What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

This Is Christmas -- CD

Luther Vandross

1995 Epic Records

Amazon.com

Rather than a do a rehash of many of the obvious traditional tunes that fill special holiday albums by contemporary performers, maestro Luther Vandross opted for the task of creating no fewer than 7 of the 10 tracks included on his 1995 Christmas release. The result is an album that demonstrates why Vandross is still considered the preeminent black male vocalist of close to two decades: as on typical Vandross recordings, the production is crisp and strong and the vocals are flawless. As usual, he employs the cream of musicians and background vocalists (including the inimitable Cissy Houston and Darlene Love, who is featured on the Motown-like duet "I Listen to the Bells")--the perfect backdrop for Vandross's distinctive sound, exemplified on the standout title track. "The Mistle Toe Jam" has the party-like feel of Vandross sides like "Bad Boy" and the more recent "Nights in Harlem," while "Every Year, Every Christmas" (cowritten with Richard Marx) is a soulful slow jam. A surprising reading of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "My Favorite Things" shows that if Vandross ever chose to, he could easily do a fine album of jazz standards, while "O Come All Ye Faithful" (featuring an all-star choir that includes Valerie Simpson) is given the album's most traditional reading. Standouts include the gorgeous "Please Come Home for Christmas" and the almost funky "A Kiss for Christmas." Easily one of the best Christmas albums around. --David Nathan

1. "With a Christmas Heart" Luther Vandross, Skip Anderson 4:04
2. "This Is Christmas" Vandross, Reed Vertelney 4:45
3. "The Mistletoe Jam (Everybody Kiss Somebody)" Vandross, Ivan Hampden 4:45
4. "Every Year, Every Christmas" Vandross, Richard Marx 5:06
5. "My Favorite Things" Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II 5:58
6. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane 5:05
7. "I Listen to the Bells (with Darlene Love)" Vandross, Fonzi Thornton 6:07
8. "Please Come Home for Christmas" Vandross, Anderson 3:37
9. "A Kiss for Christmas" Vandross, Hampden 4:12
10. "O' Come All Ye Faithful" John Francis Wade, Frederick Oakeley 4:19

 

[Dennie]

R n R -- CD

Rick Braun & Richard Elliot

2007 ARTizen Music Group

Editorial Reviews

When Rick Braun and Richard Elliot decided to start ARTizen Music Group it was a pretty fair bet collaboration would be on the boards. After all, Rick's best-selling release to date is his collaboration with Boney James (Shake It Up). Richard had toured with Rick numerous times yet hadn't a real studio long-player to share credits with. Nonetheless, for these two stars it had to be perfect. Almost three years later and over half a dozen releases on their label that time had come. The planets aligned and they began writing and recording their own record together. There is an implicit pun evoked in naming this release. The consistent stumbling block to recording together was variously their own records, a tour, someone else's record - never mind having a life. So when they found some time for R(est) n R(elaxtion) - what do they do? They make a record. True to it's namesake, R n R is all about fun.

 

[topper]

Track Listing ~
1. The Sky Is Crying
2. Soulful Dress
3. Don't Stop By the Creek, Son
4. Miami Strut
5. Na-Na-Ne-Na-Nay
6. Goin' Down
7. Oreo Cookie Blues
8. On the Run
9. Albert's Shuffle
10. Change It
11. You Can Have My Husband
12. Texas Flood
13. Pipeline
14. Let's Dance

 

[Dennie]

Guitar Noir -- CD

Steve Hackett

1999 Snapper Records (Import England)


Hackett has returned to the winning sounds of HIGHLY STRUNG and DEFECTOR to kick off his '90s "comeback." GUITAR NOIR resonates with some of his best playing in years and collects not only an able backing band but also a variety of different songs and styles. There are the synth-rockers "Lost in Your Eyes" and "Vampyre With a Healthy Appetite," the cascading "Take These Pearls," and even some darker, more adventurous numbers such as "Dark As the Grave" and "In the Heart of the City."
The one common denominator is Hackett's chameleon-like ability to alter his guitarists' persona at will--from gentle, acoustic-inflected balladry to raw searing leads and dense electronic cavalcades. His status as a cult figure certainly isn't in danger of being tarnished; GUITAR NOIR bears both the fruit of his salad days with Genesis and the development of his solo career--an embodiment of styles he's refined by keeping a keen eye upon avenues yet unexplored.

