it was sounding pretty good. At that point, Dave said “Let’s do it as a feature”. </span> </div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A little history:
This song has been in my life for decades. I was nervous and humbled to be asked to sing it, even though, unlike the seasoned pros that have handled it in the past who had multiple takes, or at least lots of rehearsals, before presenting it to the public, we had one chance to get it right. </span> </div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my opinion, Richard Harris defined MacArthur Park, with his flawless performance on the huge hit version and nobody will ever come close. There have been outstanding cover versions by, among others, Glen Campbell, Wayne Newton, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Donna Summer, Waylon Jennings, Sammy Davis Jr., Maynard Ferguson, even Weird Al Yankovik. In fact I sang it way back in 1971 in college, as a duet with Mike Gerber in a performance with the University Of Miami Jazz Band, under the direction of Jerry Coker. In 2006 Jimmy Webb and I, with full orchestra, backed Will Farrell at Carnegie Hall doing a comedic version for Trudy Styler and Sting’s Rainforest Benefit. More recently, I was performing MacArthur Park with a trio I was doing with drummer Chad Smith and GE Smith!
I knew I had to do my homework for this. It’s The Late Show with David Letterman!! You get one attempt. There are no “do overs”. I tried everything possible not to have to use the headset “Britney Spears” microphone and asked the sound sound crew to try every other alternative, but nothing was smooth enough for me to sing from that first position in the orchestra and then later over at the big cake....
Probably the thing that calmed me down the most was the fact that I had come up with the idea to invite Jimmy Webb himself to be there to perform the song with us. He was more nervous than I was! He hadn’t played that harpsichord intro since the original recording session- he felt so pressured, I ended up trying to comfort him!
Dig Felicia Collins' burnin' guitar solo!
Paul Shaffer sez:
I think Dave had always pictured it as a feature, but initially he just mentioned it to me as a title he’d like to hear. I brought it in as a bumper first, then it became a feature the way you said. Once it did, Dave became adamant about wanting the entire 6 1/2 minutes of the original arrangement. Again I wasn’t sure if he was joking, but 33 years of television training caused me to look for a cut. With your approval, we took out one repeat of the instrumental, maybe 40 seconds. Should have done the whole thing. I am reminded that Vivino did the chart for the sweet soul medley. Can you post that somehow? Anyway, Malone did this chart, And it was one of his best. We booked enough musicians to represent all the sections of Jimmy Webb’s orchestra, just a little smaller, and using string synth to augment the strings. When you asked me to get Jimmy to play, I was able to tell you I had already booked him. You could leave that out if you want. Jimmy suggested that he play harpsichord, as he had on the original, with Larry Knechtel on piano. Jimmy also asked if Felicia could wail over the instrumental, citing a Glen Campbell live video in which he did so. Felicia loved what Glen had played and use the dish as her template. I came up with the cake idea, as if you didn’t have enough to worry about. You kept referring to it as “the comedy”, but I was sure that, while it brought a smile, it was inspiring. Jimmy's wife agreed. Afterwards, when Jimmy and I were talking about your performance, and I said, “And how about that last note?” He said, “it took three women on the record to sing that last note!”
How was it to do this? SCARY! But I had to go for it.......!
</span></div><div><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">One measure of a song's success is when someone records a parody version, and </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"MacArthur Park" got one of the best. Weird Al Yankovich, who began his career with schtick like converting "My Sharona" into "My Bologna" over many years, developed the song parody into an art form on his own. His </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"MacArthur Park" parody,</span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> "Jurassic Park," works on several levels; he carefully duplicates the music and even the phrasing of the Richard Harris original while writing all new lyrics that tell the story of the movie</span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> Jurassic Park</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">. The music video uses claymation to send up the movie. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Bonus Video: Watch the video of Al Yankovic's claymation version of </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">"MacArthur Park"</span></span></span></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="367" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gh4zvQfDhi0" width="575" youtube-src-id="gh4zvQfDhi0"></iframe></span></div></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-51212680683882125862022-07-19T18:39:00.003-04:002022-07-19T18:39:49.938-04:00ChimyTina - Constellations: Martina DaSilva and Dan “Chimy” Chmielinski Have Released a Superb Second Album Featuring Guest Stars Galore<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> <img alt="" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="2205" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuY75A1RDMYorP_bduAyvjuqYNQqJMENNKj_x3NrrzSIk5GrbTaXQjkksPIBZjlRYDAD0nE9PlIXor3jBEW6fGTZ6UrZr4KO2tbhbx-H3WPrq5jQQy1mq-s06C4k9PQkNg9Eo4uTDEnunV7y3kH3qJXRmSl5rD9ESotYLxzry14mcmcxX5ByE=w640-h426" style="text-align: center;" width="640" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">Photos courtesy of the artists</span></span></p><p></p><div style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Having gotten their start in 2014 posting DIY videos that went viral due to their artistic excellence, </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Martina DaSilva and Dan “Chimy” Chmielinski performing as ChimyTina, released their debut full length album in 2019. The album, which featured their take on a number of Christmas classics, knocked me out with its groundbreaking arrangements and the sound of their performance, especially the voice of Martina DaSilva. I enjoyed it so much in fact, I sought out DaSilva's earlier work with The Ladybugs. The jazz repertoire of Christmas music has been done so many times in so many ways that to break through you really need to do something different and do it quite well. That they did.</span></span></div><div style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLPcTRzn2QpfjEgk4lbVPJE-Np7H32T58h8ZDV3ay6Q_RvTZxbUOI7inQFDvyOuW8aGhzsLBbYnwsbNBGC2lS0Fb9ZXR7UKvDvx5-uJc3pX1TDrHPr2JHl42aCr5IK1DWhUlpUuCeKH_HE0QLe0fMEHos8SOIPSd0LubqOvLqWpcCJLUxvyBQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="2560" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLPcTRzn2QpfjEgk4lbVPJE-Np7H32T58h8ZDV3ay6Q_RvTZxbUOI7inQFDvyOuW8aGhzsLBbYnwsbNBGC2lS0Fb9ZXR7UKvDvx5-uJc3pX1TDrHPr2JHl42aCr5IK1DWhUlpUuCeKH_HE0QLe0fMEHos8SOIPSd0LubqOvLqWpcCJLUxvyBQ=w319-h319" width="319" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">For their second album <i>Constellations,</i> <span>ChimyTina applies their innovative arrangements to some jazz standards, as well as a pair of new originals penned by DaSilva. The originals are "Twin Flame" (watch the video, below) and "My Universe". The basic composition of ChimyTina is Dan </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Chmielinski (Chimy) on upright bass and Martina DaSilva (Tina) on vocals. The amazing part is that their combined sound is so complete that you won't even miss the players that aren't there. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Even still, most of the tracks on </span><i>Constellations </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">feature special guests whose solos beautifully add to what Chimy and Tina are laying down. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The original, "Twin Flame", has no special guest on the album version, but it does have </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Chmielinski playing triple-bass by multi-tracking. The other original, "My Universe", features a superb vibraphone accompaniment by Joel Ross. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Marquis Hill adds his distinctive trumpet to two tracks, starting with the jazz standard "I </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Want to Be Happy," which opens the album. Hill also plays on "Smile," the Charlie Chaplin standard (written by Charlie Chaplin, John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons), which rarely sounds as good as it does in ChimyTina's capable hands. </span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible !important; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Regarding the second song, the press release refers to DaSilva's background, "</span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">A common thread throughout the ChimyTina discography is the nod to Martina’s Brazilian heritage. <span style="backface-visibility: visible !important; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Here, this is realized on “</span><span style="backface-visibility: visible !important; box-sizing: border-box;">As Praias Desertas,</span><span style="backface-visibility: visible !important; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">” a lesser known Antônio Carlos Jobim composition. Augmenting this entrancingly beautiful arrangement is </span><span style="backface-visibility: visible !important; box-sizing: border-box;">Ken Kubota</span><span style="backface-visibility: visible !important; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> whose versatility as both a classical cellist and accompanist, with his guitar-like strumming mastery, shaped the arrangement into a full-fledged spectacle that paints a vivid image of 'deserted beaches'. "</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigVWqlwfEPQVyUpRLQD9xEJXkO6BFwVJTvvtte7itmhAtHTAXsC0rgoyj856BXUR6bnTiB-ByLRfw0VJmm85mhER1_Up1_bPqAY89kmCvGRf2c_KeTMfV2FO6GMRA4mShiAdeadrPQfTbK_aF6CmqK2yUXQuwInIaYxcG5UVey6GNO4SgZhWQ" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigVWqlwfEPQVyUpRLQD9xEJXkO6BFwVJTvvtte7itmhAtHTAXsC0rgoyj856BXUR6bnTiB-ByLRfw0VJmm85mhER1_Up1_bPqAY89kmCvGRf2c_KeTMfV2FO6GMRA4mShiAdeadrPQfTbK_aF6CmqK2yUXQuwInIaYxcG5UVey6GNO4SgZhWQ=w338-h338" width="338" /></span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">"Deep Night" (Charles E. Henderson, Rudy Vallee) features special guest Andrew Renfroe on a very mellow guitar. Renfroe similarly brings his tasteful touch to "It's All In Your Mind", written by Charles LaVere. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Most listeners will recognize the George and Ira Gershwin tune, "Nice Work If You Can Get It", which features the tenor saxophone of Lucas Pino in a splendid arrangement. Pino's sax is also key to the arrangement of "I'll Never Be The Same". The song, another jazz standard, was written by Matty Malneck, Frank Signorelli and Gus Kahn. </span></div></div><div style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Special guest Grace Kelly's alto saxophone helps give "Trouble In Mind" a decidedly noir-ish feel. Kelly is a gifted young phenom; a singer, songwriter, and musician with an enormous list of accomplishments. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">"Trouble In Mind" was composed by Richard M. Jones.</span></div><div style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I feel like Norah Jones paved the way for the type of arrangement that ChimyTina gives to the Hank Williams' composition "Cold, Cold Heart". You have to love the way that with just a bass backing, DaSilva's vocal makes all other instruments unnecessary. </span></div><div style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">For the last song: "<span style="backface-visibility: visible !important; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The album finale features a triple-bass arrangement of a song near and dear to both Chmielinski and DaSilva: Billy Strayhorn’s “</span><span style="backface-visibility: visible !important; box-sizing: border-box;">Lush Life</span><span style="backface-visibility: visible !important; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">”. Here, Chmielinski aims to invoke awe, reflection and elegance in a fresh take on a classic recorded so many times. Inspired by his upbringing around bass ensembles, the bassist demonstrates both accompaniment, lyrical bowing and a virtuosic solo aiming for nothing short of an authentic relationship that he has to this song" (<i>from the press release</i>).</span></span></div><p style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">So, I would say that ChimyTina is two for two in long players released, and we can enjoy this one while we see what this dynamic duo does next. Below the tracklist for </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Constellations</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">, watch the complete album release show at Joe's Pub for a taste of what they sound like live.</span></p><h1 class="title style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2; background: rgb(249, 249, 249); border: 0px; color: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary)); display: -webkit-box; font-size: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-size,var(--yt-navbar-title-font-size,inherit)); line-height: 2.6rem; margin: 0px; max-height: 5.2rem; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-shadow: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-text-shadow,none); transform: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-transform,none);"><yt-formatted-string class="style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer" force-default-style="" style="word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Twin Flame (original) // ChimyTina feat. Gabe Schnider</span></yt-formatted-string></h1><p style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">"</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">I wrote this song specifically for our new album, "Constellations". We recorded it a few months after the other songs were finished, and we unfortunately didn't get any of that session on film. I still really wanted to make a video for this song, so we decided to do a live version in my living room! Chimy wrote & played a gorgeous, triple-bass accompaniment for this one, which can't be done live (he's only one person lol) so we enlisted our dear friend, guitarist Gabe Schnider, to help us bring it to life at home. Hope you enjoy :)" - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: var(--ytd-channel-name-text-font-size); font-weight: var(--ytd-channel-name-text-font-weight);">Martina DaSilva</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="487" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QdhKDsk38ss" width="586" youtube-src-id="QdhKDsk38ss"></iframe></span></div><h1 class="title style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2; background: rgb(249, 249, 249); border: 0px; color: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary)); display: -webkit-box; font-size: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-size,var(--yt-navbar-title-font-size,inherit)); font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.6rem; margin: 0px; max-height: 5.2rem; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-shadow: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-text-shadow,none); transform: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-transform,none);"><yt-formatted-string class="style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer" force-default-style="" style="word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span></yt-formatted-string></h1><p style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Tracklist:</span></b></p><ol style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 0px 25px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>I Want to Be Happy</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> feat. Marquis Hill (Vincent Youmans, Irving Caesar) </span>2:25 </span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>As Praias Desertas</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> feat. Ken Kubota (Antônio Carlos Jobim) </span>3:43</span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Deep Night</b> feat. Andrew Renfroe </span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Charles E. Henderson, Rudy Vallee) </span>4:09 </span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Smile</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> feat. Marquis Hill (Charlie Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons) </span>4:25</span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Nice Work If You Can Get It</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> feat. Lucas Pino (George and Ira Gershwin) </span>2:45</span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Twin Flame</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Martina DaSilva) </span>1:35</span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>I’ll Never Be The Same</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> feat. Lucas Pino (Matty Malneck, Frank Signorelli, Gus Kahn) </span>4:25 </span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>It’s All In Your Mind</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> feat. Andrew Renfroe (Charles La Vere) </span>4:21</span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Cold Cold Heart</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Hank Williams)</span> <span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2:28</span></span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>My Universe</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> feat. Joel Ross (Martina DaSilva) </span>4:35</span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Trouble in Mind</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> feat. Grace Kelly (Richard M. Jones)</span> 3:53</span></li><li style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.9em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Lush Life</b></span><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Billy Strayhorn) </span>4:47 </span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>Bonus video:</b> Watch the complete Album Release Show at Joe's Pub, June 14, 2022 (Performance starts at 15:00).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="555" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lPN3U_Nw26A" width="667" youtube-src-id="lPN3U_Nw26A"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Many thanks to Joe's Pub for the video.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-34979942072723529232022-07-05T21:10:00.000-04:002022-07-05T21:10:31.869-04:00Joel Whitburn, RIP; We Say Goodbye to Joel Whitburn, The Father of Music Chart Analysis<div class="css-1vkm6nb ehdk2mb0" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><h1 class="css-1l8buln e1h9rw200" data-testid="headline" id="link-764ae0b9" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 2.875rem; margin: 0px auto 0.5rem; max-width: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="Menomonee Falls native Joel Whitburn, a pop music chart legend, died on June 14. He was 82." class="gnt_em_img_i" decoding="async" elementtiming="ar-lead-image" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/06/15/PMJS/b2893ddf-ce5e-453b-ae54-add8433c8b52-Historic_mja24040.jpg?width=660&height=433&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp" srcset="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/06/15/PMJS/b2893ddf-ce5e-453b-ae54-add8433c8b52-Historic_mja24040.jpg?width=1320&height=866&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp 2x" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: white; font-family: "Georgia Pro", Georgia, "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; height: 433px; object-fit: contain; text-align: start; width: 660px;" /></span></h1><div style="color: #333333; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Photo: Tom Lynn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel</span></div><div style="color: #333333; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In February 1964, when The Beatles played on Ed Sullivan, my world changed forever. Even though I was only ten at the time and my mom bought <i>Meet The Beatles</i> for me, somehow it took until 1965 for me to discover record stores and then it was all over (<i>I've written about these events previously in this blog</i>). Record stores, for me, started with Gimbels' record department. In those days, most department stores had a record department. Some were even good; I'm thinking not only of Gimbels, but EJ Korvettes and Sears, which had record departments that could compete with record stores. In the 60s, whatever the record store, they all had survey sheets from the local Top 40 stations. In Philadelphia, we had WIBG (990am) with a weekly survey of the Top 99 records of the week. Later, WFIL (560am) joined the fray with their Famous 56 survey. Both of the surveys reflected sales and airplay. Ultimately, data such as this contributed to the <i>Billboard Hot 100</i>. There were other weekly publications with record charts, such as <i>Cashbox</i> and <i>Record World</i>, and later <i>Radio and Records</i>; all of the publications had their place, but for the radio industry Billboard was the behemoth. </span></div><div style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">When I wasn't haunting record stores, the next best thing was a good bookstore. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">The bookstore in question was the Bradd Alan Bookstore, which was located in the Cheltenham Shopping Center, an open air mall that was apparently ahead of its time, in suburban Philadelphia. Some of my classmates may have gone there for their wide array of </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Cliff Notes</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">, while I was primarily interested in their science fiction section and the newly released paperbacks. Bradd Alan also had a great magazine section. It was where I discovered the early issues of </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Rolling Stone Magazine</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> when they first started publishing in late 1967. It was also around then that I first discovered </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Billboard Magazine</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">. Everything about </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Billboard</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> seemed interesting, especially the charts. </span></div><div style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">In researching this piece, we ran across the information that one song was #1 for four consecutive weeks in December '67. When Bev asked me to name that record, I knocked us both over with the correct answer, and not just the artist, but the song as well. I didn't actually know it, but I did make an educated guess. If you'd like to play, the answer is at the end of this article. </span></div><div style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Although it might seem cheap now, the .$75 cover price was a dealbreaker for this thirteen year old nascent record collector, more or less at the beginning of his obsession. That price rose quickly to $1.00 per weekly issue, which seems pretty minuscule now that the cover price is $16.99. Of course, today there are better deals to be had subscribing with numerous options. Fortunately, I became a radio disc jockey in the 1970s with ample access to </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Billboard.</i></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">One other interesting fact that we noticed while writing this piece was that <i>Billboard Magazine</i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">actually started in 1894. In its early days, it tracked things like actual billboards, hence the name. They began covering music in the 1930s.</span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I feel like I've always known the name of </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Joel Whitburn, primarily from his advertising. I never had the pleasure of perusing one of his books. </span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Richard Sandomir's piece in <i>The New York Times</i> is loaded with good information. I didn't know, for example, that the Hot 100 started in 1958 and that on that first chart that Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool" was #1. As </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Sandomir points out, all the data that Whitburn derived from the charts tells some incredible stories. To me, it is remarkable that Whitburn tracked six different charts manually and compiled his early books without the assistance of a computer. Even more impressive to me is the fact that Whitburn maintained a collection of every record to hit the Hot 100 and that he kept that collection in a vault. Please read Sandomir's article, and for safe-keeping and convenience, I am reprinting the article below as well as linking to the original on the NYTimes site. </span></div><div style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h1 class="css-1l8buln e1h9rw200" data-testid="headline" id="link-764ae0b9" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 2.875rem; margin: 0px auto 0.5rem; max-width: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/17/arts/joel-whitburn-tireless-researcher-of-music-charts-dies-at-82.html" target="_blank">Joel Whitburn, Tireless Researcher of Music Charts, Dies at 82</a></span></h1></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px auto 1.875rem; max-width: 600px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">His numerous books delved deeply into the Billboard charts, developing what an admirer called “the de facto history of recorded music.”</span></div><p class="css-1n0orw4 e1wiw3jv0" id="article-summary" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px auto 1.875rem; max-width: 600px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkUhyx5tq_cEK8Fw948NTwJYqquX9yin7evRYaLkcrEs2GwAbqEOpveloyC8yYorDBOcTNVL7HEVN8sJ96rmhBukioKC3d-2DnV3wHY7_j8iqrfZxn5pqBo8_qHLEI0HMxdHa8kU-e7InUsIDnqDLfs4O5Ksj_feawjB2ZB8dJPOSGiu_alrk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkUhyx5tq_cEK8Fw948NTwJYqquX9yin7evRYaLkcrEs2GwAbqEOpveloyC8yYorDBOcTNVL7HEVN8sJ96rmhBukioKC3d-2DnV3wHY7_j8iqrfZxn5pqBo8_qHLEI0HMxdHa8kU-e7InUsIDnqDLfs4O5Ksj_feawjB2ZB8dJPOSGiu_alrk=w524-h348" width="524" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><span aria-hidden="true" class="css-jevhma e13ogyst0" face="nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif" style="border: 0px; color: #727272; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.25rem; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">The record researcher Joel Whitburn in 2016. His personal collection includes every single ever to make a Billboard chart.</span><span class="css-1u46b97 e1z0qqy90" face="nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif" style="border: 0px; color: #727272; display: inline; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.01em; line-height: 1.125rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0" style="border: 0px; clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 1px; line-height: inherit; margin: -1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px;">Credit...</span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span aria-hidden="false" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">Adam Ryan Morris, for Milwaukee Magazine</span></span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">By Richard Sandomir, New York Times, June 17, 2022 </span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Joel Whitburn, who relentlessly mined Billboard’s music charts to fill reference books that tell the statistical stories of pop, rock, country, R&B, hip-hop and dance hits since 1940, died on Tuesday at his home in Menomonee Falls, Wis. He was 82.</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">His death was confirmed by Paul Haney, a longtime researcher and editor at Record Research, Mr. Whitburn’s publishing company. He did not specify a cause. <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Mr. Whitburn was a music lover whose personal collection — meticulously curated in his basement and, later, in a vault — totals more than 200,000 records, including every single ever to make a Billboard chart.</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“I go in that library alone — all these records — and it’s like they’re all my old friends,” he said in an interview with The Minneapolis Star Tribune in 1986. </span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Mr. Whitburn published nearly 300 books (counting updated editions), most of them highly detailed chart histories of hit records and albums. He started cataloging records on index cards and turned that project into his first volume, “Top Pop Singles,” published in 1970. Computers came much later. </span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Disc jockeys and record collectors were among his first customers. But his books also became important additions to other music fans’ libraries. Nearly all used Billboard charts, but Mr. Whitburn also dug into those that were published by the trade magazines Cash Box, Record World and Radio & Records. </span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“He had a profound impact on the music industry as a whole,” Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard’s senior vice president of charts and data development, said in a phone interview. “He was the first person to catalog the history of charted music, and by doing so it became the de facto history of recorded music.”</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">He added, “Joel’s chronicling of the Hot 100 gave it a significant stamp of approval nationally.”</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0CiLEmH6OOsftkS8ifOrIOejR_WpdwS1q24AU8slYY7CkK-XmhuEMQIFFjNTf-u2Hcil7FgdIQRFeNB8hXF7MZFNDIA9oSCHZ5EegXnQUiA8A8zfDMq7GNgfzEH9SgX8pKmBW7djG4-W9Ses7bOvI35xJ2-9jvWPKTUdHEvUYUEOVuR50lXQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0CiLEmH6OOsftkS8ifOrIOejR_WpdwS1q24AU8slYY7CkK-XmhuEMQIFFjNTf-u2Hcil7FgdIQRFeNB8hXF7MZFNDIA9oSCHZ5EegXnQUiA8A8zfDMq7GNgfzEH9SgX8pKmBW7djG4-W9Ses7bOvI35xJ2-9jvWPKTUdHEvUYUEOVuR50lXQ=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">His books, with generic titles and alphabetical listings by artist or group, covered vast musical territory: “Top R&B Singles, 1942-2016,” “Hit Country Records, 1954-1982,” “Across the Charts: The Sixties.”</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The ninth edition of “The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits” (2010) listed 52 Beatles songs, with the dates each song entered the Top 40, from the first (“I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” on Jan. 25, 1964) to the last (“Real Love,” made by the surviving Beatles from demos cut by John Lennon, on March 23, 1996); their peak chart positions; how long the songs stayed on the chart; how long they remained in the No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 spot; informational nuggets (like the fact that “Please Please Me,” the band’s fourth Top 40 hit, was recorded in 1962); and the record label (usually Capitol, later Apple, but also a few others in the early days).</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">He also published books containing a given decade’s worth of charts.</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In his review of “Top Pop Singles, 1955-2006” (2007), the Los Angeles Times pop music critic Robert Hilburn noted that Mr. Whitburn augmented his updates to the book with new elements. “This time,” he wrote, “he borrows a page from baseball batting averages and assigns a ‘hit average’ to recording artists.”</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Mr. Whitburn explained his fascination with Billboard’s charts — and the reason for his venture’s success — in an interview with that magazine in 2014.</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“I’m just a huge music fan, and I love the charts,” he said. “I enjoy following artists’ success. There’s just a joy in that. It’s a weekly thrill. And there are millions more like me all over the world.”</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgroNxDvJwHZAMZ9LuvEDOx61HtxWYC9pGS_JPRp0KXGsf-iRYFOHp5Uinz2en5mU5IaCOA9rIb186Flg_MlzFAobsoPzFGS9V_AaKtcmG1wIOfL_6-r5p0F97uVjKoXv96lEvL_T10hh_lDaUQmIcaU9afxJReXpMJ03Ou3JgQt6RfwcQOrJA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgroNxDvJwHZAMZ9LuvEDOx61HtxWYC9pGS_JPRp0KXGsf-iRYFOHp5Uinz2en5mU5IaCOA9rIb186Flg_MlzFAobsoPzFGS9V_AaKtcmG1wIOfL_6-r5p0F97uVjKoXv96lEvL_T10hh_lDaUQmIcaU9afxJReXpMJ03Ou3JgQt6RfwcQOrJA=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span color="var(--color-content-quaternary,#727272)" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.01em; text-align: left;">Adam Ryan Morris, for Milwaukee Magazine</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">Joel Carver Whitburn was born on Nov. 29, 1939, in Wauwatosa, Wis. His father, Russell, worked for a local electrical company. His mother, Ruth (Bird) Whitburn, was a homemaker.</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Joel was already a music lover when, at age 12, he saw copies of Billboard for sale at a bus station in Milwaukee. His mother gave him a quarter to buy it, and while reading it at home he was gobsmacked by the information it offered.