Monteverdi: Combattimento

CML call number: CD CLASSICAL Monteverdi
Anthony Tommasini wrote in the New York Times: "The tenor Rolando Villazón, one of the hottest stars in opera today, lends his luster to this program of mostly unfamiliar but extraordinary vocal works by Monteverdi. And Emmanuelle Haïm directs the exciting Baroque ensemble Le Concert d'Astrée. The main piece is 'Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda,' an 18-minute work from Monteverdi's eighth book of madrigals (1638). … 'Combattimento,' on a text by Tasso, is a viscerally dramatic work for a narrator and two characters. Tancredi, a Christian soldier, has fallen in love with Clorinda, a Saracen. They meet on a battlefield, unrecognizable in their armor. They fight intensely; Clorinda is fatally wounded. Tancredi, to his horror, realizes his mistake, and in her dying moments Clorinda asks for a Christian baptism. … Mr. Villazón sings the narrative. … When the action heats up, the words come pouring forth in fits, while the instruments erupt. … Mr. Villazón brings operatic ardor to his singing, which seems exactly right. Yet when understatement is called for, he shapes phrases with tender elegance" (3/4/07).

Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture

CML call number: CD SOUNDTRACKS Dreamgirls
Contents: Move ‪(‬Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles & Anika Noni Rose‪)‬ -- Fake your way to the top ‪(Hudson, Knowles, Eddie Murphy & Rose‪)‬ -- Cadillac car ‪(‬Laura Bell Bundy, Hudson, Knowles, Murphy, Rory O'Malley, Rose & Anne Warren‪)‬ -- Steppin' to the bad side ‪(‬Hinton Battle, Jamie Foxx, Hudson, Knowles, Murphy, Keith Robinson & Rose‪)‬ -- Love you I do ‪(Hudson‪)‬ -- I want you baby ‪(Hudson, Knowles, Murphy & Rose‪)‬ -- Family ‪(Foxx, Hudson, Knowles, Robinson & Rose‪)‬ -- Dreamgirls ‪(Hudson, Knowles & Rose‪)‬ -- It's all over ‪(Foxx, Hudson, Knowles, Sharon Leal, Robinson & Rose‪)‬ -- And I am telling you I'm not going ‪(Hudson‪)‬ -- When I first saw you ‪(Foxx‪)‬ -- Patience ‪(Murphy, Robinson & Rose‪)‬ -- I am changing ‪(Hudson‪)‬ -- I meant you no harm ; Jimmy's rap ‪(Murphy‪)‬ -- One night only ‪(Hudson‪)‬ -- One night only ‪(‬disco‪)‬ ‪(Knowles, Leal & Rose‪)‬ -- Listen ‪(Knowles‪)‬ -- Hard to say goodbye ‪(Knowles, Leal & Rose‪)‬ -- Dreamgirls ‪(‬finale‪)‬ ‪(Hudson, Knowles, Leal & Rose‪)‬ -- When I first saw you ‪(‬duet‪)‬ ‪(Foxx & Knowles‪)‬.
Our thanks to the anonymous donor of this disc!

Josh Groban: Awake

CML call number: CD POPULAR Groban
Stephen Holden wrote in the New York Times: "The cultural symmetry was perfect. While the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was having its annual induction ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria on Monday evening, Josh Groban, the 26-year-old pop superstar who has nothing to do with rock ’n’ roll, was serenading faithful Grobanites, as his fans are known, at Madison Square Garden. Call it the peaceful coexistence of two worlds. Mr. Groban specializes in the kind of heart-on-sleeve, Mediterranean-style ballads that were popular long before rock ’n’ roll was a gleam in Little Richard’s eye. His is the music rock was supposed to kill once and for all, yet here it was flourishing in the voice of Mr. Groban, Oprah Winfrey’s pet balladeer, whose newest album, 'Awake' (Reprise) has already sold nearly two million copies. In a strictly symbolic sense, the New World and the Old World were still going at it head to head: unlimited freedom of personal expression (rock ’n’ roll) versus discipline and control within an established hierarchy of artistic values (European pop with Hollywood trimmings). …" (3/14/07).

John Mayer: Continuum

CML call number: CD POPULAR Mayer
Kelefa Sanneh wrote in the New York Times: "Mr. Mayer is more than a little self-conscious about his role as a pop star. Perhaps that's why, in 2005, he formed the John Mayer Trio, a blues-rock group that gave him a chance to play the licks and solos he loves. … And although Mr. Mayer certainly knows his way around the guitar, he still hasn't figured out exactly how to make the bluesman and the pop star coexist. Last year Mr. Mayer released 'Continuum' (Aware/Columbia), an album that tries to bring his two sides closer together. The lead single, 'Waiting on the World to Change,' is a lovely and anger-free ode to a vaguely dissatisfied generation; the song has been floating around Billboard's Hot 100 chart for an impressive 33 weeks, and last week it hit No. 14, a new peak. The album also includes 'I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You),' which evokes the sublime, sleepy funk of D'Angelo, and not by accident: the album version features the bassist Pino Palladino (from the trio) and the trumpeter Roy Hargrove, two key musicians from D'Angelo's 2000 album, 'Voodoo'" ("The Apologetic Pop Star, Still Trying to Claim the Blues," 3/2/07).

Sunshine Anderson: Sunshine at Midnight

CML call number: CD R&B Anderson
Contents: Something I wanna give you (Millsap/Nelson) — Trust (Wyce/Bervine) — My whole life (Anderson/Jackson/Nottz/Static; samples Curtis Mayfield's 'Back against the Wall') — Switch it up (Mike City) — Good love (Mike City) — Being with you (Mike City) — Problems (City/Morgan/Anderson) — Wear the crown (Anderson/Saadiq/Jackson/Jackson) — Force of nature (Anderson/Jackson) — Unbelievable (Anderson/Smith/Savage) — With you baby (Flintstone/Campbell) — Sunshine at midnight (Anderson/Lake/Lake).
Ericka Sóuter wrote in People: "With her 2001 funk-fueled breakthrough 'Heard It All Before,' Sunshine Anderson seemed poised to follow in the footsteps of Mary J. Blige, but then she disappeared for nearly six years. Her second album, a throwback to '70s-era soul, was worth the wait. Her raspy alto goes back to familiar territory — trifling lovers and betrayal — on the stinging groove 'Something I Wanna Give You' and the sassy, rock-etched 'Trust,' but lightens up on the standout 'Wear the Crown,' a slow jam about new love" ( 3/5/07, p. 47).

Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier, Buch I

CML call number: CD CLASSICAL Bach
Contents: 24 sets of preludes and fugues, BWV 846-869; one prelude and fugue in each key of the tonal system: C major, C minor, C sharp major, C sharp minor, and so on through the scale.
Anthony Tommasini wrote in the New York Times: "Thoughtful. Honest. Sensitive. Musicianly. Such adjectives can sometimes seem like critical code words to indicate that a very admirable performer is not especially exciting. Yet all these terms apply in the best sense to the Austrian pianist Till Fellner. … In 2004 the ECM label released Mr. Fellner's recording of Bach's 'Well-Tempered Clavier,' Book I: lucid, introspective and, when called for, fleet and sprightly performances" ("A Pianist Returns, a Little Bit Shy, a Little Bit Sly," 2/10/07).
From the notes by Dirk Möller, translated by J. Bradford Robinson: "The Well-Tempered Clavier will continue to leave audiences as awestruck as it did Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1827 when he exclaimed … : 'I was induced to confess: it was as if the harmony of the ages were communing with itself, as it may have happened in God's bosom shortly before the creation of the world.'"

Of Montreal: Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

CML call number: CD ROCK Of
Contents: Suffer for fashion -- Sink the Seine -- Cato as a pun -- Heimdalsgate like a Promethean curse -- Gronlandic edit -- Sentence of sorts in Kongsvinger -- Past is a grotesque animal -- Bunny ain't no kind of rider -- Faberge falls for Shuggie -- Labyrinthian pomp -- She's a rejector -- We were born the mutants again with leafling. All songs written, performed, and recorded by Kevin Barnes ("with the exception of some thoroughly rad help …").
"Jos the Prodigious Teen" wrote in New York magazine: "I never ever expected to take this band, known for silly techno-pop, so seriously. But by exploring darker lyrical territory and using more-complicated arrangements, they’ve managed to make some sinister glam-rock with surprising power. It’s an incredible album." On the other hand, "Peter the Enduring Enthusiast" opined in the same issue, "Some of the beats are captivating, but just when the music starts to get hot, it's interrupted by screeches, sound effects, and tempo changes" ("Jukebox: Three Citizen Critics Offer Competing Takes on Noteworthy Recent Albums," 2/19/07).

A Date with John Waters

CML call number: CD POPULAR Date
Contents: Tonight you belong to me -- Jet boy jet girl -- Ain't got no home -- I'd love to take orders from you -- In spite of ourselves -- All I can do is cry -- Big girls don't cry -- Imitation of life -- Sometimes I wish I had a gun -- Johnny are you queer -- (Night time is) The right time -- Hit the road to dreamland -- If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake -- Bewildered.
Christopher Arnott wrote in the New Haven Advocate: "For those who hate Hairspray the musical because it dared to remove the movie's gloriously obscure ’50s dance-pop soundtrack, this is the soundtrack to a romantic comedy that Waters could never make. R&B party types like Shirley & Lee and Clarence 'Frogman' Henry play alongside underground cuts from Waters cohorts like Mink Stole and Edith Massey. Josie Cotton’s ’80s one-off 'Johnny Are You Queer?' strikes a blow for romantic diversity, as does the … rewrite of Plastic Bertrand['s] 'Ça Plane Pour Moi' by Elton Motello (aka The Dam[n]ed’s Captain Sensible). In this context, smoothies like Dean Martin and Ray Charles seem unredeemably campy."

Son Volt: The Search

CML call number: CD ROCK Son
Personnel: Jay Farrar, vocal, guitar, piano, electric bouzouki; Dave Bryson, drums, percussion; Derry deBorja, piano, organ, keyboards; Andrew Duplantis, bass, backing vocal; Brad Rice, electric guitar, baritone guitar, electric sitar, e-bow; with acc. musicians.
Contents: Slow hearse -- The picture -- Action -- Underground dream -- Circadian Rhythm -- Beacon soul -- The search -- Adrenaline and heresy -- Satellite -- Automatic society -- Methamphetamine -- L train -- Highways and cigarettes -- Phosphate skin.
Eric R. Danton wrote in his Hartford Courant blog Sound Check: "It's true — there are horns on 'The Search,' Son Volt's fifth studio album … along with other expansive touches like strings, narrative-style writing and a subtle sense of optimism from Jay Farrar, who has a reputation as something of a dour lyricist. 'I guess as I get older, I get more optimistic,' Farrar said during an interview last weekend in New York. The horns on 'The Picture' are bright and punchy, and the tone … reminds me a little bit of 'Can't Hardly Wait' by the Replacements" (1/26/07).

Astrud Gilberto: A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness

CML call number: CD JAZZ Gilberto
Personnel: Astrud Gilberto, vocals; Walter Wanderley, organ, piano; poss. João Gilberto, guitar; José Marino, bass; Claudio Slon, drums; Bobby Rosengarden, percussion.
Contents: A certain smile ‪(Sammy Fain - Paul Webster‪)‬ -- A certain sadness ‪(Carlos Eduardo Lyra - John Court‪)‬ -- Nega do cabelo duro ‪(Reubens Soares - David Nasser‪)‬ -- So nice ‪(‬Summer samba‪)‬ ‪(Marcos Valle - Paulo Valle - Norman Gimbel‪)‬ -- Vocé ja foi Bahia ‪(Dorival Caymmi‪)‬ -- Portuguese washerwoman ‪(André Popp - Roger Antoine Lucchesi‪)‬ -- Goodbye sadness ‪(‬Tristeza‪)‬ ‪(Edu Lobo - Niltinho - Norman Gimbel‪)‬ -- Call me ‪(Tony Hatch‪)‬ -- Here's that rainy day ‪(Jimmy Van Heusen - Johnny Burke‪)‬ -- Tu mi delirio ‪(Caesar Portillo de la Luz‪)‬ -- It's a lovely day today ‪(Irving Berlin‪)‬ -- The sadness of after ‪(Edu Lobo - Norman Gimbel‪)‬ -- Who needs forever ‪(Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. - Howard Greenfield‪).
Recorded Sept. 1966 in New York City; CD version released 1998 with two previously unissued tracks (the last two); recently added to our collection. Our thanks to the anonymous donor!

Yoko Ono: Yes, I'm a Witch

CML call number: CD ROCK Ono
Contents: Witch shocktronica (intro) (with Hank Shocklee) -- Kiss kiss kiss (with Peaches) -- O'oh (with Shitake Monkey) -- Everyman everywoman (with Blow Up) -- Sisters o sisters (with Le Tigre) -- Death of Samantha (with Porcupine Tree) -- Rising (with DJ Spooky) -- Nobody sees me like you do (with the Apples in Stereo) -- Yes I'm a witch (with the Brother Brothers) -- Revelations (with Cat Power) -- You and I (with the Polyphonic Spree) -- Walking on thin ice (with Jason Pierce of Spiritualized) -- Toyboat (with Antony of Antony and the Johnsons & Hank Rowe) -- Cambridge 1969/2007 (with the Flaming Lips) -- I'm moving on (with the Sleepy Jackson) -- Witch shocktronica (outro) (with Hank Shocklee) -- Shiranakatta (I didn't know) (with Craig Armstrong).
Wired wrote: "Artists including the Flaming Lips, Peaches, and Cat Power put a remix twist on 'classic' Yoko Ono songs. Don’t love Ono’s notoriously grating solo work? All we’re saying is give these 17 fresh and innovative pieces a chance" ("Playlist: What's Wired This Month," 3/07, p. 67).

Vivaldi: Griselda

CML call number: CD OPERA Vivaldi
Contents: Griselda, an opera in 3 acts by Antonio Vivaldi; libretto by Apostolo Zeno, revised by Carlo Goldoni; libretto and program notes in French, English, and Italian.
Russell Platt wrote in the New Yorker: "Vivaldi’s operas have not held the stage: he lacked Handel’s gift for psychological insight and dramatic pacing. But Europe is full of front-rank early-music groups and stylish young singers, so the vibrant brand of musicianship heard on the Ensemble Matheus’s new recording of 'Griselda' (Naïve), part of an avalanche of Vivaldi releases from the past few years, comes as no surprise. The French orchestra gives a crisp and exciting performance under the direction of Jean-Christophe Spinosi, and the soprano Simone Kermes and the countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, two standouts in the cast, display tonal purity and superb coloratura technique. Vivaldi’s delectable arias, with their unexpected curves, jagged, irregular phrases, and gleaming string colors, reflect the seductive light and rhythm of Venice, his water-ringed home town."

Frank Sinatra: Romance

CML call number: CD POPULAR Sinatra
Contents: I've got you under my skin (Cole Porter) -- Time after time (Cohn / Styne) -- Day by day (Cohn / Stordahl / Weston) -- All the way (Cohn / Van Heusen) -- Too marvelous for words (Whiting / Mercer) -- My funny Valentine (Rodgers / Hart) -- Love is here to stay (Gershwin / Gershwin) -- I've got a crush on you (Gershwin / Gershwin) -- Cheek to cheek (Irving Berlin) -- Try a little tenderness (Campbell / Connelly / Woods) -- I wish I were in love again (Rodgers / Hart) -- Angel eyes (Brent / Dennis) -- In the wee small hours of the morning (Mann / Hilliard) -- As time goes by (H. Hupfeld) -- At long last love (Porter) -- I'll be seeing you (Kahal / Fain) -- Almost like being in love (Lerner / Loewe) -- Embraceable you (Gershwin / Gershwin) -- Nice n' easy (Keith / Bergman / Spence; alternate take, previously unreleased) -- Where or when (Rodgers / Hart) -- If you are but a dream (Bonx / Fulton / Jaffe; previously unreleased in the United States on CD). Sung by Frank Sinatra; arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, except tracks 3, 9, 17 (Billy May), 14, 16 (Axel Stordahl). All tracks digitally remastered.

M. Ward: Post-War

CML call number: CD ROCK Ward
Contents: Poison cup -- To go home -- Right in the head -- Post-war -- Requiem -- Chinese translation -- Eyes on the prize -- Magic trick -- Neptune's net -- Rollercoaster -- Today's undertaking -- Afterword/Rag. Includes one video track ("Chinese translation").
Eric R. Danton wrote in his Hartford Courant blog Sound Check: "Good news: Norah Jones opens her spring tour April 13 in Wallingford, according to her website. Even better, though, is that singer and songwriter M. Ward is the opening act. Ward sings on Jones' new album, 'Not Too Late,' and he drew huge amounts of praise for his own recent album, last year's 'Post-War.' And deservedly so: It's sweet, smart, catchy, slightly quirky indie-pop, well worth hearing live (and who knows when — or if — he'll come back to Connecticut). Although I would have loved to have seen a gig on his recent solo-acoustic tour, this is a superb opportunity for him, given the huge amount of exposure it guarantees. Plan to show up early, Norah fans, so you can bask in Ward's tousled voice and subtly stupendous guitar playing."

Arcade Fire: Funeral

CML call number: CD ROCK Arcade
Sasha Frere-Jones wrote in the New Yorker: "The band’s unusually polished début, 'Funeral,' … released in 2004, has sold more than three hundred thousand copies. … David Bowie has performed live with the band, and, on a recent tour, U2 chose 'Wake Up,' Arcade Fire’s apocalyptic sing-along about lightning bolts, to play over the sound system before its performances. … Arcade Fire speaks to several generations at once. The fervid tenor of the band’s music, always pitching toward some kind of revelation, is a quality of youth. That the songs also sound like U2’s battle calls, or the expansive rumbles of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, may account for its following among older listeners, who might otherwise be wary of musicians singing in French as well as in English, drumming on each other’s heads … and citing Haitian history. Arcade Fire earns the right to borrow or steal what it needs; the band is a torrent of energy and ideas, and its edits of the past are sometimes improvements. … Arcade Fire songs aim, without apology or irony, for grandeur, and, more often than not, they achieve it" ("Pop Music: Big Time," 2/19-26/07.)

Midori: Encore!

CML call number: CD CLASSICAL Midori
Contents: Praeludium and allegro (in the style of Pugnani) / Kreisler -- Habanera, op. 21, no. 2 / Sarasate -- Cantabile / Paganini -- Orientale, op. 50, no. 9 from Kaleidoscope / Cui -- Oberek, no. 2 / Bacewicz -- Salut d'amour, op. 12 / Elgar -- Miniature Viennese march / Kreisler -- Four preludes, nos. 10, 15, 16, 24 from 24 preludes, op. 34 / Shostakovich, arr. Dmitri Tsyganov -- Chanson de matin, op. 15, no. 2 / Elgar -- Introduction et tarentelle / Sarasate -- Slavonic dance, op. 46, no. 2 in E minor / Dvorak, arr. Fritz Kreisler -- March from The Love for Three Oranges / Prokofiev, arr. Jascha Heifetz -- Melodie, op. 42, no. 3 from Souvenir d'un lieu cher / Tchaikovsky -- La fontaine d'Arethuse from Mythes, op. 30 / Szymanowski -- Syncopation / Kreisler -- Melodie ("Dance of the blessed spirits") from Orfeo ed Euridice / Gluck, arr. Fritz Kreisler -- Berceuse, op. 16 / Faure -- Etude in thirds, op. 8, no. 10 / Scriabin -- Romanian folk dances, Sz 56 / Bartok -- Reve d'enfant, op. 14 / Ysaye. Midori is accompanied by Robert McDonald, pianist.
Released 1992, newly added to our collection. Our thanks to the anonymous donor!