Track listing

1. Sierra Quemada
2. Take These Pearls
3. There Are Many Sides to the Night
4. In the Heart of the City
5. Dark as the Grave
6. Lost in Your Eyes
7. Little America
8. Like an Arrow
9. Theatre of Sleep
10. Walking Away from Rainbow
11. Paint Your Picture
12. Vampyre With a Healthy Appetite
13. Tristesse
14. Sierra Quemada
15. Take These Pearls
16. In the Heart of the City
17. Vampyre With a Healthy Appetite

 

[Dennie]

Acoustic Christmas - Spirited Holiday Instrumentals -- CD

John Darnall

1994 Regency Records

Track listing

1. Deck the Halls
2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
3. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
4. Angels We Have Heard on High
5. Up on the Housetop
6. Away in a Manger
7. Here We Come a-Caroling
8. O Christmas Tree
9. Bring a Torch Jeannette Isabella
10. Over the River and Through the Woods

 

[Dennie]

For The Holidays -- CD

Various Artists

2002 Decca Records

 

[Dennie]

Ricochet -- CD

Richard Elliot

2003 GRP Records

Great album!!!, July 21, 2003
By Russell Nielsen (Aurora, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ricochet (Audio CD)

I just bought this album a week ago and was really anxious to start listening to it. I love his upbeat sax and the wonderful backround keyboards. This is an album you can play over and over again and never get sick of it. He always finds a way to entertain you and since 5 out of the 10 songs are hits this is an album you won't want to miss. I have never heard Richard Elliot's music before but as soon as I bought this album I immediately fell in love with it. I hope he comes out with more albums like this in the future!!!

Track Listing
1. Corner Pocket
2. Ricochet
3. Rendezvous
4. Sweet Memories
5. So Good
6. Seven Sacred Pools
7. Slam
8. You Make Me Feel Brand New
9. Sake For Two
10. Sly

 

[Dennie]

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy -- CD

Sarah McLachlan

1993 Arista Records

Essential, April 27, 2010
By TeaDragon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Audio CD)

Everyone should be exposed to this album in young adulthood. You should just give it to every young woman you know who doesn't already have a copy as she heads off to college. Amazingly, at the same time, Sarah is beloved by some of the men I know who never listen to other female artists. Quite a feat for a musical artist.

1 Fumbling Towards Ecstasy also includes a hidden track after the song has finished: "Possession" (solo piano version)
1. "Possession" Sarah McLachlan 4:39
2. "Wait" McLachlan 4:09
3. "Plenty" McLachlan 4:05
4. "Good Enough" McLachlan 5:03
5. "Mary" McLachlan 3:55
6. "Elsewhere" McLachlan 4:44
7. "Circle" McLachlan 3:43
8. "Ice" McLachlan 3:54
9. "Hold On" McLachlan 4:09
10. "Ice Cream" McLachlan 2:44
11. "Fear" McLachlan 3:59
12. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" (1) McLachlan, Pierre Marchand 9:49

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

Surrender -- CD

Jonathan Butler

2002 Warner Bros. Records

A Wonderful Way To Start The Day, September 25, 2002
By Tawana Hawkins (Akron, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Surrender (Audio CD)

This is the cd that starts my day each morning. I read a review about it somewhere and decided to give it a listen. Only very special cd's get the honor of being the wake up call. A wonderful balance of instrumental and vocals make for the best of both worlds. I agree with the other reviewer who said "Take Me Back" is her favorite. It is mine also. I particularly enjoyed the collaboration between Jonathan and Boney James on Surrender. It's a beautiful selection and they complement each other wonderfully. I've always enjoyed his instrumentation and this is no exception. This would be a wonderful addition to any smooth jazz collection. The spiritual theme this cd resonates also makes for a very special musical experience. A job well done!

Track Listing
1. This Is Love
2. Pata Pata - (African Languages)
3. Surrender - (featuring Boney James)
4. Take Me Back
5. Wake Up
6. Thoughts of You
7. Back to Love
8. River of Life
9. Many Faces
10. African Moon

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music.....

