Rimsky-Korsakov - Sheherazade (2002)

Valery Gergiev conducting the Kirov Orchestra.

I'll be honest: I bought this CD because 1) it was cheap in the clearance bin, 2) it's a SACD, and 3) I like Sheherazade (also spelled Scheherazade), so why not? Turns out to be a fantastic interpretation, made that much better by the SACD format. This is the fourth CD I own that contains Sheherazade, but this disc includes two new pieces to my shelves, In The Steppes Of Central Asia (Borodin, 1880) and Islamey (Balakirev, 1869). So we've got three of "The Five" represented here.

Recorded under live conditions but without an audience in St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, this Scheherazade is the most red-blooded, exciting account of Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral warhorse that I know, helped by full, immediate sound of a richness rare in Russian recordings.

excerpt from https://www.gramophone.co.uk/

I'll second that. I'm not an expect on SACD by any means, but I've noticed a distinct difference between "native" digital recordings and older recordings subsequently transferred to DSD. Also listening on quality headphones makes a difference. But back to the music itself...

Tracks: I think one of the reasons I'm drawn to Sheherazade is Rimsky-Korsikov's amazing orchestration. What a master. He should write a book on the subject (spoiler: he did).

I hadn't heard In The Steppes Of Central Asia in many years. When I was studying music back in the 1980's, the piece was commonly played at orchestra concerts (particularly as a concert opener) but seems to have fallen out of favor over the past few decades - as have orchestras, but that's beyond the scope of this meager blog. And don't get me started on the many symphony fiascos here in San Antonio over the past 6 years. Anyhoo, it's nice to hear Steppes again. It is a programmatic piece written in 1880 for an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the reign of Tsar Alexander II and dedicated to Franz Liszt. The composer himself provided the following program note:

In the silence of the monotonous steppes of Central Asia is heard the unfamiliar sound of a peaceful Russian song. From the distance we hear the approach of horses and camels and the bizarre and melancholy notes of an oriental melody. A caravan approaches, escorted by Russian soldiers, and continues safely on its way through the immense desert. It disappears slowly. The notes of the Russian and Asiatic melodies join in a common harmony, which dies away as the caravan disappears in the distance.

However, it is an enjoyable 8 minutes whether you know the program or not. Fascinating side note: Borodin was a chemist and physician who wrote a little music in his spare time.

Islamey is a new piece for me. Originally written for piano in 1869, it is quite difficult and known as a virtuosic showpiece. The symphonic version heard on this disc was transcribed/arranged by Sergei Lyapunov. We're treated to three brief sections: 1) Allegro agitato, very busy and intense, 2) Tranquillo – Andantino espressivo, a slower, more romantic section that introduces a new legato theme, and 3) Allegro vivo – Presto furioso, which returns to the main theme. An exciting listen but I imagine is even more fun to perform.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: For more on my initial adventures with SACD, check out this earlier Béla Bartók post.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Scheherazade/Capriccio Espagnol/Russian Easter Overture (1995 compilation)
Scheherazade (1994) Ernest Ansermet L'Orchestra De La Suisse Romande (Ansermet)
Scheherazade/Capriccio Espagnol (1984) Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Dutoit)

Various Artists - Best Of Buddha (2002)

UK import

"Bar de Lune - The most sexy label in the world presents a new album for the mind, body and soul."

I'm guessing this 2 CD set is another world beat chill-out compilation from our friends at Buddha Bar, but the bar isn't mentioned anywhere on the packaging so it may just be a coattail rider. In any event, it's the same kind of stuff - repetative background music for your next cocktail party. I bought a CD lot of Buddha recordings after a visit to the French Caribbean in 2025. This set is the last of that lot.

