Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs Of The Sixties (2006)

"What do you get when you mesh Barry Manilow with an inspired set of retro songs perfectly suited for 50-year-old women? Massive nirvana." - Billboard, October 28, 2006, p. 80

Manilow and Rod Stewart successfully turned this sort of recording into a recognized late-career strategy. Since The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties hit #1, you can bet there was a sequel (and two more sequels following this one, but we won't get to those). It's more of the same, but with worse arrangements. One of those cover albums that leaves you longing to hear the originals. I'll just put this one back on the shelf and move on.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #2

Tracks:

	Song	Year
1	Can't Take My Eyes Off You	1967
2	Cherish/Windy	1966/7
3	Can't Help Falling In Love	1962
4	There's A Kind Of Hush	1967
5	Blue Velvet	1963
6	Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head	1969
7	And I Love Her	1964
8	This Guy's In Love With You	1968
9	Everybody Loves Somebody	1964
10	You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'	1965
11	When I Fall In Love	1962
12	Strangers In The Night	1966
13	What The World Needs Now Is Love	1965

I can't knock the song selection, particularly the inclusion of three classics by Bacharach/David. Track 12, Strangers In The Night, was previously released on the 1998 album, Manilow Sings Sinatra.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties (2006)	Barry (1980)
Ultimate Manilow (2002)	One Voice (1979)
Here At The Mayflower (2001)	Greatest Hits (1978)
Summer of '78 (1996)	Even Now (1978)
If I Should Love Again (1981)	Tryin' To Get The Feeling (1975)

Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties (2006)

It's a landmark day here at blog headquarters because this is the first time I've written about a DualDisc. This is also the only DualDisc currently in my collection; I inherited it from my father. I recently read a piece that collectively labelled formats such as DualDisc, SACD, DVD Audio, CD+G, CD Video, etc. as "legacy music discs" and I think I will adopt that terminology.

2004-2009

It makes sense Dad might want to try out this particular album as the 1950s were his decade in high school (Class of 1955) and college ('59). I have no idea if he knew it was a DualDisc when he purchased it, however. The disc comes with a warning:

Welp, I've currently got no fewer than 10 machines about the house that play DVDs and/or CDs so we'll just have to take our chances, won't we?

Musically, this album sounds exactly as you would expect. Manilow singing over derivative, schmaltzy orchestral arrangements with an upward modulation or two at the end of the tracks. Manilow doesn't have the greatest voice, but he sure can sell a song. And people who grew up in the '50s bought the hell out of this album and apparently recommended it to their friends, so I'll just put this one back on the shelf and move on.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #1 (Manilow's second #1 album, and his first since his 1977 live album)

Tracks (CD Audio Side) my top picks are checked.

	Song	Year
1	Moments To Remember	1955
2	It's All In The Game	1958	✔
3	Unchained Melody	1955
4	Venus	1959
5	It's Not For Me To Say	1957
6	Love Is A Many Splendored Thing	1955
7	Rags To Riches	1953
8	Sincerely/Teach Me Tonight	1955
9	Are You Lonesome Tonight?	1959	✔
10	Young At Heart	1954
11	All I Have To Do Is Dream	1958	✔
12	What A Diff'rence A Day Made	1959	✔
13	Beyond The Sea	1959

Two tracks placed on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart: Unchained Melody (#20) and Love Is A Many Splendored Thing (#32).

Tracks (DVD Side): The entire album in "enhanced stereo" (yes, I listened to all the audio tracks on each side) plus a 15 minute video of "exclusive behind-the-scenes footage," which is oddly unavailable on YouTube as of this writing. It is simply video footage of the recording sessions interspersed with interviews of Manilow and Clive Davis. If you haven't seen it, you haven't missed much.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Ultimate Manilow (2002)	One Voice (1979)
Here At The Mayflower (2001)	Greatest Hits (1978)
Summer of '78 (1996)	Even Now (1978)
If I Should Love Again (1981)	Tryin' To Get The Feeling (1975)
Barry (1980)

The Manhattan Transfer - An Acapella Christmas (2006)

First, the good news: this album is better than the quartet's earlier entry in the holiday market, 1992's The Christmas Album. However, like that earlier album, the arrangements are generally slow and plodding. On top of that, the quartet get their grandkids to sing along on a couple of tunes. As one Amazon reviewer wrote, "I thought I was buying a CD by the Manhattan Transfer, not a family get-together." On the plus side, it is almost entirely acapella, which allows the music to feature the group's skill for tight vocal arrangements.