Wreck of The Day -- CD

Anna Nalick

2005 Columbia Records

Amazon.com

Twenty-year-old Anna Nalick is the rare artist who makes you want to grab pop music's wheels by the spokes so they'll stop spinning so fast. "Wait," the 11 songs on this debut disc say collectively to the newly initiated, "there's something substantial here." An onslaught of substance is more what it feels like, actually, and it grabs hold early. Though each of these songs is distinctive enough to avoid congealing with the others into a gorgeous glop of introspection, heavy sighs, and reflection, leadoff track and first single "Breathe (2 A.M.)" works small wonders as a flagship song. Its simple, lonely piano swirls into guitars that stop just short of rocking, allowing plenty of room for Nalick's unaffected voice to spill in. When it does, the music turns forest-thick and dreamy--influences run the Tori Amos indie singer-songwriter gamut, with streaks of Jewel and Alanis Morissette spiking out--but there's a naturalness and urgency to her singing that saves every chorus and verse from clouding over. Now that she's cautiously alighted into pop territory, sophisticated listeners will do well to dust off their welcome mats. --Tammy La Gorce

"Breathe (2 AM)" – 4:39
"Citadel" – 2:46
"Paper Bag" – 3:27
"Wreck of the Day" – 4:05
"Satellite" – 3:57
"Forever Love (Digame)" – 3:19
"In The Rough" – 4:02
"In My Head" – 4:04
"Bleed" – 3:57
"Catalyst" – 3:34
"Consider This" – 3:34

 

[Dennie]

Flowers and Stones -- CD

Peter Paul and Mary

1990 Gold Castle Records

Proud... poignant and fun!, October 24, 2002
By Michael Meredith (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Flowers & Stones (Audio CD)

I'd be tempted to recommend this for no other reason than the performances of "It Ain't Me Babe" and "I Shall Be Released" but there is much, much more. Peter, Paul and Mary's voices blend in ways that perfectly underscore the term "synergy." They remain true to their folk roots with lesser-known pieces like "Golden Vanity" and "Listen Mr. Bilbo", never disguising their passion for a better world.

As in their live concerts, this also provides each performer an opportunity to shine in a solo effort that's particularly reflective of their individual personalities. The passion and poignancy of Mary Traver's voice has never been better than in her rendering of "No Man's Land". Noel Paul Stookey makes us laugh with "Yuppies in the Sky" and beam with "Danny's Downs". Okay, maybe Peter Yarrow gets just a little too preachy on "With Your Face to the Wind" but his "Fair Ireland" should be required listening for anyone who has wondered about "the troubles" in that wonderful land.

I wore out my audio cassette of this album, and jumped at the opportunity to own it on CD. Don't miss out.

Track Listing
1. All Mixed Up
2. It Ain't Me Babe
3. Golden Vanity
4. Listen, Mr. Bilbo (Mr. Bigot)
5. No Man's Land
6. Danny's Downs
7. With Your Face to the Wind (Harriet's Song)
8. Yuppies in the Sky
9. Coming of the Roads
10. Dodi Li
11. Love in You, The
12. Fair Ireland
13. Last Thing on My Mind, The
14. I Shall Be Released

 

[Dennie]

Paper Airplane -- CD

Alison Krauss & Union Station

2011 Rounder Records

A truly breathtaking collection of 11 exquisite songs, Paper Airplane is Alison Krauss' 14th album and the band's follow-up to 2004's triple Grammy® winning Lonely Runs Both Ways (Rounder). It is Krauss' first release since her 2007 internationally acclaimed, multi-platinum collaboration with Robert Plant, Raising Sand, which won six Grammys including "Record Of The Year" and "Album Of The Year."

Alison Krauss and Union Station features the talents of Krauss (fiddle and lead vocals), Dan Tyminski (guitar, mandolin and lead vocals), Barry Bales (bass and harmony vocals), Ron Block (banjo, guitar and harmony vocals), and Jerry Douglas (Dobro and harmony vocals). Paper Airplane was produced by the band and recorded in Nashville with engineer Mike Shipley (Maroon 5, The Cars, Def Leppard, Joni Mitchell). As bluegrass virtuosos the members of Union Station are beyond compare, and the music they create together transcends all genres. Their work on films such as Cold Mountain and O Brother, Where Art Thou? has contributed immeasurably to a renaissance of American roots music.

Part of Alison Krauss' incontestable talent is how effortlessly she bridges the gap between roots music and country, rock and pop. A highly sought-after collaborator, Krauss has worked with some of the biggest names in popular music, including James Taylor, Phish, Dolly Parton, Yo Yo Ma & Bonnie Raitt. Since signing with Rounder Records at the age of 14 in 1985 Krauss has sold in excess of 12 million albums and garnered 26 Grammy® Awards, the most for any female and the third most of any recording artist in Grammy® history.

