What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

On How Life Is -- CD

Macy Gray

1999 Sony Music

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

Gray starts from a solid foundation of retro funk and soul and builds on it by adding hip-hop signifiers and modern studio techniques. The result is one of the better debuts of the year, thanks to Gray's blunt proclamations ("I've committed murder... and I don't feel bad about it") and inimitable vocal phrasing. On How Life Is offers the sass of a '20s blueswoman plus the don't-mess-with-me strength of a 21st-century R&B icon-in-the-making. --Keith Moerer

1. "Why Didn't You Call Me" Macy Gray, Jeremy Ruzumna 3:14
2. "Do Something" Gray, Darryl Swann, Ruzumna, Dion Murdock, Patrick Brown, Raymon Murray, Rico Wade, Cameron Gipp, Robert Barnett, André Benjamin, Antwan Patton, Thomas Burton, Greg Mays, Daryl Barnes, George Clinton, Jr., Garry Shider, Bernard Worrell 5:00
3. "Caligula" Gray, Swann, Ruzumna 4:38
4. "I Try" Gray, Ruzumna, Jinsoo Lim, David Wilder 3:59
5. "Sex-O-Matic Venus Freak" Gray, Ruzumna, Murdock 3:57
6. "I Can't Wait To Meetchu" Gray, Swann, Ruzumna, Miles Tackett 5:18
7. "Still" Gray, Ruzumna, Bill Esses, Jeff Blue 4:15
8. "I've Committed Murder" Gray, Swann, Ruzumna, Kiilu Beckwith, Eddie Harris, Francis Lai, Carl Sigman 5:00
9. "A Moment To Myself" Gray, Ruzumna, Tackett, Mark Morales, Damon Wimbley 4:00
10. "The Letter" Gray, Jamie Houston, Matt Sherrod 5:38

 

[smgreen20]

Got me some CCR going right now. Greatest hits.

 

[Dennie]

What Do I Do With Pauly :eusa-whistle: -- CD

Tanya Tucker

1991 Capitol Records

If you only buy one Tanya CD, this is the one!, December 9, 1999
By A Customer

Tanya Tucker has recorded many cds, most contain several very good songs surrounded by filler. By the time this album came along, Tanya was in the midst of a career resurgance (about halfway into her time with Capital records). Upon release, it was critically acclaimed and became Tanya's biggest selling album to date. And what an album it is! This is probably the most mature, most thoroughly satisfying album (yet) from Nashville's most feisty performer. She stands in sharp contrast to the bland, faceless, factory-made country/pop that Nashville currently favors. Her 'complicated' personality dots this cd, and she gives memorable performances to memorable tunes. Mid- to upper-tempo tunes like "If Your Heart Ain't Busy Tonight" and "Down to My Last Teardrop" became big hits, deservedly so. Ballads drenched with her emotion-filled, smokey-throated voice like the title tune (one of her best songs ever) are convincing in a way that current country/pop divas (and you know who they are!) can't come close to. "Bidding America Goodbye" is a touching song that vividly describes the plight of today's farmers. "Some Kind of Trouble" is bluesy, country/rock that Tanya can do so well. And the last song, "Right About Now", is a real album highlight. If you are looking for a Tanya Tucker album that is consistently excellent, contains some of her best vocal work, and has songs that you'll find yourself humming to yourself long after you listen to it -- then this is the cd to get.

1. "If Your Heart Ain't Busy Tonight" (Tom Shapiro, Chris Waters) – 3:02
2. "Some Kind of Trouble" (Mike Reid, Brent Maher, Don Potter) – 3:51
3. "(Without You) What Do I Do with Me" (Royce Porter, L. David Lewis, David Chamberlain) – 2:55
4. "Down to My Last Teardrop" (Paul Davis) – 3:28
5. "Everything That You Want" (Randy Sharp, Jack Wesley Routh) – 3:42
6. "Trail of Tears" (Paul Kennerley) – 3:02
7. "Bidding America Goodbye (The Auction)" (Jamie O'Hara) – 3:21
8. "Time and Distance" (Donny Lowery, Randy Sharp) – 3:48
9. "He Was Just Leaving" (Lisa Angelle, Walt Aldridge) – 3:40
10. "Right About Now" (Rick Bowles, Jeff Silbar) – 3:38

 

[Botch]

Okay, I knew these guys were weird, but... :shock: :?
This show is done with a German orchestra. The first track involved the orch doing a continuous upward glissando (think the Beatles' Day in the Life) then the AEoC doing a frenetic drum break, ending with the orch doing a downward gliss (think the Beatles' Day in the Life backward) and it ends. Then these two guys in skimpy bikinis come out, bow, hug the maestro, the band, and everyone in the orchestra, and leave. They didn't perform.

