Random Notes (Grammys '07 Edition)

Nobody remembers who wins the Grammy awards. Okay, that’s an exaggeration…but not by much. I am lifelong fan of popular music and the Grammy Awards are one of only two televised awards show that I watch most years and the winners do not linger long in my active memory after the show ends.

With the Grammys, it is indeed the show…and not the awards (the Grammy voters are woefully out of touch most years) nor the winners’ insipid acceptance speeches…that is the thing (see recap of the 2005 show here and recap of the 2006 show here…jeez this is Neverending Rainbow’s third annual Grammy piece…we’re getting old :-)

* * *

The last time I saw Sting on television he was playing the lute on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip…he was a little more interesting opening the show with the reunited Police on a potent version of “Roxanne”…

* * *

Apparently, the Dixie Chicks are still not ready to make nice…hey, that’s cool (hey, nice dress, Natalie.)

* * *

That Prince…ever the soul of brevity: “One word: Beyonce”…that’s cool, too. Then the Dreamgirl belted out “Listen” like the soulful pro she is.

* * *

Damn it, they played Mary J. off before she could thank me (my name MUST have been somewhere on that seemingly endless list of “thank yous”...)

* * *

Justin Timberlake's hand-held nostril-cam…yeah, that was good idea…

* * *

Corinne Bailey Rae, John Legend, and John Meyer sounded good together...they should form a band or something...

* * *

Gnarls Barkley looked resplendent in their airline pilot uniforms and “Crazy” sounded cool even slowed down.

* * *

What the hell?? Ludacris didn’t give me a shout out either? He name checked everybody including Oprah and Bill O’Reilly but not me…what’s up with that? :-)

* * *

Okay, Mary J. (whose awards were apparently thanks to God) is forgiven for dissing me after the powerhouse medley of “Be Without You” and “Stay with Me”.

* * *

Huh? Oh sorry…I must have dozed off…have Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts finished their Eagles tribute yet? (To be fair, Ms. Underwood acquitted herself well on the Bob Wills’ classic “San Antonio Rose”.)

* * *

Somewhere in Smokey Robinson’s attic there has to be painting of himself as a very old man (hah, an Oscar Wilde joke!…I kill myself sometimes :-) And dude, who knew Nicole Richie’s dad could sing??

* * *

Christina Aguilera doing James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”? It’s a bit over the top (of course) but it works (I think Mr. Brown would have given a thumbs up…especially when Xtina went down on her knees in her snappy white suit.) Diva of the night award by a hair over Mary J.

Nice touch draping the “Godfather of Soul” cape over the mike stand at the end of the memoriam clips.

* * *

Ah yes, this year’s hip hop spectacle: Ludacris with Mary J. Blige, Earth Wind & Fire, and a bunch of girls carrying candles. Um, okay…

* * *

Oh good, James Blunt got to sing the horribly under-exposed “You’re Beautiful”…maybe now it’ll get some more airplay.

* * *

Contest winner Robyn Troup made the most of her “American Idol...I mean, Grammy Moment” with Justin Timberlake; she looked a bit lost every now and again but mostly she held her own.

* * *

Chris Rock sez the Red Hot Chili Peppers are the “best band in the world” so I guess it must be true. (Chris also drew the only bleep I heard when he said the name of Timberlake’s infamous Saturday Night Live bit.)

* * *

Coolest presenting team of the night? Queen Latifah and Al Gore, of course (that Gore guy is everywhere…you’d think he was running for President or something…)

* * *

Ah, those lefty Grammy voters poured the accolades on the Dixie Chicks…Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Country Album of the Year (it really wasn’t a country record but whatever works…)

The Chicks seemed a bit embarrassed by the end of the show…they shouldn’t have been, Taking the Long Way is an excellent record…and more than a bit tongue-tied every they came to the podium to pick up another award.

