Drake is the cause of more internal conflict for me than he should be. I initially found him quite charming, and still do from time to time. But there’s a level of posturing that occurs with just about every hip-hop artist that goes from nothing to something, and it’s particularly grating coming from Drake. I… Read More “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake feat. Majid Jordan (2013)
Adele’s 21 album surpassed expectations to become a monster hit, the type of big-selling album that most people thought wasn’t possible in the 2010s (and seriously, probably won’t happen again). I’m pretty sure that Adele’s record company (and maybe not Adele herself, since she seems so blase about her success and that’s actually kind of… Read More “Hello” by Adele (2015)/”Hello” by Joe (2015)
The divide between fans of Weezer’s early power-pop and folks who enjoy their more recent pop-centric escapades is so severe that it inspired a Saturday Night Live sketch. While I do think that there was a period a decade or so ago when Rivers Cuomo seemed a bit bereft of ideas (Hurley, Raditude), the band… Read More “Happy Hour” by Weezer (2017)
Here’s another “out of order” entry. I needed to sit with this song for a while to determine whether I was gonna fall out of love with it or not. As someone who has made-and published-best of lists for probably twenty years now, I know that a song or album I am immediately enraptured by… Read More “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Backstreet Boys (2018)
Yes, “Glory” is a traditional hymn. I’m sure it has been sung numerous times by singers renowned and unknown. I know it is most commonly associated with opera diva Kathleen Battle. However, the only version I care to know (and which I discovered almost by accident) was recorded by pop ‘n b singer JoJo in… Read More “Glory” by JoJo (2014)
Crowded House disbanded in the mid Nineties, after recording four excellent albums. It was presumed that any chance of a reunion disappeared with the death of drummer Paul Hester in 2005, but the New Zealanders returned just two years later with album #5, Time On Earth. Shortly after that, they released their sixth (and to… Read More “Either Side Of The World” by Crowded House (2010)
California is known for many things. Hollywood. Smog. Bad traffic. People who wore jheri curls about ten years past their sell-by date. Me? Not so much a fan of the state beyond great Mexican food, Amoeba Records and legal weed. Oh, and the music. Beck Hansen was born in Los Angeles, and the most popular… Read More “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac (1977)/”Dreams” by Beck (2015)
You can be a technically great emcee (or singer, or musician) and still miss the mark when it comes to making great records. Production matters. Why did Canibus never blow up? Why have Talib Kweli’s records (particularly in the last decade or so) been wildly inconsistent? Why have Rakim’s solo albums been disappointing? Because you… Read More “DNA” by Kendrick Lamar (2017)
British singer/songwriter Jamie Woon initially gained attention for his 2011 album Mirrorwriting. I discovered him via a recommendation on Twitter, and fell in love immediately. I was unaware that he’d recorded a follow-up until months after its release. 2015′s Making Time is quite a bit different from its predecessor. Woon’s soulful voice is the same,… Read More “Dedication” by Jamie Woon (2015)
“Dear God” was originally a track by Monsters of Folk, a supergroup consisting of Conor Oberst, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, M. Ward and others. The beautiful falsetto harmonies in the chorus give the song wings. Lyrically, “Dear God” is a meditation on how difficult it can be to have faith when things seem to be… Read More “Dear God 2.0″ by The Roots (2010)
Five Star Jamz 