Cdthèque recommandée & non-recommandée

Cheap Thrills (Re-release Bonus Tracks)- Big Brother & the Holding Company

Psychedelic and blues rock.

Now, obviously, this one benefits heavily from its 3 cover songs ("Summertime," "Piece of my heart" and "Ball and chain") and Janis Joplin's incredible capacity to put her energy in just about everything she did. She really knew how to render covers! Otherwise, the first few notes of "Combination of the two" and its Whoa, whoa, ahh, have got to convince you to listen to the rest. "I need a man to love," "Turtle blues" and "Magic of love (live)" are other great songs. But "Piece of my heart" remains the best pearl in the lot.    Pearl

Chocolate Milk- Charles & Eddie

Neo soul; that is, it's a definitely personal interpretation of soul.

Now, Charles & Eddie had the capacity to put their own imprint on their music! You cannot not love this type of music cos'...everybody loves good soul. That being said, the album is still too long to achieve the level of the duo's best. At least 6 songs are unnecessary. Nevertheless, there's more than enough on the truly good side to satisfy the criteria of any album: "24-7-365" (a cover of John  Farnham), "Keep on smilin'," "Piece of mind," "Jealousy" (a cover of Queen), "Sunshine & happiness" and "Your love."

The Clash (US)- The Clash 
Pure punk rock.

Humm! Have I already mentionned that this is my favourite band, ever?
Out of the 15 songs, only one is a true dingeling: "I'm so bored with the USA" ; at the time Strummer was bored with having so much America in England. Like we care!  And don't expect anything more than garage-sounds and garage-singing from "Garageland". But apart from these, my days! Among the 13 tracks left, 10 are some of their most famous and most played, 2 others are some of their best ("Jail guitar doors," their cover of Lee Perry's "Police & thieves") and "Hate & war" is good when you're doing something else and suddenly go: The Clash again, damn! They kept them coming...  Pearl

Cooleyhighharmony- Boyz II Men

A cappella, hip-hop beats, r'n'b style, soul power.

Pearl

Cosmo's Factory (40th Anniversary Bonus Tracks)- Creedence Clearwater Revival

Typical American rock with its typical country influences.

Had this album been shorter I would have called it a pearl. A few tracks are unnecessary; they don't add anything to the work. In fact, they would have been perfectly well on an album of their own, just a less remarkable one. Strictly musically speaking, they've got nothing lacking but they don't fit easily with the superior quality of "Up around the bend," "Run through the jungle," "Lookin' out my back door," "Long as I can see the light" and "Travelin' band (alternate take)."
Hold on a minute, now that I think of it, Cosmo's Factory is really almost-a-pearl. Really!

Dance This Mess Around: The Best Of- The B-52's

New wave with some post-punk influences...

...and they could have benefited from more of the latter. Upon first hearing, this best of is original, funny, happy; upon second hearing, it already runs the risk of becoming boring. That's because The B-52's tabled a lot on original vocals and hollers and having had to invent with every new song, they stopped creating and resorted to simply covering their own findings; they should have known that there's so much you can invent without having to reinvent yourself. Hence, with time their originality sounds forced. All songs are fairly good, some are great, but by the time you've gone round the best of, they all start sounding the same. No matter, it will be a good car album.  

Debut- Björk

No ! No ! No ! 

When she got made, I’m sure she was told she had a good voice for yelling but she sure shouldn’t attempt to sing. But she did! As if her normal whiny tone wasn’t bad enough, she reaches for the high pitch, as well; does she want us to listen or to mock? “Misunderstood” you’ll tell me, and I’ll answer “No, understood all too clearly; I heard her.” And I sorely regret it. This is another case of an album that broke with the musical customs of its time by doing, well,…rubbish, and was classified cult for that, and only that. And now, we’re just too shy when facing the ‘big’ names of the past to point out those who should really remain of the past. There are only 4 passable songs out of 12: 2 of them mostly because the music takes over her voice, the other 2 because she whispers rather than sings. I mean, the woman can’t sing! She can’t sing and not in a punk ‘I’m-yelling-at-the-world-hear-my-anger-I’ve-got-something-to-say’ sort of way, no! The sounds are mostly bad too, a kind of debilitating electronic music, and the lyrics, my my, amount to love songs, when they don’t simply indulge themselves in ‘my-words-don’t-make-sense-but-everything-is-bullshit-anyway’ songwriting skills. And that’s her debut (second album), as well; I won’t even try to imagine what her following productions sounded like. Nope, my ears won’t take it. 

Devotion (The Gold Edition)- Jessie Ware

An electric soul on a gripping voice.

Musically speaking a concept album, Devotion infuses an intimately urban ambiance which will slip through the cracks of your imagination. Consistent in style and sung with confidence, each song reinforces the impression that Ware is reaching her goal. This is the product of a professional singer-songwriter, stripped-down to the purest rendition, with a lush voice rather than lush vocals and a sound that steadily follows its way. The clever beats merge the electric, pop and soul genres together but are soulful enough to be noticed without taking over. “Imagine us” and “Running [disclosure remix]” are the only tracks which do not blend well her voice and the music, as if Ware and her producers had a sound and just borrowed her voice to fit it; those two pieces feel much more pop and this is clearly not where Ware’s talent shine. By contrast, “Wildest moments” and “Night light” shine so brilliantly that they even won over my mother… Pearl

Duophonic- Charles & Eddie

Neo soul.

