Swap a CD: 15 Recently Posted CDs

Living Under June - Jann Arden

Jann Arden — 2009-11-18T13:10:22-05:00

This western Canadian singer/songwriter is brutally introspective, yet outgoing. After all, she's hosted the Juno Awards (Canada's version of the Grammys). She writes and sings beguilingly on this strong debut about temptation, salvation, jealousy, and loneliness. Former John Mellencamp drummer Kenny Aronoff helps to ground the album's seamless sound, and Jackson Browne drops in for "Unloved." ~ Mark Allan, All Music Guide

Full Circle - Charlie Peacock

Charlie Peacock — 2009-11-18T13:09:50-05:00

A Question of Temperature - Chris Stamey

Chris Stamey — 2009-11-18T12:50:27-05:00

After devoting most of his time to his career as a producer through much of the 1990s, Chris Stamey seems to be recording his own work in what could be charitably called fits and starts; in the summer of 2004 he released his first album in nearly ten years, Travels in the South, but eight months later the man returned to record racks with A Question of Temperature, credited to "the Chris Stamey Experience." While the two albums may have followed one another closely, they represent different sides of his musical personality; while Travels in the South was a mature and ambitious exercise in adult pop, A Question of Temperature was cut fast and loose with Stamey's pals Yo La Tengo serving as his backing band (with keyboardist Tyson Rogers on hand as a ringer), and most of the songs are either covers or remakes of Stamey's older material. With the 2004 presidential elections lurking on the horizon, A Question of Temperature frequently reflects Stamey and his friends' malaise about the state of American politics, as reflected in his passionate performances of Cream's "Politician," the Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things," and "(Let's Make It Real) Compared to What," by Eddie Harris and Les McCann (not to mention the loopy "public service announcement" "V.O.T.E."). When he isn't confounded by the fate of the world, here Stamey seems to be pondering the past, either through his new songs or by turning to the sounds of his past (both in terms of covering tunes from his teens and embracing a noisier, more aggressive musical stance than he did on Travels in the South). But a big part of what makes A Question of Temperature so engaging is that, like Travels in the South, it's the work of a musician who isn't rejecting his past experiences but making something new of them, and if this set feels like part therapy, part busman's holiday, it's a hands-on group session that speaks to its audience as strongly as it did to those who recorded it. He should do one of these once a year. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

The Better Life - 3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down — 2009-11-18T12:45:51-05:00

The Better Life, 3 Doors Down's debut album, positions them somewhere between radio-ready post-grunge and more aggressive alternative metal. The best songs are memorable exercises in that style, and even though the songwriting is uneven, that's often to be expected from a first record; there is at least an indication of potential here. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

No Quarter Jimmy Page Robert Plant Unledded - Page & Plant

Page & Plant — 2009-11-18T12:45:50-05:00

Ever since Led Zeppelin parted ways after the death of drummer John Bonham, fans were clamoring for the mighty band to reunite. This willfully ignored both the vital contribution Bonham gave to the group's mystique and Zeppelin's woeful one-off reunion at the 1985 Live Aid charity concert, but the legend of the band was so strong, reunion rumors reached a fever pitch whenever vocalist Robert Plant or guitarist Jimmy Page had a new album in the stores. In 1994, following Plant's moody, misunderstood 1993 album Fate of Nations and Page's widely lambasted collaboration with Whitesnake singer David Coverdale, the two quietly reunited to record a concert for MTV's then-popular acoustic concert series Unplugged. Page & Plant interpreted the Unplugged moniker rather liberally, bringing in a full orchestra, mandolins, and a hurdy-gurdy among other instruments, and Page turned to an electric guitar on occasion. Nevertheless, the "unplugged" setting did give the duo an opportunity to gracefully back away from the bombast that was assumed to be Zeppelin's stock-in-trade; after all, it would have been very hard to do "Whole Lotta Love," "Dazed and Confused," or "Trampled Underfoot" in this setting. Instead, this gives them a chance to dive into the moodiest material, trading heavily on the folk, blues, and world music that gave Led Zeppelin a richness unheard in their heavy rock peers. This might not be what some diehards were expecting from a reunion, but it was a gutsy move from Page & Plant, and the ensuing album, No Quarter, has aged remarkably well. That's not to say that it's timeless music, or a latter-day comeback on the level of Bob Dylan's Love and Theft, but this is ambitiously atmospheric, restless music by musicians not content to rest on their laurels. They do draw heavily from their past, but these new versions of classic Led Zeppelin songs sound reinvigorated in these new arrangements. At times, this means that the songs are given rather drastic reinterpretations -- "Nobody's Fault but Mine" brings the brooding undercurrent of the original to the surface, "Four Sticks" sounds livelier in this spare setting -- while other tunes sound similar to the recorded versions but are given spirited readings ("That's the Way," "The Battle of Evermore," "Gallows Pole"). Between these revived Zeppelin numbers are a few new songs, all ambitious and solid, fitting right into the vibe of the album; even if they don't match the older tunes, they're respectable and gain strength upon repeated listens. As good as much of No Quarter is, it isn't necessarily the kind of record that invites those repeated listens. At its core, it's an experiment, the sound of two middle-aged musicians looking back at their groundbreaking work and finding both sustenance and inspiration there. That makes for fascinating listening, both upon the first spin and a return play several years later, but it doesn't necessarily make for an album that's played all that often. [Upon its original 1994 release No Quarter contained 13 tracks. Several years later, it was reissued overseas, adding the previously unreleased original "Wah Wah" as a bonus track. Upon the album's tenth anniversary, it was reissued in the U.S. with "Wah Wah," plus the previously unreleased "The Rain Song," which took the place of "Thank You," which was cut from the album on this reissue. Finally, the 2004 reissue retitled the original "Yallah" as "The Truth Explodes."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Ingnue - k.d. lang

k.d. lang — 2009-11-18T12:43:46-05:00

On her early albums, k.d. lang was a country traditionalist with a difference -- while she had a glorious voice and could evoke the risen ghost of Patsy Cline when she was of a mind, there was an intelligence and sly humor in her work that occasionally betrayed her history as a performance artist who entered the musical mainstream through the side door. And while the three years between Absolute Torch and Twang and IngÉnue were full of controversy for lang that may have encouraged her to seek out new creative directions (among other things, she came out as a lesbian and her outspoken animal rights activism alienated many fans in the C&W mainstream), the former album suggested lang had already taken her interest in country music as far as it was likely to go. IngÉnue presented lang as an adult contemporary artist for the first time, and if she felt any trepidation at all about her stylistic shift, you'd never guess after listening to the record; lang's vocal style is noticeably more subtle on IngÉnue than her previous albums, but her command of her instrument is still complete, and the cooler surroundings allowed her to emotionally accomplish more with less. lang's songwriting moved into a more impressionistic direction with IngÉnue, and while the literal meanings of many of her tunes became less clear, she also brought a more personal stamp to her music, and the emotional core of "Save Me," "Constant Craving," and "So It Shall Be" was obvious even when their surfaces were evasive. And the production and arrangements by lang and her longtime collaborators Ben Mink and Greg Penny were at once simple and ambitious, creating a musical space that was different in form and effect than her previous albums but one where she sounded right at home. IngÉnue disappoints slightly because while lang was a masterful and thoroughly enjoyable country singer, she was a far more introspective adult contemporary singer/songwriter who seemingly demanded the audience accept her "as is" or not at all. However, the craft of the album is impressive indeed, and few artists have reinvented themselves with as much poise and panache as lang did on IngÉnue. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Cuts Both Ways - Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan — 2009-11-18T12:43:46-05:00

Leveraging the runaway success of her previous album, Let It Loose, Gloria Estefan furthered her indulgence in spare, moody love ballads and club-ready dance-pop jams for Cuts Both Ways and scored herself another Top Ten album. The transformation of Gloria Estefan the lead singer of Miami Sound Machine to Gloria Estefan the pop star is complete here. While Let It Loose had been the first Miami Sound Machine album to co-bill Estefan (that is, "Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine"), Cuts Both Ways is billed simply to the star herself. And it plays that way, too, with a heavy reliance on Gloria-spotlighting ballads -- roughly half the album, discounting the album-ending Spanish-language versions. Miami Sound Machine's patented latin dance-lite style is sidelined a bit, for better and for worse. Sure, "Ay, Ay, I," "Say," "Oy Mi Canto," and "Get on Your Feet" are all club-ready with their big late-'80s synth-drum patterns, but only "Get on Your Feet" comes close to matching the majesty of past club hits like "Conga," "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," and "1-2-3." And more tellingly, there aren't any straight pop songs here like "Bad Boy" or "Betcha Say That." Cuts Both Ways goes only both ways -- either ballad or jam -- which makes for a very up-and-down listening experience as the tempos alternate drastically from one song to the next. All this over-analysis aside, there are some super songs here, namely "Here We Are," "Say," "Oy Mi Canto," "Don't Wanna Lose You," and "Get on Your Feet." That's a lot of super-ness for one album, even if on the whole Cuts Both Ways seems overly calculated and sadly foreshadows the audience displacement that Estefan would experience in subsequent years as she drifted even further away from the unabashed Miami Sound Machine-style dance-pop of yesteryear. Even so, Cuts Both Ways is one of her best and, without question, was one of her most successful, clear affirmation that Estefan had indeed become one of the biggest pop stars in the whole wide world as the '80s came to a close. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Square the Circle - Joan Armatrading

