KING’S X
GRETCHEN GOES TO NEBRASKA
1989 – MEGAFORCE
Produced By SAM TAYLOR & KING’S X
1. Out Of The Silent Planet
2. Over My Head
3. Summerland
4. Everybody Knows A Little Bit Of Something
5. The Difference (In The Garden Of St. Anne’s-On-The-Hill)
6. I’ll Never Be The Same
7. Mission
8. Fall On Me
9. Pleiades
10. Don’t Believe It (It’s Easier Said Than Done)
11. Send A Message
12. The Burning Down
One of the most overlooked heavy albums and bands of the twentieth century. Gretchen Goes To Nebraska is the second album by the American band King’s X, and it’s better than anyone remembers…the few that actually do remember, that is. This power trio has always had multiple assets, even early on in their career. Gretchen Goes To Nebraska has everything that makes King’s X great. The songs are solid, they rock, and the lyrics are as intelligent as anyone in progressive metal has ever written. They are amazing players, and those vocal harmonies are to die for. Building on the vast promise of their debut album (which, reportedly, Dimebag Darell of Pantera couldn’t stop listening to), this is where King’s X put it all together.
If only anyone actually knew about them. Despite how good they were, King’s X was not widely known, and they were pigeonholed as a Christian band because they weren’t afraid to sing about Christian themes. Too bad, because Gretchen Goes To Nebraska is a pretty great album. “Summerland” and “Over My Head” are the best tracks here, but you also get their critical take on televangelism (“Mission”) and the 16th century burning of Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno (“Pleiades”). All while sounding more like a six piece band than a trio. That they have always been cast as a Christian band is unfair, and has kept them from a much larger audience (they have only cracked the US Top 100 Albums chart twice in forty years). Take a listen to Gretchen Goes To Nebraska. It’s really great.
TISH HINOJOSA
DESTINY’S GATE
1994 – WARNER BROS
Produced By TISH HINOJOSA & JIM ED NORMAN
1. Destiny’s Gate
2. Saying You Will
3. What More Can I Say In A Song
4. Esperate (Wait For Me)
5. Looking For My Love In The Pouring Rain
6. I’m Not Through Loving You Yet
7. Love Of Mine
8. I Want To See You Again
9. Noche Sin Estrellas (Night Without Stars)
10. Yesterday’s Paper
11. Baby Believe
Tish Hinojosa is a singer-songwriter from San Antonio who sings in both English and Spanish. She mixes her own folk music with traditional Mexican music, as well as American country music. You may not know it, but she has had a long and busy career, having released 22 albums since her 1987 debut. She’s never had any hits to speak of, and hasn’t released a single since 1994. That was “I’m Not Through Loving You Yet”, from her sixth album, Destiny’s Gate. While Hinojosa is a fine songwriter, what really makes her worthwhile is her voice, which never disappoints. Even here, where she tends to go a bit too far on the sleepy ballad side, her singing pulls everything through. She thanks the influential Linda Ronstadt on this album, and gets help from the great Bela Fleck on banjo.
Is Hinojosa an underrated gem? There are certainly arguments in favor of that here. “I’m Not Through Loving You Yet” is a perfect and fun country song, and her Spanish tracks are shining moments. And, again, even though the ballads don’t bring much, Hinojosa’s voice carries even the lesser songs. She considers her music to be border music, mixing her US and Mexican heritage together, but at least here, she’s more on the American side. This is a lovely voice that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, and one that you have to, unfortunately, dig a little deeper to hear. It’s worth doing, because Tish Hinojosa has a real gift, a warm soprano that has the ability to light a warm fire under even the blandest of material. And that is worth more than a little.
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50 CENT
GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN’
2003 – INTERSCOPE / SHADY / AFTERMATH / G-UNIT
Produced By DR. DRE, EMINEM, SHA MONEY XL, SEAN BLAZE, DARRELL BRANCH, DIRTY SWIFT, DJ RAD, TERENCE DUDLEY, MIKE ELIZONDO, JOHN “J-PRAIZE” FREEMAN, MEGAHERTZ, MR. PORTER, RED SPYDA, REEF & ROCKWILDER
1. Intro
2. What Up Gangsta
3. Patiently Waiting (Feat. Eminem)
4. Many Men (Wish Death)
5. In Da Club
6. High All The Time
7. Heat
8. If I Can’t
9. Blood Hound (Feat. Young Buck)
10. Back Down
11. P.I.M.P.
12. Like My Style (Feat. Tony Yayo)
13. Poor Lil Rich
14. 21 Questions (Feat. Nate Dogg)
15. Don’t Push Me (Feat. Lloyd Banks & Eminem)
16. Gotta Make It To Heaven
17. Wanksta
18. U Not Like Me
19. Life’s On The Line
50 Cent didn’t just arrive…he exploded on the music scene. He had recorded an album in 2000, but was then shot 9 times, leading him to be dropped by his label, and the album was never released. He was then signed by Eminem in 2002, and with his help along with Dr. Dre, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ became 50 Cent’s debut. Successful? Number one in the US, and top ten and multi platinum worldwide. Try twelve million units sold. After “Wanksta”, from the 8 Mile soundtrack, had some success, he then had two number one singles from Get Rich Or Die Tryin’…”In Da Club” and “21 Questions” made him a household name and a force to be reckoned with. 50 Cent’s arrival marked the return of gangsta rap to the forefront, and has been a highly influential hip hop album.
Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ is also the home to “If I Can’t” and “P.I.M.P”, which were also hits. The presence of Eminem and Dr. Dre is important, and 50 Cent is backed up by a long list of producers, and guests Nate Dogg, Young Buck and Tony Yayo. This is a solid album, not perfect, but a strong enough and entertaining record. He’s never matched the success of this debut (which would have been really tough to do). His last album to date was 2014’s Animal Ambition. The follow up to that, Street King Immortal, was delayed for a decade and finally put on the shelf. There have been singles, but also financial and personal problems from 50 Cent. Maybe someday he’ll release another album, but for now, we have the five from 2003-2014, and a large number of non-album singles.
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GLORIA ESTEFAN
MI TIERRA
1993 – EPIC
Produced By EMILIO ESTEFAN JR., JORGE CASAS & CLAY OSTWALD
1. Con Los Anos Que Me Quedan
2. Mi Tierra
3. Ayer
4. Mi Buen Amor
5. Tus Ojos
6. No Hay Mal Que Por Bien No Venga
7. Si Senor!
8. Volveras
9. Montuna
10. Hablemos El Mismo Idioma
11. Hablas De Mi
12. Tradicion
Gloria Estefan was born in Cuba, and became a US citizen in 1974. She gained fame as the lead singer of Miami Sound Machine before embarking on a solo career in 1989. In 1990, she was seriously injured in a bus accident. She came back a year later bigger than ever, and released her second solo album, Into The Light. Mi Tierra is her third album, and her first Spanish language album. Paying tribute to her Cuban heritage, the album was a worldwide success, and became her biggest selling album with more than 16 million copies sold. One of Estefan’s finest albums, it contains eight Estefan original songs, all of which are beautiful examples of Cuban music. Already a veteran with fourteen studio albums under her belt, she makes it all sound easy and natural.
Mi Tierra boasts a trio of number one singles, all of which are terrific. “Con Los Anos Que Me Quedan”, “Mi Buen Amor” and the title track make this album more than worthwhile. But the rest is great too, led by “Montuno” and “Tradicion”. With help from Tito Puente, Sheila E. and Arturo Sandoval, Mi Tierra is a great introduction to Cuban music, led by Estefan’s always fine vocal performances. Almost every track here is a winner, making the album as a whole a must hear. Estefan is still at it, having released 25 albums, both solo and as part of Miami Sound Machine. She is wonderfully consistent, an artist who never makes a bad record and who is always interesting and entertaining. Mi Tierra is one of her very best, a near perfect disc of great sounding Cuban music.
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JOHN FOGERTY
THE LONG ROAD HOME: THE ULTIMATE JOHN FOGERTY / CREEDENCE COLLECTION
2005 – FANTASY
Produced By JOHN FOGERTY
1. Born On The Bayou
2. Bad Moon Rising
3. Centerfield
4. Who’ll Stop The Rain
5. Rambunctious Boy
6. Fortunate Son
7. Lookin’ Out My Back Door
8. Up Around The Bend
9. Almost Saturday Night (Live)
10. Down On The Corner
11. Bootleg (Live)
12. Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
13. Sweet Hitch-Hiker
14. Hey Tonight (Live)
15. The Old Man Down The Road
16. Rockin’ All Over The World (Live)
17. Lodi
18. Keep On Chooglin’ (Live)
19. Green River
20. Déjà Vu (All Over Again)
21. Run Through The Jungle
22. Hot Rod Heart
23. Travelin’ Band
24. Proud Mary
25. Fortunate Son (Live)
Blessed is John Fogerty, for sure. Not one, but two separate careers of big time success. Enough hits to easily fill a 25 track album, and then some. The Long Road Home covers Fogerty’s career in full, from his time as the leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival to his solo years. He sometimes gets forgotten when talking about the greatest rockers of all time, but he has more than earned a place on that list. And nowhere is that more evident than right here. His hits with Creedence alone are staggering, especially his output in 1969-1970. His solo years were not quite as fruitful, but he still maintained his star long after his band was gone. You always know when it’s a Fogerty song, and you always know when Fogerty is singing.
But this collection has its flaws. Four of the Creedence songs are live, which shakes things up a bit, but the studio versions are better. Also, there are Creedence songs that belong on any best of collection that are simply not here (for example, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”). Two versions of “Fortunate Son”. And one of my pet peeves…the order of the songs makes zero sense. In the middle of a blast of out of order Creedence songs, there’s suddenly “Centerfield”. Also, a couple of his solo albums are not represented. And so, as complete as it seems, The Long Road Home feels strangely incomplete. Still, it is the compilation to have if you want both Fogerty with Creedence and Fogerty solo. Sometimes, I guess, you just can’t have it exactly how you want it.
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MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK
MY DINOSAUR LIFE
2010 – COLUMBIA
Produced By MARK HOPPUS
1. Worker Bee
2. A Lifeless Ordinary (Need A Little Help)
3. Her Words Destroyed My Planet
4. Disappear
5. Delirium
6. History Lesson
7. Stand Too Close
8. Pulp Fiction
9. @!#?@!
10. Hysteria
11. Skin And Bones
12. The Weakends
So, apparently there is a thing called pop punk, and that’s what Motion City Soundtrack plays. They do play fast, and the guitars are heavy…and that’s the end of any comparisons to punk. This is an indie rock group that writes very pop songs, a contradiction in many ways, and also a pretty straight avenue to success. But while their albums have done okay, they’ve managed to make six records without having a single big hit. Maybe it’s the confusing nature of the songs: they sound almost over the top happy, while singing about drug abuse and procrastination. My Dinosaur Life is their fourth album, and their only one on a major label. Like their second album, it’s produced by Blink-182’s bassist Mark Hoppus. It should be easy to dislike…but it’s also loaded with catchy as hell songs.
The best tracks here sound like hits but were not. “Her Words Destroyed My Planet”, “Disappear” and “A Lifeless Ordinary (Need A Little Help)” are upbeat and poppy, and lyrically sadder than they sound. They claim to be influenced here by bands like Fugazi and Dinosaur Jr., but it doesn’t sound like it. My Dinosaur Life is a great big sonic pool of contradictions that ultimately wins simply because it’s just so damned catchy. But it does still not make me want more. I get the feeling that this band would be much better if they decided to leave their punk influences behind. Their last album was in 2015…they broke up soon after, then got back together in 2019. We’ll see what the future holds for this band. Hopefully, their future music will make more sense.
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ENIGMA
MCMXC a.D.
1990 – VIRGIN / CHARISMA
Produced By MICHAEL CRETU
1. The Voice Of Enigma
2. Priciples Of Lust
3. Callas Went Away
4. Mea Culpa
5. The Voice & The Snake
6. Knocking On Forbidden Doors
7. Back To The Rivers Of Belief
Enigma is the domain of German-Romanian musician and producer Michael Cretu. The project was born from a track he produced for his wife Sandra that included Gregorian chant. Cretu wanted to make music that combined multiple elements, including new age, electronic, world music, and synth pop…alongside chants. And so MCMXC a.D. was born. The title is the year of release in Roman numerals, and the album is a sprawling mix of genres and styles. Cretu plays almost everything (he’s credited as Curly MC), joined on a few tracks by a pair of German musicians. Sandra provides the non chant vocals. One of the few new age albums to become a hit in America, this debut release was a hit worldwide, and remains the most successful Enigma album to date.
The album was carried to number one status by its single, “Sadenesss (Part 1)”, which is a section of the track “Principles Of Lust”. Each Enigma release since this one has been a bit less successful than the one before it, but the albums still sell well in Germany. Cretu has become, over the years, the only member, making it a solo endeavor except in name. The musical approach, which seemed a good idea, starts to wear thin fairly quickly, leaving you with new age synths and tired dance beats in a mostly instrumental setting that doesn’t really make much sense. Still…kudos to Cretu for taking this kind of chance. If new age music is your thing, this might be for you. But it just doesn’t have the same shine it did back in 1990 when this was a novel idea. In the end, this comes off as average, and not much more.
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BADFINGER
NO DICE
1970 – APPLE
Produced By GEOFF EMERICK & MAL EVANS
1. I Can’t Take It
2. I Don’t Mind
3. Love Me Do
4. Midnight Caller
5. No Matter What
6. Without You
7. Blodwyn
8. Better Days
9. It Had To Be
10. Watford John
11. Believe Me
12. We’re For The Dark
13. Get Down
14. Friends Are Hard To Find
15. Mean Mean Jemima
16. Loving You
17. I’ll Be The One
Forever cast in the shadow of The Beatles, and yet a fine band in their own right, Badfinger made some great music, but ultimately ended tragically. Originally called The Iveys, they were the first act signed to Apple Records in 1968. They struggled until Paul McCartney gave them his song “Come And Get It”, and they changed their name to Badfinger (which had been the working title of “With A Little Help From My Friends”). The band did well from there, with improved songwriting and momentum from being a Beatles project. No Dice was the third album, released amidst the breakup of The Beatles. It became their best selling album, and has been seen as a high point for the band. Even so, their connection to their label owners was always a burden for them to carry.
No Dice has some great moments. “No Matter What” became their best single. Also notable is the original version of “Without You”, which became a hit for both Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey. The band rocks well, and their harmonies are fine. The album is not perfect, as it does contain a few weaker songs. But this, along with their next album Straight Up, is the peak of Badfinger. They were maybe the biggest losers in the breakup of Apple Records, and then released the unfortunately titled Ass before splitting up in 1975. They got back together a few years later, but things were never the same. Pete Ham and Tom Evans both committed suicide, and Mike Gibbins died in 2005. Badfinger is most remembered for their Beatles association, but as evidenced on No Dice, they had some great moments of their own.
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FASTBALL
THE HARSH LIGHT OF DAY
2000 – HOLLYWOOD
Produced By JULIAN RAYMOND & FASTBALL
1. This Is Not My Life
2. You’re An Ocean
3. Goodbvye
4. Love Is Expensive And Free
5. Vampires
6. Wind Me Up
7. Morning Star
8. Time
9. Dark Street
10. Funny How It Fades Away
11. Don’t Give Up On Me
12. Whatever Gets You On
Quick…name the most underrated rock band in history. Of course, there is no single right answer…but if you said Fastball, you would not be wrong. This one hit wonder from Austin has been faithfully putting out albums since 1996, without so much as a blip on a chart since their second album in 1998. Their hit was “The Way”, a fantastic song about a true sad story of the death of an elderly couple. The following album was 2000’s The Harsh Light Of Day, which was critically acclaimed and began their current streak of seven straight commercial failures. The song “You’re An Ocean had a spot on the hit TV show Charmed, but still failed to chart. And unless you’re a fan, that was the last most of the world has, unfortunately, ever heard of Fastball.
Which is really too bad, because this really is a great band. The trio splits songwriting between bassist Tony Scalzo and guitarist Miles Zuniga. The songwriting is very good, and vocally, they are great. The album is loaded with great melodies and interesting stories. So…why? Nobody knows why this band has spent its career falling just short. After this release, they were dropped by Hollywood Records, and put out just two albums over the rest of the decade. They are still out there making a go of it, but they’re not likely to ever reach the heights of “The Way” again. They sound great…they just don’t seem to have the formula for hit songs in them. The Harsh Light Of Day is not perfect, but it is an overlooked gem for sure. A band that certainly deserved a better fate.
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BROOKS & DUNN
BRAND NEW MAN
1991 – ARISTA
Produced By DON COOK & SCOTT HENDRICKS
1. Brand New Man
2. My Next Broken Heart
3. Cool Drink Of Water
4. Cheating On The Blues
5. Neon Moon
6. Lost And Found
7. I’ve Got A Lot To Learn
8. Boot Scootin’ Boogie
9. I’m No Good
10. Still In Love With You
If you’re going to be in a working country band, you’d best have some Brooks & Dunn in your setlist. Specifically, at the very least, you’d better be able to play “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”, from their 1991 debut album Brand New Man. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn were Nashville solo artists before coming together at the dawn of the nineties to begin their reign atop the country charts that lasted two full decades. This duo falls in the neotraditional side of country music, meaning the instrumentation and vocals (and the look) are a nod to older country music from the seventies and back. The success of Brooks & Dunn is quite impressive, having had 11 of their twelve studio albums break the country top 10, with six of them reaching number one. Like I said…you’d better have some Brooks & Dunn in your setlist.
“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” was their fourth number one hit from this album, and made country line dancing cool again. But there’s also “Lost And Found”, “Brand New Man”, “Neon Moon” and “My Next Broken Heart”, all terrific top ten hits. With Brand New Man, Brooks & Dunn found the perfect country gold formula, and they never let it go. To have been this consistently good for so long is impressive. Even after a five year break in the 2010’s, they were able to come back like they had never left. This duo is as solid as modern country music gets, and they never disappoint. Brand New Man is simply dead on…this is a fine country record filled with great songs, great stories, cool harmonies, and just the right amount of twang. It’s tough to beat a combo like that.
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