Interesting enough show…it kept moving fairly well (these things always screech to a mind-numbing halt during the acceptance speeches but I’ve made my peace with that…it’s a good time to go to bathroom or to go grab a handful of grapes…)

More MKW blogstuff: Bread and Roses

Short Takes: Norah Jones, Patty Griffin, Rickie Lee Jones

Norah Jones – Not Too Late

Norah Jones’ new CD is much like her last two…filled with tasteful, mid-tempo playing and sweetly burnished with her sultry, smoky, delightfully-luminous voice. For the first time Jones had a hand in writing all of the songs…the themes don’t vary much (love and loss mostly) but for a gently-chiding tune about politics and patriotism (“My Dear Country”) and a soft, sober lullaby (“Rosie’s Lullaby” with harmony vocals by co-writer Daru Oda.) Not Too Late loses steam before it runs its course (the basically-unvarying tempo makes some of the songs bleed into each other rather than establish identities of their own) and a lot of it does not linger very long after its finished playing (there’s nothing here as indelible as “Don’t Know Why”, her shimmering breakout hit) but it is a soothing, charming, mostly entertaining musical journey just the same.

Patty Griffin – Children Running Through

Okay, with all due respect to (and continuing affection for) Ms. Allen, this is now my favorite CD of the year so far. If there were any justice in the music world, this passionate, beautiful, eclectic (sometimes it rocks…sometimes it soothes…sometimes it soars high through country skies….sometimes it sails deep into the welcoming waters of the blues) collection of grand songs…imbued with thrilling depth and soul by a earnest, undeniably lovely voice…would shoot to the top of the charts and make Patty Griffin a star. There’s not much justice in the music world so Griffin (whose songs have been recorded by talents as diverse as the Dixie Chicks and Jessica Simpson) will probably have to settle for being a compelling singer/songwriter who has produced a gem of a record. (Special kudos for the soft but urgent gospel of “Up on the Mountain (MLK Song)” and for having the ever-wondrous Emmylou Harris singing harmony on the bittersweet “Trapeze”.)

Rickie Lee Jones – The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard

Discordant and tenderly melodic…pious and acerbic…folksy and funky…rambling and focused…this CD is the sum of its contradictions, a “gospel” record that challenges and rewards its listeners. Rickie Lee Jones’ quirky, engaging vocal phrasings are in full effect and the songs…full of stream of consciousness lyrics and stripped down, sometimes engagingly ragged but always heartfelt playing…invoke Biblical images and ideas without ever becoming preachy. Jones is in fine…if sometimes decidedly odd…voice throughout (including and especially when channeling her inner Tom Waits on the raucous “Tried to Be a Man”, slipping into the Astral Weeks-era groove of Van Morrison on the rambling, evocative “I Was There”, or giving free reign to hopeful joy on the exuberant “Elvis Cadillac”.)

* * * * *

Other MKW blogstuff: Bread and Roses

Pop Culture News and Notes

Prince’s halftime show at the Super Bowl was a lot like the game: more than a bit ragged (and drenched from the constant rain) but entertaining just the same. With his set bracketed by “Let’s Go Crazy” and a wholly-appropriate (given the weather) “Purple Rain” with generous dollops of "Baby, I'm a Star", “Proud Mary”, "Best of You" and “All Along the Watchtower” in-between, you had to tip your hat to the guy…the little fella knows how to put on a show (and, to the delight of CBS’ censors, the now pious Purple One left his ass-less pants at home.)

* * * * *

And, dude, who knew the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had so much power and influence? I mean, David Lee Roth getting back together with Van Halen for an upcoming tour…come on, all hail the power of the Hall! (And I'm sure the Hall had something to do with the long-estranged Police reuniting to open the Grammy show this weekend, too :-)

Now if the Hall can heal the rift between Grandmaster Flash and Grandmaster Melle Mel yet another of my rock and roll prayers will have been answered (and yes, Very Anonymous Mike, I’m still holding out for that Patti Smith/Ronnie Spector duet…maybe a medley of “Because the Night” and “Be My Baby”…or maybe a new version of “Take Me Home Tonight” with Patti taking Eddie Money’s place on the tune…)

* * * * *

In “All You Need is Love” (and a couple of armies of attorneys) news: Apple Computers and the Beatles’ Apple Corps have settled their trademark dispute. One supposes that this might mean that the seemingly digital download-phobic Fab Four’s catalogue will be popping up on iTunes at some time in the very near future.

* * * * *

More MKW blog stuff: Bread and Roses

Alright, Still

I love Lily Allen…not in the pervy way (I’ve got shoes older than this precociously talented 19-year-old Brit) but because her music makes me smile…and laugh out (the devastatingly frank “Not Big”…including the titular reference to the guy’s manhood… is so deliciously wicked that any guy will be glad that the song is not about him)…and nod knowingly; because she paints vivid portraits of people and places she’s seen (“Nan, You’re a Window Shopper” is a devastating portrait of a woman shuffling through, rather than living, her life), and loves that have gone wrong; because her music enthralls me with its clever, acerbic, occasionally profane lyrics and its infectious, ska/reggae-flavored beats and potent melodies.