</span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“All of a sudden, I knew what the No. 1 song in the nation was,” he said in an interview in 2009 with the music journalist Larry LeBlanc for the entertainment website CelebrityAccess. “I had no idea that there was a chart that told you that information.”<br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span color="var(--color-content-secondary,#363636)" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">He later became a subscriber, and he held on to every issue.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Mr. Whitburn attended Elmhurst College (now University) in Illinois and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, but did not graduate. He worked at several jobs before he was hired to represent RCA Records, having told a company distributor in Milwaukee how much he loved music. He was told of a new venture featuring eight-track tapes and got a job setting up eight-track departments at stores in Wisconsin and Illinois. While working for RCA, he met artists like Chet Atkins and Charley Pride.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">By then he was deep into his Billboard research as a hobby, using stacks of the magazines that he had collected since 1954. He focused his work on the Hot 100 chart, which began in 1958, jotting down artists’ names and record information on index cards.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">“The first card I wrote up,” he told Mr. LeBlanc, was ‘Nelson, Ricky, “Poor Little Fool.”’ That was the first No. 1 song on the first Hot 100.”</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">He quit his job at RCA in 1970 to devote himself full time to his books.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">When the first edition of “Top Pop Singles” was completed in 1970, he took out a tiny advertisement in Billboard that promised buyers a history of the Hot 100. Hal Cook, the magazine’s publisher, spotted the ad and called Mr. Whitburn.</span></p><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">“You can’t be using the Hot 100 in an ad,” Mr. Whitburn, in the 2014 interview, recalled Mr. Cook telling him. “Not without our permission.” Rather than threaten Mr. Whitburn with a lawsuit, Mr. Cook asked to see the book.</span></div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXUH28dUbkZnswGRkwsA3nodRbb_A_mufTUaKiAXMeCzjS2Q7EeRiqXddHi2s7yA_WOzY2OdJLJy_6-MgdVS6X-vxaaqiBtItOsJmiINioopX_kD7NGYiEOfAnkbVN-rKJDKjZ0I1QhwVl6GAwuwbxtC4z0FpSEydJOWhZQi7wX2iTR6OJ5Cs" style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span><img alt="" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXUH28dUbkZnswGRkwsA3nodRbb_A_mufTUaKiAXMeCzjS2Q7EeRiqXddHi2s7yA_WOzY2OdJLJy_6-MgdVS6X-vxaaqiBtItOsJmiINioopX_kD7NGYiEOfAnkbVN-rKJDKjZ0I1QhwVl6GAwuwbxtC4z0FpSEydJOWhZQi7wX2iTR6OJ5Cs=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a><br /><span><span aria-hidden="true" class="css-jevhma e13ogyst0" style="border: 0px; color: #727272; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.25rem; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">“I’m just a huge music fan, and I love the charts,” Mr. Whitburn once said. “I enjoy following artists’ success. There’s just a joy in that.” </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #727272; font-family: trebuchet; letter-spacing: 0.18px; text-align: left;">Adam Ryan Morris, for Milwaukee Magazine</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: var(--color-content-secondary,#363636); font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.875rem; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px;"><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></p><p></p></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Two weeks later, Mr. Whitburn said, Mr. Cook called. “He said: ‘Joel, we got the book. It’s amazing. We love it.’” And he conceded that Billboard’s attempts to develop a similar book had failed. He paid for Mr. Whitburn and his wife, Fran, to come to Los Angeles.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;">After three days, Mr. Whitburn returned home with a 26-page licensing agreement that gave him the exclusive right to use the Billboard charts in his books, in return for royalties he would pay Billboard.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;">With that permission, Mr. Whitburn built an empire of music research unlike any other.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">He is survived by his wife, Frances (Mudgett) Whitburn; his daughter, Kim Bloxdorf, a vice president at Record Research; his sisters, Joyce Riehl and Julie Rae Niermeyer; his brothers, Charles and David; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The veteran disc jockey Scott Shannon, currently heard on WCBS-FM in New York, said he bought his first copy of “Top Pop Singles” when he was working at a radio station in Mobile, Ala., in the early 1970s. He has bought some of the updated editions since, keeping one copy at the station and one at home.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“There was no other place to go for information about artists, and I wanted to be the authority on the music we were playing at the time,” Mr. Shannon said in a phone interview. “If you use it properly, you sound smarter than you are to the listener and sharper than the next jock.”</div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12px;">A version of this article appears in print on </span><span class="css-1dmwf73" data-testid="todays-date" datetime="2022-06-19T04:00:00.000Z" face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; display: inline; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">June 19, 2022</span><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12px;">, Section </span><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12px;">A</span><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12px;">, Page </span><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12px;">23</span><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12px;"> of the New York edition</span><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12px;"> with the headline: </span><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12px;">Joel Whitburn, 82, A Tireless Researcher Of Music Charts, Dies</span><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="nyt-franklin, helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">[In December 1967, the song that was #1 for four consecutive weeks was the Monkees' "Daydream Believer."] </span></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-69403073408383175282022-06-28T19:17:00.001-04:002022-06-29T12:40:34.759-04:00Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA, 6/15/2022; Let's Give 'Em Something to Celebrate<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZClhMY4W3qHO6TbD2gW81kFZ1KQPRqi15zKQnD3mY7CCbUhd1Oo9pEpUIQnX7_ow9RwSpU-D2iUOWGyG102z1aYHE4zefMfJAFwCE3UZBZ-OvmDWJ02mclmcUzJUDxGbvcXS2GG0FK8MrkcqDgzeWybzE8q9CTL0BE_MAd7HzwoDWDIoyW94=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Photo Courtesy of the Artist</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Bonnie Raitt played <span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; text-align: left;">The Mann Center for the Performing Arts </span>on Wednesday night, June 15th armed with her 18th album, <i>Just Like That</i>, her slide guitar, and her crackerjack touring band. One of Raitt's strengths, in addition to her music, is the way that she speaks to the audience. Opening the show, she said that she was very glad to be back on the road following a two year Covid layoff. Raitt thanked the crowd for coming to the show and the thunderous applause that she got throughout sounded more like a sold out large arena or stadium (if you closed your eyes) rather than The Mann, which wasn't quite full. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I was glad too, being that this was my first time back seeing live music since December 2019. Despite several excellent live streams, there is nothing like seeing a live show in the flesh. During the song "Something to Talk About," I kept thinking that this was something to celebrate. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The sound at The Mann that night was outstanding. Raitt's touring band sounded terrific at every position. The band included longtime </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: start;">cohorts </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: left;">drummer Ricky Fataar and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: start;">bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson. The band sound was phenomenal for Raitt's voice and her slide guitar, too. When she played "Blame It On Me," she mentioned playing it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert the night before and also how cold it was in the studio. It's no secret that Colbert keeps the temperature in the studio even lower than David Letterman did; Letterman kept it cold to keep everyone awake and alert. The song, from her latest album, sounded amazing and you can watch the televised performance below. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: start;">Raitt did numerous selections from her new album, including one that she said was written in the style of John Prine. Prine's name elicited a big cheer from the crowd. Raitt got a similar reaction when she mentioned John Hiatt, who wrote her hit "Thing Called Love." Hiatt has been known for crediting Raitt for putting his kids through college from her version of that song. Raitt called Hiatt a genius for his songwriting. I was reflecting on the concert the next morning as I listened to WXPN, which also got a big cheer when Raitt thanked them for their support over the years. As XPN played Hiatt's "Drive South," I had the thought that Bonnie could have followed her Hiatt rap with "Drive South" or any of his many compositions. Not that I didn't love hearing </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: left;">"Thing Called Love," but I figured that's been played a lot and sometime I like a live set to surprise. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNS61jmyz_pa7xIgb_c8yCUVsVL-AhDRMZSomSUNsR8d1EcNjVA2pAD-C4p3X9UVXr0u7tG02H_GcEELDz8E3OwqnyK4oivrCVC-2b2rPhmWKjE9YwPiSVrciUPoIbWxmN4LntgykFhNJCbY5KRZ_GORs5QitJKJXoa56vV_HrXW_QOHXNIIc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="760" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNS61jmyz_pa7xIgb_c8yCUVsVL-AhDRMZSomSUNsR8d1EcNjVA2pAD-C4p3X9UVXr0u7tG02H_GcEELDz8E3OwqnyK4oivrCVC-2b2rPhmWKjE9YwPiSVrciUPoIbWxmN4LntgykFhNJCbY5KRZ_GORs5QitJKJXoa56vV_HrXW_QOHXNIIc=w540-h359" width="540" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Photo: Elizabeth Robertson, Staff Photographer, Philadelphia Inquirer</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>A</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">t </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">one point</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> </span><span>Raitt mentioned the good work they do at the </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><a href="https://performingsongwriter.com/bonnie-raitt-rhythm-and-blues-foundation/" target="_blank">Rhythm & Blues Foundation</a>. She co-founded the organization and I would suggest that you follow the link to read all about their story.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Raitt also talked about feeling at home here in Philadelphia. She mentioned that her first gig here was in Pennypack Park; I had forgotten that they used to hold concerts there. In the late '60s, I do remember going there to see Sweet Stavin Chain. Raitt reminisced about playing the Second Fret and the Philadelphia Folk Festival, saying that those afternoon workshops were some of the most fun she's ever had. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Unusually receptive to audience shout-outs, Bonnie answered a request for "Angel From Montgomery" by saying something like we couldn't not play that but you have to have some vegetables first. When she did play John Prine's </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">"Angel From Montgomery" she followed it with The Talking Heads' "</span><span style="background-color: #f6f4f6; color: #001a30; text-align: left;">Burning Down the House" to close the set.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Euphoria reigned at the Mann until Bonnie came back for an encore. She sang a gut-wrenching "<span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #001a30; text-align: start;">I Can't Make You Love Me" followed by the Paul Brady composition "</span><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #001a30; text-align: start;">Not the Only One," both songs from <i>Luck of the Draw</i> (1991). During the encore, Raitt said that she</span><span style="color: #001a30; text-align: start;"> wished she could play another two hours and I'd bet that most of the crowd did, too. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The Late Show performance of "Blame It On Me" from "Just Like That," June 14, 2022</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="465" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fvufkSHyM-Y" width="559" youtube-src-id="fvufkSHyM-Y"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><section id="setlist" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #001a30; margin-bottom: 30px; text-align: start;"><div class="panel panel-concerts panel-concerts-dark setlistfm-setlist" style="border-radius: 0px; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="panel-heading collection-heading concerts-list-heading-sticky" style="background-color: #013662; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 10px; z-index: 10;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: -0.0125em; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Bonnie Raitt Setlist</h2></div><div class="panel-body" style="background-color: #f6f4f6; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px;"><ul class="list-unstyled" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: initial;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Made Up Mind</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Waitin' for You to Blow</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">No Business</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Blame It on Me</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Nick of Time</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Thing Called Love</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Back Around</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Just Like That</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Something to Talk About</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Livin' for the Ones</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Have a Heart</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Need You Tonight</span> <span class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted" data-original-title="INXS cover" data-toggle="tooltip" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6686a0; display: inline-block; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1; text-rendering: auto;" title=""></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Angel From Montgomery</span> <span class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted" data-original-title="John Prine cover" data-toggle="tooltip" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6686a0; display: inline-block; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1; text-rendering: auto;" title=""></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Burning Down the House</span> <span class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted" data-original-title="Talking Heads cover" data-toggle="tooltip" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6686a0; display: inline-block; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1; text-rendering: auto;" title=""></span></li></ul><h5 class="divider" style="background: rgb(212, 221, 231); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #013662; letter-spacing: -0.0125em; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 12px 10px; text-align: justify; text-transform: uppercase;">ENCORE</h5><ul class="list-unstyled" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: initial;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">I Can't Make You Love Me</span> <span class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted" data-original-title="Mike Reid cover" data-toggle="tooltip" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6686a0; display: inline-block; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1; text-rendering: auto;" title=""></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Not the Only One</span> <span class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted" data-original-title="Paul Brady cover" data-toggle="tooltip" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6686a0; display: inline-block; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1; text-rendering: auto;" title=""></span></li></ul></div><div class="panel-footer" style="background-color: #dae1e8; border-radius: 0px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px 15px; text-align: justify;"><small class="sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">Setlist info via <a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bonnie-raitt/2022/td-pavilion-at-the-mann-philadelphia-pa-43b403b3.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">setlist.fm</a>.</small></div></div></section></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOuzj2Hpq45VESGWvOrM5Zj74mwWyQcpuJmHlT5HTZiz9jn0j6_ECtc64s8RTJNELnc22WIGdSEF6kSFIn79kSgJGcTPqprEq1ChJizs_3K_P6svU2G1_8INZyyC0sZEmynkoX2HCUq2TAKzjwMRc_cZ3efYgeR0SCnNKGr65_Lxo2l_j5cNU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOuzj2Hpq45VESGWvOrM5Zj74mwWyQcpuJmHlT5HTZiz9jn0j6_ECtc64s8RTJNELnc22WIGdSEF6kSFIn79kSgJGcTPqprEq1ChJizs_3K_P6svU2G1_8INZyyC0sZEmynkoX2HCUq2TAKzjwMRc_cZ3efYgeR0SCnNKGr65_Lxo2l_j5cNU=w533-h355" width="533" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo: Elizabeth Robertson, Staff Photographer, Philadelphia Inquirer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The show began right on time at 7:35pm. Although Lucinda Williams is a headliner on her own, this show offered both artists on one bill. I'd seen both of them a few times before, but it had been too long since the last time for either one, so this show was a must. Considering all the hassle of going out to see live music, as soon as Williams started to play, I was glad we came. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maybe it was because there was two headliners tonight, there were none of the sound system shenanigans that happen to opening acts. The sound was phenomenal right from the start. One of the many things I love about Lucinda's career is that she always, always, always has a superb guitarist in her band. When I say guitarist, I'm talking primarily about electric guitar and the guitarist in question at this show was Stuart Mathis. Her current <span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; text-align: left;">touring band also includes</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; text-align: left;"> Jim Oblon on guitar and keys, Butch Norton on drums and David Sutton on bass. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202124;">Right out of the box you could hear every instrument clear as a bell, yet the band sounded just as muscular as you could want. Williams' voice was in great shape, too. In fact, it showed no effect from her recent stroke. She explained, from the stage, that's the reason why she wasn't playing guitar.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202124;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white;">You can see her setlist below. Her tight 60 minute set included some songs from her recent catalogue, as well as some earlier chestnuts. "Drunken Angel" followed by "Lake Charles were both good to hear and still resonate. The crowd really dug "</span></span><span style="color: #001a30; text-align: justify;">Changed the Locks" and she closed with a fiery take on "Joy." There was no encore. Even though the set was shorter than usual, it was superb to see Lucinda and hear the music sounding so good. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #001a30; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">We honored the tour's request for no cameras, but found this video of Lucinda performing "Are You Down" earlier this spring. Enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lucinda Williams, Buskirk – Chumley Theater, Bloomington, Indiana</span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 4/14/2022</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Posted by <span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #030303;">Blythe Spirit</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="463" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jXBKhk1sdNg" width="558" youtube-src-id="jXBKhk1sdNg"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #001a30; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><section id="setlist" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #001a30; margin-bottom: 30px; text-align: start;"><div class="panel panel-concerts panel-concerts-dark setlistfm-setlist" style="border-radius: 0px; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="panel-heading collection-heading concerts-list-heading-sticky" style="background-color: #013662; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 10px; z-index: 10;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: -0.0125em; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.0125em;">Lucinda Williams Setlist</span></h2></div></div></section><section id="setlist" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #001a30; margin-bottom: 30px; text-align: start;"><div class="panel panel-concerts panel-concerts-dark setlistfm-setlist" style="border-radius: 0px; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="panel-body" style="background-color: #f6f4f6; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px;"><ul class="list-unstyled" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: initial;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Steal Your Love</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Crescent City</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Drunken Angel</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lake Charles</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fruits of My Labor</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Are You Down</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">You Can't Rule Me</span> <span class="fa fa-info-circle text-muted" data-original-title="Memphis Minnie cover" data-toggle="tooltip" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6686a0; display: inline-block; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1; text-rendering: auto;" title=""></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Changed the Locks</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Honey Bee</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Righteously</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="song" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Joy</span></li></ul></div><div class="panel-footer" style="background-color: #dae1e8; border-radius: 0px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px 15px; text-align: justify;"><small class="sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">Setlist info via <a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/lucinda-williams/2022/td-pavilion-at-the-mann-philadelphia-pa-43b403af.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">setlist.fm</a></small></div></div></section></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilW1BjO1FEYjTlKx_ysQKKuugJM3WWXRBhfvCQl7CZSkelRv353OvzvC40fWA30tA8VNahfnDc4c9r_6Qa93-SNnapzYhGEs7SCpg4MIoESj-11bhnXjxTJ54puFob__rFB1PWuLEoKuYXE8KJKfFDGOGXnJ6uFqzrCngiNh-R-t0sJEcCDKM" style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="844" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilW1BjO1FEYjTlKx_ysQKKuugJM3WWXRBhfvCQl7CZSkelRv353OvzvC40fWA30tA8VNahfnDc4c9r_6Qa93-SNnapzYhGEs7SCpg4MIoESj-11bhnXjxTJ54puFob__rFB1PWuLEoKuYXE8KJKfFDGOGXnJ6uFqzrCngiNh-R-t0sJEcCDKM=w640-h336" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-5815297174294485332022-06-19T20:47:00.001-04:002022-06-20T19:55:00.765-04:00Adventures in Babysitting (Touchstone Pictures, 1987 ) ...And the Award for Best Use Of Music in a Conventional Motion Picture Goes to a Movie of Most Unconventional Quality<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4NNrLRcANu0ES-YeB86ZSnsw0YJ9BNjr9NHHmQbeFsWNH9ysWcnjzQMF7ZKOeep8J0NkKE6LJ62S7zKg3yLGUHJEq_isime1YNhtd7jP23YL5dLqSnQV6HCHH_Gc0GH7kLPtc6WUJOsYD7gHHdnIY4wAP6C5lWZbXTBK_XKKVnlXSn_cm5Ac" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2400" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4NNrLRcANu0ES-YeB86ZSnsw0YJ9BNjr9NHHmQbeFsWNH9ysWcnjzQMF7ZKOeep8J0NkKE6LJ62S7zKg3yLGUHJEq_isime1YNhtd7jP23YL5dLqSnQV6HCHH_Gc0GH7kLPtc6WUJOsYD7gHHdnIY4wAP6C5lWZbXTBK_XKKVnlXSn_cm5Ac=w640-h390" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Photos and Video Courtesy of Touchstone Pictures</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Gems From the Movie Shelf:</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">One measure of a good movie is how it holds up over time. The first time I saw <i>Adventures in Babysitting </i>was in 1988 when I rented the VHS tape to play with my kids in a Jersey beach motel. At the time, we knew nothing about the movie except for the premise of its title. We not only thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'm here to say that it is one movie that gets better with repeat viewing, and still looks and sounds great on DVD, now 35 years later.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG3Eauob3XpstPDQ6j1Dl6WorKLU_9-FgoeUvdJQeD2W9s5wdtWZjvR9texOXdecO5xhyeOVF1oQbNetlRLzzVlNm6ivZJKCrEPTtDLEUwPGUTzDY2W4rHk1BJA99W_RmEpCN5DgAuafgSevhFmVlD8zY3Fp9Yeu8eUkRZLJCJ_5vc0eh-Wo/s400/Poster.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG3Eauob3XpstPDQ6j1Dl6WorKLU_9-FgoeUvdJQeD2W9s5wdtWZjvR9texOXdecO5xhyeOVF1oQbNetlRLzzVlNm6ivZJKCrEPTtDLEUwPGUTzDY2W4rHk1BJA99W_RmEpCN5DgAuafgSevhFmVlD8zY3Fp9Yeu8eUkRZLJCJ_5vc0eh-Wo/w325-h490/Poster.png" width="325" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Like many ostensibly similar night in the city mishap movies (</span><i style="text-align: left;">Into the Night</i><span style="text-align: left;">) the premise is simple. Elisabeth Shue plays high school senior Chris Parker who, as the movie opens, is preparing for a big date. When her boyfriend shows up, he cancels the date with the excuse that he has to take care of his sick little sister. Suddenly without plans for the evening, </span><span style="text-align: left;">Chris reluctantly accepts a babysitting job. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">At the job, the parents had not been gone a half hour when Chris gets a call from her best friend who is stranded in downtown Chicago. So Chris loads the kids into her mom's station wagon and they set out. At this point, I will resist the urge to recount the entire plot, but suffice it to say that the movie more than lives up to its title.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Why do I love this movie? For starters, it has an imaginative plot together with a well written screenplay. <i>Adventures in Babysitting</i> is extremely well cast, acted, and directed. In addition to all that, what really sets this movie apart is the way it uses music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Tons of movies have good soundtracks but the music may only tangentially relate to the story. In </span><i style="text-align: left;">Adventures in Babysitting</i><span style="text-align: left;">, the music selections are exceedingly well chosen. Plus, they fit perfectly with the scene(s) in which they appear. In fact, if you didn't know that "25 Miles" was a 60's hit for Edwin Starr ("War") you might think the song was written and recorded specifically for this movie. Beyond the soundtrack song selections, the movie has a great score by Michael Kamen. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>On top of all that, there are two live performances that make this movie extra special. When Shue and her charges are on the run from some bad guys, they find a back alley door and duck into it. They immediately find themselves on stage with Albert Collins (playing himself) and his band performing in one of Chicago's famous blues clubs. "Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues," Collins announces. As Chris starts to explain, each sentence is punctuated by those familiar blues chords until they're all singing "Babysitting Blues." When the song ends, the four hustle off of the stage and the bad guys come in through that same stage door. Collins greets them by announcing, "Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues." It's a sweet and memorable scene.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div></div></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="359" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2mQKE5V1VXU" width="432" youtube-src-id="2mQKE5V1VXU"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The other live music performance is one that might slip by most of the audience, but sharp eyed viewers, music obsessives and the like, won't miss this one. When our heroes stop in to a college frat party (to use the restroom), there is a band playing there. That band is Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. The two songs they play are rarities, in the sense that they don't appear on any of their regular albums. They cover The Soul Survivors 6os hit "Expressway To Your Heart," which is followed by the original song "<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">Future In Your Eyes."</span> When <i>Adventures in Babysitting</i> came out, this pair of live Southside Johnny tracks were unique to the movie. They were recorded as demos for the pre-production of the movie. The demos were subsequently made available on the extremely limited release, <i>Found In A Closet</i>. The two demos later appear on Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes' <i>JukeBox, </i>a five CD set that collects a mess of their rare tracks. I've heard it and you get the complete songs without any film dialogue. In any case, it's a moment worth savoring and it only adds to the coolness of this movie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The songs used in the soundtrack make a great selection of 60s R&B. Those songs, along with the live music that is unique to the film, would have made a great OST album. For whatever reason, no soundtrack album that would include these songs has ever been issued.</div></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Regarding the cast, there are several actors that were relative unknowns when this movie was released, but ten years later it was another story. This movie starred Elisabeth Shue in one of her earlier roles. She went on to make <i>Cocktail,</i> two of the <i>Back to the Future</i> sequels, among many others, including an Oscar nomination for best actress in <i>Leaving Los Vegas </i>(1995). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next two totally blew my mind when I came back to this movie years later. Chris and the kids were on the Chicago subway when all of a sudden two rival gangs approach from opposite ends of the car. The leader of one of the gangs, played by Clark Johnson, has a let's say, meaningful interaction with them that includes his knife, you will recognize him immediately if you ever watched "Homicide: Life On The Street" (NBC) or "The Wire" (HBO). When our group goes to pick up their repaired car, the proprietor of the garage is a guy named Dawson, played by a young Vincent D'Onofrio. Although I was quite familiar with D'Onofrio from his work in the series "Law and Order Criminal Intent" (NBC), I never would have recognized him except by his voice, which is a dead giveaway. As Dawson, he is young, muscular, and has long blonde hair. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I would have no problem making a list of favorite moments in this movie. One of the moments I truly loved comes when Dawson refuses to return their car because they are $5 short on the price of a new tire. The little sister character, Sara, hands something to Dawson. He then tosses the keys to Chris and tells them to get out of here. Then Dawson turns to Sara and gives the item back saying "I've got one of these at home."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One last thing. You might want to know that I am a compulsive credit watcher. When I am at a movie theater, the crowd starts exiting at the first sign of credits. Watching home video is similar in that someone usually turns it off when the credits roll. I love it when movies reward the credit watcher beyond the nuggets that you might find right there in the credits, like in <i>School of Rock</i> when the credits roll right on top of the last scene. Folks don't know what to do. <i>Adventures in Babysitting</i> places a little scene at the end of the credits. That's all I'm going to say.