Was (not Was)

Closing in on 20 years since their last album, the whole gang is here, pretty much – the core of Don and David Was and Sir Harry Bowens and Sweet Pea Atkinson, along with Was (Not Was) vets Luis Resto, David McMurray, Wayne Kramer, Donald Ray Mitchell, and Randy Jacobs, as well as roughly a couple dozen additional accomplices, from Booker T. Jones to (of course) Kris Kristofferson. Mixing and matching funk, rock, and soul with a little jazz and blues, and enhanced on occasion by some seamlessly incorporated electronics, Boo! delivers robust party material with plenty of straight-faced, sidesplitting/head-scratching humor…precisely what you'd expect from them, then. They've remained ageless all along, balancing their adolescent pranksterism with sharp social observations and deliriously random humor, deploying it all over sturdy grooves that roam unselfconsciously across the history of R&B.

On this album, Was (Not Was) explores various blends of funk, rock, dance and pop styles with delightful results. There is much quirky humour in a song like I Feel Better Than James Brown, an addictive tune with a hypnotic beat that pays tribute to James Brown's masterpiece I Feel Good. The lyrics are just priceless! Unusually for Was (Not Was), they also explore the dark side of life in Maria Novarro, a powerful song with a nervous beat and disturbing lyrics about domestic violence: "In the city of Angels, there's no mercy and there's no tomorrow for Maria Novarro …". Adding to the charms of this multifaceted album is Leonard Cohen who contributes the main vocal on Elvis' Rolls Royce over a jazzy background. The next track Dressed To Be Killed is a jerky rap number with lovely sax infusions, whilst Just Another Couple Broken Hearts is a mellow ballad.

In 1981 and 1982 ZE Records published its own Christmas album under the supervision of Michael Zilkha. All the American artists on ZE answered the call and came up with a Christmas track. Cristina, with the two Was false brothers, went to Detroit to record « Things fall Apart », David & Don Was also recorded « Christmas Time in Motor City » with their band WAS (NOT WAS). August Darnell drew inspiration from New York for his « Christmas in River Side Drive ». Chris Butler composed a piece for his band THE WAITRESSES entitled « Christmas Wrapping », which became their biggest Hit (later covered by SPICE GIRLS).

Why Not Here is not the title of this disc, although from a casual glance it might look like it is so. The device "Why not here" is actually the name of the duo formed by gambists Hille Perl and Friederike Heumann; they are joined on many pieces by lutenists Lee Santana and Michael Freimuth, and the latter pair even have several pieces to themselves. The "lyra viol" is not a special instrument like a viola da braccio, but refers to a specific way of playing the viol, as an instrument capable of harmony and melody rather than melody only, or used in a purely basso context.

It Was the Best of Times is the third live album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in April 1999. The album was recorded in September 1997 at the Royal Albert Hall, London, England, UK during the "It's About Time" tour (set up in support of the Some Things Never Change studio album). The band includes vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Mark Hart performing songs originally sung by Roger Hodgson. Supertramp are also augmented by additional players added for this album and tour which later would also take part in the recording of Slow Motion, the follow-up studio album released in 2002.

Lazy Lester is, without doubt, one of the great blues harpists, whose somewhat lethargic style is distinctive and unique. I'm a Lover Not a Fighter acts as something of a tribute to the Louisiana blues scene of the 1960s, and reflects the growing interest in Louisiana blues that Lester's recordings have initiated. Containing such swamp blues classics as "I Hear You Knockin" and the inimitable title track, this release sees Lester in fine form, ably backed by some of the best musicians in Louisiana. Indeed, although showing further signs of the artist's creative renaissance will appeal to devotees, this disc also acts as a perfect introduction to the artist's work, and to both groups, this disc comes highly recommended.