Now Hear This!    Issue #8, Mar/Apr 2018

Every Tuesday after work, I’d make the pilgrimage down Fullerton Avenue to Clark Street, make that right turn, and try to find a parking spot near Belden Avenue, so I could check out the new releases at Tower Records.  The store was probably more than 100,000 square feet… separate rooms for Classical and Jazz… a whole section dedicated to imports… listening stations for every genre… CD’s, cassettes, vinyl… posters and other paraphernalia… it was a music lover’s paradise.  But… there was even more. 

After leaving Tower, I’d head north down Clark Street, park somewhere about midway between Fullerton and Diversey Avenues (around Wrightwood Ave would be perfect), and have, within a three block radius, four more music stores: there was Hi-Fi Records… Dr. Wax, a crate-digger’s delight that had several other locations around Chicago… Second Hand Tunes, a vinyl lover’s paradise, also with several locations… and Gramaphone, for the DJ and dance music aficionado.  And there was still more… Peaches had a store at the corner of Clark & Diversey…. and then four blocks up Broadway Avenue was one of three branches of London’s iconic Reckless Records in town.

One could lose a whole afternoon or evening just in this area.

I haven’t even mentioned that before you even made it to Clark Street, if you turned left at the six way intersection of Fullerton/Halsted/Lincoln Avenues, on Lincoln was the legendary store for Punk & Alternative music, Wax Trax!  During its’ heyday from the late 70’s to perhaps the early 90’s, I visited this store almost daily, discovering all sorts of new music, especially Industrial electronic acts like Cabaret Voltaire and Skinny Puppy, to the 4AD stable of acts like Cocteau Twins and Wolfgang Press, while getting a chance to talk with the likes of Ministry’s Al Jourgensen, Sascha from KMFDM, and Groovy Mann (known to us as Frankie) from My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, all of whom you would sometimes catch hanging out in the store.

This has been… and still is… a habit – music discovery and buying – that started for me as early as 9 years old, when I would have my parents buy me 45’s of songs I’d heard on the radio at the neighborhood record shop.  And as I grew older, and able to venture out on my own, that habit started to cement, thanks to mall stores like Spin-It Records in Evergreen Plaza, where I was able to buy the latest Eurodisco records – especially those on Casablanca Records…. for $1.99, I would get promo copies of albums from all the hottest producers, like Jacques Morali (of Village People fame), and a young Giorgio Moroder, among others… there were downtown stores I would visit after orchestra practice…. there was Rolling Stone Records on Washington off of Wells St… it was here that I began my Punk collection, picking up many of the newest albums (including my beloved Stranglers first three albums) at a discount… at the other end of the Chicago Loop was another icon among record stores, Rose Records… off the corner of Adams & Wabash streets, that store was located in an old building, and covered seven floors, with a different genre on every floor.  And as my tastes continued to grow, I soon discovered Reggae music, and would frequent Conquering Lion Records on East 79th St., picking up tunes I would use for my college radio show.  In the 90’s I discovered Jazz, and fell in love with the music of Ella, Billie, and Miles; at the same time, Acid Jazz became popular, followed by Trip-hop and Jungle/Drum ‘n Bass, as well as various Latin and African fusions.  I would never have had exposure to much of this music if I hadn’t been hangin’ out in music stores.

My reminiscing comes amid news that Best Buy will stop selling CD’s this summer, and Target will sell them only on a consignment basis.  This isn’t to suggest that they ever carried the most vital and interesting music available, only the most popular; it does further limit the available choices from which we can actually buy any physical medium for music.  I can’t think of a single major retailer that still sells CD’s; in fact, we’ve lost many of the independent retailers, as well.  Most of those from my Chicago days are now history; some others that come to mind that I visited are Atomic Records in Milwaukee, and Let It Be Records in Minneapolis- both of them now have online footprints only, the doors to their brick and mortar locations having been shuttered years ago.

The independent retailers, like those in my featured image, are the places that will keep this buying experience going.  Here in Columbia, SC there are three choices: Scratch ‘n Spin, Manifest, and my favorite, Papa Jazz.  This place reminds me a lot of the late Dr. Wax in Chicago, a place where you can get new and used vinyl, CD’s, videos, and even catch an occasional impromptu live performance.  Talk to Woody or Alex there, and if they don’t have what you’re looking for in stock, they’ll order it for you and have it at the store the very next day  It is this personal touch that you’ll miss the most about the buying experience when it’s no longer available.  You’ll also miss walking into a store, hearing the music playing, and going “what’s THAT you’re playing?”  Countless times, I’ve ended up having the clerk sell me the record or disc they were playing – personal touch.  You’ll miss scoring a deal or securing that rare find that others are looking for- it’s a shopping experience that CANNOT be duplicated by downloading tracks from a computer or streaming from a smartphone.  Millennials may see this differently, and I appreciate sites like iTunes and Spotify, but nothing will replace this experience.  Here’s hoping the music buying experience doesn’t get killed off, and we’re all forced to order from Amazon for physical media.  SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT RETAILER!

If you have an independent record and CD emporium in your town, please post a business card, or a name and address for it in the comments.

R E V I E W S

Meshell Ndegeocello “Ventriloquism”

The thing with an album of cover songs is that sometimes, an artist tries to redo a song that’s considered borderline sacred- anything by Luther Vandross, for instance, is generally considered to be off limits, as no-one can do Luther better than Luther himself; another pet peeve of mine (which I mentioned in my recent review of Syleena Johnson’s album), is the changing of a song’s original key to fit the singer’s voice- it just makes the song sound a bit off to me.  Fortunately, neither of these are the case for the 12^th album from Ndegeocello, as she doesn’t merely cover the songs, she has reimagined them.

She’s spent the majority of her quarter-century in the industry making music that can be best described as challenging, mostly residing on the outer periphery of the mainstream.  I had the pleasure of catching her tour in support of her second album, 1996’s “Peace Beyond Passion”, seeing her perform at the Double Door in Chicago- at the time, I remember thinking how her stage presence seemed larger than her diminutive five-foot frame- the bass seemed as big as her…

The overall vibe here is a mellow, almost Americana feel to most of the tracks – its’ folkiness wouldn’t sound out of place next to the likes of Lizz Wright, India Arie, or even Terry Callier.  She opens this set with Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam’s “ I Wonder If I Take You Home”, segues that into Al B. Sure’s “Nite & Day” and Prince’s “Sometimes It Snows In April”, later does a take on TLC’s “Waterfalls”, and gives Ralph Tresvant’s “Sensitivity” an almost ragtime jazz feel.  She also covers Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer”, Janet Jackson’s “Funny How Time Flies”, and Sade’s “Smooth Operator”.  Perhaps the tracks most folks will gravitate to are her cover of the Funkadelic classic “Atomic Dog”, which she gives a mellow and only mildly funky treatment, retaining the spirit of the original but giving it the same folky feel that informs much of the rest of the album; and the Force MD’s “Tender Love”, which is one of a couple of cover tracks for which I can say I enjoy more than the original – the other being her cover of The System’s “Don’t Disturb This Groove”, which is my favorite track in this collection.  This is a fine album of reinterpretations of well-known R&B tracks from the 80’s/90’s that you can put on for those plaintive, contemplative moments… check out the video for “Waterfalls”…

Moby “Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt”

The title of this, Moby’s 15^th album, basically gives a window into its’ tone – after his previous two albums were brash and punky, this one returns him to more familiar territory, one of beautiful, cinematic synths, melancholic melodies and lyrics, and trippy to mid-tempo beats.   There is, despite the slower tempos here, a sense of nervous energy throughout, as if waiting in anticipation of worse-case scenarios, and thinking back to an earlier time when things were different… better; I was almost expecting a version… or at least an interpolation of “The Way We Were” to show up in a song.  It is, ultimately, a world weary view of things falling apart, a look at the societal woes and political upheaval present in today’s world as an impending apocalypse.