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Watch the theatrical trailer for <i style="text-align: justify;">Adventures in Babysitting</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sj_WCLmAx7o" width="433" youtube-src-id="Sj_WCLmAx7o"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h1 class="title style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2; background: rgb(249, 249, 249); border: 0px; color: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary)); display: -webkit-box; font-size: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-size,var(--yt-navbar-title-font-size,inherit)); font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.6rem; margin: 0px; max-height: 5.2rem; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-shadow: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-text-shadow,none); transform: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-transform,none);"><yt-formatted-string class="style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer" force-default-style="" style="word-break: break-word;">Siskel & Ebert "At the Movies" </yt-formatted-string></h1></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="369" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mu2BYpipL94" width="444" youtube-src-id="Mu2BYpipL94"></iframe></div><h1 class="title style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2; background: rgb(249, 249, 249); border: 0px; color: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary)); display: -webkit-box; font-size: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-size,var(--yt-navbar-title-font-size,inherit)); font-weight: 400; line-height: 2.6rem; margin: 0px; max-height: 5.2rem; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-shadow: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-text-shadow,none); transform: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-transform,none);"><span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary))" style="font-size: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-size,var(--yt-navbar-title-font-size,inherit));">Review of <i>Adventures In Babysitting</i> (1987)</span></h1><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p></p>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-327033528816489152022-04-22T21:29:00.009-04:002022-05-15T19:50:55.112-04:00Dave Brubeck Trio: Live From Vienna 1967; Brubeck And His Rhythm Section Wow The Vienna Audience As A Three Piece<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhERCSlV09LJZGf01aRhRZzXGKe37pY1ST16kK4LNCgC6t0PDI8HDM4adgFTKoeiVj_CIlbx9C08zqP3sPxhVXamPCvCmCoPHMxx86BVFIjXF6gSw-jvcd-Q1BSZlwofrX8xwOuZywW2iFfcuQcTCThLK5pRmZ7K-PWv0W7fSveCWYcXf8C80c" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="632" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhERCSlV09LJZGf01aRhRZzXGKe37pY1ST16kK4LNCgC6t0PDI8HDM4adgFTKoeiVj_CIlbx9C08zqP3sPxhVXamPCvCmCoPHMxx86BVFIjXF6gSw-jvcd-Q1BSZlwofrX8xwOuZywW2iFfcuQcTCThLK5pRmZ7K-PWv0W7fSveCWYcXf8C80c=w640-h398" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Photo courtesy of the artist</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Previously unreleased in the USA, Brubeck Editions has released <i>Dave Brubeck Trio: Live From Vienna 1967. </i> Beyond the excellent sound quality, this concert was a true rarity in that this lineup of personnel usually performed in a quartet. For this show at the Konzerthaus, saxophonist Paul Desmond missed the group's flight from Hamburg to Vienna. In light of the situation, Brubeck decided to go on with the show as a three piece with Joe Morello on drums and Eugene Wright on bass. The recording that night was all set, and it was fortuitous that this show was captured, as this may be the only recording of these musicians performing together as a trio.<br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">As much as I love Desmond's composition "Take 5" along with his sax work, the trio makes good use of his space for their solos, improvisations, and such. The music is spectacular as well.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The following excerpt from the press release details the performance, track by track.</span></p><blockquote><p style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a0101; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px 0px 25px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The trio sizzles with a ferocious energy right out of the gate with a spirited take on “</span><b style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;">St. Louis Blues</b><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">”. For chorus after chorus, Brubeck offers up some of the finest examples of his signature chordal and rhythmic performing, while interspersing soulful, lyrical melodies in his right hand. About five minutes into the track during his bass solo, Gene quotes “I’m Going to Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair”, likely a joke for Brubeck and Morello referring to their missing bandmate, Desmond. The band continues with </span><b style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;">“One Moment Worth Years</b><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">”, on which Brubeck and Wright’s touch can be described as charming, inventive and elegant. </span></span></span></p><p style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a0101; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px 0px 25px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><b style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;">Swanee River</b><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">” features an up-tempo syncopated groove that sets up a very polyrhythmic and high-spirited interpretation of the Stephen Foster composition that the trio had previously recorded alongside Desmond on the 1959 album </span><i style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gone With the Wind. </span></i><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Notably, Brubeck engages in some very spirited trades with drummer Joe Morello. The trio calms things down with a sweet and tender version of “</span><b style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;">La Paloma Azul</b><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">”, a Mexican folk tune rearranged with an ingenious polyphonic twist that appears during the closing melodic statement. </span></span></span></p><p style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a0101; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px 0px 25px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The crowd immediately recognizes “</span><b style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;">Someday My Prince Will Come</b><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">”, and the piano leads the group on an intense romp that challenges the underlying time from the rhythm section with an elastic piano solo superimposing 3 against 2. As Chris Brubeck indicates “Dave bends the time to the near breaking point, a musical drama that an audience can really feel and follow.” The album concludes with a tune known throughout the world – “</span><b style="backface-visibility: visible; box-sizing: border-box;">Take the A Train</b><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">”.</span></span></span></p><p style="backface-visibility: visible; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a0101; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px 0px 25px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="backface-visibility: visible; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">As Chris Brubeck espouses, “I think if our dad were alive to hear this Brubeck Trio recording now, he’d be flashing his famous big smile. He would be extremely proud to hear how, more than half a century ago, he, Gene and Joe got thrown a curve ball and knocked it out of the park!”</span></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">This recording reminds me of a Ray Charles concert that was also recorded under unusual circumstances. It also took place on a November night in Europe, in this case at the Olympia in Paris on the occasion of Charles' 70th birthday. When he performed, it was normally with his big band including backup singers. When his group tried to fly from Lisbon to Paris, an air traffic controller strike interfered with the travel plans. So, like Brubeck, Charles went on with the show backed only by his core band of guitar, bass, and drums. The wonderfully rare result was captured on audio and video (released on DVD as <i>Ray Charles At The Olympia on November 22, 2000). </i> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjp3wkYKBxMczvemK8YhOGOhT2BSaIZ12Cujwuw69wvQNR35v6hzUM0TlT9BkFHRVoMe-Wl-lfIFNeRGAGVHVQvTfUlR1tw5fMS1WEyxd1CqyiTLyYeAG8CHqHmHPDoUIoVgZZeIMqH8cVw5bLpmH8kB92z9DjGm5zOf5V8E-fC_WKv8Ry5Aeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjp3wkYKBxMczvemK8YhOGOhT2BSaIZ12Cujwuw69wvQNR35v6hzUM0TlT9BkFHRVoMe-Wl-lfIFNeRGAGVHVQvTfUlR1tw5fMS1WEyxd1CqyiTLyYeAG8CHqHmHPDoUIoVgZZeIMqH8cVw5bLpmH8kB92z9DjGm5zOf5V8E-fC_WKv8Ry5Aeg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><strong style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"> CD/Digital Track Listing: </strong></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"> 1. St. Louis Blues (W. C. Handy, Arr. by Dave Brubeck) 8:55</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"> 2. One Moment Worth Years (Dave Brubeck) 10:10</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"> 3. Swanee River (S. Foster, Arr. by Dave Brubeck) 7:37</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"> 4. La Paloma Azul (Traditional, Arr. by Dave Brubeck) 6:09</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"> 5. Someday My Prince Will Come (F. Churchill & L. Morey) 5:28</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"> 6. Take the A Train (B. Strayhorn) 4:16</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">Listen to "</span></span><span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary))" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-size: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-size,var(--yt-navbar-title-font-size,inherit));">St. Louis Blues" from the concert:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="512" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JSSFl4eAWw8" width="616" youtube-src-id="JSSFl4eAWw8"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-70231403788436417982022-04-19T17:59:00.000-04:002022-04-19T17:59:31.826-04:00Melissa Manchester - Live '77; Released Just In Time for Its 45th Anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4J16K_mHR6w1t7xMhNAAdzrzWYxYjNNIuFtVpdKGoLkMZCurOD-PvrT1wDfG4WsBBp-Y7M4CbC2Ruo7yw2fXlL3MuFGcqVEAK9qHMGGFvWlEWRxX0XCnhc2DqJhxEpkPuSifEOqFivbMWTUy4bINdldpxISNpQLuiLiwN6WlYHO01WsNyU5M/s932/5857817166_420762c4af_b.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="932" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4J16K_mHR6w1t7xMhNAAdzrzWYxYjNNIuFtVpdKGoLkMZCurOD-PvrT1wDfG4WsBBp-Y7M4CbC2Ruo7yw2fXlL3MuFGcqVEAK9qHMGGFvWlEWRxX0XCnhc2DqJhxEpkPuSifEOqFivbMWTUy4bINdldpxISNpQLuiLiwN6WlYHO01WsNyU5M/w640-h426/5857817166_420762c4af_b.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo: North Dakota State University Archives (October 22, 1977)</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Back in the 1970s, I was aware of Melissa Manchester, quite liked her music, and I would dip into her albums from time to time when I was on the radio. </span><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">If I had known that her live shows sounded like this, I would have made more of a point not to miss her. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">On October 30, 1977, her show at </span><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Great Southern Music Hall in </span><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Gainesville, Florida was recorded for a live album, which never was released until now. Arista Records, her label at the time, inexplicably decided to leave the tapes on the shelf rather than release them. Just released now to celebrate the 45th anniversary of this recording, the folks at Real Gone </span><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Music and Second Disc Records have released this excellent album on two CDs. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Earlier that year, Manchester had toured opening for Leo Sayer. That fall, she undertook a headlining tour from whence this show originated. Manchester had a superb band with her and they excelled at every position.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"> It was a dynamite set. I don't know that it was the complete show, but it does sound like it. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Of all her hits, the live version of "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: start;">Midnight Blue" stands out on CD 1. Likewise for a super soulful version of the 1965 Fontella Bass hit, ""Rescue Me," which compares favorably to the original. Which is an excellent set up for the very funky version of "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: start;">Hi-Heel Sneakers" that follows. It's also worth noting that this album represents the only appearance of this song on a Melissa Manchester record. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: start;">The set continues on CD 2 with almost too many highlights to mention. That said, the song in this set that blew me away is her cover of AWB's "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: start;">A Love of Your Own." I've seen The Average White Band do that song many times and I have to say that this is one of the best cover versions yet. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: start;">Being that this show has not been heard in 45 years, it feels like a privilege to hear it now. In addition, the liner notes by Joe Marchese are new, plus there are new interviews with Melissa Manchester and with Clive Davis, who ran Arista back in the day. Many thanks to Real Gone and to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; text-align: start;">Second Disc for this release.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Watch "Midnight Blue" on this live clip (circa 1980), location unknown.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nBxK-E53O7Q" width="504" youtube-src-id="nBxK-E53O7Q"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Listen to the studio version of "<span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary))" style="background-color: #f9f9f9;">A Love Of Your Own" (<i>Singin' </i>1977)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="420" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mh7XrJ89its" width="505" youtube-src-id="Mh7XrJ89its"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><b>CD One</b></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">1. Let Me Serenade You</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">2. Party Music</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">3. Happy Endings</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">4. Midnight Blue</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">5. Be Somebody</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">6. This Lady’s Not Home</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">7. We’ve Got Time</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">8. Good News</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">9. I Wanna Be Where You Are</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">10. Monkey See, Monkey Do</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">11. Rescue Me</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">12. Hi-Heel Sneakers</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf2jnwWzFqKG8eYZu4G6hjzROkjnVxHX-7FAIv8HxAuJrZn5naBEiZDgbfVT9W8wj8Ma9vg1eECcia5SH1ah5RrTygqBT59ArV8nmpmEP9IRZoZeClkF9QW8_r21VEFTamJBXT5ODHB5AqNX7PDQqmXZvqGWKrBv4-NqeHLRpZUa7Ybd_zQ-o" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf2jnwWzFqKG8eYZu4G6hjzROkjnVxHX-7FAIv8HxAuJrZn5naBEiZDgbfVT9W8wj8Ma9vg1eECcia5SH1ah5RrTygqBT59ArV8nmpmEP9IRZoZeClkF9QW8_r21VEFTamJBXT5ODHB5AqNX7PDQqmXZvqGWKrBv4-NqeHLRpZUa7Ybd_zQ-o" width="240" /></a></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><b>CD Two</b></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">1. Caravan</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">2. Be Happy Now</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">3. Better Days/Come In from the Rain</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">4. O Heaven (How You’ve Changed Me)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">5. A Love of Your Own</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">6. If It Feels Good (Let It Ride)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">7. Just You and I</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">8. Easy</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">9. No One’s Ever Seen This Side of Me</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><b>Bonus Video:</b> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: start;">Read the story first before you watch the video/commercial (recorded in 1977, the same year as the concert on this new album). Both courtesy of the artist.</span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgh6FVUuD4MFOlG0pibxDx-rW6Fd4VleBxewvJZkMVwSE_sxRA9AoS1UuJRJxzPYvlRKId61W8EA09aGwszB3jtpgmQTElpY62UJNoi8F7JYHs6aaebZXfVQgE-ah36mWH2xskdeHxigQhNHhFMZiQooeo05FXTSz016WAE69jpxaGPJEod2XU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1269" data-original-width="1536" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgh6FVUuD4MFOlG0pibxDx-rW6Fd4VleBxewvJZkMVwSE_sxRA9AoS1UuJRJxzPYvlRKId61W8EA09aGwszB3jtpgmQTElpY62UJNoi8F7JYHs6aaebZXfVQgE-ah36mWH2xskdeHxigQhNHhFMZiQooeo05FXTSz016WAE69jpxaGPJEod2XU=w640-h530" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="479" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pfp2Ggo5yrU" width="578" youtube-src-id="Pfp2Ggo5yrU"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-69363060000424821072022-03-26T17:39:00.004-04:002022-03-26T17:57:27.902-04:00Sleepless In Seattle Soundtrack (1993) & You've Got Mail Soundtrack (1998); Two Classic Romantic Comedies From Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks & Nora Ephron With Soundtracks Just ReIssued In Special Colored Vinyl Editions<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgATlXQd3H9vkj8wr9j9Fw3bmYDieRUt-OALf7-DaywehEe6Htd2ik-3VZKUB1P5A3JIhtzs3k5qLRnw48LX1fsg_JjkUFC0GrMXJc78c8NKs00ZfzAvptJFqfXE5tpdQPJqDyJ99Qv6k98I6QbcbvIJqTA3bYUV6ZwD-tyuvLWlzcm_HBxF9c" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="278" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgATlXQd3H9vkj8wr9j9Fw3bmYDieRUt-OALf7-DaywehEe6Htd2ik-3VZKUB1P5A3JIhtzs3k5qLRnw48LX1fsg_JjkUFC0GrMXJc78c8NKs00ZfzAvptJFqfXE5tpdQPJqDyJ99Qv6k98I6QbcbvIJqTA3bYUV6ZwD-tyuvLWlzcm_HBxF9c=w536-h350" width="536" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><span><b>Gems From the Record Room</b><br /></span></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>You might think of Nora Ephron as an author, but she wrote film screenplays so well that when she had the opportunity to direct her own work, the result was a string of romantic comedies such as <i>Sleepless in Seattle</i> and <i>You've Got Mail</i>. These movies were as successful at the box office as they were beloved by film audiences everywhere. In addition to (co-)writing and directing, Ephron was known to help with the song selection for the soundtracks. One of my favorite reissue labels, Real Gone Music, now offers the two LPs in special colored vinyl editions. These two soundtrack albums are perfect examples of Ephron's sensibility. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>Sleepless In Seattle</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are many ways to summarize the plot of this movie, but I will share a bit of the Real Gone press release for the soundtrack album.</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: large; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"></span></div><blockquote><div style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">Indeed, the film re-introduced a whole new generation to the unique charms of Jimmy Durante with his renditions of “As Time Goes By” and “Make Someone Happy” over the opening and closing credits, respectively, resulting in a boomlet of enthusiasm for the work of the ol’ Schnozzola. The music was so powerful, in fact, and so integrated with the screenplay that it helped gloss over the incredibility of the film’s premise, which, as you might recall, had Meg Ryan falling in love with Tom Hanks, a stranger she had never met, merely from hearing him being interviewed on a radio talk show on Christmas Eve.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span> </span></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: medium;">But such fantasies are what movies are made for, especially romantic comedies...</span></div></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The songs on the soundtrack work whether you've seen the movie or not; the music is so good that it can stand on its own. If, however, you've seen it, the film and the soundtrack amplify each other. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After the Jimmy Durante opener, Louis Armstrong offers one of the strongest versions of a song from the Great American Songbook that you're likely to hear, "<span style="background-color: white;">A Kiss to Build a Dream On."</span> Listening to <span style="background-color: white;">Nat King Cole do "Stardust," the only words that come to mind are <i>pure delight</i>. Dr. John (</span><span style="background-color: white; white-space: nowrap;">Mac Rebennack) sounds so natural singing with </span><span style="background-color: white;">Rickie Lee Jones that the resulting "</span><span style="background-color: white;">Makin' Whoopie" sounds timeless. The soundtrack then takes a turn for the sublime with a letter perfect version of the Sinatra classic "</span><span style="background-color: white;">In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" sung by </span><span style="background-color: white;">Carly Simon. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Gene Autry takes us </span><span style="background-color: white;">"Back in the Saddle Again" to complete a nearly perfect album side.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">Side two offers </span><span style="background-color: white;">artists </span><span style="background-color: white;">of a more recent vintage like Joe Cocker ("</span><span style="background-color: white;">Bye Bye Blackbird"), Harry Connick, Jr. ("</span><span style="background-color: white;">A Wink and a Smile"), </span><span style="background-color: white;">Tammy Wynette ("</span><span style="background-color: white;">Stand by Your Man"), and </span><span>Céline Dion & Clive Griffin ("</span><span style="background-color: white;">When I Fall in Love</span><span style="background-color: white;">"). There is also an instrumental track "</span><span style="background-color: white;">An Affair to Remember." Music on this track is actually film score from the 1957 movie of the same name, which is referenced multiple times during <i>Sleepless In Seattle; </i>sort of a soundtrack within a soundtrack. </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span><span style="background-color: white;">Regarding the aforementioned opening and closing songs by </span><span style="background-color: white;">Jimmy Durante, before I heard this album, I thought of Durante more as a personality and comedian. But, in terms of tone and nature for this movie, you could not do better than these two songs. The opener, </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">“As Time Goes By,”</span><span style="background-color: white;"> is not only a great love song, but Durante does a nice job with it. The original song comes from the movie <i>Cassablanca</i>, considered by some to be one off the greatest movies of all time, and if you haven't seen it you are in for a real treat. Durante similarly shines on the closer </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">“Make Someone Happy.” And don't, I repeat, don't turn it off when the credits start to roll (if you are watching <i>Sleepless in Seattle).</i> </span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="364" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mw0LC54Iko0" width="618" youtube-src-id="mw0LC54Iko0"></iframe></div></div></span></div><div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrLxrihX2RVTrVwSEOTiExowbwtML49ItobiHRpvIuZssH0uzhtga_joKrCZ1YeptoGGHU1GWkre0iUTsREVSqAutgSUxtPMtv2lkk9p4rZejhJZVpAeLs2Dz1Mekh8hGIaN8t8SwPhUoeoZxHlZxnSrzqwZ_YquXAPCcpxCM2I5eV0hYg_6I" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrLxrihX2RVTrVwSEOTiExowbwtML49ItobiHRpvIuZssH0uzhtga_joKrCZ1YeptoGGHU1GWkre0iUTsREVSqAutgSUxtPMtv2lkk9p4rZejhJZVpAeLs2Dz1Mekh8hGIaN8t8SwPhUoeoZxHlZxnSrzqwZ_YquXAPCcpxCM2I5eV0hYg_6I=w335-h335" width="335" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> <img alt="" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="1296" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMmZa42npqhbcLTH0FlK47CiUJ18mM5HN7WFnNiF9I64WpddSOT5VrcvEy7MiRi1rzdBOZ6Z9mxylTRrQ3pmqA6cE8wcr3C_5s80MURJUqeNbRr3IeBTQB3tFmTW9W-aixEyHBYAKxpYf2sRFJaZRPt-BZ1ddUysMuQwkjTMLDkz6XP74SiA4=w289-h250" style="text-align: center;" width="289" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>You've Got Mail</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>In 1998, </span><i>You've Got Mail </i><span>offered Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as the romantic leads in a movie based on an older movie <i>The Shop Around the Corner </i>(1940), which itself was based on the Hungarian stage play <i style="background-color: white;">Parfumerie</i><span style="background-color: white;"> by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikl%C3%B3s_L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none;" title="Miklós László"><span style="color: black;">Miklós László</span></a> (1937). In </span><i>The Shop Around the Corner </i><span>the stage play's </span><span style="background-color: white;">parfumerie becomes a leather shop, which turns into a book shop in </span><i>You've Got Mail. </i><span>All three stories have the plot device in common that the leads fall in love anonymously through their correspondence. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>The soundtrack album for </span><i>You've Got Mail </i><span>is a little quirkier than the one for </span><span><i>Sleepless In Seattle, </i>in a good way. There is not the dependence on the real old songs. There are mostly songs from the 1960s and later and they vary between well known hits and some more esoteric selections.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">With songs falling into both categories, we have <span style="background-color: white;">Harry Nilsson representing four songs on this record. We open with "</span><span style="background-color: white;">The Puppy Song," a tune that Nilsson wrote and recorded for his album <i>Harry</i> in 1969. "Remember" is another beautiful Nilsson composition and was featured on his <i>S</i></span><span><i>on of Schmilsson</i> album (1972). Nilsson's rendition of "Over the Rainbow" was unique to the OST until it was later collected and released on <i>Nilsson: </i></span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Sessions 1967-1975, </i>an album of rarities released in 2006. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fourth song, "</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City," has an interesting story. Nilsson wrote and recorded the song in 1969 for the movie <i>Midnight Cowboy. </i>Ultimately, the song wasn't used and it came out on his album <i>Harry</i> that same year. "</span><span style="background-color: white;">I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City" was also released as a single, which became the second biggest hit in Nilsson's career. </span>Sinéad O'Connor recorded a cover version for <i>You've Got Mail</i> and it appears on the soundtrack album. When they made the movie, they wound up using Nilsson's original version within the movie while the O'Connor version plays during the credits. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The well known songs work nicely in the scenes in which they appear and sound even better in the full versions included on the soundtrack album. You have The Cranberries sounding really good on "Dreams" along with top hits from the sixties that include Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" and Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin." Less well known songs like Louis Armstrong's "Dummy Song," Roy Orbison's "Dream" and Randy Newman's "Lonely at the Top" round out side one.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Everyone knows "<span style="background-color: white;">Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours" the Stevie Wonder classic. Even though I already went over the Harry Nilsson contributions to </span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>You've Got Mail</i>, I'll mention that his version of "</span><span style="background-color: white;">Over The Rainbow" is not only beautiful, but (and this is no spoiler) when it appears at the climax of the movie, it might just be the second best use of that song in the movies, after <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>. Forming the other half of the final scene, is </span><span style="background-color: white;">"</span><span style="background-color: white;">Anyone At All" written by Carole King with Carole Bayer Sager for this movie, which ends the story on a perfect note. As the scene ends and the closing credits roll, you hear Billy Williams' "</span><span style="background-color: white;">I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" followed by </span><span style="background-color: white;">Sinead O'Connor and "</span><span style="background-color: white;">You Made Me Love You" by Jimmy Durante. Side two also contains a suite of music from the film score by </span><span style="background-color: white;">George Fenton.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h4 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.25px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Fun fact about <i style="background-color: transparent;">You've Got Mail: </i><span style="background-color: transparent;">Although her music does not appear in the movie, Joni Mitchell's lyrics are quoted twice in the movie dialogue. </span></span></h4></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="382" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hnwJkf5JO74" width="557" youtube-src-id="hnwJkf5JO74"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMmZa42npqhbcLTH0FlK47CiUJ18mM5HN7WFnNiF9I64WpddSOT5VrcvEy7MiRi1rzdBOZ6Z9mxylTRrQ3pmqA6cE8wcr3C_5s80MURJUqeNbRr3IeBTQB3tFmTW9W-aixEyHBYAKxpYf2sRFJaZRPt-BZ1ddUysMuQwkjTMLDkz6XP74SiA4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfD9CAPwlIbmqtUF5kCzLDroRQAPkLZjiB70hGJDe2djiuM93aBH4zMCC2i_-H5uiy36gCpjOIIbMfDUc8lCYhOvxC032VLbibPdPi9PFKtGimm_Z9RXfjHrrSMHoaNUuFEtG4XM7ZMN1YZbPmj7KCiDDXxoUXgJL7yn4f1EcG0Hv-uFuSP0g=w320-h320" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXzv2lJDAOIs33iWJAKCDOuHJWlpr9vO71911SZ9VUBIFWhsxFVx194RI-7Ile5Gs53A4ug34Im2lhCros0HqNtA0eO6lRt1hztd3gFFF5pyPYnS3DoqYNs5bpoUhS_Oz3Fl8J5Zgsh6Kz3fWfoDD-4661S69MqJexGdtuMjdLxtchzKnRlIU" style="clear: right; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJVzb7uMXyu4cF_WWN71WyX43tqJzIOd_mMfgkM1kgJI_Rl0MvSEPKKdojChKNhWHMzd6WCucQ2-eGbIY8Ptq53HSSElZ66Yi0hBZ7TlaRHRYeJpV795J0NCXvECshvsIIuf-D-sVrog7j2KPira9o4C2TuCCo5TH9cUC14HCpHzuKaWYn608" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1200" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJVzb7uMXyu4cF_WWN71WyX43tqJzIOd_mMfgkM1kgJI_Rl0MvSEPKKdojChKNhWHMzd6WCucQ2-eGbIY8Ptq53HSSElZ66Yi0hBZ7TlaRHRYeJpV795J0NCXvECshvsIIuf-D-sVrog7j2KPira9o4C2TuCCo5TH9cUC14HCpHzuKaWYn608=w583-h241" width="583" /></span></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-89586071423161764532022-03-13T21:57:00.000-04:002022-03-13T21:57:18.957-04:00Sasha Dobson - Girl Talk (2021); Dobson's Vocals and Compositions Join Peter Bernstein's Incredible Guitar To Set the Sixties On It's Ear to Make a Must Hear Jazz Album<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEOOiVEwzgVvCMnn22RMUXGUdwtxte1l8vAvxbZabse1dYIV6sobJOWu0xv0lsTwdnPW32ZGr3xkao4aGcQ9__0VJI25pz_0jwHelGGGJ6z4RzgWUgnPkXKO25dQJXC5_p23y0BRN4H8XK9IjYiobkX_t38qPNIr1k6zKssSq6JlaC4EdmOyE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1667" data-original-width="2500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEOOiVEwzgVvCMnn22RMUXGUdwtxte1l8vAvxbZabse1dYIV6sobJOWu0xv0lsTwdnPW32ZGr3xkao4aGcQ9__0VJI25pz_0jwHelGGGJ6z4RzgWUgnPkXKO25dQJXC5_p23y0BRN4H8XK9IjYiobkX_t38qPNIr1k6zKssSq6JlaC4EdmOyE=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />Photos: Courtesy of the artist</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">They say that the best music towns are Nashville, Austin and New Orleans. I wouldn't argue the point except to add Los Angelos, Chicago and New York City to the list. A case could be made for NYC as the best music town of all. I've never had the pleasure of visiting The Big Easy, but I've been to all the others and I'm here to say that New York's volume of venues, of all stripes and sizes, has a lot going for it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Back in the mid 1990s, I fell for a little group known as Once Blue and saw them play live a couple of times. Once Blue was composed of Jesse Harris and Rebecca Martin. You may know Harris from his work with Norah Jones and his Grammy winning composition "Don't Know Why." Once Blue only released one wonderful album before breaking up, but at the time I would have gone anywhere to see singer Rebecca Martin. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I think it was 1997 when I trekked up to NYC to see her at The Living Room's original Lower East Side location. Martin had gone on to a career as a jazz singer. The room was small, maybe 100 people, with a bar and a stage of sorts. Small venues in that neighborhood had a free admission policy that required only one drink per set and tipping the artist as you saw fit. Bands changed every hour making it conducive to seeing someone before and after the person you came to see. On that first visit, we got there early and just happened to catch a fine set by Richard Julian. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fast forward a few years and The Living Room had moved and the Rockwood Music Hall had opened nearby. Both venues featured the same operating policy and it was easy to patronize both venues on the same night depending on each one's schedule. For more on this, check out my complete article <a href="https://billsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/les-is-more-music-on-new-yorks-lower.html" target="_blank">L.E.S. Is More</a>. The long and the short of it is that going back up to see Julian led me to Sasha Dobson who I then saw many times in the years that have followed. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Singer-songwriters were a dime a dozen at these venues, but there was always something a little different about Dobson's live performances. She was a singer-songwriter, to be sure, but there were threads of jazz and sometimes a little bossa nova in her mix. As such, it was no surprise to see Dobson gravitate to Norah Jones. In addition to being one-third of Norah's side project, Puss 'n Boots (sort of an all female version of Norah's other side project The Little Willies, which included Richard Julian), Dobson has also toured with Jones being both opening act and a member of her band. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpMh86urqzTyquTjrQM9GjlyIiX3qpgKGz2KJUgi0oMK4nealdjhSjjFxABKFawtFT-kfk_w04V3VgoD96tUNOIigUO9QXy3GPAgKOKdKiIXCDZMJJQvWLS3igAiyOxxkoqoCQqcgXRBEQFO4ebq5uZqiclgIZ03nuYkI9l1FGn6tOSR15LB4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpMh86urqzTyquTjrQM9GjlyIiX3qpgKGz2KJUgi0oMK4nealdjhSjjFxABKFawtFT-kfk_w04V3VgoD96tUNOIigUO9QXy3GPAgKOKdKiIXCDZMJJQvWLS3igAiyOxxkoqoCQqcgXRBEQFO4ebq5uZqiclgIZ03nuYkI9l1FGn6tOSR15LB4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaiRVgQvmd_IldEN6w_z0VwR4Sya9_TyLlJRAfkeBHibxpPEHf7FYBIJrZ1wLEjba0PLzwGyDH6ufUHzyn2bHL0DkKc98vlweG292Yr_3SQEn6jXZbyVajEzhKqSa0qnBTonjg3Bn9o5U82mWKcZ7YR5myAwPbZKNEZZ-xE1-hv3xBbCux0vQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaiRVgQvmd_IldEN6w_z0VwR4Sya9_TyLlJRAfkeBHibxpPEHf7FYBIJrZ1wLEjba0PLzwGyDH6ufUHzyn2bHL0DkKc98vlweG292Yr_3SQEn6jXZbyVajEzhKqSa0qnBTonjg3Bn9o5U82mWKcZ7YR5myAwPbZKNEZZ-xE1-hv3xBbCux0vQ=w529-h278" width="529" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Girl Talk </i>is a delightful mix of new original songs and some extremely well chosen covers. Dobson is in fine voice throughout. Her excellent band includes a very jazzy electric guitar played by Peter Bernstein. He artfully backs her when she's singing, and then deftly goes to town with wondrous solos when she's not. On the Dobson penned original "Better Days" the superb rhythm section, lead by drummer Kenny Wollesen, is in perfect lockstep with the guitar. </span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The title track is one of the well chosen covers, featuring a backing vocal by Norah Jones, that works so well you might think it was an original. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I love the deliberately slow pace of another ingeniously chosen cover, "Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps." The song was written by Osvaldo Farres and was recorded by Doris Day for an album that came out in 1965. Incidentally, the Day recording appeared recently in the Disney film Cruella (2021). Dobson's take sounds phenomenal, comparing favorably to the version by British pop vocalist Mari Wilson, which was used on the BBC television comedy Coupling (PBS showed it here in The States). No matter who does it, the song has that '60s sheen to it, just ripe for a jazz rendition. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghGpI73aqejYWoI6k57UaiFR1t8zdYnBxCFADaimdeK0-BbyvEtiOUZaoE5siO-nXwgZv03fWEXcIm2bn_mBmmFTYMu2xNpwKe-OoQ5-45GMBEjJQzE-6mOl7QY0svkzBFWj-jHDvTgFGaPEwmg4A1q0GY_jfYiKTLRYJ35PTpQC4rV6LAmD8=s2500" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="2500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghGpI73aqejYWoI6k57UaiFR1t8zdYnBxCFADaimdeK0-BbyvEtiOUZaoE5siO-nXwgZv03fWEXcIm2bn_mBmmFTYMu2xNpwKe-OoQ5-45GMBEjJQzE-6mOl7QY0svkzBFWj-jHDvTgFGaPEwmg4A1q0GY_jfYiKTLRYJ35PTpQC4rV6LAmD8=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">The cool covers on this album are all standards of pop and jazz. I don't know if there's a rule about what makes a standard, but if it has anything to do with cover versions, these songs have tons. Dobson produced the album herself and she rightly deserves credit for the excellent song selection and sequencing. What's more, her two original compositions fit right in. "Better Days" opens the album quite nicely. </div></span></div></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">"<span><span style="white-space: nowrap;">You're the Death of Me" feels right at home between </span></span>"Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps" and "The Great City." The latter was written by Curtis Lewis and first appeared in 1961 on a recording by Nancy Wilson. It's one of those songs that when you hear it you know that you've heard it before, you just don't know when. It's another song that just smacks of the '60s. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">"Softly as in a Morning Sunrise," the song that <span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">Oscar Hammerstein II and </span><span style="background-color: white;">Sigmund Romberg wrote that dates from 1928, has something in common with "Time On My Hands" by Adamson, Gordon and Youmans, and it's not just that the later is from the same timeframe (1930). Both tracks feature the vibraphone of Sasha's brother, Smith Dobson. This first collaboration of these siblings pays off in a big way. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The classic "Autumn Nocturne" begins with a bass solo that becomes the solo bass opening to the song. The album ends on another '60s high note with Nancy Sinatra's #1 hit "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'". There have been a plethora of covers of this Lee Hazelwood tune, but I don't think I've ever heard one like this. The Dobson version suggests that this tune was made for jazz treatment, sounding perfect in all the right places. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The last thing I'll add is that the quality of Bernstein's musicianship cannot be overestimated, he is not just amazingly talented, but his guitar work is amazingly tasteful as well. If you're going to record jazz guitar, you really can't go wrong with Bernstein. His guitar and Dobson's overall artistry really set this album apart. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="417" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8_y7tv2PzP0" width="501" youtube-src-id="8_y7tv2PzP0"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><u>Tracklist</u>:</span></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11p0_z7jqr" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoAHoECA0QAg" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAM" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+better+days&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJwCwziq8yzCou0RLOTrfRzS4szk_UTc5JKc62K8_PSixexShQnFmckKqTkJwEFFJJSS0pSixRSEiuLAevc8bRSAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAM" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px solid rgb(236, 237, 239); display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">1</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Better Days</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">3:28</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11qh2k9_q2" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoAXoECA0QBA" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAU" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+sweet+and+lovely&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJwCzOMsi3jC420RLOTrfRzS4szk_UTc5JKc62K8_PSixexyhYnFmckKqTkJwEFFIrLU1NLFBLzUhRy8stScyoBuR9281cAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAU" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px solid rgb(236, 237, 239); display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">2</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Sweet and Lovely</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">5:28</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11p0_xxnd0" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoAnoECA0QBg" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAc" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+girl+talk&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJwCwziKyryUgy0RLOTrfRzS4szk_UTc5JKc62K8_PSixexihUnFmckKqTkJwEFFNIzi3IUShJzsgH3cQZxUAAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">3</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Girl Talk</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:23</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11p0_z4495" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoA3oECA0QCA" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAk" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+perhaps+perhaps+perhaps&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJwCwziq0xMLE21RLOTrfRzS4szk_UTc5JKc62K8_PSixexqhQnFmckKqTkJwEFFApSizISC4rRaQBluMmbXgAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">4</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">3:36</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11rxnyh778" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoBHoECA0QCg" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAs" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+you%27re+the+death+of+me&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJx8yozzM0ttESzk630c0uLM5P1E3OSSnOtivPz0osXsSoXJxZnJCqk5CcBBRQq80vVi1IVSjJSFVJSE0syFPLTFHJTAUkN-v1dAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEAs" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">5</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">You're the Death of Me</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:20</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11qh2msg2s" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoBXoECA0QDA" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEA0" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+the+great+city&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJwCzOMcovTjYq1RLOTrfRzS4szk_UTc5JKc62K8_PSixexShcnFmckKqTkJwEFFEoyUhXSi1ITSxSSM0sqAWUynXpVAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEA0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">6</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">The Great City</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:09</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11p0_xhrbn" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoBnoECA0QDg" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEA8" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+softly+as+in+a+morning+sunrise&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJwCwziKzKKkvK0RLOTrfRzS4szk_UTc5JKc62K8_PSixexahcnFmckKqTkJwEFFIrz00pyKhUSixUy8xQSFXLzi_Iy89IVikvzijKLUwGydusQZQAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEA8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">7</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Softly as in a Morning Sunrise</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">5:05</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11qh2lrmq5" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoB3oECA0QEA" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEBE" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+time+on+my+hands&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJwCzOMcopyC021RLOTrfRzS4szk_UTc5JKc62K8_PSixexyhYnFmckKqTkJwEFFEoyc1MVgHRupUJGYl5KMQDh7coIVwAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEBE" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">8</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Time on My Hands</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">6:19</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11rxny3y86" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoCHoECA0QEg" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEBM" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+autumn+nocturne&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJx8yqNKy3MtESzk630c0uLM5P1E3OSSnOtivPz0osXscoUJxZnJCqk5CcBBRQSS0tKc_MU8vKTS0qL8lIBmXemS1YAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEBM" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">9</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Autumn Nocturne</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:49</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11rxnyhry2" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQtxAoCXoECA0QFA" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof" style="background-color: #fafafa;"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEBU" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS975US975&q=sasha+dobson+these+boots+are+made+for+walkin%E2%80%99&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NCyqKDAwtCgzVoJx8yoziiqNtESzk630c0uLM5P1E3OSSnOtivPz0osXseoXJxZnJCqk5CcBBRRKMlKLUxWS8vNLihUSi1IVchNTUhXS8osUyhNzsjPzHjXMBAD3RP8eaQAAAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjMrJSNsrf2AhX6mXIEHXDdADUQri56BAgNEBU" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">10</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div class="junCMe" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">These Boots Are Made For Walkin’</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:42</div></div></div></a></div></div></span></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-85278290860015360662022-02-10T13:39:00.001-05:002022-02-11T17:04:11.990-05:00Oz Noy/Ray Marchica/Ugonna Okegwo - Riverside (Outside in Music, 2022); Three Master Musicians Jazz Up The Standards During the Pandemic at Riverside Park, NYC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIpbRf9bf7XHjpkvTQNokzsbPHCwjc-KzZIYCXdzw5yGEMVW_vESAS5g_N5i_AC2g1XnL7ASTJhQuZ03ttDR9iAflx9pn-3luQy1sLSF1pez6gvQv1UIbtVQzylm8xTzcPjurgmFp8OdUnunJHJAIPOgDN0detcgeCKMqv7la5jevAMEm59cg=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIpbRf9bf7XHjpkvTQNokzsbPHCwjc-KzZIYCXdzw5yGEMVW_vESAS5g_N5i_AC2g1XnL7ASTJhQuZ03ttDR9iAflx9pn-3luQy1sLSF1pez6gvQv1UIbtVQzylm8xTzcPjurgmFp8OdUnunJHJAIPOgDN0detcgeCKMqv7la5jevAMEm59cg=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>All Photos Courtesy of Oz Noy/</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ugonna Okegwo/Ray Marchica</span> Trio</span></div><h3 class="LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;"><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;"><h3 class="LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">If only I had known then what I know now...</h3></div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;"><h3 class="LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">In the first decade of this millennium, I was privileged to see a lot of live music in NYC. I'm still kicking myself for not seeing fabled guitarist Oz Noy when I had the chance. I knew by reputation that he was an incredible guitar player. What I didn't know, unfortunately, was the type of music he played or that he was the tasteful player that he is. </h3></div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;">I didn't know that Noy was an accomplished player in his native Israel and that he played on Israel's most popular television show for two years before moving to NYC in the mid-nineties. I also didn't know that he plays at The Bitter End every Monday when he is in town and that his rhythm section often consisted of Will Lee on bass and Anton Fig on drums; both members of the David Letterman Show band. I was already familiar with Lee from his many endeavors, not the least of which were frequent gigs with guitarist Hiram Bullock. Although Bullock's style was markedly different from Noy's, they do share an affinity for similar genres of music, as well as a bass player (Will Lee) who Noy has called "the perfect bass player." In addition to the Monday night gigs at The Bitter End, Noy has been known to play in a jazz trio at the 55 Bar, also in NYC. </div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;">Oz Noy combines jazz, rock, soul, and blues into a unique style of fusion. Among his many awards is one I especially love. <i>Guitar Player</i> magazine named him "Best Out There Guitarist."</div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;">Because Noy's jazz trio has not appeared on record before, <i>Riverside</i> may seem like something of a departure. Noy joined with Ugonna Okegwo and Ray Marchica, during the pandemic, to play at Riverside Park because they are master musicians and happened to live nearby (see full story, below). On the album <i>Riverside,</i> Noy plays with a light jazz tone throughout, dazzling with his technique on mostly standards of varying vintage. Noy has pointed out that playing standards is nothing new to him, having played standards for many years in his jazz trios. </div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhp3N7JJk1gApjR4WonYzYM17l7V5PbfU3ZOV3LHDXNnyx53L_LThubOkLqgJu0i7p3ViuTunOGAhRu8c9roEp1CMeeCIvxJ6MqhdaZ9Lb8bV32kv0F9zl9Mj2mWD6NU6z2mWOK1-1s1g98cEiiaEoohVA7ceZBi5X5bpjzgrfkyhJZ4M6KejM=s900" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhp3N7JJk1gApjR4WonYzYM17l7V5PbfU3ZOV3LHDXNnyx53L_LThubOkLqgJu0i7p3ViuTunOGAhRu8c9roEp1CMeeCIvxJ6MqhdaZ9Lb8bV32kv0F9zl9Mj2mWD6NU6z2mWOK1-1s1g98cEiiaEoohVA7ceZBi5X5bpjzgrfkyhJZ4M6KejM=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h3 class="LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md" style="display: inline-block; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Recording Session at Carriage House Studios, Stamford, CT </span></h3></div><br /><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;">What follows is an excellent description of the trio and the circumstances that brought these musicians together, and the stories are intertwined.</div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;">[From the Press Release]</div><div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal;"><p style="caret-color: rgb(117, 117, 117); color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span></p></div><blockquote style="font-weight: normal;"><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(117, 117, 117); color: #757575; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><strong>Oz Noy, Ray Marchica</strong> and <strong>Ugonna Okegwo</strong> are pleased to present <strong>Riverside</strong>, out on <strong>January 21, 2022 </strong>via <strong>Outside in Music</strong>. Their first release as a trio, Riverside is a fresh, life-affirming collection of standards that stems from the group’s spontaneously assembled outdoor jams held in Riverside Park, New York City during lockdown.</span></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="font-weight: normal;"><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(117, 117, 117); color: #757575; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">As individuals, this dynamic trio has a wide range of performing credits – <strong>Okegwo</strong> as a celebrated sideman with Jacky Terrasson and Tom Harrell, <strong>Marchica</strong> as a Broadway and session player (plus two albums as a leader) and <strong>Noy</strong> as one of fusion’s most sought after individual voices. All three have worked on the New York scene for the past two decades, so when the COVID-19 lockdown hit, it was a huge blow to both their livelihoods and their creative spirits. Then, summer came around, and the chance presented itself for housebound musicians to meet up and play outdoors. Oz called upon his neighbors Ugonna and Ray and invited them down to the park for a jam session – Ugonna on upright, Marchica with a small drum set, and Noy on electric guitar, with a battery-powered amp. </span></span> </div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="font-weight: normal;"><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(117, 117, 117); color: #757575; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Their spot was pretty picturesque. “We set up perfectly: you could look down to the Hudson River, and then across to New Jersey – it was a lovely environment being there,” reflects Okegwo. It helped the group find a sound too. “It was almost like a little venue,” says Noy, and they weren’t the only ones taking advantage of the accidental bandstand-like coves the park is blessed with. “There were multiple little stages, some people playing bluegrass, some classical. When we started playing, there was nobody in the park, but by October time, people were thinking ‘oh, maybe we can do this too’. We were pioneers,” says Marchica.</span></span> </div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="font-weight: normal;"><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(117, 117, 117); color: #757575; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The sessions went on through the summer months until the weather turned in October. But instead of packing up entirely, the group went into the studio, satisfied that they had created a sound, and a feeling amongst the group. “It saved me, it saved all of us – musically and mentally,” says Marchica.</span></span> </div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="font-weight: normal;"><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(117, 117, 117); color: #757575; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The beauty shines throughout the trio’s creative, yet hands-off, arrangements. “<strong>All The Things You Are</strong>” opens with a Monk-ish kilter, Noy breezily sweeping over the changes and into some mysterious territories, particularly in the vamped ending, which stretches time effortlessly. <strong>“Anthropology” </strong>nimbly tiptoes through Charlie Parker’s choppy lines, and “<strong>Have You Met Miss Jones</strong>” continues the rhythmic trickery, skidding along as Noy veers between lithe straight playing and relaxed swing.</span></span> </div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="font-weight: normal;"><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(117, 117, 117); color: #757575; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">“<strong>Billie’s Bounce</strong>” is given a makeover by Noy, who ‘figured out a way to play it as a ballad, a slow blues harmonized in a different way’. “<strong>Riverside Blues</strong>” adds another dimension to the record, a shuffling 12/8 blues-rock written at one of the jams in the park. </span></span> </div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="font-weight: normal;"><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(117, 117, 117); color: #757575; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><strong>“6/8 Lunch Break”</strong> is a chance for Marchica to strut his stuff on an extended solo interlude. Then comes an intriguingly free-form take on “<strong>Out Of Nowhere</strong>” that embraces the opaque, before a barnstorming take on “<strong>Donna Lee</strong>”, where Noy shows serious chops. It’s arranged sparsely, letting solo contributions from Noy and Marchica unfurl naturally before an abrupt full stop brings the trio to a halt.</span></span> </div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="font-weight: normal;"><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(117, 117, 117); color: #757575; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">“<strong>This Could Be a Start of Something Big</strong>” is apt for the group; in what was Okegwo’s first encounter with the standard, the group’s arrangement grew organically week-by-week, in tandem with the rapidly developing bonds tying the trio together. The album ends on a different note – “<strong>Sunny</strong>” injects Bobby Hebb’s classic track with a healthy dose of musical serotonin, in a rocking, soul-fueled cover that transports the group right back to where they started – the sun-soaked surroundings of Riverside Park.</span></span></div></div><div></div></blockquote><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #383838; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Oz Noy, Ugonna Okegwo, Ray Marchica – Sunny (audio video):</span><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #383838; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ti0D3buXApo?start=1" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #383838; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Tracklist:</div></h3><h3 class="LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="aec-section-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Gentona, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none;"></div><ul class="ui-tabs-nav ui-helper-reset ui-helper-clearfix ui-widget-header ui-corner-all" role="tablist" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-radius: 4px; border-right: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Gentona, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.3; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0.2em 0px; resize: none;"><li aria-controls="mt-1" aria-expanded="true" aria-labelledby="MusicTracks" aria-selected="true" class="ui-state-default ui-corner-top ui-tabs-active ui-state-active" role="tab" style="background: none 0px 0px repeat scroll rgb(255, 255, 255); border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; border-width: 1px 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; float: left; font-weight: normal; list-style: none; margin: 1px 0.2em -1px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px; position: relative; resize: none; top: 0px; white-space: nowrap;" tabindex="0"><a class="ui-tabs-anchor" href="https://www.popmarket.com/oz-noy-riverside/762183619928#mt-1" id="MusicTracks" role="presentation" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #030303; float: left; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.42857; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-decoration-line: none; text-transform: lowercase;" tabindex="-1"></a></li></ul><div aria-hidden="false" aria-labelledby="MusicTracks" class="ui-tabs-panel ui-widget-content ui-corner-bottom" id="mt-1" role="tabpanel" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border: 0px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-family: Gentona, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 1em 0px; resize: none; width: 555px;"><div class="tracksonly" id="aec-jukebox" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.42857; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 10px; resize: none; width: auto;"><div class="jp-playlist tracksonly" style="border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; counter-reset: trackn 0; display: inline-block; margin: 10px 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; resize: none; width: 555px;"><ul style="box-sizing: content-box; color: #222222; font-weight: 400; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none;"><li style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">1</span> All the Things You Are</li><li style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">2</span> Anthropology</li><li style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">3</span> Have You Met Miss Jones</li><li style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">4</span> Billie's Bounce</li><li style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">5</span> Riverside Blues</li><li style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">6</span> 6/8 Lunch Break</li><li style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">7</span> Out of Nowhere</li><li style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">8</span> Donna Lee</li><li style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">9</span> This Could Be the Start of Something Big</li><li style="background-color: transparent; border-top: 1px solid rgb(241, 237, 223); box-sizing: content-box; color: #555555; display: block; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 8px; resize: none; transition: background-color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span class="aec-tracknum" style="background-color: #414141; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: content-box; color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 10px; height: 20px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; resize: none; text-align: center; width: 20px;">10</span> Sunny</li></ul><div><span style="color: #555555;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifzKydYMNTyRVf41bOpvfOPRKcEz1SFLo0Z9uNaScjUkPU1OgeQNbOuWpy7eiQXTOl_M2mV_yc5mbsmypmvMkaFeI0y9PbHAcJbUdAsbn_V6ej21wGoxG9PegkBdy2sSI0pDFPde_raRWaHye4_muBi99P8o5EYeXsYDbz-F4dYWTP0ks3Pxk=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifzKydYMNTyRVf41bOpvfOPRKcEz1SFLo0Z9uNaScjUkPU1OgeQNbOuWpy7eiQXTOl_M2mV_yc5mbsmypmvMkaFeI0y9PbHAcJbUdAsbn_V6ej21wGoxG9PegkBdy2sSI0pDFPde_raRWaHye4_muBi99P8o5EYeXsYDbz-F4dYWTP0ks3Pxk=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #555555;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></h3>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-75742031274945901062021-12-31T13:01:00.003-05:002022-02-01T19:27:00.861-05:00The Best Music of 2021, Album of the Year: Joni Mitchell, Blue (Remastered); Plus My Picks for the Top Thirty Starring (in the Top Ten) Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Samara Joy, James McMurtry, Shannon McNally, Willie Nelson, Nobody's Girl, Chrissi Poland, Bruce Springsteen, and Steve Tyrell<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><p></p><div class="ArticleLeadArt_root__gi0oh" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 56px;"><figure class="ArticleLeadFigure_root__2I1Rw ArticleLeadFigure_standard__1MSBS" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 976px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv3Uvy9MEaGjf4Zk9mGtYLvY9KNHUPa1h9Eol77M62VzEYdNuTTfjMDG-ifN5M3IsJoFXsUji_Zz5gl-n5q06MSuvNBhHhyRVZNNDKVKNCPnrz91PXGfqAxq0spL0knLtr52Gww/s1800/joni-mitchell-1969.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv3Uvy9MEaGjf4Zk9mGtYLvY9KNHUPa1h9Eol77M62VzEYdNuTTfjMDG-ifN5M3IsJoFXsUji_Zz5gl-n5q06MSuvNBhHhyRVZNNDKVKNCPnrz91PXGfqAxq0spL0knLtr52Gww/w640-h426/joni-mitchell-1969.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Joni Mitchell - Jack Robinson / Hulton Archive / Getty</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Welcome to the best music of 2021. For whatever reason, there was more good music released this year than ever. The most likely scenario is simply that musicians, forced off the road by the pandemic, had plenty of time to do what they do best. </span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In late spring it seemed (for about five minutes) like we had really turned the corner and that, as a result, venues began booking shows and some musicians ventured out upon the road. Japanese Breakfast had no sooner announced a mostly sold out five show run at Philadelphia's Union Transfer than the Delta variant kicked in with a vengeance. Although some vaccinated people got mildly infected, the unvaccinated filled hospitals to the breaking point. Most folks returned to preventive measures to avoid Covid infection. The music industry, like most others, is caught in the middle of trying to open up while the pandemic still rages. </span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Now, as I complete this post, the Omicron variant is threatening to put us back to square one. It can't really be square one because we have many tools that we didn't have two years ago. Even still, the idea of going to a crowded indoor venue is a deal breaker for portions of the potential audience. With serges infecting large numbers, including players of professional sports teams, we are seeing frequent shutdowns all over the entertainment industry. Not to mention some schools going back to remote learning. I won't say that this is the new normal, but it may be awhile before the music industry, or any other industry for that matter, gets really back to some semblance of normal. So, strap in, keep watching and supporting those live streams and let the music pull you through.</span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>Album of the Year: </b><span><b>Joni Mitchell - Blue (Remastered)</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT96l7lWsU-miwH3GrsrnwFOqxYEdSkEJpm0RdzNiS4W_jdXDRimsyM1x7tBwKPTyEg8nLwu3J9KCwaGTNBTqWFP8_CtWM2Di3UU-BQSPWjx_mshY8PMJnUDit9wtV_DcbyVbWpQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT96l7lWsU-miwH3GrsrnwFOqxYEdSkEJpm0RdzNiS4W_jdXDRimsyM1x7tBwKPTyEg8nLwu3J9KCwaGTNBTqWFP8_CtWM2Di3UU-BQSPWjx_mshY8PMJnUDit9wtV_DcbyVbWpQ/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>Joni Mitchell's fourth album, </span><i>Blue</i><span>, turned 50 in 2021 and the music industry came together in a big way to celebrate her life and career, and rightly so. Perhaps the best part is that she is still here to enjoy the accolades. Consider that she has excelled as a songwriter, as a musician, and as a singer on her strikingly original material since before day one. I'll tell you what I mean by that in a minute. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Consider also that although every album has its merits, </span><i>Blue</i><span> is universally regarded as her first major masterpiece and most artists don't even get to have one. Without even thinking about it, I could name two more, </span><i>Court and Spark</i><span> and </span><i>Hejira; </i><span>there may be more. Mitchell is the subject of not one, but two, series of box sets right now. One, the remasters series, reissues each of her albums. The first set contains her first four albums (The Reprise Years, 1968-1971). In addition to remastering, the first album was remixed correcting a problem that was reportedly bugging Mitchell for years.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>The other series, </span><i>The Live Archive</i><span> offers previously unreleased live and studio recordings. The first set, </span><i>Volume 1</i><span>, consists of five CDs worth of material from the period before her first album (this is what I meant by before day one). That treasure was released in 2020. This year brought release of </span><i>Volume 2,</i><span> containing five more CDs worth of previously unreleased rare and live material made during the same period as </span><i>The Reprise Years</i><span>. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also am happy to report that the Joni Mitchell celebration will continue forward into 2022. When the music industry convenes in LA for the Grammy Awards, there will be a tribute concert during which Mitchell will receive the honor of becoming the MusiCares Person of the Year. The event is usually filmed and released on DVD/Blu-ray.</span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Blue</i><span> is not only totally original and new, it was groundbreaking when it came out in any number of regards, not the least of which were her open tunings. If you wanted to play one of these songs, you had to retune your guitar first. The titles are iconic, such as "A Case of You", "Carey", "California", "All I Want", I could go on and name them all. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>I was in high school, already a fan, when this came out. But, </span><i>Blue </i><span>was an album that I didn't need to buy, at least initially. I have a younger sister who bought </span><i>Blue</i><span> immediately upon release, and it seemed to me that she played it continually (every time I walked by her room it seemed to be on). Although I generally react negatively to music in repetition, </span><i>Blue</i><span> insinuated itself into my central nervous system, joining the likes of the Beatles, C, S & N and The Who's </span><i>Tommy</i><span>. Eventually, I did pick up my own copy of the record.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><span>The fact that </span></span><i>Blue</i><span> </span><span><span>marks 50 years this year has brought it some well deserved attention. </span><span>Brandi Carlile has been known to cover the entire </span><i>Blue </i><span>album in concert. </span><span>And don't forget the boatload of "River" covers, which have made this gorgeous tale of desperation and regret into a massive Christmas standard. I can't leave this subject without mentioning Nazareth's excellent version of "This Flight Tonight", which just might be the first cover by anyone of a song from <i>Blue</i>. Which reminds me of a review, </span></span><span>that always cracked me up, </span><span><span>in Creem (who billed themselves as America's Only Rock 'n Roll Magazine). They were reviewing <i>For The Roses</i> or <i>Court and Spark, </i>as memory serves, and they wrote something to the effect that Joni should go back to writing more songs that Nazareth could do. I don't think they were joking...</span></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; font-weight: 700;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; font-weight: 700;"><u>The Top Ten (Alphabetically by Artist)</u>:</span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46kxfqfJcTn1ktpLiLhff4p4LqABrVJWwWBV794vpK5fCOes_DY55-m8S4in0KJAtw5pxLCehruJ4KF8WjK3-D2PDdr8a7WMsljkyTAn4NrbxDNtFlm5YSzo4RQ2Ca_rbs4_bPA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46kxfqfJcTn1ktpLiLhff4p4LqABrVJWwWBV794vpK5fCOes_DY55-m8S4in0KJAtw5pxLCehruJ4KF8WjK3-D2PDdr8a7WMsljkyTAn4NrbxDNtFlm5YSzo4RQ2Ca_rbs4_bPA/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga - Love For Sale (Deluxe)</b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span>On their second album together, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga performed a program of all Cole Porter compositions. <i>Love For Sale </i>is another amazing achievement for this duo. A number of thing hit you when you put this on. First, it is remarkable how good Bennett sounds, even now that he is into his nineties. The second thing that strikes you is just how perfect Lady Gaga sings this type of material. One cannot help wondering if she will continue this style of music after Bennett retires. Gaga is so talented that she could pull off a two track career, doing this concurrently with the futuristic pop music that keeps her at the top of the charts. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span>Listening to this album it's easy to draw the conclusion that performing the work of one songwriter produces a more complete and complex album that we might have expected. </span></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span>Don't get me wrong, I love <i>Cheek to Cheek</i>, their first joint full length project, but after the gee whiz razzmatazz fades out, what you have here is something with (let's say) a little more depth. Many of the songs on </span></span><i style="background-color: white;">Love For Sal</i><span><i style="background-color: white;">e </i><span style="background-color: white;">will be instantly recognizable, even to the casual listener. They are the tracks to love while the lesser known tunes give it its depth. I'd like to say that these two are at the top of their game, but it's a little more complicated than that. Bennett has recently announced his retirement from live performing, acknowledging somewhat the ravages of age. Television profiles show that, in his case, even while the normality of life is a struggle for him now, the music remains seemingly unaltered. We can cherish this moment. </span></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZtfvnkB0CrUQM50EL0VKexE55DPPCbuZZ6dlQg04lc28df-hnuhgpjDFjHW5bF_LdLcRIAQfUEBT_KD_bQkv7dJ5yNxgN9Mtl6L8kDN5zhasy728MUHc-nRwC7t3r7-mGuI-Jg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZtfvnkB0CrUQM50EL0VKexE55DPPCbuZZ6dlQg04lc28df-hnuhgpjDFjHW5bF_LdLcRIAQfUEBT_KD_bQkv7dJ5yNxgN9Mtl6L8kDN5zhasy728MUHc-nRwC7t3r7-mGuI-Jg/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - 662</b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Christone Ingram, who also goes by the name Kingfish, is a complete blues recording artist and this year he released his second album for the Alligator Records label, writing, singing, and playing dynamite blues guitar, all at the tender age of 22. Kingfish came to the attention of the blues community when he was a teenage phenom. He has had the good fortune to work with, and learn from, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, and numerous others. The title of his album, 662, is a reference to the area code for his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Beyond his incredible technique on the electric guitar, Ingram has a gift for songwriting and a knack for incorporating personal experiences into songs like "Too Young to Remember," "That's What You Do," and many more. As impressive as he is burning down the house on the title track or "She Calls Me Kingfish," I find that when he slows down the tempo on songs, like "Something in the Dirt", the results are quite amazing. Before Kingfish gets lost in the giant pool of talents on Alligator Records, it is my great pleasure to listen to and write about this fine musician. See <a href="https://billsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/christone-kingfish-ingram-662-crushes.html" target="_blank">my full review</a>.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGJNfC8E9tSoobX5shxfgP7xDkbpsISM548pbsEnHK-JW8qtVKjIc9UzszozHDC-5GhRoZcnge4K0o_t2d5Cb-gVuerbPuQeIFQlh3nJHhLnHrL-fiWOJJik7pCBTK1WZ4i8mWA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGJNfC8E9tSoobX5shxfgP7xDkbpsISM548pbsEnHK-JW8qtVKjIc9UzszozHDC-5GhRoZcnge4K0o_t2d5Cb-gVuerbPuQeIFQlh3nJHhLnHrL-fiWOJJik7pCBTK1WZ4i8mWA/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>Samara Joy - Samara Joy</b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Samara Joy (McLendon) did not have your typical college education. Between the time she was accepted into the jazz program at SUNY Purchase and graduation day, she was named the Ella Fitzgerald Scholar, she won the Sarah Vaughn International Jazz Competition and she recorded this amazing debut album. Joined by jazz guitarist </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Pasquale Grasso and his trio (Ari Roland on upright bass and Kenny Washington on drums), Joy sang the program with beautiful tone and seemingly easy assured phrasing.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3eBdfuDD9MtgkF2cj6UoRHk83UTduNnBU9tvLSmcb-Ru3l2eg6qAENmO78Mpzfl8IZp4B4LVwO4rfYwFD-xgtaYFElWas-Cl0Glpd4bTiCjwQu2TmmW_LvfzR8VpswxrIhW2zQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3eBdfuDD9MtgkF2cj6UoRHk83UTduNnBU9tvLSmcb-Ru3l2eg6qAENmO78Mpzfl8IZp4B4LVwO4rfYwFD-xgtaYFElWas-Cl0Glpd4bTiCjwQu2TmmW_LvfzR8VpswxrIhW2zQ/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><b>James McMurtry - The Horses and the Hounds</b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span>By my count, </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>The Horses and the Hounds</i> represents James McMurtry's eleventh studio album. Comprised of all original songs that McMurtry wrote or co-wrote, they all are powered by his strong, yet sparkling, guitar tone. He generally falls into the categories of rock, folk, folk-rock, or Americana reflecting, I suppose, that we don't really have a good genre to put him in. There is a razor-thin line between some of McMurtry's wordier material and that of someone like Bruce Springsteen. Similarly, there's not much of a stretch from the talking blues of "Ft. Walton Wake Up </span><span style="background-color: white;">Call"</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; white-space: nowrap;">to some rap tracks. </span><span style="background-color: white; white-space: nowrap;">The bottom line</span><span style="background-color: white; white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span><span style="background-color: white; white-space: nowrap;">here is that </span></span><i>The Horses and the Hounds </i><span>sounds good initially, and it's one of those albums that keeps getting better the more you listen.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyIYNzX7BJQ5ArcCMkMX1ps_0_F8HNYLp686nsIg86Xcf9B9sgBE15mxpVqMv7AxHfYTW9aUzOLu3l7rxwIiUNOpD53TVSyGM2prekzDTtsJfNUAHOu2AFiZN7JgCDJ2enTRZjQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyIYNzX7BJQ5ArcCMkMX1ps_0_F8HNYLp686nsIg86Xcf9B9sgBE15mxpVqMv7AxHfYTW9aUzOLu3l7rxwIiUNOpD53TVSyGM2prekzDTtsJfNUAHOu2AFiZN7JgCDJ2enTRZjQ/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><b>Shannon McNally - The Waylon Sessions</b></span></span></div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">As someone who has listened to Shannon McNally and seen her live ever since the time of her first album 20 years ago, I was thrilled when she was signed to Compass Records because I think she has tremendous upside potential. A bit of that potential was realized on her first Compass release <i>Black Irish</i> (2017), and <i>The Waylon Sessions</i> is her second release for the label. </span></span><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For this project, McNally undertook the idea to record a tribute to the late country star. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Jennings is also known for forming The Outlaws with his wife Jessi Colter, Willie Nelson and Tompall </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Glaser, and is credited<span style="background-color: white;"> with starting the Outlaw Movement in country music. He also was in the country </span>supergroup<span style="background-color: white;"> </span>The Highwaymen<span style="background-color: white;"> with </span>Willie Nelson<span style="background-color: white;">, </span>Kris Kristofferson<span style="background-color: white;">, and </span>Johnny Cash<span style="background-color: white;">. </span></span></span></div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;">Let me say that McNally excels as she goes pure country to totally nail this selection of Jennings' classics. For more detail, I invite you to read the following from the press release. "...</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The Waylon Sessions, isn't so much a tribute to Waylon Jennings as it is a recontextualization: a nuanced, feminine rendering of a catalog long considered a bastion of hetero-masculinity. That's not to say McNally has a softer, gentler take on the songs of Jennings and his outlaw compatriots here; in fact, just the opposite. Over and over again, she manages to locate a smoldering intensity - a searing hurt buried deep within the music's deceptively simple poetry - and she hones in on it with a surgical precision. McNally doesn't swap pronouns or couch her delivery with a wink; she simply plays it straight, singing her truth as a divorced single mother in her 40's in all its beauty, pain, and power. The result is that rare covers record that furthers our understanding of the originals, an album of classics that challenges our perceptions and assumptions about just what made them classics in the first place."</span></span></span></div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm37ffFogYLmSqiFkDBRtShxuyx90_ekAHlm8vSh96beN77O2APC8w4-mDPaZS9g800RM4Br2cPoxLE5r3nKxbXwQgMDAtEB6_C4JcudYWKtQxPmxsB8ZVPsq7jiVChRfU32QeA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm37ffFogYLmSqiFkDBRtShxuyx90_ekAHlm8vSh96beN77O2APC8w4-mDPaZS9g800RM4Br2cPoxLE5r3nKxbXwQgMDAtEB6_C4JcudYWKtQxPmxsB8ZVPsq7jiVChRfU32QeA/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>Willie Nelson – That's Life</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Willie Nelson might not be the first person you think of when it comes to recording a Frank Sinatra tribute album, but the red headed stranger is no stranger to the wonders of the Great American Songbook. Nelson has turned to that fountain of classic tunes many times in his career. He has a great understanding and passion for this material. In that, he's more than equal to the task.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Nelson and his band made the pilgrimage to Hollywood to the studio that Sinatra made famous </span><span>in the Capitol Records building to record </span><span><i>That's Life. </i>Together with his producers, Nelson chose a lineup of songs that are neither obvious nor predictable. Everything on here sounds terrific, but the album really knocked it out of the park for me with Nelson's superb version of "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." Perhaps the most surprising thing about </span><i>That's Life </i><span>is that Nelson doesn't try to sound like Sinatra; he just sounds like himself. He clearly has an affection for these songs and therein may lie the genius of these two singers. <a href="https://billsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/willie-nelson-thats-life-2021-legacy.html" target="_blank">Read the complete article</a>.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGNgvw_DcQz7HtqSsPGUA0pgTqCh_VLpGwLlZmFDe7NB0HJ_-onbsalBRHMOpaklV5UO1MPolRCISmHOnibfTRjoXt42PK4RjnMt77fRLKhhberOzp_r0NZFKU8bacP3DedFN8w/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGNgvw_DcQz7HtqSsPGUA0pgTqCh_VLpGwLlZmFDe7NB0HJ_-onbsalBRHMOpaklV5UO1MPolRCISmHOnibfTRjoXt42PK4RjnMt77fRLKhhberOzp_r0NZFKU8bacP3DedFN8w/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>Nobody's Girl - </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Nobody's Girl</span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;">The star of this show is said to be the songwriting of this Austin trio consisting of BettySoo, Rebecca Loebe and Grace Pettis. The compositions here may be extraordinary, but the real attraction could be the sounds of their voices on this self-titled, full length debut. </span></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;">Ironically, perhaps, on the first spin I was knocked out by a cover of Carole King's "So Far Away." The version here has a gorgeous vocal and the artful production is faithful to the original, with one exception. Nobody's Girl substitutes a french horn for the flute in the King original, and the way that the horn and voice seem to riff on the song was so sublime that I blissed out. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">I also happened upon the information that the piano used on </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">"So Far Away." is the same one that Carole King played while recording <i>Tapestry</i> and what's more, it's the same that Joni Mitchell used for <i>Blue</i>.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">Elsewhere, the songwriting really does steal the spotlight. The album opens with strength and just keeps getting better the deeper you go. With nine of the eleven tracks being originals, the excellence of the album is a function of the songwriting and the vocals, the musicianship and the superb production. No slouch on guitar herself, Betty Soo was accompanied on the album by some of Texas' best players, "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">We have David Grissom, David Pulkingham, Charlie Sexton, and Doug Pettibone on one album (Doug Pettibone plays pedal steel). We also have Glenn Fukunaga on the bass guitar (it counts—it’s a guitar, y’all). Those guys were all brought in by way of Michael Ramos, our producer, who also plays keys on the record." Follow <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nobodysgirlmusic/videos/162443425678828 " target="_blank">this link</a> for a live performance webcast by Nobody's Girl. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOa11UHi2kw3vjJZ1DhAHmC4mc_fwavRRWQWUMIZqjNSIdu5nL23JNwDLMGMJFhoI86ak6ZJ9qHFsNBtGrP8uP7evayT9KijxqzmGamsLfbMv8R-XIUgqOUcWlZaChIKToBb71UA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="696" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOa11UHi2kw3vjJZ1DhAHmC4mc_fwavRRWQWUMIZqjNSIdu5nL23JNwDLMGMJFhoI86ak6ZJ9qHFsNBtGrP8uP7evayT9KijxqzmGamsLfbMv8R-XIUgqOUcWlZaChIKToBb71UA/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><b>Chrissi Poland - Destination Home</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span><i>Destination Home </i>is the latest release from singer-songwriter Chrissi Poland. The five track EP contains four originals and a cover of Paul Simon's "Slip Slidin' Away." The EP opens with the title track, a song that deals with the emotional fall out for a working musician who feels the strong pull of home. The pandemic may provide a dual meaning in that so many of us have avoided that proverbial trip back home. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In any case, it is a treat to hear her voice on this subject and to hear a classic Chrissi melody. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">"Sleepy Girl" follows the same theme and the fact that Poland has become a mom provides an additional reason for wanting to be home. "Wanna Be You" and "Missing You" are slices of soul-pop as only Poland can do it. "Slip Slidin' Away" is not only one of the best Paul Simon covers that you might hear, but it's one of those covers that allows you to hear meaning in the song that you might have missed in the original. As such, it fits right into the concept of this EP. </span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Even though I might still be a hold out on the full length album, I am coming around to the thought that there is an art to getting in, making your point, and getting out within a few tracks, five in this case. Throughout her original compositions, Poland continues to have a mastery of her songcraft. This entire EP is superbly co-produced by Chrissi Poland and Stu Mindeman and should not be missed.</span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8le9wVLyq4S6F4sB5sWyOtM6ogA8RgLRk96ND5TmF-HtOgUWwS-Vo84mMERoslCko-5E_wcsfeDgzSI5_u39wOpGNoKVRzDfsNX50HRw7zPkKypmUDOYoHkMwUD1yJ0A9GOeGJA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8le9wVLyq4S6F4sB5sWyOtM6ogA8RgLRk96ND5TmF-HtOgUWwS-Vo84mMERoslCko-5E_wcsfeDgzSI5_u39wOpGNoKVRzDfsNX50HRw7zPkKypmUDOYoHkMwUD1yJ0A9GOeGJA/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>Bruce Springsteen - </b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>The No Nukes Concerts were held at Madison Square Garden in NYC as a fundraiser for Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE). The artist lineups for these shows were extraordinary. This CD is drawn from two performances on nights when the bill included headliners Tom Petty and Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, and Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band. Naturally, with that kind of firepower in the lineup, each artist couldn't do their complete live show. Springsteen had roughly 90 minutes (to do what's usually a 3 hour show), so this track list presents everything that's great about a live Bruce show truncated to a more digestible length. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>The album includes staples like "Prove It All Night" and "Badlands," a nice two song preview of the next album <i>The River</i> that included the title track and </span><span>"Sherry Darling." </span><span>Just for this show, he played a great version of "Stay" that included the other artists on the bill.</span><span> "Stay" was a cover of the Maurice Williams oldie that Jackson Browne had recently (at the time) combined with his own "The Load Out" to form the signature ending to his live <i>Running On Empty</i> album. Bruce's version included featured vocal turns by Rosemary Butler and Clarence Clemons, with T</span><span>he Big Man also providing a dynamite sax solo. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Most importantly, the record includes a healthy chunk of the </span><span>larger than life</span><span> </span><span>tracks that still populate Springsteen's encore sets, with material like </span><span>"Born to Run," "Jungleland, "Rosalita" "Quarter to Three" and the "Detroit Medley." The CD also comes with a Blu-Ray of the film of these performances. Even though this is a crystallization of his complete live show, </span><i>The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts</i><span> might just might be the best live Bruce Springsteen album yet. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7AJas4nYbvvRFiQJ9eRV7uf_SRbuXEiuoJ7111uMWmbY7-M2VG26VxolrqJL0cqF-F2vpwnxjaGeLa2elPjuVtNdu-8yf4dzXCQ3fI26sfu2MBJmBNMr-iqmVGA9PKinp7dNNw/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1425" data-original-width="1425" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7AJas4nYbvvRFiQJ9eRV7uf_SRbuXEiuoJ7111uMWmbY7-M2VG26VxolrqJL0cqF-F2vpwnxjaGeLa2elPjuVtNdu-8yf4dzXCQ3fI26sfu2MBJmBNMr-iqmVGA9PKinp7dNNw/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>Steve Tyrell - Shades of Ray: The Songs of Ray Charles</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Shades of Ray</i> is a tribute to the late Ray Charles that has one thing in common with Willie Nelson's Sinatra tribute (see above). Tyrell does not attempt to be a sound-alike. That job was already filled quite nicely by Jamie Foxx in the movie <i>Ray</i>. Tyrell's vocals on this album have all the love of the music, all the soul, if you will, that is necessary to do justice to this material. The song selections here are terrific, it's not just the standard greatest hits, Tyrell does some of the hits, but he goes much deeper, and anyone who loves the music of Ray Charles is going to love this. </span></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;">In case you're unfamiliar with Tyrell, this is how he's described on his website: "</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;">Grammy Award winning producer and vocalist Steve Tyrell is the definition of a renaissance man. In his nearly five decades in the music business, he has achieved success as a singer, songwriter, producer, music supervisor, and most recently, radio host." This album was exquisitely produced by Tyrell himself. The songs that need it get the full big band treatment, the slower bluesier tracks are more wide open; every track gets the perfect sound - no more, no less. Tyrell saved a nice surprise for last. Appearing as a bonus track is "Curiosity," a 1989 duet with Charles and Tyrell singing on a song commissioned by CBS for the theme from the series <i>Snoops</i>. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Shades of Ray: The Songs of Ray Charles</i> is a triumph on every level.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><u style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The Top Thirty: Numbers 11 - 30 (Alphabetically by Artist)</span></u></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2RfpZRahxiKNW9dUygbvPX6h_qUzt_pksZMB8S-pJKRfDMwxsI5hNeBSpG7aevUNFcfnfcRrqU8Su7r62DnEeibp-d5YpRt1fNFQfUTX8JMGPH9PqakrkaLFmZt-ac08pP_zSw/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2RfpZRahxiKNW9dUygbvPX6h_qUzt_pksZMB8S-pJKRfDMwxsI5hNeBSpG7aevUNFcfnfcRrqU8Su7r62DnEeibp-d5YpRt1fNFQfUTX8JMGPH9PqakrkaLFmZt-ac08pP_zSw/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Jon Batiste - </b><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>WE ARE (Deluxe)</b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">To say that Jon Batiste’s daily gig with Stephen Colbert only scratches the surface of his talent sounds like a cliche, but in this case it could not be more true. His latest album, </span><i style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">WE ARE,</i><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> is so jam packed with the musical styles that Batiste has chosen (soul, R&B, hip-hop, jazz, blues, funk, gospel and probably a half dozen more that I haven’t mentioned), that it's the kind of album that you can’t grasp in one or two passes. I must add that some of the bass notes are so deep that they will give your subwoofer a good workout, so good that my sub gives this record its seal of approval and the neighbors have yet to complain.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-size: medium; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj353_YRvL7jdTncznnra1rH39MbEJ_SsmcobzdIUAluE6y4wilmGAbTGcIfKYBdd6BXdb29RjPuZf9N4o5M9VB04hfxpOJDi_A4WpNzUmUqdf8VGkt_JLhJZGiofxtySew5RheRA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1335" data-original-width="1500" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj353_YRvL7jdTncznnra1rH39MbEJ_SsmcobzdIUAluE6y4wilmGAbTGcIfKYBdd6BXdb29RjPuZf9N4o5M9VB04hfxpOJDi_A4WpNzUmUqdf8VGkt_JLhJZGiofxtySew5RheRA/w200-h178/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Jackson Browne - </span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet;">Downhill from Everywhere</span></span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I am still so in awe of his first six albums that it would be unfair to compare his current work. However if you haven't heard him lately, Jackson Browne's <i>Downhill from Everywhere</i> sounds like he hasn't missed a beat. In fact, the musicianship, especially the guitar work and the production, are so good that it renders the question of whether Browne's lyrics still have that magic, secondary.</span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCEgWE_C52vjnzBGroK45p83I5kpnf2t45-YN5OvWO7AOg_Qza10m5fwkRSUQGDJe7rGm4Y2O6UtS-Ge_TYzyuXSOw8-eWN6OzW6xXtIuPrL3sgXNxNvEaAmRRJTM4cceaTI_Lg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCEgWE_C52vjnzBGroK45p83I5kpnf2t45-YN5OvWO7AOg_Qza10m5fwkRSUQGDJe7rGm4Y2O6UtS-Ge_TYzyuXSOw8-eWN6OzW6xXtIuPrL3sgXNxNvEaAmRRJTM4cceaTI_Lg/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Caravan - It's None of Your Business</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Of all the progressive rock bands I used to play 50 years ago, I never expected to see a new one from Caravan in the current day. But Caravan did release in 2021 the very listenable <i>It's None of Your Business</i>. The reason that it still sounds like Caravan is that lead singer and songwriter Pye Hastings, the band's only original member, is still working. Caravan shows quite a bit of growth on the new album with a sound that relies on acoustic instruments, for the most part, with leads played on violin or flute. Though maybe not as progressive as they once were, this new Caravan is both accessible and totally enjoyable. </span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbI-z97sSX4T97qSzB92JozJa6sydZrvbWBizJ2xv_66basxnqUxSI03iP8WRdhOwI2Z_QMjKbXhD6QZR3Mb8N3OE4yfP_BKK8IQ8ZphmVsWSuMPZ9ibPdtW5w5lXyb2MCPUC6QA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbI-z97sSX4T97qSzB92JozJa6sydZrvbWBizJ2xv_66basxnqUxSI03iP8WRdhOwI2Z_QMjKbXhD6QZR3Mb8N3OE4yfP_BKK8IQ8ZphmVsWSuMPZ9ibPdtW5w5lXyb2MCPUC6QA/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Chapel Hart - The Girls Are Back in Town</span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Chapel Hart is essentially a vocal trio consisting of sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle who all grew up in a small Mississippi town. Their voices sound terrific together and although their background is soul and gospel, this record is pure country, and you won't hear country music better than this. One ingredient is superlative songwriting that sounds totally sincere no matter the subject. Another ingredient is the musicianship of the band, especially the guitars. Closing the deal is sure-handed production by Jeff Glixman. I'm loving all the songs, but I've got to mention three killer tracks: "Grown Ass Woman," "You Can Have Him Jolene," and the title track. Empowerment is the order of the day here including a very humorous answer song to Dolly Parton's "Jolene."</span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJLcovtQeiIuYBtQVxuFtgt5XRdiA5unv_TbQWpVGg3PYbDA6CDNZGgEoJ_-cPaYMTXOebh_TK7VXO1sm1V4TDf7zeBmFUh5R_TUrxEOySOkIdnRunJGVlg2SreH6XBNPgVCgAg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJLcovtQeiIuYBtQVxuFtgt5XRdiA5unv_TbQWpVGg3PYbDA6CDNZGgEoJ_-cPaYMTXOebh_TK7VXO1sm1V4TDf7zeBmFUh5R_TUrxEOySOkIdnRunJGVlg2SreH6XBNPgVCgAg/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>David Crosby - For Free</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">As one whose central nervous system bears the indelible imprint of Crosby, Stills and Nash's first two albums, and as someone who also carries good memories of Crosby's first solo album, I've been waiting for that later in life killer album. I'm not sure that this is it, but I'm here to say that <i>For Free</i> comes close, closer than anything else I've heard him do in the last decade or so. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">Just listen to his voice and you can forget the picture of the old guy on the cover. In addition to the many new originals, Crosby gives us an exquisite cover of Joni Mitchell's "For Free" (on which he sings with Sarah Jarosz) and it sounds real good.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yYdrE_2HkeExa3c6NHaeZKqAhWuoGM3i7u_vjIaMO_7Wc2vaL4zXpScxJLpVzfwv4R8mmDzeqqRyDqjAi_tXCoVvkI6aBuM7gUMYLCC3PyhP9ckMnQUIk8cEA8-H1aXUdkVrcA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yYdrE_2HkeExa3c6NHaeZKqAhWuoGM3i7u_vjIaMO_7Wc2vaL4zXpScxJLpVzfwv4R8mmDzeqqRyDqjAi_tXCoVvkI6aBuM7gUMYLCC3PyhP9ckMnQUIk8cEA8-H1aXUdkVrcA/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Bobby Dove - Hopeless Romantic</span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">"Hopeless Romantic", the title track leads off and tells you everything you need to know about this new album from Bobby Dove. I'm loving the songwriting, the singing, the playing, and the production. One of the amazing things about <i>Hopeless Romantic</i> is the way that Dove seems to feel at home with music that sounds like it was written before she was born. This Montreal native has previously released one full length album and her debut EP. This is Canadian country music and from what I'm hearing on <i>Hopeless Romantic</i>, it doesn't get any better in Nashville.</span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6t-WSY92tJ9RjRlXy_tXkNey6z5RXRAHsOaSW9pfo9AjvCHq3NIb1gUkbbLOH8PLgpcYr3DdTBt1x_BCGwF-xo-GR47aoVesRJ0vZGceNrbmY2SB3qIohMC9X7Ko9LGO8FoO_w/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6t-WSY92tJ9RjRlXy_tXkNey6z5RXRAHsOaSW9pfo9AjvCHq3NIb1gUkbbLOH8PLgpcYr3DdTBt1x_BCGwF-xo-GR47aoVesRJ0vZGceNrbmY2SB3qIohMC9X7Ko9LGO8FoO_w/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Peter Frampton Band – Peter Frampton Forgets The Words</b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span>The title </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Peter Frampton Forgets The Words </i>is a clever way to tell you that this is an instrumental album </span><span style="background-color: white;">of a dozen songs that he loves</span><span style="background-color: white;">. In 2019, Frampton went public with his diagnosis of IBM, which is a degenerative nerve disease. Because his condition would one day affect his ability to play the guitar, he embarked on a farewell tour with plans to go into the studio to record as much as he could, while he still could. On this, his first release from those sessions, you may recognize Sly Stone's "If You Want Me To Stay" and George Harrison's "Isn't It a Pity" (video below). Less familiar (at least to me) are Radiohead's "Reckoner" and</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>Lenny Kravitz<span style="background-color: white;">'s "Are You Gonna Go My Way," just to name a couple. Regardless of your frame of reference, these twelve tracks are winners and we can only hope for more. There is a thoroughly interesting interview <a href="https://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/peter-frampton-interview-frampton-forgets-the-words/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWynbyndrnA-13geP5LX2ZAFoZ998rzZX7PysUymab_82vL-g3dLyoNCa4K5LI3PJdCc6w8_Hns5XqeLtbv7KWJUKosYJ4QpP39-pjCVC-bkwRbbPpqElU5HBtszOtdH2JfEKXdw/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWynbyndrnA-13geP5LX2ZAFoZ998rzZX7PysUymab_82vL-g3dLyoNCa4K5LI3PJdCc6w8_Hns5XqeLtbv7KWJUKosYJ4QpP39-pjCVC-bkwRbbPpqElU5HBtszOtdH2JfEKXdw/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>John Hall - Reclaiming My Time</b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">John Hall has led a fascinating life as a singer, songwriter, musician, environmentalist, activist, politician, and school board president. He touched on these things and more during an epic interview on a recent Bob Lefsetz podcast. In his music career, while he's been an occasional member of Orleans (a band he co-founded), along the way he has released solo albums of which this is his tenth. If you were aware of John Hall and Orleans back in the 1970's and they somehow slipped off your radar, fear not for they are still going strong. <i>On Reclaiming My Time</i> the singing, playing, and songwriting are all so good it seems like no time has passed. I must also mention the excellent production. You've got the perfect mix of acoustic and electric instruments with guitar solos and background vocals that sound superior to most other stuff that's out there. I'm loving the sax solo on "Alone Too Long". There are some high powered guests on here too. Dar Williams sounds great on the shared vocal on "Save the Monarch." Country legend Steve Wariner co-wrote and performs on "Another Sunset." Hall mentioned in an interview that in addition to singing, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">Wariner </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;">also plays one of Chet Atkins' guitars on the track. Back in the day, I might have placed John Hall (and Orleans) somewhere between The Eagles and The Doobie Brothers but clearly now he's working at a much higher level.