Pianist Gene Harris' 1992 quartet (with guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Luther Hughes, and drummer Harold Jones) explores ten wide-ranging selections on this CD. But despite the very different chord changes, they are able to infuse the music with so much soul that the results are consistently bluesy. Among the tunes that Harris and his group explore are Horace Silver's "Strollin'", "Until the Real Thing Comes Along," "Jeannine", "You Make Me Feel So Young", and "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams". An excellent effort.
Music or Movie? The big picture in "Waitin' For Your Call" reminds you of a b/w Bogard movie, the lover waitin' at the phone, late at night, excuses, love, hate, drama. "Good Morning L.A." is just that: sunny, jazzy good and mellow. "Where are You" in both versions memorable, the vocals right on. "Syntasia" a hommage to the powerful sounds of Keith Emerson and to Eddie Jobson's brilliance.
György Solti has come in for his share of hard knocks as a Mahler interpreter, and no one will pretend that he has the same sort of intuitive empathy for this music that Leonard Bernstein has. But he does have the Chicago Symphony Orchestra–no mean advantage–and many of these performances have come up sounding rather well. London also has been smart to include his first (and better) performance of the Fifth, and he generally does quite well by Symphonies Nos. 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9 as well.
This is the album debut from the Nash Ramblers, Emmylou Harris' acoustic backing band featuring Sam Bush and Roy Huskey, Jr., recorded over three nights in the former home of the Grand Ole Opry. Harris' choice of songs strikes a balance between hillbilly classics and folk-influenced rock, with Bill Monroe receiving the heaviest tribute but sharing space with Tex Owens, Bruce Springsteen, and John Fogerty.
Lindsey Buckingham quit Fleetwood Mac after the release of their Tango in the Night album in 1987 and spent the subsequent five years working on his first post-Mac solo album, Out of the Cradle. Perhaps because he was now focused on his solo career, Buckingham reined in the experimental style of his first two albums, producing more conventional, accessible material, much of it similar to his later work with Fleetwood Mac…
THE CELTS is the 1992 re-release of a 1987 album simply titled ENYA, containing 15 selections originally composed for a BBC series of the same name. Although a number of the tracks sound dated, several others, including "To Go Beyond (II)" are notable for how they locate the origins of the classic Enya sound, far removed from earlier Celtic efforts…
Elton John once claimed that he could remember The One among his latter-day albums because it was the first he recorded without drugs or alcohol. If true – and there's no reason to doubt him – that could be the reason why this has more character than most of his albums since the early '80s, holding together well in its deliberately measured, mature songcraft by Elton and Bernie Taupin…
The best contemporary Shaw offering, cut in his old Mississippi stomping grounds with his trusty combo, the Wolf Gang. Lots of lyrically unusual originals - "Dunkin' Donut Woman," "Wine Head Hole," and "She Didn't Tell Me Everything," for starters - and Shaw's usual diamond-hard horn lines and commanding vocals make this a standout selection.