Amadou & Mariam: Dimanche à Bamako

CML call number: CD/INTERNATIONAL/Amadou
Contents: M' Bifé, M' Bifé Balafon, Coulibaly, La Réalité, Sénégal Fast Food, Artistiya, La Fête au Village, Camions Sauvages, Beaux Dimanches, La Paix, Djanfa, Taxi Bamako, Politic Amagni, Gnidjougouya, M' Bifé Blues.
Josh Tyrangiel wrote in Time: "World music doesn't have a reputation for fun, and Amadou & Mariam, the self-proclaimed Blind Couple of Mali, might not seem the likeliest candidates to rock the boat. But a) they wear the coolest shades in the history of sightlessness, and b) they have partnered with Spanish-French producer Manu Chao, whose interest in multiculturalism stops at every country's best pop hooks. Listening to the fusion of Amadou & Mariam's polyrhythmic blues with Chao's exuberant rip-offs is like watching another nation's most hysterically bad TV; you feel as if you're learning something, even though you're enjoying yourself. > Best Tracks: Senegal Fast Food, Taxi Bamako" ("Best of 2005: Music," 12/26/05-1/2/06).
Is it true that world music doesn't have a reputation for fun?? What a sad waste that would be. …

George Rochberg: Symphony No. 2; Imago Mundi

CML call number: CD/CLASSICAL/Rochberg
Bernard Holland wrote in the New York Times: "The Second Symphony, finished a decade or so after the end of World War II, was a delayed response to it. Mr. Rochberg the soldier was a man wounded in more ways than one. The first movement is close to violence, though violence managed with a discrimination and order that true combat knows only in theory. The Adagio floats and drifts, opaque and with a dreariness that becomes very beautiful. Much of the work speaks a 12-tone language of Mr. Rochberg's devising, but given the highly charged nature of the music, such matters do not need too much of the listener's attention. Also on this CD is 'Imago Mundi,' from 1973. In this homage to Japanese culture, Mr. Rochberg seems to have found a measure of peace. You hear a moment of blaring band music, a nature scene replete with birds and distant thunder, and elegant eruptions of orchestral sound. But more pervasive are Mr. Rochberg's analogues for Japanese winds and drums, played against lingering, drawling held notes and featuring flattened tone and little swoops of portamento" ("Classical Recordings," 11/20/05).

The Beatles: Anthology 2

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Beatles
Contents: Real Love (a demo by John Lennon, "completed" in 1995 by the surviving Beatles); Yes It Is; I'm Down; You've Got to Hide Your Love Away; If You've Got Trouble; That Means a Lot; Yesterday; It's Only Love; I Feel Fine; Ticket to Ride; Help!; Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby; Norwegian Wood; I'm Looking Through You; 12-Bar Original; Tomorrow Never Knows; Got to Get You Into My Life; And Your Bird Can Sing; Taxman; Eleanor Rigby (strings only); I'm Only Sleeping (rehearsal and take 1); Rock and Roll Music; She's a Woman; Strawberry Fields Forever (demo sequence, takes 1 and 7, and an "edit piece"); Penny Lane; A Day in the Life; Good Morning Good Morning; Only a Northern Song; Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite! (takes 1, 2, 7); Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds; Within You Without You (instrumental); Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise); You Know My Name (Look Up the Number); I Am the Walrus; The Fool on the Hill (demo and take 4); Your Mother Should Know; Hello, Goodbye; Lady Madonna; Across the Universe. Released 1995, newly added to our collection in response to a patron's request.

The Beatles: Anthology 1

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Beatles
Contents: Free as a Bird; That'll Be the Day; In Spite of All the Danger; Hallelujah, I Love Her So; You'll Be Mine; Cayenne; My Bonnie; Ain't She Sweet; Cry for a Shadow; Searchin'; Three Cool Cats; The Sheik of Araby; Like Dreamers Do; Hello Little Girl; Besame Mucho; Love Me Do; How Do You Do It; Please Please Me; One after 909; Lend Me Your Comb; I'll Get You; I Saw Her Standing There; From Me to You; Money (That's What I Want); You Really Got a Hold on Me; Roll Over Beethoven; She Loves You; Till There Was You; Twist and Shout; This Boy; I Want to Hold Your Hand; Moonlight Bay; Can't Buy Me Love; All My Loving; You Can't Do That; And I Love Her; A Hard Day's Night; I Wanna Be Your Man; Long Tall Sally; Boys; Shout; I'll Be Back; You Know What to Do; No Reply; Mr. Moonlight; Leave My Kitten Alone; Eight Days a Week; Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!; plus spoken reminiscences by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Brian Epstein, audio from the Beatles' appearance on a TV comedy show in 1963, false starts and demo versions. Released 1995, newly added to our collection in response to a patron's request.