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

Tracks:

CD1
	Artist	Title
1	Moby	Another Woman
2	Gotan Project	Last Tango In Paris
3	Fila Brazillia	Soft Music Under Stars
4	Kevin Yost	7th Heaven
5	Da Lata	Binti
6	Radar	Running Away
7	Fragile State	Song Of Departure
8	Bonobo	Terrapin
9	Christophe Goze	Barcelona (Faze Action Mix)
10	Al-Pha-X	Mi Corazon (Smokers Mix)
11	Dust	Dead Cowboys
12	Nitin Sawhney	Homelands (Joe Claussell Mix)

CD2
	Artist	Title
1	Nitin Sawhney	Bengali Song (Extended Mix)
2	Alex Gopher	The Child
3	Delerium	Silence (Album Mix)
4	Al-Pha-X	Blue Jay (Zape Vala Sojk Pitcha)
5	Christophe Goze	Manana
6	Al-Pha-X	Hojar
7	Christophe Goze	Sirocco
8	Kinobe	Slip Into Something More Comfortable
9	Badmarsh & Shri	Sajanaa
10	Dust	I'll Take You There (Chris Bowden Remix)
11	Fragile State	The Barney Fade
12	Moby	Porcelain

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: See my first Buddha Bar blog post.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Buddha Lounge (2002)
Buddha-Bar IV (2002)
Buddha-Bar III (2001)

David Bowie - Heathen (2002)

Reuniting with producer Tony Visconti, Bowie wrestles with faith, doubt, aging, and general existential static (just like I do). Plus the album title is hardly subtle. Some fans and critics hailed it as a comeback and/or a return to form. Bowie probably just called it Tuesday. For me, it ranks at about the midpoint of Bowie's studio albums.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #14

Tracks: For me, it's a collection of "just okay" tracks, with the exceptions of Slow Burn, Afraid, A Better Future, and Everyone Says 'Hi' plus the covers of Cactus and I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship. 

My copy is an Enhanced CD with "a free multimedia portion."

Let's slip this thing into the ol' external DVD drive and see what happens. (...) The following screen pops up:

From left to right, a help button (no longer supported), a button that starts to play the CD, a star button to go to a now-defunct website where one can "get ConnecteD," and a quit button. Clicking on the words "David Bowie" takes you to the now-defunct Bowie website at Columbia Records (wallpapers! AOL IM icons!). Clicking on the Columbia logo takes you to their website. So the multimedia part is a dud but it was fun to revisit those turn-of-the-century websites for a nostalgic flashback.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

★ (2016)	Changesbowie (1990)
The Next Day (2013)	Fame 90 (1990)
Zeit! 77-79 (2013)	Sound + Vision: CD Press Release (1989)
Reality (2003)	Tonight (1984)
Black Tie White Noise (1993)	Let's Dance (1983)

Various Artists - Buddha-Bar IV (2002)

Another world beat chill-out compilation from our friends at Buddha Bar. Meant to be heard, but not noticed. For what it's worth, I prefer CD1 to CD2.

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

Tracks:

CD1: Dinner
	Artist	Title
1	Frédérick Rousseau	La Fille De Pékin
2	Tiber Project	Tibet (A Passage To...)
3	Jade Or	Opium
4	Nitin Sawhney	Moonrise
5	Nash Didan	A Window Of My Dreams
6	Agricantus	Amatevi
7	Manuel Franjo	Tiempo
8	Guadalupe Pineda Con Los Tres Ases	Historia De Un Amor
9	Armen Chakmakian	Distant Lands
10	Nickodemus	Desert Dancer (Zeb's Slow Camel Ride Remix)
11	Flam	Monsoon
12	Tulku	Rahda Ramana
13	Natassa Theodoridou	Tora To Thimithikes
14	Gotan Project	Una Musica Brutal

