DIXIE CHICKS
WIDE OPEN SPACES
1998 – MONUMENT
Produced By BLAKE CHANCEY & PAUL WORLEY
1. I Can Love You Better
2. Wide Open Spaces
3. Loving Arms
4. There’s Your Trouble
5. You Were Mine
6. Never Say Die
7. Tonight The Heartache’s On Me
8. Let ‘Er Rip
9. Once You’ve Loved Somebody
10. I’ll Take Care Of You
11. Am I The Only One (Who’s Ever Felt This Way)
12. Give It Up Or Let Me Go
Before they were cancelled by the good folks who love to complain about cancelling…The (then) Dixie Chicks replaced lead singer Laura Lynch with Natalie Maines and hit paydirt with their fourth album, Wide Open Spaces. The talent of instrumentalists (and backup singers) Emily Strayler and Martie Seidel had never been in question, but it was the addition of Maines that made the difference. With a powerful and perfect country voice in the fold, The Chicks were suddenly a force to be reckoned with. This rollicking set of songs is mostly well chosen, and without exception well played and sung. The Chicks became stars here, and they became one hell of a fun group to listen to. And Natalie Maines became the star of the show without it going to her head.
Wide Open Spaces boasts five hit singles, and a whole lot more. “I Can Love You Better”, “Wide Open Spaces” and “There’s Your Trouble” are all great, but don’t sleep on the rest here. Particularly the last three songs, none of which were hits, but which were written by the likes of J.D. Souther, Maria McKee and Bonnie Raitt. Raitt's closing track, “Give It Up Or Let Me Go” finds the group, but especially Maines, cutting as loose as one can cut, and it’s a perfect way to end the album. They serve notice that the Chicks were setting course for a voyage of hits and great albums, and they did not disappoint. This is where the momentum started, where the Chicks found their footing, and where they finally found their leading voice. A great and fun album.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
PANDA BEAR
TOMBOY
2011 – PAW TRACKS
Produced By PANDA BEAR & SONIC BOOM
1. You Can Count On Me
2. Tomboy
3. Slow Motion
4. Surfer’s Hymn
5. Last Night At The Jetty
6. Drone
7. Alsatian Darn
8. Scheherazade
9. Friendship Bracelet
10. Afterburner
11. Benfica
Noah Lennox is Panda Bear, and Tomboy is his fourth solo album. Coming off of the huge success of the Panda Bear album Person Pitch and the Animal Collective release Merriweather Post Pavillion, the expectations for Tomboy were pretty high. And while Tomboy is not as complete and thrilling as those two records, it’s still a really great effort. Lennox continues to utilize his layering of vocals with wonderful results (although lyrics tend to be lost in the effects), but he also switches directions and instead of relying on samples, uses some really unique guitar effects. And while Tomboy still has the beautiful sounds of its predecessors, it lacks a bit in terms of excitement and drive. In other words, it seems to be a slowed down version of what makes his music so intriguing.
Still…there are some really breathtaking moments here. “Tomboy” and “Surfer’s hymn” are perfectly done, and “Last Night At The Jetty” and “You Can Count On Me” are almost as good. And when it’s upbeat, it’s pretty great. But the lack of lyrical involvement (imagine…someone who grew up listening to 70’s hard rock complaining about not being able to make out the words?) is kind of off-putting. There is a definite disconnect when you can’t understand what the songs are about. But otherwise, the magic that Panda Bear has always been able to put down on record is still here, and Tomboy is still a pretty great experience. This is an artist that very rarely missteps, and while not perfect, this is still a really fine effort. Definitely worth checking out.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
BILLY CURRINGTON
LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
2008 – MERCURY NASHVILLE
Produced By CARSON CHAMBERLAIN & BILLY CURRINGTON
1. Swimmin’ In Sunshine
2. Life And Love And The Meaning Of
3. Every Reason Not To Go
4. Don’t
5. People Are Crazy
6. Everything
7. Walk On
8. No One Has Eyes Like You
9. That’s How Country Boys Roll
10. I Shall Return
11. Heal Me
By definition, country pop is the melding of country and mainstream pop music with the hope of selling more music. It’s hard to find anyone who has benefitted from that marriage of musical styles more than Billy Currington. Between 2005 and 2010, he had three straight albums reach #2 on the US country charts and sell over a million copies. The second of those three albums was Little Bit Of Everything. Currington’s best asset, his voice, is on full display here. And thankfully so, because something had to save this set of mostly bland rock songs with corny lyrics from a really terrible fate. The playing is just fine, but the arrangements are uninspired and unremarkable, and lyrically, no one is breaking any new ground or saying anything really worth repeating.
