What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Every Great Motown Hit of Marvin Gaye -- CD

Marvin Gaye

2000 Motown Records

Amazon.com

This compilation includes 15 of Marvin Gaye's signature songs, including 9 No. 1 soul-chart hits. It's a handy compression of his Motown career, but those who want a deeper understanding of the artist should opt at the very least for the packed double-disc Best of Marvin Gaye. --Rickey Wright

Track listing

1. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)
2. Your Precious Love (With Tammi Terrell)
3. Ain't That Peculiar
4. If I Could Build My Whole World Around You (With Tammi Terrell)
5. That's the Way Love Is
6. You're All I Need to Get by (With Tammi Terrell)
7. I'll Be Doggone
8. I Heard It Through the Grapevine
9. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby
10. What's Going On
11. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing (With Tammi Terrell)
12. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
13. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
14. Trouble Man
15. Let's Get It On
16. Distant Lover
17. Got to Give It up (Part 1)

 

[Dennie]

Innervisions -- CD

Stevie Wonder

1973/1990 Motown Records

Amazon.com essential recording

One of Stevie Wonder's best albums, and the one where his more fanciful, free-form moments gel perfectly with his knack for irresistible pop singles, 1973's Innervisions swings between delicate and airy ballads, Latin-influenced rhythms (the hit "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing"), and his own synth-heavy versions of gut-bucket soul (the determined spiritual questing of "Higher Ground"). The striking juxtaposition between "Vision," a barely breathed hope that a world of peace might be upon us, and the great "Living for the City," a funky, pulsing tale of racism, is powerful, haunting, and still all too relevant. --David Cantwell

1. "Too High" Stevie Wonder 4:36
2. "Visions" Wonder 5:23
3. "Living for the City" Wonder 7:23
4. "Golden Lady" Wonder 4:58
5. "Higher Ground" Wonder 3:43
6. "Jesus Children of America" Wonder 4:10
7. "All in Love Is Fair" Wonder 3:42
8. "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" Wonder 4:45
9. "He's Misstra Know-It-All" Wonder 5:35
Total length:
44:11

 

[Botch]

"Don't you Worry 'bout a Thing" is one of the most incredible records Stevie has ever made!!!

 

[Dennie]

"Don't you Worry 'bout a Thing" is one of the most incredible records Stevie has ever made!!!

...and the 7 1/2 minute "Living for the City" is not to shabby either!

Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Face To Face -- CD

Wayman Tisdale

2001 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com

The former National Basketball Association superstar, who has over 5,000 rebounds, comes back with his fourth album, and like the title suggests, it is a personal work with some instrumental depth and a varied R&B flavor. The 10-song set starts off slamming with "Loveplay," a track that reveals that the giant electric bass player is gaining more control over his style, and infusing less of the nuances of his musical mentor, Stanley Clarke. From there the album plunges headlong into modern R&B with a contribution from the female vocal trio Out of Eden. Those two tracks tell the tale of this album, as the selections are either well-orchestrated smooth-jazz cuts, superbly coproduced by saxophonist David Mann, or lush vocal tracks, one featuring the former lead singer of the group Surface, Bernard Jackson. And just when Tisdale is finding his own voice on bass, he debuts as a singer on the title track. He serves himself well, but it's not a three-point play. In fact, this album is playing two half-court games--one in the smooth-jazz yard, the other in the grooves of R&B. --Mark Ruffin

Tracklist

1. Loveplay (4:19)
2. When I Opened Up My Eyes (4:43)
3. Brand New (4:15)
4. Brazilia (3:58)
5. If I Ever (4:09)
6. Face To Face (4:11)
7. Say I Do (4:00)
8. Can't Hide Love (3:44)
9. Stay (4:27)
10. Show Me The Way (5:16)

 

[Dennie]

This one came out yesterday. The front cover says... "Medicine ~ Dose Small - Effect Sure~" :handgestures-thumbup:

I'm on song #1, Medicine.... This is good..... :banana-explosion: :banana-rock: :banana-tux:

Medicine -- CD

Tab Benoit

Yesterday Telarc

Product Description
Medicine, Benoit's seventh solo release successfully joins two gifted guitarists/songwriters in a session that proves greater than the sum of its very talented parts. The 11-track recording features seven new Benoit originals co-written with ace songwriter Anders Osborne (his song "Watch the Wind Blow By" was recorded by Tim McGraw in 2002, hitting No. 1 on the country charts for two weeks and selling over three million albums, and Keb' Mo's 1999 GRAMMY®-winning album Slow Down, featured two songs he had co-written). In an unusual twist, Osborne (who also co-produced the album) uses B.B. King's famous guitar "Lucille" on Medicine. "He played half the album on that guitar, basically anything that's not slide guitar," Benoit says.

Medicine showcases a lean, energetic young band, and vibe-wise it's hipper and groovier than anything Benoit has ever done before. The recording also spotlights the work of keyboardist Ivan Neville (son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of the Neville Brothers), drummer Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Dave Matthews) and bassist Corey Duplechin (Chubby Carrier & Bayou Swamp Band). Fiddler/singer Michael Doucet of BeauSoleil makes a special appearance on three tracks.

Medicine was recorded at Louisiana's legendary Dockside Studio (B.B. King, Dr. John, Keb' Mo', Taj Mahal, Buckwheat Zydeco), located on a 12 acre estate in the heart of Cajun country on the banks of the Vermilion Bayou, and engineered by David Z (Prince, Jonny Lang, Buddy Guy, Gov't Mule). The award-winning music producer/engineer worked with Benoit on three earlier releases (Fever for the Bayou, Power of the Pontchartrain and Night Train to Nashville). "When David's in the booth, I don't have to worry," says Benoit. "He's always comfortable with the way I work. We have a lot of fun and like to joke around."

Medicine is more than another strong entry in Benoit's increasingly impressive discography - it's one of his most defining albums. "Magic happens when you least expect it," says Benoit. "Most of the stuff here was played live - these are mostly first takes. When it came down to playing, we weren't trying to structure things. We were open to the moment.

If music has the power to help relieve pain and suffering, then Tab Benoit's Medicine might be just what the doctor ordered.


1 Medicine
2 Sunrise
3 A Whole Lotta Soul
4 Come and Get It
5 Broke and Lonely
6 Long Lonely Bayou
7 In It To Win It
8 Can't You See
9 Nothing Takes The Place Of You
10 Next To Me
11 Mudboat Melissa

 

[Botch]

This came out today...... :bow-blue:

Hard Bargain -- Deluxe Edition CD/DVD

Emmylou Harris

How do you like it, Dennie? I'm in Tooele for the week and have been reading the Salt Lake Tribune instead of the Ogden paper, and the music critic in the SLT said this was her worst recording ever, due to her own songwriting.

I liked it. I think it is more intimate or raw, because she wrote most of the songs. Not all of the songs have strong lyrics, "Big Black Dog" is not a feat in song writing, but I don't think it is supposed to be. "My Name is Emmit Till" is quite moving and real. I think this is Emmylou singin' songs she needs/wants to sing. Some are up beat "New Orleans" and some not, but hey this is bluegrass/folk/Country, afterall.

I've only listened to it once and had two phone calls soooo, first impression is I like it! :handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie

CNN's take on it was quite different:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/26/emmylou.harris/index.html?hpt=Sbin
I'm getting intrigued enough to pick it up...

 

[Dennie]

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf -- Remastered CD

Jimmy Smith

1964/2007 Verve Records

Outstanding reissue of a keyboard classic, September 25, 2007
By J. B Brent (Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Reis) (Dig) (Audio CD)

Originally recorded in January 1964, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF was a Creed Taylor production released on vinyl by Verve Records. The arrangements for most tunes start with a smooth orchestral opening and Smith playing melody. The orchestra crescendos and departs to make room for Jimmy Smith's incredible improvisations. This is best illustrated on "Slaughter" and the first version of the title cut.
More mainstream but nonetheless enjoyable are Smith's comparatively low-key versions of Bacharach's "Wives and Lovers" and Toots' standard "Bluesette."
It's been a long but worthwhile wait for this essential piece of Jimmy's prolific catalog. The disc's packaging is faithful to the original gatefold record cover.
JB

"Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" (Richard Rodgers) – 7:07
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Pt. 1" (Don Kirkpatrick, Keith Knox) – 4:29
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Pt. 2" (Kirkpatrick, Knox) – 5:00
"John Brown's Body" (Traditional) – 5:18
"Wives and Lovers" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – 3:20
"Women of the World" (Riziero Ortolani) – 5:48
"Bluesette" (Toots Thielemans) – 3:41

 

[Dennie]

How do you like it, Dennie? I'm in Tooele for the week and have been reading the Salt Lake Tribune instead of the Ogden paper, and the music critic in the SLT said this was her worst recording ever, due to her own songwriting.

