What's in your cd player??

other music and musicians you love beside John Hiatt
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share other music(ians) and discuss it if you like
Webster
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Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

What's in your cd player??

Post: # 275Post Webster »

Over on the forum of Emile's site thejohnhiattarchives.com, there used to be a thread asking people to post the kind of music they are currently listening to. It was re-started by a user called natsthename and it ran for 20 pages until the forum was closed down. (The link to the original may or may not be active anymore: http://www.thejohnhiattarchives.com/dis ... 54&start=0 )

I'd like to re-open it here. So which music have you been listening to lately?

To complete the migration of the two forums and to give this topic a good start on here, I will add all my posts from that thread over there to this thread over here.
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 276Post Webster »

Post by webster on Sun May 23, 2004 4:15 pm
Now that I've finally got the time to write in here, I don't quite know what to say. I think it's a good thing that a place like this exists, as the forum on the official site is no more. So here's what's currently included in the stack of CDs beside my CDplayer:

-The Flatlanders - Wheels Of Fortune
-John Hiatt - Crossing Muddy Waters (maybe that's as close as his previous recordings get to his forthcoming solo acoustic disc)
-Joshua Bell & Edgar Meyer - Short Trip Home
-Hans Theessink - Bridges
-John Wesley Harding - Adam's Apple
-Marce Lacouture - La Joie Cadienne (produced by Sonny Landreth - his guitar is heard almost all over this record)
-Spin 1ne 2wo
-Tony Banks - Seven (for orchestra)

yours
webster
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 277Post Webster »

Post by webster on Sat Jul 24, 2004 11:12 am
OK, here's an update of what's playing at my place these days:

Bernie Leadon - Mirror
Mousse T - All Nite Madness
NRBQ - Dummy
Mudhoney Jimmie Dale Gilmore EP
James Bilagody & the Cremains - Sacred Stage
Ethan Johns - Independent Years
The Best Of the Art Of Noise
and
Los Lobos - The Ride

'The Ride' is more like 'This Time' in mood than it is like 'Aztlan' (if anybody is interested...)
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 278Post Webster »

Post by webster on Sat Apr 16, 2005 9:06 pm
That's what's in my player at the time:

Billy Bremner - No Ifs Buts And Maybes
-
the other Rockpile guitarist with his new pub rock album, a Sweden only release


Kirstin Candy - La Vie En Rouge
-
the Californian pianist/singer/songwriter with a melange of torch songs, westcoast rock, country and vocal jazz


Burning Water - Abbandonato
-
probably the most accessible album by Michael Landau's hard rock/jazz rock quartet from the early 90s


Rolling Stones - Forty Licks
-
me finally digging deeper into the Stones classic and not-so-classic Oeuvre than just scratching their 90s surface
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 279Post Webster »

Post by webster on Thu Oct 06, 2005 2:06 pm
Besides that Master Of Disaster is still in the stack close to my CD player because I love those songs with the horns so much, I've been listening to the following as of late:

-Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang (beware of the European version because it's copy-protected and won't play on computer drives!)

-The Howlin' Hill Project - Howlin' Hill Project (that's Gary McCoy, Doug Thomas, George Tricomi plus The Band's Levon Helm and Garth Hudson doing what I'd call something like a The Band version of Mountain Rock Music, Appalachian Mountains that is)

-Jason Sinay Band - Jason Sinay Band (LA studio guitarist and songwriter; I think he'd be a good choice as a guitarist for John as well, because they sound somewhat stylistically related; David Immergl?ck guests on mandolin and guitar)

-Willie Nelson - Countryman (I'd never thought I'd buy a Willie Nelson disc, because his voice isn't easy to enjoy for me, but when he sings reggae songs like on this disc, that's different. Imagine dobros and pedal steels in the Caribbean. That's what this record is like. I bought the "clean cover" version of it, because I prefer the irony of having the logo of your former record label that's been eaten up by a corporate giant on the record cover, over having a hemp leaf on it.)

-Ali 'Farka' Toure & Toumani Diabate - In the Heart Of the Moon (an almost totally instrumental album by the 2 African masters from 2 different musical traditions with Diabate's kora harp on center stage and Toure on acoustic guitar. Incredibly relaxing for my European ears, though African ears that are in the know about the 2 different traditions might consider this 'only a jam session'.)
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 280Post Webster »

Post by webster on Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:17 pm
Jackie Greene - American Myth
rock N roll singer songwriter with an exquisite studio band on this one:
Davey Faragher, Pete Thomas, Val McCallum, Greg Leisz, Steve Berlin

Paul Simon - Surprise
songwriting genius from the 60s taking a trip down Brian Eno lane, and
also includes his brilliant film song from a few years back, Father and
Daughter.

Texacali Horns - Texacali Horns
competent studio horn section branches out on its own; mostly
blues-ish instrumentals and a Taj Mahal guest vocal; Darrell Leonard
and Joe Sublett, with Johnny Lee Schell on guitar

T Bone Burnett - True False Identity
rumbling drums, occasionally shrieking guitars, social commentary,
that's T Bone's return after 14 years exclusively spent in the
producer's seat

Billy Burnette - Memphis In Manhattan
rockabilly heir singer songwriter goes audiophile with this high
resolution recording, the band is top as well, includes some cover
versions

Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler - All the Roadrunning
their voices together are just beautiful; need I say anything about his
guitar? Chad Cromwell, Glenn Worf and Dire Straits keyboardist Guy
Fletcher.
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 281Post Webster »

Post by webster on Sun Oct 08, 2006 4:48 pm
Well, the Ditty Bops have come to my attention by ways of their Mitchell Froom connection, but somehow their musical arrangements and the sound resulting from them are a little too much for me at this time. Besides that, I have to admit that it's hard to get 'Sister Kate' out of one's head after having heard the song a few times.

So what's on my player now?

Tim O'Reagan - Tim O'Reagan
The Jayhawks' drummer/2nd vocalist's debut solo album, which is a pretty
folksy record and has many fellow current and former Jayhawks members playing on it, too.

Tom Petty - Highway Companion
This is as Wilbury-ish as it can get for Tom after about four albums having
been produced by Rick Rubin. The Jeff Lynne sound is mainly in the details here, but there is more acoustic stuff than expected. Additionally,
Mike Campbell plays guitar, but not enough for my liking.
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 282Post Webster »

Post by webster on Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:55 pm
Recently, I went looking for some used CDs, so there's currently both old and new stuff circling around in my player:

-ARC ANGELS - ARC ANGELS
a rock band project from back in the early 90s in Austin Texas; Charlie
Sexton, Doyle Bramhall (the one who currently is in Eric Clapton's band),
Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton (the rhythm section of Stevie Ray
Vaughan).

-JOHN DENVER - DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
also from the early 90s, on this mountain folkpop album, the other John
was joined by a band of stellar players like James Burton on guitar and
Jim Horn on flutes and sax.

-JOE ELY - HAPPY SONGS FROM RATTLESNAKE GULCH
current 2007 song material from the producer amongst the Flatlanders,
this time around in rock vein and with a horn section on some tracks.

-BILL KIRCHEN - HAMMER OF THE HONKY TONK GODS
mellow new album from the trucker music/country rock guitar twanger,
who is probably best known for his stint in Commander Cody and the Lost
Planet Airmen, as well as his stint as the guitarist for Nick Lowe's band
Impossible Birds. It was recorded in England with Lowe's band.

I would have hoped to add AND NOW ... THE VERBS to this list, which is the husband/wife duo band of drummer/guitarist/producer Steve Jordan and his wife Meegan Voss, but so far, this has only been out in Japan, and amazon appears to have some problems in importing the disc.
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 283Post Webster »

Post by webster on Sun Jul 08, 2007 8:25 pm
Hello to whoever reads these messages, plus winnie and Nat!

Seemingly, the once very active Hiatt online community has migrated elsewhere on the web, but without leaving a note to me beforehand. They clearly aren't as active on the official site's board as they used to be here, so where have they gone?

Anyway, here is what's in my player at the time, while I still await the delivery of AND NOW ... THE VERBS, which I wrote about earlier on this thread. Sometimes the delivery of Japanese imports does take long, it seems.

- JOE COCKER - HYMN FOR MY SOUL
produced by Ethan Johns, known to Hiatt fans as guitarist and drummer on the "Stolen Moments" album. He places Cocker in a sparse setting, that's also rich at the same time, so Joe's voice can really shine center stage. The tunes are well-picked, too. A comeback of sorts. Somehow, I hope John Hiatt would let Ethan Johns produce his next record as well.

- HANS THEESSINK - SLOW TRAIN
recent disc by the bluesman from Vienna, this is the 2nd album on which he is accompanied by his current band of Austrian and African musicians, and you can hear that the band has grown tighter when compared to the last record. With Theessink playing a multitude of guitars, both electric and acoustic, this record really breathes.

- MAVIS STAPLES - WE'LL NEVER TURN BACK
backed by a band consisting of Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner, Mike Elizondo and a number of background singers, this may be the gospel/soul diva's best album so far, including both songs from the era of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as new ones, plus the two Cooder favourites "Jesus Is On the Mainline" and "Down In Mississippi".

Until next time :-)
the web-ster
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 284Post Webster »

Post by webster on Sat Aug 25, 2007 8:13 am
Yup, I second that "Glad you're still around", Winnie. Somehow, this board has gotten awfully quiet over the last few months. I guess people have just migrated to other online communities. For example, there is this gold rush now over there at myspace ;-))

Let me get back ontopic now. What's on my player?


-THE VERBS - AND NOW ... THE VERBS
The Japanese hardcopy of this wonderfully sounding little album has finally arrived. Meegan Voss and Steve Jordan are being helped by Danny Kortchmar (guitarist extraordinaire and top-notch producer himself) and Pino Palladino. Don Smith provides a perfectly clear sound. Too bad this album is so hard to find at the time, but a conversation with the band's myspace page tells me that they are looking for a European distributor.
I guess I've written more about this disc before on here...

-NICK LOWE - AT MY AGE
The new record from the Little Village bassist is just as loungey as his 2 most recent discs have been, if not more. Backed by Geraint Watkins, Robert Treherne and Steve Donnelly, some songs feature a horn section, too. His wit is sharp as ever and he really purrs at times.

-TERRY ADAMS - RHYTHM SPELL
The NRBQ keyboarder delivers a proper follow-up to that bands newest effort, Dummy, with this funny solo disc. Backed by NRBQ drummer Tom Ardolino and Tom "T-Bone" Wolk ( reportedly the 3rd man in Hall and Oates) on guitars and bass, this is ver NRBQ-sounding.

More later...

Keep on rocking fellow Hiattarchivists!
the web-ster

P.S.:
Besides that, the new Al Anderson disc "Pawn Shop Guitars" is only available for US and CAN residents. I tried to get it by having a friend ship it out to Europe for me, but this one seems to have been the first disc ever that I ordered over the internet to have gotten lost in delivery :-(
I guess I'm going to have to contact Big Al's bureau directly, like I did at the time "After Hours" came out. To do that, I just need to dig for the adress I used to have ...
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 285Post Webster »

Post by webster on Wed Nov 07, 2007 3:55 pm
Hello, this is me again talking about the pile of discs on my player.
This time around, they are the following:


-BOB LANOIS - SNAKE ROAD
This is the 2006 ambient jazzy folk pop record of the harmonica-playing brother of well known über-producer Daniel Lanois, who arranged this disc and played everything, well, except harmonica on it. It's a very relaxing and enjoyable listen, but the disc is a bit short.

-BIG AL ANDERSON & the BALLS - PAWN SHOP GUITARS
Even though my 1st attempt of ordering this via the web unfortunately got lost in the mail, (which has never happened to me before - and I've been ordering music through the web since 2000) this disc luckily appeared on cdbaby.com, too, which somewhat equals international distribution on whatever scale you want to measure it. Anyway, now to the content. This is the former NRBQ guitarist and current Nashville resident songwriter's 5th solo disc. The songs are fun, but it's not exactly an audiophile record, I have to admit. That's especially tragic, when Reese Wynans' piano playing occasionally gets lost in the mix, because he's such a good player. But I recommend this disc anyway.

-JACKSHIT - WELCOME NUGGET a/k/a JACKSHIT #2
This LA club scene / recording studio scene comedic country rock trio has done it again. Val "Beau Shit" McCallum, Davey "Shorty Shit" Faragher and Pete Thomas recorded another bunch of cover tunes and rearranged two traditionals ("Hi How Are Ya" is especially noteworthy for its mock-powwow chanting). It's a fun record, and it's got a great sound, too.

-FRANKIE MILLER - LONG WAY HOME
Compiled from mostly from tapes before the British bluesrock singer had been severely troubled by illness in the mid-1990s, this record finds him in fine form, even on the sole post-recovery period tune, which does show some changes in his voice / vocal arrangements. There are some great bluesrock and soul grooves on this album. It definitely sparked hopes in me that this won't be all we're going to hear from this artist. There are some guest appearances here as well from Will Jennings, Joe Walsh, Ian Wallace, Nicky Hopkins, among others.

-ALISON KRAUSS & ROBERT PLANT - RAISING SAND
Recorded with producer T Bone Burnett and his band, this unlikely duo find themselves singing mostly slow to midtempo tunes in an alternative country rock vein. The album is soaked in Burnett's Americana soundscapes, which is exactly why I like it. They are a bit spooky at times, but the overall sound of the album is warm and rich.


The latter disc kind of makes me wonder how a John Hiatt album would sound like, were it produced by T Bone Burnett, especially considering that the link between the two is Guilty Dogs / School Of Fish / Wallflowers / Innocent Criminals guitarist Michael Ward, who Burnett picked up for the Wallflowers after his Hiatt gig. But I guess I'm just dreaming a little ... ;-)
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 286Post Webster »

Post by webster on Mon May 05, 2008 8:46 am
So again, it's been a while. A belated happy 2008 to you all. :lol:

And as things go, I'm currently pretty busy with other stuff than music. A few discs are on their way to me by mailorder and I will not get around to listening to them for a while. Until very recently, 2008 has been a slow year in music so far, so I dug deeper into my CD collection, for the most part. I'll put the most recent disc in my stack besides the player on top of this list, and these honours go to:


WAS (NOT WAS) - BOO!
the return of the "brothers", producer Don Was and wild lyricist David Was with most of the original band members, including the brilliant voices of Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens and the guitar of Randy Jacobs, is heavier on soul music than their previous albums, which were heavier on dance music influences, but the funk is still here, too. It's a star-spangled effort, with guests of a wide range, from lyricist Bob Dylan over guest vocalist Kris Kristofferson to soul drummer James Gadson. I hope they record another one, soon.

And now the old stuff:

KIRSTIN CANDY - ANOTHER SWEET MESS
first, I'd like to say she's got a wonderful way at writing melodies. Don Smith produced this album from the early 00s that seems to have totally undeservedly sunk at the box office. David Immerglück is on there, too, sharing the guitar spot with Jason Sinay. On drums, there are Charlie Drayton, the incredible Jim Keltner and Heartbreaker Steve Ferrone, who gets to sing a duet with her. The artwork and vocal delivery seems to be aimed a bit at a tween pop/rock market with the singer's attitude (Sheryl Crow, Meredith Brooks), but the melodic songwriting is the real strength of this record. A real treasure from the cut-out bin, this would have deserved to be a hit. I hope she's going make another record, soon.

DAVID HIDALGO & LOUIE PEREZ - UNRELEASED SONGS & RARE RECORDINGS
the songwriting duo of Los Lobos celebrated a jubilee of their partnership this spring, so they put out a collection outtakes and demos through their loslobosmerchandise website. These tunes are mostly from the sessions to "The Neighborhood", "By the Light Of the Moon" (probably) and "Latin Playboys", and it's incredible, that such good songs have been outtakes.
Some of the songs are purely acoustic, whilst others feature the full band Los Lobos.

VISHWA MOHAN BHATT - MUSIC FOR SOUL
having first gotten to know this Indian master of the Veena on his duo album with Ry Cooder, I was kind of curious a while ago as to what he has released, since the time when his record deal with WaterLilyAcoustics must have run out. So I looked around the web, and, among other more traditionally Indian albums, I found this one. It's not an acoustic record. It has saxophone, it employs electronic keyboard sounds including drum programming in a way that at times is reminiscent of the drone of Indian harmonium playing, and in general seems to be very Bollywood. The latter impression is enhanced by the wordless female Indian vocals, and the wordless female European-styled vocals, which always seem to be structured around the syllable "La". It's kind of interesting to see the basic stereotypes of your own culture incorporated as world music influence in the music of another culture, but as soon as you have accustomed to that change in perspective, the record becomes really enjoyable, with Bhatt playing stellar Veena as always, and fellow Shankar disciples dropping by. Ronu Majumdar guests on bansuri flute, and Sureesh Lalwani plays the violin. At first listen, the album should create an authentic atmosphere for an exotic dinner, but it's deeper than that.


I'll probably be back in the fall 8)
Bye for now
the Web-ster
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 287Post Webster »

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post by webster on Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:31 pm
Being quite surprised about the current blue look of the forum and having had to upgrade my bookmark, here's what's stacked beside my player at the time.


HANS THEESSINK & TERRY EVANS - VISIONS
Terry Evans, probably known to most of you from his collaborations with Ry Cooder of Little Village fame, has teamed up with Austria's premier bluesman, Hans Theessink, for a mostly acoustic set of tunes from the fields of blues and rhythm n blues, among them a few Theessink originals. They deliver the songs very relaxed. For more punch, I'd like to point you towards the records the two have done individually. My preferred choices for that matter would be"Blues For Thought" by Terry Evans, or "Call Me" by Hans Theessink.

MUDCRUTCH - MUDCRUTCH
Tom Petty has reunited his 1st band, that not surprisingly also includes Heartbreakers keyboarder and guitarist Ben Tench and Mike Campbell. I think Petty shows a resurgence as a songwriter here. The style is a mixture of California rock, country and the way the Traveling Wilburys sounded. There are a few cover versions on there, too.

SALME DAHLSTROM - THE ACID COWGIRL AUDIO TRADE
Had I not clicked on a youtube link a month or so ago, I wouldn't have gotten to know this woman's sound. Right there and then, I discovered that the electronic music style of Big Beat, that was popular in the latter stages of the 1990s (maybe you know Fatboy Slim), which sounds like rock music with wild drum loops included, is still around, even though it seems to have disappeared pretty much from the public conciousness. Enter Ms Dahlstrom surprising me with this big beat sound, filled with great rockabilly and surf guitars. I'd say it's party music at its finest. When it comes to melodic songwriting, my two previous favourites from the electronic music camp, Mousse T and Howie B, clearly need to up their game to the next level now.

JACKIE GREENE - GIVING UP THE GHOST
The songwriter, who has scored my personal "album of the year award" with his previous disc "American Myth" has returned with a new one, accompanied by the trio of Jacksh*t (Val McCallum, Davey Faragher and Pete Thomas) again, plus his own band. This time around, the lyrics are somewhat darker than on the previous album, but still, the disc has turned out wonderfully yet again.

DAVID LINDLEY - BIG TWANG
This time around, Mr Dave put out a real solo record, because there is almost only him playing and singing on the record - the only exception being backup vocals and occasional acoustic rhythm guitar by his daughter Rosanne. He shines on his large variety of stringed instruments, as always. It's not as upbeat as his El Rayo-X records or his duo records, but how could it be with quite a number of Warren Zevon songs in tow? I prefer the instrumentals on there.


By the way, I haven't heard neither the new Hiatt disc nor the new Landreth, but they are on their way to me.
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 288Post Webster »

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post by webster on Sun Oct 19, 2008 10:00 pm
Now is the fall, and I have returned ;)

Here's what's stacked beside my player at the time:

RY COODER - I, FLATHEAD
This new album by the famed Little Village lead guitarist comes in one of those crappy full cardboard covers that scratch CDs when you put them in or take them out, so that players from an older generation can't play them anymore after a relatively short period of time. But that's the only negative about this disc. Cooder's usual mix of musical styles is present: rock n roll, blues, country are just the top of the iceberg. The band includes regulars like his son Joachim, Jim Keltner, bassist Rene Camacho, engineer Martin Pradler, etc. All songs are also written by Cooder and he's the main vocalist, too, at which he does a very good job here.

(HOWIE B, CRISPIN HUNT & WILL O'DONOVAN are) MAYONNAISE - MAYONNAISE II
This is the 2nd volume of music by the trio project Mayonnaise, which consists of Crispin Hunt (reportedly the singer of 90s britpop band Longpigs), producer/mixer Howie B (mostly known as producer for U2, Bjork, Les Negresses Vertes, Sly & Robbie) and his engineer Will O'Donovan, who is the other singer and guitarist here. Just like the 1st volume, this album contains songs, not just tracks, as one might expect with electronic music. And just like the 1st, this sounds very organic, too, for an album of electronic music. Will O'Donovan is the way more prominently featured vocalist here, and that's good, because it's his contributions to the album that shine the best. The sound of this band is hard to categorize, as I only seldomly know which instruments I hear on the album. Just like on the 1st volume, the vocal arrangements have got some special twists, but here on Mayonnaise II are the better lyrics. Beware if that bothers you: the artists don't shy away from using the occasional F-word.

MIXED EMOTIONS - MIXED EMOTIONS
I ordered some used CDs at the beginning of summer, among them this compilation of popular 80s synthpop duo Mixed Emotions. I know them from when they were regularly played on the radio when I was a kid, and at the price that I got this, I wasn't worried much anymore about the cheesiness of the bad songs from their repertoire, which comes from their musical style bordering heavily to the German genre of Schlager. The group Mixed Emotions was the brainchild of vocalist/songwriter/producer Drafi Deutscher, and consisted of him and his co-lead singer. Most of the music comes from vintage 1980s digital synths like the Fairlight. This disc is a compilation album of their hits, of which they had a few, and for me, it's been a slightly guilty pleasure, which I have forgiven myself already, because the songs' strength is in their hooks.
On many songs, the lyrics were sounding better, if you didn't understand English, though.

JAMES WILSEY - EL DORADO
James Calvin Wilsey is best known as the former lead guitarist to neo-rockabilly/pop singer Chris Isaak. He gets this incredibly haunting tone from his electric guitar that is tremendously cinematic. This must be his solo debut, and it's an all-instrumental album, rooted deep in late 50s/early 60s instrumental guitar music (Ventures, Duane Eddy, Dick Dale, etc. a/k/a everything that twangs heavily). If I were a rock journalist, I'd say watch your silent movies to it. He handles all the instruments on this album, and unfortunately, on one or two tracks, the rhythm is programmed, which is showing. But apart from that, the disc has incredible tunes.

STEVE CROPPER & FELIX CAVALIERE - NUDGE IT UP A NOTCH
Steve Cropper, rhythm guitarist extraordinaire, is best known for co-writing with Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding in the 1960s when he was guitarist in Booker T & the MGs, and Felix Cavaliere, the singer on this disc, is best known as one of The Rascals. I got this disc because I've loved Cropper's guitar playing style for a long time now, and as expected, he's doing a good job here. 4 of the tunes are instrumentals, the others are sung by Cavaliere, who's got an enjoyable, soulful voice, and all of the songs are originals, rooted deep in the Memphis soul of the 60s. The core band is a quartet that has Chester Thompson on drums. Unfortunately, the mastering of the disc is extremely loud, taking away from the dynamic resolution of the music. The extreme compression sometimes results in a slight touch of a crackling noise when Cavaliere accentuates the high notes, which sounds somewhat like what a vinyl record player would do. I'm not sure if that's an intentional effect, but I could well do without it.

BRYAN ADAMS - 11
Canadian rocker Bryan Adams got his touring band with him on this record, with Mickey Curry on drums, Gary Breit on keyboards, and playing mostly bass and acoustic guitars by himself. The guest guitarist Colin Cripps is featured on more tracks than Adams' regular guitarist, the formidable Keith Scott. For my taste, the album is too heavy on the ballads, but there are still some nice rockers in there. I have to admit that it's not an album that I would have bought at full price, because so many songs on there are really lame - or is it the running order that kills the mood at one point? Still, there are some quality songs with good hooklines on here, too, for which I think it was worth getting.

And that's it from me for today
Bye
The Web-ster
Webster
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue 28. Jun 2011, 11:35

Re: What's in your cd player??

Post: # 289Post Webster »

Re: What's in your cd player??

Postby webster on Tue Feb 03, 2009 11:59 am
So as the new year is rising, here's a short list of what's playing at my place:

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM - GIFT OF SCREWS
the Fleetwood Mac, Rumors era, guitarist and singer's 2008 album shows him from his hard-rocking side as a guitarist, from his most melodic side as a composer and from his acoustic fingerpicking side, too. I think it's his strongest solo album so far.

JULES SHEAR - MORE
billed to Jules Mark Shear, the former Polar Bear and former Reckless Sleeper finds himself reunited with producers Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie, who produced the Raisins in the Sun album with him. Here he is in a more hard rocking mood than recently, and there are at least four songs on this album that are among the best of his rather big catalogue as a writer.

B.B. KING - ONE KIND FAVOR
the master bluesman presents himself in his signature style on his current disc. He's in very good form both vocally and on the lead guitar, and the band that producer T Bone Burnett assembled, is as well. Especially noteworthy is Dr. John's contribution on piano, which sounds as effortless as it probably can only be for him. It's all cover tunes, though.

TOM JONES - 24 HOURS
mainly produced by the duo Future Cut from the UK, this is the Tom Jones album I've been waiting for. The man's got such a great voice, but for most of the last 20 years, his solo albums just didn't include songs that fit to the voice. Finally, he's rocking out in soul mode again. Even the hints at his previous excursions into more modern styles do work out favorably on this disc.

JENNY SCHEINMAN - JENNY SCHEINMAN
probably best known as violinist for jazz guitar great Bill Frisell, who has a cameo here, this album is her first as a singer. Produced by another Frisell alumnus, Tony Scherr, the disc finds her in an Americana / rock sound on the uptempo tracks and more in a folk / jazz singer mode on the slower tunes. And her expert violin playing is part of the band, too.

GNARLS BARKLEY - THE ODD COUPLE
the 2nd album from producer Danger Mouse and vocalist Cee-Lo Green is a more consistent album than their debut, which didn't come anywhere near their über-hit Crazy. This album does, though, because there are several songs on here that come close to their first single. I think Cee-Lo Green is the most unique vocalist to have come to prominence in recent years. And the backing of Danger Mouse is solid.
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