#MWE February 2021: Black History Month

For my final month of #MWE, after doing it for a year, I wanted to celebrate, again, Black History Month; it’s vitally important that we lift up Black art in a culture that is so eager to just consume and toss it away. It was also important to me to spotlight queer artists, as they’re so often shoved to the side: ergo, Deep Dickollective, Brittany Howard, Tracy Chapman, Tyler, the Creator, Tony Washington of the Dynamic Superiors, and the month (and year)’s closing pair of Jermaine Stewart and Keith Barrow, both of whom died of AIDS and must not be forgotten. Pick Hits: Total’s debut, EWF, Howard’s amazing cross-genre record, my first listen to Monk, Bo Diddley’s ’62 live record. Musts to Avoid: the homophobic X-Clan and the nothing-much J.J. Fad.

And now for the next stage of my #MWE project. Stay tuned.

1. X-Clan, To the East, Blackwards (1990): Their samples and self-contained prod are great, their pro-Black lyrics often exciting, and Brother J’s a solid rapper. But they really love to use “sissy” as a slur, and fuck that homophobic noise; there’s no defense for that.
   1b. Deep Dickollective, BourgieBohoPostPomoAfroHomo (2001): These homohop trailblazers are proudly Black & proudly queer, turning spoken word into hip hop w/great turn-of-century prod. And they’re important: James Baldwin on the LP cover tells you everything. Art that bangs.
2. Nomcebo Zikode, Xola Moya Wam’ (2020): Her debut album is wall-to-wall smooth-grooving South African house with a pop flair. It’s consistent and pleasant, if a bit samey; Zikode is, however, a solid singer. Good as background, but little stands out.
3. Earth, Wind & Fire, Faces (1980): The epitome of the phrase “firing on all cylinders,” my god. This double might be EWF’s most consistent, pleasurable album – it never stops. The ballads are gorgeous, the horn-soaked uptempos sheer ebullience, the harmonies heavenly. 
4. Weather Girls, Success (1983): The tip-off is the cover of “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa [sic] My Hair”: this is a B’way version of a (barely) post-disco LP. The arrangements, and most of the songs, are bad. Even camp classic “It’s Raining Men” is pretty dumb.
5. J.J. Fad, Supersonic (1988): Just-ok electro & freestyle beats from Dr. Dre/DJ Yella back up so-so raps from this female trio. Yes, the title track is a blast, but much of their debut simply retreads it (in the case of “Eenie Meenie Beats,” literally). There’s not much here.
6. Cleve Francis, Tourist in Paradise (1992): Strong debut country LP firmly in the (then-huge) Clint Black pocket, w/a little Vince Gill. Some songs are stellar (“Feathers,” “Those Were the Days”). But Francis is Black, so – good job, Nashville. He should’ve been a star.
7. Monica, After the Storm (2003): When a singer’s as great as Monica, she rises/falls on her material. Exec prod Missy Elliott generally steers things right here, but 2nd half is clogged w/too many mid-tempos and ballads. “So Gone,” “U Should’ve,” “Knock” are highlights.
   7b. Norman Brown, After the Storm (1994): A smooooth soph album from one of smooth jazz’s most stellar guitarists of the past 30 yrs. Apart from covers of Janet, Luther, and Isleys hits, he wrote everything here – self-prod, too. The non-vocal heir to George Benson’s throne.
8. Brittany Howard, Jaime (2019): Expected a Chapman/Raitt folk/blueswoman record, to my profound surprise got something more akin to an Ndegeocello LP, unbeholden to genre restrictions & jumping from jazz to synth to rock to… The songs! The experimentation! The soul! Wow.
9. Starring Sammy Davis Jr. (1955): Kinda supper club, kinda jazzy, kinda Sinatra-in-pop-mode, Davis’s debut album – the first by a Black solo artist to top the Billboard chart – is solid if not exceptional. Hammerstein, Rodgers/Hart, and even Weill get turns.
10. T.S. Monk, House of Music (1980): Thelonius’s son puts together, essentially, his own version of Sister Sledge (albeit w/just 2 women), and it’s pretty good. He himself only shows vocally in a major way on the deathless “Bon Bon Vie”; this is mostly post-disco, um, disco.
    10b. Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners (1957): I mean. Monk, plus Sonny Rollins, plus Max Roach? Well, yeah, chances are you’re gonna get a justifiable jazz classic-slash-landmark out of it, & that’s just what this is. Monk’s compositions (4/5 here) are incredible, too.
11. Deniece Williams, This Is Niecy (1976): Backed up by EWF’s core (& co-prod by Maurice White), what’s surprising is how this debut doesn’t sound like them. The horns here are jazzy not funky, & the sound is more relaxed, swinging soul. Impeccable vocals of course.
12. Warp 9, It’s A Beat Wave (1983): Classic-sounding electro/early hip hop that I suspect was a bit ahead of its time in ‘83; there’s some proto-freestyle here, too. Mantronix definitely heard this. The production is deceptively complex, very forward-thinking.
13. Carolina Chocolate Drops, Genuine Negro Jig (2010): This bluegrass/string band led by Rhiannon Giddins has impressive chops & an interesting breadth to their song selection on their 3rd LP. But I never ever want to hear anyone performing “Hit ‘Em Up Style” in any style.
14. Mighty Clouds of Joy, Kickin’ (1975): A glorious slapping slab of mid ‘70s soul that also happens to (mostly) be gospel, this is pure joy on record. Disco smash “Mighty High” pumps; no weak tracks to be found here. At times this is very reminiscent of peak O’Jays. 
15. The Dynamic Superiors (1975): This Motown 5-piece, fronted by openly gay (!) Tony Washington and his impossibly high, gorgeous falsetto, should’ve been bigger. On their Ashford & Simpson-written/prod debut, they stand up against any male R&B vocal group of their era.
16. Dianne Reeves (1987): Prod by cousin George Duke, this shows them clearly going for the Anita Baker Rapture pocket – and largely succeeding. Reeves is more a jazz singer, but she can pull off soul as well, and Duke certainly knows how to prod it. Smooth, lively, lovely.
17. Nona Hendryx, Female Trouble (1987): A very mixed bag. Ballads a no-go (she doesn’t have the subtlety req’d), and on more “rocking” selections (“Drive Me Wild”) she tends to get shouty. But hit “Why Should I Cry” (Jellybean Johnson co-write) and “I Know” simmer perfectly.
    17b. Patti LaBelle, I’m in Love Again (1983): Her big comeback is solid, w/ some significant standouts; the Siglers and K. Gamble do v right by the diva on the title track, “Love, Need, and Want You,” and esp R&B #1 smash “If Only You Knew,” which – key – she under-sings.
    17c. Sarah Dash (1978): Without either her former bandmates Hendryx’s personality or LaBelle’s voice, Dash rises/falls on her material. Unfortunately, on her debut, it’s not much. “Sinner Man” is fun-enough disco, but most of these songs – mostly ballads – are flops. 
18. Bo Diddley’s Beach Party (1962): 37 minutes of the hottest rock’n’roll you’ve ever heard in your life, live!, made by just 3 ppl on 2 guitars, drums, maracas, and vocals. This is astounding. Bo Diddley was, at his peak, undeniable, a true force of nature.
19. Total (1996): Post-TLC, post-MJB femme R&B, with Total giving vocals/attitude to spare, this firmly hits my musical pleasure centers, w/Puffy & his Hitmen, Saadiq, and the Neptunes on writing/prod. If you like the slick Bad Boy ‘90s style – & I do – you’ll love this. 
20. Tyler, the Creator, Flower Boy (2017): First of all: his self-prod, damn. There’s boom-bap, there’s ‘60s samples, there’s thick synths, it all coheres 100%. Most of the guests make total sense. & his lyrics/rapping – this is the LP where Tyler becomes truly great. (& comes out!)
21. Barry White & Glodean White, Barry & Glodean (1981): Made at Barry’s commercial nadir, this duet LP w/his wife (ex-Love Unlimited) is pretty great, but a little out of time; he hadn’t yet adjusted to the ‘80s. Lush R&B w/heavy orchestrations, though: what’s not to like?
22. Tracy Chapman, Crossroads (1989): Oh, the dreaded sophomore slump. The reasons why are simple: the songs aren’t as good as those on her debut, and the prod (by Chapman and David Kershenbaum) is overdone. (Also, the muted trumpet on “Born to Fight” is horrific.)
23. Jeff Parker & the New Breed, Suite for Max Brown (2020): The Venn diagram where progressive jazz meets post-rock is this 6th record by a longtime member of Tortoise. It swings a little more than I anticipated (that’s a yay), and the playing is lyrical and smart.
24. Mariah Carey, Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse (2014): It’s definitely too long, for starters. But it’s also pretty damned good. (Not as good as 2018’s Caution, but still good.) Usual mix of ballads, guest rappers, interesting prod choices, whistle tones and… Mariah.
25. Fishbone, It’s A Wonderful Life (EP) (1987): “I never thought Santa Claus would be such a sleaze!” The 4 originals on this holiday EP range from synth-y ska (“Iration”) to punk funk (“Just Call Me Scrooge,” the best) & while none have become standards, none are boring. 
26. Koko Taylor (1969): Her 2nd album, prod by Willie Dixon, is great: sexy and assertive blues with a heavy dose of late ‘60s soul. (Sometimes this sounds more Stax than it does Chess.) “Love You Like A Woman,” “Twenty Nine Ways,” “Don’t Mess”: what a singer, what a woman.
27. Madvillain, Madvillainy (2004): Madlib’s prod sometimes excels, but he enjoys excerpts of dialogue, etc way too much. (& scratchy records: we get it.) MF Doom is a perfectly fine rapper; I don’t get the cult around him. This mostly makes me wanna listen to Wu-Tang.
28. Keith Barrow, Physical Attraction (1978): On the disco material, Barrow tends to sound like a second-rate Sylvester, but he excels on balladry. “If It’s Love…,” “Free to Be Me,” and esp “You Know You Want to Be Loved” are gorgeous late ‘70s soul. His falsetto is so pure.
    28b. Jermaine Stewart, Frantic Romantic (1986): His soph LP is lightweight dance-pop prod by Narada Michael Walden & Jellybean Benitez; Stewart isn’t much of a singer, but he does have personality. Ballads aren’t his strong suit, but “Clothes Off” is forever a gem.

END.

#MWE January 2021

A new year began, thank goodness. I covered The Innocent Age on a friend’s suggestion, due to its inclusion of the New Year’s classic “Another Old Lang Syne” (and was pleasantly surprised by how solid the album is); January’s “theme week” was eponymous (or semi-) albums; I did a Rosanne Cash/Carlene Carter two-fer, and a Down Home triple-play (Z.Z. Hill, Seals & Crofts, and Chet Atkins). Much of the month’s best was back-loaded, and also 40+ yrs old: Neil & Crazy Horse, the Shirelles, Nancy & Lee, Chris Montez, and Alice Coltrane’s masterpiece.

