| February 2002 My Picks
New Artist of the Year: Sarah Pierce, Birdman. My other choice as album of the year. This is a great album, one you should definitely listen to at least once before you shuffle off this mortal coil. Pierce demonstrates a superb talent for both songwriting and singing. And Birdman offers both, as well as giving me hope as to a long, productive career for Pierce. And if her song "Marjorie" doesn’t captivate you, well, I hold out little hope for your musical soul. I never travel without it. Reissue of the Year: Thelonious Monk, The Complete Prestige Recordings. What can you say about Monk that hasn’t already been said? Nothing. So what better way to bring him back to the forefront of jazz consciousness than to reissue some of his more neglected works. While not as famous as either the Blue Note recordings that preceded them or the Riversides that followed, the albums that he recorded for Prestige (with the assistance of some of the top jazzmen of his day) offer new insights into this true musical genius. This set is a must-own for any jazz fan, and a should-own for the rest of you. Label Deserving Of Better Attention: Blue Note Records Rudy Van Gelder Reissue Series. Blue Note deserves a lot of credit for this one. I mean, who better to remaster all these classic titles than the very man who recorded them to begin with? We always have the complaint about reissues that they’re done without the artists' input. Here, Blue Note gets past that problem by using the one man who was involved in almost all these recordings. And unlike BN's highly acclaimed Connoisseur Series, these are titles people have actually wanted for years. And when you consider the prices of used mint-condition Blue Note vinyl these days, it sure is good to have access to this music again, with such good sound, at such reasonable cost. Bravo.
Jazz Album of the Year: Andy McCloud, Blues for Bighead. Mapleshade Records has a history of releasing superb jazz with even better sound, and Blues for Bighead lives up to (and even surpasses) those expectations. McCloud is both a talented bassist and a wonderful songwriter. Supported by Robin Ford and Steve Nelson, McCloud lays down a set of music that will have you on the phone with Pierre Sprey (Mapleshade’s founder), begging him to record McCloud again and again. This album is so good, both in terms of sound and music, that it’s become a part of my equipment-evaluation list. Blues Album of the Year: John Hammond, Wicked Grin. Hammond has been singing the blues for over 30 years. But until he teamed up with Tom Waits and recorded Wicked Grin, he’d never received the attention he so justly deserved. Taking Waits’ own songs, Hammond demonstrates his enormous talent, leaving behind any thought that he could/would only sing the old, original blues tunes. There is a feeling of despair here that captivates from the very first notes. Listen and get an idea of what the blues really are all about.
The Dinosaur Circuit Strikes Again: (Tie) Bob Dylan, Love And Theft and Pink Floyd, Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd. Who would have thought it? Bob Dylan, still a vital force on today’s music scene. And, oh my, how that boy can sing the blues. This is his strongest album since Blood On the Tracks (but not, however, its equal). Listening to this album makes me wonder what we could have had all along, if only Dylan had looked back and taken stock of his strengths earlier. Oh well, better late than never. As for the Floyd, well, if you have even the smallest inkling of fondness for this band, then this is the set to own: a 24-bit remastering (by Doug Sax) of their best songs from 1968 to now, as selected by the members of Pink Floyd themselves. How does it get any better? Biggest Disappointment of the Year: Keb’ Mo’, Big Wide Grin. Blah. This is by far the worst album Keb Mo’ has released. Not only is it an almost complete departure from the blues, but it panders shamelessly towards the pop audience (and, one supposes, the $$$ that goes with them). Come on, you can do so much better. Avoid this one at all costs. Best Live Album of the Year: Jimmy Buffett, Tuesday’s, Thursday’s and Saturdays. If you’ve ever wondered what all the fuss about a Buffett concert was all about, this album will set you straight. And if you’re already a Parrot Head, then it will bring back all those glorious memories of evenings past. If I had to use just one word to sum this album up, it would be fun. OK, two words -- real fun. Buy it, play it, and bingo, it's summer anytime you want.
Boxed Set of the Year: Mosaic Records, The Complete Miles Davis/John Coltrane Columbia Recordings. The music that makes up this box set, whether in the vinyl version that I own or Sony’s CD facsimile, is some of the best known in jazz. Two geniuses are paired together, given free rein, and well recorded. One can’t ask for more. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one, and you should be too. The fact that Mosaic’s limited-edition vinyl box hasn’t sold out yet makes me despair for the high-end, and has probably contributed to Mosaic giving up on pressing any new vinyl sets. What a sad commentary on our hobby. Vinyl Album of the Year: Classic Records, Crosby, Stills and Nash. A true classic (no pun intended) in every sense of the word. This is, in many people's consideration, including mine, the best album CS&N ever recorded. Almost every song will stir memories (unless this is your first listen; then it will create new ones). And when you add in the attention Classic has paid to both the vinyl (180 grams of dead quiet) and the packaging, you get the vinyl buy of the year. What, Hollywood Isn’t Enough?: Billy Bob Thornton, Private Radio. Isn’t amazing how many movie stars want to be musicians too. I guess some folk can’t get enough fame. But it’s surprising when one of those benighted souls actually produces something worth listening to. And that’s just what Billy Bob did when he recorded Private Radio. It helps when you’ve played before, and Thornton has, so this isn’t quite the stretch it might seem. Blues, country, folk, and rock -- you can find it all here, most of it quite good. Writer's Choice: Delbert McClinton, Nothing Personal. DM is Don Imus’s favorite singer, and once you listen to this album, he may become one of yours too. Why this man isn’t better known is a mystery for the ages. But it’s not too late to discover a true American talent. McClinton mixes blues, country and rock into an album that will have you swinging and singing along well into the evening. Great music. Well, there you have them -- my choices. Agree, disagree, just don’t ignore them. All of them will reward you with long-term pleasure. All are recorded with at the very least acceptable sound, some of it exceptional. And if you’ve got any suggestions for me, let me know, and I’ll pass them along. I’m always open to new musical directions. ...John Crossett GO BACK TO: |
Well, it’s
that time of year again. (All right, all right, so I’m a month late. What do you
want? This is a bi-monthly column.) It’s time for me to give you my own picks, in
various categories, for album of the year. Some of these choices will be discs I’ve
formally reviewed here at SoundStage!. Many will be albums that I’ve found
to be special, reviewed or not. There will be the usual categories, as well as some that
you’ll find (hopefully) unique. There will be commentary on all selections, but not
in the formal review sense. And there will also be choices from albums not necessarily
released in 2001 (if I bought an album during this past year, it counts -- after all, this
is my column). Most of these selections will be of the CD variety, except where
noted.
Album of the Year: John Haitt, The
Tiki Bar Is Open. There were soooo many choices, but this disc tops my list. Some of
my other choices are listed in the categories below, but it doesn’t hurt that I
really like most of Haitt’s work. This recording continues his tradition of strong,
well-thought-out songs, and helps to cement Hiatt's position as our pre-eminent
singer/songwriter. Reunited with The Goners, his backup band from Bring the Family,
Haitt is once again in his element, singing of life, love (of both the lost and kept
varieties), and heartache. Just a wonderful album.
Classical Album of the Year: Telarc,
Scheherazade. One of the all-time great symphonic works ever written. It conjures
up visions of fantasy that stir the heart every time. Robert Spano and the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra give, if not quite the definitive performance, a very well-thought-out
one. Once you get past the first movement (which is played too slowly for my tastes), it
becomes the equal of anything other than the Reiner. And the sound is Telarc DSD. Enough
said.
Rock Album of the Year: Prefab
Sprout, The Collection. This was a surprise. I’d never heard of this group
before listening to this two-CD set. But it didn’t take long before I was hooked on
their unique perspective. They write and perform pop/rock the way it should have been done
all along. With echoes of Talking Heads and early Genesis (but without ever becoming
clones of either), Prefab Sprout carves out a place that, only now, is becoming larger and
larger.
Tribute Album of the Year: Telarc, Rollin’
Into Memphis: Songs of John Haitt. I told you there were other albums that I could
easily have chosen for album of the year, and this is another. Haitt is fast becoming one
of our best singer/songwriters. Telarc was smart enough to realize this, and brought
together a group of real blues musicians (and not just a bunch of big names) to show just
how diverse Haitt’s songwriting talents really are. From the burning Zydeco of C.J.
Chenier, to the plaintive gospel call of Odetta, to the rollicking fun Kris Wiley and
James Cotton, this disc will never stray too far from your CD player.