Bud Powell - Time Waits (1958)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1999 Rudy Van Gelder Edition with a bonus track.

Powell battled through some physical and mental problems throughout his adult life but you'd never know it listening to these tracks. An album of originals which, while not fundamentally changing the direction of jazz, documents an important pianist still producing solid music at a time when his best years were assumed to be behind him. Philly Joe Jones gets special mention for bringing some extra energy to the sessions, almost but not quite stealing the show.

Powell - piano
Sam Jones - bass
Philly Joe Jones - drums

Original liner notes by Leonard Feather. 1999 reissue liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard (★★★☆): "still one of the best of the hard-playing pianists"
• CashBox: "Powell directs the crew through inventive bursts of enthusiasm"
• All About Jazz: "an unfairly overlooked minor masterpiece."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1985): ★★☆☆☆
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★☆☆
• Various newspaper reviews compiled here

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Seven originals from Powell. Nothing to skip, but my favorites are Buster Rides Again, Time Waits, and Dry Soul.

Bonus tracks: Alternate take of John's Abbey. (Original 1958 LP included an alternate take of Sub City.)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Inner Fires: The Genius Of Bud Powell (1982)
The Amazing Bud Powell. Vol. 1 (1956)

The Krayolas - La Conquistadora (2008)

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Tex-Mex rock band The Krayolas recorded some tunes with Texas legend Augie Meyers of The Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados. This is the resultant album and the Texas-meets-British-Invasion tunes one would expect are present here. However, mixed in among those tunes is some fantastic power pop music unlike anything I've previously heard from the band. Yes, it's inconsistent and yes, it absolutely works. Critics and fans loved the album and it sounds as fresh now as it did when it was released.

Press of the time:

• Texas Monthly: "sparkling melodic gems pour forth"
• San Antonio Express-News: "They swing, they sway, the rhythm's just right, the groove's on and the words are sincere."
• Powerpopaholic: "a most worthy addition to your music collection and I give it high marks and a nod to the top ten of 2008. Viva los Krayolas!"

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: It's hard to pick favorites when all the tracks are good. Obviously, the previously mentioned Little Fox and Rescue Roses deserve singling out, but my top pick is easily the power pop gem Nolan Street Bridge. Honorable mention goes to the lead track Alex, the Meyers-penned tune We've Got A Secret, and the closer I've Wished You Well.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Happy Go Lucky (2022)
Savage Young Krayolas (2020)
Little Fox (2007)
Best Riffs Only (2007)

Don Henley - The End Of The Innocence (1989)

I'll bet Henley is a lot of fun to hang around at parties. Nevertheless, this album brought the soft rock hits in abundance and became Henley's best-selling solo album.

The album won the Grammy award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male and was nominated in the category of Album of the Year, eventually losing to Nick Of Time. In the Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop list for 1989, the critics ranked the album at #35. The album ranked at #389 on the 2012 edition of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, but failed to make the cut on the latest list.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: ★★★★☆
• Stereo Review: "one of those albums that, if not exactly perfect, nonetheless perfectly capture a moment in time - in this case the shroud of confusion and chaos that envelops America as the Eighties wind down."
• Robert Christgau (C+): "Bitch bitch bitch, bloat bloat bloat."
• Billboard: "Henley will likely be the Boy of Summer again this year with this solid release"
• CashBox: "there's a little too much tastefulness for my taste"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #8
• Billboard Compact Disc: #2
• Rolling Stone: #3
• CashBox: #2

Tracks: Seven of the album's ten tracks charted.

Title	Hot 100	AC	Rock
The End Of The Innocence*	8	2	1
I Will Not Go Quietly			2
If Dirt Were Dollars			8
The Last Worthless Evening	21	5	4
New York Minute	48	5	24
The Heart Of The Matter	21	3	2
How Bad Do You Want It	48		8

*the title song was nominated in two Grammy categories, Song of the Year and Record of the Year, eventually losing to Wind Beneath My Wings in both categories.

