What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

The Road To Ensenada -- CD

Lyle Lovett

1996 MCA Records

Amazon.com essential recording

After the more experimental themes and misanthropic bit players populating his prior album, I Love Everybody, the songs on this superb 1996 set return to the more affable, earnest, but still knotty balance established by Lyle Lovett on his first four albums. He spins amiable yarns about his preferred headgear ("Don't Touch My Hat") and larger-than-life love objects (the one-eyed "Fiona"), sways hilariously through the backfired seductions of the samba-paced "Her First Mistake," and swings buoyantly through "That's Right (You're Not from Texas)," then ropes the equally droll Randy Newman into a tongue-in-cheek duet on "Long Tall Texan." In between, he sneaks a fresh string of dark love songs ("Private Conversation," "I Can't Love You Anymore") that sustain his formidable standards. Forget the forced issue of his putative ties to "new country": Lovett is simply one of the best American singer-songwriters extant, whether playing raconteur, philosopher king, or wounded romantic. --Sam Sutherland

All songs composed by Lyle Lovett except as noted.

"Don't Touch My Hat" – 3:47
"Her First Mistake" – 6:28
"Fiona" – 4:09
"That's Right (You're Not from Texas)" (Lovett, Ramsey, Rogers) – 4:54
"Who Loves You Better" – 4:46
"Private Conversation" – 4:32
"Promises" – 3:07
"It Ought To Be Easier" – 4:11
"I Can't Love You Anymore" – 3:14
"Long Tall Texan" (Henry Strzelecki) – 3:27
"Christmas Morning" – 3:43
"The Road To Ensenada" – 10:12
"The Girl in the Corner" -- hidden at the end of track 12, following 1:30 of silence

 

[Dennie]

In the Summer of 2010, after Sarah's freshman year of college, she began recording her follow-up to "Song Up In Her Head" entitled "Follow Me Down". Like her first album, Jarosz co-produced Follow Me Down with Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, John Prine, Chris Thile). Only this time, they had a college course schedule coming in the fall and high profile gigs to work around. The album was recorded in Nashville with some of the acoustic world’s finest pickers and singers, including Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Viktor Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Shawn Colvin and Darrell Scott, and in Boston with her talented young trio mates Alex Hargreaves and Nathaniel Smith. A very special session with Punch Brothers in New York produced one of the albums most surprising tracks, a beautiful cover of Radiohead's "The Tourist"

Follow Me Down -- CD

Sarah Jarosz

2011 Sugar Hill Records

Erase The Lines .....actually Follow Her Down ....she's the real deal, May 21, 2011
By G. Shumate "Graham" (North Wilkesboro, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Follow Me Down (Audio CD)

......The all encompassing Ms. Sarah Jarosz brings us the perfect follow up to the brilliant Newgrass/Progressive Contemporary Americana album that is Song Up In Her Head with this, a lulled masterwork of an album dubbed Follow Me Down. The lines of categorization are gone. The Songwriting remains the focus of her work along with her extraordinary musicianship. Her vocals have also grown and are maturing at an alarming rate . For God's sake she has covered Dylan better than Dylan on this record, and dare I say ....matched the emotional power of Radiohead. Ms. Jarosz feel free to make 30 more albums and continue to skew the lines of musical categorization. ......A Dream Of Quiet .....Contentedness Surrounds......

1. Run Away
2. Come Around
3. Annabelle Lee
4. Ring Them Bells
5. My Muse
6. Floating In The Balance
7. Old Smitty
8. The Tourist
9. Here Nor There
10. Gypsy
11. Peace


17338

 

[Dennie]

The Harrow & The Harvest -- CD

Gillian Welch

2011 Acony Records

Worth the wait,
June 28, 2011
By Kil Roi
This review is from: The Harrow & The Harvest (Audio CD)

Whatever the reason Gillian Welch and David Rawlings waited eight years to release this much anticipated album, we're rewarded for our patience.