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeu-Bgk344d0s7SganUcYpp4lY3W2nymGXFluG5o4cBjyaLvICgoyFCJ0GyuX-sb8Zc8hgqt_QTW0ZOJZPh_tEIGWEfFcUm5ZDFC5Yvw7mcJUEnQTKvsR3KGVxEzBqwfRd-nh5KQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeu-Bgk344d0s7SganUcYpp4lY3W2nymGXFluG5o4cBjyaLvICgoyFCJ0GyuX-sb8Zc8hgqt_QTW0ZOJZPh_tEIGWEfFcUm5ZDFC5Yvw7mcJUEnQTKvsR3KGVxEzBqwfRd-nh5KQ/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Colin Hay - </b></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">You might remember Colin Hay as the lead singer of Australia's Men @ Work who had a number of hits like "Down Under". For his 14th solo album, Hay decided to record, or rather "reimagined", some of his favorite songs. As I listened to it, I began to realize that most of the songs are favorites of mine as well. When he gets to "Ooh La La" by The Faces, I have to say that although I've heard this song a million times I never connected it with The Faces. It played so often in the Philadelphia area, and probably other cities too, as part of a health insurance commercial that I never felt the need to look it up. The next track is the coup de gras, Del Amitri's "Driving With the Brakes On", arguably the finest cut on Del Amitri's finest album. As the first strains played, I found myself saying "Colin Hay get out of my head!". If you don't know that album, you are not alone; it didn't get much play here in the States. If I were producing this cover album, I might have picked every one of these songs. The versions of all this material are lovely and don't stray far from the originals. Colin Hay you've done a great job with <i>I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself</i> and I must commend you on your cover choices.</div></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8M_gFcjTnD6JlJ-N0Vnk7fC4a1clH_bkEr5h4gAxnewec3em-Vjbt_6pdAop6Vj6H-Ek0nSoqZuBwKgw-yPQWG92e11jPRmqam5qzRyTt_KOuNYTdncbSpen9Oc8KG9Ne68drw/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1241" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8M_gFcjTnD6JlJ-N0Vnk7fC4a1clH_bkEr5h4gAxnewec3em-Vjbt_6pdAop6Vj6H-Ek0nSoqZuBwKgw-yPQWG92e11jPRmqam5qzRyTt_KOuNYTdncbSpen9Oc8KG9Ne68drw/w200-h196/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>The Hobbs Sisters - Turn It Up</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">The Hobbs Sisters are two identical twins, Hannah and Lauren Hobbs, who fill their debut full-length album with sisterly harmonies, excellent songwriting, playing and production. The sisters, who grew up in Pittsburgh, have been singing all their lives and now call Nashville home. You can hear the difference between <i>Turn It Up</i> and the typical mainstream country album right away. The songwriting on these 10 tracks, which are all original Hobbs Sisters co-writes, seem somehow more honest and true, more borne of actual experience than you might expect. Just listen to a track like "Mistakes Like You" and you'll see what I mean; the whole thing has a warm mix of electric and acoustic guitars. When you add the contributions of the Hobbs Sisters to production that sounds this good, you get a record that must be heard to be believed. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VQ3_Snh2gFKROHNKbaHMV4dpmUX4PwGAY12i0ekDp98agXBhKKttKQYf8gn9Fnopy8oMt2iHwl1ivCBs0GpOThIImXL_qwms4boq2LayNB6HH286efllmBFj0DFAMZqwxFX2sQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VQ3_Snh2gFKROHNKbaHMV4dpmUX4PwGAY12i0ekDp98agXBhKKttKQYf8gn9Fnopy8oMt2iHwl1ivCBs0GpOThIImXL_qwms4boq2LayNB6HH286efllmBFj0DFAMZqwxFX2sQ/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div><b>Norah Jones – ‘Til We Meet Again (Live)</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Norah Jones' first proper live album was inspired by the pandemic. As Jones tells it, during 2020 she began to listen to her live recordings from 2019 and was blown away by the quality. Adding to that, she missed the live interaction with her band and with her audience, so she had the idea to release a live album. Although best versions of some songs were sourced from her world tours between 2017-19, the core of the album comes from a show she gave in Brazil in December 2019. A large part of the reason that her first album was so good was the unique way in which she combined genres such as jazz, blues and country. In addition, the original material rose to the level of the songs she covered, all with Arif Mardin's understated production. That sound can be heard on this live album. <i>‘Til We Meet Again</i> opens with a full band that includes piano and organ, which sound terrific together. During the solo set and the piano trio </span><span>that follows,</span><span> you realize that the piano is the prime ingredient in her sound, not to mention her voice. Among the excellent material on this album are "Cold, Cold Heart," her big hit penned by Jesse Harris, "Don't Know Why," and </span><span>"Black Hole Sun"</span><span>in honor of Chris Cornell. I've seen Jones many times in many types of venues over the years, and I found this album to be the best she's sounded on record since </span><i>Come Away With Me</i><span>. I am moved by this album every time I play it. </span><a href="https://www.bluenote.com/norah-jones-releases-first-ever-live-album-til-we-meet-again-watch-her-first-look-conversation-with-don-was/" target="_blank">Click here</a><span> for an interview with Jones and Blue Note president Don Was.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR62_W2qMJe0szCDeoDtjlkxdFzUfdwUa7SUivj7oOLgMsoXmGcKAigHr10kSM6GYu3NkXabHG9YGhoAhaONtEFIbAyC5wek16jfkNmUjpFd_pqRkiHmJpE7r1kka717pfhVb4Q/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1500" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR62_W2qMJe0szCDeoDtjlkxdFzUfdwUa7SUivj7oOLgMsoXmGcKAigHr10kSM6GYu3NkXabHG9YGhoAhaONtEFIbAyC5wek16jfkNmUjpFd_pqRkiHmJpE7r1kka717pfhVb4Q/w200-h184/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Maria Muldaur, Tuba Skinny - </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Let's Get Happy Together</span></b></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Blues and jazz have never been a stranger to Maria Muldaur in her 42 album career. She joined forces with New Orleans band Tuba Skinny for a performance at the International Folk Alliance Conference in 2020. The combination worked so well that they decided to go right into the studio to make an album. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Let's Get Happy Together</i> is that album and the one thing you need to know about it is that, like a time machine, it will take you back to the Big Easy of the 1920's and '30s. According to the label Stony Plain, they selected "twelve songs as close as possible in feeling to the original recordings, Tuba Skinny and Maria Muldaur breathed life into rarely heard gems from this incredible era." This is traditional New Orleans jazz with vocals in the familiar voice of Muldaur.</span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYD-trgXLIC-La0Mb0dqfORIa7BdF1YlR8a7zrD-Lz6rAp_58_91ae_uwL8HpeLaTc3Cgh0Kosh5qhS6iVl3-CHyDaX4E5OlNQbASIduDw6mYdBMcVUr4Yb5-S8Z3LheoOpLBWg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYD-trgXLIC-La0Mb0dqfORIa7BdF1YlR8a7zrD-Lz6rAp_58_91ae_uwL8HpeLaTc3Cgh0Kosh5qhS6iVl3-CHyDaX4E5OlNQbASIduDw6mYdBMcVUr4Yb5-S8Z3LheoOpLBWg/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Old Dominion - Time, Tequila & Therapy</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The first thing that caught my ear about Old Dominion was their songwriting, which sounded exceptional when I first heard them on EP some time back. On their fourth album, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Time, Tequila & Therapy, </i>their songwriting excellence continues and the lead vocals by Matthew Ramsey and the level of musicianship of this band is equal to the level of the songwriting. Producer Shane McAnally puts it all together to create one of the best listens that you'll hear. The songwriting is wordy, but it's obvious that a lot of work went into these lyrics and they are at once clever, revealing, and fun. Fun is the key word here. There is one guest appearance; Gladys Knight sings with the band on "Lonely Side of Town." I would single out other notable tracks here, but you could just list all of them. It's unusual to find an album in country, or any other genre for that matter, that sounds this damn good. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsJVCihTadjkeCaepNrxJWMZEgzTC9jC7DAJ4X2RXIKoSanjBkzK3cMirhp1sTktcNzo31sAzZpqDlddd1kCQ_mBh2ruzO0KB96XFNoWYR5GEQ_DHPlQRFZYqzdizjDSTlET_nQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsJVCihTadjkeCaepNrxJWMZEgzTC9jC7DAJ4X2RXIKoSanjBkzK3cMirhp1sTktcNzo31sAzZpqDlddd1kCQ_mBh2ruzO0KB96XFNoWYR5GEQ_DHPlQRFZYqzdizjDSTlET_nQ/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Freda Payne - </b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>Let There Be Love</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Many listeners may know Freda Payne from the 1970 hit "Band of Gold." If you remember the song, you know that Payne can sing, but you've probably never heard her sing like this. <i>Let There Be Love</i> is a 7 track EP that includes some jaw-dropping duets on standards, all recorded in that magic studio in the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, with a 31 piece jazz orchestra. The lead single with <a href="https://youtu.be/pLHRBugnkoQ" target="_blank">dynamite video</a> is her incredible duet with Johnny Mathis on the Gershwin classic "They Can't Take That Away From Me." The terrific vocals, instrumental performance, arrangement, and superb production by Rodrigo Rios would be accomplishment enough, but the track also features some flirtatious banter that's like icing on the cake. The same is true for the duet with Kurt Elling. The record also includes priceless duets with Kenny Lattimore and Dee Dee Bridgewater. All told, this EP gives us six jazz classics from The Great American Songbook plus one shortened bonus track. I think, based on the early preview of the Mathis duet, I was expecting more of a full length album, but truly this EP is so good I would gratefully accept it at any size. </span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuYnpHjHeqTcqQd1NoFdIjcN5ruTdJ41IlTh_JlNckN-h25NiqErXgFy-eQBzbqXFqIyTwMDjdY7qwFh2tTE2fwLFDwzzaoRUkuuoEDS80rSMTf97n_vbOTHZgY4I3i_TcvSSAQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="680" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuYnpHjHeqTcqQd1NoFdIjcN5ruTdJ41IlTh_JlNckN-h25NiqErXgFy-eQBzbqXFqIyTwMDjdY7qwFh2tTE2fwLFDwzzaoRUkuuoEDS80rSMTf97n_vbOTHZgY4I3i_TcvSSAQ/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Texas - Hi (Deluxe)</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>I started listening to Texas as soon as I heard their first album in 1989. Their original music sounded like a thinking person's rock band, and with excellent blues-based writing and vocals by Sharleen Spiteri they quickly set themselves apart and just as quickly became a favorite in these quarters. With Texas focusing on the U.K. and Europe, their U.S. fanbase had to be a resilient lot. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Although I had a close call in the early '90s, I've never seen them play live. During their first ten years, their musical expertise grew to include a knack for writing and playing soul music (<i>White On Blonde</i>) while numerous singles kept them on the chart on their side of the pond, as it were. Texas, by the way, hails from Scotland and has no connection to the state of Texas except for an appreciation for Wim Wender's film <i>Paris, Texas. </i>After their first five albums, around 2000, they summed up their first decade with a greatest hits album that went 6x platinum (just in the U.K.) and a live video. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Although I've loved the four albums that they released since, for me the magic has returned with <i>Hi</i>, their tenth and latest album. Both the standard and deluxe editions of </span><i>Hi </i><span>contain two versions of the title track, and they are both good, with or without the Wu-Tang Clan. I also took an immediate shine to "You Can Call Me." A little research revealed that Texas discovered a cache of unfinished songs from their <i>White on Blonde</i> album and they intended to make them the centerpiece of <i>Hi</i>. The story goes that they got so enthused with writing new songs for the band that they abandoned their original intention. If you take the plunge, I would recommend the deluxe edition as its additional two tracks are well worth it. This album has gone Top Ten in both the U.K. and Europe. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_preAyfDD_26q6mW8LjRpzO5VcvI1WXQqrV0Q4LCGzxfxxx2NZDnRXOl243uhN2BEEBvF_kGzuF-Rc2kqxwjXq8E5jge4cMh2I5L_BZn5wn2nc5VOPaKGgMcLjL6U_a06c6l2A/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_preAyfDD_26q6mW8LjRpzO5VcvI1WXQqrV0Q4LCGzxfxxx2NZDnRXOl243uhN2BEEBvF_kGzuF-Rc2kqxwjXq8E5jge4cMh2I5L_BZn5wn2nc5VOPaKGgMcLjL6U_a06c6l2A/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Various Artists - After Hours: Black 47</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><i>After Hours</i> is a seven track EP released this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Black 47, an Irish/American band from New York City that leader Larry Kirwan disbanded in 2016 after 25 years as a group. As the lead singer and chief songwriter, Kirwan has amassed a considerable catalog. These fine songs bring together rock, folk, Irish, soul, reggae, punk, and probably a few genres I haven't mentioned. On this EP, other artists and groups interpret the </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">beloved </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-size-adjust: auto;">songs of Black 47. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-size-adjust: auto;">I'm liking all seven of the tracks, especially the songs by Celtic Cross, Screaming Orphans, and The Gobshites. Kathleen Fee and her band Celtic Cross do a phenomenal job with "40 Shades of Blue" to start the record.</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-size-adjust: auto;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-size-adjust: auto;"> In addition to offering seven excellent artists that you may not be familiar with, what <i>After Hours</i> really does is to shine a light on the phenomenal compositions of Larry Kirwan and Black 47. <a href="https://billsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2021/05/black-47-after-hours-2021-some-very.html" target="_blank">Read the complete article.</a></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhevnWNy3QgdOad4N6hKv6UBp4rlbp7mMkoCJkPgLNhyF2zqBV8C1x8HPQVfYh63MA9yGXmyi7V1aQgPLq3rJLJdCRJ236HN1_PdeasKDF7GOnE7oC_QGRP5hTqf1kb806zGap-w/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhevnWNy3QgdOad4N6hKv6UBp4rlbp7mMkoCJkPgLNhyF2zqBV8C1x8HPQVfYh63MA9yGXmyi7V1aQgPLq3rJLJdCRJ236HN1_PdeasKDF7GOnE7oC_QGRP5hTqf1kb806zGap-w/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Various Artists - Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">When I first saw this album in the new release list, I had a general knowledge of Neal Casal and I associated the name with good music. It turns out that <i>Highway Butterfly</i> is an epic tribute to the life and work of Neal Casal. This compendium is 41 tracks, each written by Casal and performed by a different artist. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Casal and his music touched a wide array of artists in this business and e</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">very one of these tracks sounds amazing.</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> The album runs well over 3 hours on 3 CDs, 5 LPs, or digital download at the resolution of your choice at Bandcamp. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Although I only </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">knew about half the artists who participated</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">, t</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">he breadth of talent on this project is staggering.</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> During Casal's career, he was a member of numerous bands including Hard Working Americans, Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Phil Lesh and Friends, Beachwood Sparks, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, among others. In addition, he was a talented session musician and</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> an </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">accomplished producer helming many more projects. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">He also released fourteen solo albums. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">To say he was prolific would be an understatement. Among the artists contributing to this tribute are Susan Tedeschi, Teddy Thompson, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Oteil Burbridge, </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Warren Haynes, The Allman Betts Band, Bob Weir, Courtney Jaye, Steve Earle, Puss N Boots, Shooter Jennings, Leslie Mendelson, and many, many more. On top of the phenomenal line up and performances, one thing that is really surprising is the cohesiveness of this production. According to recent interviews, a Kickstarter campaign was way more successful than anticipated allowing the producers </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Dave Schools and Jim Scott (who also engineered and mixed)</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> to record in a manner that gave these tracks what they deserved. This explains how all these disparate artists all sound like their tracks are unified by a consistent level of quality. </span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8LU3kbsBvhqZr6ihpE2WfKJmi6PpF_jCK10FOg7S_EwVuZdpc3fq3xkD2l4OKJFfXgflR07Egvfx4QFiyIdQK53eR87fnbpir6oclakyMMFXdDKR4gDcOzE4p5KDipoDDWLCRA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8LU3kbsBvhqZr6ihpE2WfKJmi6PpF_jCK10FOg7S_EwVuZdpc3fq3xkD2l4OKJFfXgflR07Egvfx4QFiyIdQK53eR87fnbpir6oclakyMMFXdDKR4gDcOzE4p5KDipoDDWLCRA/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Tony Joe White - Smoke From the Chimney</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Tony Joe White's career began with the single "Folk Salad Annie", a slice of life story from his corner of Louisiana that was released in 1968 and went Top 10 in 1969. Brooke Benton had an enormous hit with White's composition "Rainy Night in Georgia" in 1970. Benton's soulful weathered voice is not all that different from White's. Tony Joe is also credited for inspiring John Fogerty with the swampy guitar style that Creedence Clearwater Revival became known for. Over the years White has released much music that is hard to categorize save for White's ability to tell a story, sing it, and play a mean guitar. In 2019, about a year after White succumbed to a heart attack, Producer Dan Auerbach produced some demos that White recorded the last few years before his untimely death. This album is a welcome addition to White's catalog and a huge treat for his audience. </span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYUTbyD98WIsJ5fDMVDjKWemMtGvbwRspdmxdtszukNzHz_VOp1nYnvJz2kD4LGwqmJhAPXtBHmRDBajFUEOt1IaqYkL0qNnvbtD4QBxHidYlI9aJkS8Gvb0LuMxBf1ZVJRnw_A/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYUTbyD98WIsJ5fDMVDjKWemMtGvbwRspdmxdtszukNzHz_VOp1nYnvJz2kD4LGwqmJhAPXtBHmRDBajFUEOt1IaqYkL0qNnvbtD4QBxHidYlI9aJkS8Gvb0LuMxBf1ZVJRnw_A/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Dar Williams - </b></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>I'll Meet You Here</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">I remember one gorgeous summer day in 1997 when I brought the family to WXPN's Singer-Songwriter Weekend to see an excellent line-up that included both Dar Williams and John Hiatt. Our teenage kids were not the least amused by Hiatt's humorous raunch (his then latest record was <i>Little Head</i>), but they loved seeing Dar. A couple of decades later, we all have a little more mileage on the odometer and I should not be at all surprised by how much I'm enjoying </span></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>I'll Meet You Here, </i>Dar's thirteenth (and latest) album, or how much she really nails it with this record. Back in '97, I may have been Team Hiatt, but I am grateful now for the opportunity to give Dar her due, even if it's long overdue. </span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Z6yhEVkaISM_Nr7tl8P5hbuOntwOvo_wmQHf_GF0Fxzi9jyPmhBytTcXFrhyfheOGod8CPk__CU1o4yKphS33_Tyvu-uPvy_Tmf5xtJyor93-z5xnGENnaKBCIb_v2Ni7JFALQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Z6yhEVkaISM_Nr7tl8P5hbuOntwOvo_wmQHf_GF0Fxzi9jyPmhBytTcXFrhyfheOGod8CPk__CU1o4yKphS33_Tyvu-uPvy_Tmf5xtJyor93-z5xnGENnaKBCIb_v2Ni7JFALQ/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></a></div>Hayley Williams – FLOWERS for VASES / descansos</b></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">Last year Hayley Williams, lead singer and front woman of Paramore, released her long awaited and favorably received debut solo LP <i>Petals for Armor</i>. Although the pandemic interfered with her plans to take the record on the road, the lockdown gave her time and opportunity to record another album, this time composing all of the songs herself. The result, <i>Flowers for Vases/Descansos</i>, was released earlier this year with Williams playing all the instruments. This is a quieter album with simpler instrumentation and more of an acoustic sound than previous. All that might be expected from a lockdown project, but I am especially liking her production on these songs. They all have breathing room that I like a lot. <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hayley-williams-flowers-for-vases-descansos/" target="_blank">The Pitchfork review</a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"> takes the position that this is essentially a second try at dealing with the same breakup that inspired <i>Petals for Armor</i>.</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">Watch Peter Frampton's instrumental cover of George Harrison's "Isn't It A Pity"</span></span></div><div class="ArticleLeadFigure_media__1WfvY" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RjyO4vnINTI?start=7" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div></figure></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-4161405126929687112021-12-09T19:52:00.001-05:002022-11-27T18:21:56.630-05:00The Best Christmas Music of 2021; Unwrap Holiday Gifts from Paul Gilbert, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, Tenille Townes, The Sweeplings, Shaggy, Orleans, Kristin Chenoweth, Brett Eldredge, Pentatonix and Many More Including Putamayo's Christmas Jazz Mix & A Single by A New Mariah Carey Supergroup<div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdA4MLtcFo-D2Dy1uRcdQNicWaUUilqp3uYq4A8qu08uzmheMk3UXo50kvmCENC1remS0KqFhESBH1UVN0G0YYk4oJV_ihxanKfBt0rjd1umVBt24N8BQfohZbe4itj921NfEzHQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdA4MLtcFo-D2Dy1uRcdQNicWaUUilqp3uYq4A8qu08uzmheMk3UXo50kvmCENC1remS0KqFhESBH1UVN0G0YYk4oJV_ihxanKfBt0rjd1umVBt24N8BQfohZbe4itj921NfEzHQ/w400-h266/DSC_0056E.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: underline;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>So, at least 2021 was a better year than 2020. At least you might think that if you didn't watch the news. I could never actually do that, but that's a story for another day, possibly another blog. Maybe the solution is to just surround yourself with music. </div><div><br /></div><div>Just when you thought that nothing could be new in holiday music, that it's all been said and done before, along comes this year's batch of holiday creations. I genuinely like all of the new releases listed below, but if you'd like to see my top ten, they're shown within the title of this article. </div><div><br /></div><div>Below, you will find select titles from the 2021 releases. Listen to them on your favorite streaming service, download them from your favorite platform, or swim upstream and buy a physical copy (direct from the artist, if you can) and enjoy. Here at Music & More, we wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday season with our best wishes for a happy new year in 2022.</div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: underline;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><u style="font-weight: bold;">New goodies for 2021</u><b>: </b><div><b><u><br /></u></b><div>
<b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtyY72M2rRK7DTn-qb7HftRSoQK41BdaQvOKzjILLttYznQEwwlgacCne99V-Y9hoUsCmhf1vw3eeuCT_68ANcVqcAZBbreSO496x1McWfLrafLvXxwvUG2CjJ0JavRQ2QHXZGw/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtyY72M2rRK7DTn-qb7HftRSoQK41BdaQvOKzjILLttYznQEwwlgacCne99V-Y9hoUsCmhf1vw3eeuCT_68ANcVqcAZBbreSO496x1McWfLrafLvXxwvUG2CjJ0JavRQ2QHXZGw/" width="240" /></a></div>Cain - Wonderful (EP)</b> </div><div>Cain is also the last name of the three siblings from Alabama who formed this
successful Christian country band. With a full length debut album already to
their credit, <i>Wonderful</i> seems poised to expand their audience. On the two
original compositions, all three Cains co-write and harmonize, and each track features a guest artist. They open with a solid version of Phil Spector's
"(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home". They also sound good on Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home" and on the rarely covered "Grown-up Christmas List", a song
that's hard not to love once you've heard it. They close the record with a more
traditional rendering of "O Come All Ye Faithful". <i>Wonderful</i> features
Logan on lead vocals with harmony from her brother and sister making for a very
listenable Christmas EP. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwgdXOMrGxFpNUJ8PCuZBZlP5bTSQd0xvlI8kJcMjg9ppnY_mEyXpvzExWBgRseYqcUvUWHyi6JRT17Cs_7MsbNTEJ06Pc7wh1jQkIcWLWzpkMF1F4g_wPk0opkciPjJzTiXZMA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwgdXOMrGxFpNUJ8PCuZBZlP5bTSQd0xvlI8kJcMjg9ppnY_mEyXpvzExWBgRseYqcUvUWHyi6JRT17Cs_7MsbNTEJ06Pc7wh1jQkIcWLWzpkMF1F4g_wPk0opkciPjJzTiXZMA/" width="240" /></a></div><div><b>Mariah Carey, Khalid, Kirk Franklin - Fall in Love at Christmas</b> </div><div>A beautiful, original Christmas tune by a new supergroup consisting of Mariah Carey, who needs no introduction, R & B singer Khalid, and gospel musician Kirk Franklin. The three of them sound great together and Franklin adorns the song with the sound of a gospel choir. This single comes in three versions, whether you steam, download or purchase it on CD. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_0OssSzJ3woq_NOHww7NJ4GXLUl-ZsNw0svjp7kJhGDhzivAOi4EWYPLml-a710TTEQSRmQQGMHOA4Oj_7n5r0-faWkx0-yBIWjhr5SRM4At8Nmg4U2PcRTmta27zX9L1IQz0A/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_0OssSzJ3woq_NOHww7NJ4GXLUl-ZsNw0svjp7kJhGDhzivAOi4EWYPLml-a710TTEQSRmQQGMHOA4Oj_7n5r0-faWkx0-yBIWjhr5SRM4At8Nmg4U2PcRTmta27zX9L1IQz0A/" width="240" /></a></div>Kristin Chenoweth - HAPPINESS is…Christmas!</b> </div><div>Don't miss Kristin Chenoweth's new holiday entry <i>HAPPINESS is…Christmas!</i>.
If you do, you will miss one the most inventive, well selected, and surprising
albums of this season. Chenoweth opens the album with the title track medleyed
with "Christmas Time Is Here", the Vince Guaraldi classic, which starts and ends
the track, setting a nice tone for the album. Chenoweth medleys like that a
couple times on this album. She does The Carpenters' (rarely covered) "Merry
Christmas, Darling", sounding good too. There's also a Hanukkah tune here, the
lovely "We Are Lights". At one point, Chenoweth totally shifts gears into a
great sounding blues version of "Merry Christmas Baby", singing duet with Keb'
Mo'. This is a very well thought out and well executed record, destined to surely make your holiday spirits brighter. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoA7zU8U2iKOxCr2ukHt-zYXiqLXlRFtRM9E27ls30aJPlypKiCIUvDAy-f_VzObWPzA52wqehTYMaoGVoyFb_6bVmg8Q8uHUZJ8GtTDtnstPl8ZblGsUMTU_ONJ0UuS1koym9kw/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoA7zU8U2iKOxCr2ukHt-zYXiqLXlRFtRM9E27ls30aJPlypKiCIUvDAy-f_VzObWPzA52wqehTYMaoGVoyFb_6bVmg8Q8uHUZJ8GtTDtnstPl8ZblGsUMTU_ONJ0UuS1koym9kw/" width="240" /></a></div><div><b>Kelly Clarkson - When Christmas Comes Around...</b></div></b></div><div>On Kelly Clarkson's second Christmas album, she shows why her pipes won her the first season of American Idol and why she's a coach on The Voice. The album is comprised of mostly originals. On three of these, she sings duets with special guests Chris Stapleton on "Glow," Ariana Grande on "Santa, Can't You Hear Me," and on the first bonus track "Under the Mistletoe" she sings with Brett Eldredge. In addition to the originals, there are also four familiar favorites: "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "Santa Baby," and "Last Christmas." Clarkson sounded excellent performing much of this album on a network television special in prime time that followed the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Heady stuff to be sure, but a great way to get into the spirit of the season. </div><table class="tracklist" style="background-color: white; border-spacing: 0px; color: #202122; display: block; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><tbody><tr style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><td style="vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlM-buIj5PWED1OaWGX3EDsLRqrRPaZEnfRFFY7MtE0exj1cjIIdd4zkqawkFR_HQO9VtkoqL7uWCLFACnfdWE7uRkf7_hF1rN68rl6B1mtdK_04uBtqIC6Uw9jGqkQhjT6cZlVg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlM-buIj5PWED1OaWGX3EDsLRqrRPaZEnfRFFY7MtE0exj1cjIIdd4zkqawkFR_HQO9VtkoqL7uWCLFACnfdWE7uRkf7_hF1rN68rl6B1mtdK_04uBtqIC6Uw9jGqkQhjT6cZlVg/" width="240" /></a></div>Brett Eldredge - Mr. Christmas</b> </div><div>When Brett Eldredge released his first Christmas album <i>Glow</i> in 2016, he
surprised everyone because the album sounded so much like Frank Sinatra. On his
new album <i>Mr. Christmas,</i> he expands his musical horizons to include some
reasonable R&B. A
very Sinatra-esque "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" opens the album. The
two R&B songs follow with the first being the title track "Mr. Christmas" (the
only original), then the classic "Merry Christmas Baby." Other than those two,
there are three traditional Christmas carols on which, although Eldredge sounds more
like himself, you can still hear how much his natural singing voice sounds
like Sinatra. The other six songs (including the opener) are mostly familiar popular songs. One that may not be so familiar is Louis Armstrong's "Cool Yule," which may
be the most interesting track on the record. Originally released by Armstrong in 1955,
Eldredge not only makes the song his own but he makes it sound new. Incidentally "Cool Yule"
was written by Steve Allen, yes that Steve Allen. In addition to being the first host of the Tonight Show, a comedian, an actor, and a writer, he was also an accomplished songwriter. Eldridge sings it in his own voice and although there's nothing specifically country about it, this could be a sleeper hit on country radio. Brett Eldredge is undoubtedly
Mr. Christmas. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQsZGwV6mZSiUFo_XfDb6pHc6sBNguVvmkdTo7gA8IMY7y4-53W8heE5VeV_bhYxsuKlmIUZgkUOn3dJcQQmmmXFumUXn22WZ8zff9NOX3r_tl4WNHqSyVRC7AYQ86KkYfv0MkA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQsZGwV6mZSiUFo_XfDb6pHc6sBNguVvmkdTo7gA8IMY7y4-53W8heE5VeV_bhYxsuKlmIUZgkUOn3dJcQQmmmXFumUXn22WZ8zff9NOX3r_tl4WNHqSyVRC7AYQ86KkYfv0MkA/" width="240" /></a></div>Paul Gilbert - 'TWAS</b> </div><div>I am happy to include this album because it is not only enjoyable, but it is
unlike most other holiday albums you've probably heard. Paul Gilbert is
primarily known for being a heavy metal and hard rock guitarist. He also started
the band Mr. Big and recorded with Racer X. This new holiday project is his 17th
solo album. Although Gilbert is immensely talented, his name might be more well-known to aficionados of the genre. He can shred, slice, and dice with the
best of them. In my experience, high speed guitarists have amazing technique, but melody is often left in the dust. <i>'Twas</i>, however, is overflowing with melody, which he plays to the hilt on his red, white, and green
Ibanez guitars. Gilbert plays instrumental versions of his favorite Christmas tunes along
with two new originals. On the well known Christmas classics, Gilbert's lead
guitar takes the place of the vocals, all with maximum sustain. Here is Paul
Gilbert talking about this incredible record: "Ten of the songs are classics. I
was inspired by the Christmas recordings of Nat King Cole, Loretta Lynn, Stevie
Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Ventures. And
of course, inspiration came from my guitar heroes, Eddie Van Halen, Alex
Lifeson, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Frank Marino, Pat Travers, Jimi Hendrix,
and Jimmy Page, to name a few. I also wrote some of my own new Christmas songs.
