Listen Up (New Music Tuesday)

Pork here with this week's new music.

It’s October 21st, 2008! That means one thing to me: Labelle! The legendary and inimitable trio reforms and returns after a 32 year absence with Back To Now, a (near) brilliant return to form. No one will ever move me like Patti LaBelle can, and it’s an edgy breath of fresh air to see her reunited with Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash and a relief to see that in these times of chasing trends, Labelle can make you come to them instead of the other way around.

That being said . . . for those of you who may have heard the massively unfortunate first single “Roll Out” (produced by Wyclef Jean) . . . don’t be afraid! This desperate attempt at modernizing Labelle’s sound is both unnecessary and undesirable. It is also as out of place on this very album as it is in Labelle’s discography. Of the various producers (including Lenny Kravitz and the classic songwriting/producing team, Gamble & Huff) Wyclef is the only one silly enough to make such a misstep with his complete disregard for who he was producing. Only a fool would put the most powerful voice (ever) in soul music through a vocoder! SHAME ON YOU, WYCLEF! PatTi-Pain? How dare you! It should be taken off the future pressings it’s so offensive. (Mind you, I used to have nothing but love for Wyclef Jean and I have entertained many of his questionable moves into “experimental” hip hop graciously. “Roll Out” is insulting.) Signs of true life are visible all over the rest of the album. Labelle truly is “re-ignited” (as Ms. Hendryx likes to call it) and by the end of the first chorus of the first song, “Candlelight,” Labelle smoothly creeps right back under your skin and into your soul promising “if you leave out your candle light, I’ll be comin’ for you tonight.” Only Labelle could deliver such a romantic line and yet somehow also hint that you’d better be careful what you wish for. Their unmistakable vocals and harmonies are on full display in this sexy-funky slow jam that Ms. Hendryx actually began penning back in the day.

Lenny Kravitz does what Wyclef couldn’t on “System” and deep inside I knew that’d be the case. Who’s going to do retro-rock-and-soul better than King Kravitz?

The re-ignited energy sparks and flows through the bulk of Back To Now and is capped off by a vintage, live recording of “Miss Otis Regrets.” Some say the recording is from 1969 and some say 1970 . . . either way, it’s a very rare, aural glimpse into a truly different time.

You haven’t and won’t hear another album like this in 2008 or anytime soon. It’s true soul . . . with guitars . . . that will make you listen . . . and feel. Read the full Labelle review. . . .

Back To Now has me happily submerged in a 70’s vibe, and that was around the time I began my music collection . . . with 8-tracks. One of my very first was Kiss’ Double Platinum 8-track. It just about literally rocked my world, and today they are releasing a 4-CD box set called IKONS. Each disc highlights a different band member and their musical contributions over the years. How can you give Peter Criss his own CD, you might be wondering? Well, that’s where you’ll find “Beth” which was on my Double Platinum 8-track and always showed me that it was okay to rock hard and soft and love hard and soft.

Over on the other side of town, James Taylor, known as much for his sincere songcraft as his tender delivery, has taken on a project of covers. Usually one for an acoustic and retrospective moment, Covers is surprisingly upbeat, yet bluesy and almost bouncy in a country kinda way. The collection is made of up songs he has been performing live in his concerts over the years, but has never recorded . . . until now. Fans have been clamoring for this type or record from James for years and now’s their chance to hear their hero roll out his favorites by John Anderson, The Temptations, George Jones, Keith Urban, The Drifters, Glen Campbell, Buddy Holly, The Dixie Chicks, Leonard Cohen, and Eddie Cochran.

Of the project, James says “I've done covers of other people's songs since the beginning. Looking over the various collections of my tunes a fair-sized portion of my "hits" have been covers: ‘You've Got a Friend,’ ‘How Sweet It Is,’ ‘Up On the Roof,’ ‘Handyman’ . . . so this is not uncharted water for me. I've always thought that writing an original song and reinterpreting someone else's were similar processes; just as making music is a lot like listening to it.

What has been so memorable about this album were the sessions themselves: ten days in deep January in a converted barn in the woods of Western Massachusetts. It's remarkable and unusual today to put 12 musicians in the same place at the same time. It's a type of "live" recording sadly seldom seen in these days of the overdub. You get an immediate energy and it's a whole lot of fun. It sweeps you up and it carries you along and when it's done, it's done.”
I personally have always found his cover of Joni Mitchell’s “California” to be pretty interesting. I’ll toss it up in The Media Bar for you all to check out soon. Probably an Acoustic Monday. :]
Read the full James Taylor review. . . .

Indie-heads . . . today’s the day for Sea & Cake and Of Montreal. Soak it in.

Uh-oh! Here it comes! It’s . . . The List
The Full Reviews
and
All New Music Releases - October 21st, 2008
after the jump.

The List
All New Music Releases - October 21st, 2008

+/- (Plus Minus) - X’s On Your Eyes
AC/DC – Black Ice
An Albatross - An Albatross Family Album
Brett – Hope for the Hopeless
Kenny Chesney – Lucky Old Sun
The Dears – Missiles
Neil Diamond – “He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love” (Hardcover) (You gotta love that title.)
Eminem – The Way I Am (Hardcover) . . . Slim spills the beans.
Sebastian Grainger – Sebastian Grainger and the Mountains
Waylong Jennings – Waylon Forever
Montell Jordan – Let It Rain
Kiss – IKONS
Labelle – Back To Now
Lake – Oh, the Places We’ll Go
Lineland – Logos for Love
Madonna – Confessions (Hardcover with overly-gratuitous photos by Guy Oseary)
Mary Mary – The Sound
MF Doom – Born Into This
Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping
Pit Er Pat – High Time
Pompeii – Nothing Happens for a Reason
Sea & Cake – Car Alarm
Soundtrack: High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Stereolab – Chemical Chords
Sugababes – Catfights and Spotlights
Tommy Sunshine – Relax, This Won’t Hurt
Hank Williams, III – Damn Right, Rebel Proud
Lee Ann Womack – Call Me Crazy

As is to be expected at this time of year, there is a slew of Re-Issues, Re-Masters, Re-Packaging or even simple Re-Formatting (lots of stuff is being released on 180-Gram Vinyl!) by the likes of Black Sabbath, The Byrds, Glen Campbell, The Doors, Eagles, Eno/Fripp, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Jett, Gladys Knight & The Pips (2 collections), Van Morrison, Prince and the Revolution (“Purple Rain” on 180 Gram Vinyl), Sting, Thin Lizzy, Van Halen and even the fine folks @ A Very Special Christmas.
Now you know what’s new. Listen up. :]