The 10 tracks on "The Harrow & the Harvest" are well-penned and executed. In an interview with The Australian, Gillian said the duo struggled with getting the material just right for this album. And got it right they did. Gillian returns to her cowgirl-boots-in-a-daisy-field folk, dark lyrics and melodies with just enough melancholia to make you feel good.

Gone are the drums that adorned her previous album, "Soul Journey," (the drum work on that LP wasn't flashy, but rather curiously echoed the plodding snare thumps found on Neil Young's "Harvest.")

Standout tracks include "Dark Turn of Mind" and "Down Along the Dixie Line." But the whole album flows and is best enjoyed in its entirety, in solitude.

"The Harrow & the Harvest" is a must-have for Gillian Welch fans.

If you're new to her, this is a great starting point. But there's no need to tell you to explore her back catalog. After hearing this, you will.

1. "Scarlet Town" 3:38
2. "Dark Turn of Mind" 4:07
3. "The Way It Will Be" 4:47
4. "The Way It Goes" 4:01
5. "Tennessee" 6:35
6. "Down Along the Dixie Line" 4:49
7. "Six White Horses" 3:38
8. "Hard Times" 4:52
9. "Silver Dagger" 3:23
10. "The Way the Whole Thing Ends" 6:11

 

[Dennie]

Motorcycle Cowboy - Live at Billy Bob's Texas -- CD

Merle Haggard

2000 Smith Music Group

As Advertised: "The Ultimate 'Hag' Album", March 4, 2005
By Brent A. Anthonisen "Johnny Sideburns" (Alpharetta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Live at Billy Bob's Texas (Audio CD)

Considering how long Merle Haggard has been not only a recording artist but an absolute GIANT in the industry it's really surprising that there aren't a lot more live compilations of his work out there.

This one's been around for a few years and as a career retrospective/greatest hits/REALLY WELL-RECORDED live set it is awfully hard to beat, especially on a single disc. I'd have to short-list this as one of the concerts throughout the history of music I would have really loved to have attended.

Whether you enjoy crying in your beer or just drinkin' it, Merle has got you covered in "The World's Largest Honky-Tonk", Billy Bob's of Texas. The crowd is obviously into it, the band is absolutely sharp as a tack, and Merle's sixty-something year-old whiskey-aged voice has never sounded better. The overall sound mix is terrific; all instruments are heard clearly and the lead/back-up vocal arrangements are superb. This has to have been one of the best concerts the man has ever played.

The songs themselves are a primer to country music history, and certainly offer as good an introduction to Hag's work as anyone could hope for. Possibly the only standard missing in this set is "The Fightin' Side Of Me", but with "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink", "Workin' Man Blues", "Silver Wings", "Swinging Doors", "The Bottle Let Me Down", "Misery & Gin" (notice a pattern here?), "The Emptiest Arms In The World", "Mama Tried", "Today I Started Loving You Again", "Okie From Muskogee" (of course), "Big City", and "If We Make It Through December" (the song most responsible for getting me through my own layoff in 2003), you get a reall phenomenal collection of music played with a vibrancy that frankly studio recordings (even Hag's) just don't seem to pull off.

Just an incredible set...see this guy live if you get half a chance; if you can't see him, but this CD. Any country music or Southern Rock fan needs to own this. Anyone who was ever remotely curious as to why Merle Haggard is as well-regarded as he is needs only to listen to this CD once to understand completely.

Misery & Gin
I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink
Workin' Man Blues
Silver Wings
Swinging Doors
That's The Way Love Goes
The Bottle Let Me Down
Ramblin' Fever
The Emptiest Arms In The World
Mama Tried
Hungry Eyes
Medley: Motorcycle Cowboy / Blue Yodel #13
If We Make It Through December
Are the Good Times Really Over
Okie From Muskogee
Big City
Ida Red
Today I Started Loving You Again

 

[Dennie]

(Live) At The Ryman -- CD

Emmylou Harris and The Nash Ramblers

1992 Reprise Records

Amazon.com essential recording

While live recordings can be treasured mementos for those who were present at the show, they're often substandard versions of favorite material. The live At the Ryman avoids this by covering the material of artists who've influenced Harris's music, rather than concentrating on her own hits. From Steve Earle and Bill Monroe to the Everly Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival, her choices are solid and sometimes unexpected (Bruce Springsteen). Harris's love of the music--and appreciation for the audience--shines through in these performances. The songs may have been done better elsewhere (most notably by the songwriters) and Emmy's delivery is at times uneven (as with any live performance), but the talented, fun-loving, all-acoustic Nash Ramblers do much to compensate. --Alexandra Russell

"Guitar Town" (Steve Earle) – 2:56
"Half as Much" (Curley Williams) – 3:00
"Cattle Call" (Tex Owens) – 3:11
"Guess Things Happen That Way" (Jack Clement) – 2:25
"Hard Times" (Stephen Foster) – 3:25
"Mansion on the Hill" (Bruce Springsteen) – 4:25
"Scotland" (Bill Monroe) – 2:57
"Montana Cowgirl" (Ray Park) – 3:08
"Like Strangers" (Boudleaux Bryant) – 4:56
"Lodi" (John Fogerty) – 3:06
"Calling My Children Home" (Doyle Lawson/Charles Waller/Robert Yates) – 3:14
"If I Could Be There" (Kieran Kane/Jamie O'Hara) – 3:30
"Walls of Time" (Bill Monroe/Peter Rowan) – 4:45
"Get Up John" (Bill Monroe/Marty Stuart/Jerry Sullivan) – 4:25
"It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go/Abraham, Martin and John" (Nanci Griffith/Richard Holler)/(Richard Holler) – 7:07
"Smoke Along the Track" (Alan Rose) – 4:16


The Nash Ramblers:

Sam Bush – Fiddle, mandolin and vocals
Roy Huskey, Jr. – Double bass and vocals
Larry Atamanuik – Drums
Al Perkins – Banjo, guitar, resonator guitar and vocals
John Randall Stewart – Guitar, mandolin and vocals

 

[Botch]

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening...

Lifeline -- CD

Iris DeMent

2004 Flariella Records

Amazon.com

Although there's only one new original on Iris DeMent's first release in eight years, the music throughout ranks with the most personal she has made. DeMent's quavering vocals invest this collection of traditional spirituals with an unwavering conviction. "This is my story," she sings on "Blessed Assurance," written more than 130 years ago. "This is my song." In her liner notes, the Arkansas-raised artist explains how these were the first songs she remembers hearing, and that this music has always provided comfort during hard times, a comfort that isn't necessarily (or at least not narrowly) religious. On "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and "God Walks the Dark Hills," DeMent accompanies herself on stately solo piano, and the emotion is as pure as the arrangement is unadorned. On other tracks, DeMent and co-producer Jim Rooney enlist homespun support from kindred spirits such as guitarists Mark Howard and Bo Ramsey and a call-and-response chorus of harmonizers including Stuart Duncan. The self-penned composition, "He Reached Down," is a folkish recasting of the Biblical "Good Samaritan" parable. Even listeners who don't share the faith expressed in these songs will have trouble resisting the unflinching intimacy of the performances. --Don McLeese

"I've Got That Old Time Religion in My Heart" (Milsap) – 3:04
"Blessed Assurance" (Fanny Crosby) – 6:26
"Fill My Way with Love" (Sebren) – 3:02
"Hide Thou Me" (Fanny Crosby) – 5:09
"The Old Gospel Ship" (Traditional) – 3:10
"Sweet Hour of Prayer" (Walford) – 5:09
"That Glad Reunion Day" (Pace) – 2:10
"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" (Hoffman, Showalter) – 2:53
"He Reached Down" (Iris DeMent) – 4:12
"Near the Cross" (Fanny Crosby) – 5:03
"I Never Shall Forget the Day" (Speer) – 2:42
"I Don't Want to Get Adjusted" (Massengale) – 3:38
"God Walks the Dark Hills" (Czarnikow) – 5:23

 

[Dennie]

Soul Journey -- CD

Gillian Welch

2003 Acony Records

Amazon.com

Blessed with a soulful and expressive voice and an innate grasp of the melodies and themes of traditional country music, Gillian Welch has made three beautiful, often brilliant, albums. Yet, one can make the case that she's still searching for her own true artistic voice. Soul Journey brings her ever closer to that elusive goal. After 2001's austere, solemn, at times inscrutable Time (The Revelator), this follow-up finds Welch showing more warmth, ease, and openness as both singer and songwriter. As the title portends, the concept of travel (physical and emotional) is a prevailing thread throughout these 10 tracks; she sings of rolling stones "on the road to sin," travelers on "black highways," girls "running around with the ragtop down" and "at the station rolling slow." These characters, perhaps autobiographical, are simultaneously searching for and running away from their pasts, while soft drums, fiddles, organs, and Dobros add a welcome bit of lightness. With the trusty David Rawlings again at Welch's side, the songwriting and production till the earth between their old-time heroes and more modern troubadours like Townes Van Zandt and Neil Young (both the bucolic strummer and, on the closing "Wrecking Ball," the ragged electric wanderer). For Welch and for us, Soul Journey is yet another fascinating rest stop on the never-ending road to self-discovery. --Marc Greilsamer

"Look at Miss Ohio" (Gillian Welch, David Rawlings) – 4:16
"Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor" (traditional with additional lyrics by Welch) – 2:45
"Wayside/Back in Time" (Welch, Rawlings) – 3:28
"I Had a Real Good Mother and Father" (traditional with additional lyrics by Welch) – 3:14
"One Monkey" (Welch, Rawlings) – 5:36
"No One Knows My Name" (Welch, Rawlings, traditional melody) – 3:16
"Lowlands" (Welch, Rawlings) – 3:19
"One Little Song" (Welch) – 3:12
"I Made a Lovers Prayer" (Welch, Rawlings) – 5:03
"Wrecking Ball" (Welch, Rawlings) – 4:56

 

[Dennie]

O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Soundtrack -- CD

Various Artists

2000 Lost Highway Records

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

The best soundtracks are like movies for the ears, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? joins the likes of Saturday Night Fever and The Harder They Come as cinematic pinnacles of song. The music from the Coen brothers' Depression-era film taps into the source from which the purest strains of country, blues, bluegrass, folk, and gospel music flow. Producer T Bone Burnett enlists the voices of Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, and kindred spirits for performances of traditional material, in arrangements that are either a cappella or feature bare-bones accompaniment. Highlights range from the aching purity of Krauss's "Down to the River to Pray" to the plainspoken faith of the Whites' "Keep on the Sunny Side" to Stanley's chillingly plaintive "O Death." The album's spiritual centerpiece finds Krauss, Welch, and Harris harmonizing on "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby," a gospel lullaby that sounds like a chorus of Appalachian angels. --Don McLeese

1. "Po' Lazarus" traditional James Carter and the Prisoners 4:31
2. "Big Rock Candy Mountain" McClintock Harry McClintock 2:16
3. "You Are My Sunshine" Davis, Mitchell Norman Blake 4:26
4. "Down to the River to Pray" traditional Alison Krauss 2:55
5. "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (radio station version) Burnett Soggy Bottom Boys & Dan Tyminski 3:10
6. "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" James Chris Thomas King 2:42
7. "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (instrumental) Burnett Norman Blake 4:28
8. "Keep On the Sunny Side" Blenkhorn, Entwisle The Whites 3:33
9. "I'll Fly Away" Brumley Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch 3:57
10. "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby" traditional Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch 1:57
11. "In the Highways" Carter Leah, Sarah, and Hannah Peasall 1:35
12. "I Am Weary, Let Me Rest" Roberts The Cox Family 3:13
13. "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (instrumental) Burnett John Hartford 2:34
14. "O Death" traditional Ralph Stanley 3:19
15. "In the Jailhouse Now" Blind Blake, Rodgers Soggy Bottom Boys & Tim Blake Nelson 3:34
16. "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow" (with band) Burnett Soggy Bottom Boys & Dan Tyminski 4:16
17. "Indian War Whoop" (instrumental) Hoyt Ming John Hartford 1:30
18. "Lonesome Valley" traditional The Fairfield Four 4:07
19. "Angel Band" traditional The Stanley Brothers 2:15
Total length:
61:24

 

[Dennie]

The Roar of '74 -- CD

Buddy Rich

1974/2006 LRC Records

Absolutely Groovy, April 1, 2005
By funkybass (los angeles) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Roar Of '74 (Audio CD)

This is my 5th Buddy Rich CD...probably my favorite thus far. If there are any words I could use to compare this album to the others I've heard, I would use "thick" and "heavy". This album not only showcases Buddy's brilliant horn section recruits, but there are some groovy sounds emanated by the accompanied lead electric guitar (Joe Beck), organ (Buddy Budson), and added percussion (Sam Woodyard) to give it kind of a "Starsky & Hutch" classic 70's wa-wa sound. This ensemble infuses jazz with a rock/funk sound on several tracks (Kilimanjaro Cookout & Big Mac) but still swings harder and louder than anything else I've heard (Nuttville & Time Check). I bought this CD for the latter two tracks mentioned and worth more than what I paid for it alone. I don't have to say much about Buddy's playing because it's nothing short of stellar and I hope that most people understand that anything recorded of this drumming monster goes without saying. This is an essential CD for all Buddy Rich fanatics. Stop wasting time and just buy this album.

LP side A

"Nuttville" (Horace Silver) – 4:47
"Kilimanjaro Cookout" (Manny Albam) – 6:14
"Big Mac" (Ernie Wilkins) – 5:54
"Backwoods Sideman" (John La Barbera) – 4:29

LP side B

"Time Check" (Don Menza) – 3:45
"Prelude to a Kiss" (Duke Ellington, Mack Gordon, Irving Mills) – 3:32
"Waltz of the Mushroom Hunters" (Greg Hopkins) – 7:16
"Senator Sam" (Wilkins) – 4:40

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

Deuces Wild -- CD

B.B. King

1997 MCA Records

This is B.B.'s celebrity duet album, and a straightahead blues album this is not. But longtime fans who are aware of King's genre-stretching capabilities will find much to savor here. Kicking off with B.B. playing some beautiful fills and solo work behind Van Morrison on "If You Love Me," the superstars start lining up to jam with the King, with Tracy Chapman ("The Thrill Is Gone"), Eric Clapton (a funkified "Rock Me Baby"), the Rolling Stones ("Paying the Cost to Be the Boss," with a fine harp solo from Mick Jagger), Willie Nelson (his "Nightlife," long a standard in B.B.'s set list), Bonnie Raitt ("Baby I Love You") and Marty Stuart ("Confessin' the Blues") all turning in fine efforts.

