Chris & Max Pick …songs from 2002

Happy Friday and welcome to the latest post of Chris & Max Pick…, a song series started by fellow blogger Max from PowerPop in June 2023. He covered the years 1955 through 1995, and I’ve picked it up beginning with 1996, aiming to go all the way to 2024. Max generously agreed to contribute. Today’s picks are from 2002.

Ceasars/Jerk It Out

This time we’re kicking it off with a terrific pick by Max I hadn’t heard before: Jerk It Out by Ceasars. Originally known as Ceasar’s Palace, the Swedish garage rock band was formed in Stockholm in 1995. The song initially appeared on their third studio album Love for the Streets, which came out in April 2002 under their original name. The great retro rocker received lots of attention in the U.S. after it had been featured in iPod TV commercials in 2004 and 2005. Upon re-release in 2005, it became an international hit, reaching no. 8 on the UK Singles Chart and peaking at no. 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Bruce Springsteen/The Rising

In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., Bruce Springsteen reportedly was in his car when a stranger from a another car nearby rolled down the window and said, “We need you now.” This compelled The Boss to record what became his 12th studio album The Rising, which came out in July 2002. Springsteen already had written a few songs prior to 9/11. One he penned in the aftermath of the tragedy was the album’s title track. It tells the tale of a New York City firefighter ascending one of the World Trade Center towers after they had been hit by hijacked planes. The Rising won Grammys for Best Rock Song and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

Coldplay/Clocks

When I think of British alternative pop band Coldplay, the first song coming to mind is Clocks. The stunning piano-driven pop song is credited to all four members of the group: Chris Martin (lead vocals, piano, guitar), Jonny Buckland (guitar, backing vocals), Guy Berryman (bass) and Will Champion (drums, percussion, backing vocals), which is their line-up to this day. It first appeared on Coldplay’s sophomore album A Rush of Blood to the Head, which dropped in August 2002. Considered to be one of their signature songs, Clocks was also released as a single in March 2003 and won Record of the Year at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

The Libertines/Time For Heroes

The early 2000s were the period of garage rock revival, so it’s perhaps not a surprise we feature another great song from that genre here. In October 2002, The Libertines released their debut album Up the Bracket. The British group around Carl Barât (vocals, guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals, guitar) had formed in London in 1997. By the time they recorded the album, John Hassall (bass) and Gary Powell (drums) completed their line-up. They’re still around. Here’s Time For Heroes, which like all other tracks on the album was co-written by Barât and Doherty.

Christina Aguilera/Beautiful

This pick may come as a surprise or even a shock to some. But if you really know my music taste it shouldn’t be. To begin with, I like the occasional ballad, even if it’s on the lush side. More importantly, I love great vocalists and would argue that Christina Aguilera is one of the best female contemporary singers. This is different from having great songs. In this case, both came together. Beautiful, which was written by Linda Perry (of 4 Non Blondes fame), is from Aguilera’s fourth studio album Stripped, released in October 2002. It also appeared separately as the album’s second single in November 2002 and became one of her biggest hits.

Johnny Cash/In My Life

If Christina Aguilera didn’t make you at least feel somewhat emotional, I think there’s no chance this next song won’t. Johnny Cash’s vulnerable rendition of In My Life has literally driven me to tears. It also happens to be one of my all-time favorite John Lennon songs. The Man in Black recorded this version for his 67th and final non-posthumous studio album American IV: The Man Comes Around, the fourth in a series produced by Rick Rubin and appearing on his label American Recordings. Rubin produced two additional albums in the series, which were released after Cash’s death.

Sources: Wikipedia; Acclaimed Music; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

Happy Sunday and hope you’re feeling groovy! I can’t believe it’s December, and we’re well into the year-end holiday season – seems unreal to me. Regardless of how you feel about it, I hope you’ll join me on another trip with the magical music time machine, which starts right now!