1. Dan Fogelberg, The Innocent Age (1981): Fogelberg’s first LP of the ‘80s (a double!) continued his late ‘70s template of folk- and country-rock with just enough of a pop patina to be huge at A/C. Great singer, v good songwriting; this is my taste about 75% of the time.
2. Cameo, She’s Strange (1984): Funk in all its forms: funk-rock (“Neck”), funk balladry (“Love You,” “Hangin’”), slick ‘80s funk (“Groove”), weird funk (R&B #1 title track), and even reggae-funk (“Tribute”). It’s all performed expertly by a band with personality to spare.
3. Les Georges Leningrad, Deux Hot Dogs Moutarde Chou (2002): (Bongwater x the Residents (they even cover ‘em))/Montréal + a sprinkling of Ciccone Youth = the sound of this bizarro, art-damaged record, & you’re only part way there. Refreshingly, truly weird.
4. Trina, Diamond Princess (2002): I like Trina, but this isn’t a good album. Most of its “samples” are instead piss-poor interpolations – was there no budget to cover G. Estefan or New Edition? And sex raps are fine, but couldn’t she change it up at least a little?
5. Gary Clail’s Tackhead Sound System, Tackhead Tape Time (1987): I’d say that this sounds clearly influenced by Pretty Hate Machine and Meat Beat Manifesto’s 99% – except that this predates both. Kinda-landmark, albeit mostly-unknown, industrial LP + sample manipulation.
6. Tanya Tagaq, Animism (2014): Uneasy listening: this mix of throat singing, a cappella singing, detuned strings, some clattering rock (incl a cover of Pixies’ “Caribou”) & accompaniments, is astonishing. There is no single artist alive quite like Tagaq; she’s a must-hear. 
7. Liz Phair, Whitechocolatespaceegg (1998): Her 1st LP is an all-timer; her 3rd is… not. By which I mean it’s actually pretty bad. What happened to her songwriting? (“Polyester Bride” is an arrestable offense.) The production is overly slick and generic; this is awful.
8. Steve Earle & the Dukes, J.T. (2021): This tribute to Earle’s late son (all songs but one written by him) is a great, hard-hitting cross between Copperhead Road and early ‘70s Haggard, w/a little bluegrass thrown in. Classic-country-rock-as-2021-Americana w/an emotional heft. 
9. Z.Z. Hill, Down Home (1982): This LP revitalized blues on the R&B charts in the early ‘80s, & in retrospect it’s obvious: this version of blues, leavened w/soul, was balm for adults turned off by the modern sounds of contempo R&B. & it’s superb: singing, guitar, songs.
   9b. Seals and Crofts, Down Home (1970): Their 2nd isn’t the soft AC-pop you might expect, but is instead pop-rock w/a pronounced folk influence – think contemporaneous James Taylor. The advantage S&C have is their gorgeous vocal harmonies. Surprisingly good songwriting, too.
   9c. Chet Atkins, Down Home (1962): Lovely country-pop crossover instrumentals with, of course, killer pickin’ from Atkins, but also surprising amounts of Boots Randolph’s sax (!). Everything from “Salty Dog Rag” to “Never on Sunday,” and it all sounds good – & smooth.
10. Tramaine, The Search Is Over (1986): Upbeat, crossover R&B/gospel that’s never short of ebullience. That’s thanks in part to the production (much of which is by Fonzi Thonrnton) and in even larger part to Tramaine Hawkins’s powerhouse vocals. “Fall Down” is genius.
11. Talking Heads: 77 (1977): I don’t actually like David Byrne’s voice at all, but still can’t imagine any other singer fronting ‘em; he makes a perverse, shouty kind of sense. They didn’t quite have it all together on their debut, but you can hear it coming. 
12. Windjammer II (1984): You can hear the funk in this mostly forgotten Nawlins group, but since their 2nd LP arrived in ‘84, it’s got very slick production (I hear Midnight Star, Lillo Thomas, Kashif). Songs are so-so overall; love the Yacht Soul of “Tossing and Turning.”
13. Christina Aguilera (1999): Ariana Grande’s career wouldn’t have happened the same way were it not for Aguilera, & specifically this good, R&B-inflected LP. (And that’s not even mentioning the whistle tone!) Exhibits A-C: “So Emotional,” “Somebody’s,” “Hands on Me.” 
14. Visage (1980): Unexceptional synthpop that too often veers into a weird rock thing (“Malpaso Man,” “The Dancer”). “Fade to Grey” is a classic obv, but much of the rest of this doesn’t do anything interesting.
15. Leon Ware (1982): Mostly ebullient, Yachty soul (skip the ballads), with everyone from Yacht kings David Foster and Bill Champlain to Brazilian icon Marcos Valle involved. Players are an LA murderers’ row, and “Why I Came to California” and “Slippin’ Away” are killers.
16. Bebel Gilberto (2004): Mellow, half-English/half-Portuguese, and largely acoustic bossa nova that goes down as smoothly as a Kentucky whiskey, albeit without the bite. There’s not a ton of texture here, but it’s entirely lovely. Gilberto’s voice is a soft kiss.
17. Lucinda Williams (1988): Not at all what you might expect. 1stly, like Dylan in the ‘60s, her voice is much stronger (fewer cigs and booze, I’m guessing), and 2ndly, this is a lot more commercial-sounding: think Hiatt and Chapin-Carpenter. Okay but kinda conventional.
18. Brownmark, Good Feeling (1989): On his 2nd solo effort, the former Revolution-ary (sorry) and Mazarati leader sounds both Princely (no surprise) and influenced by the moment (“My Heart Misses” is v “Roni”). What’s surprising is that it’s fairly solid on the whole. 
19. Chris Montez, The More I See You (1966): Charming soft pop (w/ lots of marimba!) (& hand-claps!) which nicely spotlights Montez’s high, keening tenor – and which I could frankly listen to all day long. “Fly Me to the Moon,” “One Note Samba,” hit “Call Me”: all lovely.  
20. Bronco, Country Home (1970): Country-rock from Britain (!!) that satisfies on all levels. “Misfit on Your Stair” could nearly be the Dead or the Band, “Well Anyhow” is hard blues-rock, “Bumpers West” a hazy fever-dream. These songs are strong, & Jess Roden can sing.
21. Rosanne Cash, Right or Wrong (1980): Her first US album, prod by then-husband Rodney Crowell, is twangy and sweet and sharp and everything I (& likely you) want from a country record. The 4 songs penned by Crowell are all standouts, esp. “Anybody’s Darlin’.”
    21b. Carlene Carter, C’est C Bon (1983): This is just odd – the final “pop” album she made, and it sounds like a quirky early-’80s British pop record (think Dave Edmunds or, unfortunately, Squeeze), because it is. Even more unfortunate: “I’m the Kind of Sugar Daddy Likes,” ick.
22. Kem, Love Always Wins (2020): The current king of Adult R&B, Kem is like Teddy Pendergrass if he was cool instead of hot. Kem never breaks a sweat and always keeps on an even keel, and that’s in force on his 1st LP in 6 yrs. It’s all mannered, polished, and solid.
23. Blake Babies, Sunburn (1990): Classic Amerindie, w/superb songs by Juliana Hatfield & a refreshing non-masculine energy as opposed to most such records of their era. The 2 songs written/sung by John Strohm (good guitarist tho), smack in the middle, are the only downers.
24. Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood, Nancy & Lee (1968): Damn. Her honeyed voice paired/in contrast w/his deep baritone is quite a thing, & then adding his crazy-lush production & these songs (“Jackson,” “Some Velvet Morning,” “Summer Wine,” Elusive Dreams”)? Somethin’ special.
25. Cee Lo Green, CeeLo’s Magic Moment (2015): A surprisingly warm, faux-classic-soul Christmas record – all classics, mostly modern-era (from Joni to Mariah to Charles Brown) save for one unfortunate Muppets collab. His “This Christmas” is esp. strong.
26. Menahan Street Band, Make the Road By Walking (2008): If I told you that this album was from 1968, you’d probably believe me, so strong is their late ‘60s sound & vibe (think Booker T & the MG’s). Instrumental soul jazz of the highest order, sampled by many for good reason.
27. Shirelles, Tonight’s the Night (1960): It all comes together on the epochal girl group’s debut LP: gorgeous vocals, superb prod by Luther Dixon, and great songs. That these Black women broke through pre-Motown should never be forgotten. An immaculate pop record.
28. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Rust Never Sleeps (1979): These songs, good god. And splitting the album into acoustic and electric halves is so unexpectedly smart. Obv “Hey Hey, My My,” but also “Welfare Mothers” and “Thrasher” and “Powderfinger.” One of his best.
29. Clairo, Immunity (2019): If Billie Eilish had a much weaker/wispier voice & used basic instr instead of largely electronic production, she might sound a bit like Clairo. I can kinda see why teen girls might like her confessional bedroom pop – but I’m not that. 
30. Déjà, Serious (1987): This debut by 2 former members of Aurra (birthed by Steve Arrington!), prod by Monte Moir, is a bit pedestrian – just average-sounding ‘87 R&B. Not bad, just meh. “You and Me Tonight” is the only thing here that recaptures the Aurra magic. 
31. Alice Coltrane, Journey In Satchidananda (1971): Pharoah Sanders on sax, a trad jazz combo set-up, but then + oud, tanpura, bells, & harp, playing Coltrane’s own compositions and making a landmark in avant-garde (?) jazz. Truly mind-opening and -blowing music.

2020 singles

I’ll make the argument that 2020 wasn’t a great year for music; my rolling singles playlist in my iTunes barely, rarely got over 40 titles. That said, the good stuff was really good. I’m grateful to my colleagues at The Singles Jukebox for pointing out things to which I might not’ve otherwise been exposed (Owen Pallett, Allie X), and to the Adult R&B format for offering up so many great songs over the past year. Sure I’m an old school R&B fan who just turned 50, so I’m thus inclined, but even so it was a stellar year for the format. Megan Thee Stallion and Usher are the only artists to place multiple singles on my list, and to my ears they’re clearly the best singles artists of 2020: Megan in particular just killed with one record after another, all year long.

I wanted to wait a couple of weeks into the new year for late-breakers to settle on my lists; mid-January seems like the right time to finally finalize year-ends. Most of these are my blurbs from The Singles Jukebox, labeled with the dates they ran. (If a blurb is undated, we didn’t cover it at TSJ.)

1. “Savage (Remix),” Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé: Last month I said that the original version of “Savage” “commit[s] murder,” and then Beyoncé came on board? I don’t care who wrote her verses, because I love love love when Mrs. Carter raps — she has flow. That said, Megan has even more flow; she’s fast becoming a superstar (in part) because she deserves to be a superstar. The simple beat of “Savage” complements both Megan and Beyoncé’s lines just so, and in their hands this becomes an awesome tribute to H-Town (the city, not, well, H-Town). Savage indeed. (5/5/20)
2. “Midnight Sky,” Miley Cyrus: Hard Stevie Nicks-does-electro-disco vibes here, and I’m here for ’em. Say what you will about Cyrus, but a) she’s rarely if ever boring (and certainly isn’t here), and b) she sings her ass off (and certainly does so here). The minimalism of this track, along with the way Cyrus sells it, grabs me. I’m probably overrating it and don’t care. (9/8/20)
3. “WAP,” Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion: There are so many amazing lyrics in this song, you really need to read its Genius page. (My personal favorite line is Cardi referring to her uvula with “I want you to touch that lil’ dangly thing that swing in the back of my throat.”) I also love the annotation for the first chorus, which starts “Talking about her WAP is pretty commonplace for Cardi, so her making a song about it almost seemed inevitable,” before giving a series of examples: research! And beyond the lyrics, which are the epitome of the phrase “women on top,” the song’s groove is so minimalist and brilliant, my god. It’s basically just a bassline, a click track, and the absolute perfect sample, from Frank Ski and Al “T” McLaran‘s 1993 B’more classic “Whores in This House.” (Another brilliant touch: the horn that blares, just once, after Cardi’s “big Mack truck” line.) Cardi and Megan are such an ideally suited pair — I mean, I really didn’t expect Megan to have another single even more newsworthy than her “Savage” remix this year, did you? — whose vocals complement each other just so, just *chef’s kiss*.(8/25/20)
4. “Better Than I Imagined,” Robert Glasper feat. H.E.R. and Me’shell Ndegeocello: Glasper leads off Black Radio 3 (OMFG I can’t wait) with the sumptuous vocals of H.E.R. atop his anchoring, pensive piano — and as if that’s not good enough, then Ndegeocello stops by with a beautiful spoken-word “phone call” to a former lover. “I realized you’re the only number I know by heart” leaves me nearly bereft.
5. “Bad Habits,” Usher: Oh, Usher sounds so good when he’s being bad. “Bad Habits” is another entry in his catalog of “I can’t stop messin’ around but I love you” songs, and it’s superlative. From his silky vocal to the all-too-brief sample of Zapp’s “Computer Love” (the second single from male R&B stars this year to utilize it, after Ne-Yo and Jeremih’s “U 2 Luv”) to those perfectly tinny-sounding 808 accents, this has it all. And the way Usher sings it, you believe every word — or at least, I do. (11/20/20)