If all of that sounds depressing, there is a way in which the beauty of the music and the solace you gain from commiserating with other like-minded souls bring you a certain kind of peace… at least it does for me.  “Like a Motherless Child” is a track based off the title of an old Negro spiritual; “Welcome to Hard Times” is mellow and dubby, much in the vein of fellow innovators Thievery Corporation; “A Dark Cloud is Coming” is a trippy blues that harkens back to what I consider Moby’s most fertile period, his “Play” and “18” albums – only instead of using samples, he uses actual singers; where “The Tired and the Hurt” says “There was light and clear skies / There was hope and endless dreams / There was love and no dying / There were forests as far as I could see” in describing how everything was once beautiful, and nothing hurt, “This Wild Darkness” simply pleads “Ooh in this darkness / please light my way / light my way”.  Moby employs several softly-voiced female vocalists, and contributes his own world-weary vocals, sometimes singing, other times in a sort of rap style- not really rhyming or rhythmic, just kind of shaky – perfect for the tone of the music.

It takes a crafty producer to make something with such melancholy sound beautiful at the same time, but Moby has once again accomplished it.  Here is the video for “This Wild Darkness”…

Snoop Dogg presents “The Bible of Love“

When I first heard the news that Snoop had released a gospel album, my first reaction was one that I’m sure many others had- a smirk and a side eye; this is the man that, for two and a half decades has been thought of as everything but synonymous with God.  A few short years back, he changed his name to Snoop Lion and released a reggae album; given his reputation, you could almost buy that concept- he likes weed, Rastas like weed- it seemed like a perfect combination.  It was an ill-advised album.

For this release, Snoop assembled a who’s who of the Gospel and R&B world past and present, from such royalty as Rance Allen and The Clark Sisters, to other current working artists like Tye Tribbett, Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, Marvin Sapp and Kim Burrell; he’s got newer artists like Mali Music and newcomer B. Slade (watch out for this guy), and even a quartet called the Zion Messengers.  On the R&B side, there’s Faith Evans and K-Ci from Jodeci, Charlie Wilson and newcomer October London (another name to watch out for), as well as others.  Snoop acts as the overseer of the project more so than as an actual artist- he does pop in from time to time throughout the double disc’s 32 tracks, just to spit a verse or two, letting you know he’s still there.  It’s almost like this is his personal WOW Gospel compilation.

The overall vibe of the album strikes a pretty good balance between the seriously holy stuff and more God-centered tracks, so there’s something for everybody.  I think a major motivation for this project for Snoop was to connect with inner city types who are cynical of giving their life to God; lyrics promote the usual rhetoric, but with more urban and contemporary R&B flava – this is what gives an artist like Mali Music his juice.  I like this project, but if I have one reservation, it would be about the direction Snoop takes next: is this a one-off thing for him, and he returns to doing what’s he’s always done – in other words, doing an R. Kelly and alternating releases that are quasi-religious with ratchet stuff– or this is a permanent direction for him.  His verses in this project suggest he’s converted over; only time will tell- everyone will be watching, because if does go back to what he’s always done, this project will be looked upon as purely disingenuous. Check out the trapped-out remix of The Clark Sisters “Blessed and Highly Favored”…

Ministry “AmeriKKKant”

The head minister has returned, and he’s mad as hell!  Thought to be retired, Al Jourgensen has gotten the band back together again, because he has something more to say.

Al has always been anti-establishment, going back to the early days when I was acquainted with him by way of chance encounters at Wax Trax! Records back in the mid to late 80’s- then, I was bestowing heaps of praise onto him for his 1986 album “Twitch”, which was a landmark in Industrial Electronic music; his style eventually morphed into an Industrial metal, incorporating bruising guitars with the punishing percussion.  I haven’t spoken to him now for probably 30 years or better, but nothing’s changed about his outlook – if anything, he’s dug in and more entrenched than ever.  It would be (and has been) convenient for some to conclude that this album is a kind of certain money grab, as his ‘easy’ target would appear to be the 45^th President, and those in opposition to him would quickly get behind something like this; after all, Ministry was supposed to be disbanded for good.  Alas, a deeper look into the project reveals that he’s taken the concept a step deeper, to an examination, investigation, and ultimately, condemnation of the condition of a society that would allow for the election of such an individual as #45.

As concept albums go, not sure if this was intended as one, but it essentially worked out that way, as it’s a 48-minute scathing indictment on several areas of American society.  Beginning with the opening track “ I Know Words”, it goes right in with slowed (slurred) sound samples of 45’s proclamations and promises, with an almost pretty classical music backdrop… “We will make America great again / we’re going to build a wall…”; follows it up with “Twilight Zone”, a  track describing his feelings when he awoke the day after the election and learned of the winner… “feeling a little bit nauseous / It felt like descending into a bottomless pit on a high speed rail / Careening head first into the unknown…”; and then “Victims of a Clown” speaks of the position in which the country finds itself… “Angry man / Septic tank / Orange / Toxic lies / Rejection of reality / Cuts through like a knife…”

And on it goes throughout the nine tracks on the album, Al snarling and growling his distorted vocals over hard-hitting, largely mid-tempo Industrial metal backdrops.  He’s caught some flak for the track “Antifa”, as he appears to show support for the collective that’s been named a terrorist group….. I call BS on that whole thing… they’re called a terrorist group, the Black Panthers were shut down by the government, but the Klan and all of the other White Supremacist cells continue on… and Dylann Roof is still alive… truly insulting to all rational thinking Americans… but I digress… The title track closes the album, and it actually gives the slightest little twinkle of a glimmer of hope for all of this chaos… “Well, I guess I don’t know what to expect / Well, I guess that’s all we got…”  You’re sooo right, Al.  Check out the video for “Twilight Zone”…

Issue #7, January 2018

“What you won’t and what you will / Working for your dollar bill
Sad to see the old slave mill / Is grinding slow, but grinding still
Walking home, a youth gets killed / Police free to shoot at will
Sad to see the old slave mill / Is grinding slow, but grinding still
Nine to five you know the drill / Weekends are a short lived thrill
Sad to see the old slave mill / Is grinding slow, but grinding still
Cup runneth over till it spill / Take until they’ve had their fill
Sad to see the old slave mill / Is grinding slow, but grinding still.”

(Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley, 2017)

Welcome to a new year, one that finds us in worse shape than we were in at the beginning of last year; here’s hoping things change for the better.

Musically, the past year had its’ highlights, but I still find the industry is going to hell in a handbasket.  When I worked for a major cable movie network some years ago, I was in charge of answering customer correspondence.  Some of the letters I received were in reference to new shows being broadcast, or those in current rotation on the channel; they were usually in protest of the content of the shows, and calling for them to be taken off the air.  My job was to defend the company’s anti-censorship viewpoint, in that whatever they broadcast, there was a market for it, and quite simply, if that market wasn’t you, then you were free to change the channel- the company didn’t believe in placating the sensibilities of some at the expense of the freedom of expression and choice of others.

Now I mention all of this to say that there is music (or stuff trying to pass as music) out there that I wish I didn’t hear;  there is so much gratuitous violence, graphic sexual content, and just general vulgarity out there in the music industry now that no-one bats an eye.  I made the mistake recently of purchasing a song from iTunes without fully listening to the message in it.  As we’ve all done, we heard the music- it cut a nice groove, nice beat, seemed to be a smooth track, but the version of the song that was played on the radio was different than the one I bought – it had different, cleaner lyrics.

It is at this point that I’m reminded of a letter I once received from a customer… in it, she wrote: “when I was young, the song that played on the radio was ‘how much is that doggie in the window?‘… when MY daughter listens to the radio, she hears ‘like a virgin, touched for the very first time‘…. I shudder to think what her daughter might listen to…”

Well, I have the answer for ya… she might hear something like this:

“Face down, ass up / Back, back, back it up / Lemme get both of them legs And put em both behind your head /This shit is gettin deep, deep up in there / Feel your legs gettin weak up in here / Get a face full of that gushy, I’m close baby don’t push me, this is how it always should be when… / When we… fuck…”

The question became: would I like to see stuff like this censored?  The answer is still ‘NO’.  There are people that like stuff like this, so they should have the right to listen to it.  If I don’t like it, I just won’t listen to it.  So I deleted the song off my playlist…  This brings me back to my opening quote- the slave mill that is the music industry allows, even encourages, then promotes and generates stuff like this to feed our minds and our spirits.  And as I raise my soon-to-be 4 year old daughter, I have to wonder what she will be listening to in a few years…

Almost all of the albums in my “Best Of” list were reviewed in earlier editions of NOW HEAR THIS!, so check the previous issues for the full reviews. Here are my 15 top album releases from 2017 (in no particular order)…

Chronixx “Chronology”

My overall top album of the year, the debut from this Jamaican singer is a varied affair of Reggae, R&B, Pop, Electronica, with songs of hope, inspiration, and empowerment.  Nominated for a Grammy, it is my choice for the Reggae category.