Sonny Stitt/The Nearness of You

For our first stop today, let’s set the time controls to 1956 and hope we have enough runway for this baby to 88 miles an hour! American bebop/hard bop jazz saxophonist Sonny Stitt, known for his warm tone, recorded more than 100 albums during his active close-to-40-year career. Sometimes viewed as mimicking sax genius Charlie Parker, eventually, Stitt developed his own sound and style. After struggling with heroin and alcoholism through much of his life, Stitt passed away from cancer in 1982 at the age of 58. The Nearness of You, a beautiful composition by Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington, appeared on a 1956 album titled Sonny Stitt Plays. Hank Jones’ piano and Shadow Wilson’s “soft” drums give the tune a bar feel. The recording also features Freddie Green (rhythm guitar) and Wendell Marshall (bass) – my kind of Sunday morning music!

4 Non Blondes/Superfly

Let’s kick it up a few notches with this next pick that takes us to October 1992. About four months later, you couldn’t switch on any mainstream radio station without hearing What’s Up, the major international and only hit for San Francisco-based rock band 4 Non Blondes. The song first appeared on their sole studio album Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, as did Superfly – and, no, it’s not a cover of the Curtis Mayfield gem you may know. The song was co-written by lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Linda Perry who also penned What’s Up. Unlike the latter, Superfly missed the charts altogether when it appeared in March 1994 as the album’s fourth and final single. During recording sessions for what was supposed to become 4 Non Blondes’ next album, Perry left to launch a solo career, and the group dissolved shortly thereafter.

The Pointer Sisters/Lay It On the Line

I’m in the mood to keep up the intensity, and my proposition is a smoking hot rocker performed by a music act who you may find surprising in this context: The Pointer Sisters. While the American girl group from California may be best known for R&B and pop hits like Jump (For My Love) and I’m So Excited, over their 50-plus-year-and-counting career, they have touched many other genres, including jazz, blues, soul, funk, country, dance and – yes- rock! Lay It On the Line, co-written by Patrick Henderson and Wornell Jones, is the kickass opener of the group’s fifth studio album released in October 1978 and appropriately titled Energy – the very same that included their excellent rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s Fire, which became one of their biggest hits. BTW, the ladies were backed by top notch musicians, which for Lay It On the Line included Waddy Wachtel (lead guitar), Danny Kortchmar (rhythm guitar), as well as Toto’s David Paich (piano), David Hungate (bass) and Jeff Porcaro (drums).

Joe Firstman/Slave or Siren

Time to pay a visit to the current century and the sophomore solo album by Joe Firstman, released in July 2003. The singer-songwriter gained national prominence as bandleader on American late-night TV program Last Call with Carson Daly. After his tenure on the now-defunct NBC show from 2005 to 2009, Firstman founded Americana and roots rock group Cordovas, who over the past five years have become one of my favorite contemporary bands. Here’s Slave or Siren, a great-sounding song off Firstman’s second solo album The War of Women.

The Beatles/A Day In the Life

After nearly five months, I think a visit to my favorite band of all time, who are back in the charts more than 50 years after their breakup, is in order. This shall take us back to May 1967 and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which I continue to think is the best studio album by The Beatles and, frankly, one of the best ever recorded. And while throwing out attributes, why not picking the magnificent closer, which on most days also happens to be my all-time song by the Fab Four: A Day In the Life. While credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, as usual, this gem was mostly written by John, with Paul mainly contributing the middle section. As on most Beatles songs, all four members helped shape this masterpiece.

Rush/The Spirit of Radio

Once again, we’re reaching the final destination of yet another Sunday Six. Let’s end it in January 1980 with a great song by Canadian rock band Rush: The Spirit of Radio, off their seventh studio album Permanent Waves. It marked the group’s shift toward more concise arrangements and songs that were more radio-friendly. Evidently, music listeners liked what they heard, propelling the single to no. 22, no. 51 and no. 13 on the mainstream charts in Canada, the US and the UK, respectively. Admittedly, Rush were acquired taste for me, especially their early work featuring very high vocals by Geddy Lee. While Lee doesn’t exactly sound like Hank Marvin on The Spirit of Radio either, I simply have to acknowledge it’s a helluva song!

