Stevie Wonder: Fulfillingness' First Finale

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Contents: Smile please — Heaven is 10 zillion light years away — Too shy to say — Boogie on, reggae woman — Creepin' — You haven't done nothin' — It ain't no use — They won't go when I go — Bird of beauty — Please don't go. Originally released July 22, 1974. Background vocalists include Paul Anka (track 2), Minnie Riperton (tracks 5 and 7), and the Jackson 5 (track 6).
Eric R. Danton wrote in his Hartford Courant blog Sound Check: "As great as it was to have Springsteen and the Police play here in 2007, this has the potential to top it: The legendary Stevie Wonder plays a pair of shows Nov. 14 and 16 at Mohegan Sun. His recent music hasn't been life-changing, but the string of albums Wonder released between 1971-76 — 'Where I'm Coming From,' 'Music of My Mind,' 'Talking Book,' 'Innervisions,' 'Fulfillingness' First Finale' and 'Songs in the Key of Life' — are the work of an indisputable musical genius. Tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 15, for $100 and $75 (a surprisingly reasonable price, given Wonder's resume and how infrequently he tours)" ("Stevie Wonder Adds Connecticut Shows," 10/10/07).

Alabama: Songs of Inspiration II

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John Lomax III wrote in Nashville: Music City USA (1985): "Three cousins from Fort Payne, Alabama — Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry, and Randy Owen — enlisted South Carolina drummer Mark Herndon and became the hottest act in country music by 1981. Ten years of unrelenting struggle preceded their nine CMA Awards and two Grammies won between 1981 and 1984. As the first self-contained group in modern country music, they have opened the door of this 'new' concept to many others. Alabama itself owes as much to such Southern rock groups as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Marshall Tucker as to Hank Williams or Jimmie Rodgers. Frontman/lead singer Owen is tops. … Their first five RCA LPs have so far sold over ten million copies, a sales total that exceeds those of most American rock stars. … Alabama … has drawn together elements of country, gospel, and rock to create a sound that is exciting enough to capture younger fans but smooth enough to appeal to their parents. Their harmony singing and superb showmanship … has made them an outstanding draw on the live-appearance circuit" (p. 122).

Bon Jovi: Lost Highway

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Contents: Lost highway — Summertime — (You want to) make a memory — Whole lot of leavin' — We got it going on (with Big & Rich) — Any other day — Seat next to you — Everybody's broken — Till we ain't strangers anymore (featuring Leann Rimes) — The last night — One step closer — I love this town.
The Associated Press wrote: "The music of Bon Jovi battled with the din of saws and drills in the Prudential Center as the New Jersey rockers prepared for 10 shows at the downtown Newark facility. Bon Jovi is the first act to perform at the new arena, starting Thursday. According to media reports, the band praised the facility, even as last-minute construction was being finished Tuesday. Jon Bon Jovi, the band's frontman, said the shows will hopefully help invigorate Newark's economy. Due to the large number of shows, Bon Jovi has been practicing many songs they haven't performed in years. Their latest album is the country-influenced 'Lost Highway,' on Island Records" ("Bon Jovi to Play 10 Shows at the New Prudential Center," 10/24/07).

Prince: Sign o the Times

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Sasha Frere-Jones wrote in the New Yorker: "His songs can be maudlin, clever, obvious, as ornate as Versailles, as simple as pencils, hilarious, crude, breathtakingly wise, corny, and so musically rich that he seems to be working with instruments nobody else owns. Take several songs from his 1987 masterpiece, 'Sign o’ the Times.' On 'Housequake,' Prince turns one of James Brown’s vamps into a hybrid that is simultaneously homage, parody, and elaboration. … The menacing 'Hot Thing' comes from Prince’s Hymnal of Lubricity, a style that he developed on the 1981 'Controversy' album. He pairs tiny music … with a big come-on: 'Hot thang, you should give your folks a call. Hot thang, tell them you’re going to the crystal ball. Hot thang, tell them you’re coming home late if you’re coming home at all.' But 'I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man' is the emotional inverse of 'Hot Thing'’s priapic monomania. The song is breezy pop rock, with lyrics that recall the psychological sophistication of Smokey Robinson’s 'The Tears of a Clown.' … And these are just three songs from one album" ("Dorian Purple: Prince's New Temple," 4/9/07).