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Lewis
Matt Ashare wrote in the Boston Phoenix: "The disc is … credited to Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, a pair of Kentucky-bred, gospel-trained harmonizers named Chandra and Leigh. … Rabbit Fur Coat gives Lewis the opportunity to explore some of the subtleties of that fresh, clean-scrubbed, Ivory-soap voice of hers. … She doesn't resort to cheap tricks: the closest thing to a novelty is a cover of the Traveling Wilburys nugget 'Handle with Care,' in full 12-string Byrdsy production with [Conor] Oberst, album producer Matt 'M.' Ward, and Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard helping out. It's a veritable indie hootenanny. … Beyond that, Rabbit Fur Coat does exactly what a solo project should: it allows Lewis to test some new waters without drowning in the deep end. When she sings 'My Mama never warned me about my own destructive appetite' against a slow, front-porch swing, she's splitting the difference between Rilo Kiley and Patsy Cline with deference toward both, and with a playfulness that's as endearing as it is infectious" ("Roots Canals: The Country Excursion of Jenny Lewis, the Elected, and Neko Case," 3/17/06).

Chris Botti: To Love Again

CML call number: CD/JAZZ/Botti
Contents: Embraceable You, What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? (with Sting), My One and Only Love (with Paula Cole), Let There Be Love (with Michael Bublé), What's New?, Good Morning Heartache (with Jill Scott), To Love Again, Are You Lonesome Tonight? (with Paul Buchanan), Lover Man (with Gladys Knight), I'll Be Seeing You, Pennies from Heaven (with Renée Olstead), Here's That Rainy Day (with Rosa Passos), Smile (with Steven Tyler).
Artist website: http://www.chrisbotti.com/
According to the website, trumpeter Chris Botti "is a native of Oregon who was born in Portland … His earliest musical influence was his mother, a classically trained pianist and part-time piano teacher. 'I can't really sit down and play a song on the piano,' Chris admits. 'But I know harmony, and generally I compose on the piano rather than on the trumpet.' He pursued his music studies with a succession of outstanding teachers: David Friesen in the Northwest, Dave Baker in Indiana, and — following Botti's move to New York City in 1986 — the late trumpet master Woody Shaw."

Andrea Bocelli: Amore

CML call number: CD/POPULAR/Bocelli
Contents: Amapola, Besame mucho, Les feuilles mortes (Autumn Leaves; feat. Veronica Berti), Mi manchi (feat. Kenny G), Somos novios (It's Impossible; duet with Christina Aguilera), Solamente una vez, Jurame (feat. Mario Reyes on flamenco guitar), Pero te extraño, Canzoni stonate (feat. Stevie Wonder), L'appuntamento (Sentado a' beira do caminho), Cuando me enamoro, Can't Help Falling in Love, Because We Believe, Ama credi e vai (Because We Believe).
Personnel: Acoustic piano and keyboards, David Foster, Randy Waldman; bass, Nathan East; drums, Vinnie Colaiuta; guitars, Dean Parks, Ramon Stagnano, Michael Thompson, Michael Landau; percussion, Paulinho Da Costa, Rafael Padilla; flute, Dan Higgins.
Artist website: http://www.andreabocelli.com/
According to the website: "'The world's most romantic voice, sings the world's most romantic songs. … 'Amore' is Andrea Bocelli's tenth internationally released solo album. For the first time Andrea presents an album where the inspiration is beloved standards of popular music."

Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook

CML call number: CD/POPULAR/Midler
Contents: Fever (Davenport/Cooley); Alright, Okay, You Win (Wyche/Watts); I Love Being Here with You (duet with Barry Manilow) (Lee/Schluger/Loesser); Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe (Arlen/Harburg); Is That All There Is? (Leiber/Stoller); I'm a Woman (Leiber/Stoller); He's a Tramp (Lee/Burke); The Folks Who Live on the Hill (Kern/Hammerstein); Big Spender (Coleman/Fields); Mr. Wonderful (Bock/Holofcener/Weiss).
From the notes by David Keeps with Jay Landers: "On the surface, Peggy Lee and Bette Midler seem as alike as night and day. Lee, who was called 'The Queen' by Duke Ellington, was the epitome of low-key detachment, as cool and intoxicating as a gin martini. The 'Divine Miss M' is a high-octane performer who bares her soul with heartfelt emotion, a bracing, addictive rum and Coca Cola gal. Dig a little deeper, however and the similarities are striking. Both Lee and Midler are consummate vocalists, who not only hit the requisite musical notes, but also imbue each song with a personal resonance. Each developed their own unique style. …"

