What Are You Listening To?

[Rope]

Rope

 

[heeman]

All songs written and composed by Annie Lennox.

Annie Lennox - Bare (2003)

No. Title Length
1. "A Thousand Beautiful Things" 3:07
2. "Pavement Cracks" 5:10
3. "The Hurting Time" 7:32
4. "Honestly" 5:01
5. "Wonderful" 4:17
6. "Bitter Pill" 4:01
7. "Loneliness" 4:01
8. "The Saddest Song I've Got" 4:09
9. "Erased" 4:40
10. "Twisted" 4:12
11. "Oh God (Prayer)" 2:51

 

[Dennie]

Keb' Mo' -- CD

Keb' Mo'

1994 Epic Records

Amazon.com

Every few years, an acoustic guitar player decides he wants to be the next Robert Johnson and endears himself to the blues world--Rory Block, John Hammond Jr., and Taj Mahal have crossed this road in the past. Veteran backup guitarist Kevin "Keb' Mo'" Moore has the freshest approach to pulling it off, turning Johnson's devil-obsessed classics "Come on in My Kitchen" and "Kindhearted Woman Blues" into friendly folk music on this 1994 debut. Unlike many of the great bluesmen, the personable Moore doesn't aspire to be evil or even rebellious; he writes terrific songs (most notably the opening "Every Morning" and "Dirty Low Down and Bad") and performs them with talent and charisma. --Steve Knopper

"Every Morning" - 3:00
"Tell Everybody I Know" - 3:10
"Love Blues" - 3:02 (Moore & Powell)
"Victims of Comfort" - 3:21 (Kimber & Moore)
"Angelina" - 3:47 (Graper & Moore)
"Anybody Seen My Girl?" - 2:56
"She Just Wants to Dance" - 3:29
"Am I Wrong?" - 2:19
"Come on in My Kitchen" - 4:09 (Robert Johnson)
"Dirty, Low Down and Bad" - 3:08
"Don't Try to Explain" - 3:58
"Kindhearted Woman Blues" - 3:29 (Johnson)
"City Boy" - 4:05

 

[Dennie]

Man, these Cats can swing..... bscene-smokingpimp:

Moodswing -- CD

Joshua Redman Quartet

1994 Warner Bros. Records

One of the best at his very best!, August 1, 2002
By Greg Randolph (Johnson City, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mood Swing (Audio CD)

This recording in my opinion is the freshest and finest work that Joshua Redman has produced. Considering that the band make-up of Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade are three of the baddest young jazz musicians today, they have also become major band leaders in their own right. I think this was the recording that set them all on their way. The songs vary from melodic to sonically intense. McBride and Blade blaze a rhythmic trail followed by the creative yet subtle piano stylings of Mehldau, all giving way to the superior improvisational skills of Redman. The songs seem almost lyrical in their expression. Whether you are a Joshua Redman fan, or someone who has never experienced his music before, this is the beginning (although he had two prior quality releases prior) of the spectacular career of one of the finest tenor sax players of these times...

"Sweet Sorrow"
"Chill"
"Rejoice"
"Faith"
"Alone in the Morning"
"Mischief"
"Dialogue"
"The Oneness of Two (In Three)"
"Past in the Present"
"Obsession"
"Headin' Home"

Joshua Redman – saxophone
Brad Mehldau – piano
Christian McBride – double bass
Brian Blade – drums

 

[Botch]

Man, these Cats can swing..... bscene-smokingpimp:

Moodswing -- CD

Joshua Redman Quartet

Smokin' disk! :text-bravo: :text-bravo: :text-bravo:

 

[Dennie]

Guitar On The Go -- CD

Wes Montgomery Trio

1963/1990 Riverside/OJC -Fantasy Records

Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1990, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley).

Wes Montgomery's last record for Riverside found him the company of organist Mel Rhyne, with whom he had cut his first album for that label just four years earlier. In fact, GUITAR ON THE GO includes a Rhyne/Montgomery take from 1959: the original "Missile Blues," named for the lounge in Indianapolis where Montgomery had worked a steady gig before the jazz world discovered him. The guitarist clearly loved to play the blues, and this set includes two more, "Geno" and "Fried Pies."

In true reissue fashion GUITAR ON THE GO includes previously unreleased material. In this case that material is pretty noteworthy: an unidentified solo tune which Riverside producer Orrin Keepnews claims was one of only two such solos to be recorded for the label (the other was "While We're Young" on SO MUCH GUITAR). It's a beautiful, reflective closer to the album and to Montgomery's Riverside period. From 1964 until his premature death Montgomery would record a variety of more arranged and orchestrated albums with Creed Taylor (a notable exception being the live SMOKIN' AT THE HALF NOTE set), but in 1963 he was still just burning it up with small combos such as this.

