What Are You Listening To?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

i was never a fan of these guys, but i do own "americana" and if it doesnt come in at a love rating it comes close....but thats my limit with those guys...!
i dont even think i'd bother with getting a compilation neither.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

DUKE SPECIAL "songs from the deep forest" cd, 2006

career stats:
studio albums.......7
"ep's"..................5
singles................10

this album: No Chart Info Available
singles:
"portrait".........................no chart info
"last night i nearly died"....no chart info
"wake up scarlett"............no chart info
"freewheel".....................no chart info

the artist name is a psuedenym,his real name is Peter Wilson, an Irish singer-songwriter...
this is his/their second album release which was apparently nominated for a prestigious "irish music award" back in the day...!
wiki notes their style as alt-rock/pop,folk and jazz....
thet may be correct with his other works but for this one i hear a lot of dancehall,vaudevillian sounds,lots of piano based alt pop...much along the same lines
as Ben Folds,yeh,Ben Folds, thats the name ive been looking for as a comparison all week to describe this...
im no fan of Ben, but i like some of his material in small doses...same goes for The Duke here.
been trying to remember where i picked this one up and came to two possible conclusions...a recommendation from Corey or it was really cheap,like $2 in a discount bin at Corey's shop...
either way,its very average,not really my thing, so i wouldnt buy anything else of his/theirs!

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: something might happen
best track: ballad of a broken man

tracks:

1.wake up scarlett **
2. everybody wants a little something **
3. brixton leaves **
4. freewheel *
5. no cover up **
6. portrait **
7. last night i nearly died **
8. ballad of a broken man **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKVJFPzt4-Y live
9. salvation tamborine **
10.something might happen *
11.slip of a girl **
12.this could be my last day *

3s=0
2s=9
1s=3

rating: 1.7

[Ruby]

Tracy Chapman's self-titled debut. Apart from the regular, most popular tracks, I really like this one - great percussion ...

[video=youtube;Oi3YUYpaJvE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi3YUYpaJvE[/video]

[SteveO]

One of Sarah's best....a lot of airplay here as the concert by the hometown girl is approaching in November,,,I will not be going however! I love Sara in small doses!..went to the same high school decades apart...lol


[video=youtube;7I5sixwOQlg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I5sixwOQlg[/video]

[Ruby]

Album Review: Piers Faccini ~ My Wilderness
(The sixth of eight studio albums, including two collaborations)

An English born singer, songwriter and painter, of Italian extract and living in France from the age of five, Piers Faccini embraces and experiments with a mix of sounds which, in a way, reflect his own heritage – a pretty mixed bag. This is alternative, eclectic folk music with a very definite edge – exciting!

Faccini gives us a crazy fusion of unusual instruments and influences (some hailing from West Africa and I’m positive I can hear flamenco and fado in the mix!), and interesting timing, and he has, to his credit, a list of collaborations with some extremely well-regarded ‘world’ musicians. One of those is Vincent Segal whose cello appears here and who himself has released, together with Balleké Sossoko, a beautiful and unorthodox album named Chamber Music. Sossoko is a famed kora player and Faccini uses the kora here as well – it’s an instrument that defies categorisation being a 21 string uummm... double-bridge-harp-lute!

The songs on this album are thoughtful; sometimes plaintive, sometimes quirky - ranging from up-tempo to calm ballad, sometimes all within one song. It comes together with a maverick’s touch which rescues the entire affair from what could otherwise have been dangerously close to merely mournful and pedestrian ‘folk’, although it’s really impossible to fit into any specific pigeonhole.

Some liken Faccini’s work to that of Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Jack Johnson (sorry for the same breath Mr Cohen) and others of a similar ilk (I’m hearing some similarities to Jim White, and even Tom Waits), and there are elements of those aforementioned, no doubt, but I believe that to be a fairly vague frame of reference – supposing there MUST be one.

Having only recently discovered him, I’m sold (or rather, he is! mile.

1. No Reply **** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyfYaG5Do8
   
2. The Beggar and the Thief **** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZDMV6ugOqU
   
3. A New Morning **** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptWqPLdcJ2U
   
4. Tribe ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-6G2ffWGqE
   
5. That Cry **** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ja2qC6DSU
   
6. The Branches Grow *** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJeRyE1qk2Q
   
7. My Wilderness ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv7Kb61Bxos
   
8. Dreamer ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efj9QN0tpB8
   
9. Say but Don’t Say *** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUoODNsdjCg
   
10. Strange is the Man ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SFsmJZq9V8
    
11. And Still the Calling ***** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OFTfrWAnNs
    
12. Drowning in my Sleep *** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9cWIpKaDyw
    
13. Three Times Betrayed *** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNGoyS-Gbuk
    

[URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efj9QN0tpB8"]
[video=youtube;Efj9QN0tpB8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efj9QN0tpB8[/video]

[/URL]No scores for comparison – not rated by Allmusic yet.

[Music Head]

Band Members for this release

Joan Osborne – vocals, percussion, acoustic guitar
Eric Bazilian – guitar, mandolin, chant, saxophone, harmonica, electric piano
Mark Egan – bass
Rob Hyman – piano, organ, synthesizer, Mellotron, backing vocals, drums on 6
Andy Kravitz – drums, percussion



Recording History

studio albums - 8
compilation albums - 1
live albums - 2
singles - 8

from my library (cd)



Producer: Rick Chertoff

1st studio album - #9 US, #5 UK, #12 AUS, #5 CAN
singles - One Of Us - #4 US, #6 UK, #1 AUS, #1 CAN
.............St. Teresa - #33 UK, #43 AUS, #69 CAN
.............Right Hand Man
.............Ladder

Looks like it's safe to call Joan a one hit wonder. Maybe if they hadn't waited 5 years for the follow up to this? I had forgotten the girl is
from Kentucky. This is her debut album and the first single of One Of Us probably brought her all the fame she wanted and the royalties are
probably still rolling in. I haven't heard any of her albums since this one so that's not much to go on. I get 4 different voices to liken her
to on this, Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Etheridge, and Alanis. Different styles of music lead to those comparisons. Giving the second
single of St. Teresa my favorite mark but it didn't do near as well as the first. The album got a Grammy nomination for Album Of The Year
in 1996 but bad timing prevailed with Jagged Little Pill taking that award. Looks like Joan is hanging in there as she had a new album
just this year. It didn't chart.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Lumina
Best Track - St. Teresa

[video=youtube;hbAeTywPiP4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbAeTywPiP4[/video]

Track Listing

1. St. Teresa ***
video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbAeTywPiP4
2. Man in the Long Black Coat **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbytjEDQFYA
3. Right Hand Man *
live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjgbUgV_C5k
4. Pensacola **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f_v9x3khsQ
5. Dracula Moon **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15tmU7Z6pVU
6. One of Us ***
video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lLmB8PBsXo
7. Ladder *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-HwY9BHDpQ
8. Spider Web **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XozHOwMx3eM
9. Let's Just Get Naked **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D49kRl2t_wg
10. Help Me **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK5TW-l5o9c
11. Crazy Baby **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebu9tkSrJ9g
12. Lumina *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGCHhLEbXl8

3's - 2
2's - 7
1's - 3

grade - 1.9 of 3.0
allmusic - 4.0 of 5.0

[Music Head]

Band Members for this release

Bernard Sumner – vocals, guitars, synthesizers
Peter Hook – 4 and 6-stringed bass, synthesizers
Stephen Morris – drums, synthesizers
Gillian Gilbert – synthesizers



Recording History

studio albums - 9
ep's - 5
compilation albums - 12
live albums - 2
singles - 38
videos - 33

from my library (cd)



Producer: Stephen Hague, New Order

6th studio album - #11 US, #1 UK, #5 AUS, #9 CAN
singles - Regret - #28 US, #4 UK, #26 AUS, #6 CAN
.............Ruined In A Day - #22 UK
.............World - #92 US, #13 UK, #87 AUS, #49 CAN
.............Spooky - #22 UK

Had a hard time with this one. Started off ok but half way through it just tanked. I have a couple others of theirs that I think I like but
there was an 8 year drought after this one and I never followed up. The album charted fairly well so I guess I was out of touch as usual. It was
the groups only album to make the top 20 in the US although they did that consistently in the UK homeland. Overall the album is too synth/dance
heavy for me.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Avalanche
Best Track - Regret

[video=youtube;71ZHVmSuBJM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71ZHVmSuBJM[/video]

Track Listing

1. Regret **
video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71ZHVmSuBJM
2. World **
video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXzs47qy2Pk
3. Ruined in a Day **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oatYw2H7H_g
4. Spooky **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qc-1spEDBI
5. Everyone Everywhere **
live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KO0zeP6ftY
6. Young Offender *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80AkC-3X-bM
7. Liar *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgNbqxxih0o
8. Chemical *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijUryaF69aw
9. Times Change *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0diKUGcWkw
10. Special *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0zhoibPK2M
11. Avalanche *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi3ssfsBXfI

3's - 0
2's - 5
1's - 6

grade - 1.5 of 3.0
allmusic - 4.0 of 5.0

[Music Head]

Band Members for this release

Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson – drums, percussion
Árni Guðjónsson – accordion, piano, organ
Brynjar Leifsson – electric and baritone guitar
Kristján Páll Kristjánsson – bass
Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir – vocals, acoustic guitar
Ragnar Þórhallsson – vocals, acoustic guitar



Recording History

studio albums - 1
live albums - 1
ep's - 1
singles - 4

from my library (cd)



Producer: Aron Pór Arnarsson, Jacquire King, Of Monsters And Men

1st studio album - #6 US (Platinum), #3 UK, #1 AUS, #4 CAN
singles - Little Talks - #20 US, #12 UK, #7 AUS, #55 CAN
.............Dirty Paws
.............Mountain Sound - #66 UK, #26 AUS, #69 CAN
.............King And Lionheart

MTV and Billboard nominations but no wins

The group may have a hard time following this unexpected hit up. Of course that was due to the success of the Little Talks single. With 3
singles after that not coming close to it's sales, the pressure is on for the follow up which I would think it is time for. Love the accents of
the 2 vocalists. Must be the Icelandic thing. A couple of tracks failed for me but overall this is a good album. Mumford and Sons is the most
used comparison but the female vocalist takes that to the next level. Hopefully this groups next album will fare better for me than Mumford and
Sons sophomore release did.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Yellow Light
Best Track - Little Talks



Track Listing

1. Dirty Paws **
2. King and Lionheart **
3. Mountain Sound **
4. Slow and Steady **
5. From Finner **
6. Little Talks ***
7. Six Weeks **
8. Love Love Love *
9. Your Bones **
10. Sloom **
11. Lakehouse **
12. Yellow Light *

3's - 1
2's - 9
1's - 2

grade - 1.9 of 3.0
allmusic - 3.5 of 5.0

[CRAZY-HORSE]

back to Joan Osborne....
love "one of us", was actually one of only a handful(literally one of a handful) of cd-singles i actually purchased after the decline of the old 7" single.
also love "st.teresa", but i never followed up with the album purchase for some reason,maybe i was too far into Alanis' "jagged little pill" around that time and Oasis

[SteveO]

Yes indeed! I love this CD!