J. S. Bach: Suites anglaises (English Suites)

CML call number: CD/CLASSICAL/Bach
Performer: Christophe Rousset, harpsichord.
Contents: Disc 1: Suite No. 2, BWV 807; Suite No. 4, BWV 809; Suite No. 6, BWV 811; Disc 2: Suite No. 1, BWV 806; Suite No. 3, BWV 808; Suite No. 5, BWV 810.
From Mr. Rousset's notes: "The 6 harpsichord suites BWV806-811 are known as the English Suites for reasons that remain obscure. The name appears to have been used for the first time by Johann Nikolaus Forkel, Bach's first biographer … with the explanation that the pieces 'were composed for an English nobleman.' … The fact is that only one of the manuscripts that have come down to us is described as … 'made for the English.' … [T]he English Suites were written … between 1718 and 1720. … Forkel tells us that … 'Bach took the genre much further than his predecessors or contemporaries. … [D]espite their complex structure, he managed to give his fugues an amazing rhythmic character … as flowing and continuous as if they were minuets.'"
Released in 2003, new to our collection. Our thanks to the anonymous donor!

Cardiff Giant: Five Improvisations

CML call number: CD/JAZZ/Cardiff
Contents: Stalagmites, Sonores de Krell, Yester-Morrow-Never, Flight into Night, Through the Lens of a Dream. Broadcast live on radio statio WWUH November 3, 2004.
Personnel: Evan Foreman, percussion, electronics; Jim Belanger, drums, percussion, marimba; Chris Payne, electric violin, theremin, flutes.
Cardiff Giant describe themselves as "an improvisational music performance group composed of like-minded musicians from the greater Hartford area. Typically playing as a trio, the group uses both acoustic and electronic instruments to create a unique musical experience for the listener. At certain times melodic and reflective, at others abstract and aggressive, the music reveals the group's unique talent and perspective. … Tibetan horn, shakuhachi flute, theremin, tongue drum, bhodran and udu are just some of the unusual instruments the band uses." Putting this disc in our jazz category only begins to categorize their music. They performed at Case Memorial Library April 29, 2006 as shown above, and kindly donated this excellent recording on that occasion. Thank you, Cardiff Giant!

Rainer Maria: Catastrophe Keeps Us Together

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Rainer
Kelefa Sanneh wrote in the New York Times: "'Catastrophe Keeps Us Together' [is] a good, sometimes glorious collection of loud pop songs and quiet punk songs. The singer projects the bittersweet sensibility that diffident indie bands share with eager emo bands. And while her lyrics often chronicle romantic ambivalence, the music is much more decisive: a big, bright chorus is never too far away. … It's the work of the long-running trio Rainer Maria, formed in 1995 in Madison, Wis. The lineup has stayed the same: Caithlin De Marrais, singer and bassist, along with the guitarist Kyle Fischer and the drummer William Kuehn. If you think you hear hints of Rilo Kiley … in the music, you're not totally off base. But it's the other way around. Back when they toured together, Rilo Kiley was the opening act, and Rainer Maria was the headliner. … Part of the reason the new album feels like a breakthrough is that Ms. De Marrais and her bandmates sound less mature than ever; after 11 years, they've made their most exuberant, most youthful-sounding album" ("Rainer Maria: A Not-So-New Band with a New Sound," 4/13/06).

HorrorPops: Bring It On!

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Horrorpops
J.R. Taylor wrote in the New York Press: "[I]t's perfectly understandable if nobody first took the Horrorpops seriously. To be fair, it was no great loss when Kim Nekroman ditched his veteran psychobilly band to start a tamer offshoot. His commercial hopes … had certainly become more viable with the presence of frontwoman Patricia Day. She was upfront and center with her standup bass on the cover of Hell Yeah! and seemingly as generic as the album title. … But there was no denying that Day could sing, howl and let loose like a tortured cat. … Between her vocal talents and the popabilly slant, the Horrorpops['] big achievement was mustering up a small window of likeability. Then we got the unexpected greatness of Bring It On! last year. … The Horrorpops have ignored their bad press amongst rockabilly purists and are keeping it lite in their punk-pop antics. Nekroman remains an ace guitarist — alongside Geoff Kresge — and Day has obviously been practicing her own stage prop. The new songs also offer enough atmosphere to do justice to the frontwoman's voice" ("The Notorious Patricia Day," 4/19-25/06).