I liked it. I think it is more intimate or raw, because she wrote most of the songs. Not all of the songs have strong lyrics, "Big Black Dog" is not a feat in song writing, but I don't think it is supposed to be. "My Name is Emmit Till" is quite moving and real. I think this is Emmylou singin' songs she needs/wants to sing. Some are up beat "New Orleans" and some not, but hey this is bluegrass/folk/Country, afterall.

I've only listened to it once and had two phone calls soooo, first impression is I like it! :handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie

CNN's take on it was quite different:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/26/emmylou.harris/index.html?hpt=Sbin
I'm getting intrigued enough to pick it up...

If you're a fan, you will like it. If this is your first Emmylou album, I'd recommend starting somewhere else.

CNN's write up was spot on, but they didn't really review the album. They gave some history behind the songs and Emmylou. As I mentioned, these are the songs she wants/needs to sing, like "The Road". She's sung about Gram before, but still has more to say. I think that is great, as that was such a big part of her early career and these are deep, life long feelings that she's expressing.

I think she is right where she supposed to be in life and it shows! I've really enjoyed it so far. :text-bravo:

Keep us posted,

Dennie

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

Kill To Get Crimson -- CD

Mark Knopfler

2007 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com

Three decades after Dire Straits broke onto the scene with their remarkable debut, Mark Knopfler remains an iconic figure in popular music, his graceful guitar playing equaled only by his genial baritone and a novelist's ability to create distinct characters and themes in his songs. His fifth solo album since he pulled the plug on the band in 1995, Crimson reflects on a torrent of narratives, from the gracefully aging spouse in the flute-powered ballad "The Scaffolder's Wife" to the valiant down-and-outer in the Scottish folk song "Heart Full of Holes." Employing accordions, fiddles, and horns as majestic accompaniment, Knopfler drifts into the Celtic-tinged melodies of his past, explicitly in the whiskey-soaked singalong "Secondary Waltz," the busker's saga "Madame Geneva's," and "The Fish and the Bird," with its vagabond pensiveness. Clocking in at just under an hour, the album--without any page-turning epic--plays instead like an anthology of written works, every personification crisp in definition, every story exquisitely told. --Scott Holter

All songs are written by Mark Knopfler.

"True Love Will Never Fade" – 4:21
"The Scaffolder's Wife" – 3:52
"The Fizzy and the Still" – 4:07
"Heart Full of Holes" – 6:36
"We Can Get Wild" – 4:17
"Secondary Waltz" – 3:43
"Punish the Monkey" – 4:36
"Let It All Go" – 5:17
"Behind With the Rent" – 4:46
"The Fish and the Bird" – 3:45
"Madame Geneva's" – 3:59
"In the Sky" – 7:29

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

From The Cradle -- CD

Eric Clapton

1994 Reprise Records

Amazon.com

The full-tilt blues album that Clapton had been promising for years, From the Cradle proves the guitarist's enduring devotion to a form he had long relegated to merely a flavor in his music rather than the main ingredient. Clapton's singing on the album is somewhat mannered; he tries to compete with original versions of these songs by Muddy Waters, Charles Brown, and others, and there's no way he's going to win that battle. Still, you can feel the emotional connection Clapton has with these songs, and guitar aficionados will swoon over his fretwork on songs such as "Third Degree," "Someday After a While," and the incendiary "Groanin' the Blues." --Daniel Durchholz

"Blues Before Sunrise" (Leroy Carr) – 2:58 ; this version is inspired also by Elmore James's rendition of the song
"Third Degree" (Eddie Boyd/Willie Dixon) – 5:07
"Reconsider Baby" (Lowell Fulson) – 3:20
"Hoochie Coochie Man" (Willie Dixon) – 3:16 ; originally performed by Muddy Waters
"Five Long Years" (Eddie Boyd) – 4:47
"I'm Tore Down" (Sonny Thompson) – 3:02 ; originally performed by Freddie King
"How Long Blues" (Leroy Carr) – 3:09
"Goin' Away Baby" (James A. Lane) – 4:00
"Blues Leave Me Alone" (James A. Lane) – 3:36
"Sinner's Prayer" (Lowell Fulson/Glenn) – 3:20
"Motherless Child" (Robert Hicks) – 2:57
"It Hurts Me Too" (Elmore James) – 3:17
"Someday After A While (You'll Be Sorry)" (Freddie King/Sonny Thompson) – 4:27
"Standin' Round Crying" (McKinley Morganfield) – 3:39
"Driftin'" (Brown/Johnny Moore/Williams) (Johnny Moore's Three Blazers) – 3:10
"Groaning The Blues" (Willie Dixon) – 6:05 ; originally performed by Otis Rush

 

[PaulyT]

Good choice!

