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7.4.2004 - Yes, yes, I've been slacking big-time the past month -
few dispatches and even fewer updates. No excuses other than: Juliana
Hatfield's In Exile Deo. One of the best
albums of the year, says I, if not the best, though Maria McKee's
(due July 27th) may just give it a run for its money.
We'll see.
This month,
Diane chimes in on the "Album of the Month" - Patti Scialfa's
Patti Scialfa's is a poignant and beautiful sliver of shimmering 60's-era soul, served up with memorable melodies, impeccable production and an updated Phil Spector feel that just won't quit. From the title track to the last song ("Young in the City"), this CD takes you to Scialfa's version of NYC, a little bit Lou Reed, a whole lot of Jersey Girl-comes-to-the-big-city, determined to take her shot. She may get roughed around a bit, but she emerges from the wet asphalt unscathed and reborn. The lyrics can occasionally verge on awkward ("he's the walking definition of what it is to be mean"), but the sound is pure and right and perfectly evocative (and didn't Phil Spector's lyrics get brutally mocked way back when...and don't those songs hold up in the Light of Day 40 years down the road?). Bonnie Raitt (or Marcia Ball) could do a mean cover of "City Boys," but Patti does just fine on her own. While others have heard traces of Laura Nyro, I think the only connection there is the "Up on the Roof" ambiance--Nyro was a Native New Yorker, after all. Still, has the thematic unity and aural cohesion (if not the innovative brilliance) of Nyro's classic paean to her hometown, . Diane also spotlights the new archival Laura Nyro release, Spread Your Wings and Fly: Live at the Fillmore East May 30, 1971. -- |
wondrous
,
which was released June 15th: