Best Ever Albums

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 13:01:15 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 08/27/2026 17:01

2439

Trampoline (2007) by Steel Train

STEEL TRAIN
TRAMPOLINE
2007 – DRIVE-THRU
Produced By MARK TROMBINO

1. I Feel Weird
2. Black Eye
3. Kill Monsters In The Rain
4. Dakota
5. Alone On The Sea
6. Firecracker
7. A Magazine
8. Diamonds In The Sky
9. Leave You Traveling
10. I’ve Let You Go
11. School Is For Losers
12. Women I Belong To

Steel Train existed for a decade before quietly breaking up in 2013. Frontman Jack Antonoff has since gone on to a quite successful career fronting the band Bleachers, and as a producer for the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde and Lana Del Rey. Before his twelve Grammy Awards, Steel Train was a promising but mostly unremarkable band that made three albums between 2005 and 2010. The best of those three was the second, 2007’s Trampoline. It’s ultimately a decent enough effort, well played, and mostly forgettable. The band moves away from their earlier jam band roots and into a more indie rock groove, blending folk rock and an almost Arcade Fire like sound. But Steel Train always lacked hits, and hits sell records. It didn’t help that they were the only band on their now defunct label that sounded like they did, making promotion a tough sell.

There are some keepers here. “Firecracker” is the best Steel Train song, and “Alone On The Sea” and “Women I Belong To” are strong. But ultimately, Steel Train hadn’t figured out their sound yet, resulting in decent songs sounding thin and almost unfinished. That development never really happened, as the label folded in 2008. Steel Train released their final album in 2010 (and also an interesting companion disc of covers of the songs on that record by female singers called Terrible Thrills, Vol. 1). Singer Scott Irby-Ranniar hasn’t done much (he’s also an actor), and Antonoff’s career has kept there from being any thoughts of a Steel Train reunion. Not that anyone would really notice if it happened. Trampoline is decent enough, but it most likely won’t be your favorite record. Slightly above average at best.

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Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:06:03 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 08/24/2026 15:06

2438

The Dirty Boogie (1998) by The Brian Setzer Orchestra

THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA
THE DIRTY BOOGIE
1998 – INTERSCOPE
Produced By PETER COLLINS

1. This Cat’s On A Hot Tin Roof
2. The Dirty Boogie
3. This Old House
4. Let’s Live It Up
5. Sleepwalk
6. Jump Jive An’ Wail
7. You’re The Boss (Feat. Gwen Stefani)
8. Rock This Town
9. Since I Don’t Have You
10. Switchblade 327
11. Nosey Joe
12. Hollywood Nocturne
13. As Long As I’m Singin’

Brian Setzer is moved by two kinds of music. He became famous as the front man and guitarist for the rockabilly trio Stray Cats in the early eighties…an unlikely hit band for the time. Later, beginning in the nineties, be started combining rockabilly with swing music, forming The Brian Setzer Orchestra. They had a timely hit from their third album, The Dirty Boogie, with Louis Prima’s “Jump, Jive An’ Wail”, giving the swing revival of the second half of the decade its shot of adrenaline. Setzer writes fewer songs here than he did with the Cats…only five of the thirteen tracks are his, as he seems content to cover older tracks. The Orchestra is basically a revised Stray Cats lineup with a ton of horns. The rockabilly of his older band was never going to have staying power, and the swing revival was no different.

But kudos to Setzer for sticking with this one. They are quite famous as a live act, but their albums lean towards same sounding and interchangeable. And like the rest of his revival brethren, studio recordings don’t really carry the same energy as live sets do. “Jump, Jive An’ Wail” is fine, but these guys aren’t known for doing much else. Setzer and Gwen Stefani perform the old Elvis and Ann-Margret duet “You’re The Boss”, and “Rock This Town” is a remake of the Stray Cats biggest hit, which this one was not. Setzer had a nice idea here, and he did get a big hit song out of it, but more hits never came, and the albums never got better than this…and this one was barely above average at best. It’s curious that artists like Setzer, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Squirrel Nut Zippers are still doing this, but they do have an audience somewhere.

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Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:23:55 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 08/16/2026 19:23

2437

To Venus And Back (1999) by Tori Amos

TORI AMOS
TO VENUS AND BACK
1999 – ATLANTIC
Produced By TORI AMOS

1. Bliss
2. Juarez
3. Concertina
4. Glory Of The 80’s
5. Lust
6. Suede
7. Josephine
8. Riot Poof
9. Datura
10. Spring Haze
11. 1000 Oceans

1. Precious Things
2. Cruel
3. Cornflake Girl
4. Bells For Her
5. Girl
6. Cooling
7. Mr. Zebra
8. Cloud On My Tongue
9. Sugar
10. Little Earthquakes
11. Space Dog
12. The Waitress
13. Purple People

Tori Amos absolutely ruled the nineties. But all things must come to an end, and the end of making hits for Amos came with To Venus And Back. It was also the end of the nineties. This two disc set is a long one, but that’s okay. It’s actually two different albums. Disc one is a studio album of new material, continuing in the direction of her previous albums, 1998’s From The Choirgirl Hotel with increased use of electronics. The second disc consists of live material from her previous year’s tour, and is the better of the two. In all, the two CD’s combined run over two hours…a lot of Tori to digest in one sitting. Thankfully, one thing Tori Amos never has been is boring. She’s in fine voice here. and her songwriting remains sharp. Unfortunately, she does veer further away from her acoustic piano and vocal sound.