Joan Armatrading — 2009-11-18T12:43:46-05:00

Joan Armatrading, who has spent the better part of her career demanding greater commitment and fidelity from men than they seem willing to give her, turns the tables on her 13th album, abandoning herself to lust for "the wrong guy" and unfaithfulness to her beloved. The equation produces interesting, if not always successful, results, such as the characteristically convoluted "Can't Get Over (How I Broke Your Heart)," but makes a poor lead-in to the philosophical "If Women Ruled the World," which proves that sexism sounds just as lame-brained coming from a woman as it does coming from a man. "Not all men kill babies," Armatrading admits, which is certainly a relief to hear. But if women ruled the world, there would be "no more war, no more hate...no more sons dying young." This from a woman who lived under the Margaret Thatcher regime during the Falklands War. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Unison - Celine Dion

Celine Dion — 2009-11-18T12:43:46-05:00

A fine, sophisticated American debut from this popular Canadian singer, featuring the hit singles "(If There Was) Any Other Way" and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Canciones de Mi Padre - Linda Ronstadt

Linda Ronstadt — 2009-11-18T12:41:05-05:00

Linda Ronstadt abandoned the pop audience in 1983, turning toward traditional pop music. She recorded three albums with Nelson Riddle before changing direction yet again, this time recording a set of traditional Mexican songs titled Canciones de Mi Padre. As the title suggests, the record is a fairly sentimental collection, since these are songs from her childhood and her heritage. Occasionally, Ronstadt oversells the songs but overall, the album is charming, affectionate, entertaining, and more successful than her stilted Nelson Riddle collaborations. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

The Dance - Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac — 2009-11-18T12:39:51-05:00

Two years after the Lindsey Buckingham/Stevie Nicks/Christine McVie-less incarnation of Fleetwood Mac crashed and burned, their classic '70s lineup reunited for an MTV Unplugged session and an accompanying tour. Although it's likely that the reunion was for monetary purposes, it made creative sense as well -- no members were as compelling solo as they were with the group. Despite this, the Unplugged-styled setting wasn't ideal for a reunion, since the group decided to devote nearly a quarter of The Dance to new material, inevitably resulting in unfair comparisons to their warhorses. Since there's so much new material, The Dance can't be a truly nostalgic experience either, because the new songs interrupt the flow. Not that they're bad -- both Buckingham's gentle "Bleed to Love Her" and nervy "My Little Demon" are first-rate -- but they aren't given the full-fledged production they deserve. Similarly, the older songs suffer from the slightly hollow unplugged production. All the hits are performed in nearly identical arrangements to the originals, with the exception of Buckingham's solo "Big Love" (an improvement on the original) and the addition of Tusk's marching band to "Don't Stop," which makes the differences all too apparent. Much is the same -- McVie and Nicks sound terrific, and the band is tight and professional -- but Buckingham has lost some of his range, which undercuts some of his songs. Still, that isn't enough to prevent The Dance from being an entertaining listen; it just isn't a substantial one. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Say You Will - Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac — 2009-11-18T12:38:34-05:00

