I've watched, with amusement and not a little chagrin the actions of supposed Justin Bieber fans this week in response to his not-so-shocking loss of the Best New Artist award to Esperanza Spalding at Sunday night''s GRAMMY Awards. Being a fan of music is about connecting with an artist or song, not about abject hatred of anything you don't understand. The actions of those who chose to debase Spalding's wikipedia page and post other hateful things about her at various hotspots around the internet are truly reprehensible and reflect some of the darkest aspects of human nature.
While it's acknowledged that the propagators are mostly young (tween and teen girls), the utter viciousness of the attacks gives pause, especially considering that all the hoopla is about an award show that's generally more about publicity and whose label conducts the better PR campaign to GRAMMY voters than it is about musical talent. I'll openly acknowledge that we received Spalding's album here last year and chose not to review it. Spalding has an unusual take on songwriting that is perhaps more heralded for the fact that it's different as for anything else, but is probably an acquired taste. This is the great thing about music; different people like different things. I can respect what Spalding does even if I don't personally like it. The same goes (marginally) for Justin Bieber. I understand where the music comes from. I think it's cynically manipulative of teen and tween hormones and that his popularity is based more on young hormones than anything remotely musical, but to each their own.
Nevertheless, it would be great to hear Bieber address this weeks internet tantrums with his fans. I doubt it will happen, but it would speak well of the artist.
Showing posts with label Grammy Awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grammy Awards. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Review: Elton John - The Red Piano
Elton John - The Red Piano
2009, Island/Mercury
You might not have been able to make the trip to Las Vegas to see Elton John's standing show, but no matter. Island/Mercury brings the show home to you on The Red Piano, released on DVD and BlueRay this month. John's Vegas show (also entitled The Red Piano) saw a run of over 200 sold out shows, breaking attendance records on the strip and raising the bar for the next generation of house performers there. It's easy to see why, John has had a long and storied career full of gold and platinum records and continues to outsell acts less than half his age in a dramatically changed music marketplace.
The DVD features fourteen tracks; some of the biggest hits of Elton John's career, including Bennie And The Jets, Daniel, Rocket Man, Candle In The Wind, B!tch Is Back, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting and Your Song. Sadly, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road isn't included here. For the enhanced experience, pick up the BlueRay version, featuring a 50 minute documentary The Life And Legacy of Elton John, as well as original stage projections created for the show by David LaChappelle. While there are some definite gaps in the material offered in this performance, it is highly representative of Elton John and his status as one of the elder statesmen of Rock N Roll.
Elton John has 1Tony, 1 Oscar, 1 Golden Globe and 5 Grammys to his name. The Red Piano is a testament to the talent and showmanship that got him there. While not as over-the-top on stage as in his 1970's heyday, Elton John still gives a great show. The Red Piano is a must for fans, and a great introduction if you somehow don't know much about the artist. The Red Piano is highly recommended.
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Elton John at http://www.eltonjohn.com/. You can purchase The Red Piano at Amazon.com or anywhere DVDs are sold.
2009, Island/Mercury
You might not have been able to make the trip to Las Vegas to see Elton John's standing show, but no matter. Island/Mercury brings the show home to you on The Red Piano, released on DVD and BlueRay this month. John's Vegas show (also entitled The Red Piano) saw a run of over 200 sold out shows, breaking attendance records on the strip and raising the bar for the next generation of house performers there. It's easy to see why, John has had a long and storied career full of gold and platinum records and continues to outsell acts less than half his age in a dramatically changed music marketplace.
The DVD features fourteen tracks; some of the biggest hits of Elton John's career, including Bennie And The Jets, Daniel, Rocket Man, Candle In The Wind, B!tch Is Back, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting and Your Song. Sadly, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road isn't included here. For the enhanced experience, pick up the BlueRay version, featuring a 50 minute documentary The Life And Legacy of Elton John, as well as original stage projections created for the show by David LaChappelle. While there are some definite gaps in the material offered in this performance, it is highly representative of Elton John and his status as one of the elder statesmen of Rock N Roll.
Elton John has 1Tony, 1 Oscar, 1 Golden Globe and 5 Grammys to his name. The Red Piano is a testament to the talent and showmanship that got him there. While not as over-the-top on stage as in his 1970's heyday, Elton John still gives a great show. The Red Piano is a must for fans, and a great introduction if you somehow don't know much about the artist. The Red Piano is highly recommended.
