Mary Black
- No
Frontiers
(Folk/ Contemporary)
Dara
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I first heard this album
sitting in the now defunct Coffee Inn on South Anne Street. Completely
captivated by the voice singing I Say a Little Prayer, I was surprised to
find it was Mary Black - having known her previously for fairly
conventional folk. This album transcended boundaries at the time and
continues to do so. Peerless playing thanks to Garvan Gallagher
and Its also a super recording thanks to the credited "Dan
Dan". She has rarely equalled this breakthrough album since, though
we will feature another recommendation in a later post. |
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Jim Hall - Circles
(Jazz)Concord
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Jim
Hall is to guitar as Bill Evans is to piano. That may be too crude a
comparison, but Hall certainly displays the same sense of economy,
understatement and taste as Evans. Opinions about Circles vary, but for
me it is one of Hall's more accessible albums, mixing standards with
Hall's own compositions. The latter are the high points of the album for
me, with "Down From Antigua" standing out as on of my
favourite Hall cuts. On this disc, Hall is admirably backed up by Terry
Clarke on drums and Don Thompson on both piano and bass (presumably the
piano was overdubbed). As always the Concord house sound is fine. I
recently backed up my vinyl copy of this disc with a two for one release
on CD which adds Hall's 1989 album All Across the City. The sound on the
CD transfer is to a high standard. |
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Emily Remler - East to Wes (Jazz)
Concord
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Emily
Remler is not well known, even in Jazz circles, but deserves a wider
audience. Sadly, Remler died at a tragically young age, so her recorded
output is pretty scant. This arguably her best work, demonstrating her
respect for the legendary Wes Montgomery, though this is far from a pure
montgomery tribute. Relmer has a fine sense of lyricism and great
economy in her playing. The record is to Concord's fine house standards. |
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Pat Metheny
Beyond the Missouri Sky
(Jazz/
Contemporary)
Verve |
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The
first of two Metheny posts here. Pat Metheny has become a huge crossover
artist and is almost unclassifiable. However, his sheer eclecticism,
virtually from folk to free jazz (Song X) can be his downfall. The
recordings chosen here take that into account. Beyond the Missouri sky
is a beautiful record that really portrays Metheny's love of his
midwestern origins. The playing is tremendously understated, but this is
a real "grower" with repeated listening. |
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Pat Metheny - As Falls Wichata So Falls Wichata Falls
(Not classifiable)
ECM
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The
cover photo is redolent of Bill Brandt. On one level, one could consider
it as just another example of the ECM house style. However, it
represented a really radical breakaway from Metheny's previous
recordings. Perhaps best described as a tone poem, As Falls Wichita
defies classification. But at a purely emotional level, this is powerful
music. As always, its superbly executed musically and sonically up to the
best standards of ECM. This is not easy listening, but it is accessible
in its own way and well worth the effort. |
Blue Oyster
Cult - Fire of Unknown (Rock/Metal)
CBS/Sony
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BOC
have always been hard to pin down. At a very superficial level, they are
a metal band. But then a whole range of factors give a lie to this.
Bouchard's drumming has more to do with jazz than metal, Allen Lanier
hung out with Patti Smith (c.f. Vera Gemini on "Agents") and
Eric Bloom is from New York. Fire of Unknown Origin is the Cult at their
best - brilliant songwriting, suavely ironic lyrics and great playing.
What elevates this record in the Cult discography is the great sound. If
your idea of metal is Ozzy Osbourne, put your prejudices aside and
simply enjoy! |
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Blue Oyster
Cult Agents of Fortune (Rock/Pop/
Metal)CBS/Sony
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If
we mention BOC, however, its difficult to get away from Agents of
Fortune. Containing the sublime "Don't fear the reaper",
Agents was the album that brought BOC into the Mainstream. But its much
more that that enduring single. The songwriting is entirely consistent
throughout, combining Bloom's characteristically ironic wit, with great
melodic sensibility, and a soupcon of metal muscle where necessary.
For a little diversion, play Debbie Denise and U2's The Sweetest Thing
back to back and see who's influencing who... Of the recordings featured
here, it has to be said that Agents comes bottom of the class. Its more
that the overall balance is a bit odd as there's plenty happening
in the mix. Use headphones for best results. |
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Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach - Painted from Memory
(Jazz/ Contemporary)
Mercury
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Burt
Bacharach is probably my all time favourite songwriter. Sadly, its hard
to compile the definitive Bacharach discography, as most of the original
albums are hard to come by, and the shops are littered with
compilations, many of indifferent quality. That's why my recommendation
features the relatively recent collaboration between Burt and Elvis
Costello. This is perhaps the first album where Bacharach regains the
form displayed in his halcyon days with Hal (sic) Davis. This is
an excellently crafted recording. If you hate Costello's adenoidal
(albeit now technically perfect) vocals, then check out Bill Frisell's
instrumental album of these songs (review to follow in a future
posting). |
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Eric Jones
- Tones
(Rock/Jazz)
Reprise
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Someone
described Eric Johnson as sounding like what Jimi Hendrix would have
ended up as if he had gone on to study with Wes Montgomery, and its not
a bad comparison. Arguably, Johnson's debut album remains the best of a
small and slowly expanding discography. The playing is astounding,
Johnson's tone is almost impossible to reconcile, having the creamy
smoothness of an overdriven Les Paul, with the clean attack of a vintage
Strat. The compositions are worthy in themselves, but the soloing is
astounding. Sound is a little "early eighties digital", but not by
any means unacceptable -quite redolent of the overplayed Jennifer Warnes
Famous Blue Raincoat in that respect. |
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Norah
Jones - Come Away With Me
(Jazz/
Contemporary)
Verve
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Winner
of multiple grammys, daughter of Ravi Shankar blah blah blah. The
problem for Norah Jones is that her album is now so ubiquitously praised
that some may shy away from it on that basis alone. That would be a
mistake however. OK on the first couple of listenings the record struck
me as a bit bland, but subsequently, its subtle charms won me over.
