What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Let's Stay Together -- CD

Al Green

1971/1993 Hi Records/The Right Stuff Records

Music is the language of the Divine -- and Al speaks it., October 23, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Let's Stay Together (Audio CD)

Al is the MAN. I love his music. He is the greatest soul singer of all time. Interestingly, the spiritual peak of his work came before he turned to religion. Having listened my LPs to death, and I hate to give more money to the music companies, I have to shell out some more bucks for the CDs. This albums is simply timeless beauty, and I need the deep feeling in my life. Thanks Al. God bless you man -- through your gift he has certainly blessed us.
Side One

1. "Let's Stay Together" (Green, Jackson, Mitchell) – 3:18
2. "La-La for You" (Green, Mitchell) – 3:31
3. "So You're Leaving" – 2:57
4. "What Is This Feeling?" – 3:42
5. "Old Time Lovin'" – 3:19

Side Two

1. "I've Never Found a Girl (Who Loves Me Like You Do)" (Floyd, Isbell, Jones) – 3:41
2. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" (Gibb, Gibb) – 6:22
3. "Judy" – 3:47
4. "It Ain't No Fun to Me" – 3:23

 

[Dennie]

99.9 F -- CD

Suzanne Vega

1992 A&M Records
Product Description

Import pressing of her 1992 album that is out-of-print domestically. Suzanne Vega makes it clear from the cover inwards that she's up to something different on 99.9 F. Her fiery red and yellow photo-manipulated hair and bandaged finger stand in stark contrast to the orderly mysticism conveyed on the front of her previous release, DAYS OF OPEN HAND. Producer MitchellFroom surrounds her strong songs with surprises in instrumentation, arrangement, and mix. The set opens smartly with a couple of selections that stand in stark contrast to the more traditional folk bearing of her previous output. By the third song, "In Liverpool", things break open to reveal a lushand popish heart. The title song is a dazzling groove of fuzzy and staccato guitar chords cast over layered percussion and her lilting vocal. An array of superb players, includingdrummer Jerry Marotta, guitarists David Hidalgo and RichardThompson, and bass player Bruce Thomas accompany her. While it represented a bit of an unexpected turn at the time of its release in 1992, 99.9 F is one of Vega's finest albums. Universal. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

All tracks written by Suzanne Vega except as noted.

1. "Rock in This Pocket (Song of David)" – 3:20
2. "Blood Makes Noise" – 2:28
3. "In Liverpool" – 4:40
4. "99.9F°" – 3:16
5. "Blood Sings" – 3:17
6. "Fat Man and Dancing Girl" (Vega, Mitchell Froom) – 2:19
7. "(If You Were) In My Movie" – 3:05
8. "As a Child" – 2:55
9. "Bad Wisdom" – 3:23
10. "When Heroes Go Down" – 1:54
11. "As Girls Go" – 3:27
12. "Song of Sand" – 3:28

 

[Dennie]

Tales -- CD

Marcus Miller

1995 PRA Records
Amazon.com

Marcus Miller has served as bassist, arranger, and producer for everyone from Luther Vandross to Miles Davis, and on his fourth solo album, Tales, Miller tries to reconnect the fractured fragments of African American music. He uses samples of recorded interviews with his older musical heroes to set up his own instrumental interpretations of that musical history. For example, spoken-word samples from Davis, Charlie Parker, and Billie Holiday lead into "The Blues," a midtempo blues groove that features both live drums and programmed drums, both jazzy horn lines from saxophonist Kenny Garrett and Larry Graham-like funk lines from Miller himself. The result is not jazz but R&B instrumentals with the sort of smarts and drama this genre rarely delivers anymore. Unlike so many fusion albums that settle for show off virtuosity over predictable grooves, Miller's Tales boasts thought-out compositions that bring together disparate elements in unexpected and rewarding ways. The title track, for example, which opens with a brief monologue by rapper Q-Tip, builds its catchy theme from a sample of the Pointer Sisters' "Yes, We Can Can," features Miller's inventive electric bass lines as the lead melody and then turns the song over to Michael Stewart's expert imitation of Davis' muted trumpet phrases. --Geoffrey Himes



