What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

October Road -- CD

James Taylor

2002 Columbia Records

Amazon.com

There's a comfortable sense of the familiar to James Taylor's first collection of new songs since 1997's Grammy winner Hourglass; such is the curse of being a decades-spanning cultural icon. But, as on his best work, there's also an almost stealthy sense of musical restlessness that seeps into Taylor's songs here, as he colors some with deft jazz and international influences. The reunion with producer Russ Titelman (they last collaborated on 1976's In the Pocket) seems to have gratifyingly inspired as much gentle reassessment as retrenchment. Longtime Titelman compatriot Ry Cooder guests on the title track, a song whose autumnal comforts fit the Taylor canon and other album tracks like "September Grass," "Baby Buffalo," "My Traveling Star," and "On the Fourth of July" (the story of Taylor's romantic meeting with current wife Kim) like an old slipper. However, "Belfast to Boston" cries for peace in Ireland and elsewhere with some surprising Gaelic flourishes, while "Whenever You're Ready" throws some Brazilian rhythms and jazzy horns into the mix, and Dave Grusin's slick orchestral arrangement turns "Mean Old Man" into an elegant cabaret surprise. A little more of this musical adventure amidst the familiar romantic ballads and paeans to the comfort of home and family--including a gorgeously spare cover of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"--certainly wouldn't hurt. --Jerry McCulley

All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.

"September Grass" (John I. Sheldon) – 4:51
"October Road" – 3:57
"On the 4th of July" – 3:25
"Whenever You're Ready" – 4:14
"Belfast to Boston" – 4:16
"Mean Old Man" – 3:44
"My Traveling Star" – 3:55
"Raised Up Family" – 4:40
"Carry Me on My Way" – 4:30
"Caroline I See You" – 4:58
"Baby Buffalo" – 4:50
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (H. Martin, R. Blane) – 3:50

 

[Botch]

 

[Dennie]

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road -- 2 CD Set

Elton John

1973 MCA Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Rarely mentioned as one of the great double albums, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road had to settle for ending up in a few million record collections. So sprawling that it doesn't quite measure up to the earlier, more laid-back Honky Chateau or the later, pushy Rock of the Westies, this still holds claim to a lot of brilliant, very pop-savvy music: the winking rebellion of "Bennie and the Jets" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," the ready-made nostalgia of "The Ballad of Danny Bailey," the downbeat melodicism of "Harmony." --Rickey Wright

Disc One

1. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
2. Candle in the Wind
3. Bennie and the Jets
4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
5. This Song Has No Title
6. Grey Seal
7. Jamaica Jerk Off
8. I've Seen That Movie Too

Disc Two

1. Sweet Painted Lady
2. The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)
3. Dirty Little Girl
4. All the Young Girls Love Alice
5. Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'N' Roll)
6. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
7. Roy Rogers
8. Social Disease
9. Harmony
10. Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady)
11. Jack Rabbit
12. Screw You (Young Man Blues)
13. Candle in the Wind[Acoustic Mix][#]

 

[Dennie]

Looks like a great album! ....... :text-bravo:


RIP Paul! ray:




Dennie

 

[Dennie]

The Foundation -- CD

Zac Brown Band

2008 Atlantic Records

Zac Brown Band - the Real Deal, November 19, 2008
By Matt Davis (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Foundation (Audio CD)

I first heard ZBB when they opened for Los Lonely Boys in October '08, just before "Chicken Fried" became a bona-fide hit. I had never in my life heard of them, yet I walked away from that show a die-hard fan. These guys are all amazing musicians, fluidly traversing across genres song in and song out, be it country, rock, reggae, or bluegrass. They have a sound all their own that is firmly grounded in southern roots. Their songs are all heartfelt and catchy, and unlike so many of the polished and overproduced pop acts that dominate the country charts that are computerized shadows of themselves, these guys are legit - truly at home on the stage. Like another reviewer stated, there's not a song on this CD that I ever skip.

In spite of not fitting the mold that mainstream country would just love to cram them into (think Rascal Flatts,) I have a feeling these guys are going to be around, on their own terms, for a long, long time. I'm already pining for the next album. That's why I think they are the "Real Deal."

1. "Toes" Zac Brown, Wyatt Durette, John Driskell Hopkins, Shawn Mullins 4:21
2. "Whatever It Is" Brown, Durette 3:29
3. "Where the Boat Leaves From" Brown, Durette 3:44
4. "Violin Intro to Free" Jimmy De Martini 1:01
5. "Free" Brown 3:48
6. "Chicken Fried" Brown, Durette 3:58
7. "Mary" Brown, J. Cline 2:50
8. "Different Kind of Fine" Brown, Durette, Stokes Nielson 3:18
9. "Highway 20 Ride" Brown, Durette 3:51
10. "It's Not OK" Hopkins 4:10
11. "Jolene" Ray LaMontagne 4:21
12. "Sic 'Em on a Chicken" Brown, Hopkins 3:51
Total length:
42:42

 

[Dennie]

12 Shades of Brown -- CD

Junior Brown

1983 Curb Records

Junior Brown Brings Fun Back to Country and Western August 28, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD

Junior Brown brings a style to country that's been missing for a long time. "12 Shades of Brown is Junior at his best... tongue and cheek lyrics and witticisms linked with a distinctive and superior level of guitar playing. Seeing Junior live is an extraordinary experience (he does for country what Louis Prima did for swing on stage). This album's a delight!

Track listing

1. My Baby Don't Dance To Nothin' But Ernest Tubb
2. Baby Let The Bad Times Be
3. Freeborn Man
4. They Don't Choose To Live That Way
5. Too Many Nights In A Roadhouse
6. Hillbilly Hula Gal
7. Way To Survive, A
8. Broke Down South Of Dallas
9. What's Left Just Won't Go Right
10. Moan All Night Long
11. Coconut Island
12. Don't Sell The Farm

 

[Dennie]

Super Hits - Volume 2 -- CD

Merle Haggard

1994 EPIC Records

SUPER HITS, VOL. 2 features newly recorded versions of Merle Haggard's hits.Personnel: Merle Haggard (vocals, guitar).Photographer: Andrew Kent.A 10-song, mid-price Haggard best-of, and the only thing wrong with it is that doesn't have another 30 or 40 songs. What's here though is choice, however, with nearly every song a bona fide country classic, rendered in Haggards' signature stark, yet emotional style. You get funny, poignant drinking songs (Haggard is the only songwriter around who'd dare to rhyme "take the money in the bank" with "I'll stay here and drink"), deep country blues ("I'm a Lonesome Fugitive"), cautionary autobiographical tunes (the delicate, guitar-laced "Mama Tried" is as pretty as country gets). "Okie From Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side of Me," the two anti-counter-culture tunes, are the only jarring note, not because of their sentiment (actually, the joke is that they don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee) but because compared to the other songs, which seem to exist out of time completely, they're obviously dated.

Track Listing
1. Today I Started Loving You Again
2. I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink
3. Mama Tried
4. Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)
5. Okie from Muskogee
6. Fightin' Side of Me, The
7. I'm a Lonesome Fugitive
8. Bottle Let Me Down, The
9. Swinging Doors
10. (My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers

 

[Dennie]

Thyrty - 30th Anniversary Collection -- 2 CD Set

Lynyrd Skynyrd

2003 MCA Records

Thirty Years of Great Southern Rock!!, August 12, 2003
By Louie Bourland (Garden Grove CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Thyrty: 30th Anniversary Collection (Audio CD)