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

Tracks: 10 tracks clocking in at only 30 minutes. The cuts that work for me are Jingle Bells, Christmas Time Is Here, and a properly swingin' take on Winter Wonderland. The second tier consists of Toyland, I'll Be Home For Christmas, Christmas Is Coming (The Goose Is Getting Fat), and a bossa attempt at White Christmas. Kids appear on Good King Wenceslas and Grown Up Christmas List, so skip those two along with what could be the slowest version of Merry Christmas Baby ever recorded.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Man-Tora! Live In Tokyo (1996)	Vocalese (1985)
Tonin' (1994)	Bop Doo-Wopp (1984)
The Christmas Album (1992)	Bodies and Souls (1983)
The Offbeat of Avenues (1991)	Mecca For Moderns (1981)
Brasil (1987)	Extensions (1979)

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 2 'Little Russian' (2006)

Neeme Järvi conducting the Göteborgs Symfoniker, the National Orchestra of Sweden. Recorded in 2004 at the Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen.

I was thinking of this symphony awhile back, listened to the only other recording I have of the work, and thought I needed to expose myself to a different interpretation. I did a quick search for top recordings and found this CD recommended on several websites. I wasn't familiar with the conductor, orchestra, or even the record label, but took a chance on it anyway. In addition to the second symphony, the CD includes three of Tchaikovsky's overtures, all of which were new to me.

The symphony utilizes Ukrainian folk tunes (at the time, Ukraine was colloquially known as “Little Russia”) with whimsical titles such as "Down by Mother Volga," "Spin, O My Spinner" and "The Crane."

• Symphony No. 2 in c minor, Op.17 'Little Russian' (1879 version)
• Overture in F major (1866 version)
• Festive Overture on the Danish National Anthem in D Major, Op 15 (1892 version)
• The Storm (Groza), Overture, Op. 76 (1864)

Järvi likes a lively tempo and favors a bright sound from the strings and woodwinds. Most movements of the symphony were much faster than I'd heard before. Probably a little quicker than I would take it, but I enjoy the variety. 

After a few listens, I enjoy the three overtures and I'll enjoy further exploration; hopefully there's some scores available online as everything is in the public domain. Overall, I'm glad I picked up this one.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I was introduced to the Symphony No. 2 by the San Antonio Symphony back in 1989 and fell in love with it immediately. I particularly enjoy that Tchaikovsky 'broke the rules' by writing a march for the second movement instead of the typical slow, lyrical section. As a result, the entire symphony is upbeat. 

Tony Bennett - Duets: An American Classic (2006)

Well, if Sinatra gets a Phil Ramone-produced duets album, why not Tony, too? This is pleasant enough, but there's a lot here that leaves me scratching my head, especially in regard to repertoire and pairings (some folks just don't have the voice tonal qualities compatible with duetting). But it sold well and won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album so what do I know? For what it's worth, that's exactly how I felt upon hearing the Sinatra duets album, too.

Rolling Stone, November 2, 2006, pp. 72, 74

Question: to what is the titular term "an American classic" referring? The duet form? Bennett himself? The Great American Songbook?

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #3

Tracks: Although all arrangements and band performances are top notch, the only tunes grabbing me today are these:

• Rags to Riches (with Elton John)
• The Best Is Yet To Come (Diana Krall)
• For Once In My Life (Stevie Wonder) - includes sublime harmonica solo
• Because of You (k.d. lang & Chris Botti) - I guess it's a trio not a duet, but with that talent let's not nitpick.
• Just In Time (Michael Buble)

There's also 4 bonus tracks recorded 1963 (with Judy Garland), 1988 (Sinatra), 2000 (Buble), and 2006 (Krall). Most were recorded live; all are quite good but Sinatra and Bennett absolutely tear the house down with The Lady Is A Tramp - easily the highlight of the whole CD.