Recorded in New York, New York in 1959 and 1963. Originally released on Riverside (9494). Includes original liner notes by Bob Messinger.

Personnel: Wes Montgomery (guitar); Melvin Rhyne (organ); George Brown , Jimmy Cobb , Paul Parker (drums).

"The Way You Look Tonight" [Alternate take] (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields) – 5:48
"The Way You Look Tonight" (Kern, Fields) – 9:08
"Dreamsville" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Henry Mancini) – 3:48
"Geno" (Wes Montgomery) – 2:53
"Missile Blues" (Montgomery) – 5:57
"For All We Know" (J. Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis) – 4:29
"Fried Pies" (Montgomery) – 6:41
"Unidentified Solo Guitar" (Montgomery) – 3:37 Bonus Track

 

[Dennie]

The World Is A Ghetto -- CD

War

1972/1992 Avenue Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Best known for its distinctive fusion of Latin-flavored jazz, funk, rock, and soul, War was unquestionably one of the most successful fusion bands to emerge in the early '70s. Initially working with Eric Burdon, former lead singer with the British '60s band the Animals, the seven-member team enjoyed a commercial breakthrough with 1971's "All Day Music." The follow-up, The World Is a Ghetto took War mainstream thanks to the crossover success of the title track, a top 10 pop and R&B smash as 1972 became 1973. Cuts like the 13-minute-plus jazz-flavored adventure known as "City, Country, City" alongside the witty "Where Was You At" and the eerie "Four Cornered Room" were standouts on the six-track album. But it was the immediacy of the No. 2 pop single "The Cisco Kid," with its catchy hook that helped give the band a chart-topping No. 1 gold-selling album in 1973, arguably the best representation of its work as groove pioneers of the day. --David Nathan

Side one

"The Cisco Kid" – 4:35
"Where Was You At" – 3:25
"City, Country, City" – 13:18

Side two

"Four Cornered Room" – 8:30
"The World Is a Ghetto" – 10:10
"Beetles in the Bog" – 3:51

 

[Dennie]

The Sermon -- CD

Jimmy Smith

1958/2000 Blue Note Records

"The Sermon" Answers Our Prayers, September 20, 2000
By Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Sermon (Audio CD)

"The Sermon" is Jimmy Smith's best album bar none. Restored to the catalog with the RVG series, hopefully this most classic of jazz organ albums will never go out of print again. An amazing array of musicians joins Smith on this session, including Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Lou Donaldson, the under-recognized genius Tina Brooks, Kenny Burrell and Donald Bailey. Buyers should be aware that this RVG version differs drastically from the original CD issue. Gone are the wonderful bonus tracks "S' Wonderful," "Blue Room," "Lover Man," "Confirmation" and "Au Private." Instead, the RVG edition matches the original vinyl sequencing -- the tracks are "The Sermon," "J.O.S." and "Flamingo." The disc is still terrific since the classic title-track, "The Sermon," which clocks in at more than twenty minutes, is one of jazz's great extended compositions, even if it is only a fiery jam session and not an avant-garde flight. Simply because of this song, "The Sermon" deserves a place in any jazz collection, beginner or advanced. The fact that the RVG reissue has cleaned up some of the slight muddiness and low-end organ distortion of the original disc, is all the more reason to buy this fantastic album. With that being said, I'm still holding on to my original CD for those five bonus cuts. Hopefully they will be reissued with improved sound at a later date.

"The Sermon" – 20:12
"J.O.S." – 11:56
"Flamingo" – 8:02

:bow-blue: ...................

Jimmy Smith - organ
Lee Morgan - trumpet
Lou Donaldson - alto saxophone on "The Sermon"
George Coleman - alto saxophone on "J.O.S."
Tina Brooks - tenor saxophone on "The Sermon"
Kenny Burrell - guitar on "The Sermon" and "Flamingo"
Eddie McFadden - guitar on "J.O.S."
Art Blakey - drums on "The Sermon" and "Flamingo"
Donald Bailey - drums on "J.O.S."