CD2: Drinks
CD2	Artist	Title
1	outsized	Karma (Extended Mix)
2	Time Passing	Party People
3	Panjabi MC	Mundian To Bach Ke
4	Ishtar	Comme Toi
5	Chris Spheeris	Dancing With The Muse
6	David Visan & Carlos Campos	Irish Coffee
7	Llorca	The Novel Sound
8	Loving Paris	Loco
9	Roland Louis	Percussion's Rhythm (Dimitri From Paris Re-Edit)
10	Dan Lackman's Alliance	Louxor In Vegas
11	Angie Samiou	Agoraki Mou
12	Amr Diab	Aktar Wahed
13	Celia Cruz	Yo Vivire (I Will Survive)
14	Usual Masters	Nocturne In Paris

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: See my first Buddha Bar blog post.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Buddha Lounge (2002)
Buddha-Bar III (2001)

Various Artists - Buddha Lounge (2002)

UK import

The story about how I found this particular brand of ambient lounge music is available on a previous Buddha blog post so I won't go into again. However, if you need some innocuous background music at your next cocktail party, these discs might just fit the bill.

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

Tracks:

CD1	Artist	Title
1	Stereo MC's	Fever (Steve Hillage Mix)
2	Talvin Singh	Traveller
3	Fila Brazillia	Nature Boy
4	The Cristophe Gaze Project	Manana
5	Thievery Corporation	Indra
6	4 Hero feat. Terry Collier	The Days Of The Greys
7	Jazzanova	Bohemian Sunset
8	Al-Pha-X	First Transmission
9	Bebel Gilberto	Samba De Bancao (4 Hero Mix)
10	Outside	Blue Sky
11	Nitin Singh	Indian Secret (Shankar Remix)
12	Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	Mustt Mustt
13	Purple Nine	Moodswings (Kharma Mix)
14	Herbalism	Run Away
15	Dave Warrin, Julius Papp & Lisa Shaw	Looking Up

CD2	Artist	Title
1	Badmarsh & Shri	Day By Day (Chris Coco Mix)
2	Gotan Project	El Capitalismo Foraneo
3	Bob Holroyd	Waking The Spirits (Loop Guru Extended Strawberry Mix)
4	Jonathan Maron	Wish You Well
5	Nitin Sawheny	Breathing Light
6	Roni Size	Heroes (Kruders Long Bossa Mix)
7	Native American Dream	Native American Dream
8	Illie Natalia	Romanian Gypsy
9	Tribal Lord	African Chill
10	Craig Armstrong	Weather Storm
11	Sergio	Ibizan Dawn (Chill Mix)
12	DJ Kermit	Turkish Dawn
13	Eastern Awakening	Eastern Awakening
14	Dust	Stand By My Side

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Another pic from my vacation in the French West Indies? Sure! Here's the tropical rainforest in Parc national de la Guadeloupe.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Buddha-Bar III (2001)

Various Artists - Smooth Grooves: Soulful Duets (2002)

From the back cover: "the music on this package creates a hip, smooth, groove-oriented tapestry, offering the very best in the sophisticated-soul experience." Long form, late night mood-setters in full force. When I finished spinning this compilation, my CD player asked for a cigarette and the rest of the day off.

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

Tracks, with my top picks checked:

Song	Artists	Year	R&B	Pop
Fire And Desire	Rick James (feat. Teena Marie)	1981
Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This	Rachelle Ferrell (feat. Will Downing)	1994	72		✔
If This World Were Mine	Cheryl Lynn (with Luther Vandross)	1982	4		✔
Is It Still Good To Ya	Ashford & Simpson	1978	12
You Don't Have To Cry	René & Angela	1985	2	75
Feel The Fire	Teddy Pendergrass & Stephanie Mills	1980
Can't We Fall In Love Again	Phyllis Hyman & Michael Henderson	1981	9		✔
Hope That We Can Be Together Soon	Sharon Paige & Harold Melvin/Blue Notes	1975	1	42	✔
Love Changes	Kashif & Meli'sa Morgan	1987	2
Between You Baby And Me	Curtis Mayfield & Linda Clifford	1979	14		✔
That's What Love Is	Miki Howard (with Gerald Levert)	1988	4
Tonight, I Celebrate My Love	Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack	1983	5	16	✔

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Ask me tomorrow.

Previously revisited for the blog:

A Sensual Collection, Volume 1 (1995)	Smooth Grooves Live (2001)
A Sensual Collection, Volume 3 (1995)	Smooth Grooves: After Hours (2000)
A Sensual Collection, Volume 4 (1995)	Smooth Jazz, Vol. 1 (2000)
A Sensual Collection, Volume 6 (1996)	Smooth Jazz, Vol. 2 (2000)
A Sensual Collection, Volume 8 (1996)	Smooth Jazz, Vol. 3 (2000)
Smooth Grooves: Steppin' Out (2001)

Paul Simon - Father and Daughter (2002)

Promotional CD Single

I was given this promo disc and thought I'd give it a (very) quick spin. I don't recall the song from the title, but here we go. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, losing to Lose Yourself by Eminem at the Oscars and The Hands That Built America by U2 at the Globes.

It's pleasant enough and has a slight hook in the chorus, but I just listened to it five times through and couldn't hum any of it if you asked. Back on the shelf.

Peak on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart: #20

Track: only 1 track, 4:10 album version.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. Never saw the movie or even an episode of The Wild Thornberrys that I can recall. Of course, that was years ago so who knows?

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stranger To Stranger (2016)
So Beautiful or So What (2011)
Negotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986 (1988)
Rhythm of the Saints (1990)
Graceland (1986)
The Concert in Central Park (1982)
Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)

BWB - Groovin' (2002)

BWB is a a smooth jazz "supergroup" in the same vein as Fourplay and Urban Knights. We're treated to Rick Braun on trumpet, Kirk Whalum on saxophone, and Norman Brown on guitar - there's also Christian McBride on bass, but for some reason he didn't rate a title credit. This is a covers album that offers up versions of tunes from a varied array of artists from D'Angelo to Leiber & Stoller to Joe Zawinul to George Clinton. Good stuff; definitely above average smooth jazz (I'm particularly fond of Brown's soloing). I'm guessing the trio originally envisioned this as a one-off covers album because they didn't release another album for 11 years, but I could be wrong.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #4

Tracks: My favorites are Groovin', Ruby Baby, the slow burn of Mercy Mercy Mercy, and It's Your Thing. I don't care much for the plodding cover of Alicia Key's A Woman's Worth.

This was released as an "Enchanced CD" and, amazingly, I was able to get it to play with a few work-arounds:

Contents: links to websites, a small photo gallery, and a 10 minute promo video.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Rick Braun:
Shake It Up (2000)
Body And Soul (1997)
Beat Street (1995)

Kirk Whalum:
The Babyface Songbook (2005)
Unconditional (2000)
Floppy Disk (1985)

Norman Brown:
West Coast Coolin' (2004)
Celebration (1999)

Dixie Chicks - Home (2002)

"MY WIFE BOUGHT WHAT?!?" FORTNIGHT* (JULY 1-14, 2016)

I'm admittedly not a country music fan and while these girls are from Texas, there's not much I can find to like here. While I enjoy violins, when you take the same instrument and call it a fiddle, I'll take a hard pass (my aversion to such dates back to a childhood square-dancing trauma). I'm not saying it's a bad album - metacritic rates it at 75 and it won the Grammy award for Best Country Album - just not my thing.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #1 (4 non-consecutive weeks)
Peak on the US Billboard Country Album chart: #1 (19 non-consecutive weeks)

Tracks: Around 2002, my wife usually bought a CD for one track she'd heard on the radio and liked. I can't pick which one that would be with any certainty, but if I had to guess, I'd pick the cover of Stevie Nicks' Landslide. The best written song IMO is A Home.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Nope.

---

*I recently unearthed a CD carry case that my wife used to carry in one or more of our three former minivans. This month, in the spirit of this blog's mission, I'll be listening to that case's contents.

Victoria's Secret - Heavenly: Music for Angels (2002)

It would appear my wife got a free, Celtic-lite New Age CD as a bonus for buying bras. The best part of the CD is the cover photo.  Here's some actual Amazon reviews:

• "...it's one of my baby's bedtime CDs, and always seems to sooth him."
• "...its [sic] great to fall asleep to."
• "I use it during my massage therapy sessions"
• "Nice music for veil dancing."
• "I picked this up at a thrift store and play it in my foster kitten room. It is one of the most beautiful CDs I have found. Love it so much I ordered a second copy for the shelter cat room!!"

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Nuh-uh

Tracks: Nuh-uh

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Nuh-uh

Previously revisited for the blog: Nuh-uh

Shemekia Copeland - Talking to Strangers (2002)

Down home rhythm and blues (heavy on the blues) in the gritty southern tradition. Along with contributing some songwriting and piano playing, New Orleans funkmaster Dr. John produced this album and he's a perfect fit with Shemekia. One of the most powerful voices I've ever heard, but she's in full control throughout. In contrast to her previous albums where she had to belt it out at full volume against an over-produced, heavy-handed accompaniment, this album sees Shemekia vary her styles alongside a tight, but restrained band. I'm hesitant to call this Shemekia's best album ever because she was only 23 when she recorded it, but I'm hard-pressed to find otherwise. I have to be in the right mood to listen to it, but when I am, it don't get much better. A perfect summertime evening album.

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

Tracks:  My top picks are Livin' On Love, Two's A Crowd, Walk On, The Push I Need, and Happy Valentine's Day. The album closes with Shemekia doing a smokin' cover of a song made famous by her father, Johnny Copeland. I usually skip the title track.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. Still waiting to see her live - I bet she brings the house down.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Turn The Heat Up (1998)

Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me (2002)

At age 62, from high atop his throne, the "King of Rock 'n' Soul" sent out a decree: I'm recording a new album and I need you to write some material. And his loving followers responded. This, the resulting album, has been rightly compared to Johnny Cash's American Recording series - a collection of first-rate original material and covers, performed slowly with sparse instrumentation, by a legendary singer whose voice has deteriorated a tad but that deterioration only exposed another layer of emotion. Special mention for the incredible organ playing by Rudy Copeland. Add in guest artists Daniel Lanois and the Blind Boys of Alabama, and you've got a deservedly critically-acclaimed album (Metacritic has it rated at 85) and winner of the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #138

Tracks:  My top picks are Fast Train, Soul Searchin', Stepchild,and None Of Us Are Free.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  I remember this got a lot of playing time in my car during the summer and fall of 2002, then (stupidly) not many spins since. I'm guessing the problem was that I was listening to the album in my car instead of it's proper listening location, the back porch. That's an easy fix.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Very Best of Solomon Burke (1998)

Lee Ritenour - Rit's House (2002)

One of many cases in which the critics and I don't agree. They loved this album when it was released because it wasn't commercial pop-jazz and Ritenour gave himself more room to stretch out and display his improv skills. That's all fine and good, unless you happen to enjoy commercial pop-jazz (which I do). And who says the two have to be mutually exclusive? Anyway, the main problem with this album is weak midtempo material that ends up running together after a while. I keep waiting for "Captain Fingers" to rip into something and live up to his nickname. I don't often visit this house; I usually go for Ritenour's Brazilian-flavored releases or his West Coast album, Rit.

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

Tracks: There are a few tracks here I enjoy, including A Little Dolphin Dreamin' and Olinda. There's a slow cover of The Police's Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (my favorite Police track) with vocals by the inimitable Michael McDonald. The thing is, I can't decide whether I like it or not. Somedays I'll hear it and love it; other days I'll think it's a hot mess and reach for the skip button. It's one of the few songs that effect me in that way.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Larry & Lee (1995)	Out Of The Shadows (1982)
Festival (1988)	"Rit" (1981)
Harlequin (1985)	Rio (1979)
On The Line (1983)

Kim Waters - Someone To Love You (2002)

"The sexiest sound in smooth urban jazz" - well, at least that's what it says on the back cover. It's a claim Waters tries his best to live up to (and often succeeds). Waters has a nice tone and his composition/production skills are in top form here. It's all very easy to listen to, often more instrumental R&B than jazz at times. Of the three Waters CDs on my shelves, this was the first I purchased and I think it's the best. Waters isn't taking any chances here and that's just what his listeners expect. It's perfect for a late night romantic rendezvous with my lady at my downtown loft overlooking the city lights as we sip a merlot. Waitaminute - I don't have a downtown loft, don't drink wine, and can't seem to stay up past 10 PM. Never mind (but the music's still good).

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

Tracks: I was hooked from the first time I heard Waterfall on a smooth jazz radio station. Other good tracks are You Know That I Love You, The Ride, Riverside Drive, and the Chuck Loeb collaboration In The House. I don't normally skip any tracks plus the sequencing flows well.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: During my grad school days in Houston, I often listened to the now defunct jazz station (KHJZ, the "Wave") on the commute so this disc always reminds me of that time (2004-06) and that station.

Previously revisited for the blog:
One Special Moment (1999)
Peaceful Journey (1993)

Tahiti 80 - Wallpaper For The Soul (2002)

Back in January of this year, comedian/musician Reggie Watts tweeted: "I've forgotten how transportive Tahiti 80's Wallpaper For The Soul is! A perfect album for happiness." I had never even heard of the band, but with a recommendation like that, how could I not give it a chance? After streaming some samples, I quickly picked up a cheap copy on eBay. Turns out Reggie was right (btw, if you're not familiar with Reggie and his work, please search him out).

This French band puts out some fantastic retro-sounding pop music with plenty of analog sonic pleasures to go around. They must have grown up listening to the same music I did. There's lots of disco and new wave influences on the solid downtempo pop songwriting. The folks over at metacritic rate it at 71, with the best quote coming from a review on the old playlouder website: "You've heard all this before, but it still sounds glorious." Sure, the music is lightweight and the singer's voice isn't strong, but I'm glad I was led to this music; it's been on heavy rotation in my truck and on my headphones for the past few months.

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

Tracks: I don't skip any of the 12 tracks, but lately my favorite songs on this disc have been 1000 Times, Get Yourself Together, Soul Deep, and The Train.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Other than the story above about Reggie's recommendation, none.

Down to the Bone - Crazy Vibes and Things (2002)

My favorite UK acid jazz group. What do you mean you don't have a favorite UK acid jazz group? Anyway, if you want to think of this music as smooth jazz, that's fine. You want to think of it as dance music? That's OK, too. The group mixes up the speed and feels of the songs here a little more than usual. Great keyboard work and catchy horn licks. Critics usually pick this album as the group's best and I might agree with them (for once). I picked this up from a used bin last year for $3.99. Money well spent.

Down to the Bone is unusual in that its leader/arranger/producer, British DJ Stuart Wade, does not play any instruments. Instead, Wade hums his musical ideas into a recorder, which are then reproduced by the band.

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

Tracks: My picks are On A Roll, Music Is My Drug, and Searching For A Simple Groove. The smooth I Softly Surrender (To You) is as close to a ballad as this group gets. There's a vocal track, My One And All, with vocals from Hil St. Soul and while it isn't among my favorite tracks, it doesn't bother me as much as vocal tracks on instrumental albums normally do. Sounds like something from Jill Scott.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None for this CD, but since discovering this video, I can't listen to DTTB without thinking of it. That dancin' fool is so obviously enjoying himself that the video (and the great song from the Cellar Funk CD) makes me smile.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Supercharged (2007)
Cellar Funk (2004)
The Urban Grooves (1999)

The Donnas - Spend The Night (2002)

Sex, drugs, and rock n roll from a California quartet that obviously grew up listening to a lot of AC/DC, Ramones, and Southern rock. Perfect for a high speed summer drive down an empty rural highway with the windows down, stereo full blast. These girls write some great riffs, but after a while, it's too much for this old man. Maybe that's why I've never bought another CD from this group even though I really like this one. The lyrics are hilarious high school trash; the reviewer for pitchfork.com correctly asserts that

the songs on Spend the Night revolve (or devolve) around three main themes: 1) Getting liquored up and makin' it with some guy; 2) Getting liquored up and running into some guy that had his chance to make it with The Donnas, but didn't; or 3) Talking trash about some girl that The Donnas don't like, usually because she keeps them from getting liquored up.

I'm normally not a lyrics guy, but these girls crack me up, although the humor is most likely unintentional. These girls don't mix things up musically or lyrically, but they've found what they're good at and they stick with it. I'll admit that I'm probably attracted to the group and their music because these four girls are the type that I would have chased during high school while they were busy ignoring me (unless they were snobbishly laughing at me). You always want what you can't have, right?

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #62

Tracks: Power ballads need not apply. It's all the same fast-paced, hard-driving stuff for about 40 minutes. Today I'm digging Take It Off, Who Invited You, Pass It Around, and Take Me To The Backseat. The weaker songs are Dirty Denim and Too Bad About Your Girl.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This was an impulse buy at a Borders store in San Antonio in 2002. Are those around anymore? [they are not - ed.]

Selah - Rose Of Bethlehem (2002)

Christmas songs performed by a contemporary Christian vocal trio with nasal country twangs backed with mostly New Agey or alt-country arrangements. It's an interesting combination, but not really my thing (especially the twang).

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

Tracks:  I'm not recommending this album, but by all means avoid the original tunes and the overwrought take on O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My copy is a promotional copy given to me by my friend Eddie (I guess he didn't want it, either). Nevertheless, he remains one of my best friends.

Secondhand Jive (2002)

"LET'S GET IT OVER WITH" WEEK (OCTOBER 15-21, 2012)

Some Alabama kids playing something resembling New Orleans-style rock meets Barenaked Ladies meets jam band. I bought a new Dell computer around 2004 and a mp3 file from this band was in the included software package. That song, San Francisco, had a cool funky vibe with some Hammond B-3, harmonica, and a great piano riff. I liked it immediately. I picked up this album based on that one song and that was a big mistake. The cool vibe is somewhat present throughout, but good songwriting is not.

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

Tracks: San Francisco - which you can check out on the band's MySpace page. (Hey, don't judge them! MySpace was once a place where new bands could pimp their music. Then it quickly descended into a vast social wasteland full of 19 year old guys who apparently didn't own shirts and 19 year old girls who apparently didn't own pants.)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Various Artists - Nobody's Diary: A Tribute to Yazoo (2002)

A bad tribute CD featuring acts from 9th Wave Records as way to expose the performers to a wider audience. I never heard of any of these acts before or since. There are two major problems with these covers: 1) no one comes even close to Alison Moyet's powerful pipes, and 2) these are straight-ahead covers with no originality or creativity. The result is a collection of great synthpop songs that sound, at best, like they are being covered by the local bar band playing a Casio keyboard purchased at a flea market. At worst, it sounds like drunk karaoke night on a booze cruise.

Strangely, this US record label uses the band's original UK name, Yazoo, instead of the truncated US version, Yaz. I appreciate the attempt to be hip, but that probably wasn't the best idea in terms of marketing. Then again, the band wasn't ever very popular here in the US, except with us technogeeks.

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

Tracks: Pass.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I wouldn't have purchased this album even if it had been available in my area. I won my copy in an early Internet contest. This is the second time I've listened to it. As I put this back on the shelf, I'll pull out my copy of Upstairs At Eric's and give it a listen.