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AMERICAN BEAT
BILLY SQUIER/Emotions in Motion: Sometime back in those hazy 80’s, this was rolling off every FM listeners lips. Hey, it was imply fun to say/sing. Disco had fallen and 80’s FM rock ruled. He might have spandexed it up a bit too much, but it fit right in with the times. Good, solid heartland rock from the kid from Boston.
ERIC CARMEN/Boats Against the Current-Change of Heart: Whew, if there was ever music made to drown your sorrow in Haagen-Dasz over… From the cheery Beatlesque pop of the Raspberries to a solo career that was loaded with music to get depressed to, Carmen made the trip from one end to the other. He doesn’t have “All By Myself” on these two sets, but he has enough going on here to make you forget about Gilbert O’Sullivan. Classic, weepy pop that never would have happened if this was recorded after Prozac came along.
SQUEEZE/East Side Story: Easily the finest Squeeze album, it was almost as if there was no where for new wave to go after this set. Difford and Tilbrook were totally at the top of their game and there isn’t a lame track on here. This is one of those rare records that’s easy to appreciate because it’s stood up so well across time and genre. Make sure to listen to this if you a need an antidote to people that toss around tags like ‘classic’ too easily
DAVID JOHANSEN/Here Comes the Night: A few years in from the end of the Dolls, Johansen was moving between here and there, trying on different personalities and looking for traction. Then along came this set that was a real throw back to the Dolls in spirit and energy. There were a few cuts that felt like they were made by committee and don’t have the energy of the rest of the set, but by and large, this almost feels like the Dolls set that never was but should have been.
DL MEDIA
JACKY TERRASSON/Mirror: A little snazzy, solo jazz piano anyone? Terrasson pulls songs from a variety of sources, including himself, for this tour de force outing where he puts himself front and center in full display. With a solid technique and a sure hand, this intimate date will go down well with jazz piano fans.
(Bluenote)
SHOUT FACTORY
JENNIFER WARNES/Famous Blue Raincoat: Have 20 years really gone by already since Jenny decided to sing Lenny and give him the career bounce he really needed? This 20th anni edition is gorgeously remastered and includes a few bonus tracks, but the real story is that this is the best Cohen tribute set ever recorded. It felt a little too adult at the time of original release, and it had a few songs Cohen himself hadn’t recorded yet making it a little tough for the hard core Cohen fan to have context, but it certainly has aged well. The former hippie chick really came into her own as an artist with this collection.
Volume 30/Number 262
July 20, 2007
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
(c)2007 Midwest Record
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