Tim Buckley: Live at the Troubadour 1969

CML call number: CD FOLK Buckley
Contents: Strange feelin' -- Venice mating call -- I don't need it to rain -- I had a talk with my woman -- Gypsy woman -- Blue melody -- Chase the blues away -- Driftin' -- Nobody walkin'.
Personnel: Tim Buckley, vocals, guitar; Lee Underwood, guitar; John Balkin, bass; Carter Collins, congas; Art Tripp, drums (according to CD booklet and Wikipedia). Our catalog record does not list Balkin, Collins, Tripp, but does include David Friedman, vibraphone, and Danny Thompson, bass. Martin Aston's notes suggest all seven musicians performed.
According to the notes: "Dream Letter [was] the first evidence of Buckley in front of an audience … a live performance from … July 1968. … At the Troubadour, the wounded-hobo persona … had now ripened. The music, mostly taken from 1970's Lorca and Blue Afternoon albums, bleeds even bluesy, jazzier colors, with aspects of calypso thrown in for good measure, the band suitably drifting on the advancing folk-jazz plateaus and cooking on the verge of funk. …"
Released 1994, recently added to our collection at a patron's request.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: Original Soundtrack

CML call number: CD SOUNDTRACKS Life
Contents: Shark attack theme / Sven Libaek -- Loquasto International Film Festival / Mark Mothersbaugh -- Life on Mars? / David Bowie -- Starman / Seu Jorge -- Let me tell you about my boat / Mothersbaugh -- Rebel rebel / Seu Jorge -- Zissou Society Blue Star Cadets ; Ned's theme take 1 / Mothersbaugh -- Gut feeling / Devo -- Open sea theme / Sven Libaek -- Rock n roll suicide / Seu Jorge -- Here's to you / Joan Baez -- We call them pirates out here / Mothersbaugh -- Search and destroy / Iggy and the Stooges -- La nina de Puerta Oscura / Paco de Lucia -- Life on Mars? / Seu Jorge -- Ping Island ; Lightning strike rescue op / Mothersbaugh -- Five years / Seu Jorge -- 30 century man / Scott Walker -- The way I feel inside / The Zombies -- Queen bitch / David Bowie. Tracks 2, 7, 12, 16 are original music composed for the film by Mark Mothersbaugh. Tracks 1 and 9 are from an Australian documentary series called "Inner Space." Tracks 4, 6, 10, 15, and 17 are songs written by David Bowie, translated into Portuguese by Seu Jorge and performed by Jorge as the character "Pelé dos Santos" in this appealingly silly film.

Oliver Mtukudzi: Shanda

CML call number: CD INTERNATIONAL Mtukudzi
Contents: Shanda — Mutavara — Zimbabwe — Gudo guru — Bvongodza Muto — Zvauya Sei? — Strange, isn't it? — Jeri — Ndakuyambira — Hear Me Lord. Written by Oliver Mtukudzi, sung in Shona, Ndebele, and English (tracks 7, 8, 10).
Personnel: Oliver Mtukudzi, vocals, guitar; with various accompanying vocalists and instrumentalists not listed.
Artist website: http://www.tukumusic.co.zw/
According to the website: "Tuku's career has spanned twenty six years and … he has composed forty six original albums. … But it is his dedication to the live music scene in Zimbabwe – continually playing to enthusiastic audiences in even the remotest parts of the country - that has earned him the place in people's hearts that he holds today. In the past six years, his popularity has risen extensively in the Southern African region and together with his band The Black Spirits, he regularly ventures across borders into South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland. …"

The Shins: Wincing the Night Away

CML call number: CD ROCK Shins
Steven Leckart wrote in Wired: "Waving your cell phone in the air like you just don’t care? Cool. Using said device to shoot a band’s new video? Way cooler. At the Austin City Limits fest in Texas last fall, the Shins unveiled 'Phantom Limb,' a pop head-bobber from their upcoming third album, Wincing the Night Away. But instead of hiring, say, Garden State buddy Zach Braff to capture the moment, the Portland, Oregon-based indie darlings fansourced it, inviting the crowd to record the performance with cell phones and digicams. The result is a groovy (albeit grainy) group effort used to promote the single’s early release. To pull it off, the Shins teamed up with user-generated-video upstart Current TV and instructed concert-goers to upload raw material to Current TV’s Web site. Roughly 200 spectators submitted footage, which producers then edited into a five-minute montage of at least one image from nearly every shooter. 'With the Internet redefining a band’s success, ideas like this are the future of how music will be perceived – and received,' says Shins keyboardist Marty Crandall" ("Play: Music," 1/07, p. 68)