6. “Lie to Me,” Kem: Sumptuously smooth grown folks’ R&B about love & devotion that gets me right here (points at heart) — which is funny, since I’m quite happily single these days and have no interest in anything otherwise. But Kem does this so flawlessly, from the lyrics (apparently written to his now-wife shortly after they met), to the track (I especially love the horns spiced throughout), to especially those utterly distinctive vocals. When you hear a Kem song on Adult R&B radio, you know that it’s Kem instantly, which is I think part of his appeal. This comeback, his first new music in six years, was one of the few things that helped to make 2020 even remotely tolerable. (12/15/20)
7. “A Bloody Morning,” Owen Pallett: Built around a piano melody reminiscent of Sébastien Tellier’s “La Ritournelle,” with gorgeous orchestration (those strings, those horns) and a stunner of an opening couplet (“Started drinking on the job/And the job became easy”), this has a soaring, cinematic scope that builds and builds — until it stops. Pallett is definitely more a composer than a pop musician these days, and God bless them for it. This fills, and breaks, my heart like nothing has since I read Rebecca Makkai’s 2018 novel The Great Believers earlier this year, which makes perfect sense, as Pallett uses words more like a novelist than a songwriter. I am left, gratefully, devastated. (12/18/20)
8. “U 2 Luv,” Ne-Yo & Jeremih: Sampling “Juicy Fruit” and interpolating “Computer Love”? A pair of singers as solid as Ne-Yo and Jeremih on the track? Not to mention Ne-Yo returning, wholeheartedly, to the R&B sphere that raised him? (About time he moved away from EDM crap and garbage records with the likes of Pitbull.) This is pure Adult R&B catnip, which means it’s also pure catnip to me, specifically. One of the year’s catchiest and best. (7/22/20)
9. “Together,” for KING & COUNTRY feat. Kirk Franklin and Tori Kelly: Inspirational Covid-CCM, recorded and released shortly after U.S. lockdowns began, which actually inspires me. fK&C have a knack for soaring choruses full of uplift that somehow work, and adding the big-lunged Kelly and gospel superstar hypeman Franklin was a smart, smart move. This sends me above the clouds, and was just the kind of hope I needed in 2020. (Fun fact: this is the third year in a row fK&C have placed a single in my year-end top 10.)
10. “Damage,” H.E.R.: I’m sucked in right away by a sample from Herb Alpert’s “Making Love in the Rain,” a forgotten 1987 Quiet Storm classic from; that would be the case almost no matter whose song it was. The fact that we then hear the deep, rich voice of H.E.R. come in — yeah, this is a perfect combination. The vulnerability expressed in a lyric like “careful what you takе for granted/’cause with me know you could do damage” is so deep, so real that I can’t help but fall in love. H.E.R. has been making increasingly great R&B for the past couple of years, but this is a new peak. (1/12/21)

11. “The Ladies Who Lunch,” Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep & Audra McDonald: From one of the first major pandemic livestreams, late April’s Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration, came this marvelous take on Company‘s “Ladies Who Lunch” from two theatrical icons and Streep, who’s honestly no show-tune slouch herself. That said, Baranski kicks things off so perfectly, and any chance to hear McDonald sing Sondheim is pure magic. It’s even better if you watch.
12. “Intentions,” Big Boi & Sleepy Brown feat. Cee-Lo Green: A groove straight from Rick James’s “Cold Blooded” is one way to get me excited, and teaming Big Boi and Sleepy Brown back up is another. CeeLo Green, meanwhile, is the salty to Brown’s sweet — and as any fan of Food Network’s Chopped knows, a little bit of salt enhances the sugar every time. (1/21/20)
13. “Girls in the Hood,” Megan Thee Stallion: It’s about time that a woman flipped Eazy E’s misogynist classic/relic “Boyz-n-the-Hood” and turned it on its head, making it a feminist anthem. And it makes 100 per cent sense that the woman to do so — “a hot girl [doing] hot shit” indeed — would be Megan. She’s here to let us all know that she’s always in charge, like it or not, and “Girls” makes that crystal clear. Also, who had “Scott Storch comeback” on their 2020 bingo card? (7/13/20)
14. “Don’t Waste My Time,” Usher feat. Ella Mai: Reunited and it feels so damn good: not only does “Don’t Waste My Time” mark Usher Raymond IV’s return to straight-up R&B, but it’s co-written and produced by his former collaborators Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. It very smartly, slyly samples Hi-Five’s 1991 #1 “I Like the Way (The Kissing Game),” and even more smartly, features vocals from new R&B star Ella Mai, who matches Usher quite nicely. Her voice is so unique you immediately know who it is — just like Usher’s. Everything about this comes together so smoothly to make the first great single of 2020. (Here’s hoping this starts a commercial comeback for Usher, too.) (1/10/20)
15. “chinatown,” Bleachers feat. Bruce Springsteen: Jack Antonoff’s vocal here sounds unnervingly like the Jesus & Mary Chain’s Jim Reid, which makes it all the more jarring-slash-perfect when THE BOSS shows up to lay in some guest vox for this “Jersey girl” kinda song, which is the best thing Antonoff has ever released. (12/5/20)

16. “Susie Save Your Love,” Allie X feat. Mitski: A surprising record that gets more compelling as it progresses. “Susie Save Your Love” starts out sounding like fairly conventional indie-pop (albeit with charming lyrics about a woman in love with her ostensibly straight best friend), but then its chorus unveils some delightful synth-horns, backing vocals from Mitski low in the mix, and most interestingly, a skronking guitar (which is even louder and longer at the second chorus). And then some sparkling circa-1983 new-wave-turning-into-synthpop keyboards come in and stay through the song’s fade, adding something special. (12/23/20)
17. “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” Carly Pearce & Lee Brice: A remarkable song sung to an ex, cleverly done as a female/male duet and sung from both sides. The woman (Pearce) seems to sincerely sing “I hope you’re happy now” to the man (Brice), while he’s a mess and comes off as more bitter/sarcastic while singing the same line. The songwriting here is so sharp (Pearce co-wrote with Luke Combs (!) and two others), and Pearce and Brice’s voices harmonize beautifully — this is ace. (2/12/20)
18. “Borderline,” Brandy: This woozy, elegant low-tempo (it’s not a ballad) slow burner is one of the highlights of Brandy’s wonderful 2020 album B7, much better than a) I expected, and b) we deserve.
19. “Love Not Loving You,” Foxes: This is so “Shake Your Love 2020″ it’s nuts — with a soupçon of late ’80s New Order, too. There is absolutely nothing here not to like. (8/11/20)
20. “Need Your Love,” Tennis: Almost two songs in one, the first the piano-and-drum-led verses, the other a more ’70s chamber-pop kind of chorus, and not only are both great, they meld shockingly well. Alaina Moore’s voice has just the right menthol-cool notes to make it all work. But really, it comes down to the song construction here, which is astounding. (2/10/20)

#MWE December 2020: 1970 special

I turned 50 this month, so to celebrate I did a month’s worth of albums which were on a Billboard chart the week I was born (issue date December 5, 1970). This was a remarkable amount of fun. (As with September, as this is a themed month, there’s no “theme week.”) (And there’s no Prince-related albums, for obvious reasons.) A number of albums really surprised me, from Jesus Christ Superstar (an album prior to being a stage show) to Deep Purple in Rock (very, very heavy) and Liza’s Muscle Shoals (I kid you not) record. But the biggest and best shock might’ve been the album that topped the chart on the actual day of my birth, Abraxas – good lord, when they were at their peak, Carlos’s band was kinda transcendent. No real Musts to Avoid, but Gene Chandler’s and the Dead’s albums were my least favorite of the month.

1. Jimi Hendrix, Band of Gypsys (1970): It’s said by some that this live recording is essentially the birth of funk-rock, but to my ears it might be the most 4-on-the-floor thing released during his lifetime. It’s good, but apart from “Who Knows” doesn’t swing the way I wish.
2. Dionne Warwick, I’ll Never Fall in Love Again (1970): 7 impeccable Bacharach/David songs, 3 covers, and of course the arr/prod/orch are just as impeccable as the songs – to say nothing of Warwick’s vocals, which quietly devastate. Some srsly swoon-worthy music.  
3. The Delfonics (1970): Stunning vocals – Wm. Hart’s falsetto! – paired with killer tunes (Hart co-/wrote 9/10, 7 w/Philly god Thom Bell) and note-perfect production (from Bell) and arrangements. There’s not a single negative I can say about this LP, as good as ‘70 soul gets.
4. Santana, Abraxas (1970): My birth day’s #1 LP is a smokin’ blend of Latin rhythms, jazz, & rock. At their best, Santana aren’t about spotlighting their leader, but are a band working in perfect concert. Instrumentals are highlights (“Incident,” “Se a Cabo,” “Samba Pa Ti”).
5. Tammy Wynette, The First Lady (1970): Wynette’s voice, in her prime, was as sad as a crying steel guitar, and even more expressive. This LP, her 8th, was definitely in her prime. Most of these songs address familial concerns (as a mother, or wife), & she kills ‘em all.
6. Clarence Carter, Patches (1970): This sounds more Stax-y than bluesy to my ears. What hamstrings much of it is overproduction, especially backing vocals (cf. “Let It Be,” a song no one needs to cover anyway) and sometimes-hokey horns. Title track and “Willie” stand out.
7. Led Zeppelin III (1970): Goddamn, what a foursome. One of the greatest rock bands in history was starting to really expand their sound here, playing around with acoustic & folk music, yet still rocking. Jimmy Page in the prod chair is key, but all 4 were so in sync.
8. New Christy Minstrels, You Need Someone to Love (1970): By the start of the ‘70s, the folk choristers had become chiefly an EZ pop cover crew (Beatles, Bacharach), albeit one that made some occasionally surprising song choices (Dylan’s “Wigwam”!). Lightweight but fun.
9. Esther Phillips, Burnin’ (1970): Her voice incredibly strong & w/a distinctive quaver similar to Dinah Washington’s and Billie Holiday’s, Phillips should’ve been a much bigger star. This live record is a marvelous mix of soul and jazz, w/Phillips in total control.
10. Funkadelic, Free Your Mind… (1970): I knew that Funkadelic were Geo. Clinton’s more “rock” band, but I didn’t realize this was full-on acid rock! “Some More” is Booker T-via-Mountain, but the rest is mostly real drugged-out hard rock, & mostly entertaining. 
11. Bread, On the Waters (1970): “Make It with You” made them stars, but it’s not indicative of this album, which is an incredibly sturdy ‘70 LA rock-pop album – and yes, the “rock” is in front. David Gates’s voice is lovely, and these songs are strong. Minimize them at your peril. 
12. Deep Purple in Rock (1970): Impressively, incredibly hard ‘n heavy, this is clearly one of the building blocks of heavy metal. I never expected to respond to a Purple LP, but this is something else. When a band sounds as in sync as they do here, it’s undeniable. Ferocious.
13. Jesus Christ Superstar (1970): Webber/Rice’s retelling of Christ’s final week (an LP prior to hitting the stage) is quite an achievement, as significant as Rent or Hamilton. With the likes of Ian Gillian and Murray Head taking leads, this succeeds as rock *and* musical.
14. Charles Earland, Black Talk! (1970): Decent jazz quintet record led by Earland’s organ, but the pair of pop covers (“Aquarius” and an 11-minute-plus “More Today Than Yesterday”) unfortunately take things into “And at the Wurlitzer organ!”-slash-skating rink territory. 
15. Liza Minnelli, New Feelin’ (1970): You really need to hear this one. Liza sings classics from the ‘10s-’40s with a rock band, rec’d at – kid you not – Muscle Shoals. “Stormy Weather” goes Van Morrison, while “Easy Rider” sounds like Delaney & Bonnie. Kinda great.
16. Four Tops, Still Waters Run Deep (1970): Levi Stubbs may be at his best on this surprisingly contemplative LP, feat. the stunning Smokey-penned “Still Water.” This points them into the ‘70s, as they cover Nilsson (!) along with HDH and a touching “Elusive Butterfly.”
17. Porter Wagoner, Skid Row Joe – Down in the Alley (1970): Quite the hard country concept album, 10 songs/25 min on the horrors of alcoholism (which, to hear Wagoner, results in homelessness). 3 of these were written by his duo partner Dolly; all 10 are superb. 
18. Leontyne Price, Prima Donna/Vol. 3 (1970): Arias done by one of the greatest sopranos of all time (w/the LSO), and it’s classical singing par excellence. I can’t understand a word (French, German, Italian), but I know beauty when I hear it, and this. is. utterly. breathtaking.
19. Carpenters, Close to You (1970): Plenty of reasons why this is a successful LP, starting esp w/Richard Carpenter’s incredible arrangements. Karen’s sad, honeyed voice is of course a knockout, and Jack Daugherty’s prod lends itself to v strong straightfwd pop.
20. The Mystic Moods Orchestra, English Muffins (1970): A weird one: MMO did EZ string-heavy covers of pop hits & then made them enviro records, adding in sound f/x, samples, etc. This one’s all UK artists (Beatles, Bee Gees); some sounds (rain, trains) are v off-putting.
21. The Last Poets (1970): The homophobia & misogyny here is really hard to get past, but the bulk of this spoken-word poetry (w/percussive accompaniment) is nonetheless powerful. Glad I heard this, but won’t ever listen again, thanks to “Gashman” and their use of “faggot.”
22. Nancy Wilson, Now I’m A Woman (1970): The first LP this jazz icon cut w/Gamble & Huff takes her in a more R&B direction, to great results. 4 covers (Beatles, Bread, Carpenters, S&G) mix w/6 originals (all sensational), and magic is made. “Joe” may break your heart.
23. Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass, Down Homers (1970): The Herb Alpert of Nashville made corny-pone records, turning country standards into the cheesiest easy listening. Horns atop banjos and steel guitars, occasionally with cooing backing voices added? Not so good.
    23b. Jr. Walker & the All Stars, A Gasssss (1970): The saxman was singing a lot by their 7th studio LP, but that doesn’t really hurt matters. On both originals & covers, this is a well-oiled, funky soul band; I could do w/o the strings, but that’s a minor quibble.
24. Anne Murray, Snowbird (1970): Her 1st US LP was a comp from 2 Canuck LPs, covers of songs from the likes of Dylan (ok), James Taylor (pretty good), the Youngbloods (no, but that’s the song’s fault), and, uh, “Put Your Hand in the Hand.” Country-pop, smooth to a fault.
25. The Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970): I’m not a huge J5 fan – kid singers tend to get on my nerves – but this is a really lovely Christmas record. Mostly standards + 2 new songs and Stevie’s “Someday.” The new arr of “Up on the Housetop” is a joy, + of course “Santa.”
26. Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead (1970): Went into this w/open ears, but 1) Garcia’s singing voice grates, high & reedy, and 2) “Uncle John’s Band” makes me want to punch people. So much of this is bad-hippie-stereotype bullshit. That said, “Cumberland Blues” kinda cooks.
27. Shirley Bassey Is Really “Something” (1970): The huge-lunged Welsh singer puts her pipes to a selection of mostly current pop covers, done Adult Contempo-style (think orchestra), from “Something” (yawn) to “Easy to Be Hard” (solid) and “Light My Fire” (brassy & fun). 
28. Diana Ross, Everything Is Everything (1970): On her 2nd solo LP, just-okay originals mix w/ ill-advised covers – 2 Beatles (incl. a 6:40 “Come Together,” really?), Carpenters, and a middling take on Aretha’s “Call Me.” She flounders; her producers offer her no focus.
29. Waylon Jennings, Singer of Sad Songs (1970): This impeccable LP feels like the roots of Americana: country songs, yes, but also “Honky Tonk Woman [sic]” and “If I Were A Carpenter” – & the sound isn’t Nashville ‘70, but Waylon-becoming-an-Outlaw. Prod by Lee Hazelwood!
30. Delaney & Bonnie, To Bonnie From Delaney (1970): I don’t know why it is that the early ‘70s were such a (perhaps the) golden moment for white soul, but no one exemplifies it better than D&B, a pair of Mississippians who sang and played the lights out. This boogies hard. 
31. The Gene Chandler Situation (1970): A Vegas-y, old-school (i.e. early ‘60s) R&B record; from the cheesy exhortations of “Simply Call It Love” to the overproduced ballad “Am I Blue” and the horn charts all over, this was seemingly made to be performed at the Tropicana. 