This is, not to put too fine a point on it, my favorite CD of the year thus far.

The sunny music will make your toes top and beckon you to the dance floor but it’s the lyrics that pack the biggest punch here. “LDN”, for example, lopes along amiably (after opening with bright calypso horns that accent the rest of the song) even while turning an unblinking eye on pimps and crack whores and mugged old ladies on the streets of London. “Alfie”, a sprightly shuffle, is about a sister trying to kick-start her ne’er do well brother who spends his time sleeping, smoking dope, and playing computer games. The rap-inflected “Knock ‘em Out” is a jolly bit of business about fending off unwanted advances from skanky guys.

Cheeky kiss-offs abound (Allen seems a bit young to have had so many bad experiences in love…but, then again, who’s to say…I had my first heartbreaking crush in the 5^th grade and it was real to me) from the insanely catchy “Smile” (about a former boyfriend, who cheated on her with the girl next door, futilely trying to get back with her), the aforementioned “LDN”, and “Friend of Mine”, a loping rebuff of a former love trying to get back in her graces after having badmouthed her in the wake of their breakup.

On the other hand, the sumptuous ballad “Littlest Things” is a bittersweet remembrance of all the small but indelible things that made up a love that was once magical and is now over.

On “Take What You Want”, Allen is at her sassiest when blowing off clichés rained down on her by elders (‘’good things come to those who wait”, “as one door closes, another one opens”) with a defiant declaration of self-empowerment:

Say what you say,
Do what you do
Feel what you feel,
As long as it's real.
I said take what you take
And give what you give
Just be what you want,
Just as long as it's real.

Well, Lily Allen is certainly real…and Alright, Still is a real pop gem.

(Lily Allen's MySpace is here)

* * * * *
More MKW blog stuff: Bread and Roses

Katharine McPhee

Like Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee left the songs from her post-American Idol single (the sweetly soaring “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and the insipid “My Destiny”) off her debut CD. It was probably a wise move as neither of those tunes would have really fit into the overall vibe of this CD.

Katharine McPhee finds our Ms. Kat (yeah, she…along with Chris Daughtry…got the lion’s share of the handful of AI votes I chose to make last year) applying her rich, supple, compelling voice to a set of catchy R&B flavored pop songs (such as the feisty “Love Song”, the lilting, mid-tempo “Each Other”, and the wry first single “Over It”), dance floor ready jams (the softly-propulsive “Not Ur Girl” and the almost-funky “Do What You Do”), and yearning ballads (the aching “Home” and “Ordinary World”, either of which would have easily garnered a standing ovation from an American Idol audience, and the soulful “Better Off Alone”.) She doesn’t really challenge herself…either with her song choices or her vocals…but she seems extremely comfortable in the groove she sets for herself and she comes across as relaxed and focused throughout the record.

The songs on this disc are firmly in the vein of music made by female pop stars like Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, and Beyonce (you can easily imagine any of those ladies performing these same songs without changing the somewhat generic beats, lyrics, and arrangements one little bit) but, that said, McPhee acquits herself admirably (managing, for the most part, to rein in the vocal histrionics that the aforementioned singers often succumb to and to let the richness and sweet earnestness of her voice bring the songs home.)

There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here but this is an assured, entertaining debut CD that heralds the coming of another comely, talented platinum-selling pop star…and hey, that’s all good by me.

Black Halo

This record came out in 2005 but I only found out about it this week...more’s the pity for me. I was introduced to it through the tender auspices of MySpace. Yeah, I know I’m a little outside of the demographic target of MySpace but it is, I’ve found, a wonderful way to discover interesting new music and enormously talented musicians who haven’t broken through yet.

Case in point…this grand little set from the enormously talented Ms. V.K. Lynne. At turns tender and tough…bluesy and rocking…soothing and invigorating…Black Halo is a solid set of 10 fine, fine songs (all written by Lynne) that clocks in at just over 30 concise minutes without a clunker in the bunch.