As usual, I’m going to leave you with a Spotify playlist featuring all of the above stops during this music time travel excursion. It turned out to be pretty rock-oriented, and I hope there’s something you dig and I will see you again soon!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

Welcome to my last new music revue of October 2022. This installment includes progressive bluegrass (yet another genre I had not heard of before, or is it simply what I would have called folk?), country, pop and rock. All tunes appear on albums that were released yesterday (October 28).

Trampled By Turtles/The Party’s Over

My first new music pick for this week comes from Trampled By Turtles. And, nope, it’s not death metal or punk, which was my first thought. According to their AllMusic bio, Progressive bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles are from Duluth, Minnesota, where frontman Dave Simonett initially formed the group as a side project in 2003. At the time, Simonett had lost most of his music gear, thanks to a group of enterprising car thieves who’d ransacked his vehicle while he played a show with his previous band. Left with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, he began piecing together a new band, this time taking inspiration from bluegrass, folk, and other genres that didn’t rely on amplification. Simonett hadn’t played any bluegrass music before, and he filled his lineup with other newcomers to the genre, including fiddler Ryan Young (who’d previously played drums in a speed metal act) and jam band bassist Tim Saxhaug. Along with mandolinist Erik Berry and banjo player Dave Carroll, the group began carving out a fast, frenetic sound that owed as much to rock & roll as bluegrass. Since their 2004 debut Songs from a Ghost Town, Trampled By Turtles have released nine additional albums including their latest Alpenglow. Here’s the closer The Party’s Over, credited to all members of the current lineup, which in addition to the above includes cellist Eamonn McLain. I like the warm and mellow sound, which is pretty representative of the overall album.

Lainey Wilson/Hillbilly Hippie

Lainey Wilson is a country singer-songwriter who hails from Baskin, La. and is now based in Nashville, Tenn. From her website: Six-time CMA Award nominee and ACM New Female of the Year 2022 winner, Lainey Wilson has earned the enthusiasm of the industry, having been named to nearly every “Artist to Watch” list, being crowned Billboard’s “Top New Country Artist of 2021,” and earning CMT’s “Breakout Artist of the Year” award for 2022, the Louisiana native is one of Nashville’s hottest and most buzzed-about new artists. Landing her first No. 1 with her PLATINUM Certified ACM Song of the Year “Things A Man Oughta Know,” nearly 10 years to the day after leaving her small farming community in a camper trailer to chase her dreams, she has won over legions of fans with her signature Bell Bottom Country sound and aesthetic, which blends traditional Country with a modern yet retro flare. A prolific and sought-after songwriter (having co-writer credits on songs by artists including Luke Combs, Flatland Calvary and more), Lainey is a fresh, fierce voice in Nashville, delivering CMA nominated album of the year with her label debut, Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’. Wilson is now out with her fourth album and second major label release Bell Bottom Country. Here’s the opener Hillbilly Hippie, which Wilson co-wrote with Jeremy Bussey and Terri Jo Box. It may be hillbilly, but it’s a nice country rocker! The album also includes a cool cover of 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up?, which I included in the Spotify playlist at the end of the post.

Tom Odell/Just Another Thing We Don’t Talk About

Tom Odell is a British singer-songwriter, who according to Apple Music has “a penchant for emotive pop songs and a deep love of the piano.” Here’s more from his profile: After seeing Odell perform, singer Lily Allen signed him to her In the Name Of label, which released his 2012 debut EP, Songs From Another Love. His Platinum-selling full-length debut, Long Way Down, hit no. 1 on the UK album charts in 2013. Fueled by its use in a 2014 holiday ad, his cover of The Beatles’ “Real Love” became a viral sensation and later appeared on his Spending All My Christmas with You EP. He earned Songwriter of the Year at the 2014 Ivor Novello Awards and also received nominations for British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act at that year’s BRIT Awards. While Odell’s cover of Real Love is nice and he surely has enjoyed impressive success to date, I still hadn’t heard of him before – well, better late than never! Just Another Thing We Don’t Talk About is from Odell’s fifth and new album Best Day of My Life. “I think there’s a great tradition in the UK of people – particularly men – not sharing any emotion with each other and hiding stuff away,” he commented to Apple Music. “I’ve begun to learn that the things that you don’t discuss are the ones that become most destructive to any friendship or relationship.” Like all other tracks on the album, the tune only features Odell on vocals and piano. It’s pretty bare-bones, but I like it!

