The Friday mix: more of my favorite female artists

I know more than one musician who admits he got into the business to meet chicks. More than 2, in fact. Sure, they like music and performing, but the #1 reason they started performing was to meet girls. So, why do women start performing? To meet guys? That hardly seems necessary. Most likely, they do it simply to play their music to people. I’ve read interviews with female musicians who say they can’t imagine doing anything else. I like that.

Continuing on with my multi-part series of my favorite female musicians, here are the letters K and L. If I recommend a video, make sure you follow the link. There is some great stuff from YouTube today.

1. k.d. lang – Love’s Great Ocean
   Lang used to do really goofy country music.  Thankfully, she left that behind to become more of a torch singer. Some artists do their best work when they’re sad and lonely. Lang writes the best songs when she’s in love.
2. Kami Lyle – Boys
   Honestly, this is the only Kami Lyle song I have, but I love this loungy song. It reminds me of Rickie Lee Jones.
   

   I suppose some of them DO get into music just to meet guys. Or chicks.

3. A Felicidade (Happiness)
   Karrin Allyson is a jazz singer and pianist from Omaha Nebraska. I’m not sure how she came to speak and sing in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish, but she does so brilliantly. The New York Times says she has, “a feline touch and impeccable intonation,” which is a really great description. I guess that’s why they earn the big bucks. This one is from her 2008 release “Imagina: Songs of Brazil.”
4. Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill
   Bush is an odd and eclectic musician and producer and some of the stuff she does loses me entirely. However, some of it stands the test of time, like this 80s classic.
5. Kate Nash – Birds
   Nash hasn’t been on the music scene long. Her first album came out in 2007 and promptly went platinum in the UK. Her melodies are pleasing and her lyrics are incredibly honest, sometimes to the point where they sound a little odd, like this one. ‘Nicest Thing’  is a better song, but it’s so heartbreaking I didn’t want it to be the first song of hers you ever heard.
6. Kidneythieves – S&M (A Love Song)
   Free Dominguez leads this industrial rock band. I love women that truly rock and Dominguez is one of them. This song will put hair on your chest.
7. KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree
   If you’ve heard one song from Tunstall, this is probably it. I am linking to this live version from Later…with Jools Holland because it was her breakout performance and it will knock you out. This is just one of her cool songs, by the way. For example, check out “Hold On.”
8. Laurie Anderson – From the Air
   Chicago beat poet and performance artist Laurie Anderson wins the distinction of being the weirdest performer in any of my Women mixes. This is just a clip of one song from the brilliant 1982 release “Big Science.” Go out and find a copy of this disc today. It’s funny, beautifully played, and still crazy hip. Fun fact: after many years together, she and Lou Reed got married in 2008.
9. Lauryn Hill – To Zion
   I already mentioned Lauryn Hill as part of the Fugees in a previous mix, but her solo album, “The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill” is worthy of a second mention. This song explains her much lamented departure from pop music, to some degree.
10. Lena Horne – Stormy Weather
    Harold Arlen didn’t write this song for Lena Horne, but he should have. Watch this video to see how lovely she was in 1943 and how wonderfully she sings this song.
11. Letters to Cleo – Here & Now
    OK, so I think this is a nostalgia piece for me because of where I was in my life when this was on the radio. It’s a cool song, but I don’t know anything else by them and the band broke up in 2000. Kay Hanley sings a good one here, though.
12. Lily Allen – Smile
    Love, love, love Lily Allen. She writes such great melodies and the lyrics are smart and funny. She seems very genuine, generally, and is a hilarious evil bitch in this great song.
13. Linda Lyndell – What a Man
    Here is another artist by whom I have only one song. This one is an insanely good old school soul song.
14. Lisa Mitchell – Neopolitan Dreams
    This song is Feist-esque in its simplicity and its appeal. I love the use of glockenspiel in the background. This is a strangely compelling video.
15. Liz Phair – Uncle Alvarez
    One of my all-time favorite female artists. I could have chosen anything at all off of “Exile in Guyville,” but instead went with this great song from “Whitechocolatespaceegg.” She lost a lot of fans by striving unashamedly for commercial success and money, but she is undeniably a talented songwriter and frankly, I like to get paid too.
16. Luscious Jackson – Deep Shag
    I mentioned LJ front woman Jill Cunniff last time, but this is the best work she ever did. This is from the 1994 release “Natural Ingredients.” This album has lots and lots of great music and was years ahead of its time. This is probably my favorite song off this release.

Enjoy with a trusty beer or something else social. Have a good weekend.

Eclectic and funky Pop from Alice Smith

Keep your ear out for news of her sophomore release, which should be coming soon.

Rolling Stone named Alice Smith one of the 10 Artists to Watch in 2006 on the strength of her debut LP, “For Lovers, Dreamers, & Me.” Yes, that title is taken from the Muppets’ song ‘Rainbow Connection,’ but no, that song isn’t on this album. What IS on this album is an eclectic collection of R&B, Jazz, Soul, and Pop.

Few of the songs on this release are easy to pigeonhole. Take the third track, ‘Gary’s Song,’ for example. It’s built around a simple piano riff. The verses are deliberate and a little oozy, but then the chorus momentarily flashes a broad ballad sound. The flanged guitar sounds like old Funk. Occasionally, Smith’s voice reminds me of Joan Armatrading but other times, she works in more modern elements of style and sounds much more contemporary. The song selection ranges around a lot but even within individual songs, the band works in elements from different genres. It’s a good sound and Smith’s voice is impressive.

In addition to ‘Gary’s Song’, I want to recommend 3 songs from this release.

• Woodstock – Just a sunny little tune with an upbeat hook. It is positively infectious.
• New Religion – This is another uplifting song with Beatlesesque verses and a broad chorus. Smith is somewhat petite. I would love to see her live because I’d get a kick out of seeing this great big voice issuing from this little woman.
• Do I – Best track on the disc. Or my favorite, anyway. It’s dark and smoky enough to be Meshell Ndegeocello, but the harmony at the chorus has a liquid sheen that Ndegeocello’s breathy murmur never approaches. It’s a powerful song.

So she was nominated for a Grammy in 2007 for this release but has been silent since then. There is no mention of an upcoming release on her official site or on her MySpace page, but one would expect a follow-up release from Smith any time now. Interestingly, on YouTube, I found footage of her performing ‘107 Degrees’ onstage with Citizen Cope. Now THAT is a collaboration I would like to hear more of.

One of my all-time favorites: an absolute classic from Stevie Wonder

Every now and then I like to recommend an old album. This one was never obscure, but my wife and I both commented on how much we both love one of these songs and it made me want to write it up. If even one person who never heard this album before goes out and gets a copy, it will be totally worth dedicating a post to this classic.

Stevie Wonder is a national treasure.

The album I’m referring to is Stevie Wonder’s 1976 masterpiece, “Songs in the Key of Life.” The album went to #1 in the U.S. (between “Frampton Comes Alive!” and “Hotel California”), charted in 5 other countries, and spawned a handful of hits. No fewer than 130 musicians and engineers worked on the album, including George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Deniece Williams, Minnie Ripperton, Michael Sembello, and many more.

This double album has 21 songs on it. He probably could have squeezed these songs onto a single album – or at least most of them – but a bunch of the songs have an extra minute or three of soloing. He really takes his time with all of the songs. The music is joyous and/or moving and almost every song is a winner. 16 of the 21 have a permanent home on my iPod. I won’t say much more about it except go buy it. Or at least listen to some of these.

• Love’s in Need of Love Today – This song aged well and the message never gets old. Joan Osborne does a pretty good cover of this song, but the original is still much better and I’m sure Miss Osborne would agree with me.
• Have a Talk with God – This is one of my enduring favorites on this album. I love the positive message, though I’m not much of a religious man myself. I didn’t learn until today that Stevie plays every single instrument on this song. It’s all Stevie.
• Contusion – A crazy, instrumental Jazz piece. Are you freaking kidding me? It’s hot, too, with the full compliment of musicians on this one.
• I Wish – Good Lord this song is funky. The guitar and bass work are irresistible and the horns will knock you back on your heels. I defy you to not get up and dance when this comes on. It can’t be done. I still dance in my living room when this comes on, swear to God.
• Knocks Me Off My Feet – This may not have aged particularly well, but it is still a laid back, beautiful love song.
• Pastime Paradise – Coolio famously sampled this song, but he made it neither deeper nor cooler than Stevie’s brilliant original version.
• Summer Soft – The warm piano riff is a great background for Stevie’s honeyed alto voice. The verses are sweet but the chorus gets really big.
• Ordinary Pain – It’s 1976 again whenever this song comes on. Very much a product of the musical times. It’s a pretty and timeless Pop melody, though.
• Isn’t She Lovely – This was the one I remember hearing on the radio when I was a kid. Stevie’s done singing 3 minutes into this song, but apparently loved the groove so much he added 3 ½ minutes of harmonica solo at the end. The crying baby is his daughter Aisha Wonder (counted among the 130 who contributed to the album).
• Joy Inside My Tears – The lyrics are so heavy and the melody is gorgeous. He presents the whole musical idea within the first 3 minutes, but then hits it over and over, making bigger and funkier for 3 more minutes.
• Black Man – OK, the 2 minutes of shouting at the end gets tiresome, but the groove on which this song is built is so busy and funky I had to have it on my iPod.
• Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing – I wish I could sing along to this song, but between the Swahili, Spanish, and incredibly high parts, I just can’t. What a joyful song. Listen to the overwhelming buoyancy of the third chorus 2 minutes in. You just want to raise your hands to the sky.
• As – This was the song that inspired me to post on this album today. It is my wife’s favorite Stevie Wonder song and it is a powerhouse that comes in at over 7 minutes. The vocal performance Stevie puts in on this is positively awe inspiring. He growls, he croons, he wails, and it’s all perfect.
• Another Star – Again the full complement of musicians joins him on this 8 ½ minute epic. Horns, flute, broad backing vocals, lots of percussion and they have to fade it out at the end. It sounds like they may have just continued for another half hour but they cut it off.
• All Day Sucker – This groove is just nasty. The dirty keyboards and dripping guitar wallow around in this oozy love song. Fantastic.
• Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call) – I think of lazing around in a grassy field on a sunny day when I hear this. Stevie was apparently thinking of evening, but it sounds sunny to me.

‘If It’s Magic’ is another great song, with just Stevie’s voice and a harp. I removed it from my iPod, but now I’m not sure why. ‘Sir Duke’  is on this album too, but I’ve heard it so many times and it was never my favorite track anyway.

“Songs in the Key of Life” is a masterpiece by a brilliant artist at the height of his powers. If you’ve never heard it, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It will live in your CD player for weeks. If you haven’t listened to it in a while, dig it out again. You’ll find a lot of the music still sounds fresh (I believe ‘I Wish’ would climb the charts if it were released today for the first time) and even the dated songs are great.

The Friday mix: Spooky and cool music for Halloween

Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I was about 9. Maybe it’s because October is such a great month in NE Ohio. Maybe it’s the brazenly pagan nature of the holiday. Maybe I was just a macabre little kid. Anyway, this year I put together a mix of songs some of which are creepy, some of which just have Halloween themed titles, but all of which are cool. I hope you like them.

1. This Is Halloween – Marilyn Manson
   Manson’s version of this song is fantastic. They never made a video that I know of, but here it is synchronized with the original footage from Nightmare Before Christmas.
2. Black Feather Wings – Bourbon Princess
   I first heard this song on the Respond benefit compilation CD. It’s a bass-heavy, oozy song with a cool lyrics and a great feel.
3. Scarecrow – Beck
   “Guero” was a great album, but then, Beck hasn’t put out a bad album that I’ve heard. Typical funky Beck groove, lots of effects, great vocal melody, and engaging lyrics.
4. New Killer Star – David Bowie
   Bowie continues to put out cutting edge music year after year. He has never lost his ability to write catchy melodies and has reinvented himself more times and more successfully than Madonna. I like this song and it is nearly impossible to look away from this video.
5. Vampires and Failures – Grandpaboy
   The solid Pop guitar riff, dark lyrics, and vocal delivery give this track kind of a vintage Rolling Stones feel. I found this on “Not the Same Old Blues Crap: Vol 3,” and indeed it is not.
6. Pretty Girls Make Graves – Dada
   Not The Smiths’ version. This one is an entirely different song and it’s much cooler. The Amazon sample only has the quiet intro, but about 10 seconds after this clip ends, the guitars kick in and it turns into a rocker.
7. See You Dead – Helmet
   True Halloween fare here. “I’d like to see you in two pieces. You won’t be walking. Barely breathing.” It’s actually a love song, believe it or not. A stalker love song. Ah, Halloween, when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of decapitation.
8. Necromancer – Gnarls Barkey
   If you thought “See You Dead” was creepy, wait ‘til you get a load of this one. What could be better than a little “naughty necrophilia?” The lyrics to this are truly disturbing.
9. Little Death – +44
   

   I sent this mix to my brother on CD with this cover art and the title "The Horror."

   I’m not actually a big fan of a lot of +44, but this song reached me. I like the quiet acoustic groove at the beginning with the verses sung in two octaves and then the slamming chorus. This track is well produced too. In particular pay attention to what they do with the percussion. It even has good lyrics.

10. Invisible Man – Joe Jackson
    Joe Jackson has put out over 20 albums since “Look Sharp” came out in 1979. I came upon this one and was stunned to find several really good tracks on it, including this one. I say stunned not because I thought he would suck, but just because he hasn’t had a Billboard hit in the U.S. since 1984. I hear this and I’m not sure why not.
11. Grey Ghost – Mike Doughty
    When Doughty was with Soul Coughing, they were the coolest band in the land, in my opinion. Since then he has largely left that sound behind and does the singer/songwriter thing these days. That said, he’s still a talented songwriter and this is a cool acoustic song.
12. Devil’s Pie – D’Angelo
    A little D’Angelo goes a long way for me, but this is one of my favorite songs of his (Spanish Joint is better). A funky groove, almost eerie keyboards, and deep lyrics. Good stuff.
13. War Pigs – Cake
    They screw up some of the lyrics, but I still love this version. Every time this song comes on my iPod, people are intrigued and want to know who it is.
14. House of 1000 Corpses – Rob Zombie
    More good Halloween fare. The movie was a bit ham fisted, but I suppose it was exactly what it set out to be. This song, on the other hand, is great. The guitar hook is inescapable and Rob Zombie’s gravelly vocal delivery works really well. Shrieking background vocals and some movie sound bytes add some nice texture.
15. She Said – Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
    This song is about becoming a werewolf. I love the song, but I’m not sure what the hell is going on in this video.
16. (Antichrist Television Blues) – The Arcade Fire
    These guys have listened to a lot of Bruce Springsteen. I’m just saying. Nothing new here, but I still like the song. Plus it has “antichrist” in the title, so into my Halloween mix it goes.
17. Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives – Mel Torme
    I can’t believe this entire song isn’t on YouTube (except for a dreadful version of some woman dressed as a witch singing it karaoke style [shudder]). This is from Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters and is one more reason Mel Torme is one of the coolest singers ever.

Enjoy with a Bloody Mary and have a great Halloween, everyone!

The Friday mix: Can’t get enough women

For the Friday mix this week I’m returning to my exploration of some great female artists I have found. The first week I got a meaty mix out of just the letters A and B. Volume 2 required only C and D. This week I was able to get a baker’s dozen from E and F. It’s a good crop this week too. I hope you like it.

Yeah! Play that... whatever the hell that is!

1. Edie Brickell – Oo La La
   Guess what song you find 50 versions of if you search for Edie Brickell on YouTube. Well, Edie has done a lot since ‘What I Am’ (including marry Paul Simon). This cool track is from her 2003 release, “Volcano.”
2. Elaine Summers – The Real Low Down
   Summers got her start backing up Pete Droge, and they still collaborate today. She has kind of a Sheryl Crow meets Shelby Lynne folk-rock thing going on. I love the lyrics on this song. “You thought that you were truly rare, but there’s a lot of folks like you out there and I’ll be damned if I didn’t meet another one today. The real low down.”
3. Eliza Gilkyson – Twisted
   This song is heavy. It’s oozy sound and honest lyrics are typical of Gilkyson, whose father and brother are famous musicians too. She plays cross-over Country and is an amazing songwriter. Here she is doing this song live.
4. Ella Fitzgerald – Body and Soul
   I could have picked almost any song at random from Ella. I’ve got over 30 of her songs on my iPod. The liquid sheen of her voice, the flexibility to move from jumping joy to melancholy hopefulness, and her amazing improvisation and phrasing abilities made her perhaps the best female vocalist ever. If you don’t have a bunch of Ella, do yourself a favor and go purchase the first disc you come across. She could literally do no wrong.
5. Erykah Badu – Other Side of the Game
   Badu is my favorite R&B artist right now. I saw her at Bonnaroo this year. She was really, really weird and incredibly talented. It was a riveting show. This track is about the anxiety she feels because a guy she’s madly in love with deals drugs for a living. Check out ‘Soldier’ too. Another great song.
6. Esthero – We R in Need of a Musical Revolution
   If you’ve heard anything from Eshtero, there’s a good chance this is it. I would call it radio-friendly, except the whole song is about how she’s “sick and tired of all the shit on the radio.” This is the title track to an album you should add to your collection if it isn’t there already.
7. Etta James – At Last
   My understanding is that James was pissed that Beyonce was asked to perform this instead of her at Obama’s inaugural ball. I was too. Her long, brilliant work in Blues and Soul earned her that spot. Not to mention her improvised version of this Gordon/Warren song is the one we all know – the one, in fact, Beyonce was imitating.
8. Evanescence – All that I’m Living For
   Amy Lee has a great voice and I love it when they do the metal thing. When they do the quiet ballads, not so much. This is a cool song and again, probably the one you’ve heard if you only know one song by these guys.
9. Everything But the Girl – Troubled Mind
   Tracey Thorn gets around. By which I mean she collaborates with a lot of other artists. I’m always happy when she lends her voice to a song. EBTG is her own project with her husband, Ben Watt.
10. Feist – Mushaboom
    In spite of its having been used in perfume and mattress commercials, covered and remixed multiple times, and put on movie soundtracks, I am not tired of this pretty song about a simple life in the little Nova Scotia town of Mushaboom. Feist has a remarkable ability to write little irresistible ditties like this one, God love her.
11. The Fiery Furnaces – Worry Worry
    I wrote this album up some months ago. One of the highest compliments I can pay these guys is they don’t sound like anything else on my iPod. Maybe PJ Harvey meets Gogol Bordello? I don’t know, but lead singer Eleanor Friedberger is amazingly creative and they are fearless in creating grooves.
12. Fiona Apple – Paper Bag
    I have to confess I thought Fiona Apple was going to be an enormous, enduring star. She’s still at it, but after her debut, ‘Tidal,’ went triple platinum, ‘When the Pawn…’ went platinum, and ‘Extraordinary Machine’ only went gold (which is still 1 million copies). She is a great songwriter and I hope she can put together another record that resonates with more people. I never stopped liking her. This track from ‘When the Pawn…’ got picked by Zach Braff to be on the Last Kiss soundtrack.
13. The Fugees – Fu-Gee-La
    I absolutely respect Hill’s decision to quit the music industry. That business has exploited, chewed up, or killed countless talented folks. I respect the decision, but I don’t like it. She was the complete package:  great voice, songwriting talent, beautiful… Her departure is all our loss. This is my favorite performance specifically from Hill from The Fugees seminal album, ‘The Score.’ What a great rap.

Enjoy with a wine cooler. You know. Cuz girls drink wine coolers.

Fresh and inspiring R&B/Gospel from Mavis Staples

I have a neighbor who likes to lend me music. As you know, I’ll listen to anything once so this would seem like a good deal. The problem is she is a big Country music fan and, well, I’m just not. There is not much Country that I can really stomach and even less that I really like (‘Red Headed Stranger’). So I have kind of come to dread it when our conversations range around to music and she darts inside to bring me a few discs. I always listen. But it’s rare that I like even 1 track.

Funky, soulful, and inspiring.

Last week she brought me a few discs. A Levon Helm disc I haven’t gotten to yet, something from Jim Lauderdale that actually wasn’t bad, though I didn’t rip any tracks, and a disc from Mavis Staples. Now, I had heard her name before and was aware that she was a pretty big deal, but the height of her popularity was before my time. She was the musical voice of the Civil Rights movement in the 60s and her Staples Singers reached the Top 40 8 times between 1971 and 1975. Her voice has been sampled by the likes of Salt ‘N’ Pepa, Ice Cube, and Ludacris. I discovered today that Bob Dylan asked her father for her hand in marriage. So a lot of other people knew who she was. I just wasn’t paying attention, I guess.

The disc my neighbor gave me was her 2007 release, ‘We’ll Never Turn Back,’ a concept album full of songs from and about the Civil Rights movement in America.  I was not expecting to be blown away, but I absolutely was. It’s not a country album at all. It’s a mix of R&B and Folk music with deep Gospel roots. Ms. Staples’ passionate, bluesy voice is joined by classic Gospel backing vocals, lots of acoustic guitars, and some tenor horns that give this release an organic sound. It doesn’t sound like an old album, though. It was produced by the legendary Ry Cooder, whose mixing and use of percussion keep things bright and lively.

Some of the songs feature a lot of preaching – usually about freedom and equality, not JC – and that gets old fast for me. Most of the songs, however, are heartfelt pleas for change, encouragement to stay strong, or celebrations of victory. Three tracks in particular from this release are fantastic. Check them out.

• Down in Mississippi – There is something I love about old school performers working with modern production techniques (like R.L. Burnside’s album ‘Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down’). Here she tells how it was when there were “Colored Only” signs hanging everywhere back in the day. The vibe is Gospel but the percussion is more modern, giving it a great feel.
• Eyes on the Prize – Ms. Staples wails the classic Civil Rights folk anthem with soulful backing vocals and funky guitar and percussion work. This is such a hot version of this song.
• This Little Light of Mine – She funkifies this classic Gospel children’s song with horns and some new lyrics. “Ain’t gonna fight no rich man’s war. That ain’t what God wanna use me for. Killin’ folk ain’t in my line. Sure ain’t no way to let my little light shine.”

Liz, if you’re reading this, don’t worry about the Country music. I’ll happily listen to whatever you bring me from now on.

http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jpfoxqygldte

Jazz, Hip Hop, and Funk blend in The RH Factor

Today I’d like to turn you onto another band that plays in perhaps my favorite style, the intersection of Hip Hop and Jazz. The RH Factor is a six piece, featuring vocals, trumpet, saxophones, keyboards, guitars, bass, and drums. Bandleader Roy Hargrove brings in a variety of five-star talent to help him out. Hargrove himself has played trumpet with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Wynton Marsalis and has been tapped recently by D’Angelo and Common for session work.

Hard Groove... presumably a play on band leader Ray Hargrove's name

These guys are an unbelievable groove factory. Every other song has me shaking my head in time to the music. They mix a fair amount of R&B and Funk in with their Hip Hop / Jazz. They’ve put out 3 releases but I haven’t gotten their 2006 release, Distractions, yet (an oversight). I could recommend every track on both releases I do have, but I’m just going to pull a few favorites. Check these and you’ll be looking into the rest of their catalog. First, three from their 2003 release, Hard Groove:

• Common Free Style – Common is one of my favorite rappers and he’s backed on this track by delicate horns and bass bigger than space. This was clearly a lot of fun to record.
• Poetry – I don’t have the liner notes for this disc, but the rapper can only be Q-Tip of Tribe Called Quest. Great R&B feel and Q-Tip’s smooth flow.
• How I Know – Though Me’Shell Ndegeocello and Erykah Badu both appear on this album, it seems Shelby Johnson provides the beautiful vocals on this sweet love song.

Check out my favorite from their 2004 EP, Strength:

• For Fun – This is a jazzier release throughout, but this one is actually a funkier tune with harmony vocals and handclaps behind the electric piano.

One of the benefits of writing a music blog about missed music is I often find out about releases from favorite artists that I missed when they were released. Ask me about Distractions next week.

www.royhargrove.com seems to be dead, but you can read all about him on his label, Verve.

More new music from the Old School: Marc Broussard, Madeleine Peyroux

I love it when an artist can breathe fresh life into old songs or even just an old sound. Today, I have two artists who do just that with sincerity and extraordinary energy.

Marc made me break my own rule.

Marc Broussard, from Carencro, Louisiana, is the son of Hall of Fame guitarist Ted Broussard (The Boogie Kings). Since he left his Christian band in 2001, he has released four albums. Though I’m not writing about his 2004 release Carencro today, I do want you to give a listen to Home from that album. Make sure you stick around for the second half of the song, when they really get it going.

In 2007, Marc released S.O.S.: Save Our Soul, an album entirely comprised of covers of 60’s soul tunes. Now I will confess that this album breaks my rule about covers: he really doesn’t do much new with the songs. He plays them straight. That said, the tight arrangements and spot on vocal stylings had me bouncing in my seat when I first heard it. That’s hard to do with me. This album is a love song to the genre from an obvious true fan. Three tracks in particular grabbed me:

• You Met Your Match – A lesser-known Stevie Wonder tune. If you’re going to take on one of Stevie’s funky rockers, man, you better bring the energy. Marc does. The horns pop, the guitars jump out of the corners of the beat, and Marc stretches for – and hits – the soulful high notes.
• If I Could Build My Whole World Around You – This is a sweet song originally done by Marvin Gaye. I don’t know who sings Tammi Terrell’s half of the duet, but she does a great job. The band lays back on this groove to let the vocals stand front and center.
• Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) – They perfectly capture the feel of this mournful soul classic.

http://www.marcbroussard.com/

She insists she's not Billie Holiday, but they've never been photographed together...

Next up is Madeleine Peyroux. She works in the jazz singer/crooner tradition. I will tell you exactly what she sounds like. She is a perfect cross between Norah Jones and Billie Holiday, which in her case is a very good thing. Check out her 2004 release, Careless Love. I pulled 5 tracks off for my iPod.

• Don’t Wait Too Long – OK, to continue with my comparison above. This sounds like Norah Holiday covering a Rickie Lee Jones song. You will like it.
• Don’t Cry Baby – The only thing that keeps the sad vocals, vamping guitars, and noodling piano from sounding like a 1940’s classic is the Hammond organ.
• You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go – A sweet and simple version of the Dylan classic. I think the thing I like most about it is it doesn’t sound like anyone else. Musically, this track is the most uniquely Madeline’s on the disc.
• Weary Blues – This is what I mean by reinterpretation in a cover. She completely regrooves this Hank Williams tune and makes it project a feel Hank never intended, but would be tickled by, I think.
• This Is Heaven to Me – I love the dreamy chimes that back this beautiful song. Pretty, pretty stuff.

http://www.madeleinepeyroux.com

Rock with Soul and Jazz undertones from Joe Henry

You should check out the cool style of performer/producer Joe Henry. Musicians like and respect this guy. He’s been in the business a long time (his debut came out in 1986) and has produced albums for the likes of Richard and Linda Thompson, Elvis Costello, Loudin Wainwright III, and one of my favorites Bettye Lavette.

Joe, sideways, with a monkey on his shoulder.

He is also a performer in his own right. He’s got an interesting and shifting style and you want to listen to every one of his songs with the liner notes in hand so you can read his compelling lyrics. His early stuff tended to be overproduced, which made some of it sound cheesy, even though the songwriting was tight. He has really hit his stride these days. I’m going to recommend a few tracks from 3 of his late albums.

First, from his 1999 release, Fuse:

• Angels - This song has a soul feel to it. Beautiful keys and pocket drumming spiced with occasional picked guitar and noodling saxophone.
  
• Fat – This song is more spare sounding, but still creates a full groove. Cool lyrics include, “Gambled I would lose. I guess I…win.”
  
• Curt Flood – This is a jazzy instrumental piece that I just love.
  

From 2003’s Tiny Voices:

• Tiny Voices – This is a heavily produced piece (but not overly so) with layers of sound: trumpets, clarinets keys, guitars, muted vocals. Maybe my favorite Joe Henry song. Maybe.
  
• Flag – This is an absolutely beautiful love song like Elvis Costello might write. By that I mean it’s about love, but reveals his deeply personal feelings and observations of his own behaviors and motivations.
  

And finally, from the 2007 release Civilians:

• Civilians – This song makes me feel the way I do when I’m full of vodka and regret. “Life is short, but by the grace of God the night is long.”
  
• Time Is a Lion – A winner with nasty guitar, piano that’s alternately thundering and delicate, handclap percussion, and Henry’s thought provoking lyrics.
  

By no means are these all the good songs on these discs, just some of my faves. I love his website’s URL, http://www.joehenrylovesyoumadly.com.

The soul of Soul

Today I’m going to go to someone who has been in the national

Love you too, Bettye.

spotlight recently, but I was surprised to find many of my friends don’t know who she is. Bettye Lavette has been in the music business since the early sixties and has had an interesting career, flirting with fame and wide popularity but never quite going over the top. Last month, she performed a duet with Jon Bon Jovi at one of the Obama Inaugural celebrations. To give you some idea of what she does, here she is performing Love Reign O’er Me at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2008. Pete Townshend at least, and perhaps Roger Daltry are visibly moved.

 

The Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl saw her rehearse this performance and said, “We showed up for rehearsal, and one of the performers was rehearsing the song for the Who segment. It was a woman named Bettye LaVette… She is gonna steal the show. She was so phenomenal, this performance of The Who song that she did. It will bring you to tears. The room was pin-drop silent when she did this song, and it was just unbelievable.”

Her 2005 release, I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise, is full of brilliant reinterpretations ( I won’t call them simply “covers”) of an interesting mix of songs from Joan Armatrading, Sinead O’Connor, Aimee Mann, and others. Like other artists who perform a lot of other people’s songs (think Joan Osborne), a lot of her success depends on picking songs that she can really sink her teeth into and this album has a full spread of great songs.

I’m going to recommend six songs from this album, but I’ll start with the best two.

• Joy - Bettye’s soulful voice and the funky ensemble behind her do great things with this Lucinda Williams song.
• How Am I Different? – I love the fact that she knows this song and picked it. How Am I Different? was the best song on Aimee Mann’s 2000 release Bachelor No. 2 and was a brilliant choice for Bettye’s talents.

Also worth a listen on this album are:

• Down To Zero
• On The Surface
• Little Sparrow
• Only Time Will Tell

Her own website can be found here. Be warned the site greets you with thunderous applause.

I would also like to briefly mention the passing of jazz singer/pianist Blossom Dearie. You might know her from Schoolhouse Rock, if you grew up in my generation. She did the Figure Eight song and Unpack Your Adjectives. You may have heard her airy version of Put On a Happy Face. I have her version of Cole Porter’s Always True To You In My Fashion on my iPod and have put I Like You, You’re Nice (can’t find a sample) on my daughter’s mix on my iPod as well. She was cool and she’ll be missed.