Lynne’s voice is strong, sassy, soaring, sweet, and extremely soulful…there are hints of Melissa Etheridge here and there (the driving rock of the acerbic “Her End of the Phone”, for example) but Lynne is no copycat. She is just as compelling on the rocking title song as she is on the shimmering ballad “Other Side of my World” or the spare, wistfully-haunting “My Bones”.

With her band adding tight, tasteful, tuneful support, Lynne’s music soars and enthralls and draws you in for repeated listenings. It's a keeper.

Black Halo is available from my pals at CD Baby. You can sample clips from the disc there.

FYI: My MySpace is here

Oscar Nominations

So Oscar loved Dreamgirls…sorta. The musical snagged 8 nominations which is impressive enough…it is the most for any nominee this year…but 3 of those are all in the same category (Best Original Song for “Listen”, “Love You I Do”, and “Patience”) which will probably split the vote enough to allow Randy Newman (nominated for “Our Town” from Cars) or Melissa Etheridge (getting the nod for “I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth) to take that award.

Dreamgirls did pick up expected Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress nominations for Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson respectively.

Dreamgirls failed to join the group of Best Picture nominees which, instead, features Golden Globe winner Babel (which picked 7 nominations including two Best Supporting Actress nods) along with The Departed, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine (which also picked up Supporting Actor and Actress nods for wily vet Alan Arkin and young Abigail Breslin), and The Queen.

Four of the Best Director nominees come from those movies: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel), Stephen Frears (The Queen), perennial Oscar hopeful Martin Scorsese (The Departed…a 6^th loss would put Marty in a dubious category all his own), and Clint Eastwood (Letters from Iwo Jima…and the guy who denied Scorsese the last time they were both in this category: Eastwood taking the statuette with Million Dollar Baby while Scorsese and The Aviator went un-rewarded.) Little Miss Sunshine directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris were snubbed in this category in favor of United 93’s Paul Greengrass.

The oft-nominated (this is number 14 with 2 previous wins) Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada) is among the Best Actress nominees along with Penelope Cruz (Volver), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), Kate Winslett (Little Children), and odds-on favorite Helen Mirren (The Queen).

Front-runner Forrest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) leads a Best Actor field that includes Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond), veteran Peter O’Toole (Venus…his 8^th nomination without a win thus far…another dubious record that might lead the often-sentimental Academy to make him a surprise “upset” winner), Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness), and semi-surprise nominee Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson).

Cultural phenomenon Borat had to settle for a Best Adapted Screenplay nod.

In a year when there seemingly dozens of animated movies the category still only features 3 nominees: Cars, Happy Feet, and Monster House.

The Academy Awards will be handed out on February 25^th in a ceremony hosted by Ellen Degeneres.

American Idol '07 (Week 1)

The American Idol ratings juggernaut roared back to the airwaves with a seemingly endless stream of bad auditions and a lot of carping about how mean the judges are being this season (see here, for example.)

I don’t get all of the complaining. This is the 6^th edition of the show so we have to assume that most of the people auditioning for the show know what they’re getting into…if they’re particularly delusional about their talents the producers will put them through for the “entertainment” value and the judges (see above) will skewer them for the same reason (why else would the judges, the producers, and the editors let some of the most egregious performances go on and on to the point of utter embarrassment?)

I have to believe that a fair percentage of the people know that they don’t have a shot at getting into the finals but are desperate to be on TV anyway they can (others, of course, truly believe themselves to be blessed with vocal abilities they do not actually possess outside of their feverish, achingly hopeful imaginations and/or the lovingly uncritical opinions of their friends and families.)

Are the judges more impatient and snarky this season? Yeah…they’ve been to this rodeo a few times now and finding themselves presented with far more potential William Hungs than potential Kelly Clarksons is, for the most part, no longer that amusing to them (and I'm right there with them.)

(Speaking of judges, Jewel was remarkably cogent and supportive during the Minneapolis tryouts…she seemed more real and relaxed there than she does during her stint as co-host of the current season of Nashville Star.)

Is the talent level of potential Idols really that shaky this season? Apparently so…they only culled 17 Hollywood-bound candidates out of 10,000+ folks who gathered in Minneapolis and only 14 from the 9,000+ hopefuls who stood in Seattle’s schizophrenic weather for their chance at stardom.