As I have been doing recently, I begin with lyrics and a melody. Then I let my
guitar take over, as it sings better than I do." </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQUmOblopQo4K_q3lzb1kghyNfIKn2x2i1nbHMmx-BEBuT3DYiGezD91vQkfLJpX1fRUhruHX8zjdT3ZiZuIOZkXPGoabv1evLbaCPtpZQG6B5eF2tXVDXPo6gv2nyhZkoOuSCA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQUmOblopQo4K_q3lzb1kghyNfIKn2x2i1nbHMmx-BEBuT3DYiGezD91vQkfLJpX1fRUhruHX8zjdT3ZiZuIOZkXPGoabv1evLbaCPtpZQG6B5eF2tXVDXPo6gv2nyhZkoOuSCA/" width="240" /></a></div>Billy Idol - Happy Holidays</b> </div><div>If you feel like you haven't lived until you hear Mr. White Wedding sing "White
Christmas", you are in luck because it's included in Billy Idol's new
<i>Happy Holidays</i> album. Idol's always had a strong voice and even though he
has sounded slightly ironic on recent guest appearances on other people's
albums, it sure sounds like he's being sincere here (the opening "Frosty the
Snowman" notwithstanding). This album romps through fourteen familiar favorites
plus one new original that Idol co-wrote. Otherwise, the songs on this record
are old and older, including some fine rock and roll classics. It may not be
what you were expecting, but maybe it is. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNaKDy0BSspAxauusKCY-MobhzPQ46bzuBmK-CdLsVmAeWlQXXRXKCc5xmzIcj1vEyIsGi3gmc2ZWp5-U4ArTVf_O0oU_LFp4jwyemaud7A-GRWX5hImGEnJNUHAaP8MmyMDhFA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNaKDy0BSspAxauusKCY-MobhzPQ46bzuBmK-CdLsVmAeWlQXXRXKCc5xmzIcj1vEyIsGi3gmc2ZWp5-U4ArTVf_O0oU_LFp4jwyemaud7A-GRWX5hImGEnJNUHAaP8MmyMDhFA/" width="240" /></a></div>Cody Johnson - A Cody Johnson Christmas</b> </div><div>In preparation for this blog, I listened to a lot of holiday albums all the way
through. But, in the case of Cody Johnson, I don't mind
saying that he had me at the first three songs. "Christmas All Year Long" opens
proceedings with a lyrical message that can't be beat, with strong vocals,
performances and production. As a Texas country artist, Johnson's next priority
is covering Willie Nelson's "Pretty Paper", which he does quite nicely. For his
trifecta, Johnson sings "I'll Be Home For Christmas" wringing out all the joy
and regret that the song is worth. All told, Johnson gives us two originals
(written by his producer Trent Willmon, including the aforementioned opening
track), two carols (with his family on "Silent Night"), and the rest are his
versions of favorite songs including one by Merle Haggard and an arousing "Feliz
Navidad" featuring Roger Creager and Kevin Fowler. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3egJtZvTY-zhTBAdMBaLxJHGPjXCQAvbIgIgPCV9SN1JGANJnhNGLkeyvAxTUrnNVYOx8pFuYIuNWingcDjFVzDFV8K0ENdlSiKbD-OfUDrpawkbSTBk50EAS8hsQvdZAH2w8w/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3egJtZvTY-zhTBAdMBaLxJHGPjXCQAvbIgIgPCV9SN1JGANJnhNGLkeyvAxTUrnNVYOx8pFuYIuNWingcDjFVzDFV8K0ENdlSiKbD-OfUDrpawkbSTBk50EAS8hsQvdZAH2w8w/" width="240" /></a></div>Norah Jones - I Dream of Christmas</b> </div><div>Fans of Norah Jones are going to love this one. Roughly half the tracks are new
holiday themed originals, showing why Jones has worked at the top of her game
ever since her first album netted her a boatload of Grammys nearly two decades
ago. Jones does the familiar selections her way without sacrificing the
melodies. "Christmas Don't Be Late" features an interesting contradiction. A
kids' song by Alvin and the Chipmunks until recently, Jones gives the tune a
decidedly New Orleansian swagger. You may ask why "White Christmas"?, and I will
tell you that it is reputed to be the most recorded song of all time; so why
not? "Run Rudolph Run" gets more of a shuffle than the straight ahead rock that
you hear on most versions of the Chuck Berry classic. The Elvis hit "Blue
Christmas" sounds ideal in this jazzy blues version. Jones is a natural to sing
Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time is Here", and not just because it was written
as a jazz composition. Here she captures the joy mingled with sadness that makes
the song great. "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" is made for the jazz
treatment that closes the album quite nicely. Note: Completists may want to know
that there is an extra track "O' Holy Night" that is on a Target Exclusive and
she also did "The Christmas Waltz" that you can purchase on MP3. *<i>The digital deluxe edition features three new songs. The title track, 'I
Dream of Christmas,' plus 'Last Month </i><i>of the Year' and the classic 'I'll Be Home for Christmas.</i>' </div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWJek9IGi7kVvSDiaZxhc2AmyXRg97DvBfHicua_2yySTeUXE7SUtvnBBq6XeIz7oFkYHbXo-LfH8cXq9HVUPe99NZNgZJ2Djz4MfxOtqmbZoA8kBqphMZs624YcyDqqjf-xhsQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWJek9IGi7kVvSDiaZxhc2AmyXRg97DvBfHicua_2yySTeUXE7SUtvnBBq6XeIz7oFkYHbXo-LfH8cXq9HVUPe99NZNgZJ2Djz4MfxOtqmbZoA8kBqphMZs624YcyDqqjf-xhsQ/" width="240" /></a></div>Norah Jones - Winter Jones </b></div><div>Here are five more holiday-themed originals, none of which are on
<i>I Dream of Christmas</i>. You may be familiar with "Peace" because it's been
on various artists' holiday albums for many years. This five track EP is only
available for streaming. </div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDS8WNnoCNtDl-6qEaVFvEyEp8_Y-H47FRjSTbErS-v2DVdrX8_WaMgBXOTtoOZBlUqLWvr-U4HDukLT70yiiz3vkbWtjb3enCm2g1W_qgbiT6npsQWoGiCi5pKWKbLRBNsI3xcQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="640" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDS8WNnoCNtDl-6qEaVFvEyEp8_Y-H47FRjSTbErS-v2DVdrX8_WaMgBXOTtoOZBlUqLWvr-U4HDukLT70yiiz3vkbWtjb3enCm2g1W_qgbiT6npsQWoGiCi5pKWKbLRBNsI3xcQ/w242-h257/image.png" width="242" /></a></div>Orleans - New Star Shining</b> </div><div>Orleans sounds so good on this, their first holiday album, you might be tempted
to wonder where they've been since their big hits in the '70s. The answer,
according to John Hall, is that other than a fifteen year hiatus they've been
making music all along. John, who was a most interesting subject of a detailed
interview on The Bob Lefsetz Podcast, explains that he has represented his area
as a US Congressman and directed his local school board. Over the years, there
have been records by Orleans as well as solo projects, but this Christmas album
is a first. The sound is a nice combination of acoustic and electric instruments
with drums that complete the Orleans sound. Most of the tracks here will be
unfamiliar except two that you might know, the traditional "Mary Had a Baby" and
the well known "Winter Wonderland." The other ten tracks are either originals or
they are songs that they picked up along the way. Orleans has the knack for
making songs that sound like they may become part of future holiday seasons. This is one album that suggests the warm glow of a wood
fire (to borrow a phrase) along with the warm feeling you get from seeing a
Christmas tree with its lights on. I get all that, and more, just listening to
<i>New Star Shining</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyU_riX6yv8Mo262wO4wU2CHVPC0uoKrlw1VTCorOCfib_ykzc0sMZRdlwZW8jektFtAir_1ECw4krgh9ps-Nlp5mlOU9rI8Qs1HCAKVeEzxB_qS3j7_HbN5fIhICZR0VYycfGQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyU_riX6yv8Mo262wO4wU2CHVPC0uoKrlw1VTCorOCfib_ykzc0sMZRdlwZW8jektFtAir_1ECw4krgh9ps-Nlp5mlOU9rI8Qs1HCAKVeEzxB_qS3j7_HbN5fIhICZR0VYycfGQ/" width="239" /></a></div><b>Pentatonix - Evergreen</b> </div><div><i>Evergreen</i> is their fifth Christmas album if you don't count their "best
of" Christmas album. They have been one of the premiere a cappella groups
releasing holiday albums, and they've never sounded better than they do on
<i>Evergreen</i>. Even the sound of instruments, which is all generated from the
mouth, sounds so realistic that on some of these tracks you'd swear that they
were using real drums or real violins. Some of the songs are not really holiday
songs persay (classics written by Stevie Wonder, Sammy Cahn /Jules Styne), I'm
going to go out on a limb here and suggest that a popular song that everyone
knows may be preferable to an obscure holiday tune. Even with as many albums as
they've done, I don't think that they're running out of Christmas songs. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Gp4uuwd5mKjYfbt6esLtRQdqi-oyS65O0ymExNvlCGXIozkwybJSIfuYvgnqbO5VKqdtJC8ZwFgcK2kuYkQ-0-cXloW4eXJKMCu3_dxj0hjW9L5yXebRPZ2UZ2eIzpN8twMC3g/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Gp4uuwd5mKjYfbt6esLtRQdqi-oyS65O0ymExNvlCGXIozkwybJSIfuYvgnqbO5VKqdtJC8ZwFgcK2kuYkQ-0-cXloW4eXJKMCu3_dxj0hjW9L5yXebRPZ2UZ2eIzpN8twMC3g/" width="240" /></a></div><b>Pistol Annies - Hell of a Holiday</b> </div><div>With voices this good it's all about the voices, or so you might think listening
to <i>Hell of a Holiday</i>. First things first; this is the group's first
Christmas album and their fourth album overall. The Pistol Annies are Miranda
Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Along with the Pistol Annies, each
one has a career as a country singer-songwriter. As great as they sound at full
tilt like on the excellent title track, they get even better when they slow it
down as they do on several tracks here, like the gorgeous "Joy" (and it has an
equally expressive organ solo to boot). If you're of a mind to hear some holiday
music that doesn't draw, for the most part, from the well-known holiday
repertoire, you've come to the right place. Hell of a Holiday features ten
originals, one cover that you might not know, plus their take on "Winter
Wonderland", and they close the record with an a cappella rendering of the
Robert Burns classic "Auld Lang Syne". </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vf0FBIX9aALYz9hWOH6zmy_lKmmueFbFZkXev8DqgqEKDFlJ0Udwh_yq-cMRKaSFWI2YuM2FmeJpTEwAsaxcQ3YS_fInGxu8mL8TEtdK_7rOjzlfenw80lnavUgmFvyAIyLlIg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vf0FBIX9aALYz9hWOH6zmy_lKmmueFbFZkXev8DqgqEKDFlJ0Udwh_yq-cMRKaSFWI2YuM2FmeJpTEwAsaxcQ3YS_fInGxu8mL8TEtdK_7rOjzlfenw80lnavUgmFvyAIyLlIg/" width="240" /></a></div><b>The Sweeplings - Comfort and Joy</b> </div><div>A duo comprised of Cami Bradley and Whitney Dean, they've been recording as The
Sweeplings since about 2015. Their holiday EP has a great relaxed production
style that relies primarily on voice (hers) and piano. The Sweeplings open with
the very infectious Mariah Carey hit "All I Want For Christmas Is You." You know
a song has become iconic when there are not only many covers, but artists start
doing it all kinds of different ways. Their inventive version of "God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen" follows and diverts from the expected melody in the middle, most
agreeably so, and gives the EP its name. Then they offer two excellent originals
before closing with an acoustic "O Holy Night." Very nice indeed. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcV78iURfW_mXJ8homgopCjJKZC-HqKLKuo6WPNaRBREmUanObt6TAVi41Z9GkUZJFMj0XrHTjy-2xYMZ0eYzRjYenLRUSXYIVXMUQo_CjTL5s4yfEIF3rpei-W-mBbyubZf4Mw/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcV78iURfW_mXJ8homgopCjJKZC-HqKLKuo6WPNaRBREmUanObt6TAVi41Z9GkUZJFMj0XrHTjy-2xYMZ0eYzRjYenLRUSXYIVXMUQo_CjTL5s4yfEIF3rpei-W-mBbyubZf4Mw/" width="240" /></a></div>Tenille Townes - Songs for Christmas</b> <b>(EP)</b> </div><div>Despite the high powered commercial nature of most mainstream country records,
Tenille Townes has released a mostly acoustic four track EP for your holiday
enjoyment. The relaxed vibe and her vocals and production make this one of the
best things I've heard this year. Although I am still a strong proponent of the
full length album as an art form, Townes' <i>Songs for Christmas</i> makes a
good case that with well-selected songs you can get in, get out, and make your
point in four tracks. In this case, she opens and closes with excellent new originals, and
along the way she gives us Willie Nelson's "Pretty Paper" and Mel Torme's "The
Christmas Song", winning our hearts in the process. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_gMxpmEPgqGJbLRoj1NIvQPMzbHyQjz2WsbJsDX1vPpX9BsYTyWlswDQk2wodANGl3k2NQRhtuTW8mtVxO2SizVSevLHOO3edlwtlDnCAIaRjLGpt2U5mor_7kDL4ZiJEqJgvQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_gMxpmEPgqGJbLRoj1NIvQPMzbHyQjz2WsbJsDX1vPpX9BsYTyWlswDQk2wodANGl3k2NQRhtuTW8mtVxO2SizVSevLHOO3edlwtlDnCAIaRjLGpt2U5mor_7kDL4ZiJEqJgvQ/" width="240" /></a></div>Vitamin String Quartet - It Feels Like Christmas</b> </div><div>...in which a loosely defined string quartet plays classical sounding versions
of the recent Christmas repertoire. As I was enjoying this, I couldn't help but be
reminded of The Hampton String Quartet's
<i>What If Mozart Wrote "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".</i> In
addition to the treatments being different, the album by the Vitamin String
Quartet (after playing "Carol of The Bells") concentrates on more recent
holidays hits. They do songs by Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Ariana
Grande, Wham!, Kanye West, Alessia Cara, Sia, Queen, Justin Bieber, The Pogues,
and John Williams. Some of these may tickle you like "All I Want For Christmas
Is You" or "Fairytale of New York". I've been really getting into that Pogues'
classic the last few years and it's cool to hear it covered on
<i>It Feels Like Christmas</i>. Never mind that the group behind this is actually
a factory of sorts with teams of arrangers, producers, and players with a total
of over 400 albums to their credit. I say never mind all that because all the
experience makes the end result so entertaining. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9RYy74rWofTd6Ifu03opoSQdMEEWAXXTZr8vsEosPxZiIJ9nGsUNW_4iYx1z33fNTjroXbHLTd2r0Ym4DrAP0ZjmZ4-hejp7BPPGa807sifK8IUtGkMQSC82rLucYp1gUMCINA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="355" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9RYy74rWofTd6Ifu03opoSQdMEEWAXXTZr8vsEosPxZiIJ9nGsUNW_4iYx1z33fNTjroXbHLTd2r0Ym4DrAP0ZjmZ4-hejp7BPPGa807sifK8IUtGkMQSC82rLucYp1gUMCINA/" width="240" /></a></div>Kirk Whalum - How Does Christmas Sound?</b> </div><div>On this, jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum's second Christmas album, he hoped to
avoid the usual overplayed Christmas tunes and the result is a most enjoyable
set of holiday sax interpretations. Whalum is a family man, thus most of the
guests on this record are relatives. He's also serious about Christmas, to the
point that a number of selections are devotional in nature; even Mariah Carey's
hit song inspired Whalum's slowed down version in terms of religious rather than
social context. Being that it's instrumental, you might not even know that unless
you'd seen Whalum's interview on the subject. Whalum strikes a good balance
between vocals and instrumental tracks. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_w8tfyBbvlDnMlS5bNFPLMXlEyll8l2yjBtg3FIxI6M8hz5NsVFK42BHU-YagcdTwrXpZ9_qEt57_lHWJ7ivQkLLG_dxqIc1SkAalqG8HLfoZVgY_QMBMX6oIeUho51f1S8SQdw/" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_w8tfyBbvlDnMlS5bNFPLMXlEyll8l2yjBtg3FIxI6M8hz5NsVFK42BHU-YagcdTwrXpZ9_qEt57_lHWJ7ivQkLLG_dxqIc1SkAalqG8HLfoZVgY_QMBMX6oIeUho51f1S8SQdw/" width="240" /></a><b>Lucinda Williams - Have Yourself A Rockin' Little Christmas</b> (<b>Lu's Jukebox Vol 5)</b></div><div><div>This Christmas album should be automatic for fans of Lucinda Williams. From the start, Williams has always had the best taste in guitarists dating back to Gurf Morlix who also produced her early work. <i>Have Yourself A Rockin' Little Christmas </i>is part of a series of live in-studio performances called Lu's Jukebox, in which Williams and her band do covers on a theme. This one is very electric guitar-centric. Lucinda lives at the intersection of country blues and rock, and this record is very bluesy. If you're into any of the things I've mentioned, you will take delight from these tracks. From what I've heard, all six volumes of this series are that way and I just can't get enough of all of it, especially the guitar work.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Also of note...</b></div><div><br /></div><div>You may also be interested to know that <b>Steve Perry</b>, the original lead singer of Journey, joins the holiday fray this year with <i>The Season</i>. Similarly, <b>Rob Thomas</b> of Matchbox Twenty sounds particularly smooth on <i>Something About Christmas Time</i>, and he features a boatload of guests. Fans of alternative rock may want to check out <i>A Drummer Boy Christmas </i>by <b>for KING & COUNTRY</b> and <i>Christmas Songs Vol. 1</i> by <b>Manchester Orchestra</b>. Country songwriter <b>Phil Vassar</b> recorded <i>Noel</i> and <b>Steve Wariner</b> offers up <i>Feels Like Christmas Time</i>. <b>Darren Criss</b>, veteran actor from Glee and American Crime Story, gives us <i>A Very Darren Crissmas</i>. <b>Lee Aaron</b> rocks it up on <i>Almost Christmas</i>. Singer/songwriter <b>Lori McKenna</b> released the fetching EP <i>Christmas is Right Here </i>with five of its six tracks McKenna originals. Pop, R&B, and hip-hop songstress <b>Alessia Carra</b> released an EP called <i>Best Holiday, </i>notable for her jazzy version of "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)."</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Reissues, Remasters, Collections, Expanded Deluxe Editions, and Etc.</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NgxkCT_5N_BveuO96qXwYgnGFF67Bzzx5AgKkvtxg9Vh8CLe_xmoKV8HucA1Di7O5nM1UD1ICRJZ1G6XZ6cdD87WImw3j3nFotM44igfYvtc_y46qriAsMqJOOF6mYj1TAUNLg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NgxkCT_5N_BveuO96qXwYgnGFF67Bzzx5AgKkvtxg9Vh8CLe_xmoKV8HucA1Di7O5nM1UD1ICRJZ1G6XZ6cdD87WImw3j3nFotM44igfYvtc_y46qriAsMqJOOF6mYj1TAUNLg/" width="240" /></a></div>Blackmore's Night - Winter Carols (Deluxe Edition)</b> </div><div>Candace Night and (her husband) Deep Purple guitarist Richie Blackmore
collaborate as Blackmore's Night. They have been responsible for recording much
Christmas music, specializing in British carols, many of which are centuries
old. Her clear and melodic voice combines with his masterful acoustic guitar in
mostly traditional backing. <i>Winter Carols</i> was first released in 2006 and
this year it has been remastered and expanded to 27 tracks. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlfmWywMAaUN3k23mb__FQQ4KMpgmuX5GCYKqiOK0TgO15AcInPR50q3HlZ6LnvdYO79AZAriHpUv6XWK4xkm1Q4Nex8x917Ts6ye2oR54wSznlPhKlslNjHFnS_EJrXQS26zhA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlfmWywMAaUN3k23mb__FQQ4KMpgmuX5GCYKqiOK0TgO15AcInPR50q3HlZ6LnvdYO79AZAriHpUv6XWK4xkm1Q4Nex8x917Ts6ye2oR54wSznlPhKlslNjHFnS_EJrXQS26zhA/" width="240" /></a></div>Michael Bublé - Christmas (Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition)</b> </div><div><i>Christmas</i> by Michael Bublé has been reissued in a deluxe edition and has
been expanded to twenty five tracks. This album is reputed to be the biggest
selling Christmas album of the current millenium. <i>Christmas</i> has also been
the recipient of a 10th anniversary super deluxe edition, which contains all
manner of exclusive doo-dads. With a
price tag of $199.98, it's only for those with very deep pockets. Both the deluxe and the super deluxe contain the same
seven extra tracks. For fans, the good news is that the deluxe edition contains
two additional bonus tracks that are absent from the super expensive set. These
tracks were contained on the original deluxe edition of <i>Christmas</i> when it
was first released in 2011. This deluxe edition is only available for streaming
and as an MP3 download. Bublé, who has often been compared to Frank Sinatra, has
been gifted with a remarkable voice. On some songs that golden voice comes out
sounding incredibly smooth and relaxed. His version of "It's Beginning to Look a
Lot Like Christmas" leads off Spotify's playlist of the 100 Greatest Christmas
Songs Ever. <i>Christmas Deluxe</i> contains guest appearances by Shania Twain,
The Puppini Sisters, Thalia, and Rod Stewart. Every collection needs an album of
standards and you can't go wrong with this one. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqUrKT9ZoQKRFho-k2RnIyGq1xAnGRWJ3fzKyOx9p3C3e3OML0k6XyJfmOavXaJokk0mf1FxeUI0ecFT2QDxAs0HaxaAhcs9GtwT5nfziKszIg7IOonRXd-BtGax6fCRsQ793HQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqUrKT9ZoQKRFho-k2RnIyGq1xAnGRWJ3fzKyOx9p3C3e3OML0k6XyJfmOavXaJokk0mf1FxeUI0ecFT2QDxAs0HaxaAhcs9GtwT5nfziKszIg7IOonRXd-BtGax6fCRsQ793HQ/" width="240" /></a></div>June Christy - Christmas With June Christy</b> </div><div>June Christy had an incredibly smooth voice and she performed mostly with
backing by a jazz orchestra or big band from the mid forties to the late
sixties. The height of her success was during the 40s and 50s with her
discography listing about 150 entries. It might be surprising then that she
only recorded one Christmas album, <i>This Time of Year</i> (1961), which has
now been reissued as <i>Christmas With June Christy</i>. This reissue contains
all the tracks from the original album, although they have been resequenced. <i>This Time of Year</i> was a jazz-pop concept album according to <a href="https://www.allaboutjazz.com/news/june-christy-this-time-of-year/" target="_blank">Marc Myers on All About Jazz</a>. Although I can't find any evidence that it was a single, some listeners may be
familiar with the song "The Merriest," which was included among Capitol Records
excellent series of various artists' Christmas albums.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenHeTR9gLz-pgnXP94HEdayDhr-N4YnNTfsfH_OF5FJFbW7IzcpXrYYioupfpU4RGl6Bkm1w3kXr8o_mEgLjxQjNBOe_eXiT3lyPJVGeqNSFbX3uR6qognW4BOeaZ3LiKI4Ho5g/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="458" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenHeTR9gLz-pgnXP94HEdayDhr-N4YnNTfsfH_OF5FJFbW7IzcpXrYYioupfpU4RGl6Bkm1w3kXr8o_mEgLjxQjNBOe_eXiT3lyPJVGeqNSFbX3uR6qognW4BOeaZ3LiKI4Ho5g/" width="240" /></a></div>Jamie Cullum - The Pianoman at Christmas (The Complete Edition) </b></div><div>Brit favorite Jamie Cullum's <i>The Pianoman at Christmas</i> started out as ten
tracks that Cullum composed. That original 2020 release has be expanded to
include two new originals and eleven mostly familiar holiday tunes recorded this
year and also seven bonus tracks from last year. The jazzy pianoman
approach works perfectly on songs like Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is
You" or "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow." He gives a good try on Greg
Lake's "I Believe In Father Christmas," but that song really needs all the
orchestra, chorus and bombast that Lake's single had to offer. Now a triple CD,
fans will delight in these 30 tracks. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD3WaCnfJXM7-OD46xPdIyeO-lfLJI-Qs4b3g-OPy8oprZMiRyDupWPNX6P2sM1mCYDSE2nCn9wliFGnu94main_jgXZacbTBZ7vvvKcR5aUiEIeEK_RUMs6l0J-pt36zCe764w/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTD3WaCnfJXM7-OD46xPdIyeO-lfLJI-Qs4b3g-OPy8oprZMiRyDupWPNX6P2sM1mCYDSE2nCn9wliFGnu94main_jgXZacbTBZ7vvvKcR5aUiEIeEK_RUMs6l0J-pt36zCe764w/" width="240" /></a></div><b><div><b>Shaggy - Christmas in the Islands (Deluxe Edition)</b> </div></b></div><div>This is another unusual sounding Christmas record because it is authentic
Jamaican reggae. Shaggy has been nominated for the Grammy Award a bunch of
times, winning best reggae album of the year two times, one of which was for his
duet album with Sting. On this deluxe edition, the 2020 album of 15 tracks expands to 19
tracks, including a Sting duet on "Silent Night." In addition to Joss Stone was also guest on it, Jamaican stars are all over
this record joining Shaggy on one song or another. Stone sounds good on
"Sunny Celebration" as does CARYS on "Catch Me Some Rays." There are also reggae
versions of the familiar "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "I'll Be Home
For Christmas," and "We Three Kings," each sung by Shaggy sans guests, and he
does a standout job on these old favorites. The title track is cool, too, and
features Rayvon's guest vocal. The best thing about this album is that the more
you listen to the unfamiliar tunes, the more you may find yourself liking them.
For reggae fans, <i>Christmas in the Islands</i> is essential, but I'd recommend
it to everyone without reservation. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYbsT_rp7ymCs_LULmtZxiEvfySbh7hs59PT7chM6zw9yCGXlHrq9jtEa4Viz-GJYqj0kyag9dP70I9Ll7mz6QCjY6Yg9PyPDv5RUBdjM4Nf5kb-PRH5kcRKYVNDY8vyqqVIfKA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYbsT_rp7ymCs_LULmtZxiEvfySbh7hs59PT7chM6zw9yCGXlHrq9jtEa4Viz-GJYqj0kyag9dP70I9Ll7mz6QCjY6Yg9PyPDv5RUBdjM4Nf5kb-PRH5kcRKYVNDY8vyqqVIfKA/" width="240" /></a></div>Carrie Underwood - My Gift (Special Edition)</b></div><div>
Last year's <i>My Gift</i> has been reissued in a special edition, which
contains three extra tracks. Two of the three are new originals, which were
featured in her HBO Max Christmas special. One of these, “Let There Be
Peace/Something In The Water", is an exclusive live track that also features the
McCrary Sisters. The other bonus track is a new studio recording of a classic
Michael Smith tune. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbB-2UQRKhTJwE0yzyWB9W95HIa_TmvDjOXiU6VCrO955fc4EMpTfh_Z8_YKIjFmg6tKVTtV6QZFEE6lMZe1aL8qSZh8fNq6u5AGrZSn3kRayl5SNTIekGpzgCOKFMtvfiLTDJ9A/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="522" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbB-2UQRKhTJwE0yzyWB9W95HIa_TmvDjOXiU6VCrO955fc4EMpTfh_Z8_YKIjFmg6tKVTtV6QZFEE6lMZe1aL8qSZh8fNq6u5AGrZSn3kRayl5SNTIekGpzgCOKFMtvfiLTDJ9A/" width="240" /></a></div>Various Artists - Amazing Stereo Christmas Album!</b> </div><div>This is a great concept for a Christmas album and the song choices are
impeccable. From the press release: "This December, you'll be able to stand
under the mistletoe or gather around the Christmas tree and hear the greatest
holiday songs of all time like you've never heard them before – in true,
glorious state-of-the-art stereo. Celebrate the Yuletide with both ears, as your
30 favorite hits of the season truly sound better than they ever have before
with 15 songs making their stereo debut, including Gene Autry's "Here Comes
Santa Claus" and "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," Bing Crosby's "White
Christmas," the Harry Simeone Chorale's original "Little Drummer Boy," Eartha
Kitt's "Santa Baby," Charles Brown's "Merry Christmas Baby" and "Please Come
Home For Christmas" and the Drifters' smooth doo-wop take on "White Christmas."
Plus 5 new stereo remixes of all-time Spector Christmas greats like the
Ronettes' "Frosty The Snowman," "Sleigh Ride" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa
Claus" as well as Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". And last,
but certainly not least, the stereo debuts of 3 Elvis Christmas classics. One of
the best stereo collections of seasonal sensations ever released." (Not
previewed) </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDx1J-Qd8PPVXAamn23FwgkxHfcCrUWoBlWik7fBg59DBK6I8XThMAqTRkegQtx0n_7NGUqz5DM4_oCOrbOFhzOCbBsD7SZlbnBf3565fkRd12mfi0WmrjjsM0fg87lFt52TDRA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDx1J-Qd8PPVXAamn23FwgkxHfcCrUWoBlWik7fBg59DBK6I8XThMAqTRkegQtx0n_7NGUqz5DM4_oCOrbOFhzOCbBsD7SZlbnBf3565fkRd12mfi0WmrjjsM0fg87lFt52TDRA/" width="240" /></a></div>Various Artists - Christmas Poetry and Prose</b></div><div>With the history of recorded music dating back over 100 years, there have been periods when spoken word recordings were important. Today, there are such a myriad of music recordings out there that spoken word can easily get lost in the shuffle. On this collection, there are voice actors and there are poets reading their own work. In the latter category, we have Dylan Thomas reading his own "A Child's Christmas in Wales," plus you hear Robert Frost reciting two of his own poems. In the former category, you get to hear Basil Rathbone reading the classic "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," as well as Richard Burton and Dulcie Gray intoning "Frost At Midnight." There are several other voice artists (including Claire Bloom, Alec Guinness and others) who read the rest of the works, which total 34 tracks running 75 minutes. The works on this collection preserve some historic voices and these tracks can't help adding a little drama to your holiday.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeO-dKsr5Qpqof2RyVg8hB-B5GHwg50fj7AsXHxciz75HCDnkk_8HpJ506O4R8eL8LwyPzNoD1eeBwnpNENY44vSVpOivcqfOUOhkXSWHb0TM2cnIwviRaTJcz2UgcXN0S3hzjg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeO-dKsr5Qpqof2RyVg8hB-B5GHwg50fj7AsXHxciz75HCDnkk_8HpJ506O4R8eL8LwyPzNoD1eeBwnpNENY44vSVpOivcqfOUOhkXSWHb0TM2cnIwviRaTJcz2UgcXN0S3hzjg/" width="240" /></a></div>Various Artists - Irving Berlin's White Christmas: 28 Wildly Eclectic
Versions of the Most Famous Christmas Song of All Time</b> </div><div>28 versions of "White Christmas" is not as ridiculous as it might seem. From the
press release: "WHITE CHRISTMAS' is arguably the most famous song of all time;
certainly it's the biggest seller, and it's probably also the most-recorded. The
original recording was, of course by Bing Crosby, whose version has sold in it's
countless millions over the ensuing seventy-nine years. Its writer, IRVING
BERLIN, was famously the only Oscar presenter ever to open the envelope to read
out his own name as the winner, when it won the Academy Award for "Best Original
Song" in the 1942 movie Holiday Inn. It soon became established as a "Standard"
and was regularly revived throughout the 50s, by artists as diverse as Elvis
Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Ravens, Ella Fitzgerald, Mantovani, Emile Ford,
Peggy Lee, Chet Atkins, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Mahalia Jackson, The Drifters,
Walter Brennan, Big Maybelle, Bobby Vee, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and many more.
This inspired compilation presents twenty-eight memorable versions; nine male
vocalists, seven female vocalists, seven vocal groups/duos, five instrumentals."
