I’ve Got You Babe – Sonny And Cher – has anybody not sung this to their sweetie pie at some time in their life? An ode to togetherness and sharing that has reached far past being a cliché, or camp or even funny: it is the “Happy Birthday To You” of romance…. babe – A+
It sounds great but it sounds too much, it overloads you and not in a great way (though certainly in a good way). But I may be wrong, the move between the two parts of the album, from “More Perfect Unions” extended instrumental coda to “Sun Salutations” a capella and then the classic rock thump of “(S)HE SAID/(S)HE SAID” is kinda major stuff… Nobody else can do it.
I’m On Fire – AWOL Nation – I totally missed this, off the 50 Shades of Gray soundtrack, but it is really lovely and it is also a little on the quiet side, it is like they don’t want to hard sell you with everything all around, Bruce is all edge, and here there is just a huge sense of distress – B+
I know Tomas won’t do any of them, and given our respective track records, I tend to think he is probably making the right decision. In the meanwhile, The Mess We Made, with its Beatles and Hendrix references, its rubabdub dubs, its Mayfield falsetto and simmering when not exploding anger, should be with us soon.
U Mad – Vic Mensa – With Kanye West, on this terrific piece of rap genius, Kanye’s verse is a good low key rhymin’ but Vic hits it out of the park: “All praise to Allah, not Ramadan but these bitches fast…” Sure, it’s the usual shit but very well done – B+
Robin Williams – Cee Lo – The angry little man who could, can’t on this so bad it’s good sort of you kinda stop and watch it in a state of suspended horror Why would he recommend a suicide comic to tell us to laugh the pain away? Isn’t Robin the poster boy for NOT laughing the pain away. -what on earth was he thinking of? “Robin, can you hear me?” he asks at the end -don’t, just don’t. Has to be heard to be believed. The worst song since “Beer With Jesus” – F
Dale – Pitbull – After so much time spent with gigantic pop samples for the masses this is perhaps Mr. 305’s finest moment, salsa fresh beats, sup rb raps, captivating samples and that iconic cackle. PS if you think it hurts not knowing what the lyrics are, you don’t listen to much Pitbull -ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A
‘Round Midnight – Live, 1955 – Miles Davis – This is the third composition from the Live At Newport album, and it is swoonily beautiful. Who is playing, you ask? Miles Davis, trumpet; Zoot Sims, tenor saxophone; Gerry Mulligan, baritone saxophone; Thelonious Monk, piano; Percy Heath, bass; Connie Kay, drums… pretty sick right? Three years later he would add John Coltrane – A
I Wish It Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free – Nina Simone – This is the song of song where her legends grow from, soul folk Gospel from the 60s, a beautiful song of freedom – B+
Angels And Alcohol – Alan Jackson – “you can’t mix strangers and alcohol”, Jackson warns in this discrete tale of infidelity, a beautiful slide guitar middle eight helps as well. Nothing major but the gift is still there – B
New American – Halsey – “We are the Americana, high on legal marijuana”, Halsey says and at first you gotta think she is serious but by the time she quotes an entire verse of a Biggie hit, well, this is a witty electro pop winner from the urban jungle – B+
You can’t do the same thing twice and expect people to be surprised the second time: you can’t produce an album filled to the brim with slow paced, thoughtful, literate and tasteful Southern soul and expect people not to expect it and worse, not to compare it to your earlier material, not to compare it to Southeastern
Good For You feat A$AP Rocky – Selena Gomez – The purist of pop products, the former Disney star is all doe sultriness in 2015, which doesn’t save this slow burn se song by the numbers. And neither does A$AP Rocky, rapping on his cell phone between orgies and acid trips – C-
I Found A New Way – Twin Peaks – These Chicago power poppers took six years to get here but even the great Stephen Malkmus complimented them on their 4 Knots set yesterday -here is one reason why – A-
Oh Well – Fleetwood Mac – The Peter Green Mac masterpiece, over a period of decades it has become a blues classic, an epic song of insecurity and defiance, sometimes by God – A+
Young, Gifted And Black – Aretha Franklin – A Gospel swing through an adage and a description from back in the 1960s, trust me folks: it’s where it’s at – A
No Life For Me – Wavves And Cloud Nothings – Two punk rock heavy melody bands reach the second half of their 20s with a tasty little rock album. Cloud Nothings have been on a roll since the Steve Albini album an Wavves have been a little whatever for the past couple of years, but this will do them both well. All loud guitars and playful tunefulness, two good bands, one good album – ALBUM OF THE WEEK B+
“Cardinals” is an important song for the band to release as a lead single as it holds a familiar theme all while introducing this new sound they’re trying out. If the rest of “No Closer To Heaven” follows suit with “Cardinals” I feel as though this could quite possibly be The Wonder Years best effort out of any and become what will be their Opus.