Even so, there were three sizable hits from this record. “Don’t” sounds like a non hit album cut from a non-hard rock band from the 80’s. “People Are Crazy” imparts the wisdom of “God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy”. It also sounds nothing at all like country. “That’s How Country Boys Roll” is better than what Jason Aldean does, but not by much, and matches lines about barbecue and beer with a few power chords. Currington has almost zero twang, which makes his southern sensibilities seem pretty insincere. And that’s how the peak of Currington’s career went. He has since made a puzzling move away from country pop, and has had some unfortunate scrapes with the law which led to his enrolling in some anger management classes. If you must, have at it. But if not, you’re not missing much.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
GRANT LEE BUFFALO
MIGHTY JOE MOON
1994 – SLASH / REPRISE
Produced By PAUL KIMBLE
1. Lone Star Song
2. Mockingbirds
3. It’s The Life
4. Sing Along
5. Mighty Joe Moon
6. Demon Called Deception
7. Lady Godiva And Me
8. Drag
9. Last Days Of Tecumseh
10. Happiness
11. Honey Don’t Think
12. Side By Side
13. Rock Of Ages
Grant Lee Buffalo was an exclusively 90’s band. Between 1993 and 1998, they released four albums before their label basically told them that they were outdated. Front man Grant-Lee Phillips embarked on a solo career that has been much longer and much more successful, but we do still have the four albums that this band made. Mighty Joe Moon is the second of the four, and was the most successful. It wasn’t huge by any means, but it did sell fairly well. The album, like the band, was mostly ignored. Which is too bad, because even though these guys weren’t as big as Nirvana and Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, they did make some pretty fine music, and their albums were always of good quality. They just never had that one song that caught everyone’s ear. But they had just about everything else.
The best tracks here, “Lone Star Song”, “Honey Don’t Think” and “Mockingbirds”, show just how underrated these guys were. Phillips, drummer Joey Peters and bassist / keyboardist / producer Paul Kimble made cool music for cool people that unfortunately went mostly unheard. A good portion of Mighty Joe Moon is acoustic and almost gloomy, but it’s still a joy to listen to. Their next album, Copperopolis, did fairly well, but the label pulled the plug on promoting their fourth album, Jubilee, when it tested poorly (and unfairly) at radio stations, leading to the end of the band. There’s still Phillips, who continues to make interesting and fine music, but Mighty Joe Moon stands as a reminder that Grant Lee Buffalo deserved a whole lot better than what they got. Definitely worth hearing.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY
AMERICANA DELUXE
1998 – INTERSCOPE
Produced By SCOTTY MORRIS
1. The Boogie Bumper
2. Mr. Pinstripe Suit
3. King Of Swing
4. Minnie The Moocher
5. You And Me And The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)
6. Jump With Me Baby
7. Maddest Kind Of Love
8. Go Daddy-O
9. Please Baby
10. Mambo Swing
11. Jumpin’ Jack
12. So Long – Farewell – Goodbye
The nineties were a pretty fun time for music. That included the swing revival movement, in which young bands were suddenly embracing the dance music of the 1930’s and 1940’s. With lots of horns and costumes and songs about drinking…what was there not to love? Of course it was a fad that didn’t survive to the 2000’s, but don’t you dare tell that to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Formed at the very birth of the swing revival in 1989, this band continues to this day reminding folks of what was so much fun in the years that predated rock and roll. Americana Deluxe is their second album, and it proved to be their biggest success. By the time of their next record a year later, swing was already starting to fade back into nostalgia. But in 1998, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was at the center of a thriving musical movement.
