Reviews by verbaljazz

A jazz vocalist who belongs in the same conversation as Ella and Billie.

Elvis Costello: fantastic songwriter and musician who inspires unhinged hatred from mediocre people.

Elvis Costello, the brilliant, witty, sardonic songwriter would no doubt be amused by the vitriol.

I remember a poetry professor dissecting the lyrics to "Man in the Mirror" as bad poetry. That professor died of brain cancer, which is irrelevant. What the professor missed is that songs rely on the music and that the poetry of the lyrics is secondary.

Anyway, Michael Jackson was an insanely gifted entertainer and consummate weirdo who very likely molested children. I go with the "smoke/fire" theory here, considering this is not a one-off accusation. Why are so many people hung up on disproving that he molested children? Because fans of the artist, you can't consume the art in good conscience. (See also, MAGA People who turn a blind eye to Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and the "privileges" that likely entailed.) The best course of acrion is to separate the art from the artist in this case.

Bad is not as compelling as Thriller, but it's still a decent record.

Is it false advertising to label yourself a doctor even though you don't have a medical degree?

That said, this album has its own vibe.

It's Stevie Wonder. Enough said.

Actually, while I was listening to this record, I was thinking about the state of radio in the 1980s. I mostly listened to classic rock stations at that time, but Stevie Wonder was never played on them. Nor Marvin Gaye. Nor any other Motown artists. Is it because they were Black that they weren't played as heavily? Or is it marketing? Or is it, "Well, Stevie Wonder doesn't use guitars, so he can't be considered classic rock?" I think it's probably something that wasn't really thought of. They played Hendrix after all. I think it's more of a question of labels and branding. It's a reminder that when we slap a label on ourselves or our preferences, we limit our worldview, often unintentionally.

That is to say that we could all stand to listen to some classic Stevie Wonder

This album starts out full of infectious energy, with some wonderful bass lines, then it seems to peter out.

I pity the foo that has to fight the foo.

You have to admire Dave Grohl for wanting to continue after Nirvana. Imagine you're part of one of the biggest bands, but your front man has serious issues and dies by suicide.

What next?

You record an album hoping that people will like it, and continue on with a new band, making decent music.

That's the life, man.

Straight up blues rock. Straight up blues rock. Some great guitar solos.

Listening to this is to see how the '80s emphasis on MTV and making hits really did not service some bands, ZZ Top among them. In the '80s, ZZ Top weren't so much musicians as characters in a ZZ Top cinematic universe filled with hirsute biker dudes and scantily clad women.

When a band just oozes creativity.

This is its own thing. Reminds me of the Magnetic Fields' "69 Love Songs" - although this was first. The lyrics are often meant to be humorous or comic. Love can be humiliating.

So much in hip-hop depends on matching the sonic environment to the lyrics. This record is a masterclass in sampling.

Pretty ballsy move opening with a Rolling Stones cover.

All kidding aside "Bittersweet Symphony" is catchable. The rest of the record sounds like they were trading ideas with Oasis for material.

An album over 45 minutes long has to justify itself with the strength and diversity of its material. And this does not cut it.

The hidden track thankfully died with the decline in CD production. It's pervasiveness in the 90s is completely odious.

Decent album full of songs about wanting to get laid. Such simpler times. Weren't they aware that there was a world in chaos? Not one song about Vietnam? Come on! Doesn't quite reach the heights of some other music of the era, but still quite solid.

The Isley Brothers have been so influential on popular music, but they often feel so overlooked. Solid album.

Simply a gorgeous album. Another reminder that music can communicate beyond language.

The perfect rainy day album. Seriously. Put this album on when it's raining and you can't go wrong.

The Cure's best album, and a great record overall. This where they perfected arena rock for misfits. And misfits is not a put down. Back when this came out, you were considered weird if you were into the Cure or any other alternative music. But when people started to actually listen to it, they recognized how great this band actually is.

Go back in time to 1989/90. I was just discovering The Cure as a senior in high school. This album was such a revelation. The music that finds us at this age has an incredible pull on us. I put this on and instantly I am driving around with my friends, worried about going away to college, and the girl I am too anxious to ask out. Robert Smith's music and lyrics catch me in a warm hug.

Smooth jazz is anathema to the spirit of jazz.

The best jazz records make you sit up and take notice. This doesn't quite reach those heights. The rhythm section is pulling some serious weight here. This would have been a much different record with a lot less reverb on the sax, giving it more muscle in the recording.

Solid New Order album. Not their best, but still good.

Kicking off an album with "Tiny Dancer" is a flex.

Great album overall.

Even half-baked Macca ideas are still hummable.

Not the greatest work by the recently ex-Beatle, but not terrible. A lot of song ideas are not well thought out - it's like trying to create a one-man Abbey Road medley.

"Maybe I'm Amazed" is still a fantastic love song.