Filed under: cd review, folk, indie, mellow music, music, music spotlight, quirky | Tags: sexy, beautiful, indie, mellow, Cover, cat power, bob dylan, Billie Holiday, Rolling Stones, Cover albums, Chan Marshall, track
To listen to Cat Power and find out more about her, visit:
www.matadorrecords.com/cat_power
www.myspace.com/catpower
Sounds like: A little Janis Joplin mixed with some Joni Mitchell, as calm and unrushed as molasses.
FYI: Cat Power’s first covers record was called just that, The Covers Record, released in 2000. It featured such interesting reinterpretations of songs like (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, made famous by the Rolling Stone’s and Moby Grape’s Naked, If I Want to, which has also been redone for Jukebox.
Tidbit: Two Cat Power cover songs (popularly featured in commercials), have yet to appear on an album. They are Cat Stevens’ How Can I Tell You and Blondie’s Hanging on The Telephone.
Below is the tracklist for the album, including the names of the artists that originally made the songs famous. It should be noted as well that the last five songs are only included on the Deluxe album.
1. New York (Frank Sinatra)
2. Ramblin’ (Wo)man (Hank Williams)
3. Metal Heart (new version of original Cat Power song, from the Moon pix album)
4. Silver Stallion (The Highwaymen)
5. Aretha, Sing One For Me (George Jackson)
6. Lost Someone (James Brown)
7. Lord, Help The Poor And Needy (Jessie Mae Hemphill)
8. I Believe In You (Bob Dylan)
9. Song To Bobby (New Cat Power)
10. Don’t Explain (Billie Holiday)
11. Woman Left Lonely (Janis Joplin)
12. Blue (Joni Mitchell)
13. I Feel (Hot Boys)
14. Naked, If I Want To (Moby Grape, previously done for 2000’s The Covers Album)
15. Breathless (Nick Cave)
16. Angelitos Negros (Roberta Flack)
17. She’s Got You (Patsy Cline)
Standout Tracks: New York, Metal Heart, I Believe In You, Don’t Explain, Naked If I Want To, She’s Got You
Best Played: Each song has it’s own mood really, but mostly it’s a CD to mellow out, think, and appreciate life to.
Suggested Research: House of the Rising Sun (from 2006’s Itunes Live Session), I Don’t Blame You, Free, He War (all from 2003’s You Are Free), I Found a Reason (from 2000’s The Covers Album), The Greatest, Lived in Bars (both from 2006’s The Greatest) and Rockets (from 1995’s Dear Sir)
Current Resume: Dear Sir (1995), What Would the Community Think (1996), Moon Pix (1998), The Covers Record (2000), You Are Free (2003), The Greatest (2006), Live Session Itunes Exclusive (2006), Up and Gone – single (2007), Jukebox (2008)
Filed under: artist spotlight, folk, indie, music, music spotlight | Tags: Bonnie Raitt, Darcie Miner, folk, indie, Joan Osborne, music, realist, romance, romantic, singer, songstress, Tracy Chapman
To listen to Darcie Miner, and find out more about her, visit:
www.DarcieMiner.net
www.myspace.com/darcieminer
Sounds like: Bonnie Raitt’s quality of tone, Joan Osborne’s confidence and Tracy Chapman’s bare-bones delivery.
FYI: Darcie has covered two fan favorites from two very different popular male musicians: Ohio, by Neil Young (on the Cinnamon Girl Charity Album, mentioned in my previous post), and Come Pick Me up, originally by Ryan Adams, on 2007’s Dm
As is probably already obvious, I have a soft spot for singers with a flair for romantic realism (and yes, I realize how bizarre those two are together). Now, I haven’t gone through enough heartbreak myself to know from experience what they’re singing about, but that’s where the true gift comes in. It requires a great deal of skill and a certain heart-on-your-sleeve quality to sing about life’s beautiful disasters and inspire in others such vivid imagery as to help them imagine just what it must feel like, whether they themselves have ever felt it or not. As I’ve recently discovered, this is a talent Darcie Miner has in spades. Inspired by her cover of Ohio (mentioned as a standout track on the Neil Young Cover Album, Cinnamon Girl, in my previous post), I immediately went off in search of further songs by the unfamiliar artist. Imagine my surprise when I found she had previously covered another of my favorite songs to wonderful results, one originally written and sung by one of the few men included in my ‘romantic realist’ group of favorites. This song is Ryan Adam’s Come Pick Me Up. However, fantastic covers aside (a skill I commend her for btw, as making someone fall in love with one of their favorite songs all over again is no easy feat), I downloaded both of Darcie’s currently listed itune CD’s, and have no doubt they will be in circulation for a long time to come.
Standout Tracks: A Lot to Lose (from 2006’s The Fragile EP), Trainwreck In Pennsylvania, Come Pick Me Up (from 2007’s Dm)
Best Played: on those wonderfully dreary drives through a drizzling rain, to pump some life back into life
Current Resume: The Fragile EP (2006), Dm (2007)
Filed under: artist spotlight, indie, music, music spotlight | Tags: catchy, indie, Ingrid Michaelson, Kate Nash, lovely, music, musician, pop, quirky, song, songstress, spotlight, Weepies, woman
To listen to Ingrid Michaelson, and find out more about her, visit:
www.ingridmichaelson.com
www.myspace.com/ingridmichaelson
Sounds like: The result of a crazy one night stand between The Weepies and Kate Nash
It’s hard to say how long Ingrid Michaelson has been around. She only has two CD’s on itunes, both of which were made in the past 5 years, and one feature on a recent Joshua Radin song “Sky”. Despite seeming to only recently join the scene however, Ingrid Michaelson’s quirky songs speak to years of experience, both musical and otherwise. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, her lyrically excellent songs speak of just how bittersweet life, love and music truly can be. From the brisk cautionary schoolyard song “Charlie”, to the sweet love song about acceptance that is “The Way I Am”, Ingrid’s views on life and relationships are as faceted as her skill with her craft. A truly talented singer/songwriter, I wholeheartedly believe she is on the verge of becoming an enormous success, without compromising a single thing. Until then however, she’ll just have to be contented with being one of indie pop music’s best kept secrets.
Standout Tracks: Die Alone, Breakable, The Way I Am
Best Played: Anytime you need to smile.
Current Resume: Slow the Rain (2005), Girls and Boys (2007), featured on Joshua Radin’s Unclear Sky – EP (2008)
Recommended Research: Let Go, Charlie, I’ll See You In My Dreams, all off of 2005’s Slow The Rain
Filed under: american, cd review, indie, music | Tags: 2008, cd review, foo fighters, indie, Lucky, mellow, music, Nada Surf, pop, rock, Snow Patrol
Sounds Like: Snow Patrol and the Foo Fighters indie lovechild
For those who are familiar with Nada Surf, their latest release ‘Lucky’ may come as a surprise. At first listen, Lucky seems almost saccharine in comparison to previous albums, but don’t mistake the new, brighter sound and catchier lyrics for insincerity or excessive cheese. Lucky is just the latest evolution of a band who has been honing their craft for over a decade. For some diehard fans, Lucky has the potential to be a let down, but ignoring comparisons with albums of old, this newest venture by Matthew Caws, Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca is a wonderful showcase of their talent and continued drive to create great, upbeat albums. And though some fans might not like the idea of sharing one of indie rock/pop’s best kept secrets, Lucky has the potential to garner the affection of a much broader and more varied audience than Nada Surf has ever had before.
Standout Tracks: See These Bones, Whose Authority, Here Goes Something, From Now On
Best Played During: Long, sunny day drives with the top down.
Current Resume: High/low (1996), The Proximity Effect (1998), Let Go (2002), Live in Brussels (2004), The Weight is a Gift (2005), Karmic – EP (2007), Lucky (2008)
Recommended research: Blankest Year (off 2005’s The Weight is a Gift), Inside of Love (off 2003’s Let Go), Popular (off 1996’s High/Low)