All tracks composed by Marcus Miller; except where indicated

1. "The Blues" – 5:35
2. "Tales (Intro)" (Miller, Allen Toussaint) – 0:12
3. "Tales" (Miller, Allen Toussaint) – 5:42
4. "Eric" – 6:16
5. "True Geminis" – 5:36
6. "Rush Over" – 4:57
7. "Running Through My Dreams (Interlude)" – 1:27
8. "Ethiopia" – 5:15
9. "Strange Fruit (Intro)" – 1:46
10. "Strange Fruit" – 2:02
11. "Visions" (Stevie Wonder) – 5:37
12. "Tales (Reprise)" – 2:34
13. "Forevermore (Intro)" – 0:32
14. "Forevermore" – 4:59
15. "Infatuation" – 5:08
16. "Come Together" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 5:30

 

[Dennie]

I always thought I hated George Strait until one day I realized he sang "Fool Hearted Memory", "All My Ex's Live In Texas", and "Ocean Front Property".
.
.
.
(In Arizona, that is)

His singing definitely does those songs justice. And he's sang a few newer songs... well... new as in from the 90s and newer, that is, that I've recognized. Some tolerable, some not so much. That said, he's recorded so much stuff that I've never heard and definitely has some talent.

Speaking of which... Who here has watched "Pure Country"?

I haven't watched Pure Country, but I wanted to say.....Most artists have something I like. I may not like everything an Artist has done, but that dosen't mean I don't like the Artist.

That's why being a "Music Slut" helps, I will listen to most anything. Some times I find I really don't like the artist at all. But mostly I find I like some if not most of their work. :eusa-clap:

Dennie...The Music Slut! :eusa-whistle: :music-listening:

 

[Dennie]

Dis Is Da Drum -- CD

Herbie Hancock

1995 Mercury Records

DIS IS DA DRUM marks Herbie Hancock's return to the heady mix of pan-ethnic dance rhythms and techno stylings that culminated on his commercial breakthrough, FUTURE ... Full DescriptionSHOCK. But Hancock's slick, soulful Mercury debut also serves to reclaim his turf from all the acid jazz funkateers who've devised a popular commercial style based on aspects (sampled or otherwise) of the Blue Note and CTI recordings which Hancock and his contemporaries originated a generation ago.

DIS IS DA DRUM has a fresh, contemporary appeal, but much of the groundwork for Hancock's current style is derived from his 1982 hit "Rockit," his '70s Headhunters hits ("Chameleon" and THRUST), the Afro-psychedelic free jazz experiments of Mwalandishi, and early-'60s hard bop/soul jazz hits such as "Watermelon Man." True, he came to renown as a post-modernist piano innovator with Miles Davis; but make no mistake, Herbie Hancock has always been funky.

"Call It '94" invokes Clyde Stubblefield's much sampled "Funky Drummer" beat, and by adding orchestral adornments, sampled percussion and a taste of jazz piano, zeroes in on a personal hip-hop/jazz style. Tunes such as "Dis Is Da Drum," "Mojuba" and "Ju Ju" employ extensive samples of African singers and percussion instruments, non-tempered keyboards, plus dub and funk bass coupled to dance-style backbeats, to fuse traditional folk colors and contemporary R&B. "The Melody" combines rap and acid jazz, while "Butterfly" revisits his classic ballad of yore with attractive flute work and atmospheric chording. And while tunes such as "Rubber Soul" and "Bo Ba Be Da" redraw the parameters between sampled grooves and jazz feeling, "Hump" and "Come And See Me" italicize Hancock's mastery of the modern funk idiom.

1. "Call It '95" (Griffin, Hancock, Robertson, Smith, Summers) – 4:39
2. "Dis Is da Drum" (Griffin, Hancock, Lasar, Robertson, Summers) – 4:49
3. "Shooz" (Griffin, Moreira, Summers) – 1:17
4. "Melody (On the Deuce by 44)" (Factor, Griffin, Robertson, Smith) – 4:05
5. "Mojuba" (Griffin, Hancock, Lasar, Robertson, Summers) – 4:59
6. "Butterfly" (Hancock, Maupin) – 6:08
7. "Ju Ju" (Galarraga, Griffin, Lasar, Summers) – 5:03
8. "Hump" (Maupin, Roney, Shanklin) – 4:43
9. "Come and See Me" (Hancock, Smith, Watson) – 4:32
10. "Rubber Soul" (Griffin, Hancock, Robertson, Smith, Summers) – 6:40
11. "Bo Ba Be Da" (Hancock, Watson) – 8:04

 

[Dennie]

