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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. - 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.
- 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.
- 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.”
- 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.”
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. - 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Oh Manchester, So Much To Answer For 