Hey, it’s Idol…people may be complaining but many, many more people are watching (the number of people who watched the first two episodes are almost double the number watching what has been watching the average episode of Desperate Housewives, this season’s ratings leader up to now) but it is what it is and come this Spring someone will handed the crown and instant egress to the pop charts and all of this criticism about meanness will be long forgotten.

Armed and Famous

Reality show creators and producers (and TV network execs desperate for a hit) are geniuses. Think about it...did you think the world needed a show about Z-list celebrities (70's TV heartthrob Erik Estrada, one of the wackier [and that's saying something] members of the Jackson clan LaToya Jackson, Jackass' Jason "Wee Man" Acuna, Ozzy's chip off the addled block Jack Osborne, and former wrestler Trish Stratus) training to become "real cops" in Muncie, Indiana?

Yeah, me neither. The fact that Armed and Famous exists just goes to show what we know (thanks, CBS, for showing us the error of our ways...)

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of '07 is a diverse group to say the least. The honorees...who will formally inducted during ceremonies on March 12 in New York City...are indie pop standard bearers R.E.M., rockers Van Halen (David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar are both included...but, for some strange reason, Gary Cherone is not :-), legendary rock poet Patti Smith, 60's girl group The Ronettes, and rap/hip hop pioneers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 (the first rap group to enter the Rock Hall.)

With the acrimonious relations between the members of Van Halen (Michael Anthony having recently parted ways with the band and been replaced by Eddie Van Halen's song Wolfgang...not to mention the off and on relationship between Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth), one wonders if they can bury the hatchet long enough to appear (and perform) during the ceremonies.

Relations between some members of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 have apparently been chilly for a while as well.

Hopefully at least all four original members of R.E.M. (who do not have an acrimonious relationship following drummer Bill Berry's departure from the band) will be there to play together.

(And we can only hope and pray for a duet between Patti Smith and Ronnie Spector...well, I think that would be very cool anyway :-)

The 2006 Twenty (Part Two)

The Twenty are my favorite reasons to have owned a CD player in 2006. They are listed in alphabetical order by artist and the links (where applicable) lead to the original reviews posted on this blog over the course of the year. (The first half of The Twenty is in the post just below this one.)

Madeleine Peyroux – Half the Perfect World

A lovely, jazzy, utterly engaging CD filled with beguiling vocals and arrangements on a mix of carefully chosen covers and grand original songs.

The Pipettes – We Are the Pipettes

Bouncy, cheeky, and undeniable groovy, this upbeat party both celebrates and updates the girl group sound (from the Supremes to the Ronettes to Banarama) for the 21^st Century with tight harmonies and sassy, unselfconscious lyrics.

Cat Power – The Greatest

Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) teams up with some crack Memphis session men to craft a sultry, atmospheric, melancholic jewel of a record that lives up to its seemingly-grandiose title.

Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope

Quirky, provocative, and compelling…Ms. Spektor approaches with piano riffs, rhythms, vocals, lyrics, and influences at odd, but never less than intriguing and imaginative, angles and makes it all work. The special edition features 5 bonus songs that are well worth the added cost.

Bruce Springsteen – We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (American Land Edition)

An enormously entertaining disc that will set your toes to tappin' and your soul to hummin'…or as Bruce himself says in the liner notes, “turn it up, put on your dancin’ and singin’ shoes, and have fun”. The “American Land” version adds 5 bonus tracks…including the potent title track and the evocative “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live”…to the mix with enriching effect.

Julieta Venegas – Limon y Sal

A delightful collection of energetic, irresistable pop songs…it totally enthralls even listeners who (like me) don’t speak Spanish.

Tom Waits: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards

A 3-disc collection of new songs, covers (including two Ramones songs and a tune from a Disney movie), oddities, and outtakes shouldn’t hang together as an evocative, coherent collection but this offering puts the lie to that. This is as astonishing in its breadth as it is in its soulful, raucous, bittersweet musical glory.

Cassandra Wilson – Thunderbird

A genre-defying gem that is one of those CDs that grabs you on the first listen and then continues to reward the listener with each and every subsequent listen.

Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

Silly title aside, this is, quite simply, a wondrous pop record (one hour and seventeen minutes well spent indeed.)

Neil Young – Living with War

A passionate, heartfelt, angry, hopeful, defiant record and that remains true whether you agree with Young’s politics or not.

The 2006 Twenty (Part One)

The Twenty are my favorite reasons to have owned a CD player in 2006. They are listed in alphabetical order by artist and the links (where applicable) lead to the original reviews posted on this blog over the course of the year.

Anjani – Blue Alert

This is a luminous collaboration with master songwriter (and CD producer) Leonard Cohen. Anjani was given access to some unfinished Cohen poems, journals, and lyrics and she completed them with Cohen’s aid and consent and the results are lovely, ethereal, and moving.

India Arie – Testimony, Volume 1: Love and Relationship

Songs of faith and empowerment…songs of self-awareness and hope for humankind…songs that could be insufferably cloying were it not for the sweetly earnest outlook that colors each of them… a sweet, uplifting, entertaining journey indeed.

The Beatles – Love

An interesting, and often successful, experiment…it doesn’t supplant or blaspheme the original classics (which are still out there to be enjoyed in all of their undeniable original glory)…it’s just a bit of heartfelt fun that is at once wonderfully familiar and, at the same time, a fine new experience with the Fab Four.

Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

An utterly gorgeous collection of 12 melodic, poetic songs that are neither country nor pop but rather an intoxicating blend of the two (with the stellar musicianship defying any facile pop sheen to take hold.)

The Dixie Chicks – Taking the Long Way

An assured, defiant, melodic return to form after the mixed results of their last studio disc (2000’s Home)…as much pop as country and it’s all the better for that.

Bob Dylan – Modern Times

A laidback…but never dull…record that Dylan produced (using the pseudonym of Jack Frost) using only his crack touring band as his support musicians (a grand idea…the players all compliment each other beautifully) and it feels lived-in and familiar (in a very good way) from the very first listen.

Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris – All the Roadrunning

An enchanting collaboration between two amazing artists, the always angelic voice of Emmylou and the distinctive guitar and voice of Knopfler blending to very amazing effect. (The live follow-up CD/DVD set…Real Live Roadrunning…which features some of the songs from here along with selections from their individual albums, is also more than worthwhile.)

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat

Rilo Kiley’s front-woman steps out with a beautifully realized collection of country-flavored tunes aided and abetted by the shimmering harmonies of the Watson sisters.

Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere

Insanely catchy, enormously inventive, and uncompromisingly entertaining…this hip hop/pop/r&b music at its finest.

Sam Moore – Overnight Sensational

A fine, fun album showcasing the still potent pipes of a true soul survivor with able support from a great supporting cast of friends and fans (including Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, and Fantasia.)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Comment Graphics

2006: The "Singles"

I loved 45’s when I was a kid. If you’re of a certain age, you remember 45’s…singles…seven inches, two songs, warm and inviting sound. There aren’t really singles anymore…just tracks off CDs…but back in my day (he said sounding as ancient as he sometimes feels) 45’s were wondrous things. I had (and have) eclectic tastes in music and 45’s let me sample the breadth of those tastes better than a single LP could (albums too often only had a few good songs thrown in with a lot of disappointing filler…yes, I’m looking at you, Motown…you too, Elvis.)

Great singles became the soundtrack of our lives…they were the insanely catchy pop songs that you knew all the words to, that you turned up loud whenever they came on the radio. There are, of course, tracks (and “CD-singles”) that serve that same function these days but it’s not quite the same as 45’s (I used to love the colorful labels, the familiar soft crackle and hiss of the needle on the vinyl before the music started, and discovering interesting songs on the “b” side.)

That said, there are, of course, still pop songs that are insanely catchy…that you turn up loud whenever they come on the radio…that you sometimes can’t avoid even when you might want to...

The “singles” that got into my head this year included:

Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”
(Absolutely unavoidable and undeniably engaging, this was arguably the theme song of the summer of ’06.)

Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On”
(An infectious slice of summertime pop…it’s hard not sing along to when it’s playing.)

Katie Melua’s “Nine Million Bicycles”
(A lilting, compelling mid-tempo ballad that effortlessly soothes and engages the listener.)

U2 & Green Day’s “The Saints are Coming”
(A delightfully energetic rocker in either its studio or live [recorded at the re-opening of the Super Dome in New Orleans] versions.)

“SexyBack” Justin Timberlake
(JT brought sexy back…whatta guy!...in this throbbing, bawdy dance track.)