 Thievery Corporation “The Temple of I & I”

The first great album released in ’17, TC went to Kingston, JA for inspiration, and produced an album’s worth of their signature brand of genre-blending dubtronica.

Chris Stapleton “From A Room, Vol. 1”

The man who is credited with bringing back real Country music gave us this first half of a duology of 18 tracks that displayed his talents worthy of its’ Grammy nomination, which I predict he’ll win.

Toro y Moi “Boo Boo”

Lo-fi ambient funk and indie rock from Columbia, SC native Chaz Bundick is heavy on the 80’s aesthetic; a self-described “breakup album”, it is anything but its’ title…

 Valerie June “The Order of Time”

The queen of self-described ‘Organic Moonshine Roots’ music, June mixes Country & Bluegrass with Folk, Blues, Soul, and Rock, and along with her distinctive vocalizing, she’s an experience unlike none other.

Rhiannon Giddens “Freedom Highway”

Second solo album from Greensboro, NC native is a Roots music album mixing elements of Folk, Bluegrass, Ragtime & New Orleans style jazz into a deeply personal song cycle exploring the experiences of slaves as told in their words.  Haunting, chilling, and beautiful.

U2 “Songs of Experience”

The aging post-punksters show that their passion for world affairs still burns, their commentary being at turns mature and understated or blunt and incendiary.  Their best album in years, in my opinion.

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings “Soul Of A Woman”

The final album from the hardest working woman in show business is one of her best.  She will be sorely missed.

Zeshan B “Vetted” 

  From the North side of Chicago comes a 1st generation Indian-Muslim guy who sings Classic Soul music and original Indian tunes (in three languages) and plays the harmonium. Coming off like a curry Curtis Mayfield,  he does it well, too.

Mali Music “The Transition of Mali”

He sings God-centric songs with a contemporary R&B and hip-hop flava- he strayed away from this a bit on this album (alienating some of his fans), but the spiritual message is still in his music most of the time, and it’s good all of the time.

Arcade Fire “Everything Now”

For all of the pretentious distractions that preceded the release of the album, and throughout its’ weird moments, it’s actually a pretty good statement on consumerism.

Kendrick Lamar “DAMN.”

One listen to the tracks “FEEL” and “FEAR” will tell you all you need to know about the tone of this Grammy-nominated album.  Kung-fu Kenny remains at the top of his game, and is well ahead of the rest of the hip hop heap. He will win several awards with this one.

ODESZA “A Moment in Time”

Seattle duo and darlings of the Sirius XM Chill channel, their third album is a multi-dimensional Electronica effort, something you can’t say about most albums in this genre.

Lizz Wright “Grace”

Her best album to date, her personal ode to the Southern experience.  She mixes elements of Jazz, Blues, Folk, Gospel and Country into a tasty simmering stew.

Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley “Stony Hill”

Grammy-nominated album from one of the sons of the Marley empire is a mélange of different reggae styles, both fun and philosophical lyrically, and a worthy contender for the hardware.

OTHER “Best Of 2017” NOMINEES

 

Best Contemporary/Alt R&B Album

SZA “Ctrl”

The debut from this artist reads as a peek into her personal diary; it is an intimate look into the journey of a twentysomething woman navigating the pitfalls of life and love.  She connected with her target audience- others like her, and those of us also interested in taking the journey too.

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

Kamasi Washington “Harmony of Difference”

This tenor saxophonist’s first album was a 17 track, nearly three hour, three CD set; this is essentially a mini-album of just six tracks covering just over a half-hour- short, to the point, and good.

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Gregory Porter “Nat ‘King’ Cole & Me”

Gregory covers the music of his childhood hero, done just the way he did it. Very lushly orchestrated, it makes for great listening music; of course, you won’t go wrong with this man’s rich baritone, either.

Best World Album

Somi “Petite Afrique”

This is a song cycle chronicling the immigrant experience as they attempt to assimilate into a gentrifying area of Harlem; for this daughter of Rwandan & Ugandan immigrants now living the experience, it is a personal statement that is well configured.

Best Video

Chronixx “Majesty”

The best video off the best album of 2017…

 

Best Remix

Portugal, the Man “Feel It Still (Medasin Remix)”

This bouncy little dance track off their “Woodstock” album is turned into a loungey, downtempo track that’ll have you bobbin’ ya head.  Here’s the track…

 

Best Use of a Sample

Bonobo “Kerala”

I always knew someone would sample that part of Brandy’s track “Baby” where she elongates the title word; Bonobo turns it into a tribal chant over an infectious dance groove off his “Migration” album.  Here’s the crazy video for it…

In this edition:

• Reviews of new music from Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Chris Stapleton, Mista Savona, Morrissey, Syleena Johnson, Maroon 5, Junior Natural, U2,  Seal

 

No one wants to hear your opinion… unless they agree with it.  Such is the world in which we live.

Increasingly, music artists are wearing their thoughts on their sleeves, trying to make a difference in an age where there is no privacy, everything is filmed or recorded, and everyone’s in their feelings.  To be completely honest, people are hyper-sensitive these days; in this digital age, a wrong thought captured, an inappropriate text or tweet, a politically or socially incorrect statement made, could ruin your life!

There is a way to channel communication for the betterment of everyone within view or earshot, and I applaud and support those who are bold enough to make a statement that addresses and confronts injustices, inequalities, and indignities.  If you’re the sort that would rather not hear it, then the statements are probably intended for you…

On another note, the 2018 Grammy Award nominations have been released; the awards show is scheduled to air on January 28th from Madison Square Garden in NYC.  Last year, the show was branded #GrammysSoWhite … after looking at the nominees for this year, the upcoming show will probably get branded #GrammysSoBlack.  Supposedly, there was a change in the voting system that led to this sudden shift in the demographics of the nominees; we all know this is about nothing more than damage control.  It wasn’t fair last year, and it won’t be fair this year (even, but not fair).  It is, like many other things in today’s America, political.  All any of us want is fairness and balance… is that so hard to attain???  If you would like to see the complete list of nominees, click this link from Variety magazine…

http://variety.com/2017/music/news/2018-grammy-nominations-list-nominees-1202623881/

Next month’s edition of Now Hear This! will present my Best of 2017 lists, and my picks and predictions for the Grammys in the most popular categories…  This issue hits during the holiday season; interestingly, there is no holiday music being reviewed here.  Since retailers started playing this music around Thanksgiving, I’m already sick of it!

Here’s wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday season… now let’s get to the tunes!

 

      R   E   V   I   E   W   S

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings

“Soul of a Woman”

Released to coincide with the one year anniversary of Sharon’s passing, comes their final studio album.  This is the proper follow-up to 2014’s Grammy Award-winning “Give the People What They Want”, an album, at the time it was released, I thought was one of their weaker efforts- yet they took home an award for it, Sharon’s only Grammy, achieved at 57 years of age.  To my ears, if that one took home an award, certainly this one should, as well – and not because it’s a posthumous release, but because it’s a really good album.  She kicks things off with a prediction of unity among people (“Matter of Time”), followed by one of the gritty funk workouts for she which was renowned (“Sail On”); the first half of the album is more upbeat, while the second half is somewhat mellower, although it begins with arguably the album’s standout track, the upbeat “Searching for A New Day”, followed by the splendidly haunting early 70’s baroque Soul track “These Tears (No Longer for You)”.  The two tracks that follow, “When I Saw Your Face” and “Girl! (You Got to Forgive Him)” are beautiful tracks marred by occasional harmonic dissonance by her background vocalists Saun & Starr, who are Daptone labelmates.  The closing track “Call On God” is a Gospel-soaked piano ballad penned by Jones herself, and given that she did as the title suggested, and He has subsequently called her home, it’s enough to bring you to tears while listening to it.   I have this album on repeat right now, I cannot get enough of it.  Sharon was a performer with seemingly limitless energy, even during her performances after her Cancer diagnosis should have sapped her of much of her strength – she would say “I have Cancer, but Cancer don’t have me”.  She is a person that inspires one to continue to pursue their dream, regardless of how much life you’ve already lived- you’re never too old to achieve your dreams and goals; she inspires this reviewer tremendously. The music world lost a good one, but her spirit and music will live on… please enjoy “Matter of Time“…

 

 

Chris Stapleton

“From A Room, Vol. 2”

Second half of the duology from 39 year old Lexington, Kentucky-bred singer presents the final nine songs from the sessions that produced the tracks for both albums… the record company could’ve released all the tracks as a single disc, but to maximize profits, they decided to split it into two volumes.  Just as with the first volume, this one is nine tracks covering a tidy 32 minutes, and again, that time is well spent, as Stapleton proves to be one of the rising stars, not just in Country, but in popular music in general.  I will say that I give a slight edge in song quality to the first volume -nothing has hit me with the intensity of “I Was Wrong”, “Second One to Know”, or “Death Row”, but that’s not to say there aren’t some strong tracks here, too.  The lead tracks from the album have been “Millionaire”, a song about the way his woman makes him feel, and “Scarecrow in the Garden”, a story of a farm, passed down from Northern Irish immigrants through several generations, that isn’t what it used to be; so far, I’ve gravitated towards the rockin’ “Hard Livin”, about a man who realizes his most rambunctious days are behind him (“never thought it would happen to me / but this hard livin’ ain’t as easy as it used to be…”), a tale about two losers in love getting together (“Nobody’s Lonely Tonight”), the bluesy rocker “Midnight Train to Memphis”, and “Friendship”, which I call Chris’ version of “Lean On Me”.  At just over an hour combined, the two volumes make for great listening; Vol. 2 overall is maybe a half notch less successful than the first volume, so that means it’s still very good, and the tracks are still growing on me.  Chris is a fine singer/songwriter and a great guitarist who seems to use minimal technique to great emotive effect… There isn’t a video yet for any of the tracks, but you can enjoy the audio for “Friendship”…

 

 

Mista Savona

“Presents Havana Meets Kingston”

A couple of issues back, I reviewed the latest project from Ozomatli, who took Mexican classics and gave them a reggae treatment; I found that album to work well on those terms.  This is a project from Australian producer Jake Savona that assembles a who’s who of musicians and singers, both past and present, from Cuba and Jamaica, in Havana to create this fusion of island styles.  In theory, this sounds like an exciting idea; in practice, the indigenous styles do not fit very well together.  What you end up getting on several tracks is kinda of a ‘one or the other’ scenario: a reggae track with both Jamaican and Cuban vocalists, or a Cuban track featuring Jamaican and Cuban vocalists; there are also straight reggae tracks with no Cuban influence.  A true musical fusion doesn’t occur all that often, but when it does, it’s beautiful. The track “Chan Chan”, originally done by Compay Segundo, best known as part of the Buena Vista Social Club, blends a familiar Latin keyboard riff over a bubbling reggae beat supplied by the legendary Sly & Robbie; “Carnival” similarly provides a nice musical fusion, with Cuban vocalist Solis and up ‘n coming reggae artist Randy Valentine supplying vocals.  “La Sitiera” features Beatriz Marquez and Rolando Luna, and is a good meshing of Cuban folk and reggae.  A collection of this sort wouldn’t be complete without a Marley cover, so Randy Valentine and Cuban vocalist Anyilena join together on “Vibracion Positive”.  This is the first of two installments of this project – the second installment in this series is coming in early 2018.  I love the idea of this musical fusion, and eagerly await the next installment, as I quite enjoy this album; I do wish for more of a true fusion of the two styles from a purely musical perspective, though… check out the video for “Carnival”…

 

 

Morrissey

“Low In High School”

One of alt rock’s biggest mopes is back.  Here is an artist that I followed throughout his years with The Smiths, and then the early part of his solo career.  I kinda left him alone, as he became more and more of a mope than I always knew him to be, but he was pulling me down (and if you knew me back then, that was saying something).  So for me to take a listen to this, his 11^th solo album over the past 30 years, is like checking up on an old friend you hadn’t seen or talked to in a while- see what they’re up to these days kinda thing.  Now Moz has always had the tendency to make the outrageous statement, offer an opinion that isn’t always popular, or bite the hand that feeds him (hence why he is always looking for a record company to call home after the latest one dumps him).  He is both extremely literate and articulate, and like Elvis Costello, I’ll need to sit down with the lyric sheet to catch the meaning of his wordy compositions. My overall impression of his latest project is that he continues to maddeningly underachieve making a consistently strong album.  He seems to have a couple of running themes on this project – he seems to have definite opinions on the Israeli/Arab conflict, and an obsession with crotches.  He has issues with authority figures, the media… in short, he doesn’t seem to like anything or anybody.  His youthful cynicism has jelled into resignation, condescension, and bitterness.  The best track here is “Spent the Day in Bed”, a song about the joys of foregoing responsibility; this is a song that shows what Moz is capable of producing at his best.  At his worst, there is most of the second half of the album – song titles like “The Girl from Tel-Aviv Who Wouldn’t Kneel”, “Who Will Protect Us from the Police?”, “In Your Lap” and “When You Open Your Legs” (two of the three “crotch” songs), and then “I Bury the Living”, a song with a lyric told from a soldier’s point of view that questions why he’s in a war, and then condescendingly appears to mock the mother after the soldier is killed; the closer “Israel” covertly poses an anti-Islam stance.  The music is theatrical, melodramatic, bordering on campy.  Personally, I think Morrissey has gone mad… here is the video for “Spent the Day In Bed”…

 

 

Syleena Johnson

“Rebirth of Soul”

Latest project from the pride of Harvey, IL, and the daughter of legendary R&B singer Syl Johnson, is an album of Soul cover songs.  There seems to be a proliferation of these types of albums recently – could it be a backlash against much of the music currently passing as Soul, but is often just moody Electronica sung by Black folks?   Perhaps… anyways, dad produced this album of mostly well-known and well-worn Soul classics for his daughter to interpret, including his “Is It Because I’m Black?” and “We Did It”, Aretha’s “Chain of Fools”, Jackie Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops”, Curtis Mayfield’s “The Makings of You”, and Betty Swann’s “Make Me Yours”, among others.   I had high hopes for this album, just based off of the title alone; alas, although it’s not a bad album, I’m just not totally feeling this project.  Her voice makes up for some inherent shortcomings of the album, so the performances are mostly good.  One thing is that, as I’ve said before, some originals just need to be left alone, and not redone; second thing is I hate when an artist changes the key of the original song to fit their voice- to coin another old Soul nugget: if it don’t fit, don’t force it – your ears will adjust to the key, but to my classically-trained musical ears, it makes the songs sound just a bit off.  Finally, although I know the song is about a dance from the 60’s, NO ONE should EVER remake “Monkey Time” – has a whole other meaning in today’s world…  here is an audio clip for “We Did It”…

 

 

Maroon 5

“Red Pill Blues”

The Adam Levine show has rolled out a new album; it is their most commercial one to date.  This band has changed so much since their 2002 debut “Songs About Jane”, and many of their early fans are not happy about those changes- you can count me among them.  Firstly, they should change their name perhaps to Maroon 7, now that there are seven members in the band; they could also reduce the name to just Maroon, as a solo moniker for Levine.  Secondly, it doesn’t take seven guys to produce this style of groove-driven radio pop; is this an evolution of sound, or have they simply sold out?  Thirdly, there are too many collabos for me, and those who collaborated with the group sound not only out of place, but out of their element.  Kendrick Lamar features on “Don’t Wanna Know”, but he just doesn’t sound like himself; similarly, LunchMoney Lewis (“Who I Am”), A$AP Rocky (“Whiskey”), and Future (“Cold”) seem like they were just kinda thrown into an uncomfortable mix (for them), for the benefit of a perceived added cool factor.  Julia Michaels helps out on “Help Me Out”, and woozy R&B chanteuse SZA features on the single “What Lovers Do”.  It’s not a total washout, however, there are some good hooks here, too- “Best 4 U” gives me a feeling similar to The Weeknd’s “I Feel It Coming”, there is the mildly reggae-ish “Visions”, and the funky house of “Plastic Rose”; for older fans, the 11-minute jam track “Closure” may whet your appetite.  Depending on your personal musical tastes, this effort will either be a complete success or a total failure; I’m somewhere in the middle, a little closer to the latter opinion rather than to the former one… Here is the video for “What Lovers Do”…

 

 

Junior Natural with Sly and Robbie

“Militant”

After listening to just a couple of tracks from this album, they immediately took me back to early Black Uhuru and everything else released on the Taxi label, run by the legendary drum and bass duo Sly & Robbie, circa 1979-83; the tracks they laid down under the vocals are classic Taxi- One Drop and Rockers-style riddims with their unmistakable trademark electronic flourishes.  This is the debut album from 22 year old Junior, who surprisingly hails from Sweden- he sounds like he’s off the island.  He’s been floating around the scene for more than a decade, firstly as a drummer, and then grabbing the mike a few years later, releasing his first tracks in ’12, while still a teenager.  He’s a conscious artist, a devout Rasta, singing songs of unity and empowerment, and offering social commentary on the state of the world, only breaking stride long enough to do one love song (“Close to You”).  This is a very satisfying debut album, one that was recorded in just two nights, and one you must check out.  In the meantime, check out the video for the leadoff track from the album, “Soldiers”…

 

 

U2

“Songs of Experience”

Positioning is everything; I know this all too well from my place of employment.  The 14^th album from the aging post-punk legends is supposedly a companion piece to the album everybody on iTunes owns- whether they want to or not- 2014’s “Songs of Innocence”.  It was scheduled to be released a year ago, but with the elected choice of the 45^th president of the U.S., they decided to shelve it in order to make a more definitive statement.  And they did that… sort of.  Whereas Depeche Mode went straight for the throat on their “Spirit” album, U2 often decides to take a less confrontational approach- more of a glancing blow, rather than a direct hit to the gut.  Case in point, the very first track, “Love Is All We Have Left”… “Nothing to stop this being the best day ever / Nothing to keep us from where we should be / I wanted the world but you knew better / And that all we have is immortality / Don’t close your eyes / Love and love is all we have left…” Sometimes, though, they’re more straight-forward… “Fight back / Don’t take it lyin’ down, you got to bite back / The face of liberty’s starting to crack / She had a plan up until she got smacked in the mouth / And it all went south / Like freedom…”  Bono sings on “Get Out Your Own Way”.  This track features an outro from Kendrick Lamar, which leads into his intro on “American Soul”, the track he interpolates into “XXX” from his “DAMN” album.  Then there is inspiration to be agents of change on “Blackout”:  “When the lights go out, throw yourself about / In the darkness where we learn to see / When the lights go out, don’t you ever doubt / The light that we can really be…” You can hear traces of every era of U2’s sound in the tracks, giving it a good deal of sonic variety; it shows the band is still passionate about social and political matters, and still relevant as a unit, something the band has wondered about themselves – after all, they’ve been in the game for close to four decades.  The Deluxe edition of the album features a couple of bonus tracks and a couple of remixes, and are worth the extra dollars.  Some have said this isn’t U2 at their best, but I personally think this is their best effort in years- on both sides, it probably has something to do with what I alluded to at the top of this issue…  check out the video for “You’re the Best Thing About Me”…

 

 

Seal

“Standards”

This is the third album of covers done by the 54 year old Brit, following his pair of R&B covers albums, 2008’s “Soul”, and 2011’s “Soul 2”.  On this project, he covers Jazz classics and the American Songbook, backed by some of the original musicians who helped make the songs famous way back when.  It is a lushly orchestrated affair, and Seal does his best to come off as perhaps the black Tony Bennett on tracks made famous by him, Sinatra, Ella, Nat ‘King’ Cole, and others.  The big question I have about this album is: who’s gonna buy it?  Much of Seal’s fanbase is probably not interested in this style of music, especially not done as it was in the 1940’s and 50’s, and those who could be interested (like myself) will probably defer back to the original versions.  Seal’s readings of these songs are satisfactory, though they won’t make you forget those originals; nice try, though…..  As usual these days, there are regular and Deluxe versions of the album- the Deluxe version gets you three extra tracks, notably two holiday songs: “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow”, and Cole’s “The Christmas Song”.  Here is the video for “Luck Be A Lady”…

 

 

 

 

Issue # 5  November 2017

 

• In this issue: Reviews of Gregory Porter, Thomas Rhett, Lizz Wright, Robert Plant, Ledisi, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Kamasi Washington, Darius Rucker, ODESZA, Fantasia, Ella Fitzgerald

• I Want My Daddy’s Records!

 

The last Quarter of the year usually ushers in a flurry of new releases, and this year is proving to be no different.  Now that I’m back on track schedule-wise, the albums reviewed in this issue are truly new, within about a month or so.

Among the new tunes covered in this issue is the tribute album to Nat ‘King’ Cole from Gregory Porter; a new but not new Ella Fitzgerald album; new R&B release from Ledisi, as well as a quick hit on Fantasia’s Christmas album; new EDM releases from ODESZA and 80’s faves OMD; for my Country fans, I’ve reviewed the new Darius Rucker album, as well as Thomas Rhett’s latest;  finally, the uncategorizable Lizz Wright has a new project, and there are quick hits on the new projects from Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant, and Jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington.

Looking ahead to the last two months of the year, I’m eagerly awaiting the second half of Chris Stapleton’s duology “From A Room, Vol. 2”, which drops on 12/1- have already heard the song samples, and it’s GOOD… new music from Sam Smith, Lalah Hathaway, and Maroon 5 should be out by the time you’re reading this issue; others with new music coming include the final new release from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Bjork, and a set of Jazz standards from Seal.

So without further delay, let’s see what’s music to my ears… and what’s not.

REVIEWS

 

Gregory Porter “Nat King Cole & Me”

The latest release from baritone Jazz singer extraordinaire Porter is a covers album of the music of his childhood hero.  Back in Cole’s day, heavily orchestrated albums were the order of the day, and almost a rite of passage for Black artists in the 50’s and 60’s- almost every popular group back then did a covers album, in what looks today to be a desperate (and usually dismal) attempt to gain crossover appeal- it appeared, however, to be the thing to do at the time.  So Gregory lovingly covers the tunes in a traditional orchestrated Jazz setting; the results are, of course, wonderful.  He does all the best known Cole tracks, like “Mona Lisa”, “Smile” and “Nature Boy”, and also offers a splendid rendition of “The Christmas Song”.  He reprises “When Love Was King”, a track he did on his 2013 “Liquid Spirit” album, and the Jazz standard “Miss Otis Regrets”.  The so-called Deluxe version of the album, which wasn’t yet available in stores as of this writing, adds three additional tracks to the Standard version (it is available on iTunes and streaming sites).  I posted the video of “Smile” to my Facebook page, but, in case you aren’t connected with me there, or you otherwise missed it, here it is…

 

 

Thomas Rhett “Life Changes”

The first time I listened to the third album from Georgia native Rhett, I had a reaction similar to what some others wrote about it in their assessment of the album:  this isn’t REAL Country music; I want MY Country music to sound like it, not like pop music with a Southern accent.  So when I have an adverse reaction like that, I will give the project a second listen, to see if my first reaction will stick.  The best way to kinda sum this album up is to say that this isn’t your daddy’s Country… but it IS your son or daughter’s; what that means is there are other influences added into his contemporary Country mix.  For instance, the single “Craving You” featuring Maren Morris and “Smooth Like the Summer” sound a lot like current Maroon 5 to me; “Sweetheart” has a 50’s, almost doo-wop quality to it; my favorite track in the set, “Kiss Me Like A Stranger” is a soulful track that recalls Player’s 70’s hit “Baby Come Back”; “Leave Right Now” has a bombastic, mild Dubstep to it that brings to mind Imagine Dragons, while “Gateway” has a mild Dancehall-influenced beat to it; then finally, the title track waxes philosophical: “Ain’t it funny how life changes / You wake up, ain’t nothing the same and life changes / You can’t stop it, just hop on the train and / You never know what’s gonna happen / You make your plans and you hear God laughing”.  Elsewhere, it is largely slick contemporary Country; he does get back to his roots on “Drink a Little Beer” which features his dad Rhett Akins, “Marry Me”, and “When You Look Like That”.  For me, it’s OK… perhaps a little too safe and mainstream for my tastes, and if you want traditional Country, you’re probably not gonna find this album to float your boat; Thomas has his sights set on crossover appeal.  Here is the video for “Craving You”…

 

 

Lizz Wright “Grace”

For her sixth album, Georgia native Wright takes us back to her roots, a rural America that she felt the need to reconnect with, one that she thought she may have lost touch with, given the current political landscape and the divide it’s created.  She has always used the fabric of her upbringing, as the daughter of a minister, to be the connector through which her songs attain a certain cohesiveness.  Initially labelled a jazz singer, she is more in tune with the singer-songwriter milieu- often considered a bookend to Norah Jones, and a younger contemporary to Cassandra Wilson- blending elements of Folk/Country, Soul, Blues, Rock and Gospel into the mix; the result is a soothing musical backdrop for her luscious contralto.  In particular, and probably due to the personal nature of this project, the spirituality aspect is more prevalent than others here, hence the album title.  It is mostly covers of other’s songs, ranging from Ray Charles (“What Would I Do Without You”) to Bob Dylan (“Every Grain of Sand”) to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (“Singing In My Soul”) to Nina Simone (“Seems I’m Never Tired Loving You”) and Allen Toussaint (“Southern Nights”); a beautiful rendition of the Jazz standard “Stars Fell On Alabama”, and one original composition (“All the Way Here”).  Another treat is her keyboardist Kenny Banks’ use of the B3 Hammond Organ,  an instrument you don’t hear too much anymore (unless you’re in church).  Lizz is an underrated and underappreciated talent who is currently on tour (not coming my way, unfortunately) – if you have the chance, go see her live; if not, pick up this album, put it on, sit back, and let it take you away…. Enjoy a live version of “Seems I’m Never Tired Loving You”…

 

 

QUICK HIT:  Robert Plant “Carry Fire”

One of the greatest voices in Rock history returns with a new set.  Some people still expect “Dazed and Confused” or “Rock and Roll” era Robert, but he is now 69 years old – his voice sounds weary and tired, and the songs are mellower and more mature-sounding, but it didn’t diminish the quality of the music- it is still quality product from a musical legend.  Check out the track “The May Queen”…

 

Ledisi “Let Love Rule”

When I first heard the lead single off of the sixth major label album (8^th overall) from New Orleans-born Ledisi, I thought “Uh-oh, they got her- she’s fallen into the Trap”.  The single “High” is essentially a Trap track, a noted departure from the neo-soul stylings we’ve come to expect from her.  Happily though, that was a one track aberration- not that the track itself is bad, it isn’t- was just reeeallly praying that she didn’t fall all the way into the Trap for this album.  I decided when it was time to do a full listen, I invited one of her biggest fans- namely, my wife- in to check it out with me.  Her review: I really dig it; she brings out the girlie in me.  My review (contd):  The first half of the album is more contemporary R&B, starting with a couple of social statements in the reggae-ish “Shot Down” and the danceable “Let Love Rule” (I was hoping she had covered Lenny Kravitz’ track of the same name, but this is a different song).  There are short spoken word interludes interspersed throughout the first half from Iyanla Vanzant and Soledad O’Brien; starting with the sparse “Forgiveness”, she returns back to her neo-soul leanings for most of the rest of the disc.  BJ the Chicago Kid joins her for “Us4ever” and John Legend duets with her on “Give You More”.  By the time she closed with “If You Don’t Mind”, she had restored my faith that she was still the Ledisi I loved… here is the video for “High”…

 

 

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark  “The Punishment of Luxury”

One of the musical collections I’ve recently sought to complete and convert to CD is the music of this band- at least the first chapter of their career.  This British duo of Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys started way back in 1978, releasing their sparse, analog synth, Kraftwerk-influenced self-titled debut two years later.  And over that first chapter, which covered seven albums, their sound evolved into an accessible synth-pop formula that spelled commercial success, and ultimately, their demise after 1986’s “Pacific Age.  McCluskey carried on the OMD name alone after Humphrey’s departure for the second chapter of the group, releasing three albums, before officially disbanding the group in ’96.  This third and latest chapter to the group began in 2006, when Humphrey rejoined McCluskey, and they began touring and writing new music; “The Punishment of Luxury” is the third album in this latest chapter, and 13^th studio album overall.  It continues a return to their musical roots started with 2013’s “English Electric”, updating the sound to the latest technology, yet keeping some of the sparse elements of their original sound; it also bridges the sound evolution witnessed throughout that first chapter, adding some measure of accessibility, yet retaining some experimentation, as well.  The songs are loosely wedded to themes of anti-consumerism (title track, “Isotope”, “Robot Man”, “Precision & Decay”), a topic recently tackled by Arcade Fire’s latest album (which I reviewed last issue), and erosion of the human spirit, especially where it pertains to personal relationships (“What Have We Done”, “As We Open, So We Close”, “One More Time”).  The sound is vintage OMD, and I, for one, am glad to have them back; check out the video for the title track…

 

 

QUICK HIT:  Kamasi Washington “Harmony of Difference”

After hittin’ us with a triple CD, nearly three hour debut, his follow up is an EP of just six tracks, all with one word titles, intended as a continuous suite that ‘explores the philosophical possibilities of the musical technique known as counterpoint’.  It was premiered as part of an art festival, which included an exhibit from his sister.  The six tracks fit into just 32 minutes, and with the exception of the sprawling, 13 minute finale, are straight to the point melodically.  Very pleasing… here is the video (actually a mini movie) for the long track, entitled “Truth”…

 

 

Darius Rucker “When Was the Last Time” 

Before I go into what I thought about the latest album from one of South Carolina’s favorite sons, I must confess that I’ve never found any of his previous music, whether solo, or as part of Hootie & the Blowfish, to be pleasing to my ears.  Then there have been the issues with him not appearing to identify more with his own- he’s sometimes made Bryant Gumbel look like Spike Lee in comparison to him, and that he has, for the most part, remained apolitical with his music.  I did learn that Hootie & ‘em made a track called “Drowning” from their “Cracked Rear View” album that was a protest song against the flying of the Confederate Flag on the SC State House grounds; I’ll give him a pass for that, but like one of my other Country darlings, Valerie June, he prefers to just stick to the music.  I‘d like to see him make some sort of statement- heck, if Drive-By Truckers can do it, Ben Harper can do it, Rhiannon Giddens can do a whole album based off of slave narratives – and she’s married to an Irishman – so can he.  I know it’d be taking a risk – both Harper and the Truckers have received some negative backlash on their politics from their largely white, Conservative fanbase- but some things have to be said, IF you feel them.  All that aside, I really wanna like this guy, so I decided to give this, his seventh solo effort overall, a listen (fifth Country album- his first solo album was actually an R&B project using Jill Scott’s production team, and he also has a Christmas album).  The first half of the album didn’t do much for me musically – kinda of like Hootie with a twang- lyrically, it’s more interesting, and this is where you’ll find the two radio-ready singles from the album: “If I Told You” gauges a love interest’s level of interest if they knew about his past; and “For the First Time”, the song from which the album is titled, talks of taking chances in life… “when was the last time you did something for the first time…”  For me, it gets going with the rockin’ collaboration that kicks off the second half- “Straight to Hell” with Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley; this is followed by the string-laden “Another Night with You” and the mildly soulful “Hands On Me”, and finally there is the auto-biographical “Story to Tell”.  This release will be another chart topper for Rucker, I have no doubt, and for that I congratulate him; for me, I found some tracks I like – probably not a purchase, though (at least not the whole album), but I did develop enough of an appreciation of his music to check out his back catalog.  Check out the video for “For the First Time”…

 

 

Odesza “A Moment Apart”

For the third album from the darlings of the Sirius XM Chill channel, this Seattle-based electronic duo find themselves more openly exposing one of their primary influences; more so than on their previous releases, I hear elements of “Play” and “18”-era Moby in these tracks- not a bad sound at all to emulate- just not entirely original on their part.  Instead of just using found samples like he did, they often employ the featured live vocalist, as everyone does these days; along for the ride are the likes of Regina Spektor (“Just A Memory”), Naomi Wild (“Higher Ground”), and Soul singer Leon Bridges (“Across the Room”), among others.  At their best, they produce celestial, dreamy electronic dance tracks (“Late Nights”), moody headnoddaz (“Boy”), a little electronic pop (“Line of Sight”), and headphone swirlers (“Thin Floors and Tall Ceilings”).  There is enough variety to keep you interested from start to finish… in addition to their great music, they produce equally beautiful videos… check out the videos for “Across the Room”, which I recently posted to my Facebook page…

 

and “Line of Sight”…

 

 

QUICK HIT:  Fantasia “Christmas After Midnight”

In a mostly Jazz setting, Fantasia covers familiar holiday standards that have been done ad nauseum; she also covers some treasured R&B holiday songs.  She does well enough with both the standards and R&B songs, although some tracks should be off-limits: if I wanna hear “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto”, I’ll stick with the James Brown original.  And I wish no one else attempts to cover “This Christmas”, as only the original Donny Hathaway version matters.  Here is an audio clip of her covering “Merry Christmas, Baby”…

 

 

Ella Fitzgerald & The London Symphony Orchestra “Someone to Watch Over Me”

To coincide with the Centennial celebration of the birth of Ella, Verve has released another new compilation of her music.  (BIG sigh) I’m not sure how I feel about this project…… wait… yes I am… my question, again, to those making the decisions at Verve Records, is simply WHY???  Just like Capitol/EMI keeps doing with the Beatles catalog, the folks at Verve are simply trying to milk the buying public into purchasing stuff they already own, with a couple of new twists.  This project is totally unnecessary.  Sure, it’s nice to hear the current King of Vocal Jazz, the magnificent Gregory Porter, singing along with Ella for “People Will Say We’re In Love”, but it’s not like this duet actually ever happened… and the inclusion of the LSO on top of these finished tracks give them a slightly different sound, but they were already perfect in their original incarnation… and you don’t mess with perfection!  As I mentioned in my “Ellabration” of her with my August blog article, they need to release their four “Complete Decca Singles” compilations on CD, instead of just on streaming sites… and, in my opinion, they should not have released this album at all.

 

 

I Want My Daddy’s Records!                                            

This is a new feature that I’ll run occasionally to review classic albums from my father’s collection.  Of course, the title theme is from the iconic episode of Sanford & Son, where Fred donates some old Blues 78’s to a library, until he realizes what they’re worth – then he develops a scheme to get them back.  Now if you have somehow managed to have never seen this episode, you can see it at this link…..

 

Ray Charles “What’d I Say”

This was the fifth album Ray released for Atlantic Records; released in 1959, it is a collection of 10 tracks recorded at different sessions, some dating back as far as ’52, but most being recorded between ’57 and ’59.  This album is noteworthy for containing his first Top 10 hit, that being the title track.  The standout track for me on this album is its’ lone instrumental, “Rockhouse Pts 1 & 2”, a track that’s true to its’ name -it rocks the house!  Of the two early tracks, “Jumpin’ In the Mornin’” is a high energy Jump Blues, while “Roll With My Baby” features a sly-sounding Ray over a smooth jazzy Blues melody.  This album, as a stand-alone item, is not easy to find in any format; I purchased a Japanese CD pressing through Amazon.  My dad’s original album sits in good condition in the basement of the family home.  Here is an audio clip for “Rockhouse Pts 1 & 2”…

Issue #3  August 2017

• In this issue: The Ella Fitzgerald Centennial celebration
  

• Reviews:  Regina Carter, new Ella reissues

 

Beginning on April 25th, 2017, the jazz world embarked on a year-long celebration of the Centennial birth of the greatest jazz singer (living or dead) of ALL time, Ella Fitzgerald;  around the country, events have been taking place to commemorate the 100th birthday of the First Lady of Song.  In my mind, she is incomparable, a naturally gifted vocalist, one with near perfect tune, tone, and diction, and there will never be another like her. How I came to love Ella.  It happened quite by accident, actually.  In the early 90’s, I would set my alarm clock to a radio station I didn’t ordinarily listen to, but did so because I wanted to avoid some loud, shouting morning jock jarring me from my slumber; instead, I set my alarm to so-called smooth jazz 95.5 WNUA Chicago.  The disc jockey at 6:30 in the morning was current Chicago media personality Dean Richards, and he had a tendency to play some Ella around the time my alarm went off; I was often treated to soothing Ella songs like “Azure” or “In a Sentimental Mood” from the Duke Ellington Songbook.  These tracks eased me into the transition from sleep to preparation to fight Lake Shore Drive traffic and endure another day of managing reps talking to people about their satellite dish service.  The morning experiences soon prompted me to purchase my first Ella album, “Swings Gently with Nelson”, one of a couple of collaborations she did with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, somewhere around 1991.  The rest, as they say, is history, as I own almost EVERY studio and live recording she ever did over the course of a career that spanned six decades (I thought I had everything, but more on that later).  My studio album collection was incomplete until May of this year, when I was able to secure the last one of hers I didn’t own – the “Misty Blue” album, which is a collection of covers of Country songs she did for Capitol in the late 60’s; thanks to Scratch ‘n Spin Records in West Columbia, SC for my copy of that one.

My favorite Ella by period. 

Decca Years (1934-55)  Ella was just 17 years old when she began recording, and the stuff she was given to sing during her early years was a lot of vapid, novelty songs- and that includes her signature song “A Tisket a Tasket”; while the songs themselves were nothing more than fluff, they were sufficient for Ella to showcase her extraordinary talent.  She was the featured vocalist of the Chick Webb Orchestra, until the bandleader passed in 1939; Ella took over bandleader duties until she dissolved the group and embarked on a solo career in 1942.  From there, she collaborated with a variety of orchestras and groups, including the Benny Carter Orchestra, the Ink Spots, Louis Jordan, Ellis Larkin, and Dizzy Gillespie.  It was also during these years that the Swing Era gave way to Bebop, and here is where Ella began growing in the area of jazz improvisation.  Her first proper album, “Ella Sings Gershwin”, was released in 1950, while subsequent albums “Lullabies of Birdland” and “For Sentimental Reasons” compiled prior singles that were released on 78 rpm vinyl during the late 40’s to early 50’s.  These two albums compiled sides cut with various orchestras – the material was stronger, and her skills really began to blossom during this time.  Overall, nine albums were released during this period; all of this is from the Post-Swing and Bebop periods- I count all of this material as her finest of the Decca years.  The Swing stuff , all of which was released on 78’s, would eventually be released on CD as part of various Decca reissues.  Here is a track recorded by a 19 ear old Ella with the Chick Webb Orchestra in 1936- remember, there was no television yet, so you get to see a 78 rpm record spinning…

 