 

[Dennie]

Goin' Out of My Head -- CD

Wes Montgomery

1965/2007 Verve Records

Amazing drums/guitar, December 24, 2011
By Ken Takaoka - See all my reviews
This review is from: Goin Out of My Head (Reis) (Rstr) (Dig) (Audio CD)

I am a musician and I read a fair amount of jazz journalism. I am perpetually amazed that jazz listeners, especially drummers, and critics have not noted how amazing this recording is.
Chim Chim Cherie is quite simply a classic. Wes and the drummer just BURN through the solo section of this tune. I would go so far as to say that this solo (really a duet)is one of the best examples of modern interactive drumming on record anywhere, by anybody, almost on the level of Coltrane/Elvin, Miles/Tony Williams interaction, but in a more mainstream vein. The energy, creativity and interaction displayed here is phenomenal. I assume the drummer is Grady Tate (Sol Gubin is also credited on the session) since I have heard him play almost as intensely on other recordings (check out Stan Getz's "Sweet Rain" and Oliver Nelson's "Sound Pieces"). The band just tears through all the charts on the record. The crack NY sessioners are clearly having a great time playing great charts by Oliver Nelson. This simply has to be considered a classic.

"Goin' Out of My Head" (Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein) – 2:14
"Morro"(Vinicius De Moraes, Antonio Carlos Jobim) – 4:46
"Boss City" (Wes Montgomery) – 3:46
"Chim Chim Cher-ee" (Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman) (From Disney's Mary Poppins) – 4:51
"Naptown Blues" (Montgomery) – 3:08
"Twisted Blues" (Montgomery) – 4:15
"End of a Love Affair" (Edward Redding) – 3:43
"It Was a Very Good Year" (Ervin Drake) – 3:43
"Golden Earrings" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Victor Young) – 5:14


Wes Montgomery – guitar
Phil Woods – alto sax, clarinet
Bob Ashton – flute, clarinet, saxophone
Romeo Penque – tenor saxophone, piccolo, flute, clarinet, oboe, English horn
Jerry Dodgion – tenor saxophone, piccolo, flute, clarinet
Donald Byrd – trumpet
Ernie Royal – trumpet
Joe Newman – trumpet
Danny Moore – trombone
Jimmy Cleveland – trombone
Quentin Jackson – trombone
Wayne Andre – trombone
Tony Studd – trombone
Herbie Hancock – piano
Roger Kellaway – piano
George Duvivier – bass guitar
Dan Bank – drums
Grady Tate – drums
Candido Camero – congas

Production notes:

Creed Taylor – producer
Oliver Nelson – arranger, conductor
Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
Orrin Keepnews – original liner notes

 

[Dennie]

"Speak No Evil" -- CD

Wayne Shorter

1964/1999 Blue Note Records
Few Albums Can Compare, May 12, 2004
By John Russon (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Speak No Evil (Audio CD)

In the space of only about four years in the mid-1960s, Wayne Shorter put out about 7 albums, any one of which could have revolutionized jazz music. In my view, Speak No Evil is the best of them all (though the competition is incredible). Basically, jazz music entered a new and original phase through Shorter's compositions. In the '30s and '40s, people played swing and then bebop, which were "jazzed up" approaches to standard tunes. The '50s and early '60s saw a period of new jazz composition, and a self-conscious introduction of new styles that were centered around instrumental style rather than around standard tunes. These new styles definitely broke new ground, but they still were mostly built around virtuoso-style improvising that exploited the harmonic possibilities of the chord structure of a song. Though it is obviously indebted to this tradition, Shorter's compositions shifted the focus away from "blowing" and onto the beauty of the compositions. Playing these songs emphasized more the evoking of the appropriate mood and texture rather than just using them as generic platforms for playing the same scales and licks. Basically, these songs invited new forms of exploration--and for that reason they remain some of the most popular songs for contemporary jazz bands to play. This album, Speak No Evil, is a real pleasure to listen to, and that is true the first time and the five-hundredth time. This is one of the tiny handful of albums that can without question be called the greatest in the history of jazz. Everyone should have the pleasure of listening to this album.

(All pieces written by Shorter)

"Witch Hunt" 8:07
"Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum" 5:50
"Dance Cadaverous" 6:45
"Speak No Evil" 8:23
"Infant Eyes" 6:51
"Wild Flower" 6.00
"Dance Cadaverous" (alternate take) 6:35

Track 7 not part of original LP.

---

Freddie Hubbard — trumpet
Wayne Shorter — tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock — piano
Ron Carter — bass
Elvin Jones — drums

 

[Dennie]

Merry Christmas Everyone ........ ccasion-xmas:

The Christmas Song -- CD

Nat King Cole

1963/1990 Capitol Records

First issued in the early 1960s, this collection of musical Christmas cheer is packed full of the smoothly sung, sentimental favorites associated as much with Nat "King" Cole himself as with the season. The singer's performance of "The Christmas Song" is an unforgettable classic reprised here twice, once in an updated version that includes a contemporary vocal from his daughter, Natalie, and also in Cole's original 1946 recording. Other traditional religious favorites like "I Saw Three Ships" and "Away in a Manger" are also featured, in a setting that, with its well-arranged orchestral accompaniment, manages to sound both sophisticated and folksy.

Track Listing
1. Christmas Song, The (Merry Christmas to You)
2. Deck the Hall
3. Adeste Fideles
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
5. O Tannenbaum
6. O Little Town of Bethlehem
7. I Saw Three Ships
8. O Holy Night
9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
10. Cradle in Bethlehem, A
11. Away in a Manger
12. Joy to the World
13. First Noel, The
14. Caroling, Caroling
15. O Come All Ye Faithful
16. Silent Night
17. Nat's Introduction
18. Christmas Song, The (Merry Christmas to You)
19. Nat's Christmas Wishes

 

[Dennie]

A Fresh Aire Christmas - By Chip Davis -- CD

Mannheim Steamroller

1988 American Gramaphone Records

By Steven R. Seim "Steve Seim" (Beaver Dam, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

While the first Mannheim Steamroller "Christmas" album revolutionized contemporary Christmas music, the follow-up, "Fresh Aire Christmas," is Chip Davis' masterpiece. Instead of contrasting sharply with his more traditional interpretations, here the electronic touches and percussion blend in to create a truly unique classical/modern sound. The song selection is also uniformly strong, featuring some of the most beautiful and beloved Christmas favorites.

Together, the first two Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums may be the most musically important Christmas recordings ever released. Like it or not (and this reviewer does), Chip Davis has created some of the most distinctive and instantly recognizable interpretations of Christmas classics. And, for anyone who grew up in the 1980s, even his more questionable efforts will for ever more evoke powerful holiday nostalgia.

If you are one of the 17 people who've never heard this music, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. It is, quite simply, essential Christmas music.

"Hark! the Herald Trumpets Sing"
"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing"
"Veni Veni (O Come, O Come Emmanuel)"
"The Holly and the Ivy"
"Little Drummer Boy"
"Still, Still, Still"
"Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming"
"In Dulci Jubilo"
"Greensleeves"
"Carol of the Bells"
"Traditions of Christmas"
"Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night)"

 

[Dennie]

The Sermon On Exposition Boulevard -- Limited Edition SACD/DVD

Rickie Lee Jones

2007 New West Records

The Sermon On Exposition Boulevard, the new album by Rickie Lee Jones and her first for New West Records, is a beauty: soul-satisfying and sonically unique. Rickie Lee sounds completely tapped in, alive and vital, heading down some mighty interesting roads and discovering new magical essences. Lots of creative sparks here - plenty of them. She sounds like she's going through a transformation throughout the album in a way that's reminiscent of Van Morrison's performances on his classic album Astral Weeks.

This is the Special Edition of Rickie Lee Jones' new CD, Sermon On Exposition Boulevard. It contains an SACD version of the CD, with both a High Resolution Stereo and 5.1 Surround Mix. It includes a bonus DVD with 40 minutes of behind the scenes footage. Also included in this Special Edition are High Resolution MP3s of the entire CD to download to your favorite MP3 player, as well as an expanded booklet with extra photos, artwork and liner notes.

Disc: 1
1. Nobody Knows My Name
2. Gethsemane
3. Falling Up
4. Lamp Of My Body
5. It Hurts
6. Where I Like It Best
7. Tried To Be A Man
8. Circle In The Sand
9. Donkey Ride
10. 7th Day
11. Elvis Cadillac
12. Road To Emmaus
13. I Was There

Disc: 2
1. How It All Began
2. Turn It Down
3. Late Night Song
4. Threat Of The Bomb
5. Tried To Be A Man
6. The Mystery Box
7. It Hurts
8. I Have Another Day
9. Caught Me In It's Ray
10. Haven't Had Anything To Eat Today
11. I Was There
12. Credits Bonus MP3s for download to MP3 player

 

[PaulyT]

 

[Dennie]

 

[Dennie]

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

 

[Dennie]

Have Yourself A Tractors Christmas -- CD

The Tractors

1995 Arista Records

Great fun! Best original Xmas album we've heard in awhile, October 23, 2003
By Scott MacGillivray (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Have Yourself a Tractors Christmas (Audio CD)

My wife and I hadn't heard of The Tractors when we came across this album, but some of the song titles looked promising so we took a chance. I'm pleased to report that the band came through with flying colors.

Some of these tracks suggest a comedy/novelty treatment a la Dr. Demento, but don't be fooled... the sound is really rockin' country-and-western, complete with honky-tonk piano and hard-driving drums. Plenty of good stuff here, and almost all of it original, a real achievement among the usual Christmas reissues and revivals. The blue ribbon goes to "Santa Claus Is Comin' (in a Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train)," an infectious tune that we think you'll play again and again. The close runner-up is The Tractors' remake of Buck Owens's "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy," a newer take on "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." Grab this one for these two cuts alone.

1. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
2. Jingle My Bells
3. The Shelter
4. Rockin' This Christmas
5. Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy
6. Christmas Is Comin'
7. Santa Claus Is Comin' (In A Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train)
8. Baby Wanna Be By You
9. Swingin' Home For Christmas
10. White Christmas
11. The Santa Claus Boogie
12. Silent Night, Christmas Blue

 

[Dennie]

Dead Set -- CD

Grateful Dead

1981/1987 Arista Records

Recorded live at the Warfield Theater, San Francisco, September 25-October 14, 1980 and at Radio City Music Hall, New York City, October 22-31, 1980.

The Grateful Dead required a live setting in order to play at their peak, so they toured incessantly and released many a live record, sometimes even following one with another. And it made sense, because the touring Dead were a work in progress, a constantly evolving experiment. Night after night, they would rework and rediscover their songs in a way that no other band did. On any given night, they could be stellar, inspired, meandering, or downright sloppy--sometimes all four--but on any given night, there was always at least a little bit of that ineffable Dead magic.

DEAD SET was recorded in the fall of 1980 in California and New York. This collection steers clear of the extended twists and turns of a typical Dead show and stays in well-charted, melodic territory. No long space jams here, and only a truncated drum solo. Instead, there are singable crowd favorites like "Fire on the Mountain," "Franklin's Tower," a bunch from the classic AMERICAN BEAUTY ("Friend of the Devil," "Brokedown Palace," "Candyman") and a fiery version of "New Minglewood Blues," a traditional song they covered on their very first record.

"Samson and Delilah" (trad., arr. Bob Weir) – 5:02
"Friend of the Devil" (John Dawson, Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia) – 7:28
"New Minglewood Blues" (trad., arr. Weir) – 4:41
"Deal" (Hunter, Garcia) – 4:36
"Candyman" (Hunter, Garcia) – 7:15
"Little Red Rooster" (Willie Dixon) – 4:31
"Loser" (Hunter, Garcia) – 5:45
"Passenger" (Monk, Phil Lesh) – 3:21
"Feel Like a Stranger" (Barlow, Weir) – 5:41
"Franklin's Tower" (Hunter, Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann) – 5:22
"Rhythm Devils" (Mickey Hart, Kreutzmann) – 4:02
"Space" (Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, Brent Mydland) – 2:29
"Fire on the Mountain" (Hunter, Hart) – 6:30
"Greatest Story Ever Told" (Hunter, Hart, Weir) – 4:04
"Brokedown Palace" (Hunter, Garcia) – 5:42

 

[Dennie]

Jump Back - The Best of The Rolling Stones '71 - '93 -- Remastered 20-Bit CD

The Rolling Stones

1993 Virgin Records

A very effective overview of the Stones' 70s and 80s output, December 28, 2004
By Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jump Back: Best of 71-93 (Audio CD)

"Jump Back" is a very well assembled and reasonably well annotated overview of the Stones' 70s and 80s output. The sound is excellent, and almost everything that the casual fan could want is here. 74 minutes of tough, raunchy rock n' roll, from the gritty "***" and the swaggering "Brown Sugar" to the soulful "Waiting On A Friend" and the ballad "Angie".

This well assembled retrospective really shows the depth of the Stones' collective talents, blending rock n' roll, blues, R&B, and a little bit of country into a distinctive "Stones" sound, anchored by the greatest rhythm guitarist in the business, Keith Richards.
And this is a CD, right? So you can just program out the hideous disco-experimentalism of "Emotional Rescue" and the forgettable "Undercover Of The Night".

Compare this compilation with disc two of "Forty Licks" and you'll find that "Jump Back" blows "Licks" out of the water.
Coupled with "Hot Rocks: 1964-1971" (or the magnificent box set "The London Years"), this album provides the best career overview currently available.
If you don't want to spring for the Stones' original albums, this is the way to go.

Track listing

1. Start Me Up
2. Brown Sugar
3. Harlem Shuffle
4. It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
5. Mixed Emotions
6. Angie
7. Tumbling Dice
8. Fool To Cry
9. Rock And A Hard Place
10. Miss You
11. Hot Stuff
12. Emotional Rescue
13. Respectable
14. Beast Of Burden
15. Waiting On A Friend
16. Wild Horses
17. Bitch
18. Undercover Of The Night

 

[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