The Romanelli Music Diary: Eventually

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Bone Swah


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  • #1711
  • Posted: 05/13/2022 21:48
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1370


Garage by Cross Canadian Ragweed

CROSS CANADIAN RAGWEED
GARAGE
2005 – UNIVERSAL SOUTH
Produced By MIKE MCCLURE

1. Fightin’ For
2. After All
3. Dimebag
4. Breakdown
5. Sister
6. When It All Goes Down
7. Final Curtain
8. Late Last Night
9. Blues For You
10. SS #10
11. Lighthouse Keeper
12. This Time Around
13. Who Do You Love
14. Bad Habit

This was one fine band. And no, they are nowhere near being from Canada. The name actually comes from the four original band members (Grady Cross, Cody Canada, Randy Ragsdale and original bassist Matt Weidermann). This band hails from Oklahoma, and they had a nice 15 year run as one of alt-country and southern rock’s better bands. Garage is the fifth of their seven albums, and it’s pretty much their best work. It’s also their most rocking album, featuring some terrific guitar work and songs that fall well outside of the usual fare for country music. It’s heavy yet tuneful, lyrical and lovely, and never snoozy. Cross Canadian Ragweed made some fine records during the first decade of the 2000’s before they split up in 2010, and none finer than 2005’s Garage, which was named because of their desire to capture the sound of a garage band.

It worked. This is a rock and roll record. It’s as rock as anything by Drive-By Truckers or Lynyrd Skynyrd. Count that as a victory. “Fightin’ For”, “Late Last Night”, and “This Time Around” are highlights…but the real keeper here is “Dimebag”, a tribute to Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who had been killed onstage a few months before. The album also features a Bo Diddley cover, and maybe the heaviest and coolest alt country track ever in “Lighthouse Keeper”, which features a Skynyrd like guitar finish. It’s absolutely glorious. CCR (now, where have I heard those letters together before?) had a wonderful career, and any of their albums are worth checking out. But Garage is the one you really want to have. Unsung alt-country heroes. At their ultimate rocking very best. You’ll be very happy with this one.


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Bone Swah


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  • #1712
  • Posted: 05/14/2022 20:28
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1371


Haddaway by Haddaway

HADDAWAY
1993 – ARISTA
Produced By WALTER BEE, HADDAWAY, DEE DEE HALLIGAN, JUNIOR TORELLO & ALEX TRIME

1. What Is Love
2. Life (Everybody Needs Somebody To Love)
3. Yeah
4. Come Back (Love Has Got A Hold On Me)
5. I Miss You (Radio Edit)
6. What Is Love (Rapino Brothers Mix)
7. Stir It Up
8. Sing About Love
9. Mama’s House
10. Rock My Heart
11. Tell Me Where It Hurts
12. Shout
13. Life (Everybody Needs Somebody To Love) (Mission Control Mix)

Haddaway was born in Trinidad, spend time in the US, and began his career in Germany. He’s been recording albums since 1993, and has had a few world wide hits during his long stretch as a recording artist. In America, Haddaway is remembered for one thing, and one thing only. “What is love / Baby, don’t hurt me / don’t hurt me / No more”. A single monster single driven by an infectious and unstoppable beat and synth line. Haddaway never had any other American success. He’s hardly needed any other. It reached #11 in the US, then became a hit again when Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell used it as the theme for their “Roxbury” characters on SNL and the film A Night At The Roxbury. It became a hit again in 2009. And that’s all the Haddaway any American needs to know. And that will do just fine.

The album Haddaway is actually the American re-release of his debut album, The Album. It’s as predictable as they come. Track after track repeats the formula of “What Is Love”: very upbeat, bright synths, basically mindless dance music. Even a version of Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up” does little to show any kind of variety at all. The track list here is different from the album the rest of the world got, but it doesn’t matter much. Haddaway was a one trick pony, and he only had one song that would stick in your head for any period of time. On the plus side, you pretty much can’t be sad when you’re listening to Haddaway, and that head bop that starts with “What Is Love” only stops when the album does. This is absolute music to shake your stuff to, and it won’t make you think at all. If that’s what you’re in the mood for, then Haddaway is for you. Otherwise…listen to “What Is Love” and put it away. That’s about all there is here.


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Bone Swah


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  • #1713
  • Posted: 05/15/2022 22:39
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1372


Trouble Is... by Kenny Wayne Shepherd

KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD
TROUBLE IS…
1997 – REVOLUTION
Produced By JERRY HARRISON

1. Slow Ride
2. True Lies
3. Blue On Black
4. Everything Is Broken
5. I Don’t Live Today
6. (Long) Gone
7. Somehow, Somewhere, Someway
8. I Found Love (When I Found You)
9. King’s Highway
10. Nothing To Do With Love
11. Chase The Rainbow
12. Trouble Is…

Kenny Wayne Shepherd grew up in Louisiana, and became destined to play guitar after meeting Stevie Ray Vaughan when he was just seven. He released his first album when he was just 18. Trouble Is… is his second album, recorded by a blues veteran of the ripe age of twenty. And, as we found out right away, this kid was no joke. Trouble Is… is a highly decorated blues disc. It still holds the record for the longest charting blues album in history. Shepherd is serious with his reverence to Stevie Ray, and if you’re looking for some shredding, this album will not disappoint. Unlike Vaughan, however, Shepherd does not sing much…no lead vocals from him at all. For that, we have Noah Hunt, and we have a young guitarist who really does lean on his band. Shepherd was branded as the next big guitar thing, a mantle that he has proven over and over to be hard to carry.

The good stuff here is pretty great, actually. The centerpiece, not only of this album but of his entire career, is “Blue On Black”, a pretty terrific original song for a 20 year old. Nine of the twelve tracks here are written by Shepherd and his bandmates, with varying degrees of quality from “Blue On Black” on down. He also takes on a Dylan song (“Everything Is Broken”), and does a fine job with Jimi’s “I Don’t Live Today”, although it varies very little from the Hendrix version.. His band is tight, and Hunt is a fine vocalist. The amount of what’s original is limited here…by 1997, there wasn’t much left of the blues that hadn’t already been played many times before. But it sure is good to hear this kid shred. He’s still at it, too. He’s 40 years old now, and just released his eighth album. Not that he gets much notice these days…it is the blues, after all.



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Bone Swah


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  • #1714
  • Posted: 05/16/2022 20:42
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1373


Yann Robin: Vulcano; Art Of Metal 1 &am...in Billard

ENSEMBLE INTERCONTEMPORAIN, SUSANNA MALKKI & ALAIN BILLARD
YANN ROBIN: VULCANO: ART OF METAL I & III
2012 – KAIROS
Produced By BARBARA FRANZEN & PETER OSWALD

1. Vulcano
2. Art Of Metal I
3. Art Of Metal III

First of all, I think I should clarify that you are not going to find a single note of guitar on this album. Even though two of the three tracks are titled Art Of Metal, it’s not traditional metal rock music. Metal, in this case, refers to Alain Billard’s instrument, which is the metal contrabass clarinet. This is classical music…but this is not your great grandfather’s Beethoven. This music is by the French composer Yann Robin, and even though it’s not metal as you know it, this is not for the light hearted. Conducted by Susanna Malkki, this music goes from being almost jazz to downright frightening. There are moments of beauty, but if that’s what you’re looking for, you won’t find much of that here. This album plays like a soundtrack to a haunted amusement park, and if you dare to listen to it in the dark, it could scare the crap out of you.

These three long tracks are avant-garde journeys that take some getting used to, but which can also be quite rewarding. The Ensemble InterContemporain works in different sizes, from 17 to 29 players, and is an excellent group. The third track also incorporates electronics into the mix. Each one of these tracks is over twenty minutes long, so the music is allowed to stretch out and breathe quite a bit. Once again…this is not music that will be a fit for everyone. It’s quite possible that you may find it to be overwhelming, and some may find it simply unlistenable. But there are some stunning moments in this music as well. While it may seem somewhat brutal at times, there is also a real beauty to this modern classical journey that can be worthwhile to a listener with an open mind. If you’re willing to take a journey like this, you may be pleasantly surprised by it.


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Bone Swah


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  • #1715
  • Posted: 05/18/2022 00:15
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1374


Las Vegas - North America June 6, 2003 by Pearl Jam

PEARL JAM
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 6/6/03
2003 – PEARL JAM
No Production Credit

1. Go
2. Save You
3. Spin The Black Circle
4. Last Exit
5. Even Flow
6. I Believe In Miracles
7. Interstellar Overdrive
8. Corduroy
9. Betterman
10. You Are
11. Grievance
12. Wishlist
13. Green Disease
14. Daughter
15. Present Tense
16. Lukin

1. State Of Love And Trust
2. Porch
3. Encore Break
4. Last Kiss
5. Love Boat Captain
6. Down
7. Breath
8. Do The Evolution
9. Encore Break
10. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away
11. Crazy Mary
12. Know Your Rights
13. Fuckin’ Up
14. Rockin’ In The Free World

At what point does Pearl Jam say “enough is way more than enough”? Beginning in the year 2000, the band has released “official bootlegs” of well over 500 shows. The thinking was to give their fans a better quality alternative over the amateur fan tapings that they had always allowed. Thinking of the fans…great. And it’s pretty cool that you can pretty much walk out of a Pearl Jam show and own a copy of it right away. One of the reasons why their fan base has always been so powerful and loyal. But, man oh man…this is one hell of a lot of live shows. If you don’t attend their concerts, how do you know where to even start? This particular show brings up a lot of questions that are worth exploring. Like, is Eddie Vedder always coming across as kind of a jerk, or does he just have those nights? And does he usually sound so…bored?

The issues with this one night out of 500 some are those, and more. Vedder mangles “Last Kiss” so badly that the band can’t even finish it. His tone between songs sounds snobbish and bored. And yet…the crowd loves every minute of it. It’s also apparent that their songs have lessened in quality since their first few albums…much of this is, even though the band plays their hearts out, pretty dull. But the life comes from the early material and the covers. They pull out songs by The Beatles, Victoria Williams, Pink Floyd…and the two song finale is all Neil Young, complete with a guest appearance by Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart. I can’t imagine collecting show after show from this band…but, hey. People did it with the Grateful Dead, so maybe it’s just me. At any rate, this has as many fine moments as it does bad ones. Maybe if I had actually been there that night…
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Bone Swah


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  • #1716
  • Posted: 05/19/2022 00:47
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1375


The Innocents by Erasure

ERASURE
THE INNOCENTS
1988 – SIRE / REPRISE
Produced By STEPHEN HAGUE, DAVE JABOB & ERASURE

1. A Little Respect
2. Ship Of Fools
3. Phantom Bride
4. Chains Of Love
5. Hallowed Ground
6. Sixty-Five Thousand
7. Heart Of Stone
8. Yahoo!”
9. Imagination
10. Witch In The Ditch
11. Weight Of The World
12. When I Needed You (Melancholic Mix)
13. River Deep, Mountain High (Private Dance Mix)

Vince Clarke once had a hard time staying put in a band. He was a founding member of Depeche Mode, and wrote their early single “Just Can’t Get Enough”. He left that band to form Yazoo with Alison Moyet, but left after only two albums. He bounced around a bit more before finding his musical soulmate in Andy Bell. The two formed Erasure in 1985, and that’s been the home of Clarke and Bell ever since. And the success they found, particularly from the mid 80’s to the mid 90’s, has been well earned. The Innocents is their third album, and is the first of four straight number one albums for the duo in the UK. And while the album was a minor success in America, two singles…”Chains Of Love” and “A Little Respect”…did extremely well here. Erasure has never, outside of those two songs, really caught on in the US.

But those two songs are pretty damn great. When you hear either “A Little Respect” or “Chains Of Love”, you’re brought back immediately to the peak of the New Wave. These two tracks are instant dance classics, and they are undeniable hits. The rest of The Innocents is a full notch below those two tracks. It’s very good, but the songs all lack the immediacy of the hits that came from the album. American audiences didn’t have the attention span for those lesser tracks, and so Erasure became something of a curiosity here while they continued to bang out hit records elsewhere in the world. The bottom line is this: those two tracks are great. Undeniably. The rest is very good, and we may have missed the boat in this country by ignoring Erasure for all these years. It’s fine stuff…but it’s not great. You’ll be happy if you have it…you won’t notice if you don’t.