1. "Paper Airplane" Robert Lee Castleman 3:36
2. "Dustbowl Children" Peter Rowan 3:06
3. "Lie Awake" Viktor Krauss, Angel Snow 3:55
4. "Lay My Burden Down" Aoife O'Donovan 3:52
5. "My Love Follows You Where You Go" Barry Dean, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose 4:03
6. "Dimming of the Day" Richard Thompson 5:20
7. "On the Outside Looking In" Tim O'Brien 3:35
8. "Miles to Go" Barry Bales, Chris Stapleton 2:54
9. "Sinking Stone" Jeremy Lister 4:42
10. "Bonita and Bill Butler" Sidney Cox 4:03
11. "My Opening Farewell" Jackson Browne 4:08
Total length:
43:15

 

[Dennie]

Come Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas -- CD

Mary Chapin Carpenter

2008 Zoe Records

This is a Christmas album worth listening to all year long. When Mary Chapin Carpenter set out to create Come Darkness, Come Light, she took a far different approach to recording a holiday album than most artists do. Rather than simply lending her voice to time-worn Christmas standards, Mary Chapin wrote her own set of heartfelt songs which explore the many meanings and emotions that Christmas evokes in each of us. These songs, mixed with a few hand-picked gems from other writers and rarely heard traditional tunes, will speak directly to the hearts of all Mary Chapin Carpenter fans. These are not merely holiday songs, they are simply great Mary Chapin Carpenter songs, both warm and intimate.

1. "Once in Royal David's City" Cecil Frances Alexander, Henry John Gauntlett 3:24
2. "Hot Buttered Rum" Tommy Thompson 3:29
3. "Still, Still, Still" Traditional 3:28
4. "On a Quiet Christmas Morn" Robin and Linda Williams 3:52
5. "Come Darkness, Come Light" Mary Chapin Carpenter 4:01
6. "Christmas Time in the City" Carpenter, John Jennings 3:23
7. "Candlelight Carol" John Rutter 4:00
8. "The Longest Night of the Year" Carpenter 3:34
9. "Thanksgiving Song" Carpenter 2:52
10. "Bells Are Ringing" Carpenter, Jennings 3:34
11. "Christmas Carol" Carpenter 5:11
12. "Children, Go Where I Send Thee" Traditional 8:07

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening......

Closer -- CD

David Sanborn

2005 Verve Records

Crossover jazz can be watered down so severely that the jazz gets washed away altogether. Thankfully, there is saxophonist David Sanborn. On CLOSER, Sanborn never goes so far as to take away beautiful jazz harmonies or chordal sophistication. His solos are rooted in the post-bop tradition, and he plays much more than simple pentatonic and blues scales. At the same time, this album is inviting and easy on the ears. Sanborn and company carefully avoid anything that is overly intellectual, or too "outside."The first half of CLOSER is made up of upbeat Latin-funk tunes. This is best exemplified by the sleek montuno "Tin Tin Deo." Later in the disc, Sanborn explores some mellower, darker ballads, with the highlight being "You Must Believe in Spring." On this tune, Sanborn features the delicate guitar work of Russell Malone and the subtle organ comping of Larry Goldings. The most fascinating track on CLOSER, however, is Abdullah Ibrahim's "Capetown Fringe," a song that centers itself on South African rhythms and a wanderlust-evoking melody. On this selection, Gil Goldstein's accordion gives the song a wonderful quirkiness, which provides an excellent counterpoint to the album's more straight-ahead tunes.

Track Listing
1. Tin Tin Deo
2. Senor Blues
3. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
4. Smile
5. Enchantment
6. Ballad of the Sad Young Men
7. Another Time, Another Place
8. Capetown Fringe
9. Poinciana
10. You Must Believe in Spring
11. Sofia

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

A Message From The People -- CD

Ray Charles

1972/2009 Concord Records

Awesome CD, awesome Quality, August 30, 2010
By Edmilson - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Message From the People (Ocrd) (Audio CD)

Since 1980 I had, from my mother belongings, this album on vinyl and It's good to see that the quality of the CD version could keep up with the original Vinyl. About this masterpiece is suffice to say that this album is one of the best I've listened on my whole life and I've listened it through my whole life until now.

Track Listing
1. Lift Every Voice And Sing
2. Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong
3. Heaven Help Us All
4. There'll Be No Peace Without All Men As One
5. Hey Mister
6. What Have They Done To My Song, Ma
7. Abraham, Martin And John
8. Take Me Home, Country Roads
9. Every Saturday Night
10. America The Beautiful

 

[Dennie]

Alive In America -- CD

Steely Dan

1995 Giant Records

What a Find!, April 12, 2007
By Connery "florida boy" (FL, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Alive in America (Audio CD)

I was looking around in a used music shop for some Donald Fagan albums a couple of months ago when I happened upon this little gem. Being a devoted Steely Dan fan, I decided to give it a try, and boy am I glad I did. I've now listened to it a number of times and it just gets better every time I hear it. That cool, jazzy sound that is inevitably Steely Dan is wonderfully accomodating for a live album such as this, with subtle variations on old favorites like "Reelin' In The Years", and a delightfully spontaneous drum solo in "Josie". Steely Dan generates a cool energy for this live album, and Walter Becker proves that Fagen is not the only one who can tear the roof off the sucker in his vocal performance of "Book Of Liars", my personal favorite.
This album is not just for the hardcore Steely Dan listeners. I would recomend it to anyone brand new to the funky, arcanic world of Steely Dan. And for those who already own every album, well, you can never have too much Steely Dan. A welcome new addition to any collection.

All songs by Becker and Fagen, except where noted

"Babylon Sisters" – 6:47
"Green Earrings" – 5:20
"Bodhisattva" – 5:47
"Reelin' In the Years" – 6:24
"Josie" – 6:12
"Book of Liars" (Walter Becker) – 4:19
"Peg" – 4:19
"Third World Man" – 6:38
"Kid Charlemagne" – 5:16
"Sign in Stranger" – 6:34
"Aja" – 9:00

 

[Dennie]

Stayin' Live.... :happy-partydance:

At Carnegie Hall -- CD

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane

1957/2005 Blue Note Records

Amazon.com

Every year sees a crop of newly found jazz gems, but rarely are listeners treated to anything as special as this 1957 concert recording of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, which was accidentally discovered in an unmarked box by a Library of Congress engineer early in 2005. Until now, fans could only dream of hearing these two immortals play together beyond the three studio tracks they left behind. But here they are, hitting their stride at an all-star benefit concert, basking in the chemistry they had developed in Monk's quartet during the preceding weeks at New York's Five Spot. Coltrane's playing is a revelation. He's both an inspired accompanist and a galvanizing soloist, taking the music to new heights with his bold, brilliantly challenging, and sometimes jaw-dropping phrases, note clusters, and blasts of power. Sharing with Coltrane a newfound sense of freedom following the personal and professional troubles that had plagued them both, Monk is clearly tickled to be in the tenorist's presence, injecting humorous commentaries and otherwise asserting his eccentric genius as a pianist. The material, which was very well recorded by the Voice of America, includes Monk classics like "Epistrophy," "Monk's Moods," and "Evidence," as well as a striking rendition of the standard "Sweet and Lovely." This is music that not only bears repeated listenings, but also demands them--the ultimate definition of a classic. --Lloyd Sachs
Product Description

This never-before heard jazz classic documents one of the most historically important working bands in all of Jazz history, a band that was both short-lived and, until now, thought to be frustratingly under-recorded. The concert, which took place at the famed New York hall on November 29, 1957, was preserved on newly-discovered tapes made by Voice of America for a later radio broadcast that were located at the Library of Congress in Washington DC earlier this year. Blue Note. 2005.

"Monk's Mood" – 7:52
"Evidence" – 4:41
"Crepuscule With Nellie" – 4:26
"Nutty" – 5:03
"Epistrophy" – 4:29
"Bye-Ya" – 6:31
"Sweet & Lovely" – 9:34
"Blue Monk" – 6:31
"Epistrophy" (incomplete) – 2:24

 

[PaulyT]

That's a good one!

 

[Dennie]

Straight Life -- CD

Freddie Hubbard

1971/1997 CTI/Epic Legacy

Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, George Benson and Jack DeJohnette helped this trumpet titan record the 1970 LP that countless critics and fans hold up as Freddie's very best. Leading to his beautiful duet with Benson, Here's That Rainy Day , are epic renditions of Straight Life and Mr. Clean that feature one heroic Hubbard solo after another!

"Straight Life" - 17:30
"Mr. Clean" - 13:37
"Here's That Rainy Day" (Van Heusen, Burke) - 5:17

Personnel

Freddie Hubbard - trumpet, flugelhorn
Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock - electric piano
Ron Carter - bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums
George Benson - guitar
Richard Landrum - drums, percussion
Weldon Irvine - Tabla, Tambourine

 

[Dennie]

That's a good one!

Yes it is. I'd recommend it anyone looking to get into Coltrane or Monk! :handgestures-thumbup:



Dennie :happy-partydance: