SHANIA TWAIN
UP!
2002 – MERCURTY NASHVILLE
Produced By ROBERTY JOHN “MUTT” LANGE & SIMON & DIAMOND DUGGAL
1. Up!
2. I’m Gonna Getcha Good!
3. She’s Not Just A Pretty Face
4. Juanita
5. Forever And RFor Always
6. Ain’t No Partcular Way
7. It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing
8. Nah!
9. (Wanna get To Know You) That Good!
10. C’est La Vie
11. I’m Jealous
12. Ka-Ching!
13. Thank You Baby (For Makin’ Someday Come So Soon)
14. Waiter! Bring Me Water!
15. What A Way To Wanna Be!
16. I Ain’t Goin’ Down
17. I’m Not In The Mood (To Say No)!
18. In My Car (I’ll Be The Driver)
19. When You Kiss Me
Up! Is one of the more ambitious album projects I have ever heard. There are three different versions…a country album (green), an Indian music version (blue), and the one I have, a pop version (red). The track listings are identical, but the sound of each is different. Ambitious? Yes. But for what reason? Apparently, not to showcase how versatile Ms. Twain is, but to see just how many millions of records she could sell. And it worked…she was a huge star at the time, and the number of times this has gone Platinum is well into double digits. A truly genius sales approach, and one that really did get her music heard throughout the world. 8 hit singles didn’t hurt.
Musically (speaking of the red version), this is almost at a flatline. The only signs of life are a few well placed power chords. Aside from that, the sound of this pop version is almost clinical. Everything is as perfect…and as lifeless as can be. The songs are well crafted yet empty. And at 19 tracks, this is a long set of songs. The only saving grace is Twain’s voice, which is fine, even though the charm of her country twang is sorely missed here. This version contains no country at all…which leaves Twain as a straight pop singer. It does not work. I imagine that the country version is better, but it’s still the same songs, so I doubt it’s anywhere near great. Countless millions disagree with me here, but I’m sticking to my guns.
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BECK
SEA CHANGE
2002 – GEFFEN
Produced By NIGEL GODRICH
1. The Golden Age
2. Paper Tiger
3. Guess I’m Doing Fine
4. Lonesome Tears
5. Lost Cause
6. End Of The Day
7. It’s All In Your Mind
8. Round The Bend
9. Already Dead
10. Sunday Sun
11. Little One
12. Side Of The Road
Breakup albums can be hard. And heavy. This one IS hard…and not heavy at all. Beck’s 9 year relationship ended badly, and the songs that came from it brought him to a place of a strange, melancholy beauty. Sure, these tracks have bitterness and anger…but what shines though is the sadness and the internal bleeding that comes with being wronged. I get it. Sea Change is a huge departure from the Beck we had come to know and love…it’s personal and riddled with pain…and, hopefully, healing. That hope of healing is a deep and strange thing, and there are few albums that convey those feelings as well as this one does.
“Lost Cause” and “Doing Fine” serve as the singles here, and are on point. This is an album that is not only an important part of showing what Beck is capable of, it’s also an important document of hurt, and of loss, and of despair. You can feel the pain in Sea Change. And the loss. Losing love is a huge motivator in music, and this album has it in spades. Unlike other Beck albums…it SOUNDS sad. It’s not like any other Beck album, as it contains more live instruments than samples. Which is why you should hear it. This isn’t Beck from the studio…this is Beck from the HEART. This will, one day, be viewed as a true classic.
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NINE INCH NAILS
WITH TEETH
2005 – NOTHING / INTERSCOPE
Produced By TRENT REZNOR, ALAN MOULDER & ATTICUS ROSS
1. All The Love In The World
2. You Know What You Are?
3. The Collector
4. The Hand That Feeds
5. Love Is Not Enough
6. Every Day Is Exactly The Same
7. With Teeth
8. Only
9. Getting Smaller
10. Sunspots
11. The Line Begins To Blur
12. Beside You In Time
13. Right Where It Belongs
It seems strange to be thinking of a Nine Inch Nails album in terms of being bland…but here we are. With Teeth is their fourth album, and documents the work that Trent Reznor was doing in finding his sobriety. Don’t get me wrong…this is not a bad album by any means. But in terms of what Nine Inch Nails had done previously, this album feels safer. The songs are more structured and take fewer chances, and even though they are loud and heavy, they also don’t stray far from the conventional…something Reznor wasn’t really known for. But here we are. A solid, very well played and heavy album that feels…bland.
There are some great moments here. “The Hand That Feeds”, “Every Day Is Exactly The Same”, and “Only” are exceptional. It's also notable that Dave Grohl contributes drums on seven of these tracks (before Grohl was boring us to death by playing on everything he could get his hands on). Lyrically, this is Reznor at his best…and it’s not just a sobriety record. This was the second straight album to reach number one in the US…it was also the last to do so, and the last to reach platinum status. Those first four Nine Inch Nails albums are still the ones to have…Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral, Fragile, and this one make a pretty solid career statement. Reznor is still at it…he’s released seven more discs since With Teeth. It’s very good…it just doesn’t take as many chances as we had gotten used to this band taking.
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THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION
WE’RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY
1968 – VERVE
Produced By FRANK ZAPPA
1. Are You Hung Up?
2. Who Needs The Peace Corps?
3. Concentration Moon
4. Mom & Dad
5. Telephone Conversation
6. Bow Tie Daddy
7. Harry, You’re A Beast
8. What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?
9. Absolutely Free
10. Flower Punk
11. Hot Poop
12. Nasal Retentive Calliope Music
13. Let’s Make The Water Turn Black
14. The Idiot Bastard Son
15. Lonely Little Girl
16. Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance
17. What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body? (Reprise)
18. Mother People
19. The Chrome Plated Megaphone Of Destiny
Released in 1968, and still one of the strangest albums ever made…but it’s also very listenable. Frank Zappa and his band, The Mothers Of Invention, satirically take on politics, hippie culture and The Beatles on a record that, in 2021, still sounds like it’s waiting for everyone else to catch up with them. In other words…this album is pure genius. Different vocal speeds, experimental sounds, early sampling without the technology to actually do so, psychedelia, jazz, and doo-wop. What more could one ask for? Oh, yeah…guitar! Plus, the undeniable force of Zappa’s sense of humor, and you’ve got yourself a classic.
Like most of Zappa’s albums, you won’t find a hit here. What you will find is perhaps his most cohesive collection of overall weirdness and humor. The satire is stinging. The use of spoken word at different speeds (including folks like Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart) is brilliant. It’s an early concept album with a concept that actually works. And it set in stone the path that Zappa would follow over the rest of his career, showing him to be more experimental and consistently groundbreaking than any of his contemporaries. We’re Only In It For The Money is stunning and great. People are still trying to replicate what Zappa did here. That’s pretty much the definition of classic.
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FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION
WE’RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY
1968 – VERVE
Produced By FRANK ZAPPA
1. Are You Hung Up?
2. Who Needs The Peace Corps?
3. Concentration Moon
4. Mom & Dad
5. Telephone Conversation
6. Bow Tie Daddy
7. Harry, You’re A Beast
8. What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?
9. Absolutely Free
10. Flower Punk
11. Hot Poop
12. Nasal Retentive Calliope Music
13. Let’s Make The Water Turn Black
14. The Idiot Bastard Son
15. Lonely Little Girl
16. Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance
17. What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body? (Reprise)
18. Mother People
19. The Chrome Plated Megaphone Of Destiny
Released in 1968, and still one of the strangest albums ever made…but it’s also very listenable. Frank Zappa and his band, The Mothers Of Invention, satirically take on politics, hippie culture and The Beatles on a record that, in 2021, still sounds like it’s waiting for everyone else to catch up with them. In other words…this album is pure genius. Different vocal speeds, experimental sounds, early sampling without the technology to actually do so, psychedelia, jazz, and doo-wop. What more could one ask for? Oh, yeah…guitar! Plus, the undeniable force of Zappa’s sense of humor, and you’ve got yourself a classic.
Like most of Zappa’s albums, you won’t find a hit here. What you will find is perhaps his most cohesive collection of overall weirdness and humor. The satire is stinging. The use of spoken word at different speeds (including folks like Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart) is brilliant. It’s an early concept album with a concept that actually works. And it set in stone the path that Zappa would follow over the rest of his career, showing him to be more experimental and consistently groundbreaking than any of his contemporaries. We’re Only In It For The Money is stunning and great. People are still trying to replicate what Zappa did here. That’s pretty much the definition of classic.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
LULLABIES TO PARALYZE
2005 – INTERSCOPE
Produced By JOE BARRESI & JOSHUA HOMME
1. This Lullaby
2. Medication
3. Everybody Knows That You Are Insane
4. Tangled Up In Plaid
5. Burn The Witch
6. In My Head
7. Little Sister
8. I Never Came
9. Someone’s In The Wolf
10. The Blood Is Love
11. Skin On Skin
12. Broken Box
13. You Got A Killer Scene There, Man…
14. Long Slow Goodbye
Queens Of The Stone Age is one of those bands that you just can’t really go wrong with. Lullabies To Paralyze is their fourth album, and the follow up to the excellent Songs For The Deaf. It’s considered by many to be their weakest album…and it’s also very, very good. There’s nothing as immediate as the previous record’s “No One Knows”, and this album is not nearly as heavy…but it takes more chances and shows real growth, in spite of the fact that between albums, half of the band had been replaced. The sales for Lullabies were somewhat disappointing, but that does not mean that as a release, the band failed. Not at all.
The best songs here stand up against anything the band has ever done. “In My Head”, “Burn The Witch”, “Tangled Up In Plaid”, and especially “Little Sister” are all worthwhile. After that, the drop in song quality is not as steep as we may have been led to believe. And while not considered to be one of their top four or five releases, it’s still a really good album. Maybe it’s underrated because of the album it followed, as Songs For The Deaf was a pretty massive success. But Lullabies To Paralyze is definitely worth a spin, as is everything else by this band. Eight albums in so far, and still going strong.
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JAMES DUMM
LEAVE MY GUITAR ALONE
2007 – SELF RELEASED
Produced By JAMES DUMM & JOSH FARMAN
1. Leave My Guitar Alone
2. Save It
3. Walkin’ Home
4. My Friends
5. In Demand
6. Music In Mind
7. Tom’s Lament
8. When You Know It
9. Too Good To Lose
James Dumm was one of two outstanding guitarists who played in the band at my wedding in Colorado in the mid 2000’s…in another lifetime. I’d play with him again in a minute. He’s a great player and a fine individual. James has built a solid reputation in Denver playing in some pretty mighty tribute and original bands, and was, for me, a joy to work with, even for a short time.
I do not review albums by people I know personally, but you can check out James and this album at the above link. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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IVY
LONG DISTANCE
2001 – NETTWERK
Produced By ANDY CHASE, ADAM SCHLESINGER & PETER NASHEL
1. Undertow
2. Disappointed
3. Edge Of The Ocean
4. Blame It On Yourself
5. While We’re In Love
6. Lucy Doesn’t Love You
7. Worry About You
8. Let’s Stay Inside
9. Midnight sun
10. I Think Of You
11. Hideaway
12. One More Last Kiss
13. Digging Your Scene
Ivy’s third album is an underrated gem. Following their initial minor successes with Realistic and Apartment Life, Ivy changed direction and went with a smoother, new wave influenced sound…but there is still enough of their jangly pop rock to keep you happy. Dominique Durand’s voice is still the star of the show, but Ivy showing that they had the chops to expand on their sound is what makes this a winner. The band hadn’t lost a step in their songwriting, and the airy atmosphere of Long Distance is refreshing. And why not take the chance? Having been dropped by their label Epic after two albums, good for them for spreading their wings a bit.
The best song on Long Distance is “Edge Of The Ocean”, which is absolutely lovely…if Ivy is remembered for nothing else, then job well done. “Lucy Doesn’t Love You” and “Disappointed” are also great tracks. This band deserves praise for giving their all, and while they were never huge, they were, especially on their first three releases, very very good. Ivy released another three albums before calling it a day in 2012, but it’s the initial trio that you’ll want. Jangly, trippy, and well written songs led by the fine vocals of Durant, Ivy was not the biggest band at the end of the nineties…but they were, and still are, a great listen.
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MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER
STONES IN THE ROAD
1994 – COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
Produced By MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER & JOHN JENNINGS
1. Why Walk When You Can Fly?
2. House Of cards
3. Stones In The Road
4. A Keeper For Every Flame
5. Tender When I Want To Be
6. Shut Up And Kiss me
7. The Last Word
8. The End Of My Pirate Days
9. John Doe No. 24
10. Jubilee
11. Outside Looking In
12. Where Time Stands Still
13. This Is Love
One of the things that I am most musically thankful for is that, along with John Prine, Mary Chapin Carpenter was my introduction to country music. Like Prine, Carpenter is not strictly a country artist. But this album is almost pure country, and it showcases everything that is great about her. The best thing about Mary Chapin Carpenter has always been her ability to make everything she sings covered in beauty. And not just with her voice…she also has a true knack for using just the right amount of instrumentation. She never goes overboard. She’s a fine songwriter, and she is as tasteful as they come. And in country music, that goes a long way.
And not only does she utilize some of the best session players in Nashville here, she also gets some quality guest appearances. Shawn Colvin, Benmont Tench, Trisha Yearwood, and Brandon Marsalis, whose soprano sax on the album’s best track (“John Doe #24”) is perfect. “Shut Up And Kiss Me” proves that she can do a country romp as well as anyone, while “House Of Cards” and “Tender As I Want To Be” simply reinforce the fact that she is one of the most tasteful and fine artists of her time. This album won a Grammy for Best Country Album for good reason…it’s very well done. Not perfect, mind you, but for me, you can never go wrong with Mary Chapin Carpenter. Ever.
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CARPENTERS
CLOSE TO YOU
1970 – A&M / POLYDOR
Produced By JACK DAUGHERTY
1. We’ve Only Just Begun
2. Love Is Surrender
3. Maybe It’s You
4. Reason To Believe
5. Help
6. (They Long To be) Close To You
7. Baby It’s You
8. I’ll Never Fall In Love Again
9. Crescent Moon
10. Mr. Gruder
11. I Kept On Loving You
12. Another Song
At first glance, this is a pop throwaway. Do not be fooled by the negative press that this album and this duo has received over the years and the decades. Put this record on and let yourself be simply wowed by what you hear. The second album by Carpenters (Richard and Karen) was critically damned fifty years ago, but it also earned them eight Grammy nominations. I am here to tell you that the negative hype that has surrounded Close To You is a sham. This album is not perfect by any means…it’s also a lot better than you would expect it to be. Not just for Karen’s amazing voice…but for plenty of other things.
The vocals by the pair and Richard’s arrangements are stunning. He was always overshadowed by his sister, but he proves he belongs here. He co wrote four of the songs on “Close To You”, which also includes 3 Bacharach tunes and a nicely done Beatles song (“Help”), as well as Tim Hardin’s great “Reason To Believe”. Yes, it is ultimately Karen’s singing that wins you over, but take a good listen. There are a lot of other worthy things going on within these grooves. And don’t forget what may be the duo’s best song ever, “We’ve Only Just Begun”. Close To You a lot better than you probably remember it being. Well worth a spin!
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