Switchfoot: Oh! Gravity

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David Lewis wrote in Play: "Switchfoot are a Christian band, or is it that they are a band made up of Christians? Well according to drummer Chad Butler maybe it doesn't matter. … Well if the songs on the bands newest release, Oh Gravity, are any indicator he is right, the record is such a compelling slice of power rock that all previous secular second-guessing should be laid to rest. Their single alone is as rich and textured as anything on modern radio these days; this is really a great disk all stigmas aside. Oh Gravity is a huge leap from their overcooked major label release, The Beautiful Letdown. Butler explains, 'I think the biggest difference [on this record] was that didn't set out to make an album at all. There is a freedom to that there was no deadline to meet and really came together as an artistic outlet for a few songs. This was a chance to go into the studio with one of our heroes [Rolling Stones and U2 producer] Steve Lilywight as a result it went really well and his approach was a lot looser more organic.' Now that the band has clearly made a massive name for themselves maybe it is just as well that they slowed the process" (3/7/07).

Paul Anka: Classic Songs My Way

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Contents: Time after time (Cyndi Lauper) — Get here (Brenda Russell) — Mr. Brightside (The Killers) — Waiting for a girl like you (Foreigner) — Ordinary world (Taylor/ Rhodes/ Le Bon/ Cuccurullo) — Heaven (Bryan Adams) — Bad day (Daniel Powter) — I go to extremes (Billy Joel) — Both sides now (Joni Mitchell) — You are my destiny (Anka) (with M. Bublé) — Walking in Memphis (Marc Cohn) — Against the wind (Bob Seger) — My way (Anka) (with J. Bon Jovi).
Chris Arnott wrote in the New Haven Advocate: "Sure, he covers The Killers' 'Mr. Brightside' and that ubiquitous 'Bad Day' song, and he jumps Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time' like it was an Ellington riff. But put this in perspective: Anka's last album, Rock Swings, was even weirder. On that prior crazed rearrangement of modern rock, the onetime teen idol adapted Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life;' on this one, he and Bon Jovi merely duet on Anka's own composition 'My Way.' The strident big-band sound and Anka's seemingly out-of-it vocals confound at first, but before long you think they're brilliant" ("CDs: Chris Arnott on the Comeback Trail," 9/13/07, p. 32).

John Fogerty: Revival

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Contents: Don't you wish it was true (4:10) — Gunslinger (3:31) — Creedence song (3:49) — Broken down cowboy (3:52) — River is waiting (3:23) — Long dark night (3:08) — Summer of love (3:20) — Natural thing (4:01) — It ain't right (1:50) — I can't take it no more (1:39) — Somebody help me (4:28) — Longshot (3:36). All songs written, arranged, and produced by John Fogerty.
Personnel: John Fogerty, vocals, guitar; Hunter Perrin, guitar; David Santos, bass; Kenny Aronoff, drums, percussion; Benmont Tench, Hammond B-3 organ (tracks 5, 8, 11), Wurlitzer electric piano (tracks 5, 11); Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Oren Waters, background vocals (tracks 1, 5, 12).
Chuck Arnold wrote in People: "Fogerty hits the spot with his meat-and-potatoes roots rock on this rousing disc. On songs that sometimes hark back to Creedence Clearwater Revival, the 62-year-old Hall of Famer sure sounds like a rocker reborn" ("Music: Quick Cuts," 11/5/07, p. 45).

Leif Ove Andsnes: Ballad for Edvard Grieg

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Anthony Tommasini wrote in the New York Times: "Edvard Grieg was a fiercely proud Norwegian who embraced his role as a leader in the movement to foster a national identity for Norwegian music. … Grieg died on Sept. 4, 1907, at 64 in Bergen, his beloved hometown, and the centenary is being acknowledged with several programs in New York. … Record releases include 'Ballad for Edvard Grieg' on EMI Classics, featuring the superb Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes. Today Grieg is generally viewed as a composer of enduring popularity but secondary significance. This perception is not quite right on either count. An audience favorite? His Piano Concerto brought him international attention by his early 30s and remains a staple of the repertory; but if anything, this soulful, brilliant and rhapsodic piece is performed too often for its own good. … Grieg’s melancholy suffuses every work, even pieces with a sprightly surface character like the vibrant march 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen,' which Mr. Andsnes plays with just the right balance of exuberance and wistfulness on the recent EMI release" (9/16/07).

