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RAVEN
NATALIE COLE/Inseparable-Unpredictable: Almost a couple of generations ago, Cole came out of the box as anything but Nat’s daughter. With some sparkling pop/soul right in the early 70’s bag, she came out of the box strong with several singles that established her as a singer in her own right. Capitol still had a sense of heritage toward to the Cole legacy and her launch was all but assured. An exuberant launch it was. This set collects two of these early albums that were hit driven with singles that still hold up well and bristle with fun and spunk. A well collected collection that journeys through the past nicely.
260
MOUNTAIN/Climbing-Nantucket Sleighride: What high school or college kid in the early 70’s that knew how to send in an application to Record Club of America didn’t have copies of these albums. Some were actually purchased legitimately. Two solid slabs of back in the day Leslie West when he was firing incendiary rock guitar and he fit right into the age of the guitar god, looks notwithstanding (there was no hint of MTV back then). This is the kind of stuff old rockers that say stuff like they were there when the music mattered listened to. Certainly a deep look at a time and place that is probably still fresh in many boomers minds.
261
RHINO
EMMYLOU HARRIS/Songbird-Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems: When “Portraits” came out in 1996, it was pretty state of the art of box sets of the time. Here’s a nice look back at your career, thanks for 25 years of service, here’s our version of your gold watch see ya. Since that time, Harris has gone through a pretty through re-invention. Always a leader going her own way, this collection of rarities really goes the distance over the course of it’s 4 cds and 1 dvd. With nary a trace of “Easy From Now On” and other seminal and essential tracks that were covered in “Portraits” as well as subsequent anthologies, this set takes you behind the gauze shirts to meet the real Harris head on. Going back nearly 40 years and coming right up through today, this is the kind of collection that gives Harris the respect to be enshrined with other august ladies of home spun music like Loretta Lynn and June Carter. More kindred to the kind of sets Raven has been putting out on Harris, this is certainly a great bookend to “Portraits” and a wonderful recap of a career that’s proven more than once to be far from over. More than Americana, this is first class American music.
74744
TELARC
SIMONE DINNERSTEIN/Goldberg Variations: There was a time when old people in classical music were revered. Now the agism that infects rock has infected classical as well as pianist Dinnerstein felt compelled to make a do or die goal line stand at 33 if her career was ever going to have any traction. From the sound of this #1 classical album, it’s pretty clear she wanted it. The hour you spend with her and Bach as she breathes new life into the old bones is one of the best contemporary classical hours you could hope to spend this season. Hot stuff from a player that really showed up to play.
80692
Volume 30/Number 323
September 19, 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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