Chris
07-31-2005, 02:06 PM
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qjz3o.jpg
#1 ]
Grace Jones - Nightclubbing
By all means a phenomenal pop album that hit number nine on the black albums chart and crossed over to penetrate the pop charts at number 32, Nightclubbing saw Grace Jones working once again with reggae kings Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare twisting the knobs. Nightclubbing also continues Jones' tradition of picking excellent songs to reinterpret. This time out, the Police's "Demolition Man," Bill Withers' "Use Me," and Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing" receive radical reinterpretations; "Nightclubbing" is glacial in both tempo and lack of warmth, while both "Use Me" and "Demolition Man" fit perfectly into Jones' lyrical scheme. Speaking of a lyrical scheme, "Pull Up to the Bumper" (number five black singles, number two club play) is so riddled with naughty double entendres — or is it just about parallel parking? — that it renders Musique's "In the Bush" as daring as Paul Anka's "Puppy Love." Drive it in between what, Grace? It's not just lyrics that make the song stick out; jingling spirals of rhythm guitar and a simplistic, squelching, mid-tempo rhythm make the song effective, even without considering Jones' presence. Sly & Robbie provide ideal backdrops for Jones yet again, casting a brisk but not bristly sheen over buoyant structures. Never before and never since has a precisely chipped block of ore been so seductive.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qk285.jpg
#2 ]
Sinéad O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got became Sinéad O'Connor's popular breakthrough on the strength of the stunning Prince cover "Nothing Compares 2 U," which topped the pop charts for a month. But even its remarkable intimacy wasn't adequate preparation for the harrowing confessionals that composed the majority of the album. Informed by her stormy relationship with drummer John Reynolds, who fathered O'Connor's first child before the couple broke up, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got lays the singer's psyche startlingly and sometimes uncomfortably bare. The songs mostly address relationships with parents, children, and (especially) lovers, through which O'Connor weaves a stubborn refusal to be defined by anyone but herself. In fact, the album is almost too personal and cathartic to draw the listener in close, since O'Connor projects such turmoil and offers such specific detail. Her confrontational openness makes it easy to overlook O'Connor's musical versatility. Granted, not all of the music is as brilliantly audacious as "I Am Stretched on Your Grave," which marries a Frank O'Connor poem to eerie Celtic melodies and a James Brown "Funky Drummer" sample. But the album plays like a tour de force in its demonstration of everything O'Connor can do: dramatic orchestral ballads, intimate confessionals, catchy pop/rock, driving guitar rock, and protest folk, not to mention the nearly six-minute a cappella title track. What's consistent throughout is the frighteningly strong emotion O'Connor brings to bear on the material, while remaining sensitive to each piece's individual demands. Aside from being a brilliant album in its own right, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got foreshadowed the rise of deeply introspective female singer/songwriters like Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan, who were more traditionally feminine and connected with a wider audience. Which takes nothing away from anyone; if anything, it's evidence that, when on top of her game, O'Connor was a singular talent.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qk5et.jpg
#3 ]
Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl
Singer/dancer/choreographer Paula Abdul hit the big time with the third single, "Straight Up," off this album, which sparked a string of hits that carried through to her follow-up. Despite having a slight voice, her voice is distinct and perfectly suited to this synthesized type of late-'80s dance-pop. "Cold Hearted" is insistent and catchy, "Forever Your Girl" is sweet and accessible, and "Opposites Attract" gives Abdul a chance to spar with the Wild Pair. There is some filler — "Next to You," for example — that hasn't aged as well as the better material, but overall this is a consistent album with some great dance-pop songs. Unfortunately, as Abdul and her material matured, her audience waned.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qk7lk.jpg
#4 ]
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
Arriving with little fanfare in the spring of 1988, Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album became one of the key records of the Bush era, providing a touchstone for the entire PC movement while reviving the singer/songwriter tradition. And Tracy Chapman is firmly within the classic singer/songwriter tradition, sounding for all the world as if it was recorded in the early '70s — that is, if all you paid attention to were the sonics, since Chapman's songs are clearly a result of the Reagan revolution. Even the love songs and laments are underscored by a realized vision of trickle-down modern life — listen to the lyrical details of "Fast Car" for proof. Chapman's impassioned liberal activism and emotional resonance enlivens her music, breathing life into her songs even when the production is a little bit too clean. Still, the juxtaposition of contemporary themes and classic production precisely is what makes the album distinctive — it brings the traditions into the present. At the time, it revitalized traditional folk ideals of social activism and the like, kick starting the PC revolution in the process, but if those were its only merits, Tracy Chapman would sound dated. The record continues to sound fresh because Chapman's writing is so keenly observed and her strong, gutsy singing makes each song sound intimate and immediate.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qk8py.jpg
#5 ]
The Fugees - The Score
A breath of fresh air in the gangsta-dominated mid-'90s, the Fugees' breakthrough album, The Score, marked the beginning of a resurgence in alternative hip-hop. Its left-field, multi-platinum success proved there was a substantial untapped audience with an appreciation for rap music but little interest in thug life. The Score's eclecticism, social consciousness, and pop smarts drew millions of latent hip-hop listeners back into the fold, showing just how much the music had grown up. It not only catapulted the Fugees into stardom, but also launched the productive solo careers of Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, the latter of whom already ranks as one of the top female MCs of all time based on her work here. Not just a collection of individual talents, the Fugees' three MCs all share a crackling chemistry and a wide-ranging taste in music. Their strong fondness for smooth soul and reggae is underscored by the two hit covers given slight hip-hop makeovers (Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry"). Even when they're not relying on easily recognizable tunes, their original material is powered by a raft of indelible hooks, especially the great "Fu-Gee-La"; there are also touches of blues and gospel, and the recognizable samples range from doo wop to Enya. Their protest tracks are often biting, yet tempered with pathos and humanity, whether they're attacking racial profiling among police ("The Beast"), the insecurity behind violent posturing ("Cowboys"), or the inability of many black people in the Western Hemisphere to trace their familial roots ("Family Business"). Yeah, the Chinese restaurant skit is a little dicey, but on the whole, The Score balances intelligence and accessibility with an easy assurance, and ranks as one of the most distinctive hip-hop albums of its era.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qkaxe.jpg
#6 ]
Carly Simon - Greatest Hits Live
Okay, here's the problem: in 1975, Elektra released The Best of Carly Simon, which compiled her hits from 1971-1975. Simon then scored a couple more big hits for Elektra ("Nobody Does It Better," "You Belong to Me") before leaving the label in 1979, but not enough to justify another compilation. She had another hit on Warners ("Jesse"), where she spent the early '80s, crapped out on Epic, for whom she made one album in 1985, and revived her career on Arista starting with the Top 40 hit "Coming Around Again" in 1986. That means her catalog contained one obsolete best-of, while her other hits were strewn across several labels. The solution? A live album, of course. Except that Simon had developed stage fright. Nevertheless, she was persuaded to do one show at her Martha's Vineyard summer home, which was filmed for the HBO special and home video Carly in Concert: Coming Around Again and taped for this album. The set list contained the most familiar of the early-'70s hits — "You're So Vain," "Anticipation," "The Right Thing to Do" — some of the later ones — "Nobody Does It Better," "You Belong to Me," "Coming Around Again," and some recent material. The material was well performed, and though these of course were re-recordings, the album's gold-selling commercial success confirmed that Simon's fans were looking for a good career retrospective and willing to settle.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qky7a.jpg
#7 ]
Donna Summer - Bad Girls
