Elvis
Costello : Brutal Youth
After
the rococo indulgences of MIGHTY LIKE A ROSE, Costello decided
to return to his roots with BRUTAL YOUTH. Re-uniting with the
Attractions, whose quirky, angular sound powered his finest albums,
Elvis scaled down the arrangements to a more manageable level
and brought his songwriting back to basics as well. The tunes
here were the closest he'd come to rock & roll in several
years, and there's a feeling of abandon that energizes the proceedings.
As in the glory days, Steve Nieve's spindly keyboards provide
most of the instrumental color as Elvis sings his spleen out on
hard-hitting tunes like "Kinder Murder" and "13
Steps Lead Down." The black humor of "This is Hell"
recalls the career-peak songwriting of Costello's SPIKE days,
and the British Invasion-style raveup "Just About Glad"
steals the show while exposing Costello's '60s influences.
Los
Lobos : Kiko
On
their early albums, Los Lobos effectively combined their Hispanic
roots with rock; on this exotic, percussive and experimental album,
which is as much a triumph for co-producer Mitchell Froom as it
is for the band, they have created a new, distinctive sound.
The
brimming mix is complemented by strong lyrics, evocative vocals
and memorable melodies. But it is the often eerie, sometimes industrial,
rhythm-based production that gives KIKO its unique twist.
Accordions,
melodicas, organs and guitarrons all contribute to KIKO's mysterious,
spellbinding sound. "Kiko And The Lavender Moon" may
be the zenith of Los Lobos' career--a children's lyric presented
with moody vocals and an incredibly melodic, percussive track.
Most
of the songs are still roots-influenced. "Saint Behind The
Glass" and "Rio De Tenampa" retain the band's Hispanic
tradition; "That Train Don't Stop Here" is powered by
the blues; "Reva's House" and "Whiskey Trail"
rock right out of a country jukebox; and "Peace" could
have come out of a Grateful Dead songbook. KIKO blends, bends
and reimagines all these styles into one of the most original
albums in American rock.
Rolling Stone - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential
Recordings of the 90's."
Sheryl
Crow : Sheryl Crow
SHERYL CROW won a 1997 Grammy Award
for Best Rock Album.
"If It Makes You Happy" won a
1997 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
"Everyday Is A Winding Road" was
nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Record Of The
Year.
Engineers include: Trina Shoemaker, Blair
Lamb, & Tchad Blake.
On SHERYL CROW, the one-time background
singer retains her sweet delivery laced with gruff edges, while
painting her sunny sound with darker shadings. Quirky characters
and situations continue to inhabit Crow's songs, whether it's
holy rollers and government conspirators ("Maybe Angels")
or a homeless evangelist proselytizing outside a supermarket ("Hard
To Make A Stand").
While Crow could easily content herself
by writing about assorted oddballs, real-life manifests itself
assuredly on SHERYL CROW. Her trip to entertain troops in war-torn
Bosnia is reflected in the wasted virtues and exploding shells
of "Redemption Day." And in "Love Is A Good Thing,"
she sings pointedly about firearm sales and their consequences.
Rolling Stone
- Ranked # 44 in Rolling Stone's "Women in Rock: The 50 Essential
Albums"
- Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the
90's."
Sheryl
Crow : The Globe Sessions
Recorded at Globe Studios, New York, New
York and Sunset Sound Factory, Los Angeles, California.
THE GLOBE SESSIONS won the 1999 Grammy
Award for Best Rock Album and for Best Engineered
Album, Non-Classical. It was also nominated for Album Of
The Year.
"My Favorite Mistake" was nominated
for a 1999 Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
"There Goes The Neighborhood"
was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Female
Rock Vocal Performance.
Her first album was studded with talented
session men, but Crow's second release found her handling multi-instrumental
chores with an ease that established her as a renaissance woman
to be reckoned with. GLOBE SESSIONS features some famous friends,
like Wendy Melvoin (of Prince fame), Heartbreaker Benmont Tench
and producer Mitchell Froom (he's strictly an accompanist here;
the multi-talented Crow is sole producer here). The vision presented
is solidly Crow's, though. A bit more of a mixed bag than her
previous work, GLOBE dips into funky, syncopated material, hard-hitting
rock, and rootsy folk-rock. Dylan fans should note that Crow lends
her vibrant vocal stylings to a previously unrecorded Dylan tune,
"Mississippi." The loose, offhanded feel of this album
contrasts her previous, more carefully constructed recordings
nicely.