1. If You Love Me - (with Van Morrison)

2. Thrill Is Gone, The - (with Tracy Chapman)

3. Rock Me Baby - (with Eric Clapton)

4. Please Send Me Someone to Love - (with Mick Hucknall)

5. Baby I Love You - (with Bonnie Raitt)

6. Ain't Nobody Home - (with D'Angelo)

7. There Must Be a Better World Somewhere - (with Dr. John)

8. Confessin' the Blues - (with Marty Stuart)

9. Paying the Cost to Be the Boss - (with The Rolling Stones)

10. Dangerous Mood - (with Joe Cocker)

11. Keep It Coming - (with Heavy D)

12. Cryin' Won't Help You - (with David Gilmour/Paul Carrack)

13. Night Life - (with Willie Nelson)

 

[PaulyT]

Listening to this one for the first time now... not bad!
:music-listening:

 

[Rope]

Rope

 

[Rope]

Rope

 

[Dennie]

Sunflower -- CD

Milt Jackson - Herbie Hancock - Freddie Hubbard - Ron Carter - Billy Cobham

1972/1997 CTI/Epic Legacy Edition

Magnificent!, May 4, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Sunflower (Audio CD)

Beware, you WILL be captivated by this album. It is music for the soul. Jay Berliner's guitar gently opens the door to your heart on the first song, "For Someone I Love." Freddie Hubbard and Milt Jackson take it from there. You are taken by the hand and gently led into the remaining venue. Milt Jackson's vibes on "What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life" will make you weep. The entire album blossoms, like a sunflower.

Track Listing
1. For Someone I Love
2. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
3. People Make the World Go Round
4. Sunflower
5. SKJ


17512

 

[Dennie]

At Club "Baby Grand" Wilmington, Deleware Vol. 2 -- CD

The Incredible Jimmy Smith

1956/2008 Blue Note Records

Jimmy Smith in Grand Form at the Baby Grand, July 3, 2008
By Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)


This review is from: Live at the Baby Grand 2 (Audio CD)

Most of the recent Blue Note RVG Edition titles are reissued, remastered titles that simply have been out of print on CD for a time. By contrast, both volumes of Jimmy Smith's "Live at the Baby Grand" have never been available domestically on disc until now, a most welcome release indeed! Recorded on April 4, 1956, in the jazz hotbed (?) of Wilmington, Delaware (my birthplace, BTW), this is the organist at his raw, jaw-dropping best. You really do get the feeling of what those original jazz fans and curiousity seekers must have felt when first going to a Jimmy Smith show -- the Charlie Parker of the organ, let's see what the buzz is all about! While these sessions do a marvelous job of capturing that energy, they also have their shortcomings. In order to get that great live feel, a certain muddiness does come to the forefront at times on certain tunes, particularly when Smith plays those extended left hand chords during his solos, which I have to say get tedious at times -- revolutionary back then, a bit humdrum now. Also make no mistake, this is the Jimmy Smith show, and guitarist Thornel Schwartz and drummer Donald Bailey are simply along for the ride, with minimal contributions and an often distant placement in the mix. And while I'm being critical, let me also mention that each CD logs in at around 45 minutes, just long enough so that these volumes could not be squeezed on to one CD. But still Blue Note should have done something -- released this RVG as a value-priced two-fer, or uncovered some additional bonus tracks in the vaults (come on Cuscuna!) -- to make it more substantial than the original vinyl. However, these are minor quibbles with a set that I am delighted to see back in print.

"Caravan" (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol) - 10:18
"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" (Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster 10:46
"Get Happy" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) - 7:27
"It's Alright with Me" (Cole Porter) - 11:53

Recorded at Club Baby Grand in Wilmington, Delaware on August 4, 1956

Jimmy Smith – organ
Thornel Schwartz - guitar
Donald Bailey – drums

 

[Botch]

Rope

How's the music on this one? That album cover has me captivated...