This band was a one hit wonder…almost. Their only released single, “You And Me And The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)” failed to crack the top 100, but the band was pretty well known in the late 90’s, thanks to some TV appearances and as a bar band in the film Swingers. But Big Bad Voodoo Daddy were not alone as swing renovators, sometimes being lost in the crowd of bands like Squirrel Nut Zippers, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and The Brian Setzer Orchestra, all of whom did it just a bit better than the Voodoo Daddys did. So, this music is well played, but somewhat less memorable. Kudos to this band for still playing the music that they love, but their days in the spotlight, which were short, have long since passed. This is the album of theirs to have, and it’s okay and entertaining…but it won’t blow your socks off.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
LUNGS
2009 – ISLAND
Produced By PAUL EPWORTH, JAMES FORD, CHARLIE HUGALL, STEPHEN MACKEY, ISABELLA SUMMERS & EG WHITE
1. Dog Days Are Over
2. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
3. I’m Not Calling You A Liar
4. Howl
5. Kiss With A Fist
6. Girl With One Eye
7. Drumming Song
8. Between Two Lungs
9. Cosmic Love
10. My Boy Builds Coffins
11. Hurricane Drunk
12. Blinding
13. You’ve Got The Love
In 2009, there was no escaping from the music and the phenomenon of Florence + The Machine. Their debut album, Lungs, was pushed hard by the British press and became a number one hit. And even though this was their lowest charting release in America, it was still everywhere. And we were seemingly all captivated. The best thing about Lungs is the vocal force that is Florence Welch. She sings big on every track, which made it all seem like the greatest musical discovery in who knows so many years. Truth is, despite boasting six hit singles and being the talk of the music business, Lungs was a good album…but it was never as great as it was made out to be. Looking back, it’s almost sad that this record fell short of all the hype.
But it is very good. It’s just not perfect. The hits were as big as they were based on the moments that Welch had vocally, but overall, the songs here are what misses the mark. There isn’t a lot of variety here, and as a result, the songs begin to sound all the same. They are very well played, and expertly sung, but by the time it’s over, you barely even notice. The hits are worth having: “Kiss With A Fist”, “Cosmic Love”, “Dog Days Are Over”, “You’ve Got The Love” and the rest, but I guess that the bottom line is this: if you expect too much from this, you can be easily disappointed. The rest of the Machine catalog has sold well, but this is the biggest one of them all. Lungs is a fine record that fares better with lesser expectations…if that makes any kind of sense.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
THE LA’S
1990 – GO! DISCS
Produced By STEVE LILYWHITE & BOB ANDREWS
1. Son Of A Gun
2. I Can’t Sleep
3. Timeless Melody
4. Liberty Ship
5. There She Goes
6. Doledrum
7. Feelin’
8. Way Out
9. I.O.U.
10. Freedom Song
11. Failure
12. Looking Glass
Strange band, this one. The La’s formed in 1983, and recorded their highly acclaimed and popular debut album in 1990. And then they broke up. There are 27 former members of this band. So what’s the deal? Well, by the time the band went into the studio, they seemed to be already splitting up. A parade of (somewhat impressive) producers were brought in and shown the door. Nothing was working. Eventually, Steve Lilywhite patched the different takes together into something that the label could release…and the band hated it. And finally, the band splintered because they were simply tired of having played the same small group of songs for the last seven years, with no change in sight. And so, with the exception of a few live show partial reunions over the years, The La’s were over.
The album is not as bad as the band would lead you to believe. The song that made them one hit wonders was “There She Goes”, which is a jangle pop dream. “Way Out”, “Feelin’”, and “Timeless Melody” were also singles, but didn’t fare as well. Even though the songs are terrific, the production of the album is scattered and confusing, thanks in large part to the demands of singer and songwriter Lee Mavers. Still, the songs win in the end. The La’s are one of those bands where you have to ask yourself, what if they had continued on? We will never know, but the fact that this disc is still around and still matters to the degree it does speaks volumes. The La’s are a prime example of “what if”, and they will always stay that way. The album is worth having, and not just for “There She Goes”.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
SLEATER-KINNEY
CALL THE DOCTOR
1996 – CHAINSAW
Produced By JOHN GOODMANSON & SLEATER-KINNEY
1. Call The Doctor
2. Hubcap
3. Little Mouth
4. Anonymous
5. Stay Where You Are
6. Good Things
7. I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
8. Taking Me Home
9. Taste Test
10. My Stuff
11. I’m Not Waiting
12. Heart Attack
Sleater-Kinney is one of the best bands from the 90’s and after, yet they always seem to be overlooked. Call The Doctor is their second album, although it almost feels like an EP because of how short it is…it barely reaches 30 minutes long. But those 30 minutes are some of the best American punk of the decade. Call The Doctor is unrelentingly heavy and fast, and Corin Tucker sings like she’s being chased down by a bulldozer. In the best possible way. Sleater-Kinney was, at the time, the trio of Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Lora Macfarlane, who left the band shortly after this was recorded. But the group has always been mainly Tucker and Brownstein with a drummer. They are also notable for not having a bass player…something you don’t expect from a punk band.