Rolling Stone - 4 Stars (out of 5)
- "...Crow de-emphasizes stylistic consistency in favor of
unrestrained emotion. The songs often concern broken romances
and the extremes to which Crow's characters will go to fix them
or just let go..."
Pearl
Jam : Binaural
With the first single "Nothing As It
Seems" already on radio and the band's amazing past records
which has built a huge following around the world, Pearl Jam creates
Binaural. This album also comes on the heels of their number one
single "Last Kiss".
"Grievance" was nominated for
the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
Bonnie
Raitt : Fundamental
On FUNDAMENTAL, Bonnie Raitt trades in the
smooth, rich L.A.-sounding production of Don Was for the edgy,
reverbless, angular studio approach of Mitchell Froom. Another
FUNDAMENTAL difference is that Raitt is writing more of her own
material, a trend that's been slowly developing for some time
now. Besides her own tunes, there are contributions from Raitt
regulars like John Hiatt and Paul Brady as well a tune by Los
Lobos' David Hidalgo and Louie Perez ("Cure For Love")
and one by NRBQ's Joey Spampinato, who appears here with keyboard-playing
bandmate Terry Adams. One thing that hasn't changed is Raitt's
muscular slide guitar work and strong, emotional vocal style,
both of which are in evidence here.
Producers: Mitchell Froom, Bonnie Raitt,
Tchad Blake.
Musician
- "...a tantalizing amalgam of vintage sounds and fresh insights....Classic
and brand-new at the same time, this terrific album boasts seemingly
endless twists and a ton of straight-ahead soul....She also doles
out generous helpings of killer slide..."
Bonnie
Raitt : Silver Lining
"Time Of Our Lives" was nominated
for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal
Performance.
Still possessing a rich singing style, an
exemplary guitar style, and a passion that imbues every note she
sings, Raitt returns to work with the production team of Mitchell
Froom and Tchad Blake. Always known to have a keen ear for budding
lyricists, Raitt does a fine job in presenting a wide range of
songwriters, from the ethereal title track penned by David Gray
to the bouncy, GRACELAND-flavored "Hear Me Lord" by
Zimbabwean Oliver Mtukudzi, and the esoteric blues of "Back
Around," a collaboration with Mali guitarist Habib Koite.
Bonnie kicks back and has fun trading slide
guitar licks with fellow slide master Roy Rogers on the barrelhouse
raunch of "Gnawin' On It," wallowing in the funky grit
of "Monkey Business," and pouring some soulful singing
into the Memphis-flavored snap, crackle, and pop that defines
"Time Of Our Lives." Equally noteworthy is "Valley
Of Pain" with its yearning vibe, and the nudge-and-wink-infused
sass of "Fool's Game." For new and old Bonnie Raitt
fans alike, there's no tarnish on this SILVER LINING.
Producers: Bonnie Raitt, Mitchell Froom,
Tchad Blake.
The
Vines : Highly Evolved
Most folks first became aware of Australian
rockers the Vines via their cover of the Beatles' "I'm Only
Sleeping" on 2001's I AM SAM soundtrack album. A few months
down the line, their 2002 debut album HIGHLY EVOLVED took the
UK by storm. Shortly thereafter, the album was released in the
US with high hopes. The group's basic, no-frills guitar rock should
find plenty of friends among fans of the Strokes, the Hives, White
Stripes, etc. It's rock & roll stripped to the bone, pared
down to charging riffs that reference such evergreen influences
as the Stooges and the MC5, and sharp songcraft with echoes of
everything from T. Rex to Nirvana. There are a couple of softer
moments on HIGHLY EVOLVED, such as the ruminative "Autumn
Shade" and the contemplative "Homesick," but for
the most part these Aussie lads lead an electrified charge with
all guns blazing, frenzied vocals and sledgehammer rhythms belting
out their battle cry of rock with a capital "r."
Rolling Stone - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best
Albums of 2002"
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