Noticeably absent from this disc: Harry Connick, Jr., Jane Monheit, and Michael Feinstein.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Snowfall: The Christmas Album (1994)

Nick Heyward & India Dupre - The Mermaid And The Lighthouse Keeper (2006)

Faithful readers of this blog know I'm a big fan of Nick's work and have been since I happened across Pelican West in 1982 and North Of A Miracle the following year. So I ordered this self-released CD from Nick's website - it was available for a time on iTunes, but I don't see it there today (it's downloadable/streamable* at Amazon, however). And now that I look, I don't see it available on Nick's website, either. Can't even find any online reviews of the album, for that matter, so maybe I'm breaking ground here, eleven years after the fact.

This is a collaborative effort with India Dupre who promotes herself as an actress so don't ask me how these two got together. (update: on page 41 of the August 2017 edition of Classic Pop magazine, Dupre is characterized as Heyward's ex-girlfriend, so there ya go.) And because of the lack of credits in the liner notes, don't ask me how much she had to do with the writing and production of the album. Her thin vocals are present on all songs is the most I can tell you.

I don't know if it's because of the collaboration, but this isn't Nick's best effort. The laid back love songs aren't bad, but they all sound the same after a while and none of them stand out in ways a Heyward song should. It probably goes without saying, but I would like to hear a solo Heyward version. Even having written all that, I like the album good enough and the CD gets played around here a few times a year.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Not released in US

Tracks: The better tracks are Indian Summer, Secret Garden, 14 Summers, and Talk To Me. I usually skip track 10, Santorini, which bears no resemblance to a Heyward tune.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but Nick signed my CD booklet before mailing it to me and I like that.

*are these even real words?

Previously revisited for the blog:
Live At The IndigO2 28th Jan 2011 (2011)
The Apple Bed (1998)
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
The Man You Used To Be (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)
The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1996)
The World (1995)
Tangled (1995)
From Monday To Sunday (1993)
He Doesn't Love You Like I Do (1993)
Kite (1993)
The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)
I Love You Avenue (1988)
You're My World (1988)
Postcards From Home (1986)
North of a Miracle (1983)
Pelican West (1982) and Deluxe Edition (2016)

Robert Randolph & The Family Band - Colorblind (2006)

Feel good music for feel good people. After loving the first two RR albums, I immediately bought this CD the week of its release. This album doesn't quite measure up to those two, but that would be a tough order to fill. No matter, this album has its share of great tracks. If it's possible to shred a pedal steel guitar, Randolph does so, and on every track (he even upstages Eric Clapton on track 5!). Lots of influence here from Mark Batson and Dave Matthews who had recently finished working together on Stand Up. I don't listen to this one as much as I should, probably because when I grab a RR CD from the shelves, I pick up one of the first two albums. Embarrassingly and inexplicably, I haven't purchased the Randolph albums released after this one. I should rectify that shortly.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #75

Tracks: The stellar tracks here are Ain't Nothing Wrong With That, Deliver Me, and Thrill Of It. Also good are Diane, Stronger (featuring powerful vocals from Leela James), and Love Is The Only Way. I'll skip Angels, the humdrum rote cover of Jesus Is Just Alright, and Blessed.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I sure wish I had a concert story to go along with this one. I should rectify that shortly.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Unclassified (2003)
Live at The Wetlands (2002)

Keb' Mo' - Suitcase (2006)

One of those albums where I wasn't in the right mind when I listened the first time so I stubbornly only listened once and mistakenly thought the thing wasn't very good. I'm such an idiot sometimes. There's some good stuff here, the only real problem is that it's all midtempo pop so the songs all run together after a while. In spite of the pop leanings, this album was nominated for the Grammy award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, losing to After The Rain by Irma Thomas. There ain't much blues here, but that don't mean I can't appreciate the songs for what they are. Think I'll add this one to a full Keb' Mo' discography shuffle this afternoon by the pool. Keb' doesn't make it down to Texas very often, but I'm keeping my eyes open. On a related note, how great would a Keb' Mo'/Bonnie Raitt double bill be?

I'm told that track 10, I See Love, is used as the theme song for the sitcom Mike & Molly. I can't confirm since I've never watched.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #176
• Billboard Blues: #1

Tracks:  Top tracks include Your Love, Whole 'Nutha Thing, I'll Be Your Water, and the bluesy title track. The album loses steam in the middle but finishes strong. For an album I didn't like much the first time 'round, I sure can't find any tracks to skip this time.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Bought it used at a Half Price books, tried to listen immediately in my truck and put it on the shelf where it's rested until this morning. Like I said: I'm such an idiot.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Live And Mo' (2009)
Peace...Back by Popular Demand (2004)
Keep It Simple (2004)
Just Like You (1996)
Keb' Mo' (1994)

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2006)

Yeah, I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid on this one. The Dap-Kings did the best they could with the weak, derivative material. It's not very good but I guess it was different enough to fool the public into thinking it was. Go listen to Jo Stance or Sharon Jones instead.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Back To Black at #33. So whatta I know?

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #2

Tracks:  I'll pick Rehab as the best track if you need one.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere (2006)

An impulse buy, brought on by the hit song Crazy, a clever band name, intriguing cover art, and Danger Mouse hype. The album isn't terrible and Cee Lo is a great singer, but I don't think the material is that strong. Most critics disagree with me (which never surprises me) as it received good reviews; Metacritic scored it at 81. So this is one of those CDs that make me shrug and think, "I guess I'm missing something because I'm not hearing what everyone else is hearing."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #4

Tracks:  There's no better song on the disc than Crazy, but Smiley Faces and Who Cares? try to come close. All the songs are incredibly short (the album clocks in at around 37 minutes, incredibly brief for a 2006 release), so by the time things get going, we're off to the next track. The cover of the Violent Femmes' Gone Daddy Gone is quite good, too. The worse song is The Boogie Monster, followed closely by the disturbingly nihilistic Necromancer.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. This disc doesn't get any playing time around here.

Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat (2006)

Fagen's third solo album in 24 years. Musically, this disc furthers the sound that Fagen brought back in the early aughts with Steely Dan's Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go albums. Well, no one is going to accuse Fagen of trying to sound like anyone but himself, regardless of what year it is. No trying to keep up with current trends here; people under 40 aren't really the target audience anyway. It's all highly produced music, saturated with laid back tempi, thick chords, jazzish-pop grooves, and sardonic lyrics. But those sardonic lyrics are all about death which, as a middle age man, I'm not quite ready to deal with. I don't care if Fagen is comfortable dealing his mortality with black humor, I'm not there yet. So, unlike most Fagen fans, I just ignore the lyrics, which is something I do with most songs anyway. It's no Nightfly, but what is? Our friends over at metacritic have the album rated at 83/100. Sounds about right to me. I agree with the BBC review: "It's good-humoured, intelligent and cynical, and it's the unmistakable sound of an ageing hipster using his chops for the power of good."

When the album was released, the promo materials claimed this completed some sort of "Nightfly Trilogy" from Fagen. That's curious since I don't recall ever hearing of such a trilogy until this album was released. However, suddenly branding the three albums a trilogy made for easy repackaging of the three albums in a 3 MVI DVD + 4 CD box set that included "bonus material" that was already easily available elsewhere. Shameless.

Apparently this album won a Grammy for Best Surround Sound Album. I didn't even know there was such an award.

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: #26

Tracks: My faves are the title track, Brite Nitegown, and Security Joan but the whole album goes down smooth; don't skip anything.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: For some reason, I'm picturing myself sitting at a Whataburger drive-thru while this disc plays in the car. Funny how the mind works.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Kamakiriad (1993)
The Nightfly (1982)

Spyro Gyra - Wrapped In A Dream (2006)

Even though I'm a longtime fan, I confess to losing interest in this smooth jazz group twice over their long career (this was their 28th release). The first album that turned me off was 1990's Fast Forward, the second time was 2003's Original Cinema. I thought after Original Cinema I was done with the group for good, but when I saw this 2006 release in a used bin, I couldn't resist. I'm glad I picked it up. Good stuff and the beginning of a return to form that would be fully realized on their next release, Good To Go-Go. All is forgiven, guys.

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

Tracks: Spyro Time is a fun lead track. Also good are The Voodooyoodoo, After The Storm, The Lowdown, and Woogitybop. I'm not a fan of either Impressions Of Madrid or its companion piece, Impressions Of Toledo.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Good To Go-Go (2007)	Stories Without Words (1987)
Original Cinema (2003)	Breakout (1986)
In Modern Times (2001)	Access All Areas (1984)
Road Scholars (1998)	Incognito (1982)
20/20 (1997)	Freetime (1981)
Love & Other Obsessions (1995)	Carnaval (1980)
Dreams Beyond Control (1993)	Catching The Sun (1980)
Fast Forward (1990)	Morning Dance (1979)
Point Of View (1989)	Spyro Gyra (1978)

Sly and the Family Stone - Different Strokes by Different Folks (2006)

I don't know exactly what to make of this hot mess. Is it a cover album or a tribute album or a remix album or just a blatant attempt to cash in on Stone's skills without coming up with anything original? Too much looping and too many drum machines for me. The original songs don't need updating; they're fresh enough as is. This review says it better than I could: www.popmatters.com

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

Tracks: The only track that bears repeated listening is Family Affair, but after listening to the whole CD you'll go back to your collection looking for the original recordings to get the taste out of your mouth.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I bought this at a Best Buy on the way home from a grad school class and listened to it on the drive. Today's listening is the second time I've heard it.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Fresh (1973)

Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental (2006)

Note: my CD is the "special limited edition" that includes a bonus CD of remixes titled Fundamentalism.

This is the PSB's 16th album, but only their 9th of entirely new music. Even though it was produced by Trevor Horn, I don't love it. The lyrics are political and the music is very serious, generally slower and in minor keys. I want dance music, boys! Overall, the critics liked it with Metacritic giving it a 75, so I guess I'm missing something. Overall, I'm just bored.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #150 (July 15, 2006)

Tracks: My favorites include Psychological, Minimal (which sounds just like a New Order song), and I'm With Stupid. Skip the many ballads, especially the one written by Diane Warren, Numb.

Bonus tracks: at this point, I should mention that the "special limited edition" is still available 6 years after its release, so I'm unsure of how limited it is. Finally, though, we get some dance music that actually sounds like the PSB. The tracks Fugitive (Richard X Extended Mix), Psychological (Alter Ego Remix), I'm With Stupid (Melnyk Heavy Petting Mix), Minimal (Lobe Remix) are the best remixes here. While I like almost all the tracks (I could do without the Sodom and Gomorrah remixes), they are a little much for this old man to take all in one sitting. Better to spread them out in an iTunes shuffle. Still, it's a shame when the bonus CD is better than the main CD.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Yes (2009)
Bilingual (1996)
Disco 2 (1994)
Very (1993)
Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) (1991)

Blog post #650

John Mayer - Continuum (2006)

Like most John Mayer albums, there are a few singles here that make you hate yourself for liking them. Also like most Mayer albums, this is a fairly inconsistent collection (hence the album title?), but you take what you like and leave the rest. I'm not wild about Mayer's voice, but here he shows that he has some skills at pop songwriting, although he favors mid-tempo songs a little too much. Early in his career, he was compared to Dave Matthews, but here I'd compare him more to Sting or Steve Winwood. This CD received generally positive reviews (Metacritic rates it at 67) and earned Mayer a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Rolling Stone magazine named it the 11th best album of 2006 (in typical Rolling Stone fashion, Dylan tops that list):

11. Continuum – John Mayer
10. Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers And Bastards – Tom Waits
9. Blood Mountain – Mastodon
8. Boys And Girls In America – The Hold Steady
7. Hell Hath No Fury – Clipse
6. The Greatest – Cat Power
5. Fishscale – Ghostface Killah
4. Return To Cookie Mountain – TV On The Radio
3. Rather Ripped – Sonic Youth
2. Stadium Arcadium – Red Hot Chili Peppers
1. Modern Times – Bob Dylan

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Continuum at 486.

Around the time this CD was recorded, Mayer contributed to Herbie Hancock's Possibilities album with the song Stitched Up which, if he had included it here, would have been the best song on the album.

Side note: Mayer should fire his publicist, because his public image isn't impressive. My advice: don't kiss and tell, drop the stand-up comedy and focus on your music because the window for musical success is small and always closing.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #2 (Sept 30, 2006)

Tracks: The keepers here are I Don't Trust Myself, Gravity, Vultures, Stop This Train, and beautifully simple Dreaming With A Broken Heart. I can't decide if I like the cover of Jimi Hendrix's Axis Bold As Love, although I like that it gives Mayer room to show off his considerable blues chops (In the liner notes, Mayer claims that "Eric Clapton knows I steal from him and is still cool with it").

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This was one of the first CDs I bought after moving to Nacogdoches in 2006. It reminds me of living solo at the Fredonia Hotel and staying up late trying to finish my dissertation, all while trying to transition to a new career. It was a fantastic time in my life.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Where The Light Is: Live In Los Angeles (2008)
Heavier Things (2003)

L.E.O. - Alpacas Orgling (2006)

This is the best Electric Light Orchestra album since 1977's Out Of The Blue. The only problem with that claim is that ELO didn't make it. For lack of a better description, this is a Jeff Lynne tribute CD that features re-creations of the classic ELO sound from the '70s performed by a bunch of indie musicians that I've never heard of before now (Bleu McAuley, the Candy Butchers, Papas Fritas, Jellyfish). The songs are totally derivative but delightfully so. Also, the production is perfect. Somehow, the band was able to perfectly duplicate all of Lynne's characteristic sounds: strumming 12-string guitars, synth flourishes with "futuristic, outer space sounds", the overdubbed vocals panning left to right, and, of course, the ELO strings. In the end, I really don't care about who made or produced the music - I just like the album. If you like any of Jeff Lynne's work with ELO, The Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty, George Harrison, or Roy Orbison, or if you enjoyed listening to AM radio in the '70s, you should check this out.

A note about the horrid album title: male alpacas make a sound when breeding. This sound is called orgling. According to the liner notes, some of this album was recorded at Alpaca Grove in Groveland, MD. I can only assume that's where the title came from. They did put a spaceship on the album cover, so at least they got that right.

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

Tracks: my favorite cuts are Ya Had Me Goin (which pays tribute to Evil Woman), Distracted, Make Me, Nothin' Will Ever Change, and Private Line. There are only two missteps: The Ol' College Try, and the band's misguided attempt at a hidden track. And misguided may be an understatement: the final track is 42:28, of which the first 4:18 is the album's last song, Sukaz Are Born Every Minute (Sukaz instead of Suckers? Really, guys?). This is followed by over 35 minutes of silence, followed by a surprisingly mediocre and truncated cover of ELO's Don't Bring Me Down which starts at the 40:33 mark. Not only does that mar an otherwise good album, it made listening to the entire CD for this blog not as pleasant as it could have been. Fortunately, thanks to iTunes, I can just program the track to stop at 4:18 and fix the band's mistake.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Even though I just recently heard about this album, I can't remember how that happened. Much to the dismay of my children, this disc hasn't left my truck's CD player since Amazon delivered it about 3 weeks ago.

Tom Petty - Highway Companion (2006)

Contrary to the title, this is not music for driving on the highway. For me, anyway. One critic described the album as "reliable" which isn't exactly a compliment. I was hoping for Full Moon Fever again or, at least, a great highway single like Runnin' Down A Dream. I need something more upbeat for driving. You're better off buying Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' 1993 greatest hits package. Awesome cover art by Robert Deyber, though. Curiously, a "special edition" of this CD with 4 additional tracks was released in 2007, less than a year after the initial release. Classy move, Warner Bros.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #4 (Aug 12, 2006)

Tracks: The opener, Saving Grace, is promising, but things gear down quickly. There are a couple of good songs scattered throughout: Down South and Jack. I also like Night Driver, not because it's a great road song, but because it sounds like a Zero 7 track. The rest? Reliable, just not very memorable.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I was on the road much more than usual in the fall of 2006, so I bought this CD literally as a highway companion. I think I listened to it once in the car before putting it away, unsatisfied.

George Benson & Al Jarreau - Givin' It Up (2006)

Not only a first-time collaboration between Benson and Jarreau, they bring along friends such as Herbie Hancock, Chris Botti, Marcus Miller, Jill Scott, Patti Austin, and Paul McCartney. The album is mostly covers with some originals. Instead of letting Jarreau simply sing, some arrangements lean heavily on him trying to sound like Bobby McFerrin which often sounds just like low groaning, not scatting. That's the only downside to the album, though. Benson sounds great, as always. A better-than-average crossover album.

Billboard, October 28, 2006, p. 79

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #58
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #1

Tracks: The disc starts off with the duo redoing two of their signature songs, Benson's Breezin' and Jarreau's Mornin'. Breezin' fares better than Mornin', and while neither comes close to the originals, they're enjoyable enough. The stand out tracks are All I Am, and the covers of Seals & Croft's Summer Breeze, John Legend's Ordinary People, and Miles Davis' Four. I've never enjoyed Every Time You Go Away (let's blame Paul Young) and the cover here makes me want to hit the skip button, but it's the material, not the performance.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
George Benson - Best Of: The Instrumentals (1997)
Al Jarreau - L is for Lover (1986)
George Benson - 20/20 (1985)
Al Jarreau - High Crime (1984)
The George Benson Collection (1981)

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Under The Covers, Vol. 1 (2006)

Covers? I love covers! Bring 'em on! Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs singing their favorite songs from the '60s and '70s? Sounds great! Waitaminute. You mean they just sing straight-ahead covers without reinterpreting or messing with the arrangements or tempos? Oh. Never mind. Those aren't covers, they're reproductions. At least it sounds like they're having fun recreating these songs.

Sweet and Hoffs created alter egos for this release, calling themselves "Sid and Susie" after playing together in Austin Powers' house band, Ming Tea. That alter ego stuff is an all-around bad idea, just ask Chris Gaines or Sasha Fierce.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #192

Tracks: Since they're reproductions, the best songs here are the well-written ones. Those include covers of The Marmalade's I See The Rain, The Beatles' And Your Bird Can Sing, The Beach Boys' The Warmth Of The Sun, and The Zombies' Care Of Cell #44. Other songs would have been better left off the setlist - this group doesn't have the requisite power to pull off The Who or Neil Young.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I bought this used at a store in Houston when I was in grad school there. It's nice to hear Susanna's voice again. And, if the liner note photos are any indication, she is still stunningly beautiful. (Love ya, Susanna, call me!)

Zero 7 - The Garden (2006)

I love pop music, but it's often hard to find new pop music that I enjoy. I don't really want to listen to Disney TV stars that are over-produced and couldn't sing without the help of autotune. But Zero 7, the lo-fi, sub-pop, retro group from England, released this pop gem which I bought on the strength of their 2004 CD, When It Falls. It's the duo's best album to date. It's a little more upbeat, with definite roots in the music of the '60s, '70s, and '80s. There seems to be an unusually high number of 3/4 songs, which some listeners might have trouble with because they are so accustomed to 4/4 pop songs. Vocalist José González has mushmouth, but that seems to suit the music. In their review, Pitchfork said this album sounds like "A warmed-over stew of scrubbed-up psychedelia, scrubbed-up sunshine pop, scrubbed-up soundtrack music, electrofunk, and lounge that's all produced immaculately, right down to the 'messy' parts." They were mocking (and gave the album a 3.2 out of 10), but that sounds like a good album to me, worthy at least of a 6.5. For what it's worth, Metacritic has it at 70/100.

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: #94

Tracks: Highlights include Futures, Left Behind, Today, Crosses, and Your Place. The final tune, Waiting To Die, sounds like it could have been sung on Sesame Street if had different lyrics (educational lyrics instead of social commentary). In other words, the lyrics don't match the music and it's perfect that way. The songs If I Can't Have You and This Fine Social Scene aren't as good as the other songs on the disc. However, I usually don't skip tracks and think the sequencing holds up.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This was one of the first CDs I bought after moving to Nacogdoches in 2006. It reminds me of living solo at the Fredonia Hotel and staying up late trying to finish my dissertation, all while trying to transition to a new career. It was a fantastic time in my life.