This album was written in just three weeks and recorded in four days. The songs are short, fast and to the point, with “Good Things” being the longest at 3:10. You won’t find any hits here, and there were no singles released. Critics loved Call The Doctor, but it would take another two albums and three years before listeners caught on to what was so great about Sleater-Kinney. But as great as they are, they have never had an album sell over 100,000 copies in the US. Too bad. People need more Sleater-Kinney in their lives, and on their turntables or whatever they listen on. This is a fresh and exciting record that deserves to be heard. And if it works for you, then you will certainly enjoy the rest of this band’s catalog. It’s all really very good.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
JURASSIC 5
POWER IN NUMBERS
2002 – INTERSCOPE
Produced By CUT CHEMIST, DJ NU-MARK, JUJU & SA-RA CREATIVE PARTNERS
1. This Is
2. Freedom
3. If You Only Knew
4. Break
5. React
6. A Day At The Racess (Feat. Big Daddy Kane & Percee P)
7. Remember His Name
8. What’s Golden
9. Thin Line (Feat. Nelly Furtado)
10. After School Special
11. High Fidelity
12. Sum Of Us
13. DDT (Feat. Kool Keith)
14. One Of Them (Feat. Juju)
15. Hey
16. I Am Somebody
17. Acetate Prophets
The hip hop group Jurassic 5 came out of Los Angeles in 1995, and released four albums between 1998 and 2006. Power In Numbers is the third album, the follow up to 2000’s Quality Control. The two albums work well together as a pair, with Quality Control being more consistent, and Power In Numbers taking a few more chances musically. They are the only two albums by this group that you should need. Power In Numbers is catchy and strong, with the songs bound together by short and effective spoken word interludes. It became a top twenty album in the US, and features interesting features from Kool Keith and Nelly Furtado. It was later re-issued with a bonus DVD (the re-issue has the cover photo at night: the original is in daylight).
The centerpiece of Power In Numbers is “What’s Golden”, with samples from Public Enemy and Clive Hicks. “Hey”, “Freedom” and “If You Only Knew” are very good as well. There is a bit of filler on this album (it does have a lot of songs), but overall, Power In Numbers is a strong and entertaining effort. After this record, DJ and producer Cut Chemist would depart, and Jurassic 5 was never the same…their final album, 2006’s Feedback, was fairly average, and Jurassic 5 split up not long afterwards. The way to go with these guys is the one-two punch of Quality Control and Power In Numbers. A fine example of turn of the century alternative hip hop, and a hip hop group that did have success, even though it was short lived.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
PORCUPINE TREE
IN ABSENTIA
2002 – LAVA
Produced By STEVEN WILSON
1. Blackest Eyes
2. Trains
3. Lips Of Ashes
4. The Sound Of Muzak
5. Gravity Eyelids
6. Wedding Nails
7. Prodigal
8. .3
9. The Creator Has A Mastertape
10. Heartattack In A Layby
11. Strip The Soul
12. Collapse The Light Into Earth
You may not know it, but Porcupine Tree has been around making some really great music for over 30 years now. In Absentia is their seventh album, and their first for a major label. It’s also, along with Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007) and Deadwing (2005), one of their three best efforts. On this album, Porcupine Tree moved into a more progressive metal mode, although there are still the hallmarks of their earlier work here…superb layered vocals, and a sense of psychedelia. Together with the heavier sound, you have the first real Porcupine Tree masterpiece. After ten years of releasing good albums into near obscurity, they were finally putting out a great record with the power of a label behind it.
“Blackest Eyes” was the single, and while it wasn’t a big hit, it did signal the fact that Porcupine Tree was now heavier, and better, than ever. “The Sound Of Muzak” and “Trains” are also notable, but this entire album is a thing of beauty. Passages of lovely music that are suddenly bludgeoned by some pretty massive guitars. This is a great thing. In Absentia was the start of a terrific run for the band, and although the sales have never been big for them, their fans know. They put out an album in 2022 after a 13 year absence, and proved that they still have it. Any of Porcupine Tree’s eleven studio albums are worthwhile, but you’ll really want their 2000’s run that starts with In Absentia. This is great stuff.
Link _________________ May we all get to heaven
'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
