A few weeks' worth of iTunes Purchases


I let it get a bit out of control and haven't been keeping up!

Sorry I haven't posted any purchases and reviews lately. Life is hectic.

Of course, now I have about a dozen things to review, so that doesn't feel too good. Let's dive in:

Albums:

Tom Waits - The Asylum Years
I've always liked Tom Waits in a "he's quirky and dark, like Lou Reed" kinda way. But I only have an album or two, nothing comprehensive. So I purchased this 14-track compilation from his recordings at Asylum to get a bit of a career highlight reel. What is surprising on this album are the songs where Waits sings it a bit cleaner and straighter than a lot of his more growly stuff. I've loved Shawn Colvin's version of Heart of Saturday Night for a long time, and Waits' version is equally beautiful...almost sweet, certainly rueful. And many of the songs are, in fact, rueful and ruminative with lovely old school instrumentation...the slightly tinny sound of an upright piano, the scratchy moan of a fiddle, the deep rumblings of a string bass. This album is evocative and melancholy and hearing him singsuch songs, his own and a surprising cover such as Somewhere from West Side Story, will win you over.

The Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack
I loved this movie, and particularly appreciated that the soundtrack was not one constant bombastic additional member of the cast! So it stands to reason that I prefer the more contemplative pieces to listen to, over the battle-oriented pieces. Even the "pop" songs featured in the end credits fit in nicely and don't evoke eye-rolls. I also appreciate their artist selection, including Tim Finn, Alanis Morissette and Imogen Heap...not a bad group!

Betty LaVette-I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
I heard about this album from so many different kinds of sources that I had to check it out. OK, while I'm prone to want to hate any album that makes me feel like saying "you go, girl", pathetic white girl that I am, this Bettye LaVette is the real deal. This woman goes after the work of contemporary female artists with a ferocious passion and plumbs what must be the deep well of her soul to give songs that were already good great new readings. The most talked-about cover is of Fiona Apple's Sleep to Dream. The song, a young girl's first encounter with heartbreak in Apple's own hands, becomes a song about a woman finally finding her independence in LaVette's powerful, but world-weary, performance. This is not neo-soul, whatever that means. This is soul, plain and simple.

Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers
I love Beth Orton. Her vocal delivery could almost be called laconic, but I prefer hypnotic. And sometimes she is so pure, yet ever-so-slightly careworn. If you are not familiar with her you just need to get so. I'm not going to wax poetic. I'm just going to tell you to stock up on your Beth Orton.

The Corrs - Home
I'm a sucker for celtic pop. I just am. I love the sound of of pipes, and a fiddle, and a nice lilting melody. The Corrs are very very pretty people who make very very pretty music. They tackle some classic traditional tunes on this album, including two of my favorites: Black is the Colour of my True Love's Hair and My Lagan Love. And despite having heard numerous versions of each, the Corrs do manage to provide their own take, and to make the songs their own. They also do covers of more modern tunes, such as Heart Like a Wheel and a personal fave, Dimming of the Day. I would say there's only one real clunker on the album, the mindlessly perky Old Town.

Train - For Me It's You
Train is a band that seemed absolutely destined for one-hit-wonderdom, but somehow has managed to put out albums that continue to sell and feature at least one hit that becomes a pop anthem. I think it has something to do with their laid back style, especially of the lead singer. They manage to seem like the scrappy band that could, even now that they've had three hit albums already under their belt. And they are a great live band...again because they display a refreshing sense of humor and humility. At first listen I'm not finding any addictive single on For Me It's You, not like Meet Virginia or Drops of Jupiter are. But it's all really pleasant and well-crafted and well-produced. And I have no doubt that if I listen to it a few more times, it will grow on my like my favorite sweatshirt that I throw on when I get home at the end of a long day.

James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
James Blunt is an "it" boy of the moment. It is nice emo-boy music, that's for sure. Not sure I'm getting all the hoopla, to be honest. His voice is a little thin. I mean I like it fine, it's very similar to the guy in Five for Fighting, but perhaps a tad tremulous. He's got the romantic depression mood down pat, and I'm a sucker for morose pop music. Just not thinking he's the second coming of anything quite yet. Like Train's new one, this may also be the sort of album that requires multiple listenings for it to really insidiously bore its way into your brain.

EPs:

Elizabethtown - Songs for the Ride Home
A 4-song set of songs that didn't make it on the Elizabethtown soundtrack. It features Ryan Adams sounding a little too much like Neil Young for my taste. Rachel Yamagata, who is the "it" girl for many a confessional, dark folkie-lover out there, Nancy Wilson from Heart (who you must know, of course, is Cameron Crowe's wife) with a brief musical interlude, and the real reason to buy this EP...Patty Griffin singing Moon River. It's pretty simple and just a pretty little take on it, but you know, that can be enough.

Michael Stipe - In the Sun
This charity EP is 6 versions of this song, with friends such as Chris Martin from Coldplay. Well, it's for a good cause. Seriously, the song is fine, nice, and Stipe and Martin do sound really quite good together. Of course being me, I prefer the slower more morose remixes of the song to the kinda peppy, strummy upbeat versions.

Singles:

Si*Se - More Shine
This is a cool, sexy, smooth single, reminding me of Everything But the Girl. Or an artist from a few years back that seems to have disappeared, Anguun. Inspires me to listen to a few more 30-second clips to consider buying the album.

The Magic Numbers - Love Me Like You
The harmless epitome of "pop" music. Reminds me a bit of Style Council or Prefab Sprout, but not nearly as cathartically exuberant as the former, nor as creatively emo-before-emo-existed as the latter. Does not inspire me to buy the album.

Zack Hexum - How Many Times
A bit like Ben Taylor, featuring a smooth James Taylor-esque voice over a slightly more edgy sound. Nice enough, but given the various very similar artists I have in my collection I'm not feeling too compelled to check out more.

Wow. That was a marathon. Hope I've inspired you to go BUY some music :)

Posted: Thu - February 9, 2006 at 10:08 AM       EmailFeedback

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