 

[Dennie]

Decisions -- CD

Wayman Tisdale

1998 Atlantic Records

When Wayman Tisdale was ten-years-old, he lay his hands for the first time on the two items which would eventually determine the dual nature of his life: a basketball and a six string guitar. Sports fans know where the first one led -- to a successful all-star career in the NBA where the 6'9" Tisdale totaled 5,000 rebounds and played for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Smooth jazz enthusiasts who know nothing of his hoop life made his MoJazz albums Power Forward and In the Zone -- recorded during his off-seasons in 1995 and 1996 -- Top Ten hits on the Billboard chart. While those titles gave the impression of an athlete dabbling in a side career, his Atlantic debut Decisions -- recorded as he hung up his Air Jordans after 12 years on the court -- gets down to more serious business. Playing the bass isn't just a hobby anymore. If the guest list at Tisdale's coming out party is any indication, earning the respect of his peers can be crossed off the worry list. Keyboardist Brian Culbertson, for one, proves a melodic soulmate, matching his high ivory tones note for note with Tisdale's plucky, lower register melody on "Breakfast with Tiffany," a bouncy tune that shows Tisdale's remarkable smooth jazz radio savvy. On "Ain't No Lovin'," Tisdale takes the melodic lead with both bass and airy vocals over the subtle intertwining double keyboards of Culbertson (simulating the Rhodes) and Jerome Harmon (Hammond B-3). Tisdale also takes genre stars Gerald Albright, Norman Brown, Everette Harp, Marcus Miller and Marc Antoine downcourt for a little one on one. "The Wiz" does some stylish little double dribbling on a call and response with Albright's sax on "Bass Man" after Albright dances around Brown's crisp, Wesbound licks. Harp's soft soprano melody blends smoothly with Tisdale and Antoine's laid-back acoustic on "Fell in Love," and Antoine challenges the leader to pick up the steel string acoustic and play gingerbread man after the Frenchman's skittery nylon strings on the Latin-flavored "Mexicoco." ~ Jonathan Widran

Track listing

1. Breakfast with Tiffany
2. Bass Man
3. Ain't No Lovin'
4. Mexicoco
5. Fell in Love
6. Ready or Not
7. My Only
8. Sultry Summer
9. African Prince
10. Take the Lord Along with You
11. Louis
12. Miles Away

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening...

Pretzel Logic -- Remastered CD

Steely Dan

1974/1999 ABC/MCA Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Pretzel Logic marked a transition for Steely Dan from a studio-bound rock band producing hits such as "Reeling in the Years" and "Do It Again" to a looser constellation of studio musicians under the direction of songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. That later version of Steely Dan would paint its masterpiece with Aja. Pretzel Logic is much more playful than that, and also jazzier than the albums that came before. The jazz intentions are made perfectly clear on "Parker's Band," a swinging tribute to bebop titan Charlie Parker, and a crafty cover of Duke Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodle-oo." The lyrics displayed their own twisted logic, presenting a tumble of images in search of a unifying principle that most often remained elusive. Steely Dan was that rare act that could work such purposeful obscurity to its advantage: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" was a top-five hit even though nobody had a clue as to what it was about. Or, perhaps, everybody had a clue, but nobody could agree. --John Milward

Side 1

"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" – 4:30
"Night by Night" – 3:36
"Any Major Dude Will Tell You" – 3:05
"Barrytown" – 3:17
"East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" (Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley) – 2:45

Side 2

"Parker's Band" – 2:36
"Through with Buzz" – 1:30
"Pretzel Logic" – 4:28
"With a Gun" – 2:15
"Charlie Freak" – 2:41
"Monkey in Your Soul" – 2:31

 

[heeman]

The Big Brown Truck delivered some new CD's last night, got a chance to listen to most of this one and it is great!

All songs written by Mark Knopfler.

Track Listing

1."5.15 A.M." – 5:54
2."Boom, Like That" – 5:49
3."Sucker Row" – 4:56
4."The Trawlerman's Song" – 5:02
5."Back to Tupelo" – 4:31
6."Our Shangri-La" – 5:41
7."Everybody Pays" – 5:24
8."Song for Sonny Liston" – 5:06
9."Whoop De Doo" – 3:53
10."Postcards from Paraguay" – 4:07
11."All That Matters" – 3:08
12."Stand Up Guy" – 4:32
13."Donegan's Gone" – 3:05
14."Don't Crash the Ambulance" – 5:06