Happy Listening!!
New Releases...
Rufus Wainwright - Out Of The Game
Spotify: Rufus Wainwright – Out Of The Game
Washington Post Review
My first album experience with Wainwright, came in 2001 with Poses. Which tends to be the album I measure all others against. It's just not fair. To love an album so much and then be disappointed with a subsequent release. This is the conflict I feel when listening to Out Of The Game. My usual response to an album I don't think I like even though I really want to is, "I just need to spend some more time with it..." Perhaps. But I'm not so sure my opinion would be swayed. Regardless, Out Of The Game, features a voice which is, as always, impeccable. I have never seen Wainwright live, though I hope to change that this year, I have heard from many a Rufus fan that the impeccable sound of his voice is no product of over production or effects. Talent, plain and simple. So, I'll go ahead and "spend some more time" with Rufus hoping my complete love for his voice wins over and I fall helplessly in love with this album.
Carrie Underwood - Blown Away
Spotify: Carrie Underwood – Blown Away
Taste of Country Review
I always feel so empowered after listening to a Carrie Underwood album. She has this way of putting into words the very thing you want to tell your lying, cheating, no good, bum of a man, like first track "Good Girl." And all set to a toe-tapping pop-country hook. I'm not mad atcha Carrie! I might unapologetically declare her my guilty pleasure. I am not a fan of the country music. But maybe, just maybe her music is just enough pop to make me forget I'm listening to country. This album gives me enough of that pop vibe, with enough of the country vibe to keep her true to what she loves and basically make all her listeners happy. There are a few sappy songs, but what country album would be complete without losing something! Man, truck, dog? You get the idea...
This may sound condescending, but I'm proud of her. Being an American Idol alum doesn't seem like that much of an honor anymore (was it ever?). Maybe I'm just over the whole competition show to "find the next big thing." Especially when the search for the next big thing seems to come every six months and with loads of commercial sponsors. The frequency with which these shows pops up now, seems to diminish the special quality American Idol possessed in the first five season. There have been few Idols, actually two, that have actually stepped up to the plate to prove they were actually the next big thing. Kelly Clarkson comes to mind. And Carrie Underwood. Hit after hit she has proven she has the voice, the look, the everything needed to top the charts and make a name for herself other than "American Idol Winner." You go girl! (Ugh, I hate myself for saying that...)
Norah Jones - Little Broken Hearts
Spotify: Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts
Rolling Stone Review
Goodie two shoes no more. This is how I always pictured Norah Jones. The clean cut American girl with the whispery (jazzy) voice that leads you adrift into LaLa Land, dreaming of globe sized cones of cotton candy while running along side a pink unicorn (yea I said it). That girl. Has left the building. Someone seriously fucked up her heart. Perfect lines like, "well, it ain't easy to stay in love if you can't tell lies..." makes me want to give her a high five, buy her a beer and a shot, and a Carrie Underwood album. The album is dark. I'm honestly not sure I would have recognized her voice if I hadn't already seen her name attached to it. This is by no means a bad thing. Sometimes you just get sick of the perfectly cute girl, singing about perfectly cute (and jazzy) things. A little heartbreak served her music well. She has my attention and I hope she keeps it. Favorite Track: "Take It Back"
The Spinto Band - Shy Pursuit
Spotify: The Spinto Band – Shy Pursuit
Consequence of Sound Review
I briefly lived in New Jersey, February 2006. I had every intention of working in music and was willing to do just about anything to get my foot in the door. I visited local record label websites, emailing any contact I could get my hands on begging to let me work, even for FREE. I scored an unpaid "intern" gig at Bar None Records in Weehawken. Organizing. Mailing. Occasionally babysitting. Whatever was needed, twice a week, before starting my actual paying gig (evening receptionist) in Manhattan. I guess you could say my pay was music. One of the obvious perks of working for a label is free music. The Spinto Band was one of those perks. I have a soft spot in my heart for The Spinto Band. Nice and Nicely Done was their first release on Bar None and sadly their last. It was an album I couldn't stop listening to in 2006 and up until a week ago hadn't listened to since. Hearing it brought back a flood of memories, mostly good, but just hearing their unmistakeable sound made me smile. And that smile didn't disappear while listening to Shy Pursuit. Maybe it's just Nick Krill's voice that I've attached that smile to, but on a whole this album makes my heart warm. Their sound hasn't changed over the years and for once, that's a good thing. I know I shouldn't do this, but for old time's sake...
And from my completely biased point of view, please check out B.o.B. Strange Clouds and Santigold Master of My Make-Believe both released this week on Atlantic Records...
For a complete list of releases, please check out AllMusic!!
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