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Elton John at http://www.eltonjohn.com/. You can purchase The Red Piano at Amazon.com or anywhere DVDs are sold.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Review: Barbra Streisand - The Concerts
Barbra Streisand – The Concerts
2009, Hip-O Records
Barbra Streisand is the top selling female artist of all time, with over 71 million albums sold in the US alone. Her 50 gold albums, 30 platinum albums and 13 multi-platinum albums rival artists like The Beatles, Elton John and Neil Diamond. Streisand started out in her high school choir with fellow future legend Neil Diamond, also rubbing elbows with Bobby Fischer. Streisand started out as a nightclub singer, working her way up through Off-Broadway productions and regular gigs at gay bars in New York City on her way to landing an appearance on Jack Parr’s The Tonight Show in 1961. Streisand made her Broadway debut in 1962 in I Can Get It For You Wholesale, and won her first two Grammy Awards in 1963 for The Barbra Streisand Album. More Broadway shows would come, as would movies and a string of highly successful recordings. Streisand has received 10 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Legend Award (1992) and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1994).
The Concerts features two full shows from this legendary performer. Included is the full set list from a show in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida from Streisand’s 2006 North American tour. This concert includes some firsts from Streisand, including My Shining Hour, A Cockeyed Optimist and Unusual Way. A guest appearance by Il Divo is just dressing for this concert experience. The set also includes a show from her 1994 tour recorded at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California that includes the Yentl Medley. This tour was Streisand’s first return to the stage in a quarter century; it’s apparent from the energy Streisand brings to the stage as well as from the response from the crowd. The third disc in the set is a cornucopia of goodies for hard core Streisand fans, featuring video clips from television performances over the years and the documentary Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album.
There are a lot of compilations and retreads out there that come out of the major music labels these days. No one at the majors wants to invest in developing artists anymore, but they are more than willing to slice and dice long established artists’ catalogs to create “new” releases ever other year to keep up their income levels. I tend to be very skeptical of such tactics, but this collection is very much worthwhile if you’re a Streisand fan. If you don’t know much about Streisand, come out from under that rock and check out The Concerts. Streisand is iconic in a way that artists like Sinatra, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Neil Diamond are or were. The Concerts is worthy of that reputation.
2009, Hip-O Records
Barbra Streisand is the top selling female artist of all time, with over 71 million albums sold in the US alone. Her 50 gold albums, 30 platinum albums and 13 multi-platinum albums rival artists like The Beatles, Elton John and Neil Diamond. Streisand started out in her high school choir with fellow future legend Neil Diamond, also rubbing elbows with Bobby Fischer. Streisand started out as a nightclub singer, working her way up through Off-Broadway productions and regular gigs at gay bars in New York City on her way to landing an appearance on Jack Parr’s The Tonight Show in 1961. Streisand made her Broadway debut in 1962 in I Can Get It For You Wholesale, and won her first two Grammy Awards in 1963 for The Barbra Streisand Album. More Broadway shows would come, as would movies and a string of highly successful recordings. Streisand has received 10 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Legend Award (1992) and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1994).
The Concerts features two full shows from this legendary performer. Included is the full set list from a show in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida from Streisand’s 2006 North American tour. This concert includes some firsts from Streisand, including My Shining Hour, A Cockeyed Optimist and Unusual Way. A guest appearance by Il Divo is just dressing for this concert experience. The set also includes a show from her 1994 tour recorded at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California that includes the Yentl Medley. This tour was Streisand’s first return to the stage in a quarter century; it’s apparent from the energy Streisand brings to the stage as well as from the response from the crowd. The third disc in the set is a cornucopia of goodies for hard core Streisand fans, featuring video clips from television performances over the years and the documentary Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album.
There are a lot of compilations and retreads out there that come out of the major music labels these days. No one at the majors wants to invest in developing artists anymore, but they are more than willing to slice and dice long established artists’ catalogs to create “new” releases ever other year to keep up their income levels. I tend to be very skeptical of such tactics, but this collection is very much worthwhile if you’re a Streisand fan. If you don’t know much about Streisand, come out from under that rock and check out The Concerts. Streisand is iconic in a way that artists like Sinatra, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Neil Diamond are or were. The Concerts is worthy of that reputation.
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Barbra Streisand at http://www.barbrastreisand.com/. You can purchase The Concerts at Amazon.com or wherever DVDs are sold.
You can learn more about Barbra Streisand at http://www.barbrastreisand.com/. You can purchase The Concerts at Amazon.com or wherever DVDs are sold.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Review: Frank Sinatra - Live At The Meadowlands
Frank Sinatra – Live At The Meadowlands
2009, Concord Records
What can I say about Frank Sinatra that you haven’t heard before? The man is a legend, and still creates a buzz when a new release is on tap even eleven years after his passing. Sinatra was the recipient of no less than eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Sinatra also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (From Here To Eternity), and was awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom in 1985 by Ronald Reagan and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997. Sinatra sold over 100 million records over the course of his career, in spite of a damaged ear drum and a voice that was imperfect. Sinatra’s gift was his ability to sell a song better than anyone else in the business. On May 5, 2009, Concord Records releases the jewel in the crown for any collector of Sinatra audio recordings, Live At The Meadowlands.
On March 14, 1986, Frank Sinatra took to the stage at The Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for a show that has become legend amongst Sinatra fans. The show was a homecoming of sorts for Sinatra, and has not been previously released officially, although poor quality bootlegs have circulated among fans for years. Listening to the recording you could tell that Sinatra, even at seventy years old, knew it was a special night. There was a bounce in his step that came through in the performance (there’s nothing like playing to a hometown crowd that loves you). Sinatra covered every phase of his career, from One For My Baby and It Was A Very Good Year to New York, New York. There’s even a three minute monologue segment that gives a very human look at Sinatra that is passed over in news and tabloid coverage of the man.
Special moments in the concert include The Gal That Got Away, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Where Or When, Someone To Watch Over Me and Mack The Knife. Ultimately, when compared with some of the great singers of the past seventy years, Sinatra’s voice isn’t as pretty as some, but the man owned everything he sang like nobody’s business. It’s one thing to hear him on studio recordings, but on this live performance you get the full effect of Sinatra’s charisma and style. There’s nobody better, then or now. Anyone out there who performs on stage, or dreams of doing so, this is your first lesson in showmanship. You’ll never find a better teacher.
Live At The Meadowlands is a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.
Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Frank Sinatra at http://www.sinatra.com/. Live At The Meadowlands hits shelves on May 5, 2009. You can purchase your copy at Amazon.com or wherever music is sold. You can also download the album through iTunes as of May 5.
2009, Concord Records
What can I say about Frank Sinatra that you haven’t heard before? The man is a legend, and still creates a buzz when a new release is on tap even eleven years after his passing. Sinatra was the recipient of no less than eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Sinatra also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (From Here To Eternity), and was awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom in 1985 by Ronald Reagan and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997. Sinatra sold over 100 million records over the course of his career, in spite of a damaged ear drum and a voice that was imperfect. Sinatra’s gift was his ability to sell a song better than anyone else in the business. On May 5, 2009, Concord Records releases the jewel in the crown for any collector of Sinatra audio recordings, Live At The Meadowlands.
On March 14, 1986, Frank Sinatra took to the stage at The Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for a show that has become legend amongst Sinatra fans. The show was a homecoming of sorts for Sinatra, and has not been previously released officially, although poor quality bootlegs have circulated among fans for years. Listening to the recording you could tell that Sinatra, even at seventy years old, knew it was a special night. There was a bounce in his step that came through in the performance (there’s nothing like playing to a hometown crowd that loves you). Sinatra covered every phase of his career, from One For My Baby and It Was A Very Good Year to New York, New York. There’s even a three minute monologue segment that gives a very human look at Sinatra that is passed over in news and tabloid coverage of the man.
Special moments in the concert include The Gal That Got Away, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Where Or When, Someone To Watch Over Me and Mack The Knife. Ultimately, when compared with some of the great singers of the past seventy years, Sinatra’s voice isn’t as pretty as some, but the man owned everything he sang like nobody’s business. It’s one thing to hear him on studio recordings, but on this live performance you get the full effect of Sinatra’s charisma and style. There’s nobody better, then or now. Anyone out there who performs on stage, or dreams of doing so, this is your first lesson in showmanship. You’ll never find a better teacher.
Live At The Meadowlands is a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.
Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Frank Sinatra at http://www.sinatra.com/. Live At The Meadowlands hits shelves on May 5, 2009. You can purchase your copy at Amazon.com or wherever music is sold. You can also download the album through iTunes as of May 5.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Review: Al Jarreau - Christmas
Al Jarreau – Christmas
2008, Rhino Records
Seven-time Grammy Award winner Al Jarreau has a legendary reputation. He’s won Grammys in four separate decades, and is the only artist in history to win Grammys in three separate musical genres (Pop, Jazz and R&B.) Jarreau is known in jazz circles for his scat singing and his ability to emulate the sounds of various musical instruments. In the popular realm he may be most remembered for writing/recording the theme of the Bruce Willis/Cybil Sheppard TV Hit Moonlighting. For the holidays in 2008, Al Jarreau has released a CD entitled, simply, Christmas.
There aren’t many in the business with smoother sound than Jarreau. He’s an old school crooner with a voice like velvet. The arrangements on Christmas reflect the various musical hats he’s worn over the years as well. Winter Wonderland is done in a 1970’s jazz/soul style that is fitting. Hark The Herald Angels Sing I wasn’t as thrilled with. It’s done as a Calypso that just doesn’t fit with the song for me. Jarreau’s version of White Christmas is gorgeous and touching. Carol Of The Bells has a great progressive jazz vibe that you just have to hear.
The Christmas Song is handled in a jazz ensemble arrangement that works very well and really highlights Jarreau’s pipes. I’ll Be Home For Christmas is arranged in the depths of beautiful harmonies provided by Take 6. This is the highlight recording of the disc, as Jarreau and Take 6 fit together like milk and cookies. Gloria In Excelsis is given the full Gospel send-up and works very well. Other notable tracks are Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Some Children See Him and The Little Christmas Tree.
What can you say about Al Jarreau? The man can still sing rings around many of the young bucks currently climbing the charts in the Pop, R&B and Jazz worlds. His Christmas CD is faithful enough to tradition to appeal to the mass market and new and fresh enough to keep songs you hear hundreds of times each December interesting and fun. I’m not 100% on board with a couple of the stylistic choices here, but too bad for me. It’s an excellent album and definitely a top choice for the Christmas season.
2008, Rhino Records
Seven-time Grammy Award winner Al Jarreau has a legendary reputation. He’s won Grammys in four separate decades, and is the only artist in history to win Grammys in three separate musical genres (Pop, Jazz and R&B.) Jarreau is known in jazz circles for his scat singing and his ability to emulate the sounds of various musical instruments. In the popular realm he may be most remembered for writing/recording the theme of the Bruce Willis/Cybil Sheppard TV Hit Moonlighting. For the holidays in 2008, Al Jarreau has released a CD entitled, simply, Christmas.
There aren’t many in the business with smoother sound than Jarreau. He’s an old school crooner with a voice like velvet. The arrangements on Christmas reflect the various musical hats he’s worn over the years as well. Winter Wonderland is done in a 1970’s jazz/soul style that is fitting. Hark The Herald Angels Sing I wasn’t as thrilled with. It’s done as a Calypso that just doesn’t fit with the song for me. Jarreau’s version of White Christmas is gorgeous and touching. Carol Of The Bells has a great progressive jazz vibe that you just have to hear.
The Christmas Song is handled in a jazz ensemble arrangement that works very well and really highlights Jarreau’s pipes. I’ll Be Home For Christmas is arranged in the depths of beautiful harmonies provided by Take 6. This is the highlight recording of the disc, as Jarreau and Take 6 fit together like milk and cookies. Gloria In Excelsis is given the full Gospel send-up and works very well. Other notable tracks are Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Some Children See Him and The Little Christmas Tree.
What can you say about Al Jarreau? The man can still sing rings around many of the young bucks currently climbing the charts in the Pop, R&B and Jazz worlds. His Christmas CD is faithful enough to tradition to appeal to the mass market and new and fresh enough to keep songs you hear hundreds of times each December interesting and fun. I’m not 100% on board with a couple of the stylistic choices here, but too bad for me. It’s an excellent album and definitely a top choice for the Christmas season.
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Al Jarreau at http://www.aljarreau.com/. You can purchase a copy of Christmas at Amazon.com or wherever holiday music is sold.
You can learn more about Al Jarreau at http://www.aljarreau.com/. You can purchase a copy of Christmas at Amazon.com or wherever holiday music is sold.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Review: Merle Haggard - Legendary Performances (DVD)
Merle Haggard – Legendary Performances
2008, Shout! Factory
Merle Haggard is a legend. Not your garden variety legend. Regardless of how brutally honest he’s been about his own life over the years, there’s a mythology that follows him like mist after breath on a cold morning. Haggard was in and out of detention centers/prison in his teens and early 20’s. He was at several of Johnny Cash’s San Quentin concerts as a mandatory guest due to a robbery gone bad. Cash’s inspiration plus exposure to inmates who would later be executed convinced Haggard to straighten his life out, and within a couple of years of his release Haggard was ascending the country music charts in the United States. Haggard remains revered even today for an outlaw streak that helped to revolutionize country music. The Bakersfield (California) sound, which Haggard helped introduce (along with artists such as Buck Owens) was alt-country’s answer to the over-produced honky-tonk then in vogue in Nashville.
Haggard was on to something. Between 1966 and 1987 Haggard racked 38 #1 hits, 4 Grammy Awards, 15 Academy Of Country Music Awards, and 6 Country Music Awards. Haggard was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1977 and to the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1994. There will always be artists who try emulate Haggard’s style or his sound or his outlaw stature, but there will never be another Merle Haggard. Shout! Factory offers up a collection of 15 of Haggard’s most riveting performances from the heart of his career (1968 – 1983) entitled Legendary Performances.
Legendary Performances includes offerings from Country Music Holiday; Billy Walker’s Country Carnival; the Porter Wagoner Show; Pop! Goes The Country; the CMA Awards and an iconic performance of San Antonio Rose from Johnny Cash’s 1983 Christmas Special. Highlights include Mama Tried; The Fightin’ Side Of Me, Okie From Muskogee; Workin’ Man Blues and That’s The Way Love Goes. Truth to tell, there’s not a throwaway pick on the DVD. Haggard fans old and new will love this, and it’s refreshing to see an all-around performer in action. Many of the current denizens of Nashville stand to learn a lot from a guy like Haggard.
Rounding out what is already a musically gratifying experience are two superb extras. The first is an interview with Merle Haggard from 1981 that fans will love, and the second is his 1994 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Shout! Factory did this one right. Hardcore fans will of course complain about their favorite song that was omitted from the collection (38 #1 hits plus an amazing deep catalog exist here), but for a basic best of collection that features some iconic performances, it doesn’t get much better short of doing a whole box set. Legendary Performances is aptly named!
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Merle Haggard at http://www.merlehaggard.com/. You can purchase Legendary Performances at Amazon.com or wherever music/music videos are sold.
2008, Shout! Factory
Merle Haggard is a legend. Not your garden variety legend. Regardless of how brutally honest he’s been about his own life over the years, there’s a mythology that follows him like mist after breath on a cold morning. Haggard was in and out of detention centers/prison in his teens and early 20’s. He was at several of Johnny Cash’s San Quentin concerts as a mandatory guest due to a robbery gone bad. Cash’s inspiration plus exposure to inmates who would later be executed convinced Haggard to straighten his life out, and within a couple of years of his release Haggard was ascending the country music charts in the United States. Haggard remains revered even today for an outlaw streak that helped to revolutionize country music. The Bakersfield (California) sound, which Haggard helped introduce (along with artists such as Buck Owens) was alt-country’s answer to the over-produced honky-tonk then in vogue in Nashville.
Haggard was on to something. Between 1966 and 1987 Haggard racked 38 #1 hits, 4 Grammy Awards, 15 Academy Of Country Music Awards, and 6 Country Music Awards. Haggard was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1977 and to the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1994. There will always be artists who try emulate Haggard’s style or his sound or his outlaw stature, but there will never be another Merle Haggard. Shout! Factory offers up a collection of 15 of Haggard’s most riveting performances from the heart of his career (1968 – 1983) entitled Legendary Performances.
Legendary Performances includes offerings from Country Music Holiday; Billy Walker’s Country Carnival; the Porter Wagoner Show; Pop! Goes The Country; the CMA Awards and an iconic performance of San Antonio Rose from Johnny Cash’s 1983 Christmas Special. Highlights include Mama Tried; The Fightin’ Side Of Me, Okie From Muskogee; Workin’ Man Blues and That’s The Way Love Goes. Truth to tell, there’s not a throwaway pick on the DVD. Haggard fans old and new will love this, and it’s refreshing to see an all-around performer in action. Many of the current denizens of Nashville stand to learn a lot from a guy like Haggard.
Rounding out what is already a musically gratifying experience are two superb extras. The first is an interview with Merle Haggard from 1981 that fans will love, and the second is his 1994 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Shout! Factory did this one right. Hardcore fans will of course complain about their favorite song that was omitted from the collection (38 #1 hits plus an amazing deep catalog exist here), but for a basic best of collection that features some iconic performances, it doesn’t get much better short of doing a whole box set. Legendary Performances is aptly named!
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Merle Haggard at http://www.merlehaggard.com/. You can purchase Legendary Performances at Amazon.com or wherever music/music videos are sold.
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