Gap Gold - The Best of -- CD

Gap Band

1985 Mercury/Polygram Records

I love the Gap Band, November 3, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Gap Gold (Audio CD)
The Gap Band is SOOO awesome! I admit that most of the songs on this CD sound pretty similar, but I don't mind that at all. If this CD doesn't make you want to move, there may be something wrong with you... ( <------ I find this to be a TRUE Statement! Dennie :text-bump: )

1. Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)
2. Outstanding
3. I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops)
4. Party Train
5. Stay With Me
6. You Dropped A Bomb On Me
7. Early In The Morning
8. Yearning For Your Love
9. Shake
10. Season's No Reason To Change

 

[Dennie]

The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys -- CD

Traffic

1971/1990 Island Records
Amazon.com

Despite not even charting in the band's native England, this album became a platinum-selling American hit on the basis of three enduring FM radio staples--the expansive, jazzy impressionism of the near-12 minute title track, and the more straightforward funk of the R&B charmers "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" and "Rock & Roll Stew." Those disparate tracks perfectly underscore Traffic's rich musical appeal and its restless, sometimes problematic creative and interpersonal relationships. With now thrice-departed Dave Mason out of the mix and percussionists Jim Gordon and Reebop Kwaku Baah participating in the studio for the first time, the band's innate musicality truly takes wing. Winwood's familiar vocal phrasings nearly take a backseat to his fluid, dramatic guitar work on "Rock & Roll Stew Roll" and "Many a Mile to Freedom," while the Tull-ish, folk-madrigal sensibilities of "Hidden Treasure" and "Rainmaker" are further punctuated by Chris Wood's deft flute and woodwind flourishes. Compared with the more organic John Barleycorn album, the contrast is all the more remarkable. While many contemporary bands were experimenting with various attempts at fusion, few achieved this collection's rock-jazz-folk-R&B range or level of often subtle sophistication. --Jerry McCulley

All songs written by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi unless otherwise noted.

1. "Hidden Treasure" – 4:16
2. "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" – 11:35
3. "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" (Jim Capaldi) – 4:55
4. "Rock & Roll Stew" (Ric Grech, Jim Gordon) – 4:29
5. "Many a Mile to Freedom" (Steve Winwood, Anna Capaldi[1]) – 7:26
6. "Rainmaker" – 7:39

* The initial CD release placed Light Up or Leave Me Alone after Many a Mile to Freedom.

 

[PaulyT]

Damn, I think we should just pretty much call this "Dennie's Thread." :text-bravo: I have ordered a few of these things, keep 'em coming, Dennie! But it would also be good to hear a little of your own personal impression of these.

 

[Dennie]

The Rolling Stone Women In Rock Collection -- 3 CD Box Set

Various Artists

1998 Razor & Tie
If you like rock and roll...you'll love this., January 3, 2000
By Jackie - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Rolling Stone Women In Rock Collection (Audio CD)

What a great CD! I have a radio show that focuses on women in music, and I got this CD for christmas this year. I was more impressed with it after I listened to it, finding gems like Belly's "Feed the Tree," Lucinda Williams' "Side of the Road," Gladys Knight and the Pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia" and even Dionne Warwick's "Walk on By" sounding even better among other top women's music of the times. Rolling Stone shows a strong interest in women's music not only through this album but also through their book 'Women in Rock' which goes hand in hand with this album (check it out too). Some of the people Rolling Stone could've included in this compilation are Joni Mitchell (I am really surprised she doesn't appear on here), Siouxie Sioux, Karen Carpenter, and Liz Phair, but the collection they do have should only be added to, nothing should be removed. This is an anthology for women of our times, an anthology of anyone who likes rock and roll, and it should be a staple in any music lover's collection.

Disc: 1
1. Hound Dog - Leiber, Jerry
2. Tell Mama - Carter, Clarence
3. Crazy - Nelson, Willie
4. Remember (Walkin' in the Sand) - Morton, G.
5. Dancing in the Street - Gaye, Marvin
6. Stop! In the Name of Love - Dozier, Lamont
7. Walk on By - Bacharach, Burt
8. I'll Be Your Mirror - Reed, Lou
9. Somebody to Love - Slick, Darby
10. Me and Bobby McGee - Foster, Fred
11. Chain of Fools - Covay, Don
12. Son of a Preacher Man - Hurley, John
13. I Shall Be Released - Dylan, Bob
14. Eli's Coming - Nyro, Laura
15. It's Too Late - King, Carole

Disc: 2
1. You're So Vain - Simon, Carly
2. Midnight Train to Georgia - Weatherly, Jim
3. You're No Good - Ballard, Clint Jr.
4. Lady Marmalade - Crewe, Bob
5. At Seventeen - Ian, Janis
6. Luxury Liner - Parsons, Gram
7. Oh Bondage, up Yours! - Bell, Marian
8. Hot Stuff - Bellotte, Pete
9. Brass in Pocket - Honeyman-Scott, Jam
10. Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Schwartz, Eddie
11. Bad Reputation - Cordell, Ritchie
12. We Got the Beat - Caffey, Charlotte
13. What's Love Got to Do With It? - Britten, Terry
14. I Feel for You - Prince
15. Would I Lie to You? - Lennox, Annie
16. Running Up That Hill - Bush, Catherine
17. Manic Monday - Prince

Disc: 3
1. Luka - Vega, Suzanne
2. Side of the Road - Williams, Lucinda
3. Express Yourself - Bray, Stephen
4. Ladies First - Apache
5. Tunic (Song for Karen) - Gordon, Kim
6. Silent All These Years - Amos, Tori
7. Free Your Mind - Foster, Denzil
8. Feed the Tree - Donelly, Tanya
9. Shoop - Babyface [1]
10. Possession - McLachlan, Sarah
11. Down by the Water - Harvey, PJ
12. One of Us - Bazilian, Eric
13. Your Little Secret - Etheridge, Melissa
14. Who Will Save Your Soul - Jewel
15. If It Makes You Happy - Crow, Sheryl
16. Sunny Came Home - Colvin, Shawn

 

[Kazaam]

I haven't watched Pure Country, but I wanted to say.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImbNqSoqGqA

Pure Country is so bad it's almost good. (Almost, mind you.)

It's far-fetched, cliched, and cheesy. There's even an old man who spews out wisdom that makes me think he's a Zenmaster of sorts. (Example: "The funny thing about that little white speck on the top of chicken sh*t. That little white speck is chicken sh*t too." Incredible!)

And did I mention that it's got a "line dancing"?

 

[Botch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImbNqSoqGqA

Pure Country is so bad it's almost good. (Almost, mind you.)

It's far-fetched, cliched, and cheesy. There's even an old man who spews out wisdom that makes me think he's a Zenmaster of sorts. (Example: "The funny thing about that little white speck on the top of chicken sh*t. That little white speck is chicken sh*t too." Incredible!)

And did I mention that it's got a "line dancing"?

Yee-haw, a chick flick for trailer trash! :teasing-neener:

 

[nats]

Re:woman in rock

well,actually bluesy,but joaanne shaw taylor sings with her soul and can play guitar with anyone

 

[Dennie]

Live By Request -- CD

K.D. Lang

2001 Warner Bros. Records
Amazon.com

k.d. lang has spent her eccentric career pitching between twin poles of desire--torch (jazz/blues) and twang (retro country), and artistry and flamboyance. On Live by Request, she revisits the best of her shimmering repertoire, from her rough-edged cowpunk days to her current gossamer soundscape. But at the start of the set, recorded December 2000 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York, she threatens to diminish her own impact with a lumpy, rushed rendition of "Summerfling" and a cartoonish version of "Big Boned Gal." Soon, however, she settles down to do what she does best, which is seduction. While a way-too-melodramatic arrangement spoils "Don't Smoke in Bed," she goes on to bring goose-bump intimacy to "The Consequences of Falling" and "Constant Craving," one of popular music's most aching songs of longing laid bare. By the time she turns her exquisite soprano to the howling chorus of "Barefoot," the earth doesn't just move, Ernest, it trembles--a prelude to the staggeringly emotional affect of "Pullin' Back the Reins." When she gets to that one, don't be surprised if your stereo starts to smoke. --Alanna Nash

1. "Summerfling" (lang, Piltch) – 4:03
2. "Big Boned Gal" (lang, Mink) – 2:55
3. "Black Coffee" (Sonny Burke, Paul Francis Webster) – 3:44
4. "Trail of Broken Hearts" (lang, Mink) – 3:19
5. "Crying" (Joe Melson, Roy Orbison) – 4:32
6. "Don't Smoke in Bed" (Willard Robison) – 3:44
7. "The Consequences of Falling" (DUbaldo, Nowels, Steinberg) – 3:55
8. "Miss Chatelaine" (lang, Mink) – 3:25
9. "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray" (Eddie Miller, WS Stevenson) – 2:52
10. "Barefoot" (lang, Telson) – 4:20
11. "Constant Craving" (lang, Mink) – 4:32
12. "Wash Me Clean" (lang) – 3:50
13. "Pullin' Back the Reins" (lang, Mink) – 4:41
14. "Simple" (lang, Piltch) – 3:29

 

[Botch]

I just watched kd lang's Bluray concert again last night, the program is 95% "torch" but she does gather the band around to play into one mic, old-timey style, and does a track called "Pay Dirt", quite a knee slapper!