It's a pleasant enough listen throughout, but my top pick is the title track, which features Bruce Hornsby and Wayne Shorter. I also dig New York Minute and The Heart Of the Matter. Contrary to the above chart, I think the rest is pretty much filler, but catchier than most filler even though the tracks do drag on a bit long.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I didn't buy this one back in '89, but instead inherited it from one of my wife's distant cousins about five years ago.

Wynton Marsalis - Standard Time, Vol. 3: The Resolution of Romance (1990)

From the Wynton Marsalis website:

Accompanied by Reginald Veal on bass and Herlin Riley on drums, Wynton joins one of jazz’s finest pianists, his father, Ellis Marsalis, on this album of ballads and blues. Selections include “My Romance,” “Where or When,” and “Skylark,” and three smoking originals “In the Court of King Oliver,” “Bona and Paul,” and “The Seductress” – which promise to become standards in their own right. Dedicated to matriarch Dolores Marsalis, the entire session sings with solos and group playing that respond to, and extend, the lyricism of jazz’s great instrumentalists, from Louis Armstrong to Johnny Hodges to Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and its signature singers, from Bessie Smith on through to Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, and Ella Fitzgerald.

The third entry in Wynton's six volume 'Standard Time' series and my second-favorite CD in said series after Volume 1, primarily because of the chosen material and the fact that it doesn't sound like the group is trying too hard to impress. Their laid back subtlely absolutely works.

Ratings/reviews:

• Musician: "this is the trumpeter's finest hour"
• Billboard: "Marsalis takes another sentimental journey through the standards indelibly imprinted upon the psyche of jazz"
• DownBeat (★★★★★): "Marsalis bestows all the wisdom at his command"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000):★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #101
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• CashBox Jazz: #1

Tracks: 21 tracks, 74 minutes. There's a lot to like here, but I'll pick a few favorites.

1. In The Court Of King Oliver (1990 Marsalis original) ✔
2. Never Let Me Go (1956)
3. Street Of Dreams (1932) ✔
4. Where Or When (1937) ✔
5. Bona And Paul (1990 Marsalis original)
6. The Seductress (1990 Marsalis original)
7. A Sleepin' Bee (1954)
8. Big Butter And Egg Man (1926)
9. The Very Thought Of You (1934) ✔
10. I Cover The Waterfront (1933)
11. How Are Things In Glocca Morra? (1947)
12. My Romance (1935) ✔
13. Everything Happens To Me (1940)
14. Flamingo (1940)
15. You're My Everything (1931)
16. Skylark (1941) ✔
17. It's Easy To Remember (1935)
18. Taking A Chance On Love (1940)
19. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (1932) ✔
20. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning (1955)
21. It's Too Late Now (1951)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, although my familiarity with the music here suggests I listened to it quite a bit in the early '90s.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Two Men with the Blues (2008)	Crescent City Christmas Card (1989)
Standards & Ballads (2008)	Baroque Music for Trumpets (1988)
Live at The Village Vanguard (1999)	Portrait of Wynton Marsalis (1988)
Marsalis Plays Monk (1999)	Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. 1 (1987)
In Gabriel's Garden (1996)	Carnaval (1987)
Joe Cool's Blues (1995)	J Mood (1986)
Baroque Duet (1992)	Black Codes (1985)
Uptown Ruler (1991)	Baroque Music for Trumpet (1984)
Standard Time, Vol. 2 (1991)	Hot House Flowers (1984)
Tune In Tomorrow (1990)	Trumpet Concertos (1983)

Blog post #2300

Marc Broussard - Time Is A Thief (2024)

Broussard seems content to make cover tunes these days, but he released this album of originals in 2024 and I'm glad he did. Broussard has honed his unique Americana/bayou soul sound and these varied tunes certainly groove. It's a bit brief, but the band is tight and the vocals are soulful, a nice blend of blend of classic Southern influences and modern production. At times, I'm reminded of The Meters, while other times it reminds me of a Dan Auerbach solo album. It's the sort of album where the more I listen to it, the more I like it.

Press of the time:

• Rock And Blues Muse: "Broussard covers plenty of ground while sticking to his distinctive palette."
• Blues Rock Review (9/10): "explores themes of love, the struggles of life and times fleeting nature as a testament to his evolution as an artist"
• Music Connection (7/10): "the album blends funk, soul, and R&B, creating a rich soundscape filled with gritty hooks and warm grooves."
• Bluestown Music: "Broussard and his amazing band have delivered a masterpiece."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: My top picks today are Fire, Cold Blooded, You Deserve More, and Stay Still.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
S.O.S.: Save Our Soul (2007)
Carencro (2004)

Brenda Russell (1979)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2000 re-release with a bonus track.

Even though Get Here was one of the first CDs I ever purchased, I never went into Russell's back catalog. That all changed during the COVID-19 pandemic when I discovered the brilliant Love Life album. Then it was suggested that I pick up Two Eyes. While I was at it, I went ahead and picked up a copy of this self-titled debut. It's more good stuff and makes you wonder why its creator needed another nine years to achieve her greatest commercial success. Russell immediately proves herself to be a gifted songwriter in the jazzy pop/R&B/adult contemporary genre. Love Life continues to be my favorite Russell album, but there's some tracks here that certainly hold up against that standard.

Here's the original 1979 album cover. Not sure why they felt the need to "update" it for this CD release.

Press of the time:

• Robert Christgau (B+): "If it's pop you crave, slow down a minute and check this out--eight love songs, all in sensual-to-pert medium tempos, all sweetly hooky."
• DownBeat (★☆☆☆☆): "A very pretty face and a waste of time"
• Billboard: "showcases her smooth and sensible vocal style which recalls Chaka Khan at her more subtle"
• CashBox: "romantic jazz tinged ballads"
• Record World: "a standout effort"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #65
• Billboard R&B: #26
• CashBox: #81

Tracks: The lead track, So Good So Right (#30 pop, #15 R&B, #8 AC), is the single mentioned in the above album advertisement. It's the best cut here although it isn't without some serious competition. Close runners-up include In The Thick Of It, Way Back When, You're Free, and Think It Over. No skips. In fact, why don't you go ahead follow it up with the Love Life and Two Eyes albums in their entirety. That's what I'm gonna do.

Bonus track: For this reissue, the decision was made to tack Russell's 1988 hit, Piano In The Dark (#6 pop, #8 R&B, #3 AC), to the end of this 1979 release. I can't say that it really fits, but it's one of the best songs of the 1980s, so I'll allow it. Most anytime is a good time for that song.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Get Here (1988)
Two Eyes (1983)
Love Life (1981)

Seal - 6: Commitment (2010)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 'Deluxe Edition' with two bonus tracks and a DVD.

I enjoy Seal's work with producer Trevor Horn plus I usually like what David Foster does at the console, so this Seal-Foster collaboration seemed like something I'd like. And some tracks certainly do resonate with me. Unfortunately, most others do not. It's heavy on ballads, strings, and filler; not enough Crazy for this listener.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "Seal delivers a more engaging and satisfying addition to his repertoire"
• Pop Matters (5 out of 10): "I wasn’t expecting much from 6: Commitment, and in many ways I didn’t get much."
• The Guardian (★★☆☆☆): "there's too much polished, overwrought, formulaic slop"
• USA Today (★★★⯪☆): "It's fine adult-contemporary pop"

My thoughts are more aligned to The Guardian and Pop Matters than Billboard and USA Today.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #31

Tracks: This thing is front-loaded with the first three tracks being the best tracks - If I'm Any Closer, Weight Of My Mistakes, and Silence. Then I gradually lose interest until the final track, Big Time.

Bonus Tracks: yet another ballad followed by another version of track 9, You Get Me, this take featuring Buika.

DVD: A 21 minute "Making Of" documentary. I didn't find on YouTube, but I didn't put forth much effort to find it. You're not missing anything. Clearly thrown together as an afterthought, it's simply some studio shots interspersed with a poorly recorded hotel room interview featuring Seal and a messy room service tray.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When I saw Seal perform in 2023, none of the songs from this album were included in the setlist. He's a helluva performer.

Previously revisited for the blog:

7 (2015)	Seal (1994)
Best 1991-2004 (2004)	Seal (1991)
IV (2003)	Crazy (1990)
Human Being (1998)