Jones has a sublime voice and the songs are well chosen while the
playing is understated almost to a fault. My judgment - not quite
up to the universal acclaim, but a damn fine album nonetheless. By way
of compensation, the recording is magnificent. |
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Rodney Crowell - The Houston Kid
(Country)
Sugar Hill Records
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If
there was ever an artist that is cruelly overlooked, its Rodney Crowell.
Overtly, Crowell's music definitely falls into the country category. But
once on delves deeper than the superificialities of the genre, its quite
apparent that Crowell's songs have a depth that quite elude the average
Nashville guitar slinger. This is Crowell's most recent album and his
finest to date. It retains all the melodic flare of his past outings,
but really ecxels lyrically. Check our the narrative on Highway 17
-" I had five kids, a wife with one dress and a yard full of cars
that would not run", for as powerful an evocation of rural poverty
as you'll find. Sound is far better than the Nashville standard and
quite superb on most of the album. |
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Nik Kershaw
- Human Racing
MCA
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What's
Nik Kershaw doing here. Well "listen without prejudice" to
paraphrase George Michael and you might well be disappointed. This album
contains great pop songs which are witty, expertly played and have a lot
more depth than Kershaw's detractors would have believe. Best of all
sound quality is absolutely spectacular. The eighties represented a
period in which, if the right equipment was used -i.e. pre SSL pre
digital recorders, some of the best analogue sound ever was produced -
at least when it comes to multitrack recording. Listen and be surprised,
if you've ignored this record up to now. |
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Glen
Gould - A State of Wonder The Goldberg Variations.
(Classical)
Sony
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The
Goldbergs are probably among the best known of Bach's phenomenal
oeuvre and Gould may be their best known interpreter. This latest
reissue of these recordings brings together the 1955 and 1981 recordings
- Gould's first, and last before his untimely death. Much has been made
in the hi-fi press of the fact that the later recording has been
remastered from analogue backup tapes made at the time of the original
recording. The sound is certainly better that earlier reissues, but for
my money, fails to improve on the original vinyl boxed set. I have been
unable to establish whether the vinyl issue was made fro m the analogue
or digital tapes. In any event, what matters here is the music. For this
reviewer, the later recording demonstrates a discipline and depth that
outstrips the youthful romanticism of Gould's debut recording. But
both interpretations are very well worth having. If Gould is just too
regimented for you, or if his singing along puts you off, then the
recent Murray Perhia recording on Sony is a useful
alternative. |
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Joe Satriani
- Strange Beautiful Music
(Unfair
to classify)Epic
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As
I say in the caption, it is unfair to classify this album. The facts are
that it contains music, played loud by a man with a pointy Ibanez
guitar. However the music and playing have inventiveness, melody and wit
that go far beyond what you might expect. Relative to Satriani's earlier
albums, there is a welcome degree of maturity here: when one note will
do, only one note is played. And where legato hammer on's and pull off's
were previously relied on for speed, we are now dazzled by lightning
fast runs where every note is immaculately picked. There's a whole canon
of musical styles buried within the basic framework. Teisco Del Ray
would have been proud! |
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ZZ Top
- Degullo (Blues/Rock)
Warner/BMG
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Unfortunately,
ZZ top's reputation may be permanently tarnished by their MTV
years. However, if the Top only seeped into your consciousness
with the crass (and ecreable sounding) "Gimme all your lovin",
then 1978's Deguello will come as a pleasant shock. Here you'll find
genuine southern wit coupled with fine songwriting that steers well
clear of hackneyed twelve bar clichés. It also provides a great showcase
for Billy Gibbon's great guitar playing and unique tone derived from his
58 Les Paul "Pearly Gates" and use of a quarter as a guitar
pick. Blues was rarely this much fun. Sound on vinyl is good to
excellent, but I can't vouch for the quality of the CD transfer. |
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Lucinda
Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
(Country)
Mercury
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Good
news - at the time of writing, this disc was available for 9.99 in
Tower. For this reviewer, William's albums are a mixed bag, with
"Car Wheels" standing head and shoulders above the rest. A lot
of reviews have suggested that William's is an acquired taste, and it is
true that her somewhat fractured voice may not appeal to all. Here,
however it provides a perfect complement to a set of songs about longing
and loss. If you can imagine the album cover set to music, you'll have a
good idea of what Car Wheels sounds like. The sound may be a little
forward, but a well balanced system this aspect is not objectionable. |