Damned – Miguel – To close out his huge new album, here is a straight up rock and roll circa right this second track: a pouning anthem of dark desire, “I’m damned for loving you”. Well, now we know – B+
Pure Imagination – Fiona Apple – Fiona takes on Willy Wonka and finds the gothic downbeat horror in the spectacular dreams of children, she sings it perfectly but the high drama music is a major downer. I am sure why you would do it – C
Cool For The Summer – Demi Lovato – This won’t win the summer sweepstakes and maybe shouldn’t ether, but the hook is the stickiest thing you’ll hear all summer and it has a very sexy vibe that is, plainly, undeniable. That’s the thing about pop in 2015, you can’t count anyone out – A-
The problem is, Weezy has been off his A Game since 2008, and the man has all the gifts he needs to be the top of the game. Yet he isn’t any more. When I saw him with Drake last year, he more than held his own. On record, he can’t catch up with his student. Weezy needs to free himself as well as his album.
My Heart Races On – Lil Wayne – A terrific central part of the puzzle from Weezy’s new album FWA, or do I mean mixtape?. His second one this year and here is the keeper, a self portrait so sweet it bleeds all over the hook by… who he? Jake Trouth… the best line either the one where the devil exchanges his soul or the one where he turns back to see what second place looks like – A-
Why was Costello the great rock and roll savior? I might claim he was my savior because he was the first rock start to look like me but he didn’t really, he was better looking than me in 77 and he is fatter than me in 09. And his love life wasn’t mine -he may have been getting fucked over but he was getting fucked anyway unlike, well, certain unfortunate 18 year olds.
Memories Are Made Of This – Val Doonican – This doesn’t swing, it sways, the definition of easy listening, it takes an innocuous and lovely song and turns it into fluff. A gift the late Irish crooner had in abundance – B+
not quite as filled with goodies as last week but I never what you are staring at excitedly! But guess what? You ain’t gonna heart it. It is only available through Tidal tomorrow, the second big get for Tidal in two days. The other was being the final streaming platform allowed to stream the Prince catalog. So ignore Lil Wayne, and what do you have? I’m sick of Ghostface Killah, so pass on that, Little Boots, Veruca Salts grand return, The-DReam (aka missed the boat after 4) and… Cradle Of Filth???
Future Is Mine – DJ Cassidy – Featuring Chromeo, this takes the sound of prime disco and tries to copy it, to exhilarating effect, this is like a step backwards into the present, tinny but smooth as well – B+
Well, I know for sure what is not the most anticipated new album of net week (late next week to be precise), and that would be the new Jason Isbell, one of the biggest disappointments of 2015. I have a full review in mind, maybe by Sunday, and will not be a happy thing at all. Alan Jackson? He sucked so bad at Carnegie Hall a coupla years ago, I am not too thrilled any more. Pitbull releases album after song after album, Chemical Brothers -wasn’t crazy about the single. I think I’ll go with the psychedelic weirdos who were so good at Governors Ball earlier this year, win first place.
Hells Bells – AC/DC – From the death knoll that opens it to the blues breaker lick that follows, all the way through the end of the song, this does two things at the same time, it toughens out AC/DC even in the midst of intense loss, and connects the extremeness of power pleasure and power sorrow: a mythic “you’re only young once but you’re gonna die” – A+
Overlord – Lamb Of God – Three years after their last release, Randy on the bombs sound more like Soundgarden than anything human, and while the plod of the hard rock first three minutes is new territory it is only new for them, the final three minutes is business as usual but the riff remains the same and it isn’t one of their best – C
The Monsanto Years – Neil Young And And Promise Of The Real – From “Harvest” to “Harvest Moon” to “Wolf Moon”, this isn’t the devolution we have been promised but rather a wildly eccentric rock and folk mash up, that works better than anything Young has done since Psychedelic Pill. Even the seven minute song that gives the album its title is a goodie, plus it is politically smart – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – B+
Marshall Crenshaw’s album by segments is now in its second year and sixth installment with no lessening in quality: six new songs, six covers, six live songs, six re recordings, and all about exactly what you would’ve have hoped. Much like the Easybeats cover here, “Made My Bed, Gonna Lie It”, it is youthful, quirky, superbly arranged with some great harmonies
You Are In Love – Taylor Swift – As my own personal Taylor Swift backlash continues unabated, I so regret she lost her balance and became removed from the world she created and I guess I’ll feel that way till I see her on stage next week. Meanwhile, this song, written for Lena Dunham, reminds us how though the world has changed her, it hasn’t infected her songwriting – A
Bloodlines – Tyga – Hand it for Tyga’s flow here, and if that isn’t T-Pain between autotuned (it isn’ -it’s from Mark Z’s “Its Easy”) it sure is a smart little hook, and the lyric is stranger than strange -an ode to his family and friends – B
The Tide Is High – Blondie – Is this an official gay anthem? Blondie’s famous cover of the Paragons masterpiece survives as their encore. It was the highlight of their set at Roseland, with a full brass section coming out to join her and the highlight of a whole day of music yesterday with Debbie literally wrapping herself in a rainbow flag – A
The two songs are perfect examples of jangle, “This Soul Is Not For Sale” is a rethinking of the “The Bells Of Rhymney” with the folkness replaced by Beatley power pop. My Buddy Robert Ross will flip for it, I promise, and while I know it looks easy to wear your influences so on your sleeve, if it was easy, why doesn’t everybody do it. There is a magic to renewing something so great and making it your own.