Giovannie and the Hired Guns/Something In The Way

I really felt I needed to close out this post with some rock. Texas band Giovannie and the Hired Guns, another group that’s entirely new to me, came to the rescue with their new album Tejano Punk Boyz. From their website: In the last few years alone, Giovannie & The Hired Guns have grown from a massively beloved local live act to an undeniable new force on the national rock scene. Formed back when frontman Giovannie Yanez was working the counter at a pawnshop, the Stephenville, Texas-based band has amassed millions of streams almost entirely through word-of-mouth, thanks in no small part to their unforgettable live show…Giovannie & The Hired Guns draw much of their power from the eclectic sensibilities at the heart of the band: drummer Milton Toles, for instance, brings a soulful intensity deeply informed by playing music in church as a kid, while guitarist Jerrod Flusche’s background includes session work with such prominent country acts as Dolly Shine and Sam Riggs & the Night People. With their lineup rounded out by guitarist Carlos Villa and bassist Alex Trejo, the band also taps into elements of everything from Southern rock and stoner metal to la musica norteña and Latin hip-hop. That’s quite a stew. Let’s check out Can’t Answer Why, a track off the group’s above-mentioned new album, which is their third full-length release.

Last but not least, following is the aforementioned Spotify playlist with the above and a few additional tracks by the four featured artists and bands.

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; Lainey Wilson website; Apple Music; Giovannie and the Hired Guns website; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

Another Sunday is upon us, which means time again for a new journey to celebrate the music of the past and present in different flavors, six tunes a pop. Before we get to that, just a quick reminder to readers in the U.S. that as of 2:00 a.m. this morning, we’re back to daylight savings time, except for Hawaii and Arizona (sans the Navajo Nation who observes DST). While I won’t get into debating the merits of DST, I like the fact that it reminds me we’re one step closer to spring.

Stan Getz and João Gilberto/Girl from Ipanema

I love the saxophone, so I’m always looking for great players I could feature in The Sunday Six. The other day, I came across Stan Getz. When I started reading about him, it didn’t take long to get to Brazilian jazz writer and guitarist João Gilberto and a song I’ve always loved: Girl from Ipanema. The popular bossa nova tune was written in 1962 by Brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, with Portoguese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. American lyricist Norman Gimbel subsequently wrote the English lyrics. Brazilian bossa nova singer Pery Ribeiro first recorded the tune in 1962, but it was the rendition by Getz and Gilberto, featuring Gilberto’s wife Astrud Gilberto (nee Astrud Evangelina Weinert) on vocals, which became a hit. Appearing on the album Getz/Gilberto from March 1964, Girl from Ipanema climbed to no. 5 on the mainstream charts in the U.S. and Canada, reached no. 8 in New Zealand and peaked at no. 29 in the UK. Feel free to groove along!

Sade/Your Love Is King

Let’s stay on the smooth side with smooth operator Sade (nee Helen Folasade Adu) and the British group that carries her name, who make their second appearance on The Sunday Six. Once again, I decided to pick a tune from their great debut album Diamond Life, released in July 1984: Your Love Is King, which first appeared in February that year as the lead single. The tune was penned by Sade together with saxophonist Stuart Matthewman who remains a member of the group to this day. The single made a strong debut in the UK where it surged to no. 6. It also did very well in New Zealand (no. 2) and Ireland (no. 7). In the U.S., the best performance was on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart (no. 8). By comparison, it only got to no. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100. Interestingly, the picture in the UK and U.S. was reversed for Smooth Operator. What probably is Sade’s best-known and my favorite tune reached no. 19 in the UK and no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Ramones/I Wanna Be Sedated