James Brown

James Brown
May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006

James Brown was, by most accounts, no saint…he was a prickly, vain soul, a stern taskmaster, a difficult person to be married to, and someone who ran afoul of the law more than a few times…but, all that said, he was an innovator, a teacher, a tireless entertainer willing to give it all to his awed, wholly appreciative audience.

He was indeed the Hardest Working Man in Show Business…the undeniable Godfather of Soul…and when the lights came up and his crack band slipped into a tight groove and the man in the cape and the pompadour strode gracefully onto the stage you knew what time it was…it was Star Time.

Merry Christmas to You

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
and folks dressed up like Eskimos

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
will find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa's on his way,
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother's child is gonna spy
to see if reindeer really know how to fly

And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
to kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said,
many times, many ways:
"Merry Christmas to you."

- Mel Torme and Bob Wells -

Fantasia/Daughtry

There are folks out there who think that American Idol celebrates and perpetuates the worst aspects of modern pop music. And while some of the music that has come from former winners and contestants hasn’t done much to disprove that notion, it’s unfair to dismiss AI altogether (even if the judges…especially Simon Cowell…seem more concerned with commerce rather than art when it comes to music-making.)

Not that Idol would allow itself to be dismissed...not with this year’s chartbusting success of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood (as well as the credible sales racked up by Chris Daughtry, Taylor Hicks, Clay Aiken, and Kellie Pickler) and the much-lauded performance of Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls. It is, for better or worse, a star-making juggernaut.

Third-season winner Fantasia’s first CD wasn’t perfect but it was promising enough to make me really anticipate her follow-up (Kelly Clarkson’s first disc had the same promise and she stepped up and offered up a real winner on his sophomore effort.)

Fantasia’s eponymous second CD kicks off with an infectious banger, “Hood Boy”, featuring a rap by Big Boi…built over a sample of The Supremes’ “The Happening”, it hits the ground running and never stops.

Fantasia is feeling more than a bit frisky (check out the cheeky “Baby Makin’ Hips”)…most of these songs are about making out and hooking up unabashedly…and she is in grand voice throughout.

There are, as is par for the course these days, an array of producers working here but, despite that, the record manages to sound coherent because Fantasia’s soulful, self-assured voice is always in control.

Missy Elliott co-wrote and produced three cuts: the throbbing “I’m Not That Type” (which would fit comfortably on one of Elliott’s own albums), the defiant old school kiss-off “Two Week Notice”, and the inspirational closer “Bump What Ya Friends Say”. Babyface produces (and plays all the instruments) on the self-affirming ballad “I Feel Beautiful”.

(One curmudgeonly aside…”When I See U”, “I Nominate U”, “Only One U”, “Surround U”…look I don’t care what Prince said, the letter “U” and the word “You” are NOT interchangeable homonyms.)

Fantasia is not perfect (“I Nominate U” is awkward and a bit silly) but it is mighty fine and it reaffirms that Ms. Barrino is a pop artist who is true to herself and we’re all the richer for that.

Chris Daughtry also followed his muse as best as he could when he was on American Idol (in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit that I was pulling for him to win…but it’s probably better that he didn’t) and his debut CD, Daughtry (the name of his band, who don’t perform on this CD despite the fact that they are on the back cover), follows continues that path.

Daughtry wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on this disc and they are, true to the way he presented himself on the show, melodic rock and roll (most going from a gruff whisper to a soulful scream.) There is a definite Nickelback vibe here but Daughtry’s earnest vocals still carry the day (he could probably dial it down a bit more often but that’s a minor quibble.)

The musicians on the disc are solid (Slash steps in to play lead guitar on the snarling “What I Want”) and the production (by Howard Benson, who has worked with P.O.D., Motorhead, Less Than Jake, the All-American Rejects, and others.)

Daughtry is not perfect but it is engaging and it’s promising enough to really make me look forward to its follow-up.

Dig That Crazy Christmas

Brian Setzer loves the swing music…that was evident even when he was a Stray Cat…and apparently he loves the Christmas music, too. Dig That Crazy Christmas (which came out last year) is the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s second yuletide CD and it is, to coin a phrase, a gas!

This record jumps and jives and just pulsates with energy, life, and the most fun-filled aspects of the Christmas season.

From the percolating title tune to the frenetic “Hey Santa”…from the gently swinging version of “Angels We Have Heard on High” (featuring a guitar riff that sounds like it was lifted from Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue”) to the grand instrumental take on “My Favorite Things” (featuring some very tasty fretwork by Mr. Setzer)…from snappy big band workouts like “Getting’ in the Mood (for Christmas)” (a rewrite of Glenn Miller’s immortal “In the Mood”) and “Cool Yule” (which Bette Midler features on her 2006 Christmas disc of the same name)…the spirit of the season is joyfully embraced from the beginning to the end.

Even though their version of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” isn’t a gloss on Aimee Mann’s playful take on her holiday CD, it’s a great deal of fun just the same…the same holds true for “’Zat You Santa Claus” (hard to top Louis Armstrong on this one, of course.)

Dig That Crazy Christmas is a fun holiday party record…and what could be cooler than that during a stressful holiday season?

* * * * *
More Christmas celebratin' is goin' on here:
Christmas Annex

And here:
Bread and Roses

Christmas Music

The Christmas tree is up in the corner of the front room and Christmas gifts are patiently waiting to be festooned in bright paper and shiny bows. Two new Christmas tales are written and waiting to be inserted into this year’s Christmas cards (which themselves are waiting to be handed over to the tender mercies of the US Postal Service.) Despite my advancing age, I retain an undeniable fondness for the season of lights and magic (mindful of the gaudy veneer of commercialism that has become part and parcel of the holidays I still choose to see the season as being touched by wonder and, yes, magic.)

And, of course, there is music. I take unabashed delight in the music of the season. There are some for whom hearing the umpteenth version of “The Christmas Song” or “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by a pop star is akin to fingernails slowly scraping across a blackboard…but, while acknowledging that there is a fair measure of crappy holiday music, I remain a true fan usually adding 2 or 3 holiday CDs to my collection most years.

Last year, I highlighted some of my favorites (see here) and this year I add a few of my newer favorites (well, one’s not so new but it could be the best Christmas album ever…)

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must say that my favorite Christmas CD is probably Someday at Christmas, a 22-song compilation I burned a couple of years ago and gave out with that year’s Christmas cards to selected friends and family. Kicking off with Patti Austin’s soulful version of “Christmas Time is Here” and ending with a lovely “Auld Lang Syne” by James Taylor, it features Springsteen, John and Yoko, Macy Gray, Lena Horne, The Supremes, Donny Hathaway, Barenaked Ladies, Laura Nyro, and the Jackson 5 (on the title cut) among others. I played it yesterday and it still sounds grand (however immodest that might sound :-) from beginning to end.

This year offers up some new delights including and especially the immortal soundtrack from A Charlie Brown Christmas (arguably the best animated Christmas special ever) by Vince Guaraldi wonderfully re-mastered (it sounds amazing) and bolstered with a handful of alternative takes (all quite lovely.) This sublime music has been the soundtrack of the season for yours truly (and many others of my generation and those that followed) and it’s never sounded better.

Aimee Mann’s One More Drifter in the Snow is a warm, appealing versions of holiday chestnuts (“The Christmas Song”, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) along with a couple of new songs (the bittersweet “Christmastime” written by Mann’s husband Michael Penn and the wistful “Calling on Mary” co-written by Mann herself) and a delightfully playful “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” with Grant Lee Phillips ably taking the narrator role made famous by Boris Karloff on the original version from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Sufjan Stevens (who apparently has as much unreleased music in his archives as Tupac did) has a holiday offering, Songs for Christmas, that is chockfull of goodness: 42 charming, witty, reverent songs spread out over 5 CDs (one each for the 5 years in which the songs were recorded: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006), stories, an animated music video, a quirky, charming comic strip, photos, essays. It’s a groovy collection.

Eventually every pop star who no longer reach the upper levels of the charts will offer up a Christmas collection (even nice Jewish boys like Neil Diamond have made Xmas discs) so it’s not surprising that the Divine Miss M has finally broke out with Cool Yule. While I would have preferred fewer ballads drenched with swelling, syrupy strings (that said, the Christmas version of “From a Distance” is very cool) and more sassy fun (thank goodness for the delightfully jaunty “Mele Kalikimaka”, the charming duet with Johnny Mathis on “Winter Wonderland/Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”, the snappy version of “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”, and the swinging title song), Bette’s collection finds her in grand voice and it’s a fine addition to the burgeoning pantheon of pop Christmas CDs.

* * * * *
Some Christmas stories by your host
can be found here: Christmas Annex
and here: Bread and Roses