Bad Girls marked the high-water mark in Donna Summer's career, spending six weeks at Number One, going double platinum, and spinning off four Top 40 singles, including the chart-topping title song and "Hot Stuff," which sold two million copies each, and the million-selling, Number Two hit "Dim All the Lights." Producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte recognized that disco was going in different directions by the late '70s, and they gave the leadoff one-two punch of "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" a rock edge derived from new wave. The two-LP set was divided into four musically consistent sides, with the rocksteady beat of the first side giving way to a more traditional disco sound on the second side, followed by a third side of ballads, and a fourth side with a more electronic, synthesizer-driven sound that recalled Summer's 1977 hit "I Feel Love." Though remembered for its hits, the album had depth and consistency, concluding with "Sunset People," one of Summer's best album-only tracks. The result was the artistic and commercial peak of her career and, arguably, of disco itself.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9ql0eg.jpg
#8 ]
Grace Jones - Warm Leatherette
After her disco period Grace returned with a new and improved image that matched her revolutionary new sound. Her new style was rock in collision with the new wave sound that was happening at the time, and Grace was right at the top of the new beginning, and the result came in 1980 "Warm Leatherette". The album was a big success, every song is a powerhouse and not easily forgotten, many artists has since followed in Grace's footsteps. "Private Life" is a wonderful Jamaican dub rhythm song with such a wonderful performance by Grace she really seems to put her herself into the song. "Love Is The Drug" is also very rock intended the song's running time is 8:41 and it's good the whole song through her vocal is very robotic and wonderful. "Pars" is the one song that stands out from the rest, it's a wonderful Parisian melodic song that shows Jones' vocal abilities. The album just plain rocks, Grace's attitude is rocking and her band is stunning. Its very easy to put Grace off your limit of music style, but what even the most cynical reviewer can't deny is the sound of this record. Compelling as ever, listen to her hot rendition of "Warm Leatherette" and her vocally challenged growl of "B****". Grace also shows a more melodramatic side of her on "Breakdown" where she displays her amazing vocal capability. She also masters the ability of total BS'eing on "A Rolling Stone" where she stops at nothing. On "B*****" she practically warns everyone who gets in her way "Get out of my face or I'll beat you down" and she will.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9ql3c1.jpg
#9 ]
Enya - Watermark
Thanks to its distinct, downright catchy single "Orinoco Flow," which amusingly referenced both her record company boss Rob Dickins and co-producer Ross Cullum in the lyrics, Enya's second album Watermark established her as the unexpected queen of gentle, Celtic-tinged new age music. To be sure, her success was as much due to marketing a niche audience in later years equally in love with Yanni and Michael Flatley's Irish dancing, but Enya's rarely given a sense of pandering in her work. She does what she does, just as she did before her fame. Admittedly, avoiding overblown concerts run constantly on PBS hasn't hurt. Indeed, the subtlety that characterizes her work at her best dominates Watermark, with the lovely title track, her multi-tracked voice gently swooping among the lead piano, and strings like a softly haunting ghost, as fine an example as any. "Orinoco Flow" itself, for all its implicit dramatics, gently charges instead of piling things on, while the organ-led "On Your Shore" feels like a hushed church piece. Elsewhere, meanwhile, Enya lets in a darkness not overly present on The Celts, resulting in work even more appropriate for a moody soundtrack than that album. "Cursum Perficio," with her steady chanting-via-overdub of the title phrase, gets more sweeping and passionate as the song progresses, matched in slightly calmer results with the equally compelling "The Longships." "Storms in Africa," meanwhile, uses drums from Chris Hughes to add to the understated, evocative fire of the song, which certainly lives up to its name. Watermark ends with a fascinating piece, "Na Laetha Geal M'Oige," where fellow Irish modern/traditional fusion artist Davy Spillane adds a gripping, heartbreaking uilleann pipe solo to the otherwise calm synth-based performance. It's a perfect combination of timelessness and technology, an appropriate end to this fine album.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9ql44j.jpg
#10 ]
4 Non Blondes - Bigger, Better, Faster, More?
San Francisco's 4 Non Blondes burst onto the national scene with their massive, neo-hippie anthem "What's Up" from their debut Bigger, Better, Faster, More? Although they failed to recreate the single's success, the album, as a whole, is a fairly engaging mix of alternative rock, quasi-funk, and blues. The focal point is on lead singer Linda Perry who also plays guitar and was the primary writer of the material. Perry has a powerful set of pipes akin to Johnette Napolitano, but, unfortunately, she tends to cut loose when a little more restraint would benefit the proceedings. However, "Superfly" is a feel good, funky number and "Spaceman"'s yearning lyrics are delivered over a quiet, martial drum rhythm. A solid debut that got lost in the wake of its mammoth hit.
What's your top Ten?
#1 ]
Grace Jones - Nightclubbing
By all means a phenomenal pop album that hit number nine on the black albums chart and crossed over to penetrate the pop charts at number 32, Nightclubbing saw Grace Jones working once again with reggae kings Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare twisting the knobs. Nightclubbing also continues Jones' tradition of picking excellent songs to reinterpret. This time out, the Police's "Demolition Man," Bill Withers' "Use Me," and Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing" receive radical reinterpretations; "Nightclubbing" is glacial in both tempo and lack of warmth, while both "Use Me" and "Demolition Man" fit perfectly into Jones' lyrical scheme. Speaking of a lyrical scheme, "Pull Up to the Bumper" (number five black singles, number two club play) is so riddled with naughty double entendres — or is it just about parallel parking? — that it renders Musique's "In the Bush" as daring as Paul Anka's "Puppy Love." Drive it in between what, Grace? It's not just lyrics that make the song stick out; jingling spirals of rhythm guitar and a simplistic, squelching, mid-tempo rhythm make the song effective, even without considering Jones' presence. Sly & Robbie provide ideal backdrops for Jones yet again, casting a brisk but not bristly sheen over buoyant structures. Never before and never since has a precisely chipped block of ore been so seductive.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qk285.jpg
#2 ]
Sinéad O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got became Sinéad O'Connor's popular breakthrough on the strength of the stunning Prince cover "Nothing Compares 2 U," which topped the pop charts for a month. But even its remarkable intimacy wasn't adequate preparation for the harrowing confessionals that composed the majority of the album. Informed by her stormy relationship with drummer John Reynolds, who fathered O'Connor's first child before the couple broke up, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got lays the singer's psyche startlingly and sometimes uncomfortably bare. The songs mostly address relationships with parents, children, and (especially) lovers, through which O'Connor weaves a stubborn refusal to be defined by anyone but herself. In fact, the album is almost too personal and cathartic to draw the listener in close, since O'Connor projects such turmoil and offers such specific detail. Her confrontational openness makes it easy to overlook O'Connor's musical versatility. Granted, not all of the music is as brilliantly audacious as "I Am Stretched on Your Grave," which marries a Frank O'Connor poem to eerie Celtic melodies and a James Brown "Funky Drummer" sample. But the album plays like a tour de force in its demonstration of everything O'Connor can do: dramatic orchestral ballads, intimate confessionals, catchy pop/rock, driving guitar rock, and protest folk, not to mention the nearly six-minute a cappella title track. What's consistent throughout is the frighteningly strong emotion O'Connor brings to bear on the material, while remaining sensitive to each piece's individual demands. Aside from being a brilliant album in its own right, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got foreshadowed the rise of deeply introspective female singer/songwriters like Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan, who were more traditionally feminine and connected with a wider audience. Which takes nothing away from anyone; if anything, it's evidence that, when on top of her game, O'Connor was a singular talent.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qk5et.jpg
#3 ]
Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl
Singer/dancer/choreographer Paula Abdul hit the big time with the third single, "Straight Up," off this album, which sparked a string of hits that carried through to her follow-up. Despite having a slight voice, her voice is distinct and perfectly suited to this synthesized type of late-'80s dance-pop. "Cold Hearted" is insistent and catchy, "Forever Your Girl" is sweet and accessible, and "Opposites Attract" gives Abdul a chance to spar with the Wild Pair. There is some filler — "Next to You," for example — that hasn't aged as well as the better material, but overall this is a consistent album with some great dance-pop songs. Unfortunately, as Abdul and her material matured, her audience waned.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qk7lk.jpg
#4 ]
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
Arriving with little fanfare in the spring of 1988, Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album became one of the key records of the Bush era, providing a touchstone for the entire PC movement while reviving the singer/songwriter tradition. And Tracy Chapman is firmly within the classic singer/songwriter tradition, sounding for all the world as if it was recorded in the early '70s — that is, if all you paid attention to were the sonics, since Chapman's songs are clearly a result of the Reagan revolution. Even the love songs and laments are underscored by a realized vision of trickle-down modern life — listen to the lyrical details of "Fast Car" for proof. Chapman's impassioned liberal activism and emotional resonance enlivens her music, breathing life into her songs even when the production is a little bit too clean. Still, the juxtaposition of contemporary themes and classic production precisely is what makes the album distinctive — it brings the traditions into the present. At the time, it revitalized traditional folk ideals of social activism and the like, kick starting the PC revolution in the process, but if those were its only merits, Tracy Chapman would sound dated. The record continues to sound fresh because Chapman's writing is so keenly observed and her strong, gutsy singing makes each song sound intimate and immediate.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qk8py.jpg
#5 ]
The Fugees - The Score
A breath of fresh air in the gangsta-dominated mid-'90s, the Fugees' breakthrough album, The Score, marked the beginning of a resurgence in alternative hip-hop. Its left-field, multi-platinum success proved there was a substantial untapped audience with an appreciation for rap music but little interest in thug life. The Score's eclecticism, social consciousness, and pop smarts drew millions of latent hip-hop listeners back into the fold, showing just how much the music had grown up. It not only catapulted the Fugees into stardom, but also launched the productive solo careers of Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, the latter of whom already ranks as one of the top female MCs of all time based on her work here. Not just a collection of individual talents, the Fugees' three MCs all share a crackling chemistry and a wide-ranging taste in music. Their strong fondness for smooth soul and reggae is underscored by the two hit covers given slight hip-hop makeovers (Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry"). Even when they're not relying on easily recognizable tunes, their original material is powered by a raft of indelible hooks, especially the great "Fu-Gee-La"; there are also touches of blues and gospel, and the recognizable samples range from doo wop to Enya. Their protest tracks are often biting, yet tempered with pathos and humanity, whether they're attacking racial profiling among police ("The Beast"), the insecurity behind violent posturing ("Cowboys"), or the inability of many black people in the Western Hemisphere to trace their familial roots ("Family Business"). Yeah, the Chinese restaurant skit is a little dicey, but on the whole, The Score balances intelligence and accessibility with an easy assurance, and ranks as one of the most distinctive hip-hop albums of its era.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qkaxe.jpg
#6 ]
Carly Simon - Greatest Hits Live
Okay, here's the problem: in 1975, Elektra released The Best of Carly Simon, which compiled her hits from 1971-1975. Simon then scored a couple more big hits for Elektra ("Nobody Does It Better," "You Belong to Me") before leaving the label in 1979, but not enough to justify another compilation. She had another hit on Warners ("Jesse"), where she spent the early '80s, crapped out on Epic, for whom she made one album in 1985, and revived her career on Arista starting with the Top 40 hit "Coming Around Again" in 1986. That means her catalog contained one obsolete best-of, while her other hits were strewn across several labels. The solution? A live album, of course. Except that Simon had developed stage fright. Nevertheless, she was persuaded to do one show at her Martha's Vineyard summer home, which was filmed for the HBO special and home video Carly in Concert: Coming Around Again and taped for this album. The set list contained the most familiar of the early-'70s hits — "You're So Vain," "Anticipation," "The Right Thing to Do" — some of the later ones — "Nobody Does It Better," "You Belong to Me," "Coming Around Again," and some recent material. The material was well performed, and though these of course were re-recordings, the album's gold-selling commercial success confirmed that Simon's fans were looking for a good career retrospective and willing to settle.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9qky7a.jpg
#7 ]
Donna Summer - Bad Girls
Bad Girls marked the high-water mark in Donna Summer's career, spending six weeks at Number One, going double platinum, and spinning off four Top 40 singles, including the chart-topping title song and "Hot Stuff," which sold two million copies each, and the million-selling, Number Two hit "Dim All the Lights." Producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte recognized that disco was going in different directions by the late '70s, and they gave the leadoff one-two punch of "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" a rock edge derived from new wave. The two-LP set was divided into four musically consistent sides, with the rocksteady beat of the first side giving way to a more traditional disco sound on the second side, followed by a third side of ballads, and a fourth side with a more electronic, synthesizer-driven sound that recalled Summer's 1977 hit "I Feel Love." Though remembered for its hits, the album had depth and consistency, concluding with "Sunset People," one of Summer's best album-only tracks. The result was the artistic and commercial peak of her career and, arguably, of disco itself.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9ql0eg.jpg
#8 ]
Grace Jones - Warm Leatherette
After her disco period Grace returned with a new and improved image that matched her revolutionary new sound. Her new style was rock in collision with the new wave sound that was happening at the time, and Grace was right at the top of the new beginning, and the result came in 1980 "Warm Leatherette". The album was a big success, every song is a powerhouse and not easily forgotten, many artists has since followed in Grace's footsteps. "Private Life" is a wonderful Jamaican dub rhythm song with such a wonderful performance by Grace she really seems to put her herself into the song. "Love Is The Drug" is also very rock intended the song's running time is 8:41 and it's good the whole song through her vocal is very robotic and wonderful. "Pars" is the one song that stands out from the rest, it's a wonderful Parisian melodic song that shows Jones' vocal abilities. The album just plain rocks, Grace's attitude is rocking and her band is stunning. Its very easy to put Grace off your limit of music style, but what even the most cynical reviewer can't deny is the sound of this record. Compelling as ever, listen to her hot rendition of "Warm Leatherette" and her vocally challenged growl of "B****". Grace also shows a more melodramatic side of her on "Breakdown" where she displays her amazing vocal capability. She also masters the ability of total BS'eing on "A Rolling Stone" where she stops at nothing. On "B*****" she practically warns everyone who gets in her way "Get out of my face or I'll beat you down" and she will.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9ql3c1.jpg
#9 ]
Enya - Watermark
Thanks to its distinct, downright catchy single "Orinoco Flow," which amusingly referenced both her record company boss Rob Dickins and co-producer Ross Cullum in the lyrics, Enya's second album Watermark established her as the unexpected queen of gentle, Celtic-tinged new age music. To be sure, her success was as much due to marketing a niche audience in later years equally in love with Yanni and Michael Flatley's Irish dancing, but Enya's rarely given a sense of pandering in her work. She does what she does, just as she did before her fame. Admittedly, avoiding overblown concerts run constantly on PBS hasn't hurt. Indeed, the subtlety that characterizes her work at her best dominates Watermark, with the lovely title track, her multi-tracked voice gently swooping among the lead piano, and strings like a softly haunting ghost, as fine an example as any. "Orinoco Flow" itself, for all its implicit dramatics, gently charges instead of piling things on, while the organ-led "On Your Shore" feels like a hushed church piece. Elsewhere, meanwhile, Enya lets in a darkness not overly present on The Celts, resulting in work even more appropriate for a moody soundtrack than that album. "Cursum Perficio," with her steady chanting-via-overdub of the title phrase, gets more sweeping and passionate as the song progresses, matched in slightly calmer results with the equally compelling "The Longships." "Storms in Africa," meanwhile, uses drums from Chris Hughes to add to the understated, evocative fire of the song, which certainly lives up to its name. Watermark ends with a fascinating piece, "Na Laetha Geal M'Oige," where fellow Irish modern/traditional fusion artist Davy Spillane adds a gripping, heartbreaking uilleann pipe solo to the otherwise calm synth-based performance. It's a perfect combination of timelessness and technology, an appropriate end to this fine album.
http://:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/9ql44j.jpg
#10 ]
4 Non Blondes - Bigger, Better, Faster, More?
San Francisco's 4 Non Blondes burst onto the national scene with their massive, neo-hippie anthem "What's Up" from their debut Bigger, Better, Faster, More? Although they failed to recreate the single's success, the album, as a whole, is a fairly engaging mix of alternative rock, quasi-funk, and blues. The focal point is on lead singer Linda Perry who also plays guitar and was the primary writer of the material. Perry has a powerful set of pipes akin to Johnette Napolitano, but, unfortunately, she tends to cut loose when a little more restraint would benefit the proceedings. However, "Superfly" is a feel good, funky number and "Spaceman"'s yearning lyrics are delivered over a quiet, martial drum rhythm. A solid debut that got lost in the wake of its mammoth hit.
What's your top Ten?