BILL FRISELL
NASHVILLE
1997 – ELEKTRA NONESUCH
Produced By WAYNE HORVITZ
1. Gimme A Holler
2. Go Jake
3. One Of These Days
4. Mr. Memory
5. Brother
6. Will Jesus Wash The Bloodstains From Your Hands
7. Keep Your Eyes Open
8. Pipe Down
9. Family
10. We’re Not From Around Here
11. Dogwood Acres
12. Shucks
13. The End Of The World
14. Gone
Bill Frisell is the best kind of jazz artist. His mind is always open, and he’s not afraid to step into unfamiliar territory. On Nashville, that’s exactly where he goes. This is not anything close to what you’ve known jazz to be. Nor is it a country album as we’ve all heard. Frisell has blended the two opposite genres into something wonderful and beautiful. Instead of utilizing jazz musicians, he borrows some of the very best from the country and bluegrass world…including four who have played with Alison Krauss & Union Station. Frisell’s jazz guitar is front and center…but so are dobro, banjo and mandolin. The results are stunning and beautiful. Frisell has taken two opposite worlds and made them work as one. It always leaves me wanting more, which is the best thing an album can do.
Frisell didn’t do the typical thing of trying to re-imagine a group of classic country songs. Eleven of the fourteen tracks here are Frisell originals, so it’s his own jazz brain’s interpretation. The three he didn’t write are the only ones with vocals. “Will Jesus Wash…” is a dark and beautiful tune by Hazel Dickens that conjures up images of The Louvin Brothers. “The End Of The World” was a sad hit for Skeeter Davis in the sixties. And “One Of These Days” is a little known Neil Young song from Harvest Moon. Those songs keep the rest of the album honest. The rest is all about the playing, and the solid interpretation by Frisell of what country music is in his world. No avant-garde, no strange rhythms…Nashville truly is country music imagined and reconfigured into a jazz musicians world. And it really is a beautiful journey.
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DMX
…AND THEN THERE WAS X
1999 – ISLAND DEF JAM
Produced By DEE & WAAH DEAN, SWIZZ BEATZ, PK, DAME GREASE, IRV GOTTI, NOKIO & DJ SHOK
1. The Kennel (Intro)
2. One More Road To Cross
3. The Professional
4. Fame
5. A Lot To Learn (Skit)
6. Here We Go Again
7. Party Up (Up In Here)
8. Make A Move
9. What These Bitches Want (Feat. Sisqo)
10. What’s My Name?
11. More 2 A Song
12. Don’t You Ever
13. The Shakedown (Skit)
14. D-X-L (Hard White) (Feat. The LOX & Drag-On)
15. Comin’ For Ya
16. Prayer III
17. Angel (Feat. Regina Belle)
18. Good Girls, Bad Guys (Feat. Dyme)
If you like your hip hop nice and pissed off, then DMX is the guy for you. From the late 90’s to the mid 00’s, Earl Simmons could do no wrong…at least musically. Despite a life plagued by chronic crime, drugs, feuds and fathering children like there was no tomorrow, DMX was also one of the most successful rappers of his time. Between 1998 and 2006, he released six albums, with the first five debuting at number one on the US charts. This was a historical run, and made him forever one of hip hop’s most successful artists. Smack in the middle of that six album run was his third effort, …And Then There Was X. It was not his creative peak, but it was most certainly his commercial apex, being certified 5 times platinum. DMX at the time ruled the hip hop world, and, musically, rightfully so.
At the head of it all was “Party Up (Up In Here)”, a catchy as hell single that went on to become the biggest of his career. The aggressive style of DMX was perfect at the time for the growth of hip hop, and the fact that he had a knack for great hooks didn’t hurt. “What’s My Name” and “What These Bitches Want” were winners as well, keeping DMX on top. And he would stay on top until 2006, after which life began to catch up with Simmons. He was incarcerated a stunning 30 times, was addicted to drugs his entire career, and was endlessly fighting child support battles. He died at just 50 in 2021, his career a shadow of what it had once been (just one album in his lifetime after 2006). DMX deserves to be remembered for his amazing six album run, and this one was at the very center of it all.
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THE SAMPLES
OUTPOST
1996 – MCA
Produced By ED THACKER & WALT BEERY
1. Anyone
2. Did You Ever Look So Nice
3. Learjet
4. Shine On
5. Big Bird
6. Indiana
7. Birth Of Words
8. It’s Curtains
9. The Lost Children (A Slow Motion Crash)
10. Foreign Countries
11. Information
12. All My Thoughts (Johnny Station Wagon)
13. I Remember Dying
Local band hits the big time. Well…almost. The Samples have been known across my home state of Colorado since 1987. Their first four albums drew comparisons to The Police, right down to Sean Kelly’s voice being a near Sting soundalike. They finally gained a major label deal with MCA, and recorded their fifth album, Outpost. On this record, they moved away from their Police inspired reggae sound and into more pop rock territory. The results are mixed, with some very nice high spots, but also more filler than you’d like to have. They also re-recorded a pair of older tracks from previous albums (“Birth Of Words” and “Did You Ever Look So Nice”). They were still very much a band at this point, but the change in their sound would soon lead to Kelly being the only consistent and original member.
The better songs here are worth hearing. Most notable are “Learjet”, “Indiana”, and “Did You Ever Look So Nice”. But they were also showing that while they had a great sound, they didn’t really have the songwriting to carry a full album. The band mostly split up after touring for this, and while Kelly has been able to keep The Samples name alive for all of these years, things have never really been the same. The Samples continue to record (although their last independent release was five years ago), and there have been enough local live shows with original lineup reunions to keep them in the minds of the locals. Outpost was kind of a peak for the band, but it’s also an album that they never had a real chance to build off of. Who knows where they could have gone from here had they not split back in 1997? That will always be a mystery.
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JOHNNY CASH
AMERICAN III: SOLITARY MAN
2000 – AMERICAN
Produced By RICK RUBIN & JOHN CARTER CASH
1. I Won’t Back Down
2. Solitary Man
3. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
4. One
5. Nobody
6. I See A Darkness
7. The Mercy Seat
8. Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone)
9. Field Of Diamonds
10. Before My Time
11. Country Trash
12. Mary Of The Wild Moor
13. I’m Leavin’ Now
14. Wayfaring Stranger
By 2000, Johnny Cash was running out of time. He was sick, and it was starting to tug at his once powerful voice. But he was driven to continue working, by his wife June, producer Rick Rubin, and mostly by himself. American III was the third of the six American albums series. It was also the second to last studio album released during his lifetime. He was no longer touring, but he was still one tough hombre. On this album, he growls out songs of stubbornness and defiance, culling from artists who listened to him as kids that wrote in styles once unfamiliar to Cash. But Johnny had been proving for years that he didn’t care what kind of artist you were…he could cover your damned song. And indeed, late in his career especially, Cash had become an expert interpreter.
He takes on Tom Petty (“I Won’t Back Down”), Neil Diamond (“Solitary Man”) and U2 (“One”) with relative ease. He’s also not afraid of the likes of Will Oldham and Nick Cave. But this isn’t just Cash taking on youngsters. He also reaches back to older days with “That Lucky Old Sun” and the even older “Nobody” (from 1906). The traditional “Wayfaring Stranger” is in good hands, as is David Allan Coe’s “Field Of Stone”. In the second half, he even reaches back into his own catalog with re-recordings of three songs he wrote himself. Petty joins in on the opener, and even Merle Haggard shows up to sing on “I’m Leavin’ Now”. The next album would be a bigger hit (thanks to “Hurt”), but don’t sleep on American III. This is Cash at his older but still driven best. A sleeping classic of an album.
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TORI AMOS
UNDER THE PINK
1994 – ATLANTIC
Produced By TORI AMOS & ERIC ROSSE
1. Pretty Good Year
2. God
3. Bells For Her
4. Past The Mission
5. Baker Baker
6. The Wrong Band
7. The Waitress
8. Cornflake Girl
9. Icicle
10. Cloud On My Tongue
11. Space Dog
12. Yes, Anastasia
1994 was the golden age of all things alternative and grunge. Pearl Jam. Nirvana. And…Tori Amos. After a failed career in the 80’s as a new wave singer, she blasted into the alt rock arena with not much more than her piano in 1992 with her debut solo album, Little Earthquakes, and the single “Crucify”. Great. What would this fiery redhead do for an encore? She proved that she was no fluke with Under The Pink. Once again driven by the power of one song (“Cornflake Girl”), Amos delivered a really good album that has stood the test of time, although it was dismissed by many at the time of its release. Unlike her live shows during this period which were the girl and her piano, Amos utilizes a band and even a string section to get her points across. And it works quite well.
“Cornflake Girl” kept Amos on the charts, along with “God”: “Past The Mission” and “Pretty Good Year” are also notable. She’s strong musically, although you minght find yourself a bit stuck in the mud with her lyrics, which tend to wander. Under The Pink became her only album to reach #1 (on the UK charts), but it’s still kind of an underrated gem in her discography. Despite being very good, it’s not quite as strong as Little Earthquakes, and not as stark as her next effort, Boys For Pele. But the truth is this: especially in the decade of the nineties, Tori Amos was on her game. So even though this may not stand out as her finest work of the time, it’s still a powerful and fine record by one of the strongest female voices of her generation. And that’s worth a lot.
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MASON JENNINGS
1997 – SELF RELEASED
Produced By MASON JENNINGS
1. Nothing
2. Butterfly
3. California
4. Godless
5. Big Sur
6. California (Part II)
7. 1997
8. Darkness Between The Fireflies
Before Mason Jennings became a minor star, before he signed on with Jack Johnson’s label, and before he made fifteen more studio albums, he set up a little four track recorder in his living room and recorded Mason Jennings, his first album, by himself. No band, no other musicians, no help. Fortunately for him, he had the talent to do so, and he had the songs to make it a reality. After he self-released this odd little gem, he put a band together and became a big deal in Minneapolis, which got him a record deal, and which eventually got this self-titled little gem a proper release in 2002. What makes this record special is that Mason Jennings is the real deal…you can tell from the first minute that these songs are his passion, and that makes it really easy to believe in him.
The album is a quick listen at just 26 minutes, but that’s okay. You can tell that he was going to go places here, even this early. The sound is raw, and at times a little too raw, but pretty songs like “Nothing” alongside the youthful heavy weirdness of “Godless” are pretty engaging. Sure, Jennings is completely unrefined and out of control. That’s cool, though. Imagine, if you will, playing a record like this, recorded by an untethered Bob Dylan type, and wanting nothing more than to go see him at a small, poorly lit club to see if he sets fire to the place. This is imperfect for sure. This is a disc designed by a young DIY musician to get gigs and band members and…probably girls, too. It worked. This is a mess. It’s also what I want to hear from a not yet up and coming hungry songwriter. So kudos to you, Mason Jennings. Job well done.
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GREEN DAY
NIMROD
1997 – REPRISE
Produced By ROB CAVALLO & GREEN DAY
1. Nice Guys Finish Last
2. Hitchin’ A Ride
3. The Grouch
4. Redundant
5. Scattered
6. All The Time
7. Worry Rock
8. Platypus (I Hate You)
9. Uptight
10. Last Ride In
11. Jinx
12. Haushinka
13. Walking Alone
14. Reject
15. Take Back
16. King For A Day
17. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
18. Prosthetic Head
Punk in the 90’s was much different than it was in the late 70’s. There were times when it became something that would probably have made bands like Sex Pistols and The Damned cringe…its appeal to high school jocks, rock operas, stadium tours. But there were also moments where it reminded us that punk is, at its best, a valuable, viable, and important part of music. One of those moments happened to be the fifth album of the California band Green Day. The band had led the punk revival with their breakthrough album Dookie in 1994, but had slipped a bit with the follow up, Insomniac. And then there was Nimrod. The best way I can put it is like this: Nimrod was, nearly twenty years later, as close to the reincarnation of London Calling as any punk band has gotten. And that’s important.
Green Day was tired from touring. They were disillusioned, and tired of making the same record over and over. On Nimrod, they created songs that were outside of their comfort zone…and that were also outside of their audiences comfort zone. Like the classic album by The Clash, Nimrod contains pop songs. Ska. Folk. Heavy songs and light songs. And, of course, punk. This is where Green Day grew up. The album wasn’t as big as Dookie, and there would be much bigger albums on the horizon, but Nimrod should not be dismissed as an important part of Green Day’s history. “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” became a surprise acoustic anthem, and songs like “Nice Guys Finish Last”, “Hitchin’ A Ride”, and “Redundant” became classic Green Day. This is not perfect, but Green Day would not be the same without it.
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BRENDA KAHN
EPIPHANY IN BROOKLYN
1992 – CHAOS
Produced By DAVID KAHNE
1. I Don’t Sleep, I Drink Coffee Instead
2. Mojave Winters
3. She’s In Love
4. Anesthesia
5. Mint Juleps And Needles
6. My Lover
7. Sleepwalking
8. Lost
9. The Great Divide
10. Madagascar
11. Losing Time
12. In Indiana
If you remember the 90’s, then you might remember Brenda Kahn. Then again…you might not. At the beginning of that decade, Kahn was an exciting up and coming folk punk singer songwriter, drawing comparisons to the likes of Patti Smith and Violent Femmes. A powerful lyricist, Kahn opened the decade with her independent debut album, Goldfish Don’t Talk Back. That album got her signed with the Columbia subsidiary Chaos. In 1992, she released her second album, Epiphany In Brooklyn. “I Don’t Sleep, I Drink Coffee Instead” nearly made her a star by itself. She appeared to be well on her way…she had songs, words, looks, and she could sing. And then…she was gone. Two weeks before her anticipated third album, Destination Anywhere, was to be released, Chaos went out of business. And the career of Brenda Kahn was never the same…never what it could have been.
As for Epiphany In Brooklyn…what a slice of excitement. Acoustic punk was always a good thing. Too bad more people didn’t embrace it. But Brenda Kahn did. This album is an ongoing saga that sounds like a girl whose world is constantly on the verge of exploding, but she’s somehow able to hold on just tight enough. One song after another, she lays it all on the line. It sounds great, it’s never boring, and it will leave you breathless and wanting more. Unfortunately, the Brenda Kahn train mostly stops here. She made three more albums in the nineties that were on small labels and went unnoticed. She then disappeared for a decade. She made one album in 2010, and a children’s record in 2017. Sadly, that’s it. Brenda Kahn deserved better. Epiphany In Brooklyn is her shining moment, and absolutely deserves to be heard.
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SHAWN MULLINS
SOUL’S CORE
1998 – COLUMBIA
Produced By PETER COLLINS & RUSS FOWLER
1. Anchored In You
2. Lullaby
3. The Gulf Of Mexico
4. September In Seattle
5. Twin Rocks, Oregon
6. And On A Rainy Night
7. Tannin’ Bed Song
8. Soul Child
9. Ballad Of Billy Jo McKay
10. Patrick’s Song
11. Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down
12. You Mean Everything To Me
13. Shimmer
Unless you want to count the world of adult contemporary music, Shawn Mullins is the poster child for one hit wonders. His career, which began in 1990, had consisted of five studio albums and two live records, none of which sold anything worth mentioning. Despite this, in 1998, he found himself suddenly signed to Columbia Records. His eighth album, Soul’s Core, came out of nowhere and became a mellow folk pop hit, thanks pretty much solely to “Lullaby”, with its catchy chorus of “everything is gonna be alright / rockabye”. The rest of the song is spoken, and it made Mullins an immediate, albeit temporary star. Of course, Soul’s Core went platinum, and if you were alive in 1998, chances were pretty good that you had a copy somewhere. Such is the life of a one hit wonder.
Oh, sure, there were attempts to get more hits from the album. “Shimmer” was used as a kind of anthem for the Olympic games in Australia, but no one else cared. Ultimately, Soul’s Core is an album of songs that seem interesting at first, but ultimately, the set gets tiresome. His earnest storytelling style wears thin, and his stories start to all sound the same. Even when he goes upbeat, he’s endlessly mellow. And so, as quickly as his rise to fame was, he slipped right back into obscurity. He has had hits on adult contemporary radio, but nothing else to speak of. He’s made 12 records since, including an inexplicable three compilations, but he is right where his music indicates he should be. He makes pleasant sounding, and forgettable music. Soul’s Core was his moment in the sun. Good for him.
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ROY ORBISON
THE ALL-TIME GREATEST HITS OF ROY ORBISON
1972 – MONUMENT
Produced By FRED FOSTER
1. Only The Lonely
2. Leah
3. In Dreams
4. Uptown
5. It’s Over
6. Crying
7. Dream Baby
8. Blue Angel
9. Working For The Man
10. Candy Man
11. Running Scared
12. Falling
13. Love Hurts
14. Shahdaroba
15. I’m Hurtin’
16. Mean Woman Blues
17. Pretty Paper
18. The Crowd
19. Blue Bayou
20. Oh, Pretty Woman
Rock and roll has never died, but it sure did come close. In the early 1960’s, rock was in trouble. Elvis was back from the army and was busy making movies. Chuck Berry went to prison. Little Richard found religion, and Jerry Lee Lewis blew his career by marrying his 13 year old cousin. And there was the payola scandal. The Beatles and Stones and the rest of the British invasion hadn’t happened yet. And so, American pop music was left to small pockets of music that was mostly not rock. So thank God for Roy Orbison. This mysterious sunglass wearing singer released his first album into that void, and kept the hopes and dreams of rock and roll alive until the Fab Four arrived in 1964. How good was Orbison during that time? Good enough to almost singlehandedly keep an entire genre alive and from falling into a pit of soulless white pop.
This album was a two record set. As proof of how dominant Orbison was during his peak, here’s a fact: all twenty of these hits were released between 1959 and 1964. From “Uptown” to “Oh, Pretty Woman”, Orbison earned the nickname The Caruso Of Rock with his golden voice, his cool look, and his songwriting…fifteen of these are Orbison originals. Yes, there were others keeping the seat warm during this period…Rick Nelson, Motown, Phil Spector…but it was Orbison at the forefront. He was always a bit underrated until he became a Wilbury shortly before his death in 1988, but he has also been rightfully respected in the music industry, and by his fans who all know how important a figure he has always been. All-Time Greatest Hits is a perfect document of Orbison’s golden years. Consider this a must have.
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