#MWE November 2020

Theme week: eponymous Yacht Rock albums (9/15), with a few more YR records sprinkled throughout the month. Prince-related: Chaka (I’m running out). Pick Hits: Pantayo, Sinatra, Raitt, Scaggs, Romeo Void. Must to Avoid: Dolly Parton’s Christmas album, sad to say.

1. Stephanie Mills, What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin’ (1979): 6/8 songs have Mtume/Lucas credit, which helps her breakthrough LP sound v consistent. “Put Your Body In It” is a disco stomp; her cover of Peabo Bryson’s “Feel the Fire” is immaculate. And THAT PERFECT VOICE, God.
2. Dia de los Muertos, Satanico-Dramatico (2011): If you like thrash/death metal with lots of “woooaaaar” vocals, you could do plenty worse then this LA quartet. I dig that they do bilingual songs, & that a number of these feat. vocals from a woman, Loana dP Valencia. 
3. Oscar Brand, Election Songs of the United States (1960): The folk icon does 150 yrs’ worth of electoral songs, many sung to other popular tunes, with just banjo & guitar accompaniment. Not exactly pop music, but quite a history lesson; Irwin Silber’s liners are a must.
4. Pantayo (2020): One of the yr’s freshest LPs comes from a queer Filipino-Canadian quintet of women marrying kulintang (trad SE Asian gong-chime music) with bilingual, punky takes on contempo pop/R&B. You’ve never heard anything quite like this astounding, necessary record.
5. Tanya Tucker, TNT (1978): Not country but country-adjacent: I hear touches of Marshall Tucker Band and Bonnie Raitt, while she rocks out covers of Buddy Holly (v. LA ‘78)and Little Richard. The country here is in her saloon-hall vocal stylings, which are rich and full.
6. Sam Cooke at the Copa (1964): The consummate soul singer jazzes it up on the likes of “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” and mixes his own hits up with “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “If I Had A Hammer” on this live date. He was so, stunningly flexible: just wow.
7. Samantha Fox, I Wanna Have Some Fun (1988): It sure opens fun, with a quartet of acid house and freestyle tracks (one co-prod by Kevin Saunderson!), before falling into run-of-the-mill pop/rock, either made by SAW or sounding like it. And she’s no singer, but you knew that.
8. U.S. Apple Corps (1970): 6 slabs of the rockingest “Jesus Rock” imaginable, at the very start of the movement: hard-verging-on-acid rock (think Ten Years After), w/heavily gospel/Xian lyrics (“Peace in the Valley,” “Swing Low,” “Ride on King Jesus”). Pretty great.
9. Airplay (1980): On his sole LP with buddy Jay Graydon, David Foster mostly puts the “rock” in Yacht Rock: check the opening punch of “Stranded” and “Cryin’ All Night.” “Nothin’ You Can Do About It,” meanwhile is the perfect YR song, & most of the ballads are good, too.
10. Pages (1981): Before ascending on “Broken Wings,” ½ of the future Mr. Mister were a solid Yacht Rock duo. On their 3rd/final LP, they show how good they could be (“You Need A Hero,” “O.C.O.E.,” “Sesatia”) and why they flopped (“Automatic,” limp closer “Midnight Angel”).
11. Nielsen/Pearson (1980): Reed Nielsen & Mark Pearson co-wrote all 9 songs, & trade off lead vocals, on their smooth soph album, a lesser-known Yacht Rock classic. It all hits squarely in 1980’s smooth-yet-upbeat pocket (barring one ballad), & Idk why this wasn’t a hit.
12. Amy Holland (1980): Michael McDonald produced this debut by his future wife, so it’s got a very late-period Doobies vibe. More soft rock than Yacht, though “How Do I Survive” is def primo YR. Her voice is solid, songs are generally good, & MM backs up 4 tracks. 
13. John O’Banion (1981): “If You Love Me” swings, and leadoff single “Love You Like I Never Loved Before” smacks you in the face with ebullient pop/rock, but much of the rest of this Nyacht soft rock debut is average or below, like Kenny Loggins w/o any personality.
14. Bill LaBounty (1982): He’s had a great career as a songwriter (mostly country), so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the songs here are impeccable (“Slow Fade,” OMG). Most concern the end of an LTR, and most are lacerating. And the music is expert Yacht Rock: perfect.
15. Maxus (1981): They give me heavy Toto vibes on their debut, especially at their more rocking (check opener “The Higher You Rise”), are a tight band, & have chops (many were LA session guys), but some of these songs let them down. The funky “Your Imagination” rules, though.
16. Brenda Russell, Love Life (1981): Almost a decade before her late ‘80s commercial breakthrough, Russell was a journeywoman songwriter/sesh singer making Yacht Soul on the side. This one’s a little ballad-heavy but still feat. yachty jams like “Thank You” and “Lucky.”
17. Frank Sinatra, Watertown (1970): The most pop-rock LP in Sinatra’s catalog, co-written/prod by Bob Gaudio, is this incredible song cycle about a broken man after his wife/kids have left. His singing is magnificent (every syllable of pain/grief is evident), songs hit hard.
18. Al Jarreau, Jarreau (1983): No jazz/R&B singer was yachtier – he worked with just about every major name in Yacht Rock (Jay Graydon produced his best records) – and none of his albums were yachtier than this one. “Mornin’,” “Trouble,” “I Will Be Here” – it all works.
19. Jhene Aiko, Chilombo (2020): I love Aiko’s voice, and love the vibe of this LP, helped by its analog feel and her use of trad singing bowls in its Hawai’i recording. Too many sex songs, but she makes fine use of guests (Miguel, H.E.R., Ty). Great as background.
20. Nena, 99 Luftballons (1984): The iconic Neue Deutsche Welle band compiled songs from their 1st 2 LPs for their int’l debut (½ English/½ German). As you might expect, this is chunky, rocky new wave. As you might not, it’s pretty solid; singer Nena has personality to spare.
21. Thin Lizzy, Jailbreak (1976): No surprises in the tough, taut hard rock of the title track and “Boys are Back” (what killer side-openers!) – no, the surprises are things like “Fight or Fall,” an introspective, almost mellow number from Phil Lynott. What songwriting.
22. Bonnie Raitt, Home Plate (1975): She’s almost always had albums’ worth of great songs, this included. She’s sometimes had great producers who get who she is, and Paul Rothchild is def one (mid-’70s El Lay prod has never sounded so good). And she’s never sung badly. 
23. Boz Scaggs, Down Two Then Left (1977): Painstakingly arr, prod, played: you know, following up Silk Degrees, that it sounds good. (“We’re Waiting” is v Steely Dan.) But Scaggs is also singing gorgeously (has he ever not?), and these songs are great. An underrated gem.
24. Chaka Khan, Come 2 My House (1998): Finally, a post-’80s Prince-touched LP that’s kinda solid. Khan & Prince co-wrote/-prod almost every song here, and while not a great album, it’s an okay one. “This Crazy Life” yes (lovely ballad), “Pop My Clutch” no (embarrassing). 
25. Dolly Parton, A Holly Dolly Christmas (2020): The musical equivalent of coal in your stocking. M. Bublé sounds disturbingly horny on “Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas” (WTH does “cozy down” mean anyway?), J. Fallon is a waste of space, & most of the originals are v subpar.
26. William DeVaughn, Be Thankful for What You Got (1974): This debut album, made w/help from MFSB in Philly, is some gorgeously warm soul from that early-becoming-mid-’70s moment. His voice, the players, the songs, the prod: all of it interlocks perfectly. A real sleeper.
27. Romeo Void, Instincts (1984): An astounding document of late-era US new wave, this has it all: down-tuned guitars, sinister sax, crack rhythm section, & especially the unique vocals of Deborah Iyall. Given a little more label TLC, they could’ve blossomed into stars.
28. Lil’ Kim, 9 (2019): She barely sounds like herself on her 5th LP (sadly appropriate, since her plastic surgery means she’s barely recognizable) thanks to heavy doses of Auto-tune. Additionally, the prod is garbage, & most of these songs have precious little to say. 
29. Sleater Kinney, Dig Me Out (1997): My problem with this is the arpeggiated-yelling singing style I associate w/Jello Biafra; where it appears, it’s an immediate turn-off. The songs are pretty solid, v tuneful, & S-K are an incredibly tight band, but that singing? Uh-uh.
30. Syreeta (1972): This mix of songs penned mostly by Syreeta Wright and her then-husband Stevie Wonder is mostly great – I love the 1st 3/last 3, could do w/o the Smokey and Beatles covers in the middle – & his production is as superb as you’d expect in ‘72. And her voice!

