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All the Things We Are (Album of the Day)
With a career that stretched back to the early 1950s and included the iconic TIME OUT for Columbia, Dave Brubeck may have seemed an elder statesman of jazz when ALL THE THINGS WE ARE was released, but the 1976 Atlantic album showed the pianist had an adventurous streak that went beyond innovative time signatures. Cut over two sessions a couple of years earlier, the set pairs Brubeck's trio with alto saxophonists Lee Konitz and Anthony Braxton; the latter in particular adds an avant-garde edge to the proceedings. Along with Dave's original “In Your Own Sweet Way,” the track list dives deep into the great American songbook, and an outstanding 20-minute Jimmy Van Heusen medley is one of the highlights. Dave Brubeck was born on this day in 1920, and we'll give the underrated ALL THE THINGS WE ARE another spin in honor of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement winner.
Under Great White Northern Lights (Album of the Day)
The White Stripes supported the release of their final studio album in 2007 with a tour across Canada documented three years later on UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS. The duo's first concert collection was drawn from an ambitious itinerary that visited every Canadian province and included several surprise gigs, and the thrill and spontaneity of these shows can be heard throughout these 16 tracks. Along with a few songs from the then-current ICKY THUMP, Meg and Jack White deliver ferocious versions of such favorites as “Fell in Love with a Girl” and “Seven Nation Army” as well as a couple of inspired covers (like Dolly Parton's “Jolene”). A look at one of alt-rock's most exciting live performers, UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS just missed the Billboard Top 10 and we'll give it another spin now to wish Meg White a happy birthday.
Duncan Sheik (Album of the Day)
Duncan Sheik's work in musical theater – he won a pair of Tony Awards for Spring Awakening – may obscure his albums, but the singer-songwriter's self-titled debut merits rediscovery. The 1996 Atlantic collection was recorded in England and France with producer Rupert Hine, and frames a haunting, Nick Drake-like intimacy with sophisticated arrangements ranging from acoustic guitar/keyboard settings to lush string orchestrations. “I want to combine an adventurous sonic palette with ... songs that people can sink their teeth into,” noted the performer, who more than succeeds on such tracks as “She Runs Away,” “Reasons for Living” and “Barely Breathing” (which earned a Grammy nomination and spent more than a year on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart). Refined but broadly appealing, the gold-certified DUNCAN SHEIK might just become your next favorite record.
Rhino Hi-Five: The Coasters (Album of the Day)
When members of L.A.-based vocal group The Robins moved from the West Coast to the East Coast to record for the Atlantic label, one of the greatest hitmakers of the 1950s was born. The Coasters got more than a little help from the production-songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, whose often humorous lyrics helped the band stand out from the R&B pack. RHINO HI-FIVE: THE COASTERS gathers five of their best-known tracks (all of them Top 10 singles): “Yakety Yak,” “Searchin',” “Poison Ivy” “Young Blood” and “Charlie Brown,” which was recorded on this day in 1958. Though HI-FIVE is just a sampling of The Coasters' output, the vitality of its music easily justifies the group's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Windows Of The World (Album of the Day)
Dionne Warwick's THE WINDOWS OF THE WORLD opens a window on one of the all-time great collaborations between a singer and songwriting team. The 1967 Scepter set was produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, who penned 6 of these selections, including the title number, “(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me” and “I Say a Little Prayer” - a track Bacharach nearly rejected that became a Top 10 hit. Dionne's voice is just as impressive on the stage and film songs that fill out the collection; her version of West Side Story's “Somewhere” is particularly inspired. THE WINDOWS OF THE WORLD is proof that great records emerged from the Summer of Love that weren't psychedelic; we'll give the album another spin to wish Dionne Warwick a happy birthday.
See (Album of the Day)
While noting the limitations of rock circa 1969, leading critic Robert Christgau praised The Rascal's SEE for utilizing those limitations “with all of the annoying pretensions absent and the pleasant ones retained.” And while some of the ambition of the album's most recent predecessors remains – a touch of psychedelia here, a bit of jazz there (not to mention the Magritte cover art) – there is definitely a back-to-basics feel about this set. You can hear it in the punchy attack of “Carry Me Back,” “Hold On” and the title track, all of which recall the blue-eyed soul and garage rock excitement the quartet delivered when they were Young. While keyboardist Felix Cavaliere penned the bulk of these songs, the singing and playing are cohesive and committed throughout, ensuring that SEE remains a must-hear as it hits the half-century mark.
Riverside (Album of the Day)
Born in County Kildare, Ireland, Kevin Barry Moore grew up in a musical family (older brother Christy is a revered folk singer) but forged his own identity as Luka Bloom. RIVERSIDE was his first album issued under that name, and the 1990 Warner Bros. set still makes a great impression. Though Irish roots can be heard in both its music and lyrics, the collection was recorded in Bloom's adopted home of New York City, giving these dozen originals a cosmopolitan appeal. While the energetic guitar work and passionate vocals of “Delirious” or “You Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time” may hook you, there are also more reflective songs (“The Man Is Alive,” “The One”) to reel you in. The exhilarating balance between high and low heard on RIVERSIDE has turned more than a few listeners into life-long Luka Bloom fans.
Digging Deep 7" Box Set (Album of the Day)
Robert Plant's hugely popular podcast, Digging Deep, sees the legendary singer and songwriter delving into his back catalog to revisit tracks from his remarkable history while also telling stories of inspiration, collaboration and intervention. In honor of the second season of the program, a limited edition 7’’ singles boxed set has just been released, including 16 A-sides and rare B-sides spanning three decades, remastered and available on vinyl for the first time. DIGGING DEEP collects two songs from each of Plant’s eight acclaimed solo albums, highlighted by 10 iconic tracks which reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Rock Songs chart (including the #1 classics “Little By Little,” “Tall Cool One” and “Hurting Kind”) as well as a number of songs discussed at length on the new season of Digging Deep with Robert Plant.
Christmas (Deluxe Special Edition) (Album of the Day)
“Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year for me and my family so naturally it's been a dream of mine to make the 'ultimate' Christmas record,” explained Michael Bublé, and with this 2011 set, he succeeded. There's a little something for everyone on CHRISTMAS, from high-wattage duets (“White Christmas,” with Shania Twain) to traditional favorites both brash (“Holly Jolly Christmas”) and gentle (“Silent Night”) to a new song (“Cold December Night”). The collection topped the Billboard chart for five weeks, racking up triple-platinum sales (and an Album of the Year nod at the Juno Awards in the vocalist's native Canada). Carefully arranged and beautifully sung, this is one of the most satisfying holiday albums of recent years, and the Deluxe Special Edition of CHRISTMAS adds four bonus tracks including performances of “Frosty The Snowman” with the Puppini Sisters and “Silver Bells” with Naturally 7.
Llego Navidad (Album of the Day)
Rising up out of East L.A. comes the first-ever holiday album from Los Lobos, LLEGÓ NAVIDAD. The Grammy-winning group researched nearly 150 Christmas-related songs from across North, Central and South America for the collection, eventually narrowing the list down to the songs they wanted to reinvent in their own inimitable style. The dozen seasonal selections include regional Mexican folk (“La Rama”), salsa (“La Murga de Panamá”) and novelty (“Dónde Está Santa Claus”) songs, as well as Los Lobos' take on Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad.” LLEGÓ NAVIDAD also features the new “Christmas And You,” penned by the band’s David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez, a track that's sure to become a modern classic.