WTF?!?!?

And that's only the first tune! :shock:

 

[Dennie]

Stars & Guitars - Live -- CD

Willie Nelson & Friends

2002 Lost Highway Records

Amazon.com

An A-list of musically diverse acolytes surrounds the venerable country icon on this concert recording, which pays richer dividends than its studio-album predecessor, The Great Divide. Artists from Sheryl Crow to Norah Jones and Vince Gill to Keith Richards help celebrate one of the richest legacies in American music. Though some hit-and-miss is inevitable, the teaming with Richards, Ryan Adams, and Hank Williams III on "Dead Flowers" romps all over the Rolling Stones' original, while the duet with mentor Ray Price, who enjoyed an early hit with Nelson's "Night Life," shows a sense of history too often missing from such demographic-driven projects. Other highlights include the sweet-voiced balladry of Jones on "Lonestar" and a luminous rendition of "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain" by Gill. As for the misfires: Adams and Nelson sound like they're in different keys on Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come"; Toby Keith isn't even a poor man's Waylon Jennings on "Good Hearted Woman"; and the very idea of Matchbox Twenty singing "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" is ludicrous. Even when the material and guest vocalists don't mesh, Nelson's guitar punctuation remains an understated (and underrated) delight. --Don McLeese

1. "Whiskey River" (Johnny Bush, Paul Stroud) - 2:39
* duet with Sheryl Crow
2. "Good Hearted Woman" (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson) - 4:09
* duet with Toby Keith
3. "Maria (Shut Up and Kiss Me)" (Rob Thomas) - 4:01
* duet with Rob Thomas
4. "Mendocino County Line" (Matt Serletic, Bernie Taupin) - 4:30
* duet with Lee Ann Womack
5. "Always on My Mind" (Johnny Christopher, Mark James, Wayne Carson Thompson) - 3:53
* duet with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
6. "Night Life" (Walt Breeland, Paul Buskirk, Nelson) - 4:25
* duet with Ray Price
7. "Dead Flowers" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 4:55
* duet with Ryan Adams and Hank Williams III
8. "Lonestar" (Lee Alexander) - 3:33
* duet with Norah Jones
9. "Stardust" (Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish) - 4:17
* duet with Aaron Neville
10. "Don't Fade Away" (Kevin Kadish, Serletic) - 4:27
* duet with Brian McKnight
11. "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" (Nelson) - 4:26
* duet with Patty Griffin
12. "For What It's Worth" (Steve Stills) - 4:25
* duet with Sheryl Crow
13. "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" (Ed Bruce, Patsy Bruce) - 4:26
* duet with Matchbox Twenty
14. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (Fred Rose) - 3:09
* duet with Vince Gill
15. "Till I Gain Control Again" (Rodney Crowell) - 5:48
* duet with Emmylou Harris
16. "The Harder They Come" (Jimmy Cliff) - 4:26
* duet with Ryan Adams
17. "On the Road Again" (Nelson) - 2:27
18. "Move It On Over" (Hank Williams) - 4:58

 

[Botch]

Okay, I knew these guys were weird, but... :shock: :?
This show is done with a German orchestra. The first track involved the orch doing a continuous upward glissando (think the Beatles' Day in the Life) then the AEoC doing a frenetic drum break, ending with the orch doing a downward gliss (think the Beatles' Day in the Life backward) and it ends. Then these two guys in skimpy bikinis come out, bow, hug the maestro, the band, and everyone in the orchestra, and leave. They didn't perform.

WTF?!?!?

And that's only the first tune! :shock:

Okay, it's getting even more weird! The band and the orchestra have descended into a cacaphony of squeaks, squalls, hitting things and one percussionist is continually flipping a tambourine... in a chinese wok!
Then, as a group, they all stop...
And turn the page on their sheet music...
And begin again!
And now it's done, and they're getting a standing ovation!

If I go to heaven when I die, if there is one, I hope The Proprietor explains this to me...

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

5103

 

[PaulyT]

Good one, Dennie! Some hard-hitting blues there.

 

[PaulyT]

If you like Alison Krauss.....
I think you'll like Mindy Smith....

Finally got this one in, listening now. I like it! Good mix of instruments, good SQ (though a bit sibilant on the vocals), and most importantly - good music!

 

[Dennie]

Recent purchases:

Dan Fogelberg - "Greatest Hits"
Polyphonic Spree/Elliott Smith - "Thumbsucker (Movie Soundtrack)"
Enuff Z Nuff - "Favorites"

The Fogelberg disc was really cheap, but worth it just for the two songs that I wanted---"Longer" and "Leader of the Band". It was a bonus when I realized that I also recognized one or two other songs on the album. The "Thumbsucker" disc was a bit of a disappointment. Although I knew it was a soundtrack album, I thought maybe I'd like it better than I do most other soundtrack albums. But it's still is fairly worthwhile. The three Smith tracks are definite keepers, and the Spree/DeLaughter tracks are interesting soundscapes reminiscent of 'official' Spree albums, but these are more stripped down to their core. That said... I had to use Audacity to cut down "Acceptance" from 30 minutes to 5 minutes. (Hard drive space is a premium and that song just loops the same thing over and over.) As for Enuff Z Nuff, I haven't had much of a chance to listen to it yet; but it's a hits collection and the band supposedly sounds a bit like Cheap Trick at times, so I figure that'll be pretty good.

Great score! I can't even tell you how many people I've recommended the Movie "Thumbsucker" too.

I don't know if you've seen the movie, but it is worth a watch, especially if you have kids and even more so if you have kids with ADD, ADHD.

Now, I'm thinking about checking out the soundtrack.

Thanks for posting it Kazaam!

Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Okay, I knew these guys were weird, but... :shock: :?
This show is done with a German orchestra. The first track involved the orch doing a continuous upward glissando (think the Beatles' Day in the Life) then the AEoC doing a frenetic drum break, ending with the orch doing a downward gliss (think the Beatles' Day in the Life backward) and it ends. Then these two guys in skimpy bikinis come out, bow, hug the maestro, the band, and everyone in the orchestra, and leave. They didn't perform.

WTF?!?!?

And that's only the first tune! :shock:

Okay, it's getting even more weird! The band and the orchestra have descended into a cacaphony of squeaks, squalls, hitting things and one percussionist is continually flipping a tambourine... in a chinese wok!
Then, as a group, they all stop...
And turn the page on their sheet music...
And begin again!
And now it's done, and they're getting a standing ovation!

If I go to heaven when I die, if there is one, I hope The Proprietor explains this to me...

Seems about right for having a "Couple of Drinks" and ordering music! bscene-drinkingdrunk:


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

If you like Alison Krauss.....
I think you'll like Mindy Smith....

Finally got this one in, listening now. I like it! Good mix of instruments, good SQ (though a bit sibilant on the vocals), and most importantly - good music!

Hey Pauly, I'm glad you're giving Mindy a chance.
I really enjoyed her and that album, as a matter of fact, I think I will pull it our and give it a listen! :music-listening:


Dennie

 

[Kazaam]

Great score! I can't even tell you how many people I've recommended the Movie "Thumbsucker" too.

I don't know if you've seen the movie, but it is worth a watch, especially if you have kids and even more so if you have kids with ADD, ADHD.

Now, I'm thinking about checking out the soundtrack.

Thanks for posting it Kazaam!

Dennie

I haven't watched "Thumbsucker" yet, but plan to the next time I sign up for Netflix.

The soundtrack CD is alright, especially considering that you can probably pick it up fairly cheap. And it's fun to hear what a stripped-down Spree sounds like. However... It's just that, after reading some reviews, I was expecting it to sound more cohesive as an album. And, to be fair, it does have some level of cohesiveness as there seems to be a clear 'beginning' and an 'end'. Plus, the Elliott Smith tracks (with his earnest/vulnerable-sounding vocals) mix in fairly well with the occasionally melancholy Polyphonic Spree-esque tracks. But the part that disappoints me slightly is that *some* of the 'soundscapes' don't seem to flow very nicely from one song to the next. Don't get me wrong, they all sound great; and I'm sure they are important to the film. It's just that it seems like maybe they were thrown onto this CD randomly.

My fault was raising my expectations too high and not initially appreciating it for whatever it is. Or maybe I just don't understand. It'll be interesting to watch the movie to see how often these songs are used within the film, and to see the context in which they've been used.

 

[Dennie]

Great score! I can't even tell you how many people I've recommended the Movie "Thumbsucker" too.

I don't know if you've seen the movie, but it is worth a watch, especially if you have kids and even more so if you have kids with ADD, ADHD.

Now, I'm thinking about checking out the soundtrack.

Thanks for posting it Kazaam!

Dennie

I haven't watched "Thumbsucker" yet, but plan to the next time I sign up for Netflix.

The soundtrack CD is alright, especially considering that you can probably pick it up fairly cheap. And it's fun to hear what a stripped-down Spree sounds like. However... It's just that, after reading some reviews, I was expecting it to sound more cohesive as an album. And, to be fair, it does have some level of cohesiveness as there seems to be a clear 'beginning' and an 'end'. Plus, the Elliott Smith tracks (with his earnest/vulnerable-sounding vocals) mix in fairly well with the occasionally melancholy Polyphonic Spree-esque tracks. But the part that disappoints me slightly is that *some* of the 'soundscapes' don't seem to flow very nicely from one song to the next. Don't get me wrong, they all sound great; and I'm sure they are important to the film. It's just that it seems like maybe they were thrown onto this CD randomly.

My fault was raising my expectations too high and not initially appreciating it for whatever it is. Or maybe I just don't understand. It'll be interesting to watch the movie to see how often these songs are used within the film, and to see the context in which they've been used.

I know what you're saying, "flow" can make or break an album.

Now, I have to re-watch the movie, as I don't remember the soundtrack and I too am curious to how the music is used and fits the movie.

Thanks Kazaam,

Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Dixie Chicken -- CD

Little Feat

1990 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Everything came together for Little Feat's third album. An expanded lineup gave the Feat a more supple rhythmic base, Lowell George penned some of his strongest numbers, and they developed an oozy studio sound that suited them to a T. The title track, "Fat Man in a Bathtub," and "Two Trains" distilled compounded rhythms, wailing background vocals, and adroit wordplay into an intoxicating soul-rock swill. In many ways, Dixie Chicken stands as a kind of kissing cousin to the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street, which hit the streets one year earlier. While not as expansive as the Stones' magnum opus, its highlights are every bit as spectacular. --Steve Stolder

1. "Dixie Chicken" (Lowell George, Fred Martin) – 3:55
2. "Two Trains" (George) – 3:06
3. "Roll Um Easy" (George) – 2:30
4. "On Your Way Down" (Allen Toussaint) – 5:31
5. "Kiss It Off" (George) – 2:56
6. "Fool Yourself" (Fred Tackett) – 3:10
7. "Walkin' All Night" (Paul Barrère, Bill Payne) – 3:35
8. "Fat Man In The Bathtub" (George) – 4:29
9. "Juliette" (George) – 3:20
10. "Lafayette Railroad" (George, Payne) – 3:40

 

[Dennie]

I have to thank Topper for turning me on to this one many years ago, I really enjoy it......

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]

In A Sentimental Mood -- CD

Dr. John

1989 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com

Mac Rebennack's long commercial drought finally ended in the late '80s with In a Sentimental Mood, an album of pop standards bearing almost no connection to New Orleans R&B roots. His album-opening duet with Rickie Lee Jones, "Making' Whoopee," was a big hit after it was included on the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, and it's easy to understand why Harry Connick Jr. fans who'd bought When Harry Met Sally were seduced by this coy come-on. Still, it's odd to hear Rebennack's scruffy baritone in service to such lush, sweeping orchestration (and to hear him sing a line like "I've got a sweet tooth for your sweet heart"). The Doctor does lend a nice bluesy feel to a Satchmo favorite, "My Buddy," and to Charles Brown's classic, "Black Night," and his version of "More Than You Know" is a small miracle of understatement. --Keith Moerer

Track listing

1. Makin' Whoopee!
2. Candy
3. Accentuate the Positive
4. My Buddy
5. In a Sentimental Mood
6. Black Night
7. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'
8. Love For Sale
9. More Than You Know

 

[smgreen20]

Going to sleep while listening to this tonight.