(not previewed) </div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5u_eJ2pV5lGJjt6c11wsbbDREkRpDYkXIHE403GgWHD5cV7dAZGqi3uJEci8Ma_ZOoiahHAb4korZTG1KbxNqjb-T0A3TON-90iszyBmcVpaaqEm9_cNJHj0y5ott9B-od62JQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5u_eJ2pV5lGJjt6c11wsbbDREkRpDYkXIHE403GgWHD5cV7dAZGqi3uJEci8Ma_ZOoiahHAb4korZTG1KbxNqjb-T0A3TON-90iszyBmcVpaaqEm9_cNJHj0y5ott9B-od62JQ/" width="240" /></a></div>Various Artists - Merry Christmas, Baby</b> </div><div>Here's another great label sampler LP that has just been remastered for CD. From
the press release: "There is some debate as to whether this 1956 release from
Hollywood Records was the first LP to compile Christmas music singles. But there
is no debate that it's one of the best. Subtitled 'Intimate Christmas Music for
Young Lovers,' its headliners were the original versions of two of the biggest
R&B holiday hits of all time, Charles Brown's 'Merry Christmas, Baby' and Lowell
Fulson's 'Lonesome Christmas (Parts 1 & 2),' but with other standouts like Mabel
Scott's 'Boogie Woogie Santa Claus' (also a chartmaker), Jimmy Witherspoon's
'Christmas Blues' (formerly entitled 'How I Hate to See Xmas Come Around'), and
a quartet of tunes from Johnny Moore's Blazers, there is not a weak track on the
album. Bill Dahl's detailed notes and artist photos round out this first-ever CD
reissue. And with a new remastering by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision, never have
the Christmas blues sounded so good!" (Not previewed) </div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVKxZcuFxfbTj53EZoDibIk4ptSJPcUAH14cK7JZEgmBhvz7J1ccpE8FSPoSQS_fhFvn-era2QWCb7fzS3OFyJSiHDaEXE-ZZe2jOEtf0CvbWU6rfr7n6Xx3jPy36mefzXf3_gw/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVKxZcuFxfbTj53EZoDibIk4ptSJPcUAH14cK7JZEgmBhvz7J1ccpE8FSPoSQS_fhFvn-era2QWCb7fzS3OFyJSiHDaEXE-ZZe2jOEtf0CvbWU6rfr7n6Xx3jPy36mefzXf3_gw/" width="240" /></a></div>Various Artistrs - Putumayo Presents Jazz Christmas</b> </div><div>Putumayo samplers are always superbly chosen and their Christmas jazz
collection is no exception. Christmas music goes so well with jazz that it has
been a valuable sub-genre for a long time. This mix works just as well as an
introduction for the new listener as it will also delight the jazz fan. This
full length album contains many types of jazz from great artists. It's mostly
instrumental, but there are a couple of fine vocal tracks, too. I especially
like that they chose to conclude the record with an original song by Charles
Brown.</div></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-70812068094430874242021-09-19T21:29:00.003-04:002021-09-19T21:32:01.424-04:00Original Cast Recording - Girl From the North Country; Reconsidering Bob Dylan: The Man, The Myth, The Broadway Musical<div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #111111; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_4OBOVh-aszExWYyw5_cTgTS2DZJopv4RZ_qz9iQgGGeRfl5rJFbl5czAS-fYgiihNYxySS1vAyaJ5afx_7WwTe5RRDbtbr4G6RXNtEAeCoKzgAZMeXMzjf21G3ixWAKWmmibw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_4OBOVh-aszExWYyw5_cTgTS2DZJopv4RZ_qz9iQgGGeRfl5rJFbl5czAS-fYgiihNYxySS1vAyaJ5afx_7WwTe5RRDbtbr4G6RXNtEAeCoKzgAZMeXMzjf21G3ixWAKWmmibw/w640-h426/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #111111; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 0.75rem; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #111111; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 0.75rem; font-weight: 700;">Todd Almond, cast, 'Girl From The North Country', </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #595959; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 0.75rem; font-weight: 700;">Matthew Murphy via Deadline</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="a-content pmc-u-line-height-copy pmc-u-font-family-georgia pmc-u-font-size-16 pmc-u-font-size-18@desktop" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.5; text-align: start;"></div></div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Playbill magazine describes it as a "jukebox musical." That very concept suggests the type of Broadway show that is well liked and potentially quite profitable; shows like <i>Mama Mia</i> (Abba), <i>Movin' Out</i> (Billy Joel) or <i>Beautiful</i> (Carole King). <i>Girl From The North Country</i>, according to Playbill, had its world premiere at the Old Vic in London followed by a run in the West End before coming to America, where it played at the Public Theater. </div></span></div><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i>Girl From The North Country</i> made its Broadway premiere on March 5, 2020, opening just in time for Broadway's Covid shutdown. The show is scheduled to resume on October 13, 2021 at the Belasco Theater in NYC. Right on time comes the newly released original cast recording. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Although I have not had the pleasure of seeing it, I think that it would be safe to say that the Bob Dylan songs are meant to advance and enhance the narrative of the play, which is set in a rundown Duluth, Minnesota guesthouse in 1941. Director and playwright </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Conor McPherson's choice of time and place is no coincidence as it serves also to tribute Dylan (born in Minnesota, 1941). </span></span></div><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-fRWex_0mt3n63tFCAMf57u9i2bLB4HSz3JOC8KZG-sA58qBrmD9nLLkLFp_MDJAiBPqSi3lvaZzI3ygwmNXbwsEw3BylrZIv1kfUlwBv6nWwMyNFH5nypGiEVcY3VJcoQ0l2w/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-fRWex_0mt3n63tFCAMf57u9i2bLB4HSz3JOC8KZG-sA58qBrmD9nLLkLFp_MDJAiBPqSi3lvaZzI3ygwmNXbwsEw3BylrZIv1kfUlwBv6nWwMyNFH5nypGiEVcY3VJcoQ0l2w/w203-h320/image.png" width="203" /></a></div></div></span></span></div><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: trebuchet;">This cast album offers Dylan's music as it is used in the show. The first thing you need to know is that this is not a sound alike project. There are a number of excellent vocalists and the music avoids obvious cliches, keeping to the spirit of the originals even when sounding </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: trebuchet;">entirely different. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">There are some songs that are instrumentals and sometimes songs are medleyed together. When this occurs, the tempos and arrangements are so well matched that the transitions are seamless. Take, for example, what may be the centerpiece of the album: "Hurricane" (<i>Desire</i>) contains a couple of verses of "All Along the Watchtower" (<i>John Wesley Harding</i>) and how that fits into "Hurricane" is mighty impressive. Then the whole song morphs into "Idiot Wind" (<i>Blood on the Tracks</i>) and you are left with the feeling that all those rave reviews that the show has received may be warranted. I should also note that the simple arrangement featuring acoustic guitar and violin comes close to the Dylan original. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The show even pleased perhaps the toughest critic in the room, Dylan himself. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpDZVJlQRRLpiuufQR-L2P11NrJNeOI2dQyK4aPsUEw_Gmd4_stBJL-3ZzylaN-RWaqhdkvrY3jmm1uX6lupFAecYvOsENM4uVI8upI1mxq20tNYTsltu5g8FV0Bae7SadiioDg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1504" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpDZVJlQRRLpiuufQR-L2P11NrJNeOI2dQyK4aPsUEw_Gmd4_stBJL-3ZzylaN-RWaqhdkvrY3jmm1uX6lupFAecYvOsENM4uVI8upI1mxq20tNYTsltu5g8FV0Bae7SadiioDg/" width="176" /></a></div>"Sure I've seen it and it affected me. I saw it as an anonymous spectator, not as anyone who had anything to do with it. I just let it happen. The play had me crying at the end. I can’t even say why. When the curtain came down, I was stunned. I really was. Too bad Broadway shut down because I wanted to see it again." </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="text-align: right;">Bob</span><span style="text-align: right;"> </span><span style="text-align: right;">Dylan interview - NYT 6/12/2020</span></span></div><div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The music of <i style="color: #111111;">Girl From The North Country</i><span style="color: #111111;"> cuts a nice swath through Dylan's catalogue, hitting some very familiar compositions and some less so. These songs were all nicely arranged for the show by Simon Hale. </span></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: trebuchet;">The choice of material seems to be governed by the play and not vice versa. The musicians and cast of this show try to honor the music without succumbing to Broadway musical stereotypes.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">[Full Disclosure: I've been listening to Dylan since his start in the early 1960s. I am not a Dylanologist, but I have had my favorites over the course of his epic Nobel Prize winning career. I lean toward the period of <i>Blonde on Blonde</i> through <i>Desire</i>, but the rest has its moments, too. Also, completists may wish to know that this article pertains to the newly released Broadway cast album and that there is also a London original cast album.] </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="367" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XGxLDPV5VqM" width="487" youtube-src-id="XGxLDPV5VqM"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h5 style="background-color: #f0f0f0; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="akzidenz-grotesk-extended, sans-serif">T</span><span>RACK LISTING</span></span></h5><div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #212529;">1. Sign On The Window</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">2. Went To See The Gypsy</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">3. Tight Connection To My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love)</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">4. Slow Train/License To Kill</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">5. Ballad Of A Thin Man (Instrumental)</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">6. I Want You</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">7. Blind Willie McTell (Instrumental)</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">8. Like A Rolling Stone/Make You Feel My Love</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">9. Like A Rolling Stone (Reprise)/I Want You (Reprise)</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">10. What Can I Do For You?</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">11. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere/Jokerman</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">12. Sweetheart Like You/True Love Tends To Forget</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">13. Lay Down Your Weary Tune (Instrumental)</span><br />14. <a href="https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/Girl-from-the-North-Country-333145.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">Girl from the North Country</span><br /></a><span style="color: #212529;">15. Ballad of A Thin Man (Radio)</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">16. Hurricane/All Along The Watchtower/Idiot Wind</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">17. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You (Instrumental)</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">18. Duquesne Whistle/Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)/Is Your Love In Vain?/License To Kill</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">19. Lay, Lady, Lay (Instrumental)/Jokerman (Reprise)</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">20. Clair De Lune (Instrumental)</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">21. Forever Young</span><br /><span style="color: #212529;">22. Pressing On</span></div><div class="pbs" data-pbs-position="static" data-pbs-root="true" id="a696764c-77ac-4e5f-9b0c-5dcfd10cf512" style="--exco-cta-color-sticky: #C31F2A; --exco-font-family: Roboto; --exco-font-weight: undefined; --exco-paging-color-rgb: 195, 31, 42; --exco-paging-color: #C31F2A; --exco-remaining-width-sticky: 25%; --exco-sticky-player-height: 231px; --exco-title-background-color-rgb: 195, 31, 42; --exco-title-background-color: #C31F2A; --exco-title-text-color: #fff; --exco-upper-sticky-background-color: #C31F2A; --pbs-color-play-button: #C31F2A; --pbs-color-progress-bar-rgb: 195, 31, 42; --pbs-color-progress-bar: #C31F2A; --pbs-color-transition-rgb: 73, 83, 223; --pbs-color-transition: #4953df; --pbs-height: auto; --pbs-margin-bottom: 25px; --pbs-margin-left: auto; --pbs-margin-right: auto; --pbs-margin-top: 0px; --pbs-width: 100%; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "segoe ui", Roboto, "helvetica neue", Arial, "noto sans", sans-serif, "apple color emoji", "segoe ui emoji", "segoe ui symbol", "noto color emoji"; font-size: 16px; width: calc(100% - 0px);"></div></div></span></div></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-71708968476596172782021-09-10T19:12:00.000-04:002021-09-10T19:12:10.621-04:00Sting - ...all this time (DVD, 2001); A Sublime Concert And All The 9/11 Documentary I Need<p> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6dQNhgPUbZ1wGzFhPBcXM6uiS3t4iP9DdNVJH0qtkyq5MTMHX4uqbKCgJ6X1zW0CNuAs2ClHbq779POW9FWJSOskZhNwJsGM13ILEWApZVag395zDLEKee5gbAHWOAlfaiS4oQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1420" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6dQNhgPUbZ1wGzFhPBcXM6uiS3t4iP9DdNVJH0qtkyq5MTMHX4uqbKCgJ6X1zW0CNuAs2ClHbq779POW9FWJSOskZhNwJsGM13ILEWApZVag395zDLEKee5gbAHWOAlfaiS4oQ/w725-h408/image.png" width="725" /></a><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: right;">YouTube</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Remembering 9/11 indeed. This will not be one of those articles about how it's hard to believe that it's been 20 years, etc., etc. Only if you were born in the new millennium would you have a use for all those television specials about remembering 9/11. If you are old enough to remember that day, you know that it's far more than just a "where you were at that moment" story. Those images of the crashed airplanes are burned into the brain along with the incredulity that two planes could destroy the Twin Towers and that anyone could have plotted to kill Americans here in the homeland on that scale. I saw enough detail at the time that the memories remain fresh, and I've learned in the past nineteen years to avoid watching television on or about September 11th.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQTeYMiwCU0akrDkvuct60EBhpPwgZ0smrAaXPg7kv-ogRzklSm65ovcpLPdlukWrJ8hcMyG4cqQ5ztzQv_8IdIzBhRP8g5grDyWjW_PNdu1Py4R3DkAV2ohcYLCUvvaZ05xfpA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="354" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQTeYMiwCU0akrDkvuct60EBhpPwgZ0smrAaXPg7kv-ogRzklSm65ovcpLPdlukWrJ8hcMyG4cqQ5ztzQv_8IdIzBhRP8g5grDyWjW_PNdu1Py4R3DkAV2ohcYLCUvvaZ05xfpA/w227-h320/image.png" width="227" /></a></div></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Gems From The Record Room: </span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">The choice of date was pure happenstance. Sting had planned to host and film a live concert performance at his Tuscany villa in Italy. The scheduled date of the show unfortunately was September 11, 2001. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">In preparation for the shoot, in addition to the film crew Sting also had superb musicians come in from all over the world to stay at the villa as they prepared for the concert. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">In the excellent documentary that precedes the concert on DVD, Sting narrates and explains the concept of this project, performing on the grounds of his home as opposed to a giant hall or arena. The objective of the preparation was to deconstruct and reconstruct each song to make the concert into an "intimate love letter."</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfsAqThsckJeu50r_YDhHpNfWWYJ5dqSZWDiUuaDmcXWodS_gMqSuFk0PxLOZWTZO1S0G5FBmYKMhnrTRAudZGkzTtWx2d-0EHAN2oTj-rrihNBNJBkkZGqwNyZVsyhPryv9XbA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="782" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfsAqThsckJeu50r_YDhHpNfWWYJ5dqSZWDiUuaDmcXWodS_gMqSuFk0PxLOZWTZO1S0G5FBmYKMhnrTRAudZGkzTtWx2d-0EHAN2oTj-rrihNBNJBkkZGqwNyZVsyhPryv9XbA/w228-h320/image.png" width="228" /></a></div>The key scenes regarding 9/11 occur on the afternoon of that day (Italian time, after they get the news about what has happened). The documentary cameras kept rolling as Sting and the musicians discussed their feelings about what to do, whether to hold the show, and how to change it to strike the right tone. The ultimate result was captured in beautiful picture and sound, and provides the kind of emotional release that only music can. <br /></span><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ubWucJtio0M" width="576" youtube-src-id="ubWucJtio0M"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><br /></span><div><br /></div></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-11075858832345479652021-08-16T18:15:00.002-04:002021-08-16T18:24:44.357-04:00Dot Allison, Heart-Shaped Scars; The Surprising New Release That You Really Need To Hear<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcIkBNMou60GCQfx1f_iHJrEtD2a-0lX-HqZ6RCYTT-XOTW3u80jL7i3h8uyqkVZduzagNWL0Odxot1kaNuDNf2AkUWjVyd_is9-LDxVZOksYCxipU8mI9mMa5U4CzFxhTJBU0A/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcIkBNMou60GCQfx1f_iHJrEtD2a-0lX-HqZ6RCYTT-XOTW3u80jL7i3h8uyqkVZduzagNWL0Odxot1kaNuDNf2AkUWjVyd_is9-LDxVZOksYCxipU8mI9mMa5U4CzFxhTJBU0A/w442-h225/image.png" width="442" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Photo courtesy of the artist</span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-t3ryCD1NyuKKYBbmLPwkaVfHWLUIlWy_A4lBghKJKzaZLTce-cRIQ6Td5U4RLy9WEeDfgj75HSOa99IxeW8zkjlQN3fAB-YalkiJtLIQR8UxLChEp-by40d58DnApnfVHE-Dkw/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-t3ryCD1NyuKKYBbmLPwkaVfHWLUIlWy_A4lBghKJKzaZLTce-cRIQ6Td5U4RLy9WEeDfgj75HSOa99IxeW8zkjlQN3fAB-YalkiJtLIQR8UxLChEp-by40d58DnApnfVHE-Dkw/w200-h200/image.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">When the publicity email announced that there would be a new Dot Allison album coming this summer, I knew right away that I was interested, but I could not say exactly why or even tell you what she sounded like, her last record being so long ago (12 years, to be exact). Thinking back, I associated her with being the figurative ancestor of such pop/rock/electronic artists as Imogen Heap, Kate Havnevik and the like. </span></span><div><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span><span>In addition to her solo work, Allison is known for her group One Dove, whose only album was well regarded</span></span>. Although her older work has become hard to find, a quick sampling of what's out there confirms that my conception was not far off. </span></div><div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">All that is interesting, but it doesn't begin to prepare you for the excellence of Allison's new album <i>Heart-Shaped Scars</i>. They call this folk and it may well be, but despite the overused hyperbole of the word, this sure sounds like it could be genreless. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I was also excited to learn that she comes from Scotland. Allison was born in Edinburgh and first learned music on the piano; her mom was a concert pianist.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>Allison wrote or co-wrote all of the so<span>ngs on </span></span><span><i>Heart-Shaped Scars</i>. She not only produced the record along with F<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #201f1e;">iona Cruickshank, she also played many of the instruments herself. Consider that </span><span>Allison plays the </span></span><span><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e;">ukulele, piano, 12 string guitar, mellotron, keyboards, hubble kalimba & Phone-Home Xylophone, Treated Keys & Harmonium</span>. On four tracks, she utilized a Scottish string quintet.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>The music on this album is constructed around Allison's voice, and t</span><span>he total effect is so gorgeous that I st</span><span>arted to believe that the sound of the vocals is at least as important as the verbal content. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">At times there is a gossamer lightness through the music that seems anchored by Allison's vocals. The string arrangements contribute to the weight of the pieces in which they appear. That this music can be light and heavy at the same time is one of those attributes that just must be heard. This album is best listened to in a quiet room, or better yet, on headphones. <i>Heart-Shaped Scars</i> by Dot Allison is a complete work of beauty.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fIhACuRtuOY" width="500" youtube-src-id="fIhACuRtuOY"></iframe></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><u><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><u><br /></u></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Playlist</span></u></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">: <i>Click on each song title to listen.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11q8w1g6dk" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoADADegQIExAC" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQAw" href="https://youtu.be/wuWF2tfxBd8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border: 0px solid rgb(236, 237, 239); color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">1</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Long Exposure</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">5:51</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11q8w1450c" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoATADegQIExAE" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQBQ" href="https://youtu.be/6VN6gJzDcCw" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border: 0px solid rgb(236, 237, 239); color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">2</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">The Haunted</div><div class="uDMnUc" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 20px; margin-top: -4px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Amy Bowman</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">6:21</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11nxs2vhwz" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoAjADegQIExAG" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQBw" href="https://youtu.be/vzoMCwbgwtU" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">3</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Constellations</div><div class="uDMnUc" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 20px; margin-top: -4px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Sarah Campbell, Amy Bowman</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:33</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11q8w14v6c" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoAzADegQIExAI" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQCQ" href="https://youtu.be/fIhACuRtuOY" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">4</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Can You Hear Nature Sing?</div><div class="uDMnUc" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 20px; margin-top: -4px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Zoë Bestel</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:19</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11q8w17jqc" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoBDADegQIExAK" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQCw" href="https://youtu.be/pJGfbv-10XA" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">5</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Ghost Orchid</div><div class="uDMnUc" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 20px; margin-top: -4px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Homay Schmitz</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:31</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11rsdykybh" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoBTADegQIExAM" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQDQ" href="https://youtu.be/xcjyqzmIH8I" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">6</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Entanglement</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">0:43</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11nxs2k31g" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoBjADegQIExAO" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQDw" href="https://youtu.be/T9AAWgno4WE" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">7</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Forever's Not Much Time</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:07</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11rsdyxq0p" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoBzADegQIExAQ" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQEQ" href="https://youtu.be/IPd-XAVwzKY" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">8</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Cue the Tears</div><div class="uDMnUc" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 20px; margin-top: -4px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Homay Schmitz</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:03</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11nxs2nj7h" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoCDADegQIExAS" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQEw" href="https://youtu.be/3AfYdduUZ_M" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">9</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">One Love</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">5:49</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie LdK9Pd" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11rsdyshxg" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoCTADegQIExAU" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: -1px; margin-left: 32px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc JBmtnf Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQFQ" href="https://youtu.be/a_c8zq630FQ" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px; color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">10</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Love Died in Our Arms</div><div class="uDMnUc" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 20px; margin-top: -4px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Homay Schmitz</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">4:47</div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="PZPZlf Bq4Xie qLiyHf" data-attrid="list" data-rentity="/g/11q8w1g0cd" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8QtxAoCjADegQIExAW" role="listitem" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; display: inline-block; margin-left: 0px; width: calc(50% - 16px);"><div class="kIXOkb cULTof"><a class="rl_item rl_item_base NrokEc Ln7Lvf ZF4YCf" data-ved="2ahUKEwidg7yznbTyAhWHKFkFHZJmBD8Qri4wA3oECBMQFw" href="https://youtu.be/kNKIDCMsnJc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: inherit; border-color: rgb(236, 237, 239); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; color: #1a0dab; display: block; outline: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="vtnSJf r2wkld QcvIo pbhLif" style="border: 0px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); height: 48px; margin-left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="VQr16d" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px;"><div class="xtObwd" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;">11</div></div><div class="LwV4sf" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 40px;"><div aria-level="3" class="junCMe" role="heading" style="width: 240px;"><div class="title" style="color: #202124; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Goodbye</div></div></div><div class="Li8Y0e fRmlm" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right; top: 0px;"><div class="ooYbic" style="color: #757575; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap; width: 40px;">5:24</div></div></div></a></div></div></span></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749675.post-7493268871705806972021-07-29T22:42:00.003-04:002021-08-05T13:20:14.378-04:00Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - 662 Crushes It On New Music Friday; Amongst A Crowded Field Of Excellent New Releases On July 23rd (Including Jackson Browne, David Crosby, and Others) One Record Stood Out<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhYugAZ4U85qt0szDI3-YgK0HeR1C7PbbCT9-UX0JD02gvtxb7bm-5Mq4vawudFno5XDV4JCM34Sxaq4Hc_62kx5C66CK-KNLuZczcXGb2Ybr3At-gImgyIDLYho_umywmsKCBg/s1080/kingfish2-1080x675.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1080" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhYugAZ4U85qt0szDI3-YgK0HeR1C7PbbCT9-UX0JD02gvtxb7bm-5Mq4vawudFno5XDV4JCM34Sxaq4Hc_62kx5C66CK-KNLuZczcXGb2Ybr3At-gImgyIDLYho_umywmsKCBg/w400-h250/kingfish2-1080x675.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy of artist</span></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">On last week's new music Friday, Jackson Browne delivered the long awaited <i>Downhill From Everywhere</i>, his most listenable album in years. Not only is the title track an environmental reference to the ocean (natch) but the whole record brims with joyous lead and slide guitar that will remind you of David Lindley. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Similarly, David Crosby came out with <i>For Free</i>, which also sounds as great as it was long awaited. Crosby displays his inner-Steely Dan with accompaniment of the velvet voiced Michael McDonald on the first track. He also sounds great doing Joni Mitchell's "For Free," with Sarah Jarosz. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">As if that weren't enough, in-`demand Nashville producer Rodney Crowell released his latest album <i>Triage</i>, also long awaited. <i>Triage</i> is the latest in a long line of superior singer-songwriter albums of the country persuasion. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">No one should be surprised that Capitol Records would release Glen Campbell's last live recording. What is surprising however, is just how good Campbell sounds on <i>Live From The Troubadour</i>. Despite the novelty of Campbell singing artists like Green Day and U2, he sounds good on his hits and the strength of this performance shows no hint of the Alzheimer's that would soon rob him of his career, then his life. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Not to take anything away from these and many more releases that shared July 23rd, one new release from that batch has me more excited than the rest.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoJo4NX71Wn6YOGjua-CO14tEoMCwLJB7ytCaNsKF679Ez4p0TckhCOv1hKFcT-tLrtXvghiYcxkpoYkdq3wlV69JEvgx2AbxEcSbyVYKe6llTiyOllQDAz-qspxmyBqD6RlM0w/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoJo4NX71Wn6YOGjua-CO14tEoMCwLJB7ytCaNsKF679Ez4p0TckhCOv1hKFcT-tLrtXvghiYcxkpoYkdq3wlV69JEvgx2AbxEcSbyVYKe6llTiyOllQDAz-qspxmyBqD6RlM0w/" width="240" /></span></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><b>Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - 662</b><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">What do we know about Christone Ingram? We know that he is 22 and that this is his second album. Ingram plays like someone who might be twice his age, or maybe even three times. We know that he comes from the part of Mississippi that gives the album it's name, in that 662 is the area code for the part of the state that includes Clarksdale. We also know that he released his first album called <i>Kingfish</i> in 2019 and that it was nominated for Grammy consideration. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">It's more than fitting that Ingram records for Alligator Records. When I listen to those </span><span style="background-color: white;">periodic</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">double disc collections released to celebrate their various anniversaries, I am always knocked out by the depth of the talent. It seems so right that this incredibly talented bluesman should add his name to that roster.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Listening to Kingfish, I'm reminded that artists like B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo, Robert Cray, and George Thorogood all have one thing in common. On certain songs, either because of composition or performance, or maybe both, they all have the power to transcend their genre. I feel like that's happening on every track of <i>662</i>. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In a recent excellent PBS documentary, Buddy Guy (Ingram's mentor) discussed conceptually what it means to have the blues and what happens when a musician plays or sings the blues. He concludes that when you sing the blues you lose the blues. That longstanding conundrum is not lost on Kingfish. There are many, many more artists that Ingram can cite as influences and inspirations (including some you may not expect) such as George Benson. But if you listen closely to <i>662</i> you can hear it.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">It's not just that Ingram is good at it, but when you start this record, the title track comes first and (figuratively) leaps from your speakers, grabs you and shakes you as if to say this is totally exciting and different from most other records that you could play. I'm resisting the urge to go track-by-track, although I want to. I'll leave you to that joy for yourself. I will mention that there are some real gems on this record like "Too Young To Remember," with some sweet sounding guitar that evokes the memory of James Brown...</span></span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #53241b;">I HEARD ABOUT THOSE JUKE JOINTS</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">HOMEMADE WHISKEY USED TO FLOW</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">HEARD ABOUT THOSE JUKE JOINTS</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">HOMEMADE WHISKEY USED TO FLOW</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">WELL, I’M TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">BUT I’M OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">SHACK OUT ON THE HIGHWAY</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">WHERE THE BLUES WAS GOIN’ DOWN</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">SHACK OUT ON THE HIGHWAY</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">DELTA BLUES GOIN’ DOWN</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">WELL, I’M TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">BUT I CAN HEAR THAT SOUND</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">LOVIN’ AND FIGHTIN’</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">DRINKIN’ ‘TIL CLOSING TIME</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">LOVIN’ AND FIGHTIN’</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">ALL NIGHT ‘TIL CLOSING TIME</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">I’M TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">BUT IT’S HERE IN MY MIND</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">WHEN YOU SEE ME PLAY THE GUITAR</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">YOU’RE LOOKIN’ BACK A HUNDRED YEARS</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">SEE ME PLAY MY GUITAR</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">YOU’RE LOOKIN’ BACK A HUNDRED YEARS</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">I’M TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">BUT MY HEROES ARE STILL HERE</span><br style="color: #53241b;" /><span style="color: #53241b;">JIMI, BB AND BUDDY AND LIGHTNING HOPKINS TOO!</span></span></span></blockquote><p></p><div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin: auto auto 0.618em; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">And, the best part is that "</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Too Young To Remember" is not an aberration, it's par for the course on this fine record. You may wish to note that track 14 is a bonus track by virtue of it having been a single called </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Rock and Roll</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">. The song closes the album quite nicely, with a sentiment about selling ones soul for rock and roll. </span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;">Watch the video for the title track"662"</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="306" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QRyOMa3errA" width="564" youtube-src-id="QRyOMa3errA"></iframe></span></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin: auto auto 0.618em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Tracklist:</span></u></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin: auto auto 0.618em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">1. 662<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />2. She Calls Me Kingfish<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />3. Long Distance Woman<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />4. Another Life Goes By<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />5. Not Gonna Lie<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />6. Too Young To Remember<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />7. You're Already Gone<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />8. My Bad<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />9. That's All It Takes<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />10. I Got To See You<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />11. Your Time Is Gonna Come<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />12. That's What You Do<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />13. Something In The Dirt<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />14. Rock & Roll (Bonus Track)</span></p></div>William Kateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07366905492068156424noreply@blogger.com0