 

[Dennie]

Good choice!

:handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie

 

[heeman]

Jupiters Darling is the twelfth studio album released by the band Heart. The album was a minor success, peaking at number ninety-four on the U.S. Billboard 200, two singles were released simultaneously "The Oldest Story in the World" and "The Perfect Goodbye" the latter was performed with Wynonna on CMT's crossroads in the summer of 2004.

This album marked a return to Heart's hard rock roots; however, it only managed to sell roughly 100,000 copies. Since then the Sovereign record company has filed bankruptcy and it has been reported (via band sources on www.heart-music.com) that Sovereign still owes Heart thousands of dollars.

The album cover bears an image of the Mandelbrot set, rotated so the main cardioid is oriented the same way a heart would normally be, with the cusp at top.

 

[heeman]

One of my very favorites!!

Dog & Butterfly is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Heart. It was released on October 7, 1978 through Portrait Records. Heart rebounded from their legal dispute with Mushroom Records over the release of the platinum-selling Magazine in April 1978, as Dog & Butterfly was certified double platinum, spent 36 weeks on the charts, and peaked at number seventeen on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album was the 'proper' successor to 1977's hit Little Queen in terms of musical development and direction, and contained two hit singles: "Straight On", and "Dog & Butterfly".

As Heart themselves noted on the album's release, Side 1 was the "Dog" side, and was the more "rocking" compared to the "Butterfly" Side 2, which was all ballads, with the exception of the closer "Mistral Wind," which, in many ways, epitomized the trademark sound for which Heart would be remembered: folksy ballads shifting into searing hard rock explosions.

Though the first song on the album "Cook with Fire" sounds like a live recording it was actually recorded in the studio. Audience sounds were overdubbed on the studio recording from a live performance.

 

[Dennie]

I really, really enjoy this album.....

Love's Been Rough On Me -- CD :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:

Etta James

1997 Private Music

Love's Been Rough on Me is a terrific latter-day album from Etta James, capturing her at the peak of her powers. James' voice has diminished only slightly over the course of her career, and she knows how to make such warhorses as "I've Been Loving You Too Long" sound fresh. She also invests contemporary music, including John Berry's contemporary country hit "If I Had Any Pride Left at All," with real soul. The result is a record that delivers the real goods with grace and style. ~ Leo Stanley

1. Rock, The
2. Cry Like a Rainy Day
3. Love's Been Rough on Me
4. Love It or Leave It Alone
5. Don't Touch Me
6. Hold Me (Just a Little Longer Tonight)
7. If I Had Any Pride Left at All
8. I Can Give You Everything
9. I've Been Loving You Too Long
10. Done in the Dark

 

[Dennie]

Blues On The Bayou -- CD

B.B. King

1998 MCA Records

Blues on the Bayou is a 1998 studio recording by B. B. King.

In the CD liner notes, B.B. King writes: "Of the many records Lucille and I have had the pleasure of recording over the years, this one is especially close to my heart. It's also one of the most relaxed and, for me, satisfying [...] No one was telling us what to do. No one needed to tell us what to do." He adds that he considers the band playing on this album as his best ever and that he got to the studio with the idea of keeping the music simple ("I've felt the urge to go back to basics."). With this state of mind, the record was cut in four days: "Found some old B. B. King songs. Wrote some new ones. [...] All live, all real. No overdubs, no high-tech tricks. Just basic blues."