Verve Years (1956-1966)  When Ella hooked up with producer Norman Granz, her career took off.  He created for her the Songbook series, where she interpreted the songs of the top composers of the time, such as The Gershwins, Cole Porter, and Rodgers & Hart.  To my ears, the standout Songbook she interpreted was the book of Duke Ellington- released in 1957, the triple album produced many wonderful tracks, and showed all sides of Ella, from the plaintive, reflective side, to the scatting, voice as an instrument side.  Also released in ’57 was her third collaboration with Louis Armstrong, the sublime “Porgy & Bess”;  on paper, her silky smooth delivery paired with his sandpaper, gravelly vocals shouldn’t have seemed to work, but it was an incredible combination when put together.  In 1960, one of her live albums produced one of her signature tracks – her rendition of “Mack the Knife”; also in ’60, she released arguably two of her most romantic albums, “Hello Love” and “The Intimate Ella” (this one was originally known as “Let No Man Write My Epitaph”, from the movie in which she appeared).  In 1963, she paired with the legendary Count Basie for “Ella & Basie”, and in ’65, paired again with Ellington  for “Ella at Duke’s Place”.  Overall, Ella released 34 studio and live albums in this period.  Of course, the mid 1960’s witnessed the British Invasion, rock ‘n roll was gaining a strong foothold in popular music, and Ella began trying to interpret (in her style), current pop hits from the likes of the Beatles; as the so-called ‘Now Sound’ began replacing Jazz as popular music, her popularity began to wane a bit, and ultimately, she and Granz parted company, and her contract with Verve was not renewed.  Here is a live clip of Ella in 1957 doing one of her signature songs, backed by a stellar band…

 

Capitol Years (1967-68)  This was, for the most part, a forgettable period in her career.  This era produced four albums: “Brighten the Corner” was a collection of traditional Christian hymns; “Ella Fitzgerald’s Christmas” was a collection of Christmas hymns; the aforementioned “Misty Blue” was a collection of covers of current Country hits; the best of the bunch was “30 by Ella”, a unique and satisfying collection of six five-song jazz medleys.  This period was the beginning of Ella experiencing health problems that would ultimately plague her for the rest of her life.  These issues began to affect her voice, as it became slightly huskier- “30 by Ella” is perhaps the only album where I can say that Ella sounded kinda sexy. Here is a live clip of Ella from 1968 in Europe with the Tee Carson Trio performing an absolutely spine-tingling version of “Summertime”…

 

Reprise Years (1969-70)  An interesting, albeit forgettable period as well, this era produced just two albums, “Ella” and the ominously titled “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be”.  Ella dove headfirst into the Now Sound, as both albums covered current pop hits.  Interesting only in her interpretations of well-known pop songs, but otherwise, only a musical completist like me would find these albums essential to their collection. Here is Ella performing a track from the “Things…” album in a duet with Tom Jones in 1970…

 

Pablo Years (1972-89)  Ella reunited with Norman Granz for the launching of his new label, which brought Ella back to traditional Jazz.  She found new collaborators, and reunited with old ones; she also found herself in more intimate settings, often with just her and a lone instrumentalist.  As the years continued to tick away, this sometimes worked for her and against her – Ella continued a health decline that sometimes literally knocked her off her feet, and definitely began to rob her of vocal prowess- she would spend these 18 years basically adjusting and adapting to the effects of her health issues, making do with whatever she had left.  Early on, these settings allowed her to expand the sonic spectrum beyond her and the accompanying instrument, but in later years, it simply exposed what was left of a voice in serious decline.  Of her new collaborators, the most prominent was guitarist Joe Pass, with whom she did four albums- the first three, 1973’s “Take Love Easy”, 1976’s “Fitzgerald and Pass… Again”, and 1983’s “Speak Love” were among the best of her 22 albums released in this period.  She collaborated with Count Basie two more times, on 1979’s “A Perfect Match” and “A Classy Pair”.  Ella won six of her 10 Grammys during these years; her last album, 1989’s “All That Jazz” brought her the last award. By this time, the vocal tank was virtually empty, but she could still interpret and perform a song in satisfactory fashion – enough to fetch a Grammy! Here is a live clip of her with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1979 doing one of my favorite tracks…

 

Ella’s fight with diabetes cost her both legs in 1993; she passed on June 15, 1996.  She left behind a treasure trove of great music for us to enjoy forever. It’s said that she could sing a nursery rhyme, and I’d buy it… remember, she began her career with a nursery rhyme… and yes, if she sang “Old McDonald Had a Farm”, I’d buy it… in fact, she did actually perform that song on her “Ella in Hamburg” album in the 60’s… and I bought it… and here’s a clip of her doing it…

If there is one regret regarding Ella’s recorded output, is that she never recorded with one of her favorite duet partners- Frank Sinatra.  He absolutely adored Ella, she adored him, and they performed together often on television, but contractual issues kept them from recording together.  Here is a clip of them at the height of their collective powers performing a classic Sinatra tune…

Finally, Ella didn’t write songs, she interpreted them.  And I don’t recall her ever singing anything that was politically charged.  But she did write one song,.. a song in response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr…. here’s the audio clip of it…

For information on events commemorating her, you can check out her official website:

http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/

or this link on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/EllaFitzgeraldCentennial/

Reviews

 

Regina Carter “Ella- Accentuate the Positive”

Newest album from jazz violinist extraordinaire Carter was released to coincide with the centennial birthdate. For the Detroit native’s 10th solo album, she throws a bit of a curve with the song selection.  One would think a tribute album to Ella would contain all of the familiar stuff we know from her- she has covered Ella in the past, doing “A Tisket a Tasket” on her splendid 2006 album “I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey“; instead of taking the well-worn path, she decided to do a bit of a deep dive into her vast catalog, and unearth some gems that even I didn’t know about – meaning: she (un)covered some stuff I don’t currently own.  Let’s do a song-by-song inventory of the album tracks and their Ella origins….

“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive”  Track from Ella’s 1961 album “Ella Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook”, vocals provided on this track by Miche Braden.

“Crying In the Chapel”  Track she performed with the Ray Charles Singers; released in 1953 as the B-side to “When the Clock Pray at Midnight”.  Released as a 78 rpm single.

“I’ll Never Be Free”  Track she performed with Louis Jordan; released in 1950 as the B-side to “Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do”.  Released as a 78 rpm single.

“All My Life”   An early Ella track, recorded with the Chick Webb Orchestra in 1936 and released as a 78 rpm single.

“Dedicated to You”  Track she recorded with the Mills Brothers; released as a 78 rpm single in 1937.

“Reach for Tomorrow”  Track from the soundtrack to “Let No Man Write My Epitaph”, these tracks were later released as “The Intimate Ella” on Verve Records in 1960.

“Undecided”  Probably the most well-known of all the tracks on this album, this is a 1939 78 rpm Brunswick single Ella performed with the Chick Webb Orchestra.  Vocals on this track were provided by veteran jazz vocalist Carla Cook.

“Judy”  A Hoagy Carmichael song that Ella never recorded; however, it is perhaps the song that launched her singing career, as she performed it at Amateur Night at the Apollo in 1934, winning the $25 top prize that night.

“I’ll Chase the Blues Away”  One of Ella’s earliest recorded tracks, this is a 1935 single she performed with the Chick Webb Orchestra.  Released as a 78 rpm single.

The album is up to Regina’s usual standard of quality, and is presented with the reverence and attention to detail that anything pertaining to the legacy of Ella would rightfully command. And I have to give her a nod of thanks for unearthing some tracks I didn’t know about.. Thank you, Regina, for the deep dive.  Here is the audio for “Undecided“…

 

Ella Fitzgerald: 100 Songs for a Centennial

This 4-CD compilation covers the Decca and Verve years, somehow managing to decide on 100 tracks from her vast catalog to include for this collection. Anyone interested in this set will probably find some songs they would eschew in favor of others, so the track listing is highly subjective… but on the other hand, you can’t go wrong- it’s Ella.

 

The Complete Decca Singles, Vols. 1-4

These sets compile all the singles and B-sides recorded for the Decca label between 1935-55; they include numerous tracks seeing the light of day for the first time since they originally appeared on 78 rpm records.  It is an outstanding collection that has one MAJOR flaw: they are available only as streaming albums!  The good folks at Verve have made a grave mistake by not offering these collections on CD -most of the people who would want this collection would want to BUY AND OWN a copy of the music (didn’t we have this discussion in the last issue of Now Hear This! ???).  Verve wants to get a new generation interested in this great music, and that’s a good move by offering it on Apple Music, Spotify, and others, but most Millennials will forego the opportunity, opting instead for the current thing, whatever it is.  The crowd for Ella is accustomed to albums, tapes and compact discs, and will buy it if made available.  Verve MUST change their way of thinking about this decision, and offer these collections on CD.