Lynyrd Skynyrd commemorates the 30th anniversary of their debut album with the release of "Thyrty", a collection that spans Skynyrd's entire career from 1970 up to the present including music from every album the band has ever released.
"Thyrty" includes such Skynyrd classics as "Gimme Three Steps", "Workin' For MCA", "What's Your Name", "That Smell" and the immortal "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird". There are also tracks from the recent years of the band with Johnny Van Zant as vocalist. It's truly amazing to hear the similarities between the voices of Ronnie and Johnny. One would almost think it was the same person singing all the songs on this compilation.
For die-hard Skynyrd fanatics, "Thyrty" includes one unreleased track from 1970 entitled "Blues Medley" which is a 10-minute stellar blues jam featuring a youthful Ronnie Van Zant singing his heart out along with some jaw-dropping guitar work from Allen Collins and Gary Rossington. This compilation is almost worth it for this track alone.
This latest Lynyrd Skynyrd compilation is a definitive retrospective of Jacksonville, Florida's greatest band. If you don't own any of the other many Skynyrd compilations out there, "Thyrty" is definitely one to have. You get music from every era of the band plus an rare unreleased track and a CD booklet loaded with great photos and a brief but detailed history of the band. Definitely Essential.

Disc 1

Sweet Home Alabama
Blues Medley
Down South Jukin'
Was I Right or Wrong
I Ain't the One
Tuesday's Gone
Gimme Three Steps
Workin' for MCA
The Ballad of Curtis Loew
Call Me The Breeze
Saturday Night Special
All I Can Do Is Write About It
Free Bird

Disc 2

Whiskey Rock-A-Roller
Simple Man
What's Your Name
That Smell
I Know A Little
You Got That Right
Comin' Home
Gimme Back My Bullets
Smokestack Lightning
The Last Rebel
Things Goin' On
Talked Myself Right Into It
We Ain't Much Different
Workin'
Mad Hatter

 

[Dennie]

Employee of The Month -- CD

Austin Lounge Lizzards

1998 Sugar Hill Records

The Austin Lounge Lizards are light, they're fluffy, and they're funny as all get out. Whether it's a lampoon of Very Big Texan Things in "Stupid Texas Song," a parody of Leonard Cohen in "Leonard Cohen's Day Job" (which gets funnier the more you listen to it) or acknowledging the family of the '90s ("Hey, Little Minivan"), they're sharp and smart. The satire isn't quite as biting as on Small Minds, their 1995 release, but they sure are funny. ~ Steven McDonald

Track Listing
1. Stupid Texas Song
2. Hey, Little Minivan
3. Dogs, They Really Miss You, The
4. Rocky Byways
5. Last Words
6. Monkey on My Back
7. Flatnose, the Tree-Climbing Dog
8. Love in a Refrigerator Box
9. Cacahuate, La
10. Trailways of Tears
11. Leonard Cohen's Day Job
12. Momma Don't Allow: Minutes of the Last Meeting/Meeting Is Adjourned: Minutes of the Last Meeting / Meeting is Adjourned
13. Other Shore, The

 

[Dennie]

River of Dreams -- CD

Billy Joel

1993 Columbia Records

A Beautiful Heartfelt Album June 19, 2009
By Kate
Format:Audio CD

This is one of my favorite Billy Joel Albums. It is full of depth and feeling, also of closure.I think each of his abums he has ever put out sets a theme and this one is no different.This is is a retrospective of his life at that time. Divorce to Christy and love for Alexa.A time of change, especially apparent in the last song. "Famous last words." The Lyrics are profound. This is a must for any one who likes Billy's music, for it is a true work of art.

1. No Man's Land
2. The Great Wall of China
3. Blonde Over Blue
4. A Minor Variation
5. Shades of Grey
6. All About Soul
7. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
8. The River of Dreams
9. Two Thousand Years
10. Famous Last Words

 

[mazersteven]

1 Something's Gotta Give
2 Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
3 Night & Day
4 For All We Know
5 You Brought a New Kind of Love
6 Dream
7 Yes, My Darling Daughter
8 Deep in a Dream
9 I've Got the World On a String
10 Come Rain Or Come Shine
11 Lamp Is Low
12 On The Sunny Side Of The Street

The debut of vocalist Robin McKelle is a throwback to an earlier era when singers were backed by big bands as they sang songs destined to become standards. Although McKelle doesn't break new ground in her interpretations of this material and doesn't take many chances she is an expressive performer opening with an exuberant slightly breathy Something's Gotta Give followed by an enchanting cha cha treatment of Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen. Vocalist Robbie Wykoff joins her for her a duet of You've Brought a New Kind of Love to Me. She's clearly having fun in Yes My Darling Daughter a forgotten number from the big band era with a brief detour into a Latin setting. The orchestra which sometimes adds a string section brings life to the charts adapted or transcribed by trumpeter Willie Murillo and trombonist David Stout while the band includes veteran jazz instrumentalists like clarinetist Gary Foster guitarist Larry Koonse and tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb.

 

[Dennie]

1 Something's Gotta Give
2 Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
3 Night & Day
4 For All We Know
5 You Brought a New Kind of Love
6 Dream
7 Yes, My Darling Daughter
8 Deep in a Dream
9 I've Got the World On a String
10 Come Rain Or Come Shine
11 Lamp Is Low
12 On The Sunny Side Of The Street

The debut of vocalist Robin McKelle is a throwback to an earlier era when singers were backed by big bands as they sang songs destined to become standards. Although McKelle doesn't break new ground in her interpretations of this material and doesn't take many chances she is an expressive performer opening with an exuberant slightly breathy Something's Gotta Give followed by an enchanting cha cha treatment of Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen. Vocalist Robbie Wykoff joins her for her a duet of You've Brought a New Kind of Love to Me. She's clearly having fun in Yes My Darling Daughter a forgotten number from the big band era with a brief detour into a Latin setting. The orchestra which sometimes adds a string section brings life to the charts adapted or transcribed by trumpeter Willie Murillo and trombonist David Stout while the band includes veteran jazz instrumentalists like clarinetist Gary Foster guitarist Larry Koonse and tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb.

This looks good!! Thanks for posting it.



Dennie :handgestures-thumbup:

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

She Was Too Good To Me -- Remastered CD

Chet Baker

1974 CTI/CBS Records

One Of Chet Baker's Finest Recordings! August 25, 2001
By Victor L. Sacino
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I believe this is one of Chet's finest recordings.All tunes are beautiful.Don Sebesky's arrangements are beautiful. The band consists of all first rate players such as Ron Carter, Bob James, Steve Gadd, Jack DeJohnette,Hubert Laws, Paul Desmond and other fine players as well as a String section.Chet sings on "She Was Too Good to Me", "With A Song In My Heart","What'll I Do" and "My Future Just Passed".His voice, in my opinion is good here.I have to mention that on "She Was Too Good To Me", there is a quote from "The Man In My Little Girl's Life" , a very nice touch to such a gorgeous tune.Chet is at his very best here.Bob James, Paul Desmond and Hubert Laws(Funk In Deep Freeze) are at top form here.This is another of my all time favorites and I cannot recommend it too highly.(VLS)

Track Listing
1. Autumn Leaves
2. She Was Good to Me
3. Funk in Deep Freeze
4. Tangerine
5. With a Song in My Heart
6. What'll I Do
7. It's You or No One
8. My Future Just Passed - (previously unreleased)

 

[Dennie]

Shangri-La -- CD

Mark Knopfler

2004 Reprise Records

Amazon.com

Mark Knopfler isn't afraid to drop names. The heavyweight Cassius Clay laid low, the man who made burgers and fries into big business, the kings of rock & roll and skiffle are among the motley assortment who pass through Knopfler's fourth solo album. Recorded in Malibu with a tight crew of steadfast Knopfler sidemen, Shangri-La (the title comes from the studio where the entire set was recorded) chronicles the foibles of the acclaimed and the adrift, all delivered with the nonchalant grace that has marked Knopfler's music since Dire Straits emerged in the late '70s. Seven of album's 14 originals clock in at between five and seven minutes. That's Knopfler in a nutshell--don't rush things, but don't loose the thread, either. As a songwriter, Knopfler has a storyteller's eye for minutiae, which he delivers with practiced nuance. He overreaches here and there ("Song for Sonny Liston" fails to capture the pathos of the menacing fighter), but also pulls off a few career highlights (the understated crime-drama opener "5.15 a.m."). --Steve Stolder

All songs written by Mark Knopfler.

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

 

[Dennie]

The Language Of Love 1965-1995 Body Talk-Forever Yours -- 2 CD Set

Various Artists

1996 Time-Life/Sony Music

 

[Dennie]

City To City -- CD

Gerry Rafferty

1973/1990 Capitol Records

Amazon.com

It took Quentin Tarantino's using "Stuck in the Middle with You," the 1973 hit of Gerry Rafferty's former band Stealers Wheel, in Reservoir Dogs to make Rafferty hip again. But City to City, his 1978 solo breakthrough, has long been worth rediscovering--and not just because it contains "Baker Street," one of the biggest and best singles of the 1970s. Rafferty brilliantly modernizes his Scottish folk-rock background on such pop treasures as the churning title track, the minor follow-up hit "Right Down the Line," the bouncing ditty "Mattie's Rag," the enchantingly churchy "Whatever's Written in Your Heart," and others. It's as rewardingly refreshing a change of pace now as it was when it emerged in the midst of the disco era. --Peter Blackstock

"The Ark" – 5:36
"Baker Street" – 6:01
"Right Down the Line" – 4:20
"City to City" – 4:51
"Stealin' Time" – 5:39
"Mattie's Rag" – 3:28
"Whatever's Written in Your Heart" – 6:30
"Home and Dry" – 4:52
"Island" – 5:04
"Waiting for the Day" – 5:26

 

[Dennie]

Hearts and Numbers -- CD

Don Grolnick featuring Michael Brecker

1985 Hip Pocket/ Windham Hill Records

When jazz meet sweetness January 11, 2007
By giulio cesare martinelli
Format:Audio CD

This wonderful record , issued in 1985 is Grolnick's solo record after the experience of the "Step"'s group togoether with Gadd, Mainieri,Gomez and Brecker.Michael Brecker is in this record too and he is the best gift Grolnick could ever give in tracks such as the mitical "Pools" (a wonderful version!) and "Regrets" my favourite.Another great track is "The Four Sleepers" with Marcus Miller on bass. So if you like modern jaz enjoy it.

Track Listing
1. Pointing at the Moon
2. More Pointing
3. Pools
4. Regrets
5. Four Sleepers, The
6. Human Bites
7. Act Natural
8. Hearts and Numbers

 

[Botch]

Hearts and Numbers -- CD

Whoa, I was unaware this disc existed. Added to the list! :handgestures-thumbup:

 

[Dennie]

Hearts and Numbers -- CD

Whoa, I was unaware this disc existed. Added to the list! :handgestures-thumbup:

Good choice, it is a beautiful session. :handgestures-thumbup:



Dennie

 

[mazersteven]

1. The Gregorian Masterpieces Intro/Losing My Religion
2. Brothers in Arms/The Gregorian Masterpieces Interlude
3. Tears in Heaven
4. Moment of Peace/The Gregorian Masterpieces Interlude, Pt. 2
5. Hymn
6. Join Me/The Gregorian Masterpieces Interlude, Pt. 3
7. Sacrifice
8. The Gift/The Gregorian Masterpieces Interlude, Pt. 4
9. Bridge Over Troubled Water/The Gregorian Masterpieces Interlude, Pt. 5
10. The Raven
11. Hurt/The Gregorian Masterpieces Outro
12. With or Without You [Live]
13. Stairway to Heaven [Live]

Import-only two disc (CD + NTSC/Region 0 DVD) edition of this collection from the German outfit including a bonus DVD that contains 17 tracks captured live at a concert in Prague. This 2005 collection features the world famous Gregorian outfit singing modern Pop tunes arranged in the style of the chants sung by medieval monks. Previous releases in the Gregorian series became international bestsellers, selling one million units each and reaching gold status in a dozen countries including Germany, France, Australia, South Africa and Singapore. The Gregorian Masters of Chant are the only worldwide touring Gregorian Choir, having played venues ranging from theaters to arenas to landmark churches. The CD features 13 of their best including 'Losing My Religion', 'Stairway To Heaven', 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', 'Tears In Heaven' and many more. Edel.