Time to speed things up with American punk rock pioneers Ramones. Unlike the title may suggest, I think it’s safe to assume I Wanna Be Sedated won’t put you to sleep. While the Ramones, formed in New York in 1974, never achieved any significant commercial success, they still became highly influential in the punk rock genre. In fact, according to Wikipedia, they are often cited as the first true punk rock group. I Wanna Be Sedated, written together by co-founders Dee Dee Ramone (bass), Joey Ramone (lead vocals) and Johnny Ramone (guitar), appeared on the band’s fourth studio album Road to Ruin, which came out in September 1978. At the time, Marky Ramone (drums) rounded out their line-up. The song also became the b-side to the single She’s the One, released in parallel with the record, one of the group’s numerous non-charting singles. I find this a pretty catchy tune and wonder whether it may have had more success as an A-side.

4 Non Blondes/What’s Up

The next stop on our music journey are the ’90s and what must be one of the best-known tunes of that decade. Yes, What’s Up by 4 Non Blondes certainly hasn’t suffered from under-exposure, but it’s what I would call an epic tune I continue to enjoy. I was reminded of the song when I caught it on the radio the other day while driving my car. Luckily, it’s not exactly a 911 but a sexy Japanese compact SUV, so when you hit the accelerator, nothing overly dramatic happens – probably a good thing when you listen to a kickass tune like this. If I see this correctly, 4 Non Blondes were largely a one-hit-wonder. They only released one studio album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, in October 1992. What’s Up was penned by the group’s lead vocalist and main songwriter Linda Perry. The band, which was active from 1989 to 1994, at the time of What’s Up also featured Roger Rocha (lead guitar), Christa Hillhouse (bass) and Dawn Richardson (drums).

The Cars/Sad Song

Every time it comes to The Cars, I feel that while I hardly know anything about the American new wave and pop rock group, I am familiar with a good deal of their songs. The group was mainly active between 1976 and 1988. During that period, they recorded six of their seven studio albums and scored 13 top 40 hits in the U.S. alone. Their biggest was Drive from July 1984, which climbed to no. 3 in the U.S., Ireland and Switzerland, and reached the top 10 in many other countries. I decided to pick a tune from their reunion and final album Move Like This, which came out in May 2011: Sad Song. Written by frontman Ric Ocasek, who passed away in September 2019, it was one of the group’s few singles that didn’t make the Billboard Hot 100. Sad Song did reach no. 33 on the Mainstream Rock chart. This sounds like classic Cars. Perhaps a more cheerful title would have helped.

Julian Lage/Emily

And once again we have reached the final stop of this music excursion. Hope you’ve enjoyed the trip. I will leave you on a quiet and relaxing note with beautiful guitar jazz by Julian Lage. Borrowing from a June 2021 post when I featured him for the first time, according to Apple Music’s profile, Lage has been widely acclaimed as one of the most prodigious guitarists of his generation. The New York-based musician boasts a long resume as a desired sideman with artists as diverse as Gary Burton, Taylor Eigsti, John Zorn, Nels Cline, Chris Eldridge, Eric Harland, and Fred Hersch, to name just a few. Equally important is his reputation as a soloist and bandleader. He is equally versed in jazz, classical, pop, and show tunes, and has spent more than a decade searching through the myriad strains of American musical history via an impeccable technique and a gift for freely associating between styles, tempos, keys, and textures that adds to his limitless improvisational spirit. Emily, composed by John Mandel and John Mercer, is a track from Lage’s most recent album Squint, released in June 2021. Check out his beautiful tone!

Of course, this post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist featuring the above tunes.

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; YouTube; Spotify

My Favorite Female Vocalists

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of vocals. Oftentimes, this becomes clear to me when listening to instrumental music. After a while, something seems to be missing. So I thought it would be fun to think about my favorite vocalists and feature some of them in a post. And since much of the blog is focused on male artists, I decided to keep the list to females. While I can’t deny a certain bias for artists I generally dig for their music, this selection first and foremost is based on vocal ability that grabs me. And with that let’s roll.