Richard Ashcroft: Keys to the World

CML call number: CD/POPULAR/Ashcroft
Contents: Why Not Nothing?, Music Is Power, Break the Night with Colour, Words Just Get in the Way, Keys to the World, Sweet Brother Malcolm, Cry til the Morning, Why Do Lovers?, Simple Song, World Keeps Turning.
Special features: Bonus DVD that includes an interview and 4 music videos.
Chuck Arnold wrote in People: "Richard Ashcroft knows well the cathartic force a great song can have. He sings about just that on 'Music Is Power,' the highlight of his third solo album, which rides a '60s Curtis Mayfield sample to soaring effect. For Ashcroft, the keys to success remain a strong sense of melody, a flair for sweeping, orchestral arrangements and a rich, rough-edged voice that possesses some of the bluesy ache and soulful swagger of Mick Jagger."
(Some listeners might be reminded of Diamond or Dylan rather than Jagger, but in any case, it's a convincing voice and an album worth checking out.)

Jewel: Goodbye Alice in Wonderland

CML call number: CD/POPULAR/Jewel
Chuck Arnold wrote in People: "Working with Green Day producer Rob Cavallo, Jewel achieves a more muscular, rockish sound on cuts like 'Only One Too.' … Thankfully, the old folkie comes back with her most affecting performance on '1,000 Miles Away,' a tender acoustic-guitar ballad about the emotional distance between lovers that draws the listener closer."
From the CD booklet: "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland is the story of my life and is the most autobiographical album I have made since 'Pieces of You.' I spent a lot of time sequencing it, so that each song sets up the next, like a novel with a beginning, middle and an end. By the end of the 13th song, if you have listened closely, you will have heard the story of the sirens['] song that seduced me, of a path I both followed and led, of bizarre twists and turns that opened my eyes, forcing me to find solutions so that discovering the truth would not lead to a loss of hope. Ultimately, the path has turned back on itself, leading me closer to where I began, a ranch, this time in Stephenville, Texas, where I find myself delivered from the magic forest. …"

Pretty Girls Make Graves: Élan Vital

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Pretty
Personnel: Leona Marrs, keyboards, accordion, piano, melodica, vocals; Derek Fudesco, bass, vocals; Andrea Zollo, vocals; Nick Dewitt, drums, samples, vocals, trumpet, piano; J Clark, guitars, drums, keyboards, saxophone, trumpet, vocals, programming; "dude in a room," percussion.
Contents: The Nocturnal House, Pyrite Pedestal, The Number, Parade, Domino, The Magic Hour, Selling the Wind (two tracks bear this title), Pearls on a Plate, Pictures of a Night Scene, Wildcat, Bullet Charm; all songs by Pretty Girls Make Graves.
Artist website: http://www.prettygirlsmakegraves.com/; see also: www.womanrock.com/features/pretty_girls_make_graves.html
Jon J. Eilenberg wrote in Wired: "Staccato guitar, dub bass, and syncopated drums build an exquisite tension on opener 'The Nocturnal House.' When Andrea Zollo weaves in her slightly behind-the-beat vocals, it's indie rock nirvana. Except for the tritely populist 'Parade,' Élan is an inventive, intricate treat" (5/06, p. 80).

Van Morrison: Pay the Devil

CML call number: CD/COUNTRY/Morrison
Contents: There Stands the Glass, Half as Much, Things Have Gone to Pieces, Big Blue Diamonds, Playhouse (Morrison), Your Cheatin' Heart, Don't You Make Me High, My Bucket's Got a Hole in It, Back Street Affair, Pay the Devil (Morrison), What Am I Living For?, This Has Got to Stop (Morrison), Once a Day, More and More, Till I Gain Control Again.
Gavin Edwards wrote in Rolling Stone: "How polished is Van Morrison's brand of musical mysticism? On last year's Magic Time, he sang a list of smutty British films and made it sound like cosmic wisdom. After forty years of astral moods, Morrison seems to have realized that his talent for elevating the everyday into the profound would serve him well in country music. So when he sings 'My Bucket's Got a Hole in It,' he finds the same fertile territory that Hank Williams Sr. did, balancing between a quotidian complaint and Sisyphean dread. Pay the Devil … contains twelve covers of classic country songs, from 'Things Have Gone to Pieces' to 'Your Cheatin' Heart,' and three new compositions that work well right beside them" (3/9/06, p. 90).