Some time in the last few years Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers took a left turn. Maybe it was when Petty woke up in the night with the idea of reuniting his first band, Mudcrutch, to cut the album they never got a chance to make back in the early 70’s. Maybe it was when the […]
Point of No Return
Though already in business in 1961 with his own record label, Frank Sinatra was contractually obligated to give Capitol one more record before moving on to Reprise. Sinatra gave them the ironically titled Point of No Return, which is hardly the deal-fulfilling throwaway one might expect. Expertly arranged and conducted by longtime Sinatra ally Alex […]
Harps & Angels
Award winning musician Randy Newman’s childhood began in Los Angeles but included time spent in New Orleans, absorbing the city’s signature rhythm & blues to accompany his family’s pop-orchestral endowment. He meshed his musical roots with strong doses of singer-songwriter creativity, penning tunes that made artists like Dusty Springfield, Irma Thomas, and Harry Nilsson swoon. […]
The Water Is Wide
Charles Lloyd was on a roll in the 1990s, each new CD offering some small surprises. On his new 2000 release, The Water Is Wide, Lloyd boasts a great lineup. Guitarist John Abercrombie and drummer Billy Higgins are back from Lloyd’s Voice in the Night, but they are joined here by Brad Mehldau and the […]
Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!
April 2010 Week 3 Sinatra already had one youthful career behind him by the time he made Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! His were no longer the lustrous pipes of the kid crooner from Hoboken–the voice that made bobbysoxers swoon–but from the first notes of the opening track (“You Make Me Feel So Young”) he seems […]
Around the City
April 2010 Week 1 Pianist Eliane Elias goes from bop and Bach to bossa nova just as easily as she sings in English and Portuguese. This CD is the sequel to her 2004 recording, Dreamer, and it features bassist Marc Johnson, guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, flutist Dave Valentin, and trumpeter Randy Brecker. The 13 selections are iPod-ready, […]
Songs for Young Lovers/Swing Easy!
March 2010 Week 5 This CD pairs the first two 10-inch records Sinatra recorded for Capitol. In 1955, full-length albums by popular singing stars were still few and far between. These two platters marked the beginning of Sinatra’s phenomenally successful relationship with conductor-arranger Nelson Riddle, and presaged the “concept albums” that would become such an […]
Come Fly with Me
March 2010 Week 4 When critics refer to Sinatra’s Capitol albums, their highest praise is usually reserved for the dark melancholy of Wee Small Hours or Only the Lonely. But the upbeat “Swinging” records should not be ignored. Probably the finest of these albums is Come Fly with Me. The first of Sinatra’s albums with […]
Scene of the Crime
March 2010 Week 3 “I’ve got my mem-mor-eehees,” sings Bettye LaVette at the chilling finale of her version of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s obscure “Talking Old Soldiers,” holding the last syllable as it fades into a hum while Spooner Oldham’s ghostly piano underpins the pain. The singer’s whiskey-stained voice infuses those words with a […]
Blue Note Plays Jobim
March 2010 Week 1 Containing 11 previously issued cuts from the back catalog of Blue Note, this mix of new and old artists takes a stab at the songbook of one of Brazil’s most important artists. While some artists here may not be the best representatives for re-interpretation of Jobim, they all easily imprint their […]