#MWE October 2020

Theme week (12-18): Billboard #1 albums (Pick Hits are ’81 AC/DC, ’75 Elton, and ’58 Van Cliburn). Prince-related: Graham Central Station (from ’98, no thank you), Sheena Easton (from ’88, better than you might anticipate), Dez Dickerson (bad), and the NPG (vile) – sometimes, the fruit does fall far from the tree. The month’s highlights? War and Slave (primo R&B separated by a decade), unfairly forgotten Black country singer Linda Martell, Carly Simon’s first #1, the Judds’s debut, and Polaris winner Backxwash.

Also, you may or may not realize that I’ve been specifically doing one religious album each month, which has ended up being on the Sunday before each month’s “theme week” – for October, I listened to the debut by The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, and it’s quite the listen; I highly recommend tracking it down, especially if you’re inclined at all towards music of the Dead Can Dance variety.

1. Brandy, B7 (2020): A huge influence on past 15 yrs of R&B, she’s never received the respect/crit love she deserves – this co-prod LP should help rectify that. “Unconditional Oceans” and “Lucid Dreams” are = of Frank Ocean, “Borderline” is so graceful. Top tier R&B.
2. Graham Central Station, GCS2000 (1998): Never been fan of Sly/Family Stone, always thought GCS were 2nd-/3rd-tier funk, loathe Larry solo – plus he got Prince to go JW, which ultimately hurt his music. This watered-down, meandering funk will change no minds, esp. mine.
3. War, All Day Music (1971): Once they got rid of Eric Burdon (ugh), they got really good, really fast. War could lock into a groove like the best funk bands and ride it, seemingly, forever. They do just that here, on the likes of the title track and “Slippin’ into Darkness.”
4. Slave, Show Time (1981): Slave did a different kind of funk, perfect as the ‘80s began, ebullient and upbeat. Credit leader/singer Steve Arrington – and prod Jimmy Douglass, who makes these songs sing. The essence of post-disco R&B excellence; there’s not a weak track.
5. Bikini Kill, Pussy Whipped (1993): My problem with riot grrl is the same I have with hardcore or death metal: much of it’s too cacophonous, I can’t make anything out. I also hate the way this is mixed, w/the vocals too deep in the muddy-ish mix. Appreciate but don’t enjoy.
6. David Bowie, Young Americans (1975): New Romantic starts here: I mean, neither Duran nor Spandau likely exist in the same way without this landmark album. And apart from the unnecessary Beatles cover, this is superb work. “Fascination,” “Somebody,” the title track, my God.
7. Rachelle Farrell (1992): She’s even more of a jazz singer than Anita Baker; that’s the direction in which her debut goes, but the jazz suits her better than R&B. Will Downing duet “Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This” smolders brilliantly; the whole LP is solid-to-great.
8. Sheena Easton, The Lover in Me (1988): It’s fascinating hearing Easton make a (then-)contempo R&B LP, & it’s surprisingly good. LA/Babyface handle half the tracks (thumbs up), A. Winbush (great) and Prince (subpar) a pair each, & Jellybean Benitez the only real clunker.
9. Living Colour, Time’s Up (1990): Opens w/a prog-thrash song, but fortunately moves fwd from there, mostly w/their by-then-already-kinda-patented hard, melodic rock. “Elvis Is Dead” feat a memorable Little Richard cameo and a great “Graceland” flip, remainder is fine.
10. This Is Sparky D’s World (1987): It makes me sad that Sparky’s basically a hip hop footnote known for her role in the “Roxanne Wars” – her debut LP, released 2 yrs later, shows she had skills. With able backing & tough scratches from DJ K Wiz, she spits hard & relentlessly.
11. The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, The Gift of Tears (1987): Religious, but in an Eastern European, 17th c. way: drone, choral chant, ambient touches, folk touches. Think Dead Can Dance but less new age-y and more high gothic. Fascinating and compelling.
12. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born (Soundtrack) (2018): Bradley Cooper is not a good singer, period, & his songs here are mostly Americana/rock bullshit. Lady Gaga, of course, is a good singer – but this cred move is a snooze & a half. (I haven’t seen the film.) 
    12b. Barbra Streisand & Kris Kristofferson, A Star Is Born (Soundtrack) (1976): See, now these 2 can sing – but opener “Watch Closely Now” is absurd, Kris-does-Neil Diamond, and the whole thing is very “showbiz.” “Evergreen,” however, is eternal. (Haven’t seen this, either.)
13. Supremes ‘A Go-Go (1966): The first LP by Black women to ever top the LP chart is a solid Supremes effort, the two classics you recall (“Hurry Love” and “Itching”) plus 10 covers. Some work better than others, but none are bad – credit the Motown machine and the HDH pens.
14. AC/DC, For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981): Sure, it topped the chart on the back of Back in Black, but the thing is, it’s a great LP in its own right, rocking awfully hard (some credit to prod. “Mutt” Lange). And their sex songs are pretty (ridiculously) great.
15. Debbie Gibson, Electric Youth (1989): She wrote every song on this #1 LP while still a teen – impressive. Just wish the songs were better, & produced more interestingly. The ballads tend towards gloppy, & most of the uptempo material is fairly generic, save the title track.
16. Ashanti, Chapter II (2003): Chink Santana (prod, ugh) and Irv Gotti (boss, ugh) enjoy boasting of their greatness on Ashanti’s 2nd. She’s an okay vocalist, light/breezy (could’ve been the 4th member of DC), singing okay R&B & a Fatback cover. “Rain on Me” kills tho.
17. Elton John, Rock of the Westies (1975): Easy to forget now, but on the 2nd LP ever to debut #1 (he had the 1st, too), John was still a rocker: check “Grow Some Funk,” “Yell Help,” “Hard Luck Story.” Yet he still had a flair for pop and tough balladry, too. What a star. 
18. Van Cliburn, Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 (1958): A 23-y/o Texan classical pianist with a #1 LP of Tchaikovsky? In the ‘50s, these things happened. No complaints here, though: this is stunning playing, nimble & triumphant, w/perfect conducting from Kirill Kondrashin.
19. N.P.G., Gold Nigga (1993): Prince never, ever got rap – & that extended to him hiring Tony M as his “house rapper.” Unfortunately, this LP puts Tony M square in the spotlight. The NPG plays solid-enough live funk, but Tony’s lyrics and delivery are both totally terrible.
20. The Judds, Why Not Me (1984): Those voices, good god – obv. Wynonna, but don’t front on her mother Naomi – she could sing too. Their best work, no surprise, was done when they had a batch of great songs to sing, & guess what? Their debut LP has ‘em in spades.
21. Backxwash, God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It (2020): Horrorcore returns – incl. pitch-shifted religious refs, Zep & Sabbath samples, & a dark, menacing vibe. Coming from a Zambian-Canadian transwoman makes this Polaris winner all the more powerful.
22. Bongwater, Double Bummer (1988): Sheer art-damaged art-rock insanity. Ann Magnuson’s streams of consciousness collide w/Kramer’s instrumental psych-outs & truly bizarre cover versions &… did I mention it’s a double LP? Like Beefhart and Zappa in a blender/on a bender.
23. Eddie Murphy, How Could It Be (1985): The dictionary definition of “vanity project.” He can’t sing, he can’t really write, and he can’t even do much with contributions from Stevie Wonder and Rick James. Obv “Party All the Time” rules, but credit James & cocaine for that.
24. Carly Simon, No Secrets (1972): These postcards from the early ‘70s domestic American suburbs are like beautiful short stories set to music. The marriage of Simon’s lyrics & vocals w/prod Richard Perry is brilliant; his pop sensibilities fit these songs perfectly.
25. Annie Lennox, A Christmas Cornucopia (2010): aka An Olde Tyme Christmasse, with ridiculously heavy-handed production and Lennox (mostly) singing as bigly as she can. And there are lutes. Oh yes, there are lutes.
26. Dez Dickerson, A Retrospective: 1982-1987 (2005): Oh, Dez, you really should’ve stayed in the Revolution. Sure, you can play guitar alright, but you’re no singer, & even less of a songwriter. This collection of your solo work is just embarrassing – even the prod is bad.
27. Janet Jackson, Dream Street (1984): Her soph LP has 2 by big bro Marlon, 2 by Jesse Johnson (!), and 5 from Pete Bellotte & Giorgio Moroder (!!) – one of which is an icky duet with Cliff Richard (!!!). No ballads, lots of clattering production, nothing distinguishing.
28. Wes Montgomery, Back on Indiana Avenue: The Carroll DeCamp Recordings (2019): Who cares about the occasionally dodgy sound quality? His tone is so superb (& supreme), his backing musicians so on point, the music all so lyrical: this is jazz guitar as good as it gets.
29. Robyn, Body Talk (2010): If Madonna had been remade by James Murphy ca. mid/late ‘00s, you might get this. Hipsters love her for some reason: irony? The problem is that there’s too little humanity in these songs; she takes the whole “fembot” thing too far, too cold. 
30. Linda Martell, Color Me Country (1970): It’s a damn shame that the stress of racism largely pushed Martell out of music, because her sole LP is a great one. Well-penned songs, sensitive prod, and most of all, her rich vocals make for a superb country album. Star potential.
31. Alice Cooper, Billion Dollar Babies (1973): Sharp, sharp hard rock from a band who knew exactly what they were doing & were at the peak of their powers (& their Imperial Phase). “Generation Landslide” is almost country rock (!) w/lacerating lyrics. It’s all smart – & kills.

#MWE September 2020: cover albums special

I thought this would be a fun idea, and it was: a month of nothing but cover albums. If an album includes 9 covers and 1 original, it was disqualified from consideration. There are no albums Prince played on this month, but there is Dump’s entire album of Prince songs. And in case it’s not obvious, since the entire month had a theme, I didn’t do a special “theme week.”

Pick hits: Angelique Kidjo doing Remain in Light front-to-back both George Benson and Booker T & the MG’s taking on Abbey Road in different ways, Macy Gray’s Talking Book and Pussy Galore’s Exile on Main Street – so, basically, all the album-length covers. Must to avoid: Patti Smith’s bloodless Twelve.

