Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.
Disappointment. But it's my own fault for ordering the CD without checking any reviews or even glancing at the track listing.
I was listening to the blues channel on SiriusXM and heard a couple of tracks from this soundtrack, liked them, and thought I'd pick up a copy as way to learn of a few up and coming blues performers. I should note that I haven't seen the movie and have no plans to see it as vampire flicks aren't my thing. However, I'm sure it is a fine piece of cinema and all the awards are merited. Anyway, I picked up a copy of this soundtrack and it's certainly a mixed bag. There's some blues, yes, plus a couple of soundtrack cues as expected, but then there's a dance track, some rap, folk, rock, bluegrass, attempts at the next Old Town Road crossover hit, and an odd ballad that includes a brief conversation with an imaginary slave master. I'm guessing the point is that blues music transcends time and its influences are ongoing; a point to which I wholeheartedly agree. The album is never boring, it's just not the modern blues compilation I hoped for. I'll just pick out the blues tunes I came for (below) then put this disc away for good.
During my recent trip down the Mississippi Blues Trail, I walked up to the counter at Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art in downtown Clarksdale and asked the proprietor "What's the hot local CD these days?" and he directed me to this recent release from Big A Sherrod, a Clarksdale native shaped by the Delta Blues Museum’s after-school program. Albeit brief (28 minutes), it is certainly a highly enjoyable album with a fusion of blues, soul, R&B, and funk. Modern Delta blues recorded straight to tape in the very place they were born.
More on Sherrod here. Fun fact: Big A was born on my 18th birthday.
Tracks: 5 raw originals, cut in just two hours in a Clarksdale storefront. They're all good, but the centerpiece is track 4, My Life, a bluesy, soulful, autobiographical track.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above
I'll let the band's press release handle the heavy lifting on this one:
Young Gun Silver Fox’s fifth album, Pleasure, sees the West Coast Yacht Rock duo of British singer songwriter Andy Platts and American multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee continuing to mine their love for the breezy, sunny, roof-down strains of ‘70s California pop-rock-soul, channeling the likes of the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Earth, Wind & Fire, Pablo Cruise, Ned Doheny and others.
I've been a fan of the band since the get-go and they never disappoint. Analog-ish production, songwriting, and performances are all spot on. While the above description suggests this is strictly a neo-yacht band, the music here relies not only on those influences but also others heard back in the late '70s/early 80s. For example, track 8 on this album, The Greatest Loser, sounds like classic-era Little River Band and they name drop the likes of Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone on the lead track.
Simply put, this album feels like summer. And, like summer, it doesn't last nearly as long as I'd like.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: Only 38 minutes in length, so play 'em all from top-to-bottom. I'd like to hear more of this kind of stuff, so please support the artists over on bandcamp: younggunsilverfox.bandcamp.com
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but the album will be getting its share of spins poolside over the next couple of months.
When they sent my CD, they included a guitar pick. Interesting merch idea and I'm digging the logo design.
I've been a fan of State Cows for over a decade, so I'm surprised this is their first appearance on the blog (I'll promptly contact the proprietor about that oversight). Here's a little bit about the Swedish duo, taken from their website:
STATE COWS is one of very few modern yacht rock / westcoast / AOR bands that creates new original music. This project started out as a Steely Dan tribute called THE SECOND ARRANGEMENT. They soon transformed the Steely Dan tribute into the band STATE COWS and started writing an album of brand new yacht rock songs. Smooth guitar lines, half-time shuffles, funky bass lines, slick harmonies, real Fender Rhodes, tight horn sections and some California sunshine ... it's all in there!
So, yeah, it's derivative, but so very good and very smooth. Goes down easy. If you tire of the limited and questionable playlist on the yacht rock channel on SiriusXM, but still want a little Doobie Bounce in your life, this is just what the doctor ordered. The duo leans into the "yacht rock" nomenclature and musical vocabulary while creating neo-yacht music for the dad rock (or granddad rock) crowd. My only complaint is the sound is often over-produced, particularly in the odd treatment of the backing vocals. Overall, the songwriting on this album is much better than on their previous release, 2022's High And Dry.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: My pick for top tune is track 4, Marina Town, but the whole album is pleasure to hear. Lonely Road has a great flugelhorn solo; On And On is a wonderful instrumental duet featuring only bass and piano; and the chorus of Summer Cloud is gorgeous.
Bonus track: The Japanese CD came with a bonus track, a cover of The Beatles' Ticket To Ride. I had my doubts, but the clever, bouncy arrangement actually works.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but the sound sure takes me back to the '80s real quick.
It's sort of a running joke here at The CD Project that, despite my best intentions, any mention of Monkey House contain a comparison to any number of bands that influenced the group. However, in this blog's previous MH post (Remember The Audio, back in 2022), I wrote "Monkey House have fully realized their very own unique sound" and today I'm going to double down on that statement. Here is a beautiful series of adult contemporary melodic pop songs that are immediately recognizable as Monkey House, complete with bandleader Don Breithaupt's characteristic cadences, instrumentation, and production. And those close vocal harmonies throughout? Goosebumps. It goes without saying that performances by the band and guests are first-rate from start to finish.
My initial reaction to the album was that it had too many midtempo tunes and ballads. I thought it needed a few more upbeat, grooving tunes such as 2019's Shotgun or 1999's North, the latter being one of my all-time favorite Monkey House tunes. But as I spent more time with the music and let it simmer a bit, I started to appreciate it more and more - repeated spins proved worthwhile.
If you're a morning person like me, you know it's rare to stay up past 9 or 10 PM. But on certain nights, the wife and I go to a concert or for a three hour dinner or late night cocktails or some such. On these occasions, I've usually caught my second wind, get home between 11 PM and midnight, and am too wound up so I can't get to sleep until after 1 AM (first world problems, I know). Anyhoo, on such a night recently, I was making the trip from downtown and happened to play this album and found it to be well-suited for winding down after an evening out. I fell asleep immediately upon returning home although the mezcal old fashioneds I slurped up might have had something to do with that. But the album's sequencing is perfect, ending with a ballad that's unlike anything I recall hearing from from the band. Chef's kiss.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: Normally I give MH albums a track-by-track breakdown, but that usually leads to group comparisons. So to avoid that temptation, I'll countdown the album's twelve tracks according to my personal preference. Note: a low ranking does not mean that I dislike the tune - there's nothing skippable here.
Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em
Someplace On Madison
Bring The Stars Down
Chasing The Muse
Feeling You Breathe
Friday Night Jam
Crashbox
What's Left Of This World
Sundaying
Return Of The Mayfly
You Just Don't Know It Yet
Disappear In Plain Sight
Today I'm nominating Disappear In Plain Sight as possibly the best thing Monkey House has recorded. Ever.
I pre-ordered the album so I could get a bonus track, Moving In Time. Sadly, said bonus track was download only and not included on the CD. So I don't offer any opinion on the tune other than to comment that I'm totally opposed to download only tracks. [insert my usual rant about anti-physical product bias here]