I’d like to kick things off with Annie Lennox, who of course is best known for Eurythmics, her pop duo with Dave Stewart, which became a powerhouse during the ’80s. Following Eurythmics’ hiatus in 1990, Lennox launched a solo career. Here’s Why, a beautiful tune that nicely showcases her amazing voice. She wrote this song for her solo debut album Diva released in April 1992.

Alicia Keys is an artist I rarely listen to, but every time I do what typically stands out to me is her vocal performance. One of her most compelling songs I know in this context is called Fallin’. Written by Keys, it was included on her debut record Songs in A Minor from June 2001. Listening to this tune gives me goosebumps!

Carole King needs no further introduction. I’ve been a fan from the first time I heard her 1971 album Tapestry. Since my sister who had this record on vinyl was a young teenager then, I must have been eight years old or so. I didn’t understand a word of English. But King’s beautiful music and voice were more than enough to immediately attract me. From Tapestry here is Way Over Yonder.

Next, I’d like to highlight an artist I bet most readers don’t know, though frequent visitors of the blog may recall the name of the band she’s in: Tierinii Jackson, the powerful lead vocalist of Southern Avenue. This contemporary band from Memphis, Tenn. blends traditional blues and soul with modern R&B. I’ve covered them on various previous occasions, most recently here in connection with a concert I saw. That lady’s voice is something else, especially live! Check out Don’t Give Up, a great tune co-written by Jackson and Southern Avenue guitarist Ori Naftaly. It’s from their eponymous debut album that came out in February 2017.

Another artist I dig both as a guitarist and a vocalist is Bonnie Raitt. In fact, I have to admit, I’ve really come to love her over the years, so there could be a bit of bias at play. But I don’t care what you may think, Raitt does have a great voice. One of my favorite songs she recorded is Angel from Montgomery written by John Prine. It appeared on Raitt’s fourth studio album Streetlights from September 1974.

Perhaps the artist with the most distinctive voice in this playlist is Stevie Nicks. No other vocalist I know sounds like her. The first tune that came to mind was Landslide, a timeless gem she wrote and recorded with Fleetwood Mac on their second eponymous studio album released in July 1975, the tenth overall in their long catalog.

An artist who to me was both an amazing performer and a great vocalist is Tina Turner – I say was, since she retired from performing in 2009. I was going to feature a song from her 1984 Private Dancer album, but then I thought what could possibly be better than her killer version of John Fogerty’s Proud Mary. Her initial recording is from 1971 as part of Ike & Tina Turner. Instead, I decided to select this clip capturing an amazing and extended live performance. I’ve been fortunate to see Tina Turner twice, including this tune. It was mind-boggling! Every now and then, she liked to do things nice and easy. But somehow she never ever seemed to do nothing completely nice and easy. Why? Because she liked to do it nice and rough. Go, Tina!

No list of my favorite female vocalists would be complete without Linda Ronstadt. Here is her beautiful cover of When Will I Be Loved. Written by Phil Everly, this great tune was first released by The Everly Brothers in May 1960, giving them a top 10 hit. Ronstadt’s version, which was included on her fifth solo album Heart Like a Wheel from November 1974, became even more successful, peaking at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s not hard to see why!

The next artist in this playlist may be the biggest surprise, at least for folks who have read previous posts: Christina Aguilera. Yep, an artist I have never covered, since I generally don’t listen to her music. But I think she’s one of the best female vocalists I know. Beautiful is a powerful ballad written by Linda Perry, the former lead vocalist of 4 Non Blondes, who has a pretty decent voice herself. Aguilera recorded the track for her fourth studio album Stripped that appeared in October 2002. To me, singing doesn’t get much better!

This brings me to the final artist I’d like to highlight – Aretha Franklin. No playlist of female vocalists would be complete without the Queen of Soul either! In addition to being a songwriter, pianist and civil rights activist, Franklin was an incredible singer. Here’s her cover of the beautiful Sam Cooke song A Change Is Gonna Come from her 10th studio album I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, released in March 1967. I was reminded of this great record by hotfox63, who covered it the other day.

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube