What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

In The Dark -- CD

Grateful Dead

1987 Arista Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Hardcore Deadheads always equate this 1987 comeback record with commercial acceptance and a watered-down fan base, but while those assertions are indeed accurate, step back and you'll hear an album full of strong material and equally solid, live-in-the-studio performances. It's more than coincidence that songs such as "Touch of Grey" (the band's only top 10 hit), "Hell in a Bucket," "West L.A. Fadeaway," and "Throwing Stones" all became staples of the Dead's last decade of touring. While longtime fans will probably have no use (or desire) for this release (especially since the CD version omits the brilliant "Brother Esau"), it remains one of the band's most successful studio forays and the quintessential icebreaker for newcomers. --Marc Greilsamer

Side one

"Touch of Grey" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:47
"Hell in a Bucket" (Barlow, Weir) – 5:35
"When Push Comes to Shove" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:05
"West L.A. Fadeaway" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:39

Side two

"Tons of Steel" (Mydland) – 5:15
"Throwing Stones" (Barlow, Weir) – 7:18
"Black Muddy River" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:58
"My Brother Esau" (Barlow, Weir) - 4:20

"My Brother Esau" was omitted from the LP and CD releases of In the Dark, but was included on the cassette and on international releases.

 

[Batman]

Bon Iver: Bon Iver

Whole album is amazing, but love Perth and Holocene especially...

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening.....

Hymns of the 49th parallel -- CD

k.d. lang

2004 Nonesuch Records

Amazon.com

Was it homesickness that compelled longtime Los Angeles resident k.d. lang to fashion her one-woman campaign for north-of-the-border nationalism, or just plain good sense? All Canadian content has long been a mainstay of the Canadian Broadcasting System, but few have selected their material with such a fine hand and a high aesthetic. The expatriate singer has taken great pains to create a sophisticated homage to her Canadian roots, elegantly reinterpreting 11 songs penned by some of her more illustrious countrymen (and women) such as Jane Siberry, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen. The idiosyncratic chanteuse turns Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" into an aching monochromatic lament, exploring new tributaries of pain that didn't exist in the original, while recasting Neil Young's "Helpless" into a haunting anthem of memory and comfort, all the while sounding anything but helpless. A gorgeous love letter to her brethren, complete with an intelligent and understated orchestration. --Jaan Uhelszki

"After the Gold Rush" (Neil Young) – 4:00
"Simple" (Lang, David Piltch) – 3:02
"Helpless" (Neil Young) – 4:15
"A Case of You" (Joni Mitchell) – 5:12
"The Valley" (Jane Siberry) – 5:31
"Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) – 5:01
"One Day I Walk" (Bruce Cockburn) – 3:24
"Fallen" (Ron Sexsmith) – 2:56
"Jericho" (Mitchell) – 3:45
"Bird on the Wire" (Leonard Cohen) – 4:28
"Love is Everything" (Jane Siberry) – 5:43

 

[PaulyT]

Bon Iver: Bon Iver

Whole album is amazing, but love Perth and Holocene especially...

Interesting, never heard of this fellow... sounds good from amazon previews, ordered! (Plus I love this cover art.)

 

[Dennie]

Gaucho -- CD

Steely Dan

1980/2000 MCA Records

Amazon.com

The multiplatinum success of Aja made Steely Dan, the musical conceit of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, a household name. But that prosperity came bundled with a fateful triple-whammy for rock's dyspeptic duo: unrealistic commercial expectations, a critical backlash spawned by punk's nascent mewling, and the long-simmering meltdown of their artistic partnership. But the cool, perfect sheen of 1980's Gaucho tipped its hand to none of it. Ironically, those fashion victims who sniffed up their sleeves at Don and Walt's decadence-tinged Me Decade manifesto couldn't have had a clue that just maybe Gaucho's typically oblique protagonists had uncomfortably blurred from the third-person to the first this time 'round. At least that's what Becker and Fagen hint at in their smart-assed notes to this digitally remastered, definitive edition (all original artwork and printed lyrics restored) of the final album before their 20-year hiatus. Pristine and sonically polished (three years and seven studios worth), time has served Gaucho well. Even its sense of laconic detachment now seems but a logical bridge to the two-decade removed Dan of Two Against Nature. To their credit, Becker and Fagen didn't trash the first half of Steely Dan's legacy on Gaucho, they simply burnished it to oblivion. -Jerry McCulley

Side one

"Babylon Sisters" – 5:49
"Hey Nineteen" – 5:06
"Glamour Profession" – 7:28

Side two

"Gaucho" (Becker, Fagen, Keith Jarrett) – 5:30
"Time Out of Mind" – 4:11
"My Rival" – 4:30
"Third World Man" – 5:18

 

[Dennie]

Nothing Serious -- CD

Roy Hargrove

2006 Verve Records

Amazon.com

Despite the title, this disc--simultaneously released with Distractions, a CD by his neo-soul group, RH Factor--is trumpeter Roy Hargrove's first acoustic jazz recording since 2000 release, Moment to Moment. The leader's full-bodied, bravura tones are as bright and bold as ever, edging more into the stylistic atmosphere once occupied by the former trumpet god, Freddie Hubbard. Hargrove is backed by a quintet featuring ex-Jazz Messenger, pianist Ronnie Matthews, bassist Dwayne Burno, drummer Willie Jones IIII, and alto saxophonist/flutist Justin Robinson. They pull no punches on these no-nonsense tunes, like the Latin-tinged title track, and the John Coltrane/Ornette Coleman-coded "Camaraderie." Special guest Slide Hampton makes his elegant trombone presence felt on his soaring tune, "A Day in Vienna," on the waltzy "Salima's Dance," and the standard, "Invitation." So much for the myth that jazz musicians like Hargrove can't play funk and swing at the same time. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

Track Listing

1. Nothing Serious
2. Day in Vienna, A
3. Trust
4. Camaraderie
5. Devil Eyes
6. Gift, The
7. Salima's Dance
8. Invitation

 

[Dennie]

A Home Far Away -- CD

George Howard

1994 GRP Records

Passionate and Brilliant, October 26, 2005
By Beverly Praiswater - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: A Home Far Away (Audio CD)

George Howard is one of the "forgotten" great sax players. He is often passed over on the smooth jazz stations which is a shame. Perhaps this is due to his untimely death in 1998 at only 41 years old from a brain tumor. His talent brims with passion and inspiration.

The opening number "Miracle" has a very sensuous feel. "You Can Make The Story Right" is a gorgeous and fine number. "No Ordinary Love" has an extraordinary feel and powerful arrangement. George's sax solo is very fine. The title song "A Home Far Away" has a warm Caribbean feel with fascinating rhythms. "Renewal" has a mellow beginning and a scorching build to the ending. This cd still stands the test of time. George Howard's mix of smooth and funky jazz is always great to hear!

 

[Dennie]

Songs From A Secret Garden -- CD

Secret Garden

1996 Phillips Records

Amazon.com

Picture a square with Clannad, pianist David Lanz, Mannheim Steamroller, and the musicians of Riverdance at its corners. Somewhere within those stylistic borders you will encounter the European duo Secret Garden. The popular twosome--Irish violinist Fionnuala (fi-NOO-la) Sherry and Norwegian pianist/keyboardist Rolf Lovland--have attracted a sizable following with their heart-touching specialty: a wistful, violin-rooted, pop-folk-classical melange that often strikes the ear as a film score in search of some delicate romantic tale. Songs from a Secret Garden is the duo's debut recording from 1995, and it principally offers a series of pensive dialogues between Sherry's stately violin and Lovland's subdued piano, yielding equal measures of sweetness and melancholy. Whistles, pipes, percussion, strings, and ethereal voices serve as embellishments. At times you may sense you're being serenaded by strolling musicians with a heavy sentimental streak; at other times you may feel genuinely moved--perhaps by something as lovely as the reverential "Sigma" and its sublime, Gregorian-like choral passages. Only one uptempo tune, "The Rap," surfaces here; a few others would have been welcomed. And yes, this is the disc where you will find "Heartstrings," the composition that once smote Barbra Streisand's heart. She eventually acquired the rights to the piece, inserted lyrics, renamed it "I've Dreamed of You" (found on A Love Like Ours), and sang it to James Brolin during the couple's 1998 wedding. --Terry Wood

1 Nocturne 3:11
2 Pastorale 3:47
3 Song from a Secret Garden 3:32
4 Sigma 3:05
5 Papillon 3:22
6 Serenade to Spring 3:12
7 Atlantia 2:56
8 Heartstrings 3:22
9 Adagio 2:51
10 Rap 2:31
11 Chaconne 3:25
12 Cantoluna 3:29
13 Ode to Simplicity 3:53

 

[jomari]

im still learning more about it, but man, my friend shared her copy of Round Midnight by Linda Ronstadt, and i fell in loev again.

whats the story on this one?

for the meantime, its been an amazing journey. i loved ronstadt of course with blue bayou, but this blows it out of the water.

 

[Dennie]

im still learning more about it, but man, my friend shared her copy of Round Midnight by Linda Ronstadt, and i fell in loev again.

whats the story on this one?

for the meantime, its been an amazing journey. i loved ronstadt of course with blue bayou, but this blows it out of the water.

I agree, this is some of her best work. Whoever hooked her and Nelson Riddle and his orchestra up, was a genius!!

I have all the vinyl and that double CD set you posted. Great Stuff!

Also, look into her "Mexican" work.....

Fantastic and Beautiful work! :bow-blue:



Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Irreplaceable -- CD

George Benson

2004 GRP Records

Thank God I Have My Own Mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!, June 16, 2004
By Raider Jack "Jackie D Gray-Romeyn" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Irreplaceable (Audio CD)

The latest effort by George Benson is a welcome addition after too long an absence. I am so glad I decided not to rely solely on the reviews of others. I actually cannot imagine what was expected here. This is vintage George Benson - tight vocals (and sterling additional vocals from some female vocalists who, while are unkown to me right now, certainly will not stay that way), excellent guitar work, smooth senusal mood, in other words, vintage George Benson.

George Benson has been blending jazz and R&B for decades. When I think hip-hop, I think R&B vocals with additional rap - that is not the case here, thank god....just good singing and excellent playing. If you are a real George Benson fan, you will not be disappointed in the least. His version of Luther's "Take You Out" is festive and while he could certainly have handled vocal chores here, he wisely decided not to but instead transformed this into a wonderful instrumental.

From the sound of some reviewers, it appears this is a futile attempt at meshing hip-hop and jazz...I submit these listeners have not been listening to George since "This Masquerade." If they had, they would have known that there is no departure whatsoever from the formula that brought George to national prominence. But everyone has the right to their opinion. That being said, you should rely totally on your own tastes.

This is quite simply an excellent project and well worth the wait. In my humble estimation, Mr. Benson has not sacrificed his art one iota and presents a clean, fresh, long-overdue smooth jazz project that will be a worthy addition to any smooth jazz collection.

1. Six Play
2. Whole Man
3. Irreplaceable
4. Loving Is Better Than Leaving
5. Strings Of Love
6. Cell Phone
7. Black Rose
8. Stairway To Love
9. Reason For Breathing
10. Missing You

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening (errr Morning)......

Old Places Old Faces -- CD

Joe Sample

1996 Warner Bros. Records

Joe Sample.The former Crusader acquits himself admirably on these ten original compositions. Much of OLD PLACES finds Sample settling comfortably into the niche he knows best: laid-back, West Coast groove-jazz. Sample is such a master of the style, though, that the tunes never sound tired or stale. He has the uncommon ability to suggest kinetic energy without relinquishing his easy, in-the-pocket feel.Sample's accomplices in rhythm, bassist Jay Arden and drummer Ralph Penland, are with him every step of the way, providing graceful, muted colors to complement his warm melody lines. Percussionist Lenny Castro and tenor sax legend Charles Lloyd provide some contrast, contributing a few waves to the otherwise calm waters. Sample is a gifted melodist, capable of conjuring a variety of musical images. This is especially apparent in "Miles Of Blue (Blue Miles)," his evocation of the seminal trumpeter's cool period. Throughout OLD PLACES, Sample lets his eloquent musicality do the talking.

Track Listing
1. Free Yourself
2. Black and White (As Simple As)
3. Clifton's Gold
4. Old Places Old Faces
5. Tones for Ben
6. Hippies on a Corner
7. Souly Creole
8. First Love
9. Miles of Blue (Blue Miles)
10. Angels on My Mind

 

[heeman]

All songs written by Loeb except where noted.

"I Do" – 3:39
"Falling in Love" – 4:05
"Truthfully" – 2:58
"Let's Forget About It" (Loeb, Juan Patino) – 2:43
"How" – 3:49
"Furious Rose" – 3:22
"Wishing Heart" – 2:52
"Dance with the Angels" – 3:38
"Jake" – 3:03
"This" – 3:28
"Split Second" – 2:37
"Firecracker" – 5:43

 

[heeman]

All lyrics and music by Paula Cole

"Tiger" – 4:18
"Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" – 4:26
"Throwing Stones" – 3:47
"Carmen" – 3:42
"Mississippi" – 5:06
"Nietzsche's Eyes" – 5:31
"Road to Dead" – 3:41
"Me" – 5:00
"Feelin' Love" – 5:38
"Hush, Hush, Hush" (featuring Peter Gabriel) – 4:22
"I Don't Want to Wait" – 5:19

 

[heeman]

All songs written and composed by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
No. Title Length
1. "By the Way" 3:37
2. "Universally Speaking" 4:19
3. "This Is the Place" 4:17
4. "Dosed" 5:12
5. "Don't Forget Me" 4:37
6. "The Zephyr Song" 3:52
7. "Can't Stop" 4:29
8. "I Could Die for You" 3:13
9. "Midnight" 4:55
10. "Throw Away Your Television" 3:44
11. "Cabron" 3:38
12. "Tear" 5:17
13. "On Mercury" 3:28
14. "Minor Thing" 3:37
15. "Warm Tape" 4:16
16. "Venice Queen" 6:07
Total length: 68:46

 

[Dennie]

Did You Feel That? -- CD

Joe Sample and The Soul Committee

1994 Warner Bros. Records

When fusion began to take off in the '70s, Joe Sample and company dropped the Jazz from their name and settled in L.A. as The Crusaders, going on to record several richly satisfying jazz-funk albums, before crossing over into pop on the strength of their hit single "Street Life."

DID YOU FEEL THAT? features one of his best bands (The Soul Committee) and some of his best writing since the Crusaders' SOUTHERN COMFORT. In Steve Gadd, Sample's teamed with a drummer who can swing as good as he funks, while trumpeter Oscar Brashear and tenor saxophonist Joel Peskin provide sharp, funky melodic contrasts and rhythmic accents.

A joyous cover of Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder" puts DID YOU FEEL THAT? squarely in the classic soul-jazz groove, when Joe Sample & The Jazz Crusaders, Cannonball Adderley and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers attracted popular acclaim with their heady blend of hard bop, R&B, gospel and blues. Heavy groove tunes like "Mystery Child," "Viva De Funk" and "Brother, Can You Spare A Car?" feature Sample's dancing, gospel-inflected work on the Fender/Rhodes electric piano. "While It's Good" and "The Last Buzz" offer the suave Sample at his quiet storm best, but DID YOU FEEL THAT? is essentially a sly nod to the pianist's youth, and is best sampled on a summer's day at a family picnic with grits, ribs, chicken, greens and dirty rice--when wine, whiskey and the blues pour down like rain.

