Mood Swings

After the relatively straightforward pop of Wish, the Cure moved back toward stranger, edgier territory with Wild Mood Swings…

After the relatively straightforward pop of Wish, the Cure moved back toward stranger, edgier territory with Wild Mood Swings. Actually, that's only part of the truth. As the title suggests, there's a vast array of textures and emotions on Wild Mood Swings, from the woozy mariachi lounge horns of "The 13th" to the perfect pop of "Mint Car" and the monolithic dirge of "Want."…

Mood Swings is the latest album from South Carolina native, Marcus King, the Grammy-nominated artist, performer, guitarist and songwriter. Produced by Rick Rubin at his famous Shangri-La studios in Malibu, due via Snakefarm in the UK. The music here is deeply personal, driven by King’s emotive vocals as much his revered guitar work, and whilst the subjects dealt with are often raw in nature (heartache, addiction, mental health), there’s always a sense of hope in the power of the voice.

Stephanie Porter has a wonderfully mellow voice that suits her renditions of jazz standards perfectly. The first track "Cheek to Cheek" will keep your memory hopping for days. The backing of Chris Woitach on accenting chords on guitar is nothing short of sensation, as is the trumpet solo. The same team puts on a steamy rendition of "Body and Soul" that is unforgettable. Once again, Woitach's guitar backing is brilliant and exciting. "Undecided" rips along as well. The album is a keeper if only for Cheek to Cheek and Body and Soul.

Mood Swings is a 1993 album by the Canadian hard rock band Harem Scarem. A music video was shot for the song "No Justice". The album charted at #85 on the Canadian charts. All in all, a very interesting and pleasing album. An uplifting effort that the band struggled to match in their future efforts. Definitely worth a listen.

Elliot Lawrence, who was born in 1925, formed a big band at the very end of the swing era, much too late to make a strong impression. A fine pianist/arranger/composer, Lawrence primarily wrote for radio and television. In the 1950s he recorded quite frequently for such labels as Decca, King, Columbia, Groove, Vik, Camden, and, particularly, Fantasy, cutting six records for the latter label during 1955-1957 with big bands. This CD has all of the music from the LP Swinging at the Steel Pier, five cuts from Plays Tiny Kahn and Johnny Mandel Arrangements (just the Kahn charts), and a few selections from Plays for Swinging Dancers and Dream on…Dance On. The music, which features arrangements by Tiny Kahn, Al Cohn, Johnny Mandel, and Gerry Mulligan, is essentially updated swing along with some melodic dance music.

Having written a fair number of them, Paul Anka recognizes a contemporary standard when he hears one, even if it doesn't conform to the historical model as it's existed from the days of Tin Pan Alley to Broadway. And so his songbook of chestnuts plucked from the '80s and '90s rock canon, Rock Swings, fares much better than its closest contemporary, Pat Boone's novelty In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy. First of all, there's the material – a compelling selection of standards that reveals a close inspection and an inspired reimagining of the pop and alternative artists of the period (perhaps not by Anka himself).

The swing revival was custom made for singers like Keely Smith. Keely Swings Basie Style… With Strings follows 2000's Swing, Swing, Swing and 2001's Grammy-nominated Keely Sings Sinatra, capping off a trilogy of lovingly performed classic jazz. Smith's backward glance, however, isn't just pure nostalgia. Keely Swings Basie Style, for instance, begins with Count Basie-style arrangements and then applies them to a number of songs not necessarily associated with the bandleader. The addition of strings provides another distinctive layer. Smith begins with "April in Paris" and brings her warm vocals to bear on a number of other classics, including "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" and "How High the Moon." There's a particularly lovely take on "Mood Indigo" and a bouncy version of "Cherokee (Indian Love Song)"…

The track that showcases the classic Jaco chops of old is the 1986 recording of Mike Stern's "Mood Swings". Recorded just two months prior to Jaco checking himself into the Bellevue psychiatric ward, this is the most masterfull bass playing that I have ever heard Jaco record since Word Of Mouth. Jaco just absolutely tears this cut up. Obviously Jaco was on top of his game the day this recording was made. Jaco is all over the instument playing double-stops and litterally playing rhythm guitar licks over Mike Stern's opening statement.