R. KELLY
R.
1998 – JIVE
Produced By R. KELLY, TRACKMASTERS, CORY ROONEY, DIDDY, RON LAWARENCE, STEVEN “STEVIE J” JORDAN, G-ONE, AL WEST & DEVANTE SWING
1. Home Alone (Feat. Keith Murray)
2. Spendin’ Money
3. If I’m With You
4. Half On A Baby
5. When A Woman’s Fed Up
6. Get Up On A Room
7. One Man
8. We Ride (Feat. Cam’Ron, Noreaga, Vegas Cats & Jay-Z)
9. The Opera
10. The Interview
11. Only The Loot Can Make Me Happy (Feat. Tone)
12. Don’t Put Me Out
13. Suicide
14. Etcetera
15. If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time
16. What I Feel / Issues
1. The Chase
2. V.I.P.
3. Did You Ever Think (Feat. Tone)
4. Dollar Bill (Feat. Foxy Brown)
5. Reality
6. 2nd Kelly
7. Ghetto Queen (Feat. Crucial Conflict)
8. Down Low Double Life
9. Looking For Love
10. Dancing With A Rich Man
11. I’m Your Angel
12. Money Makes The World Go Round (Feat. Nas)
13. I Believe I Can Fly
*NOTE* - R. Kelly is currently serving a 31 year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of several horrible crimes. I do not condone any of his behavior, and it is my hope that he serves every minute of his sentence so that he won’t be able to hurt anyone else. This review, like all the others on this page, is about the album only, and should not be taken in any way as an endorsement of R. Kelly’s life, which was nothing but a tragic train wreck that caused pain to many.
R. Kelly was still very much a rising star in 1998. R. is his third album, a very ambitious double album with 29 tracks that solidified his standing as one of the top R&B stars of the nineties. It has sold more than 8 million copies, and was the third of eleven consecutive releases to reach number one on the US R&B charts. This album spawned nine singles, including two from film soundtracks. Even though he was already showing an inability to stay out of trouble, he was also a musical force to be reckoned with. His blend of hip hop, soul and gospel mixed with great pop sensibilities all came to a head on R. This album is more than two hours long, but it’s mostly carried by the quality of the music.
The nine hits are all justified. Kelly truly had an ear for a hit, and at this early point in his career, his writing was on fire. “I Believe I Can Fly” (from Space Jam) and “I’m Your Angel” (a duet with Celine Dion) were number one hits. Other tracks, like “Home Alone”, are loaded with groove. This is a long double album, though, so there is also a considerable amount of filler. To be expected. Sometimes, less is more…imagine if he had cut this down to a single disc and made sure to include the best tracks? That could have been an all time great record. It’s impossible to hear this music in the same light now as back in 1998, but you can still hear what made him a star. It’s all tragic, it’s all a shame that he turned out to be so flawed.
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JIMMY BUFFETT
LICENSE TO CHILL
2004 – MAILBOAT / RCA NASHVILLE
Produced By MAC MCANALLY & MICHAEL UTLEY
1. Hey, Good Lookin’ (Feat. Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith & George Strait)
2. Boats To Build (Feat. Alan Jackson)
3. License To Chill (Feat. Kenny Chesney)
4. Coast Of Carolina
5. Piece Of Work (Feat. Toby Keith)
6. Anything, Anytime, Anywhere
7. Trip Around The Sun (Feat. Martina McBride)
8. Simply Complicated
9. Coastal Confessions
10. Sea Of Heartbreak (Feat. George Strait)
11. Conky Tonkin’ (Feat. Clint Black)
12. Playin’ The Loser Again (Feat. Bill Withers)
13. Window On The World
14. Someone I Used To Love (Feat. Nanci Griffith)
15. Scarlet Begonias
16. Back To The Island
Jimmy Buffett found his niche. His career revolved around “island escapism”, which is basically allowing yourself to live in the fantasy world of hanging out at the beach with an umbrella drink in a tropical shirt and khaki shorts listening to a laid back semi-rock band that most likely includes a steel drum. He did it well, made a ton of money, and developed one of the most rabid and loyal fanbases in music history. He recorded prolifically from 1970 until his death in 2023, releasing a total of 32 studio albums. License To Chill was album number twenty five. It was also his only one to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It’s notable because it contains the fewest number of Buffett originals out of all his records, and it’s loaded with guest duets with country artists on classic country songs.
It's also maybe the least Parrothead sounding album of his career. There’s almost no steel drum. His originals are more like typical Buffett fare, especially “Simply Complicated” (written with Bill Withers). But it’s the covers that are better and more worthwhile. He plays songs by Hank, Guy Clark and John Hiatt, but there’s also a pair by Bruce Cockburn and even a Grateful Dead tune. His duet partners range from George Strait to Nanci Griffith. For the most part, this is as pleasant a listen as you’ll get from Buffett without selling your soul to a sailboat. It’s not amazing stuff, and it doesn’t break any new ground, but it is upbeat and respectful to some of country’s greatest stars and songs. For me, this is as likeable as Jimmy Buffet can be.
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FOO FIGHTERS
SKIN AND BONES
2006 – RCA
No Production Credit
1. Razor
2. Over And Out
3. Walking After You
4. Marigold
5. My Hero
6. Next Year
7. Another Round
8. Big Me
9. Cold Day In The Sun
10. Skin And Bones
11. February Stars
12. Times Like These
13. Friend Of A Friend
14. Best Of You
15. Everlong
Dave Grohl is no stranger to the unplugged concept, having been a part of one of the most memorable of those MTV shows with Nirvana. Skin And Bones is an acoustic live album recorded over three nights at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles during the summer of 2006. Along with Foo Fighters, the show also features singer and violinist Petra Haden, former Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear, keyboardist Rami Jaffee from The Wallflowers, and percussionist Drew Hester. With this expanded band, they are able to still generate a very large sound when needed, even with it being an acoustic set. There are plenty of the Foo’s hits here, and getting to hear them in a different way is pretty cool. The keyboards, not a normal part of the Foo’s sound, are quite prevalent.
But one of the most endearing things about Foo Fighters is the energy they put out, especially live. And in this setting, while there are plenty of dynamics, a lot of their power is lost in the more laid-back arrangements. Grohl’s singing, in particular, feels held back. But outside of that, this is a unique take by the band on a lot of their better songs and biggest hits. And Taylor Hawkins gets his vocal on “Cold Day In The Sun”, which is cool. There was also a separate DVD only release, which features an expanded set list (by six songs). The UK DVD version is even better, with a second disc of a live show in Hyde Park that includes guest appearances by Lemmy and Brian May & Roger Taylor of Queen. Go with the DVD version if you can find it. A good, but imperfect, live document of one of America’s most popular rock bands.
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INCUBUS
MORNING VIEW
2001 – EPIC / IMMORTAL
Produced By INCUBUS & SCOTT LITT
1. Nice To Know You
2. Circles
3. Wish You Were Here
4. Just A Phase
5. 11am
6. Blood On The Ground
7. Mexico
8. Warning
9. Echo
10. Have You Ever
11. Are You In?
12. Under My Umbrella
13. Aqueous Transmission
Over their first three albums, Incubus had been somewhat inconsistent, very heavy, and making significant improvements. For their fourth album, Morning View, this California nu-metal band made some wholesale changes. Their sound was beginning to soften, giving them a more commercial appeal. Their songwriting was becoming more mainstream friendly as well, with some of the music on this record being actually closer to soft rock than metal. The results could not be denied. Morning View became, and remains to this day, the biggest Incubus album, becoming the first in a current string of five consecutive top ten sellers. Overnight, Incubus went from a fairly unknown band with one significant hit to million sellers and huge.
After “Drive” was their biggest hit from their previous album, the surprise follow up was “Wish You Were Here”, which was quite the mellow hit from a band with this heavy a reputation. “Nice To Know You” was also a single. Other highlights are “Are You In?” and “Warning”. But Incubus here sounds like a band in search of a sound, a style, and an identity. The playing is fine, the songs are decently crafted, but there’s nothing here that stands out as great. At times, they sound as if they are fishing for listeners. They certainly did succeed at that. But overall, Morning View is only a bit above average. Their career has been slow since this, with only four albums released in almost 25 years, and none in almost eight years. Seems that the Incubus machine has maybe run its course.
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38 SPECIAL
TOUR DE FORCE
1983 – A&M
Produced By DON BARNES, JEFF CARLISI & RODNEY MILLS
1. If I’d Been The One
2. Back Where You Belong
3. One Time For Old Times
4. See Me In Your Eyes
5. Twentieth Century Fox
6. Long Distance Affair
7. I Oughta Let Go
8. One Of The Lonely Ones
9. Undercover Lover
Once upon a time, there was a Southern rock band called 38 Special. They were from Florida, and boasted as their lead singer Donnie Van Zant, the brother of legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Ronnie Van Zant. Their three albums in the 1970’s were straight ahead Southern rock fare, but with the dawn of the eighties, something changed. With each album in the decade, the band abandoned a bit more of their Southern roots and became more of a straightforward arena rock act. It made them more popular, which they rode through the eighties, but by the end of the decade, their sound had become so homogenized and hit oriented that they were barely even a rock band anymore. Which is too bad, because they had the ingredients to be a great Southern rock act.
Tour De Force is their sixth album, and their third of the eighties. It is a picture of what 38 Special was becoming. The record opens with a pair of hits: “If I’d Been The One” and “Back Where You Belong” are solid enough rockers, and kept the band on the arena circuit. The band continued to rock through most of the rest with average results…but even rocking is something they would abandon fairly soon. All in the name of making hits. The songwriting on Tour De Force is average at best, but at least they still sound like their hearts are in it. Eventually their star faded in the nineties, and they’ve not released an album since 2004’s Drivetrain. Van Zant left the band in 2013 with an inner ear injury, leaving Don Barnes as the only remaining original member. Coming soon to a bar near you.
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BECK
GUERO
2005 – INTERSCOPE
Produced By BECK HANSEN, DUST BROTHERS & TONY HOFFER
1. E-Pro
2. Que Onda Guero
3. Girl
4. Missing
5. Black Tambourine
6. Earthquake Weather
7. Hell Yes
8. Broken Drum
9. Scarecrow
10. Go It Alone
11. Farewell Ride
12. Rental Car
13. Emergency Exit
There were a lot of emotional things that led to Beck’s ninth album, Guero. He was about to become a father, and he was dealing with the suicide of his friend Elliott Smith. The result is a very mature, very cool, and pretty great sounding set of songs that finds Beck jumping from genre to genre like it’s nothing. More settled than Odelay, it’s not as laid back as Sea Change…but it’s smooth in it’s own way. Guero is Mexican Spanish slang for a blonde fair skinned person, which is what Beck is. Guero the album is also very much who Beck is, an artist who has many tricks and sounds up his sleeve. Guero ranks as Beck’s highest charting of his fourteen studio albums, which is no small feat considering his success. It stands as one of his best works.
“E-Pro” became his first number one hit since “Loser”. “Girl” and “Hell Yes” are standouts as well, but don’t sleep on songs like “Que Onda Guero” and “Broken Drum”, which was written for Smith. His guest list is interesting as well. Jack White plays bass on the excellent “Go It Alone”, Petra Haden gives a fine vocal on “Rental Car”, and because she was in the neighborhood, actress Christina Ricci lends her voice to “Hell Yes”. Beck’s smooth groove on this album is hard to ignore, and his songwriting is top notch here. A few songs are a little on the light side, but there’s enough great stuff to make it worthwhile. Beck has been mostly silent since his last album, 2019’s Hyperspace, having released just one new song. Keep on the lookout, though. He rarely misses when he swings.
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RUSH
HEMISPHERES
1978 – ANTHEM
Produced By RUSH & TERRY BROWN
1. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres
2. Circumstances
3. The Trees
4. La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise In Self-Indulgence)
Probably one of the only, if not only, rock albums to end with a cliffhanger, A Farewell To Kings by Rush ended with “Cygnus X-I”. The concept was continued and completed on their next and sixth album, Hemispheres. Not really much of a story (unless you were REALLY into what Rush had to say), “Cygnus X-I Book II” takes up all of side one. While it has some tuneful spots (as did “2112”), it’s also a lesson in progressive lyrical banality. What saves it is the instrumental prowess of this power trio. Having added synthesizers to their sound, the band sounds like much more than just a trio, and their ability to navigate complex arrangements is impressive. Hemispheres certainly has its flaws…but there are also spots where you have to ask yourself, “how did they do that”?
Hemispheres is actually a very transitional album for Rush. This is where Geddy Lee began feeling the strain of singing so uncontrollably high…he would, on later albums, start singing in a more natural range. They also began thinking in terms of shorter and less prog songs. Hemispheres contains two shorter songs: “Circumstances” and “The Trees”, which is how they would mostly write going forward. The final track is a nearly ten minute exercise in what they knowingly sub titled as self-indulgence. Rush was at a stage in their career where they could pull off a 4 song album, and of course, all the seventies boys who hung on their every note ate it up. The praise for this album has grown substantially over the years, and it’s now seen as a Rush classic. An important part of where this band came from, for sure.
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CHRIS DANIELS & THE KINGS
LOUIE LOUIE
1997 – MOON VOYAGE
Produced By CHRIS DANIELS
1. If You’re So Smart, How Come You Ain’t Rich
2. All For The Love Of Lill
3. Sure Had A Wonderful Time Last Night
4. Penthouse In The Basement
5. Azur-Te
6. Choo-Choo-Ch’ Boogie
7. Shine
8. Chartreuse
9. I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead You Rascal You
10. Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens
11. Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby
12. Fire Moths
If you don’t know who Chris Daniels is, then you’re probably not from my home state of Colorado. Where I live, he’s had a fantastic career. With his band The Kings, they’ve released 14 albums, played for three US Presidents, and served as the backup band for everyone from Sam Bush, Bonnie Raitt and Percy Sledge to The Drifters, The Coasters and Bo Diddley. Daniels is in the Colorado Music Hall Of Fame, and he continues to be a force to this day. Louie Louie is the ninth album of Daniels’ career, and the seventh from The Kings. This excellent disc filled with swing tracks is a whole lot of fun, for sure. The Kings by 1998 were a seasoned and very tight band, so they were able to give bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and Squirrel Nut Zippers a run for their money.
Unlike those other swing outfits, Daniels chose songs that are, for the most part, a heck of a lot of fun. He takes on Louis Armstrong on his hit “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead You Rascal You”. “Sure Had A Wonderful Time Last Night”, “If You’re So Smart, How Come You Ain’t Rich”, and “Chartreuse” are great choices. This band is top shelf. Great players, great energy, and great material. What’s not to like? It is a shame that Daniels hasn’t made a bigger impact outside of his home state, but I guess that’s okay…he can still be our little secret, even after decades of great music. This is a great place to start with him, as is the 2000 compilation Choice Cuts. And if that works for you, he does also have those other twelve records you probably haven’t heard yet to discover.
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BILLY JOEL
STREETLIFE SERENADE
1974 – COLUMBIA
Produced By MICHAEL STEWART
1. Streetlife Serenader
2. Los Angelenos
3. The Great Suburban Showdown
4. Root Beer Rag
5. Roberta
6. The Entertainer
7. Last Of The Bigtime Spenders
8. Weekend Song
9. Souvenir
10. The Mexican Connection
Following the success of Billy Joel’s second solo album Piano Man, big things were expected. On his third album, Streetlife Serenade, those big things did not happen. His label was pushing for the follow up to Piano Man, but Joel, who had been touring extensively, simply didn’t have enough material to make a great album. So much so that it includes a pair of instrumentals to make sure the album was long enough. Joel himself has dismissed the album as being empty lyrically, with a few good musical ideas. Hardly a glowing self review. It was still early in what turned out to be, of course, a very long and fruitful career, but this may be the weakest of his seventies years. He was still two albums and three years away from his huge breakout, The Stranger.
There are some bright spots here. “The Entertainer”, a cynical stab at the record industry, is the best song here despite its corny synth riff. It also introduces Joel’s grating over the top wanna be a rocker and not a piano man persona. “Los Angelenos” and “Roberta” seem like sketches of themes Joel would explore with better success later. And “Last Of The Big Time Spenders” is pretty good. But the rest is pretty much invisible fare. The instrumentals feel unnecessary (although that really wasn’t the case), and everything else is Billy Joel scraping the bottom of the barrel for album tracks, Streetlife Serenade is interesting, but it’s definitely not one of his better works. Especially given the heights he would begin climbing soon enough. Average at best.
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YMA SUMAC
LEGEND OF THE SUN VIRGIN
1952 – CAPITOL
Produced By TOM CARTWRIGHT (Reissue)
1. Karibe Taki
2. Witallia! (Fire In The Andes)
3. Lament
4. Kon Tiki
5. Montana
6. Zana
7. No Es Vida
8. Kuyaway (Inca Love Song)
9. Suray Surita
10. Mamallay!
11. Panarima
12. Ccori Canastitay
When I was young, I remember that my mother had a small record collection…maybe 30 albums at the most. Lots of Sinatra. Dean Martin, Bobby Vinton. Some jazz like Dizzy Gillespie. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except for one thing. An album from 1950 by a scary looking woman named Yma Sumac. The album was Voice Of The Xtabay. I tried to listen to it, but it was more than I could handle. Even in the early 1950’s, our parents had their own freaky things. Always remember that.
Yma Sumac was born in Peru in 1922. She rose to fame with that album my mother had (it was her first), having it hit number one on the Billboard charts. Sumac was a mythological woman. It was claimed that she had a five octave vocal range…whether she did or not, it was still one of the greatest you will ever hear. She was thought to be a real Incan princess. It even states that in the liner notes for this album. She was also rumored to have been a Brooklyn housewife. Neither was true. Legend Of The Sun Virgin was her second album, and it’s as strange as it looks. The music, which was written by her husband Moises Vivanco, plays like opera, but Sumac sings as if possessed by…something. I was right to have been scared by this as a youngster…it’s still frightening. But it’s also beautiful in its own way.
Sumac was a star in America in the 1950’s. She released seven albums between 1950 and 1961, but only one after that…her 1971 release was a rock record that I’m sure is beyond strange. Her star faded in the 60’s, and she remained a little known cult figure. Interest in Sumac rose when one of her songs was used in the film The Big Lebowski. Sumac, and this album, show that there was more going on in the 50’s than our parents told us about. For a decade, she was justifiably a legend, a myth, and one hell of a great singer.
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