Posts Tagged Covers
Archive
February 26, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
José James: Lean On Me
José James Lean On Me Blue Note (BLU) When he’s not making his own great (original) music José James is the guy you want covering you. His tribute album to Billie Holiday is a gold standard. And now he gives the Bill Withers catalogue his touch – this is more of a straight reading, a warm tribute, James’ voice close to Withers […]Archive
February 12, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Kate McGarry/Keith Ganz/Gary Versace: The Subject Tonight is Love
Kate McGarry/Keith Ganz/Gary Versace The Subject Tonight is Love CD Baby Yes, nominally Kate McGarry is the ‘star’ – she’s the one out front, the voice, but this talented trio works together to pull new flavours and subtle nuance from oft-recorded chestnuts. There are only a handful of modern jazz vocalists actually doing something – actually working, exploring, instilling their personality, […]Archive
February 3, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 338
Lionel Hampton, Saturday Night Jazz Fever (1978) I took a punt on Lionel Hampton back in the day; bought a double CD comp from a closing down sale for $5-10 and loved it. I didn’t know what I was getting – beyond the fact that it was jazz. Clearly jazz. Then I looked him pup, found out about […]Archive
January 30, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Weezer: Weezer (The Teal Album)
Weezer Weezer (The Teal Album) Crush Music/Atlantic That Weezer has survived to make a dozen albums simply means they’ve recorded nine or ten albums more than necessary. Any of you getting raged and ready to defend Maladroit or Make Believe or to say any of the other self-titled/colour albums should be saved due to a single song like Pork and Beans or whatever, […]Archive
January 26, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 340
Grady Tate, By Special Request (1974) Grady Tate – simply one of my all-time favourite drummers, and I got to write a bit about that and a bit about him in memorial. Sad that so often we mark these moments only after a person has gone. And shortly before Tate died I got rather hooked on his crooner albums from the […]Archive
December 30, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 115: Dwight Yoakam – “Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room”
I remember in the very early 1990s or possibly right at the end of the late 80s – might even have been New Year’s Eve programming – seeing a video clip from Dwight Yoakam and I thought it was cool. The rest of the family did not. They are not country music fans. At all. […]Archive
December 26, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 347
Ringo Starr, Sentimental Journey (1970) Poor old Ringo Starr. I say “Poor old Ringo Starr”, when there’s nothing poor about him. Nice life, great drummer, in the best band in the world, lucky timing on that too, etc. And it really hasn’t mattered what he did after. I mean he’s as well-known – actually probably […]Archive
December 12, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Bryan Ferry and his Orchestra: Bitter-Sweet
Bryan Ferry and his Orchestra Bitter-Sweet BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited If there was ever an artist that would know perfectly how to, er, “remake / remodel” oneself, it was always going to Bryan Ferry, right? First obvious proof – beyond his dapper, debonair, noir-meets-ageless charms and music and approach – it was the late-90s […]Archive
September 11, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Paul Simon: In The Blue Light
Paul Simon In The Blue Light SMG One of many reasons I’ve enjoyed almost all of Paul Simon’s solo catalogue is the quality-control. Just a dozen albums or so over nearly 50 years. He doesn’t rush. There’s so much in each album – pop songs that extend out into mini symphonies or fizz with their […]Archive
August 9, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Nikka Costa: Nikka & Strings – Underneath and in Between
Nikka Costa Nikka & Strings: Underneath and in Between Go Funk Yourself Records Inc/Metropolis Recordings The soul, blues and pop sound of Nikka Costa has been sorely missed across the last half-decade. Here with not quite a new album but new renditions of old favourites (from her pen as well as some standards) we have […]Archive
July 18, 2018 by Simon Sweetman