Tori Amos- Boys for Pele,
A wide range of sounds and very cleanly recorded.

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

The Best of Joe Cocker -- CD

Joe Cocker

1993 Capitol Records

Amazon.com

Known for his crazy man gyrations, sandpaper and gravel voice, and a destructive alcoholism that imbued his songs with a desperate edge, Joe Cocker set forth with a British blues sound nearly impossible to beat. This collection features his later work. The demons controlled, he's transformed himself into an adult-contemporary singer who can deliver the pathos on cue. The simple elegance of his duet with Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong," catapulted him back into the spotlight and his work since has been a graceful bow to that accomplishment. He's restrained these days but he still delivers that sad, lonely tune as only someone who's been there can. --Rob O'Connor

1. "Unchain My Heart" (90's Version) - 5:06 (Bobby Sharp, Teddy Powell)
2. "You Can Leave Your Hat On" - 4:14 (Randy Newman)
3. "When the Night Comes" - 3:56 (Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance, Diane Warren)
4. "Up Where We Belong (Duet with Jennifer Warnes)" - 3:55 (Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Will Jennings)
5. "Now That the Magic Has Gone" - 3:56 (John Miles)
6. "Don't You Love Me Anymore" - 4:09 (Albert Hammond, Diane Warren)
7. "I Can Hear the River" - 3:41 (Don Dixon)
8. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" - 3:57 (Elton John, Bernie Taupin)
9. "Shelter Me" - 4:20 (Nick Di Stefano)
10. "Feels Like Forever" - 4:46 (Bryan Adams, Diane Warren)
11. "Night Calls" - 3:25 (Jeff Lynne)
12. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" - 5:28 (Elton John, Bernie Taupin)
13. "Now That You're Gone" - 4:15 (Klaus Lage, Diether Dehm, Tony Carey, Joe Cocker)
14. "Civilized Man" - 3:56 (Richard Feldman, Pat Robinson)
15. "When a Woman Cries" - 4:20 (Joshua Kadison)
16. "With a Little Help from My Friends" (Live) - 9:27 (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)

 

[Dennie]

Live From Madison Square Garden -- 2 CD Set

Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood

2009 Reprise Records

Product Description

2 CD edition. History rocked and rock made history during a sold-out three-gig stand at Madison Square Garden in late February 2008 when icons Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood performed a concert together for the first time since their all-too-brief days in the legendary Blind Faith in 1969. Whether they will ever team again is unknown. But with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live From Madison Square Garden, fans everywhere are able to experience the sound and the glory of a performance on that famous stage by two of rock's greatest artists.

Disc One

1. "Had to Cry Today" (Steve Winwood) – 7:47
2. "Low Down" (J.J. Cale) – 4:10
3. "Them Changes" (Buddy Miles) – 5:10
4. "Forever Man" (Jerry Williams) – 3:33
5. "Sleeping in the Ground" (Sam Myers) – 4:50
6. "Presence of the Lord" (Eric Clapton) – 5:23
7. "Glad" (Steve Winwood) – 4:13
8. "Well All Right" (Jerry Allison/Buddy Holly/Joe Mauldin/Norman Petty) – 5:35
9. "Double Trouble" (Otis Rush) – 8:06
10. "Pearly Queen" (Jim Capaldi/Steve Winwood) – 6:10
11. "Tell the Truth" (Eric Clapton/Bobby Whitlock) – 6:42
12. "No Face, No Name, No Number" (Jim Capaldi/Steve Winwood) – 4:09

Disc Two

1. "After Midnight" (J.J. Cale) – 4:45
2. "Split Decision" (Joe Walsh/Steve Winwood) – 6:25
3. "Rambling on My Mind" (Robert Johnson) – 4:01
* Eric Clapton only
4. "Georgia on My Mind" (Hoagy Carmichael/Stuart Gorrell) – 5:05
* Steve Winwood only
5. "Little Wing" (Jimi Hendrix) – 6:42
6. "Voodoo Chile" (Jimi Hendrix) – 16:23
7. "Can't Find My Way Home" (Steve Winwood) – 5:33
8. "Dear Mr. Fantasy" (Jim Capaldi/Steve Winwood/Chris Wood) – 7:41
9. "Cocaine" (J.J. Cale) – 6:41