~Track Listing~

1 Mystery Child
2 The Sidewinder
3 Viva De Funk
4 While It's Good
5 Brother, Can You Spare Your Car?
6 Dirty Rice
7 Did You Feel That?
8 The Last Buzz
9 Give It Here
10 Just Chillin'

 

[Dennie]

Again, Thanks to Topper for recommending this one, many years ago....... :eusa-clap:

Duke Elegant -- CD

Dr. John Performing the Music of Duke Ellington

2000 Blue Note Records

Amazon.com

Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack playing songs from the canon of Duke Ellington is as natural as the break of day. But the gris-gris king interprets Ellington in a way unlike anyone else. "Mood Indigo," arranged for Dr. John's six-man New Orleans group, takes on a fresh, heartfelt immediacy with the good doctor's vocals and piano locked into a relaxed groove. He sings another slice of essential Ellingtonia, "Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me," with a lighthearted nonchalance that epitomizes the worthiest New Orleans performers. Dr. John packages snippets of his keyboard playing as panaceas for the soul on a funked-up interpretation of "Caravan," even spinning off on a "Wade in the Water" tangent before wrapping up the song. But with so many, many Ellington nuggets to dust off for reinterpretation, one wonders why Dr. John elected to go with popular numbers that get covered again and again. To his credit, he does serve up the lesser-known "The Flaming Sword," where his piano is luminous in the Calypso fashion of Professor Longhair, and he offers delightful, fonkified updates of the Ellington obscurities "On the Wrong Side of the Railroad Tracks" and "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'." --Frank-John Hadley

Track listing

1. On the Wrong Side of the Railroad Tracks
2. I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
3. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
4. Perdido Street Blues
5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
6. Solitude
7. Satin Doll
8. Mood Indigo
9. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
10. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
11. Caravan
12. Flaming Sword, The

 

[Dennie]

Q's Jook Joint-- CD :happy-partydance:

Quincy Jones

1995 Quest Records

A True Desert Island Disc, July 21, 2007
By J. Mandell (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Q's Jook Joint (Reis) (Audio CD)

Quincy Jones' best album.

This is one of the great "concept" discs, based on the juke joints that served as makeshift nightclubs dotted across the landscape in the south in decades long gone by.
With a stellar cast of musicians as his instruments, Quincy literally creates the atmosphere of his own juke joint in track 1 and then runs with a gorgeous, beat filled hour non-stop after that.
The sound quality is fabulous - let it roll over you with the lights low and it will transport you to another time and with its energy and rhythms I've purchased two copies of this CD for myself, given two as gifts and, of course, have it on my iPod. Everyone I've turned on to this album has thanked me.

Highest recommendation. Its just great.

# Title Guest(s) Time
1 "Jook Joint" (Intro) Kid Capri, Funkmaster Flex, LL Cool J, James Moody, Coko, Stevie Wonder, Lester Young, Brandy, Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Marlon Brando, Charlie Wilson, Barry White, Chaka Khan, Töne Löc, Queen Latifah, Ray Charles, Greg Phillinganes, Siedah Garrett, Patti Austin, Will Wheaton, Mervyn Warren, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, Gloria Estefan, Lelee, Charlie Parker, Shaquille O'Neal, Bono 1:32
2 "Let the Good Times Roll" Stevie Wonder, Bono and Ray Charles 2:55
3 "Cool Joe, Mean Joe (Killer Joe)" Töne Löc, Queen Latifah, Nancy Wilson 7:32
4 "You Put a Move on My Heart" Tamia 6:13
5 "Rock With You" Brandy and Heavy D 4:08
6 "Moody's Mood for Love" Brian McKnight, Rachelle Ferrell, Take 6 and James Moody 4:18
7 "Stomp!" Original Cast Members of "Stomp": Luke Cresswell, Fiona Wilkes, Carl Smith, Fraser Morrison, Everett Bradley; Mr. X, Melle Mel, Coolio, Yo-Yo, Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Shaquille O'Neal, Luniz 6:16
8 "Jook Joint" (Reprise) Ray Charles and Funkmaster Flex 0:56
9 "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me" Phil Collins 3:57
10 "Is It Love That We're Missing" Gloria Estefan, Warren Wiebe 4:45
11 "Heaven's Girl" R. Kelly, Ron Isley, Aaron Hall, Charlie Wilson and Naomi Campbell 5:26
12 "Stuff Like That" Charlie Wilson, Ray Charles, Brandy, Chaka Khan and Ashford & Simpson 5:45
13 "Slow Jams" Tamia, Babyface, Portrait and Barry White 7:30
14 "At the End of the Day (Grace)" Toots Thielemans, Barry White and Mervyn Warren (Voices) 7:42
15 "Jook Joint" (Outro) Barry White, Tamia and Toots Thielemans 0:49

 

[Dennie]

Come On Home -- CD

Boz Scaggs

1997 Virgin U.S. Records

Bobby Bland, Jimmy Reed, T-Bone Walker . . . Boz Scaggs!, November 4, 2001
By stranger2himself (Down Here) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Come on Home (Audio CD)

I grew up on Ray Charles, James Brown, soul, blues, country & gospel. I've been listening to and collecting music for 40 years, and have approx. 3,000 recordings. Simply put, this is one of the best, most soulful, powerful, bodaciously BAD records I've ever heard! There is not a weak cut here. Boz sounds like he's been holding this in for 30 years! The production & playing are flawless, but not too slick. The "live-in-the-studio" sound is preserved. There are no "highlights", every cut is astounding. With that in mind, "Love Letters" brings tears to my eyes, and, like the previous reviewer, I fall to my knees when Boz testifies "I've Got Your Love". His vocal chords should be enshrined; his heart and soul could provide electrical power to most of North America. If you like ANY kind of blues or R&B, you will surely dig this!

"It All Went Down the Drain"
"Ask Me 'Bout Nothin' (But the Blues)"
"Don't Cry No More"
"Found Love"
"Come On Home"
"Picture of a Broken Heart"
"Love Letters"
"I've Got Your Love"
"Early in the Morning"
"Your Good Thing (Is About to End)"
"T-Bone Shuffle"
"Sick and Tired"
"After Hours"
"Goodnight Louise"

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

Back In The High Life -- CD

Steve Winwood

1986 Island Records

One of the most impressive albums of the 1980s,
August 23, 2003
By Daniel Jolley "darkgenius"
This review is from: Back in the High Life (Audio CD)

Steve Winwood was indeed enjoying the high life after the release of this album in 1986. Back in the High Life is one of the best albums of that musically rich decade, providing Winwood with four huge hit singles. Winwood almost became too popular as a result of these songs; the radio played Higher Love, The Finer Things, Freedom Overspill, and Back in the High Life Again so often that even I eventually began to grow tired of them. As a result, I can say that I enjoy this album even more today than I did at the time of its initial release. Winwood's distinctive, laid-back music never goes out of style, and it soothes the soul while touching the heart with some quite emotional, really meaningful lyrics. I'm afraid I can't really describe the music; all I can say is that it combines drums, guitars, and horns in a way that is all its own.

While the album is remembered primarily for commercial successes such as Higher Love (featuring memorable backup vocals by Chaka Kahn) and Back in the High Life Again (featuring harmony vocals by James Taylor), it features eight songs of incredible quality. I might note that each track exceeds five minutes in length, so this album is not as short as it may appear. Take It As It Comes had real hit potential in my opinion. Wake Me Up on Judgment Day doesn't seem that memorable yet plays itself over and over in your mind after you hear it. Split Decision features some great guitar riffs, proving that Winwood can get down and rock a little when he wants to. The final track, My Love's Leavin', may well be the best song on the album, communicating both loss and hope in a way few artists can equal. You would be hard pressed to find a more impressive album from top to bottom than Steve Winwood's Back in the High Life.

All songs written by Steve Winwood and Will Jennings except where noted

"Higher Love" – 5:45
"Take It as It Comes" – 5:20
"Freedom Overspill" – 5:33 (Winwood, George Fleming, James Hooker)
"Back in the High Life Again " – 5:33
"The Finer Things" – 5:47
"Wake Me Up on Judgment Day" – 5:48
"Split Decision" – 5:58 (Winwood, Joe Walsh)
"My Love's Leavin'" – 5:19 (Winwood, Viv Stanshall)