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Bone Swah


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  • #1717
  • Posted: 05/20/2022 00:28
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1376


Pain In My Heart by Otis Redding

OTIS REDDING
PAIN IN MY HEART
1964 – ATCO
Produced By JIM STEWART

1. Pain In My Heart
2. The Dog
3. Stand By Me
4. Hey Hey Baby
5. You Send Me
6. I Need Your Lovin’
7. These Arms Of Mine
8. Louie Louie
9. Something Is Worrying Me
10. Security
11. That’s What My Heart Needs
12. Lucille

Otis Redding was not a Motown artist. In fact, he was the absolute alternative to the wall of sound production and string laden cleanliness of Detroit music. Redding came from Memphis, and his albums were more gospel and blues oriented, with horns over strings. He sounded, at times, like a calmer version of Little Richard (who he had worked for early in his career), and he was the master of expressing pain in his music. He was artistic, and he was prolific: between this, his 1964 debut and 1967, he put out six studio albums, each one showing growth and increasing maturity. Pain In My Heart, his debut, had been recorded in 1962 and 1963, and started Redding’s career off with a bang. “These Arms Of Mine” was from 1962, and was the song that got Redding signed. The title track was also a hit for him, jump starting his early career and helping the album cross over to white audiences.

The first half is mostly covers, except for the Little Richard soundalike Redding composition “Hey Hey Baby”. He takes on Rufus Thomas (“The Dog”), Ben E. King (“Stand By Me”), and Sam Cooke (You Send Me”). The second half is where Redding shines. He covers “Louie Louie” and Richard’s “Lucille”, but the rest are his own, including “These Arms Of Mine” and the excellent “Security”. This album is not Otis Redding’s best, but it’s a great place to start. It’s the building block for his greatest albums, including the amazing Otis Blue. Redding was killed in a plane crash in late 1967, just three days after recording the song “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”. His legacy is that of one of the greatest soul singers we have ever heard. Pain In My Heart has flaws, but it also has one undeniably great ingredient…the voice of the great Otis Redding.


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  • #1718
  • Posted: 05/20/2022 22:46
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1377


The Shepherd's Dog by Iron & Wine

IRON AND WINE
THE SHEPHERD’S DOG
2007 – SUB POP
Produced by BRIAN DECK & SAM BEAM

1. Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car
2. White Tooth Man
3. Lovesong Of The Buzzard
4. Carousel
5. House By The Sea
6. Innocent Bones
7. Wolves (Song Of The Shepherd’s Dog)
8. Resurrection Fern
9. Boy With A Coin
10. The Devil Never Sleeps
11. Peace Beneath The City
12. Flightless Bird, American Mouth

Here’s something I don’t get…why would an individual person take on a stage name like Iron And Wine? Makes no sense to me. But otherwise…I completely get what Sam Beam…Iron And Wine…does musically. He started out as a folk musician, but has grown into so much more than that. The Shepherd’s Dog is his third album, and features his expansion into a full band sound, while keeping the simple beauty of his earlier work fully intact. This album stands as a high point in his so far wonderful career, and should be most definitely heard…regardless of what you may think about music made after, say, 1995. This album has a full list of fine songs, great lyrics, breathtaking vocals…this album has it all. If you’re not a fan of Iron And Wine, then now might be a good time to discover what he has to offer.

“Boy With A Coin” was the first single from the album, and it’s perfect…upbeat, glorious harmonies, fine guitar work. “Resurrection Fern” is a thing of beauty, and “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” got the attention of the makers of Twilight, enough so to make it the prom scene song. This album is low key enough to not be a mega hit, but it has everything positive going for it. A true step forward from his first two albums (The Creek Drank The Cradle and Our Endless Numbered Days), The Shepherd’s Dog is a definite bright spot from the second half of the decade of the 2000’s. Without a doubt worth having, it’s nearly perfect and simply sounds great. He hasn’t quite reached this height since, but if you have a collection that includes the first three Iron And Wine albums, then you’ve got yourself a sure winner of a collection for sure.


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Bone Swah


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  • #1719
  • Posted: 05/22/2022 23:15
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1378


Little Voice by Sara Bareilles

SARA BAREILLES
LITTLE VOICE
2007 – EPIC
Produced By ERIC ROSSE

1. Love Song
2. Vegas
3. Bottle It Up
4. One Sweet Love
5. Come Round Soon
6. Morningside
7. Between The Lines
8. Love On The Rocks
9. City
10. Many The Miles
11. Fairytale
12. Gravity

“Piano based pop soul” is how Sara Bareilles describes her sound. And it’s pretty damned accurate. Bareilles became an instant huge star with Little Voice in 2007 when “Love Song” became a massive hit. But this is no flash in the pan pop princess. Bareilles, who hails from California, was already 28 years old when this, her major label debut, fell from the sky. She has the vocal chops, for sure…but she also bangs a righteous piano, and the songs are all hers. She writes them all and she writes them well. You hear some younger days Fiona Apple influence, but there’s also a lot of older jazz and blues singers in her mix as well. Sure, it’s pop. But in her defense, it’s not buried in production, drum machines and auto tune. This is the real thing, and when this girl is on, she sounds great. Something that we should maybe be a little more thankful for these days.

“Love Song” opens with a pounding piano, and keeps you hooked throughout. It’s a number one pop hit, and it’s a great track. Bareilles is mostly upbeat and funky without succumbing to sterile dance grooves, which is refreshing. “Bottle It Up” and “Gravity” were also hits, and tracks like “Many The Miles” are memorable. Many of these songs were re-recorded from her self-released debut album, and while a few of the tracks lack the immediacy of the hits, it’s still a very worthwhile debut from a talent definitely worth watching. She’s gone on since to a successful career, a solid and polished singer and songwriter for sure. Little Voice is the starting point…if you can get into this album (you may be surprised), then you’ll enjoy what she’s done since then. Just that piano intro alone should have you bouncing across the room to turn up the volume…


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  • #1720
  • Posted: 05/23/2022 19:09
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1379


Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet

THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET
TIME OUT
1959 – COLUMBIA
Produced By TEO MACERO

1. Blue Rondo A La Turk
2. Strange Meadow Lark
3. Take Five
4. Three To Get Ready
5. Kathy’s Waltz
6. Everybody’s Jumpin’
7. Pick Up Sticks

Every once in a while, an album that comes from the least likely of places will become the biggest of hits. Time Out from The Dave Brubeck Quartet did exactly that. Released during the early rock and roll era, this jazz album was designed to feature unusual time signatures. They had no idea that the song “Take Five” would become a Top 40 hit and propel Time Out to becoming one of the best- selling jazz albums of all time. The album eventually went platinum, and “Take Five” is still one of the most recognizable jazz tracks of all time. Impressive indeed, considering that Columbia wanted no part in what they thought would be an album that no one would ever listen to. And, indeed…”Take Five” is an infectious, excellent track that is instantly recognizable and undeniably excellent. You won’t want to be without it.

But what about the rest of Time Out? Brubeck (piano), Paul Desmond (alto sax), Eugene Wright (bass) and Joe Morello (drums) prove to be more than just capable jazz players. “Blue Rondo A La Turk” was inspired by Turkish street musicians, and is considered one of Brubeck’s finest compositions. “Strange Meadow Lark” opens with a memorable Brubeck piano solo. “Three To Get Ready” starts as a waltz, then alternates time signatures, yet sounds uncomplicated. “Kathy’s Waltz” is rumored to have inspired the Paul McCartney classic “All My Loving”. “Everybody’s Jumpin’” and “Pick Up Sticks” end the album in fine fashion. Despite its concept, Time Out is a very accessible album, and a fine way to hear what Brubeck and his quartet were capable of. This is a jazz must have, and it’s Brubeck’s best work.


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