Un bijou! Not one song to skip, no fault from start to finish; you can feel the vocal duo is driven and confident. "House is not a home", "N.Y.C.", "Would I lie to you", "December 2" and "Father to son" are some of the best, but it's very difficult to choose a favourite...until you reach that last title, "Shine", which overrides everything. This album is a self-assured, consistent piece of music which knows precisely what it wants and proceeds to deliver. For urban ears in need of comfort, mostly. Pearl

Week 5: The Persuasions- Man, Oh Man

An a cappella band of the 70s, The Persuasions rendered The Impressions’ “Man, Oh Man” beautifully; this is a complete transformation from the original written by Curtis Mayfield, which while good, was nothing particular, either.
This cover showcases the sheer talent of artists who can convey everything they have without any help from instruments. One whistles, another sings the high pitch, a few snap their fingers, and the rest take care of the back-up. Add to that a definite Temptations influence…and you’ve got yourself music! It took me several hearings to realise that there wasn’t any instrument in the song, and that’s saying something!
A deep chorus leads the piece, giving it perhaps a sadder than intended feeling and creating an entrancing tune which got me singing again and again. And again. As sung by The Persuasions, it feels like a church song, bringing out deep thinking without letting you know what you’re meant to reflect on. “Man, Oh Man” puts you into a very nostalgic (that’s intended) 60s mood.
I love, love, this song!

Albums recommandés

Osmium...Plus- Parliament

Funk.

What can come out of the performance of extremely skilled musicians who create a whole thing out of faulty singing? Oh, a rich, luscious, pure pearl of an album! A pillar in black music and one of the greats of musical history. “I call my baby pussycat” will take you on a road from which you won’t get out quite as sane as you were when you came in. You will love things you don’t approve of like the catchy intro discussion to “My automobile” followed by its awful message which would never pass today, yet to which you can’t help but sing along. And you will love the too funny “Little ole country boy,” the disjointed singing on the ballads “Oh Lord,” and “Silent boatman,” the heady sound of “Moonshine Heather,” the hard-rockish “Red hot mama” (on the reissue) and “Funky woman,” the gallop of “Nothing before me but thang,” the rock gospel of “Come in out of the rain” (reissue), the psychedelic influences of the aptly name “Fantasy is reality” (reissue)... And you’ve gotta love lyrics like “I’m free because I’m free of the need to be free” or “my mind is mine and mine my mind will always stay.”
Crazy Clinton, vibrant guitar envolées, screeching bagpipes, yodeling, yelling, high-pitched vocals, lively hollering, everything, and I mean everything, from the playing to the singing, is over-the-top, 200% pure energy. That’s pure music. Makes you remember how talented we are and can be… Pearl

Albums recommandés

Devotion (The Gold Edition)- Jessie Ware

An electric soul on a gripping voice.

Musically speaking a concept album, Devotion infuses an intimately urban ambiance which will slip through the cracks of your imagination. Consistent in style and sung with confidence, each song reinforces the impression that Ware is reaching her goal. This is the product of a professional singer-songwriter, stripped-down to the purest rendition, with a lush voice rather than lush vocals and a sound that steadily follows its way. The clever beats merge the electric, pop and soul genres together but are soulful enough to be noticed without taking over. “Imagine us” and “Running [disclosure remix]” are the only tracks which do not blend well her voice and the music, as if Ware and her producers had a sound and just borrowed her voice to fit it; those two pieces feel much more pop and this is clearly not where Ware’s talent shine. By contrast, “Wildest moments” and “Night light” shine so brilliantly that they even won over my mother… Pearl

Albums recommandés

Nellyville- Nelly

Hip hop.

Don’t look for a social message in here. Just enjoy yourself 'cause you won’t get that many chances in later male hip-hop to get such a mix of catchy sounds rapped over but on which you can actually dance. I didn’t listen to much hip hop at the time so that was one album that always struck me as perfect. Perhaps not the most original or thought-through hip hop work of the early 2000s, that’s precisely where Nellyville finds its power: it achieves lots effortlessly and just sucks you right into the mix. Aside from the obvious “Dilemma”, “Hot in herre”, other pearls include “Dem boyz,” “Oh Nelly,” “Pimp juice,” “Air force ones,” “Splurge,” “On the grind,” “Roc the mix,” and “CG2.” Of the rest, not one faulty piece. No mistake, it’s first and foremost a commercial product, but what a success at that!  Pearl

Funk

Albums recommandés

Tapestry- Carole King

Pop-influenced folk music.

Great when you’re morose or feeling depressed for it’s then that you can really appreciate the quiet talent it forecasts and all that it has to offer. Composed and written by Carole King herself, it loses in the entrancing rhythm that characterised her sharply different work with the 60s girl groups and female singers what it gains in depth. King’s strong vocals tell a personal story, sentimental yet emotionally restraint. She excels less on her own “Will you love me tomorrow” than the Shirelles for whom she and Goffin wrote the song but, as with “(You make me feel like) A natural woman” written for Aretha Franklin, her slow-paced rendition is perhaps more touching. That being said, the album relies solely and heavily on “Where you lead,” “Way over yonder,” “Feel the earth move” and “Smackwater Jack.” The more pop-oriented “It’s too late” and “Out in the cold” (reissue) and the ballad “So far away” are also worth checking. Expect to wallow in self-pity right after.