“Bliss” was the star track here. It became her last song to reach the Billboard Hot 100, and this is also her last Platinum certified album to date. Other highlights here are “Concertina”, “Glory Of The 80’s”, and the closer, “1000 Oceans”. More electronic based songs like “Datura” (which is about hallucinogenic plants) and “Juarez” (about the murders of female workers at the Mexican border) are interesting as well, but also show she was beginning to more than drift from her audience. The second disc is actually her first live album, and is much better. These versions of past hits like “Cornflake Girl” and “Cruel” make To Venus And Back worthwhile. Amos is still at it, with 2026’s In Times Of Dragons being her eighteenth studio effort. This one is not her best, but it’s also not bad at all. Worth at least a spin, and the live disc is a keeper.

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Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:09:48 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 08/12/2026 17:09

2436

Horizon And Main (2008) by Mike Addington

MIKE ADDINGTON
HORIZON AND MAIN
2008 – SELF RELEASED
No Production Credit

1. First Day You’ve Been Gone
2. Horizon And Main
3. Roped Yourself A Stray
4. Forever And A Day
5. Baby Please Don’t Go
6. I Could Write You A Letter
7. One Lonesome Cowboy
8. Feelin’ Blue, Blue, Blue
9. Sweet Liar
10. Walking Midnight
11. Fool In Your Eyes
12. Turned Loose
13. Living Proof
14. Spill A Little
15. If You’d Come Back
16. In This Heart Of Mine

There isn’t much to say about this one. Mike Addington is a country artist who moved around between Texas and California before settling in New Mexico. Addington released just this one album, Horizon And Main, in 2008. It was recorded in Colorado, which may be how I came across it. His website, which is just about all of his online presence outside of a rarely used facebook account, is still there. It states that there is a second album due out in 2012…that obviously never happened. As for Horizon And Main, not much is known about it. Who played on it, or any other details are simply not out there. It’s a decent enough album, but as a musician who never rose above a local level, I know how hard it is to carry on a career that doesn’t take off to another level. So making just one record is quite understandable, especially when it doesn’t sell as much as one would have hoped.

Addington claims to be a distant cousin of Maybelle Carter, and to have opened for the likes of Asleep At The Wheel and Leon Russell. Those days are apparently in the past for Addington. Horizon And Main is a good but not spectacular country album, a decent enough debut album that brings to mind Guy Clark, Steve Earle and John Prine. But it’s tough to achieve a big audience when your hometown of choice has a population of less than a thousand. Addington still plays live on occasion, but you’d have to travel into New Mexico to see him. His website is still out there, but it looks like it hasn’t been updated in over a decade with an empty calendar and just this album for sale. Worth taking a listen to, but there’s nothing else out there by him. Would have been interesting to hear that 2012 follow up that unfortunately never happened.

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Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 20:06:57 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 08/11/2026 00:06

2435

Passage (1981) by William Ackerman

WILLIAM ACKERMAN
PASSAGE
1981 – WINDHAM HILL
Produced By WILLIAM ACKERMAN

1. Remedios
2. Processional
3. The Impending Death Of The Virgin Spirit
4. Pacific I
5. The Bricklayer’s Beautiful Daughter
6. Hawk Circle
7. Anne’s Song
8. Passage

One sure way to avoid the headaches of trying to secure a record deal is to do it the way William Ackerman did: simply start your own label. Ackerman founded Windham Hill records in 1976, and by the mid-eighties, it had become the home to what is now known as New Age music. New Age became popular at that time, and Ackerman became quite the success story. In addition to records by the likes of George Winston and Michael Hedges, Ackerman also released his own records. Passage was his fourth album, and it did fairly well in the eighties before New Age became unpopular in the nineties. His acoustic guitar playing is fine, never exceptional, and the music is intended as easy listening. Like most of his recorded legacy, you won’t be wowed by what Ackerman does. The saving grace is that he does it well.

Most of the album is solo Ackerman. He is joined on four songs recorded as instrumental duets. Darol Anger (violin) on “Remedios”, Robert Hubbard (English horn) on “Pacific I”, Dan Reiter (cello) on “The Impending Death Of The Virgin Spirit”, and Winston (piano) on “Hawk Circle”. Ackerman left Windham Hill as owner in 1984, and the label has been mostly dormant as a subsidiary of larger labels since 2007. He still records, having made nineteen albums since 1976. But his biggest claim to fame will always be as the face of New Age music, and the label that made it a thing for a decade or so. His biggest discovery was Winston, and he was also the man who launched the careers of Alex DeGrassi, David Cullen and Andrew York…hardly household names, but about as big as smooth jazz artists get, I guess. Passage is okay, but it won’t rock your world

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Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Rhyner — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:51:22 GMT

Author: Rhyner

Posted: 08/10/2026 17:51

I unabashedly love "What's Up?". It's so damn fun to sing along with. I currently have it ranked as my 21st favorite song of all time.
But you're right, they didn't do anything else really worth mentioning.

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Sat, 8 Aug 2026 14:48:09 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 08/08/2026 18:48

2434

Bigger, Better, Faster, More! (1992) by 4 Non Blondes

4 NON BLONDES
BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER, MORE!
1992 – INTERSCOPE / ATLANTIC
Produced By DAVID TICKLE

1. Train
2. Superfly
3. What’s Up?
4. Pleasantly Blue
5. Morphine & Chocolate
6. Spaceman
7. Old Mr. Heffer
8. Calling All The People
9. Dear Mr. President
10. Drifting
11. No Place Like Home

There aren’t may people in the music industry more annoying than Linda Perry. As a recording artist, she’s the very definition of a one hit wonder. As a writer, she’s contributed blatant pop trash to artists like Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Kelly Osbourne. Her weird obsession with hats and her wildly over the top vocal delivery make her an unpleasantry whose stardom is questionable at best. Her band, 4 Non Blondes, surfaced in 1992 with their debut and so far only album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More! This record would have died a silent and painless death, if not for their one hit. “What’s Up?” became an inescapable smash, and remains a karaoke staple to this day. The hook on the chorus makes Perry’s over singing and her attempt at relevant lyricism almost forgivable. It’s a decent hit, but the fact that it’s made an entire career for Perry is a mystery for sure.

4 Non Blondes was an all female band until the recording of this album, when two members were dismissed and lead guitarist Louis Metoyer finished the record. A pair of singles failed (“Spaceman” and the overly political “Dear Mr. President”), and the rest of the album has been overly praised to death. Aside from “What’s Up?”, there’s very little to recommend here. If you must have that song, it’s available on several episodes of American Idol and most nineties compilations, surrounded by much better songs than you’ll get here. The Non Blondes broke up shortly after this, leaving this album and an absolutely wretched cover of “Misty Mountain Hop” that they recorded for a Led Zeppelin tribute album. They got back together in 2025, and may finally have new music on the horizon. Let’s hope that the second time is the charm…

Link

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:30:06 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 07/27/2026 15:30

2433

New Slaves (2010) by Zs

ZS
NEW SLAVES
2010 – THE SOCIAL REGISTRY
Produced By ZS

1. Concert Black
2. Acres Of Skin
3. Gentleman Amateur
4. Don’t Touch Me
5. Masonry
6. New Slaves
7. Black Crown Ceremony I: Diamond Terrifier
8. Black Crown Ceremony II: Six Realms

The line between free jazz and experimental rock is a blurry one. Zs lives squarely on the center of that line. Formed in 2000, this New York ensemble has had a fluid membership, led by founding member and saxophonist Sam Hillmer. They have released eight albums, none of which is popular in any way, building a reputation as a fine experimental group. The closest to fame they’ve been was in 2007, when Howard Stern referred to their music as “mood music…if you’re in a mental home”. New Slaves came out in 2010, and was highly praised. It was named Album Of The Year by Tiny Mix Tapes. Zs was a quartet at the time, consisting of Hillmer, guitarist Amnon Freidlin, Ben Greenberg (electronic & guitar), and percussionist Ian Antonio. This is most definitely not pop music. It can be a tough listen, if you’re not open to experimental albums.

There are, of course, no hits here, and nothing you’ve likely heard on the radio. Zs has stated that their goal is to “make music that challenges the physical and mental limitations of both performer and listener”. That’s a pretty wide challenge, and one that can be exhausting. The title track runs over twenty minutes, and the two part “Black Crown Ceremony” is 23 minutes long, but everything else is shorter and not as rambling. Along with their 2015 album Xe, New Slaves is their most accessible and critically acclaimed work. All has been quiet from Zs since their 2018 live album, Noth. Like Xe, New Slaves is a challenging soup of different genres and sounds, music that is nearly impossible to pin down. This band may not be for everyone, but if you can be open to it, there are endless rewards waiting on this strange and experimental disc.

Link

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:36:38 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 07/24/2026 17:36

2432

Tomorrow's Sounds Today (2000) by Dwight Yoakam

DWIGHT YOAKAM
TOMORROW’S SOUNDS TODAY
2000 – REPRISE
Produced By PETE ANDERSON

1. Love Caught Up To Me
2. What Do You Know About Love
3. Time Spent Missing You
4. Free To Go
5. A Promise You Can’t Keep
6. A Place To Cry
7. The Sad Side Of Town
8. Dreams Of Clay
9. For Love’s Sake
10. The Heartaches Are Free
11. A World Of Blue
12. I Want You To Want Me
13. Alright, I’m Wrong
14. I Was There

In 2000, Dwight Yoakam had slipped into a place where his acting career was taking priority over his music career. So while he was concentrating on minor film roles, his music took a temporary back seat. At the center of this time for Yoakam was his final album for Reprise, Tomorrow’s Sounds Today. It’s not nearly as futuristic as the title of his eleventh album suggests…if anything, this was Yoakam treading some water. There are some definite high points here, but it seems to be missing that level of energy and songwriting that had made Yoakam one of the brightest lights in country music. These problems were fortunately temporary, but they are evident here. This is Yoakam at a time when his commercial appeal was at a low point, a snapshot of an artist distracted and not at his very best.

The album is an odd one. Yoakam wrote the first twelve songs, but none of the last three. “What Do You Know About Love” is the best song here. A minor hit was the surprising Cheap Trick cover of “I Want You To Want Me”, coming on the heels of the more successful Queen cover of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”. And the last two tracks are duets with the great Buck Owens. Long time producer Pete Anderson plays some mean guitar on the album, and guests like Chris Hillman, Flaco Jimenez and Jim Lauderdale are definite pluses. Yoakam’s writing brings to mind Hank Williams Sr., with plenty of songs about broken hearts and bad choices. This isn’t a bad album, but Yoakam has done so much better than this, both before and after. If you’re going to skip one of his records, this might just be the one.

Link

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 20:38:57 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 07/20/2026 00:38

2431

In The Company Of Strangers (2000) by Robin & Linda Williams

ROBIN & LINDA WILLIAMS
IN THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS
2000 – SUGAR HILL
Produced By KEVIN MCNOLDY

1. The Hard Country
2. So It Go
3. Rumble
4. Sometime Tomorrow
5. So Long, See You Tomorrow
6. Bar Band In Hillbilly Heaven
7. Allow It
8. This Is The Real Thing
9. The Perfect Country Song
10. Some Peculiar Beast
11. Cold, Cold Heart
12. In The Company Of Strangers

Robin & Linda Williams may not be household names by any means, but they have put together a pretty nice career and life together. This married couple released their first album together in 1975, and they’ve been going strong ever since. Although they haven’t released an album since 2021, they have a new one coming out soon. They are also still playing live, mostly on the east coast. In The Company Of Strangers is the Williams’ fourteenth album, and their second to last on Sugar Hill Records. There aren’t any hits here…there never are. What you get is solid country folk music played and sung by people who truly love what they do…and that’s worth quite a bit. This album did make the top ten on Gavin’s Americana chart, and includes a few interesting guest musicians, including Mary Chapin Carpenter and Tim O’Brien.

This is salt of the earth, real Americana music, without the trappings or expectations of fame. Robin and Linda never made it big, and because of that, no one would have blamed them if they had packed it in a long time ago. Thankfully, they chose not to. The message here is do what you love, and do it for as long as you love it. Let fine songs like “Allow It” find a bit of space in your life…these records by this pair are filled with nice little surprise gems of songs that will make you smile. And while you listen to albums like In The Company Of Strangers, remember that for every famous artist you love, there are thousands more who are just as good and maybe better, who never got that one big break and made it big. This album isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t have all the shiny accessories that major label disc are adorned with, but it’s satisfying just the same.

Link

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:26:55 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 07/16/2026 14:26

2430

Everyday (1993) by Widespread Panic

WIDESPREAD PANIC
EVERYDAY
1993 – CAPRICORN / WARNER BROS.
Produced By JOHN KEANE & JOHNNY SANDLIN

1. Pleas
2. Hatfield
3. Wondering
4. Papa’s Home
5. Diner
6. Better Off
7. Pickin’ Up The Pieces
8. Henry Parsons Died
9. Pilgrims
10. Postcard
11. Dream Song

Widespread Panic formed in the mid eighties, and has gained an ever growing reputation as a live band. They are seen as the heirs to the jam band throne left open by the Grateful Dead, and hold records for most sold out shows at more than one major venue. Forty years into their career, they appear to be an unstoppable force. They also do release albums…but it’s pretty clear that albums are not where this band concentrates their energies. In forty years, Panic has released just thirteen studio records, none of which has ever been a big seller, and none of which are considered to be great. Everyday is their third album, and is basically interchangeable with the rest of their recorded output. Their records are not bad, but it’s pretty clear that they are not the main focus of the band. Despite not having a great recorded legacy, this band does just fine.

Really, the thing that stands out the most on Everyday is the cover photo, which features a not yet famous Angelina Jolie. The band plays very well, but the songs themselves are average at best. Nothing here will grab your attention: also, nothing will make you jump up and skip to the next track. Widespread Panic and their many fans are okay with this…after all, it’s their live shows that set them apart from everyone else. Everyday does feature original lead guitarist Michael Houser, who passed away in 2002, and drummer Todd Nance, who also died in 2020. Their Southern jam rock style is on full display here, and Everyday is a fan favorite, but the truth is that if you want to experience what Widespread Panic is really all about, you should buy a ticket and go see them live. Albums like Everyday are okay, but they are also pretty much an afterthought.

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Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:06:17 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 07/13/2026 16:06

2429

The Life Of Pablo (2016) by Kanye West

KANYE WEST
THE LIFE OF PABLO
2016 – GOOD / DEF JAM
Produced By BOI-1DA, CASHMERE CAT, CHANCE THE RAPPER, CHARLIE HEAT, DJDS, HAVOC, KANYE WEST, KARRIEM RIGGINS, MADLIB, MENACE, METRO BOOMIN’, MIKE DEAN, MITUS, RICK RUBIN, SINJIN HAWKE, SOUTHSIDE & SWISS BEATZ

1. Ultralight Beam
2. Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1
3. Pt. 2
4. Famous
5. Feedback
6. Low Lights
7. Highlights
8. Freestyle 4
9. I Love Kanye
10. Waves
11. FML
12. Real Friends
13. Wolves
14. Frank’s Track
15. Siiiiiiiiilver Surffffeeeeer Intermission
16. 30 Hours
17. No More Parties In LA
18. Facts (Charlie Heat Version)
19. Fade
20. Saint Pablo

Is Kanye West insane? Probably. Is it possible to separate his insanity from his recorded output? Until The Life Of Pablo, yes. But here, Kanye the person unfortunately bleeds a bit too much into his work. I have this album on CD…it’s the only album I have that’s a bootleg version. Why? Because Kanye refused to release it in this format. It was initially promised to be a Tidal only release, but he later put it out on other sites. As the follow up album to 2013’s Yeezus, a lot was expected here, especially considering that it took three years to make. But unfortunately, The Life Of Pablo may be his least effective album, and his most overrated. Even as it was being released, Kanye kept changing it. It sounds like he never really did finish it. It has a few great moments, sure. But it’s also very inconsistent and feels eternally incomplete.

Kanye described this as “the gospel according to Ye”, an unfortunate statement given the absolute terrible quality of the album’s lyrics. There are many who overlook this flaw, but I cannot. The best moments are in the music, but the lyrics, the auto tune, and the inclusion of far too many weak tracks makes this more a mess than a worthwhile excursion. The Life Of Pablo is not a terrible album, by any means. But it is a pretty overrated work, carried more by the artist’s name and reputation than by the quality of the music. When this is good, it’s very good. But it’s only good for about half of the record, and that should not be discounted. Maybe Kanye ran out of words. Maybe having seventeen different producers was more than a dozen too many. And maybe Kanye the person was allowed to seep a little too deeply into the music. Above average at best. But not an all time great.

Link

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 12:11:16 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 07/11/2026 16:11

2428

The Epic (2015) by Kamasi Washington

KAMASI WASHINGTON
THE EPIC
2015 – BRAINFEEDER
Produced By KAMASI WASHINGTON

1. Change Of The Guard
2. Askim
3. Isabelle
4. Final Thought
5. The Next Step
6. The Rhythm Changes

1. Miss Understanding
2. Leroy And Lanisha
3. Re Run
4. Seven Prayers
5. Henrietta Our Hero
6. The Magnificent 7

1. Re Run Home
2. Cherokee
3. Clair De Lune
4. Malcolm’s Theme
5. The Message

It’s a pretty easy statement to make that Kamasi Washington is the current king of the saxophone. And that, because he’s mainly a jazz musician, he’s very much underrated. And then, there’s The Epic. In 2015, just a couple of months after his sax work was heard on Kendrick Lamar’s album To Pimp A Butterfly, Washington released this stunning album. This is big in every way, starting with the title. It’s three CD’s long. It runs nearly three hours in total. It includes nearly forty musicians. And it stands as maybe the greatest jazz album of the century so far. It’s Washington’s fourth studio album, but it’s his first to be released on a label. You may want to listen to it in segments…three hours is a lot to take in at once…but the rewards are almost endless. It’s as spiritual, challenging, and beautiful as it is long. A stunning release.

The three discs are given different titles. Disc one is The Plan, featuring four tracks over twelve minutes in length. Disc two is The Glorious Tale, led by the excellent “Miss Understanding”. The final disc is The Historic Repetition, headed by “Re Run Home”. All of the music is composed by Washington except for three of the five tracks on the final disc. There are no guitars present, and five of the songs feature vocals. The facts: this is maybe the most ambitious jazz record you will ever hear. This is perhaps the greatest jazz album in the last twenty plus years. And Kamasi Washington may be the greatest current jazz musician on the planet. As huge and expansive as The Epic is, it’s still worth every minute you spend with it. And just because it may be more than most people can handle in one sitting, it’s still an amazing and great piece of work.

Link

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Mon, 6 Jul 2026 20:35:02 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 07/07/2026 00:35

2427

Forgiveness Rock Record (2010) by Broken Social Scene

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
FORGIVENESS ROCK RECORD
2010 – ARTS & CRAFTS
Produced By JOHN MCENTIRE

1. World Sick
2. Chase Scene
3. Texico Bitches
4. Forced To Love
5. All To All
6. Art House Director
7. Highway Slipper Jam
8. Ungrateful Little Father
9. Meet Me In The Basement
10. Sentimental X’s
11. Sweetest Kill
12. Romance To The Grave
13. Water In Hell
14. Me And My Hand

More of a collective than a band, Broken Social Scene from Canada has been releasing occasional great albums since 2001. They began as a duo of Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew, with a core of six members and accommodating up to nineteen collaborators. Their best album was 2002’s You Forgot It In People, but don’t sleep on their underrated 2010 fourth album, Forgiveness Rock Record. It reached number one in their native country, and contains their two most successful singles. Broken Social Scene has released just six studio albums over twenty five years, but they do tend to make them count when they do drop one. This was produced by John McEntire (Tortoise & The Sea And Cake), and balances their cool blend of baroque pop and indie rock. Like all of their albums, this is worth checking out.

This is a top heavy offering, but that’s mostly okay. The best tracks all reside in the first half, led by “World Sick”, Texico Blues” “Forced To Love” and “All Is All”. Guests include Sam Prekop (The Sea And Cake), Scott Kannberg (Pavement), and Sebastien Grainger (Death From Above 1979). The second half is not bad, by any means. Broken Social Scene is a band that’s always good, their albums are always worthwhile. If you want more than their six studio discs, there are also a trio of B-sides albums, a pair of solo records from Drew and Canning, and a bunch of film scores. And they recently released Remember The Humans, their first album in nine years. Hopefully, there will be more to come from this group. Forgiveness Rock Record is not perfect, but it’s a pretty fine effort. Give this one a try!

Link

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Johnnyo — Sun, 5 Jul 2026 05:51:36 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/05/2026 09:51

Romanelli wrote:

2424

How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004) by U2

U2
HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB
2004 – ISLAND
Produced By STEVE LILLYWHITE

1. Vertigo
2. Miracle Drug
3. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
4. Love And Peace Or Else
5. City Of Blinding Lights
6. All Because Of You
7. A Man And A Woman
8. Crumbs From Your Table
9. One Step Closer
10. Original Of The Species
11. Yahweh

The hate that U2 receives from listeners has always made me laugh. Since the dawn of the eighties, they have set the standard for what a good rock album should sound like. Sure, Bono may seem a bit on the pompous side at time, but that doesn’t mean his band makes bad albums. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb is their eleventh album, following the huge success of 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind and it’s huge hit “Beautiful Day”. For this album, U2 decided they wanted to return to the sounds they were originally inspired by and that they were making when they first got together…a harder and more raw straight ahead rock sound. They had a completed album with producer Chris Thomas, but they decided that while they could have released it and had a decent enough record, they could do better. So they brought in producer Steve Lillywhite, and made the record they really wanted to make.

Good for them. This album is led by the unstoppable hit “Vertigo”, but there’s more here than just a single. “City Of Blinding Lights, “All Because Of You”, and “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” are all excellent, as are “Miracle Drug” and “Love And Peace Or Else”. Like most U2 albums, this one is front loaded, but the second half is not bad by any means. The album as a whole is good, but falls short of great…even Bono said that the songs are strong, but as a whole, the album falls short of their expectations. As for how the album was received? It hit number one in a whopping 34 countries, and swept all eight Grammy awards it was nominated for. It also sold more than 10 million copies. Can 10 million U2 fans be wrong? Doubtful. Not their best album, but a fine work. Thank goodness U2 cares enough to get their work right.

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I've said many times on this site that I don't understand the hate for U2 so completely agree with your thoughts above. Bono can come across as a bit of a T**T sometimes but that's got nothing to do with the music which, on the whole I've loved for more than the last 40 years

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Sat, 4 Jul 2026 13:02:27 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 07/04/2026 17:02

2426

The Sky Is Crying (1991) by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN & DOUBLE TROUBLE
THE SKY IS CRYING
1991 – EPIC
Produced By CHRIS LAYTON, JIM CAPFER, JIM GAINES, REESE WYNANS, RICHARD MULLEN, TOMMY SHANNON, JIMMIE VAUGHAN & STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN & DOUBLE TROUBLE

1. Boot Hill
2. The Sky Is Crying
3. Empty Arms
4. Little Wing
5. Wham
6. May I Have A Talk With You
7. Close To You
8. Chitlins Con Carne
9. So Excited
10. Life By The Drop

Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a helicopter crash in 1990. Fourteen months later, his final studio album, The Sky Is Crying, was released. The album was assembled by Vaughan’s older brother, Jimmie, and contains previously unreleased material (except for “Empty Arms”) recorded between 1984 and 1989. Eight of the ten tracks are covers, with only “Empty Arms” and “So Excited” being Vaughan originals. It’s also notable that four of the ten tracks are instrumentals. This album is not perfect…these songs were, after all, left off of the band’s four previous albums, and though it’s not stated, they are most likely outtakes. But regardless of that, this album shows what an amazing player Vaughan truly was. And that’s the important thing…Stevie Ray Vaughan didn’t always have the greatest songs, but his playing was always a magical thing.

This album covers a wide variety of the blues genres that Vaughan was proficient in. Texas, Chicago, Delta, blues rock…Stevie Ray could play it all. The instrumental cover of Hendrix’ “Little Wing” is great, as is Kenny Burrell’s jazz blues “Chitlins Con Carne” and Elmore James’ title track. Perhaps the best song here, though, is Doyle Bramhall’s “Life By The Drop”, which Vaughan plays on an acoustic twelve-string. This was the first of many posthumous albums of Vaughan’s material (although the album he did with his brother, Family Style, did come out a month after he died), and it remains one of the best, as it’s not a rehash of previously released tracks. Stevie Ray was the last great hope of the eighties revival of the blues, which unfortunately died along with him. He’s always worth hearing, and this album is no exception.

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Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 11:59:47 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/28/2026 15:59

2425

Lost In The Sound Of Separation (2008) by Underoath

UNDEROATH
LOST IN THE SOUND OF SEPARATION
2008 – SOLID STATE / TOOTH & NAIL
Produced By ADAM DUTKIEWICZ, MATT GOLDEN & UNDEROATH

1. Breathing In A New Mentality
2. Anyone Can Dig A Hole But It Takes A Real Man To Call It Home
3. A Fault Line, A Fault Of Mine
4. Emergency Broadcast :: The End Is Near
5. The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed
6. We Are The Involuntary
7. The Created Void
8. Coming Down Is Calming Down
9. Desperate Times Desperate Measures
10. Too Bright To See Too Loud To Hear
11. Desolate Earth :: The End Is Here

The American metalcore / screamo band Underoath used to be a Christian band…kind of. The members were all Christian, but they didn’t really sing Christian lyrics. After they broke up in 2013, they reformed two years later with the announcement that they were most definitely no longer a Christian band. So there you go. Lost In The Sound Of Separation is their sixth album, and sits firmly in the middle of their late 2000’s peak. And to find what’s Christian about this, you’d have to dig deeper than I’m willing to do. Underoath’s biggest influences are At The Drive In and Refused, so you know this is going to be loud and heavy. But that’s not all this is. There are elements of many genres included here, making this easily the most experimental of the band’s ten albums. Making it also a great place to start with this band.

Underoath has never really had hits, although a couple of songs from their 2018 album Erase Me came close. Here, the best tracks are “Too Bright To See Too Loud To Hear”, which builds well and showcases both clean vocalist Aaron Gillespie and lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, and “Desperate Times Desperate Measures”, the story of a man screaming for help in a place where no one can hear him. Also of note is “Breathing In A New Mentality”, which is about Chamberlain’s issues with drugs, and “Emergency Broadcast :: The End Is Near”, influenced by a drive while listening to the first Led Zeppelin album. If metalcore and screamo are your thing, this is a fascinating and well done album, with plenty of rewards. Underoath continues to this day…a somewhat overlooked metal gem.

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Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:00:30 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/22/2026 18:00

2424

How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004) by U2

U2
HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB
2004 – ISLAND
Produced By STEVE LILLYWHITE

1. Vertigo
2. Miracle Drug
3. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
4. Love And Peace Or Else
5. City Of Blinding Lights
6. All Because Of You
7. A Man And A Woman
8. Crumbs From Your Table
9. One Step Closer
10. Original Of The Species
11. Yahweh

The hate that U2 receives from listeners has always made me laugh. Since the dawn of the eighties, they have set the standard for what a good rock album should sound like. Sure, Bono may seem a bit on the pompous side at time, but that doesn’t mean his band makes bad albums. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb is their eleventh album, following the huge success of 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind and it’s huge hit “Beautiful Day”. For this album, U2 decided they wanted to return to the sounds they were originally inspired by and that they were making when they first got together…a harder and more raw straight ahead rock sound. They had a completed album with producer Chris Thomas, but they decided that while they could have released it and had a decent enough record, they could do better. So they brought in producer Steve Lillywhite, and made the record they really wanted to make.

Good for them. This album is led by the unstoppable hit “Vertigo”, but there’s more here than just a single. “City Of Blinding Lights, “All Because Of You”, and “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” are all excellent, as are “Miracle Drug” and “Love And Peace Or Else”. Like most U2 albums, this one is front loaded, but the second half is not bad by any means. The album as a whole is good, but falls short of great…even Bono said that the songs are strong, but as a whole, the album falls short of their expectations. As for how the album was received? It hit number one in a whopping 34 countries, and swept all eight Grammy awards it was nominated for. It also sold more than 10 million copies. Can 10 million U2 fans be wrong? Doubtful. Not their best album, but a fine work. Thank goodness U2 cares enough to get their work right.

Link

Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:21:30 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/17/2026 22:21

2423

When I Look In Your Eyes (1999) by Diana Krall

DIANA KRALL
WHEN I LOOK IN YOUR EYES
1999 – VERVE
Produced By TOMMY LIPUMA, JOHNNY MANDEL & DAVID FOSTER

1. Let’s Face The Music And Dance
2. Devil May Care
3. Let’s Fall In Love
4. When I Look In Your Eyes
5. Popsicle Toes
6. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
7. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
8. I’ll String Along With You
9. East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon)
10. Pick Yourself Up
11. The Best Thing For You
12. Do It Again
13. Why Should I Care

At the turn of the century, you would not have likely guessed that one of music’s rising stars would be a female jazz and easy listening singer. Diana Krall did just that. After a trio of albums in the mid nineties went almost unnoticed, she started to turn heads with her 1997 album, Love Scenes. It was her fifth album, When I Look In Your Eyes, that showed she wasn’t going away any time soon. The album features orchestral arrangements by Johnny Mandel, and production by Tommy LiPuma. Krall is also an accomplished pianist, and her playing shines here, as it usually does. Albums like this mostly depend on the song choices, and how well those choices fit with the vibe of the artist. Her choices here are strong, making this the best of her earlier work. Nearly everything here suits Krall perfectly, making this a kind of an underrated gem.

Her next album, The Look Of Love, sold a gazillion copies. But the songs, while more well known, are not as fine as they are here. Krall picks up works by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Jerome Kern and knocks them all out of the park. There’s also a curious hidden track in “Why Should I Care”, which was written by Carole Bayer Sager, Linda Thompson and Clint Eastwood. Krall has continued to grow as a performer, and after her marriage to Elvis Costello, she began to write songs as well. This album is the best of her early releases, and it was actually the first jazz record to be nominated for the Grammy’s Album Of The Year in a quarter century. This album isn’t perfect, but like almost everything else she has done, it’s well worth hearing at least one time. A strong and beautiful voice, without question.

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Re: The Romanelli Music Diary: Trampoline

Romanelli — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:57:30 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 06/15/2026 17:57

2422

Joy To The World - Their Greatest Hits (1974) by Three Dog Night

THREE DOG NIGHT
JOY TO THE WORLD: THEIR GREATEST HITS
1974 – DUNHILL
Produced By JIMMY IENNER, GABRIEL MEKLER & RICHARD PODOLOR

1. Joy To The World
2. One
3. Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here
4. An Old Fashioned Love Song
5. Let Me Serenade You
6. Shambala
7. Black And White
8. Never Been To Spain
9. One Man Band
10. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
11. I’d Be So Happy
12. Liar
13. The Family Of Man
14. The Show Must Go On

Between 1968 and 1974, Three Dog Night were bona fide hitmakers who filled up the radio waves with songs written by everyone from Laura Nyro to Hoyt Axton. Sporting three lead singers, they rocked more than most AM radio bands, and turned a lot of people on to songs by artists that a lot of kids would have never heard otherwise. They were dubbed the Kings Of Oversing by critic Robert Christgau…a moniker that was not inaccurate. Joy To The World is their second compilation album, released at the time when the band was running out of gas (and hits). There are some fine moments here, but because of the first compilation (1971’s Golden Biscuits), it’s woefully incomplete. It would be many years later before an accurate collection would be released. Even with that, though, the end result is the proof that their short existence was spotty at best.

When they got it right, they were great…but that didn’t happen often enough. And unfortunately, there are too many of those great moments missing on this disc. It’s great to have “An Old Fashioned Love Song”, “Never Been To Spain”, “Liar” and “Shambala” in one place. But it’s what’s missing that’s important. On Joy To The World, you won’t find “Easy To Be Hard”, Nyro’s “Eli’s Coming”, or Randy Newman’s “Mama Told Me Not To Come”, which are easily the bands best songs. Instead, you get misses like “I’d Be So Happy”, “Let Me Serenade You”, and John Hiatt’s “Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here”. To their credit, Three Dog Night had a justified successful run. It’s unfortunate that this hits collection missed out on getting their legacy rightfully collected on one amazing disc. There are great songs here…but too much is missing to recommend it as essential.

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