 

[Dennie]

Damn, I think we should just pretty much call this "Dennie's Thread." :text-bravo: I have ordered a few of these things, keep 'em coming, Dennie! But it would also be good to hear a little of your own personal impression of these.

Hey Pauly,

That is not as easy as one would think! Often it is my first listen of a album, so I may not have an opinion yet. Or, it will fall into the "Dennie is a music slut" category and I will like it, as I like most of the music I play. Or, my opinion changes on the second or third listen. :doh:

I typically buy 5 to 20 CD's a week. I will try to give some kind of opinion, if possible. Often, I will put the thumbs up dude( :handgestures-thumbup: ) next to the "CD or LP" designation and two thumbs up :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup: means it is Essential, to me! So, keep that in mind also.

Thanks for letting me know you're Lookin' at this thread! It can get lonesome at times. :eusa-whistle:

I love to see what everybody is listening to also.

There is so much Music and so little time! :dance:


Dennie :music-listening:

 

[Dennie]

I just watched kd lang's Bluray concert again last night, the program is 95% "torch" but she does gather the band around to play into one mic, old-timey style, and does a track called "Pay Dirt", quite a knee slapper!

Have you heard her "Hymns of the 49th Parallel" CD? She covers some of my favorite artists. Neil, Joni, Leonard Cohen. It's her tribute to Canadain singer/songwriters.

:handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie :twocents-mytwocents:

 

[Botch]

Have you heard her "Hymns of the 49th Parallel" CD? She covers some of my favorite artists. Neil, Joni, Leonard Cohen. It's her tribute to Canadain singer/songwriters.

:handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie :twocents-mytwocents:

No I haven't, but she does do both a Neil and a Cohen song on the Bluray.

She didn't do any Rush, though, bitch... :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

 

[Dennie]

No I haven't, but she does do both a Neil and a Cohen song on the Bluray.

She didn't do any Rush, though, bitch... :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

:text-lol: :text-goodpost: :text-bravo:


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

PAULY!!!!

I like this one! Along with "Ella and Louis", this would go to the Deserted Island with me........

Famous Blue Raincoat - The Songs of Leonard Cohen -- CD :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup: :eusa-clap:

Jennifer Warnes

1987 Cypress Records (Import Germany)
Amazon.com

Since Ella Fitzgerald never produced a songbook of Leonard Cohen songs, Jennifer Warnes's plush 1986 tribute is the next best thing. The sleekly seductive "First We Take Manhattan" is gilded by the guitars of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robben Ford. Warnes doesn't add much to an evergreen like "Bird on a Wire," but she lays claim to the noirish title song with a confidential vocal that complements the chamber-pop arrangement. "Song of Bernadette" is a ripened gem, and the selection where Warnes lets down her refined vocal technique to reveal deep emotions. More often, Warnes is as professionally accomplished on this well-chosen set as her band of studio pros. --John Milward

All songs written by Leonard Cohen except where noted.

1. "First We Take Manhattan" – 3:47
2. "Bird on a Wire" – 4:42
3. "Famous Blue Raincoat" – 5:33
4. "Joan of Arc" – 7:57
5. "Ain't No Cure for Love" – 3:21
6. "Coming Back to You" – 3:43
7. "Song of Bernadette" – 3:55 (Jennifer Warnes, Bill Elliott, Cohen)
8. "A Singer Must Die" – 4:52
9. "Came So Far for Beauty" – 3:37 (Cohen, John Lissauer)

 

[PaulyT]

Ok, off to Amazon I go! I did get the two Ella&Louis albums, have been listening to them... guess I need to fill out the jazz thread some. I'll post about other albums I get based on your recs.

And of course I still have the set of CDs you "shared" with me a while back! MD's Sketches of Spain has become one of my all-time favorites.