1. Laura Nyro with LaBelle, Gonna Take A Miracle (1971): Soulful white singer backed by an uber-soulful Black female trio, covering classic soul and prod by Gamble/Huff – this really can’t miss, and it doesn’t. Title track & “Monkey”/”Dancing” medley highlights.
2. Boyz II Men, Throwback (2004): Can an album be both interesting & boring? Songs too long (all but 2 are >4:00), selection has both curveballs (One Way, Dazz Band) & expected (TP, MJ), they need a strong prod – this ultimately turns into Adult R&B mush. But worth 1 listen.
3. Angelique Kidjo, Remain in Light (2018): Blindingly brilliant – this is how you cover an album. To hear Benin superstar Kidjo rework the Talking Heads landmark (itself infused w/African music) through her own lens, w/lots of African percussion & even new lyrics, is revelatory.
4. Peggy Sue Play the Songs of Scorpio Rising (2012): Brit female duo evoke a v D. Lynch/JAMC aesthetic, brushed snares & ‘50s guitars, so it’s fitting they re-did the early rock/doo-wop songs from Kenneth Anger’s ‘63 film. From “Heat Wave” to “Blue Velvet,” it all works.
5. Kenny Rogers and Dottie West, Classics (1979): Weirdly, ½ the songs these country icons cover on their 2nd duets LP aren’t country at all (B. Joel, Sonny/Cher, Righteous Bros). But they pretty much pull off all of ‘em, with AC/country arr. complementing their lovely vocals.
6. B.B. King, Let the Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan (1999): The soul King infuses into these certified classics (Jordan is a God) is undeniable. A couple songs in, it just sounds like a great late-period King LP – which it is. Smooth & rich like great bourbon.
7. Patti Smith, Twelve (2007): Oh, Patti. Most of these song choices are absurdly expected and dull (“White Rabbit,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Teen Spirit”), and her takes on them are staid and respectful to every fault. Probably the most boring record she’s ever made.
8. Vanessa Williams, Everlasting Love (2005): These takes on ‘70s soul classics are legit compelling, because Williams unexpectedly does most of them kinda coffeehouse soul, coolly undersinging instead of belting (as she could). Least successful, the string-laden blowouts.
9. Los Tigres Del Norte, Raices (2008): Classic Mexican songs done strictly norteño by the genre’s arguable kings: this never sounds like anyone but Los Tigres, & never sounds anything less than great. The love & respect they feel is obvious, but they still make this their own.
10. Tori Amos, Strange Little Girls (2001): Re-interpreting songs about women orig written/sung by men? Incredibly on-brand for Amos, and: wow. She makes fascinating song, and arr/prod, choices here. Her take on one of Eminem’s most misogynistic is a real stunner. + Slayer!
11. Bettye LaVette, Blackbirds (2020): LaVette gives me a real Denise LaSalle vibe here, like classic early ‘70s blues-times-soul, kinda Stax-y at times. It’s all very good. But it also bores me to tears; this is a piece of art that I respect but just don’t connect with. 
12. Metallica, The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited (1987): I’m admittedly not a big Metallica fan, but if I’m gonna listen to ‘em, this is the Metallica I want: heavy, thrashy, and undeniably metal. Covering NWOBHM and punk (and Killing Joke!) is the right move.
13. Kevin Max, Serve Somebody (2017): The former DC Talk-er does a mix of ostensibly secular & Christian songs here, but even the secular ones are spiritual (“Kyrie,” U2’s “Pride”). The Xian ones (Rich Mullins, Larry Norman (which he rearranges like T. Rex!), Dylan) really kill.
14. Odetta Sings Dylan (1965): This album of Dylan covers (from one of his influences, no less) is quality of course – Odetta is one of the Queens of folk – but is also a bit dull. Acoustic folk gets old for me after a while, and she sounds so serious throughout. Where’s the fun?
15. Dump, That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice? (2001): Yo La Tengo’s bassist doing Prince covers? Some, like “1999” and “Raspberry Beret,” are a little too indie for their own good, but then on “Erotic City” or “A Love Bizarre” he gets really, greatly weird. 
16. Isley Brothers, Givin’ It Back (1971): Putting their own spin on a batch of mostly folky tunes by mostly white artists (save a B. Withers track), the Isleys can’t help but make the likes of “Fire & Rain,” “Lay Lady Lay,” and even CSNY incr. soulful – cuz that’s what they do.
17. Reba McEntire, Starting Over (1995): Even singing songs made famous by others, Reba can’t help but make a Reba album; that voice, so utterly distinctive, makes every song hers, from “By the Time/Phoenix” (done more ballad-y) to “On My Own” (w/Linda Davis, Martina, Trisha).
18. Cher, Dancing Queen (2018): The world’s most expensive karaoke record, but yet it sounds astoundingly cheap. 20 years on from “Believe,” the Auto-tune tricks sound tired and unnecessary – c’mon, we know she can sing! – and these are the most straightfwd, boring covers.
19. The Dells Sing Dionne Warwicke’s Greatest Hits (1972): Chicago soul meets Bachrach/David, and the results are superb. Yes, the Dells sing the hell outta these songs, but the real star is prod/arr Charles Stepney, who completely transforms many of these new standards.
20. Joan Jett, The Hit List (1990): Some of these covers, a frankly unexceptional selection, work (“Tush,” “Pretty Vacant”) – I mean, Jett knows her way around covers, heaven knows – but some are fairly lifeless (“Time Has Come Today,” “Dirty Deeds”). And “Roadrunner”? No, Joan.
21. New Edition, Under the Blue Moon (1986): Their only album as a quartet (post-Brown, pre-Gill) is all doo-wop covers. The contempo prod (Freddie Perren!) is a poor fit: “Duke of Earl” & “Blue Moon” should not have drum machines, & the keys sound chintzy across the board. 
22. Macy Gray, Talking Book (2012): Gray sounds totally free on this front-to-back cover of Wonder’s 1st truly great LP. Rearrangements abound (“Superstition” slow burns), & acid jazz mixes w/‘70s soul to make a record out of time, to its profound benefit. A revelation.
23. Pussy Galore, Exile on Main St. (1986): On their first cassette (!), PG spray their feedback and vomit all over the Stones classic, which makes perfect sense as they were kind of a cross between them and, say, Einsturzende. This punk-as-fuck mess truly gets my rocks off.
24. Queen Latifah, The Dana Owens Album (2004): Jazz & soul songs from 1928-76 – interesting batch at that (Dinah Washington to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, plus an August Darnell composition) – given a strong, jazzy vocal treatment by Latifah. Refreshing, different side of her.
25. Bing Crosby, Merry Christmas (1945): This album was actually a collection of 5 78s, & was the 1st Xmas album to top the nascent chart. 4/10 are hymns, which Crosby’s stentorian voice fits nicely – “Danny Boy” and “Home for Christmas” (sung for overseas troops), too. 
26. George Benson, The Other Side of Abbey Road (1970): One way to get me to listen to the Beatles: put one of their biggest albums in the hands of a jazz guitar master, w/incredible album personnel to boot (Hancock, Carter, Muhammad, Hubbard). Smooth & so soulful.
    26b. Booker T. & the M.G.’s, McLemore Avenue (1970): The greasier version of Abbey Road, done by a southern funk combo who always knew exactly what they were doing, esp. @ the turn of the decade. Like Benson, they expand the songs and take them in some new directions.
27. UB40, Labour of Love (1983): Avoid the Neil Diamond cover (vile) and what you get is a pretty solid collection of popped-up lovers rock, reggae for the masses – and what’s wrong with that? (The series, however, was very much diminishing returns.)
28. Holly Cole, Temptation (1995): Selections from Tom Waits’ catalog get the Norah Jones-slash-Diana Krall treatment, and all I have to zzzzzzzzzzz
29. Xiu Xiu, Plays the Music of Twin Peaks (2016): Call it uneasy listening, as Xiu Xiu gets messy with the music of Angelo Badalamenti, cranking up both the textures (some surprising squalling guitar on “Blue Frank/Pink Room”) and the ambient-ness. It’s all v “spooky.”
30. Pauline Henry, Do Over (1996): The big-lunged former Chimes singer sinks her voice into an invigorating array of mostly ‘80s R&B songs, from “Save the Overtime for Me” and “When Love Calls” to selections by Mel’isa Morgan and Surface, and the fit is a fine one.
31. Weezer (The Teal Album) (2019): WHY does this album exist? It sounds like a would-be bar band attempting to prove that they can a) play their instruments & b) read music. Weezer do nothing with these songs, all well-known, playing them straight. Impressively pointless.

#MWE August 2020

Theme week (10-16): bands with names ending in “a.” Just because. Prince-related: Eric Leeds (sensational), George Clinton, Carmen Electra (ugh), Monie Love. Finds: Moor Mother (holy shit), Big Joanie, ABBA’s Arrival, Freddy Fender.

1. Eric Leeds, Times Squared (1991): Blown away by how much I love this album. There’s jazz, fusion, funk, and it all holds together well & sounds so good. Leeds’s skills on sax and flute are w/o question, and he gets great backup from Prince, Sheila E., and Atlanta Bliss.
2. Moor Mother, Analog Fluids of Sonic Holes (2019): Truly avant-garde, like (Laurie Anderson x Esperanza Spalding) (+ Diamanda Galas), only much, much Blacker. I don’t think I have the critical faculties to describe this *other* blend of noise & hip hop & art &  
3. Ramsey Lewis Trio, Hang on Ramsey! (1966): Your basic mid ‘60s jazz combo live date, piano/bass/drums, mostly doing covers, ranging from “Hang on Sloopy” to “Satin Doll.” It’s solid, and you’ll nod your head, but it likely won’t stick with you. Strongly good-not-great. 
4. The Jones Girls, At Peace with Woman (1980): Post-disco R&B from a trio of flawlessly singing sisters that, like most of its era, is firmly non-crossover. “Dance Turned Into A Romance” is surprisingly funky, while the title track is a classic uplifting Philly soul anthem.
   4b. Shirley Jones, Always in the Mood (1986): Classy, seemingly effortless, grown folks’ R&B on the lead Jones Girl’s solo debut. I doubt the kids were digging this in ‘86, but their parents most definitely were. Classic – and great – late-period Philadelphia International.
5. Taylor Swift, folklore (2020): W/exception of 1989, I don’t much care for Swift in pop mode (& hate Max Martin), so I respond strongly to this musical shift, w/much help from Aaron Dessner. Easier for me to hear her fine songwriting in these settings, and it suits her.
6. Jeannie C. Riley, Jeannie (1971): 5/11 songs penned by women (bid deal for country at the time), + interestingly-chosen covers of songs by Lightfoot, Kristofferson, Brewer/Shipley, Joe South. Riley’s singing is rich & gorgeous, arrangements/prod really help accent it.
7. George Clinton, Hey Man… Smell My Finger (1993): Mostly solid P-Funk with lots of vets and lots of guests (from Ice Cube to N’Dea Davenport) and lots of samples and some great horn charts (Eric Leeds!) and one really terrible, inexplicable ballad (“If True Love”).
8. Big Joanie, Sistahs (2018): Short, sharp, shock: this sensational debut by a Black female UK trio is exactly the postpunk album you need in the present moment. I hear everything from Big Black to X-Ray Spex to early Wire in their songs, prod, singing. They should be stars.
9. Glen Campbell, Oh Happy Day (1970): This collection of religious & inspirational songs is pretty listenable, esp if you’re good with the turn-of-the-’70s countrypolitan sound. My biggest problem with it, actually, is Campbell’s voice; his upper register verges on shrill.
10. ABBA, Arrival (1977): The sheer craft on display here is nothing short of astonishing. Just listen to the harmonies on “Knowing Me,” those backing vocals, the prod, good god. & the ways Benny & Björn play with genre and instrumentation. & those vocals! Masterful pop.
11. Enigma, MCMXC a.D. (1990): Nothing has ever been a bigger *mood* than this. (I mean, c’mon: cf. Pure Moods.) And y’know, it’s actually pretty good, this weird mix of Gregorian chant, dance beats, French lyrics, backwards samples, flutes… It sounds like nothing else. 
12. Shakira, Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (1998): The Colombian’s 4th LP dips its toes in all sorts of pools, from rock en español (“No Creo,” “Inevitable”) to her twisted take on pop (“Ciega, Sordomuda”), always sounding thoroughly like Shakira. She’s eternally distinctive.
13. Sepultura, Roots (1996): Not much of a fan of these metal-masters, & def not of what I call Cookie Monster vocals, but hearing them incorporate Brazilian percussion & instrumentation w/downtuned guitars here is fascinating & exciting. That said, bad CD-era bloat™.
14. Bananarama, Deep Sea Skiving (1983): Women on top: the trio wrote a full half of their debut, & they play bass, guitar, keys on it too – don’t assume they’re “just” singers. & these songs are cracking, thrilling pop that sounds fresh almost 40 yrs later. What a debut.
15. Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Super-Sonic Jazz (1957): One of Ra’s earliest albums of his “cosmic jazz” has elements of bop, blues, boogie-woogie, and swings like nobody’s damned business, my god. This is my intro to Ra, and you best believe I’ll be seeking out more. 
16. a-ha, Memorial Beach (1993): Their 1st 3 LPs are marvelous pop; their 4th is the dreaded “mature” “artistic statement.” And it features all of the worst early ‘90s prod, like booming gated drums (different from such in the ‘80s), wonky guitars, oversaturated vox. Ugh.
17. Carmen Electra (1993): From Wiki: “The album was a project designed by Prince to promote Electra, his latest protégée at the time, as a sexy female rapper.” Uh, yeah. This record speaks volumes about the extent to which Prince didn’t get hip-hop. Truly horrible.
18. The Independents, First Time We Met (1972): This R&B vocal group sounds great on their more uptempo numbers, but the ballad “Here I Am” is a bore. That said, opener “I Just Want to Be There” is marvelous – they sorely underutilized member Helen Curry. 
19. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, The Distance (1982): Solidly good-to-great heartland rock from one of its greatest proponents, and easily my favorite of his albums. It sounds like ‘82 without sounding remotely trendy or dated, and the songs are strong. 
20. Robert Glasper/Terrace Martin/9th Wonder/Kamasi Washington, Dinner Party (2020): This tight EP mixes hip-hop aesthetics w/jazz & soul, v. much at the intersection of all 4 of these cats’ music. Think mid-’90s late night mix shows, Guru’s Jazzmatazz, early D’Angelo. Golden.
21. Grace Jones, Portfolio (1977): Her debut album is solid mid ‘70s disco, prod by no less an eminence than Tom Moulton. Side A’s a trio of Broadway classics, mixed together; side B includes her famed Piaf cover & “I Need A Man.” How could she not become a gay icon? 
22. Fee Waybill Rides Again (2020): His 1st solo album in almost 25 yrs, produced by his old buddy (really) Richard Marx (no, really), and it sounds like the 2 of them are attempting to make… a Foo Fighters record. That’s unexpected. At least Fee’s gift for melody survives.
23. Bar-Kays, Propositions (1982): The Memphis funkateers’ lucky 13th LP is solid, if unexciting, early ‘80s funk – think a notch below the Gap Band – but it stands out for a magnificent non-single, the ballad “Anticipation,” which became a Quiet Storm classic and is *wow*.
24. Sue Saad and the Next (1980): Urgent, rock-leaning new wave, a bit like a cross between the Motels and Pat Benatar. Sue Saad should’ve been a star; she’s got charisma that comes through loudly on their debut/only full-length. “Radioactive Dreams” sounds like a hit.
25. Bobby D’Ambrosio, Voices of Christmas (2017): I love Christmas music, and I generally love to hear Christmas music made in non-traditional genres for it. This collection of Christmas house music should be right up my alley, except – it’s not good. At all. It’s utterly dull.
26. Atlantic Starr, Straight to the Point (1979): I know it’s from ‘79, but I still expected their 2nd LP to be more funk than what it is – which is mostly disco, & not even particularly good disco. Closing ballad “Losin’ You” is a Quiet Storm gem, but the rest is throwaway. 
27. Monie Love, In A Word or 2 (1993): Is this a house record? Pop? Hip hop? It seems that no one involved in its production knows, even with luminaries from Marley Marl to Prince working on it. Also, let’s be real: Monie was not a very good rapper.
28. k.d. lang, Drag (1997): Her transition from an ersatz Patsy Montana to a Peggy Lee song stylist is fascinating, as evidenced by this concept LP of songs about smoking & addiction. That voice takes no prisoners, & the prod by lang and Craig Street does just what it should.
29. The House of Love (1988): Whiny shoegaze, JAMC w/o all the guitars that (in part) made them great and also w/o songs as good. Highly overrated.
30. Shannon, Let the Music Play (1984): 1st full-length freestyle LP created a decade’s template for freestyle LPs: hot dancefloor jams along w/2 ballads no one cared about. But not only is title track an all-timer, follow-up “Give Me Tonight” is pretty deathless, too. Solid.
31. Freddy Fender, Before the Next Teardrop Falls (1974): This Chicano Texan was huge out of the gate, esp. thanks to title ballad. But whole LP is great: mid ‘70s country, acoustically rooted, with some bilingual lyrics (on country radio! In the ‘70s!). Great singer too.
    31b. Rick Trevino (1994): 20 yrs later, Trevino tried a similar route to Fender, w/lesser results. Not sure why, as this is solid-if-unexceptional mid ‘90s “hat country,” basically b-list Strait. Only last 2 tracks feat. any Spanish – maybe more would’ve distinguished him?

#MWE July 2020

This month’s theme week was Christmas in July; I also did a set of “X”-named groups. (I like keeping things fun/interesting for myself.) Prince-associated albums this month came from Martika, Ingrid Chavez, and Rosie Gaines, and I had my first listen to the first #1 album by Eagles (and didn’t hate it!).

Best records of July: Nico, the Flamingos, Polaris-nominated nêhiyawak, and Tyrone Davis. And don’t sleep on Cyrus Chestnut’s lovely holiday album.

1. Martika, Martika’s Kitchen (1991): Her soph solo LP is surprisingly good, solid pop/R&B of its time, w/4 tracks co-written/prod by Prince. Title track is legit funky, “Don’t Say U Love Me” new jack swing (!), and closer “Mi Tierra” feat Celia Cruz! Kinda refreshing.
2. Dinah Washington, Music for Late Hours (1956): She’s of course an impeccable vocalist, but her vocals on this album – ironic, considering its title – come off as a little, almost, shrieky. Her work with Louis Jordan, or “What a Diff’rence,” I adore. This, not as much. 
3. Nico, The Marble Index (1969): Now, that’s what I call art-rock! Nico and John Cale’s gorgeously damaged heroin-soaked pre-goth record still stuns, with her voice, harmonium, and heavy strings making something truly original. 50+ yrs later, no one’s caught up.
4. The Black Crowes, Amorica (1994): Hard southern boogie rock, > their debut & =/> their 2nd. Argument to be made: for the 1st half of the ‘90s, Crowes may have been the best mainstream U.S. rock band. I might be the one to make it. This slays. God bless Amorica. [US flag emoji]
5. Breeders, Title TK (2002): The spark of their earlier records isn’t here; this just kinda sits, inert, some basic guitar-bass-drums rock, with a largely bored-sounding Kim Deal in front. “Comeback” albums like this make me wonder why some artists even bother. (A: touring.)
6. Hootie & the Blowfish, Imperfect Circle (2019): An above-average bar band w/ a stellar singer; Darius Rucker’s voice is so warm, I can listen to him sing almost anything. That said, even he can barely elevate these just-ok songs. His solo country material is much better.
7. Tompall & the Glaser Brothers, Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack …tick…tick…tick… (1970): Apparently the first all-country film soundtrack ever (!), this is Glen Campbell-style pop-country. Good songs, good production, and smoooooth as anything.
8. Lizzobangers (2013): Yeah, she’s clearly influenced by Missy Elliott – this is a hip hop LP – but also takes cues from late ‘90s backpacker stuff, and (here’s the key) her own off-kilter aesthetic. Long before her 2019 breakthrough, Lizzo was 100% original. Also: bars.
9. La India, Dicen Que Soy (1994): 2nd salsa LP pairs house-styled vocals w/salsa rhythms hard & soft, & it all works incredibly well. She sings it distinctively, w/mostly strongly feminist lyrics. Also: a bilingual G. Benson cover, + fine duets w/Tito Nieves and Marc Anthony.
   9b. India, Breaking Night (1990): Her debut is a highly overcaffeinated freestyle/pop/house album; India sings her ass off on a bunch of songs that may not deserve her. It’s not bad, but it’s not great, either, which feels weird to say about a record sung by such a presence.
10. Isaac Hayes, Live at the Sahara Tahoe (1973): It’s possible that during his Imperial Phase, Hayes was nearly the equal of JB and Prince as a bandleader. Rocking a lounge-soul vibe so expertly, his band kills it, and Hayes is a master interpreter of others’ songs.
11. Ingrid Chavez, May 19, 1992 (1991): 1/2 spoken word (poetry) w/musical backing from Prince, 1/2 dance-pop w/backing from his lieutenants, & frankly, the co-writer of “Justify My Love” doesn’t have much to recommend her. A nothing voice, a not-much-more lyricist.
12. BeBe & CeCe Winans, First Christmas (1993): The sibling gospel duo’s first holiday album is warm & lovely, w/some secular faves (“Jingle Bells,” “White Christmas”) sprinkled among a mix of religious classics & originals – & an odd cover of “Ooh Child” sung w/their parents.
13. The Partridge Family Starring Shirley Jones and Featuring David Cassidy, A Partridge Family Christmas Card (1971): The thing about the Partridge Family: your enjoyment of them is directly dependent on how you feel about David Cassidy’s voice. I can’t stand it. Pure butchery.
14. The Whispers, Happy Holidays to You (1979): It’s on Solar, so you know there’s some disco slip-beats and “pew pew”s, + those lovely Whispers harmony vocals. “Santa/Is Comin’” is smartly re-arranged with a samba beat, & “This Christmas” becomes a ballad. Just gorgeous.
15. Barbara Mandrell, Christmas at Our House (1984): Mandrell’s a great singer, more soulful than you might expect – but not here; this LP is as white as the driven snow. The whole affair is stiff. Her “Winter Wonderland” doesn’t swing. And “Born to Die” is not an LDR cover.
16. Destiny’s Child, 8 Days of Christmas (2001): Obnoxiously bad. Originals are embarrassing (title track makes ‘em sound like gold diggers), traditionals feature copious oversinging. “Platinum Bells” attempts to turn “Silver Bells” into “Jumpin’ Jumpin’,” good God.
17. Cyrus Chestnut, Blessed Quietness: A Collection of Hymns, Spirituals and Carols (1996): If you need a largely contemplative, jazz holiday album, Chestnut’s solo piano is just the antidote to a myriad of overproduced Christmas records. Title = truth in advertising, too.
18. Mitch Miller & the Gang, Christmas Sing-Along with Mitch (1958): Miller’s 2nd #1 LP of ‘58 is more of the same: big chorus singing trad arrs of classics. This was the formula that made him famous, & he stuck w/it – & for what it is, it works. Classy, albeit unexciting.
19. Joan Baez, Noel (1966): Expected Greenwich Village folk, instead got extremely high Anglican church. Baez sings the entire album in her highest falsetto, and takes on very old school hymns and carols (“Coventry Carol,” “Bring a Torch,” even “Ave Maria”). Not really my thing.
    19b. Josh Groban, Noel (2008): A wee bit more contemporary than I expected; sure, he busts his lungs on stuff like “Silent Night” and (of course) “Ave Maria,” but also welcomes in Brian McKnight and Faith Hill. But also the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, cuz Groban gonna Groban.
20. MC Lyte, Lyte As A Rock (1988): Her debut album is incredibly sharp. The rhymes & flow are so on point it’s absurd, and the prod (mostly Audio Two, but also Prince Paul, Alliance, and King of Chill) matches Lyte, beat-for-flow. She should’ve been a superstar. 
21. nêhiyawak, nipiy (2019): This Canadian First Nations “moccasingaze” trio use interesting textures and mix in Native samples and instruments (and Cree singing) on their stellar debut LP; this is no paint-by-numbers indie rock. Cocteaus refs but also Slint, early Pumpkins.
22. The Flamingos, Flamingo Serenade (1959): “I Only Have Eyes” still sounds as if beamed in from another planet, 60+ yrs later. This is doo-wop (a genre of which I’m not generally fond) at its most elegant and haunting. The songs! The production! The voices! I swoon.
23. Rosie Gaines, Closer Than Close (1995): An interesting R&B album, w/reggae (incl. a Marley cover), some acoustic soul, a few dancier things. Most songs do a solid job showcasing Gaines’ strong voice. Not great, but good – but CD-era bloat(™) is real.
24. Eagles, One of These Nights (1975): You can hear them moving from country-rock to more str8fwd rock on this solid set of songs, even w/”Lyin’ Eyes” and the banjo-rooted “Journey of the Sorcerer.” Title track is one of their better singles, too (w/a soulful Henley vocal).
25. August Burns Red Presents: Sleddin’ Hill, A Holiday Album (2012): How about this: an almost entirely instrumental Christmas offering from a Christian metalcore band. They mix it up, incorporating punk, and even some jazz influences, and keep it v entertaining.
26. Madame X (1987): Remember Elecktrik Red, the fem R&B 4some presented by The-Dream in 2008? Well, 30 years prior, there was this trio, presented by Klymaxx’s Bernadette Cooper: avant-garde, edgy R&B that no one knew what to do with. Too bad – they were good.
27. Spirea X, Fireblade Skies (1991): Solid, swirling dreampop that gets a bit samey, with much more acoustic guitar than I’d like. “Speed Reaction” and “Chlorine Dream” are both more Madchester than shoegazey, while “Confusion in My Soul” sounds like mellow Hendrix.
28. X, Wild Gift (1981): Punk? I don’t really hear punk here, more ‘50s-era rock’n’roll, lots of Eddie Cochran-type licks. Exene’s voice – I’ve gotta say it – is nails on a chalkboard; she mostly sounds like she’s tired, and whining. None of this does anything for me.
29. The xx, Coexist (2012): A starkly minimalist sophomore LP that is so fucking good. This is the record where I hypothesize that Jamie xx is the 2010s answer, sound-wise, to Tricky (with Romy as his Martina Topley-Bird). This creeps up on you. This is a mood.
30. Les Nubians, One Step Forward (2003): French sisters’ 2nd album rides a similar groove to their debut, bumping easygoing turn-of-the-century R&B (call it neo-soul if you want), occasionally slipping from French into English. They sound more confident in their native tongue, TBH.
31. In the Mood with Tyrone Davis (1979): Smooooth Chicago soul from one of its titans. This being a ‘79 album, there’s a few disco-ish rhythms, but this is mostly straight ahead soul music, romantic in nature & expertly written, sung, arranged. Title track is a masterpiece.

#MWE May + June 2020

In May, I started doing special “theme weeks,” with the first being devoted to the Beatles, covering them together, all solo, plus Yoko and Sean. YMMV; mine certainly did. (Surprising pick hit: 1973’s Ringo!) Prince-associated albums continued on a near-weekly basis, with selections from Madhouse, Judith Hill, and the Original 7even (which, in Christgau Consumer Guide parlance, is sadly a Must to Avoid).

June saw an interruption of #MWE for almost the entire month, for a couple of reasons.
1. I was undertaking a cross-much-of-the-country trip to my homeland of Indiana for 24 days.
2. Between Covid-19, the murder of George Floyd and ensuing nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality, and my general state of mind, it just felt like a good time to take a social media break.
So June only features four records. That said, three of those four albums are pretty great (all debuts, from Missing Persons, John McLaughlin, and Ari Lennox).

Other Pick Hits: Chicago, Kim Carnes, Womack & Womack, Norah Jones, and of course the late, great architect of rock & roll, Little Richard.

May 2020

1. Rita Coolidge, The Lady’s Not for Sale (1972): Leon Russell with a “better” voice but much less interesting: no one needs another cover of “Fever,” esp. not the bland way she delivers it. The material’s just okay, and a pretty (albeit rich) voice only gets you so far.  
2. Pointer Sisters, Contact (1985): The follow-up to Break Out saw them fall off a cliff commercially, and I get why: this sounds cheap & flimsy. The title track, for example, sounds as if made on a Casio keyboard. Only the buoyant “Dare Me” and “Hey You” are fleshed-out.
3. Quiet Riot, Metal Health (1983): The first-ever US #1 metal album is pretty solid, no more ridiculous than any other comparable crew of glammed-up boys howling over hot lixx. It legitimately rocks, too, with only one ballad, the closer (skip it). 
4. Lou Reed, Metal Machine Music (1975): This hour of guitar feedback is so fucking glorious and beautiful, my God. I can hear orchestras tuning up, birds, jet engines, and a myriad of other sounds here. This is drone, noise rock, avant-garde music at its highest level.
5. Madhouse, 16 (1987): The 2nd go-round for Prince’s Eric Leeds-led instrumental ensemble is half Count Basie big band, half James Brown funk. Plus the quiet storm quasi-fusion of “Fourteen” (surprise, it’s my favorite). 
6. Norah Jones, Feels Like Home (2004): A little jazz, a little country, a little folk, a little singer-songwriter, beautifully co-prod by Jones & Arif Mardin (the man seemingly does this in his sleep). Exquisite arrangements. Sounds simple, but it’s anything but.
7. L7 (1988): Sludgy metal debut reminiscent of the first Soundgarden album. “Metal Stampede” is indicative of the problems: there’s a fair amount of jokiness that just comes off as stupid, not funny, almost like bad parody. They can play, so why?
8. Drake, Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020): Man, he really has problems w/women, doesn’t he? Meanwhile, he’s like a ghost on his own album, trying on styles like sport coats: NYC drill here, Playboi Carti-esque Soundcloud rap there, but is Drake actually present on any of it?
   8b. Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Born Deadly (EP) (2020): A little too much in the way of trap beats for my taste on this 15-min EP, but the dynamic Native sibling duo can rap with the best of ‘em, and keep on doing it here. A tidy holdover until their next full-length.
9. Jill Scott, Woman (2015): Cushiony typical Jill Scott music from the ‘10s: R&B for grown folks. She sings and writes beautifully, but I have to admit I’d sometimes like a little more grit here & there. Single “Fools Gold” and “Cruisin’” (not a cover) are highlights.
   9b. Erykah Badu, But You Caint Use My Phone (2015): This phone-themed mixtape is gorgeously messy, including covers/re-interpretations of songs by Drake, New Edition, Usher, & Todd Rundgren, along w/some fascinating originals. And a guest shot from her ex Andre 3000!
10. The Call, Reconciled (1986): On their 4th LP, this rock band of Christians (as opposed to Christian rockers) sound slick & smart, a sweet spot between the Bodeans, Simple Minds, U2. Michael Been was a great frontman. Production matches their earnest, occ. Xian lyrics.
11. The Beatles, Rubber Soul (1965): The speed of their evolution is amazing. You can already hear, in ‘65, the songwriting stretching/expanding. The likes of “Girl,” “Michelle,” “Run” presage what was to come on Revolver & beyond. I ❤ Ringo’s co-write “What Goes On” too.
12. Ringo Starr, Ringo (1973): Low expectations = knocked out. “Devil Woman” = “Tusk” 6 yrs early, “Photograph” kills (all 3 of George’s co-writes solid), John’s “Greatest” a great opener, and Paul’s synth squiggles on his/Linda’s “6 O’Clock” fun. Ringo makes it all cohesive.
13. John Lennon, Imagine (1971): Phil Spector’s prod touches sound ugly (“Soldier,” ick), and this isn’t Lennon’s best set of songs (again, “Soldier,” along w/”Truth” – subtlety wasn’t his metier). & then there’s the incredibly petty “Sleep?” At least “Oh Yoko!” is fun.
14. Yoko Ono, Season of Glass (1981): The album she made after John’s murder is her most conventional musically, v ‘81 studio rock, but lyrically lacerating: “I Don’t Know Why,” “Extension 33,” “No No No,” omg. Bless her for making art from her rawest emotions.
15. Sean Lennon, Into the Sun (1998): Self-indulgence, thy name is this debut. Twee folkiness here, faux grunge there, and none of the fun of producer/gf Yuka Honda’s band Cibo Matto. And his voice is so awful-ly thin. How’d he get signed to Grand Royal? Oh, yeah… 
16. George Harrison, Cloud Nine (1987): Jeff Lynne produced, & you can hear it (v slick). This comeback sounds both just like its era/completely out of time. Songs are mostly strong, & GH sounds great, assured on both vox and guitar. “Fab” & “Shanghai” are the duds.
17. Wings, Band on the Run (1973): Starts strong w/2 great singles, but the middle drags. “Mamunia” & the self-indulgent “Picasso’s Last Words” are garbage, “Helen Wheels” a fun rocker. This album’s rep is incredibly inflated; it’s ok overall but nowhere near Paul’s best.
18. Judith Hill, Back in Time (2015): Co-prod by Prince, this has some of his late-era flavor, but since Hill co-/wrote all the songs, it still sounds like her album. That said, you can def smell Prince on it: lots of ‘70s R&B vibes, big horn charts, Sly/JB-esque funk. 
19. Womack & Womack, Love Wars (1983): Defiantly midtempo R&B (except for slow-burn post-disco smoker “Baby I’m Scared of You”) from a husband & wife duo who know how to write, and sing. Stewart Levine’s deft, light touch behind the boards is a huge asset. Grown folks music.
20. Here’s Little Richard (1957): More than the songs or arrangements, what makes this pure rock’n’roll is Richard Penniman himself: his attitude, his piano, his singing, his rhythm, his excitement, his “whoooooo”s! He’s so into what he’s doing here, it can’t not move you. RIP.
21. Kim Carnes, Mistaken Identity (1981): A 1981 El Lay studio pop/rock buffet platter w/a Ronstadt-esque one, some soft pop balladry, a few raw rockers, and the brilliant new wave-isms of singles “Cards” and of course “Eyes.” Consistently interesting, and I do love that voice.
22. Ray Charles, Friendship (1984): Down-the-middle contempo mid-’80s country duets, w/all male partners except uh Janie Fricke. Hank Jr. sounds bored, the Oaks are boring, Skaggs out of place, & BJ Thomas?! G. Jones, and Willie, stand out. Charles himself is – relaxed. 
23. The Charlatans, Tellin’ Stories (1997): Fascinating how they somehow pulled off the jump from Madchester to Britpop elder statesmen – this went #1 UK w/3 top 10s! Sturdy, workmanlike rock (better than that might sound!), w/strong lyrics & steadying vox of Tim Burgess.
24. Rusty Warren, Knockers Up! (1960): Debut album by “blue” female comedian/supper club singer spent astounding 3 yrs on the chart in the early ‘60s. Barely racy by today’s standards. Jokes all concern het married couples having sex (or not), singing is meh. V dull overall.
25. Gladys Knight & the Pips, That Special Time of Year (1982): For an ‘82 LP, this starts out kinda disco-y, but eventually settles into a more trad soul Christmas album. As always, Knight and her Pips sound warm and familial. Back half, w/2 J. Mathis duets, drags a bit. 
26. Mazarati (1986): Brownmark’s first post-Revolution band was this ensemble, a more rock’n’roll Time w/3rd-rate Prince knockoffs for material. The man himself co/wrote 3 songs, incl. only hit “100 MPH,” which is ok at best. “Suzy” sounds musically like Rick James/MJ Girls!
27. Matana Roberts, COIN COIN Chapter Four: Memphis (2019): An astounding saxophonist (also connected to Chicago post rock) whose free jazz is v challenging & v musical, w/ stand-up-take-notice spoken lyrics and an ensemble that can seemingly do anything. Loud, messy, focused.
28. Babyface, Lovers (1986): The legend-to-be opened his 1st solo album, charmingly b-list mid-’80s R&B, w/a Stylistics cover! He’s a pro though, and this sounds like it, while also sounding unpolished enough that it’s clearly a debut. The seeds of mega-success, planted. 
29. Chicago VII (1974): 1st 5 trax of this 15-song double are jazz fusion instrumentals, & pretty great. (Remember, these guys had chops.) Their 3rd consec #1 LP also feat. 3 top 11 pop hits though, & they’re solid, too; “Call on Me” (hit) and “Byblos” (album cut) are superb. 
30. Cookie Crew, Born This Way (1989): DAISY-age-era (& -styled) hip hop from a female UK duo, with a slight hip-house touch (see: “Bad Girls,” which deserved a D. Summer credit). Totally unmoving overall. RIYL Monie Love (who, frankly, is better).
31. The Original 7ven, Condensate (2011): Oh, I so wanted the Time’s reunion album to be good, but this sounds like what they are: a group of older guys getting the band back together for one last go-round. The songs (almost all Jam/Lewis) are mediocre, & Morris Day sounds – a little sad.

June 2020

1. Missing Persons, Spring Session M (1982): This is one hot-shit new wave album. Dale Bozzio’s voice isn’t great, but is interesting, & she knew what to do with it – & the band knew how best to utilize her in front. Singles all great + “U.S. Drag” & “Tears” stand out, too.
2. [6/28] Teddy & Darrel, These Are the Hits, You Silly Savage!!! (1965): A fascinating relic: 2 anon unknowns mostly covering contempo hits (“Wild Thing,” “Strangers in the Night”) in a campy, gay style. Produced by Mike Curb! Not necessarily great, but important to be heard. [pride flag emoji]
3. [6/29] Jon McLaughlin, Indiana (2007): This male Sara Bareilles can play, write, sing well. His piano is incredibly musical (on “Industry,” reminiscent of Ben Folds), his voice stronger than most of his Adult T40 peers. Not my usual thing, but a bit of a buried treasure.30.
4. [6/30] Ari Lennox, Shea Butter Baby (2019): It’s not just her tone and tenor which are like Erykah Badu’s, but her phrasing, too. They’re both, basically, jazz singers, singing R&B. What a sensational set of songs about being a Black woman today: contemporary yet classic.