The Fiery Furnaces: Widow City

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Emma Pearse wrote in New York: "Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger grew up as musically curious, loafer-wearing siblings in Oak Park, Illinois. In 2000, Eleanor moved to Greenpoint, where she started singing at house parties. When Matthew moved here six months later, they decided to collaborate. Eleanor sang, and Matthew wrote sprawling narrative songs and manned a myriad of instruments, including guitar and electronic percussion (tack piano and Optigan). Such were the humble beginnings of the Fiery Furnaces, who last week released their sixth album, Widow City. It’s their most accessible and coherent to date. Psychedelic sounds are broken by sweet acoustic melodies; Eleanor’s strident vocals, offset by distant cartoonish voices, tell absurdist stories about Egyptian scholars, spiritual gurus, and unhappy wives imagined from the pages of seventies lifestyle magazines. … 'Being brother and sister, do you get tired of being psychoanalyzed as such?' M: 'It’s our own fault. … I suggested we have fake names and not say that we were brother and sister. Eleanor won that argument.' E: 'I just thought it was silly.'"

+/-: Let's Build a Fire

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Contents: Let's build a fire — Fadeout — Steal the blueprints — The important thing is to love — Thrown into the fire — Summer dress 2 (Iodine) — Ignoring all the detours — Profession — One day you'll be there — This is all (I have left) — Leap year — Time and space — For you.
Andrew Iliff wrote in the New Haven Advocate: "The 21st South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, one of the biggest music industry shindigs in the country, has come to an end. The 2007 graduating class has scattered. … Here are the best and the brightest. … Most Likely To Be Traded for an old Sonic Youth CD: +/-. Let's Build A Fire, the latest album by +/- is a gorgeous affair that should please anyone with an ear for guitar sonics and textures, and an appreciation for mathematically badass drumming. They will likely never strike it very big, but deserve a permanent place in the shadow realm of indie rock file shares and CD trades. Remember this secret handshake to gain access: 'Do you know "Plus Minus?"' 'More or less'" ("South by Southwest 2007: Now What?," 3/22/07, p. 24).

A Good Year: Music from the Motion Picture

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Contents: How can I be sure of you / written and performed by Harry Nilsson — "Il faut du temps au temps ..." / performed by Makali, written by Said-Albert, Ita, Bichi, Podrini & Puig — Je chante / performed by Charles Trenet, lyrics by Trenet, music by Trenet & Misraki — Breezin' along with the breeze / performed by Josephine Baker, written by Gillespie, Simons & Whiting — Jump into the fire / written and performed by Harry Nilsson — The wedding samba / performed by Edmundo Ros & His Orchestra, written by Ellstein, Small & Liebowitz — Never ending song of love / performed by Delaney & Bonnie, written by Bramlett — Old Cape Cod / performed by Patti Page, written by Jeffrey, Rothrock, & Yakus — J'attendrai / performed by Jean Sablon, lyrics by Poterat, music by Olivieri & Rastelli — Gotta get up (demo version) / written and performed by Harry Nilsson — Le chant du gardian / performed by Tino Rossi — Itsy bitsy petit bikini (French lyric version of "Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini") / performed by Richard Anthony — Max-a-million; Le coin perdu; Wisdom (from the score by Marc Streitenfeld).

Jennifer Lopez: Como ama una mujer

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Contents: Qué hiciste — Me haces falta — Como ama una mujer — Te voy a querer — Porque te marchas — Por arriesgarnos — Tú — Amarte es todo — Apresúrate — Sola — Adiós.
Chuck Arnold wrote in People: "Back in the pre-J.Lo days, before she had a record deal, Jennifer Lopez lip-synched her way to big-screen stardom in Selena, the biopic of the slain Tejano singer who mostly recorded in Spanish. Now, 10 years later, Lopez has released her first Spanish-language album, Como Ama Una Mujer (translation: How a Woman Loves). With some writing, production and vocal help from husband Marc Anthony, a veteran of the Latin music scene, Lopez smoothly transforms into Jenny from the Barrio. The Bronx-born Puerto Rican, who became fluent in Spanish as an adult, eschews the hip-hop and R&B leanings of her last two discs in favor of Latin rhythms and guitar on tracks like the muy sexy single 'Qué Hiciste.' However, the second half of the CD is dragged down by too many ballads, which, no matter what tongue they're sung in, will never be Lopez's strong suit" ("Picks & Pans: Music," 4/2/07, p. 45).

Joss Stone: Introducing Joss Stone

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Ericka Sóuter wrote in People: "The title of Joss Stone's third album is certainly a misnomer. After all, much praise has been heaped on the preternaturally deep-voiced teen and her critically acclaimed 2003 collection of vintage R&B covers, The Soul Sessions, which was quickly followed by the lush Mind Body & Soul. But this disc, her second set of original material, does introduce listeners to a more mature Stone. Now 19, and undoubtedly with more life experiences under her belt, she has grown into that husky, growly delivery. Seductive lyrics like 'Bring me your sugar/ And pour it all over me baby' in the sultry 'Put Your Hands on Me' finally sound more natural and believable. This time working with producer Raphael Saadiq … Stone has added a youthful energy to tracks like the mildly Christina-esque 'Tell Me 'Bout It,' but in no way degrades her self-assured, retro-soul sound with overproduced melodies. Rather, she is deftly expanding it by infusing a hip-hop vibe with the buoyant 'Music,' featuring a fluid rap by Fugees phenom Lauryn Hill, and 'Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now,' a superb jam with Common" (3/26/o7, p. 45).

Junior Senior: Hey Hey My My Yo Yo

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Sasha Frere-Jones wrote in the New Yorker: "Tough guys may not dance, but real men have no fear of the exuberant, the foolish, or the loud sweater. Witness Junior Senior, a duo from Denmark whose darkest mood is probably 'psyched.' Junior Senior’s stock-in-trade is aggressively optimistic and genre-blind dance music that switches blithely from chic to corny in the space of one verse. Senior, the openly gay member, declaims like an aerobics instructor looking for very specific results — 'Shake your coconuts until the milk comes out!' — and Junior, the openly straight member, has a rough, puppyish voice that can carry a tune but is unlikely to put Rihanna out of business. In their grave dedication to silliness, they most resemble the B-52’s, a link made explicit on their new album, 'Hey Hey My My Yo Yo,' on which Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson sing backup. I have exhaustingly reliable evidence that children love the band’s recordings, and less exhausting evidence that the band retains its exuberance when it plays live. After a long absence from the States, Junior Senior will appear at the Highline Ballroom on Aug. 13" (8/13/07).

Against Me!: New Wave

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Personnel: Against Me! is Tom Gabel, James Bowman, Andrew Seward, Warren Oakes; vocals on track 6 by Tegan Quin.
Contents: New wave — Up the cuts — Thrash unreal — White people for peace — Stop! — Borne on the FM waves of the heart — **** and vinegar — Americans abroad — Animal — The ocean. All songs written by Tom Gabel. Recorded at Paramount Studios, Hollywood, CA. Produced by Butch Vig; mixed by Rich Costey except track 4 mixed by Butch Vig.
Notable lyrics: "We can control the medium. We can control the context of presentation. Is there anybody on the receiving end? Reaching out for some kind of connection. Come on and wash these shores away. … I am looking for the crest of a new wave" (from "New Wave").
People wrote: "On their major-label debut, the Florida quartet rages with punk rebelliousness, offering quality over quantity on a tightly wound 10-song, 34-minute set that ranks as one of the year's best rock albums to date" ("Music: Recent Raves," 9/17/07, p. 53).

Tony Bennett Sings the Ultimate American Songbook, Vol. 1

Status of copy at Case Memorial Library
Contents: Anything goes (C. Porter) — The very thought of you (R. Noble) (with B. Hackett, cornet) — The way you look tonight (J. Kern/ D. Fields) — Ev'ry time we say goodbye (C. Porter) — That old black magic (H. Arlen) (with D. Brubeck, piano; P. Desmond, alto sax; E. Wright, bass; J. Morello, drums) — A foggy day (G. & I. Gershwin) — I'll be seeing you (I. Kahal) — Ain't misbehavin' (T. Waller/ A. Razaf/ H. Brooks) — It had to be you (G. Kahn/ I. Jones) — Moonglow (W. Hudson/ E. DeLange/ I. Mills) (with k.d. lang) — She's funny that way (N. Moret/ R. Whiting) — You go to my head (J. F. Coots/ A. Gillespie) — They can't take that away from me (G. & I. Gershwin) — You'll never get away from me (J. Styne/ S. Sondheim) — Taking a chance on love (V. Duke/ J. Latouche/ T. Fetter) (with the Count Basie Orchestra).
From the insert: "'At the end of the '20s, into the '30s and '40s, there was a revolution in popular music that will never be topped. Like a renaissance period that was pure magic, it will become our classical music, and it turns out to be The Great American Songbook.' [signed] Tony Bennett"