Bilal might be a biggie true, 2013’s A Love Surreal was terrific and the one time I saw him live he was very good. The current single with Big K.R.I.T. is a goodie. Bassnectar released one of the best albums of 2014, but he was a bore on stage and it is a little soon for an new album, also the EP sampler was a disappointment. I’m going with Vince Staples.I’ve got a feeling about his first solo album, the Odd Future collaborator has been waiting years for his turn and the three songs I’ve already heard off Summertime ’06 have been excellent.
I belong to a secret group on Facebook, invite only, called “For The Love Of Music” and all we do is share songs off YouTube, it shouldn’t be this much fun but it is. Run by Beiruti musician Peter Abela and with the great Salim Haddad and regulars like Tala Barrage and Zeina Misu, they lose me when they go prog rock but are excellent with European pop and Salim posted this terrific track, which is neither, yesterday. One of the great blues tracks I’ve never heard the original of – A+
I Think It’s Going To Rain Today – Randy Newman – He sounded like Mel Torme with a cold and the piano playing was so quiet and the downbeat of the down beat so down beat, it was hard to tell when he was joking and when he had stopped. On this song as well, where the emotions are written so large and small at the same time, it is hard not to take Randy seriously, I always took it as a break up song, other people claim homelessness – A
Irony. Utility. Pretext – Algiers – Silence is the new loud, and Algiers uses it as well as anybody this side of Kanye, especially on this grunge relation Gospel track of immense power, it is somewhere between testifying and lying – A-
‘Born in the Summer’ is inspired by those early adolescent years of feeling awkward in your own skin and painfully self-conscious, yet knowing that someday those growing pains will recede, explains the press release.
The song is also the 8th track of Lael’s forthcoming album, ‘I’ll Be Your Man’, set to be released on July 10th
If Radiohead are the Oxford upstarts who went hi-tech and Elbow the university boys most likely to stand a round at their local, Foals are the kid brothers who take themselves way too seriously… with predictable results. But any band with lines like “I fell for a girl with a port-wine stain, I knew her initials but never her name” are alright in my book and this blistering rocker is as good as Elbow at their best. A shocker – A-
The Truth EP – Mike Posner – This terrific EP is the singer songwriter as self-flagellating superstar, from a never quite was but might be with these downbeat tuneful songs. Over an album it might be too much, but over an EP it is flawless – EP OF THE WEEK – A
I’m Dying Of Thirst – Robert Glasper – a requiem for black people who died because of the color of their skin, named by children, behind a quiet piano, based on the Kendrick track off his debit album . Sounds OK but it doesn’t work at all, maybe you need to do a little more than that it 2015 – C
Still Feeling Blue – Gram Parsons – There are two artists I will get on a jag for no apparent reason -this guy is one, and this first song off his first solo album is one, it resonates with a swing but a swing all about missing the swing. So overblown and true, just the sound of her name makes him want to die – A
Ruby My Dear – Roy Hargrove – The best thing I’ve seen on stage in the past week was Roy performing with Ibeyi, the hard bop trumpeter is older and the sound is mellow without being dreary, especially on this Thelonious Monk ballad which dates from… the earliest moments of his career – A
People might have the opinion that all you have to do is be indie for me to love you but the truth is, I don’t review smaller labels if I don’t like their music so it only seems like that. However, so far I haven’t heard anything I don’t love on World Wide Vibe, and if the volatile Miss Husick wants to storm off stage any time soon I’d be happy to be there to see it.
despite a somewhat minor live show earlier this week at LPR, I will be surprised if there is a better album that WOlf Alice’s My Love Is Cool. But I’ve heard it plenty so for anticipated nah. Richard Thompson, maybe, not sure, Desaparecidos? The single was pretty good. Kacey Musgraves, yeah yeah, gravy and biscuits, got it. I am going with young indie poppers signed to Sony, Bully, whose all three songs off their debut album Feels Like are great, especially “Too Tough”.
Jekyl And Hyde – Five Finger Death Punch – The only time I saw em live, I liked em not loved them, but this is as great as hardcore gets, with a progressive hint to the lead guitar and an addictive hook. A pleasant surprise – A-
Hold My Hand – Jess Glynne – This must hit the US charts, it is gyramandered from a Clean Bandit (Jack Patterson is one of the writers) like beat, disco Moroder, Kanye piano discretions, and all comes together with a full force vocal as smart as it is addictive. Even the hook is a work of addition through addition. I really think it should be the song of the summer… A