The album won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

"Blues Boys Tune" - 3:25 (B.B. King)
"Bad Case of Love" - 5:28 (B.B. King)
"I'll Survive" - 4:53 (B.B. King and Sam Ling)
"Mean Ole' World" - 4:29 (B.B. King)
"Blues Man" - 5:20 (B.B. King)
"Broken Promise" - 3:34 (B.B. King and Sam Ling)
"Darlin' What Happened" - 5:26 (B.B. King and Sam Ling)
"Shake It Up and Go" - 3:10 (B.B. King and J. Taub)
"Blues We Like" - 5:08 (B.B. King ?)
"Good Man Gone Bad" - 3:20 (B.B. King, J. Taub, and F. Walsh)
"If I Lost You" - 4:57 (B.B. KIng and J. Taub)
"Tell Me Baby" - 3:26 (B.B. King and Sam Ling)
"I Got Some Outside Help I Don't Need" - 4:37 (B.B. KIng and D. Clark)
"Blues in G" - 3:28 (B.B. King)
"If That Ain't It I Quit" - 3:20 (B.B. King)

9793

 

[Dennie]

bring it on home... the soul classics -- CD

Aaron Neville

2006 Burgundy Records

Amazon.com

Approach Aaron Neville's Bring it on Home ... the Soul Classics with anything but an open heart and you've missed the point. This is a serious CD, at once mournful, humble, and joyous, with no shortage of moments that recall the terribleness of Hurricane Katrina. One way of processing it is as a cataloging of classic songs that helped Neville's fellow New Orleanians soldier through: opener "Rainy Night in Georgia" with jazzman Chris Botti wrings beauty from soaking-wet despair, "Stand By Me" turns its heel on pleading in favor of promise-making, and "People Get Ready," with David Sanborn and brother Art, is a chill-sending reminder of how unity and perseverance can trump tragedy. Viewed from another lens, Soul Classics is Neville's attempt at climbing aboard the late-career, classic-covers bandwagon while weaving his bayou-soul heritage into the picture. The trouble with that theory, though, is that it feels like so much more. His voice flutters alongside Mavis Staple's on "Respect Yourself" with completely uncontrived tenderness, and Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" becomes a meditation on stillness and ease that befits a boulder-sized lump in the throat. A tossed-together concept album this is not; a reflection of a soul man gifted with the ability to spin epic, unyielding sorrow into grace is more like it. --Tammy La Gorce

Track listing

1. Rainy Night in Georgia
2. Ain't No Sunshine
3. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
4. Stand by Me
5. You Send Me
6. Respect Yourself
7. When a Man Loves a Woman
8. Let's Stay Together
9. It's All Right
10. People Get Ready
11. My Girl
12. Ain't That Peculiar
13. Change Is Gonna Come, A

 

[Botch]

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music......

Rockferry -- CD

Duffy

2008 Mercury Records

Amazon.co.uk

Rockferry, the Welsh singer's lovingly constructed debut album, has already succeeded beyond expectations, and although Duffy may not quite be the ingénue portrayed by a clever press campaign (she nearly won a local television talent show a few years back while a single credited to Aimee Duffy is still available on iTunes) she is surely the most appealing of the current flood of young soul sirens. The astonishing title track, co-written by Bernard Butler, sounded like a lost transmission that had taken decades to get through as soon as it hit radio last year. But the gently rolling soul ballad "Stepping Stone", that strapping, inescapable monster hit "Mercy", the ice cool "Serious" (the one time she really does channel the spirit of Dusty Springfield) and the wistful, elegant "Warwick Avenue" are similarly effective. Suggestions by some that Rockferry is little more than sixties pastiche are churlish. Butler's previous work with David McAlmont (featured here as a backing singer) showed his skill at writing and arranging the dramatic, while her other collaborators such as Steve Booker and the team of Jimmy Hogarth and Eg White are hardly lightweights. But despite some wonderful orchestral settings, it's Duffy's terrific voice that makes this so satisfying, even overpowering Butler's exquisitely underplayed guitar work on "Rockferry" itself. Growling the blues on "Syrup & Honey" or belting it out over his lovingly arranged wall of sound on "Distant Dreamer", she sets the tone throughout, several of her songs dealing with escape, both physical and romantic. The sound of someone singing herself to stardom, Rockferry is at times genuinely amazing. --Steve Jelbert

1. "Rockferry" Duffy, Bernard Butler 4:14
2. "Warwick Avenue" Duffy, Jimmy Hogarth, Eg White 3:46
3. "Serious" Duffy, Butler 4:10
4. "Stepping Stone" Duffy, Steve Booker 3:28
5. "Syrup & Honey" Duffy, Butler 3:18
6. "Hanging on Too Long" Duffy, Hogarth, White 3:56
7. "Mercy" Duffy, Booker 3:41
8. "Delayed Devotion" Duffy, Hogarth, White 2:57
9. "I'm Scared" Duffy, Hogarth 3:08
10. "Distant Dreamer" Duffy, Butler 5:05