Lindsey Buckingham hadn't recorded a studio album with Fleetwood Mac in 16 years when Say You Will was released in April 2003. His partner, Stevie Nicks, had been missing in action from the group since 1990, and while both joined the reunited group in 1997 for a tour and live album (The Dance), not to mention Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration, it had been a long, long time since the two made new music for the Mac. They were lured back into the fold for...well, the specifics -- whether money, prestige, status, publicity, or creativity -- don't really matter, since the end result is the same, it's that Buckingham and Nicks have come home. This doesn't qualify as a full-fledged Fleetwood reunion, since Christine McVie isn't here, choosing to opt out of this high-profile return to the breach (although her playing is occasionally heard on the album). This results in a record that never quite sounds like Fleetwood Mac. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie are so grateful to have the two superstars back in the group that they cede ground to Buckingham and Nicks, who never collaborate as much as share space. Each singer/songwriter is given nine songs apiece, a move which, in itself, would not necessarily be a problem, but over the course of this lengthy, lengthy album, the evenhandedness starts to give the impression that this is two solo albums presented as a group effort. An assessment that's a little harsh, since the group can still conjure echoes of their classic sound, but the division of work is so deliberate and their work so dissimilar, it can't help but feel like two separate pieces pushed together to make the whole. Which is where Christine McVie becomes a critical factor. While never a star like Nicks, nor possessing the mad genius of Buckingham, McVie was a strong, likeable songwriter whose gently melodic works balanced the extremities of her bandmates while also forcing them to choose the best material to fit the record. Add to this that Fleetwood Mac have decided to run wild with the length of a CD, producing a record that is significantly longer than the messy, chaotic Tusk, but without its inspired insanity or depth of sound and character. Here, even if most songs are in the four-minute ballpark, they all feel longer, partially because the album clocks in at nearly 80 minutes and the sequencing flows as it was designed by committee. So, Say You Will winds up occupying a strange middle ground, often feeling as if it was Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks' albums bouncing around on shuffle play, but also occasionally flashing moments that are purely, satisfyingly Fleetwood Mac. Although there are occasional misguided attempts to modernize the songs -- most notably drum loops on some of Nicks' songs -- none of the songs sound as if the band were forcing themselves to sound contemporary. Sure, it sounds commercial, but that's the band's idiom -- what's important is that it never sounds compromised, it sounds as if the band is at once trying too hard while being unwilling to sacrifice individual moments for the greater good. So, Say You Will straddles many lines at once. Nicks' material is better-realized than many of her recent albums, but Buckingham's always sounds as if it should be wilder than it is (it should all sound as unrestrained as his guitar, which is continually surprising throughout the record). It never sounds like classic Fleetwood Mac, nor does it sound modern. It often sounds like solo albums, but without the freedom that allows. Most of these problems derive merely from the length. Cut out half of the record -- have it weigh in at nine or ten songs and run no longer than 45 minutes -- and it would have been a good, solid comeback, perhaps even eclipsing the uneven Tango in the Night. But there are too many songs, simply too much to make Say You Will work, even if there is enough to admire to make you wish it did. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Have You Seen Me Lately - Carly Simon

Carly Simon — 2009-11-18T12:35:59-05:00

Have You Seen Me Lately? was Simon's first studio album of original material in three and a half years. Simon has always written songs for her age group; here, it's the fortysomethings of the 1990s. "I've been doing a lot of thinking/About growing older and moving on," she sings, and in her world that entails "protein shakes," "twelve-step groups," and stays in clinics. Some relief is provided in the single "Better Not Tell Her" and "Fisherman's Song," on which Simon duets with Judy Collins. But you can't help thinking that the ongoing life story portrayed in Simon's songs has become somewhat limited. At the end, "We Just Got Here" provides the summer's-end metaphor for middle age, and we are left with the impression that there's nothing ahead but cold weather. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Gold Greatest Hits - ABBA

ABBA — 2009-11-18T12:35:21-05:00

ABBA's 19-song Gold collection was the first hits compilation prepared specifically for the CD format by the 1970s supergroup, and, appearing after a period of several years in which their music had been off the market, was a welcome addition to the catalog. It is still the simplest and most straightforward collection of the group's material that it is possible to buy. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Bookends - Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel — 2009-11-18T12:30:40-05:00

Bookends is a literary album that contains the most minimal of openings with the theme, an acoustic guitar stating itself slowly and plaintively before erupting into the wash of synthesizers and dissonance that is "Save the Life of My Child." The classic "America" is next, a folk song with a lilting soprano saxophone in the refrain and a small pipe organ painting the acoustic guitars in the more poignant verses. The song relies on pop structures to carry its message of hope and disillusionment as two people travel the American landscape searching for it until it dawns on them that everyone else on the freeway is doing the same thing. The final four tracks, "Mrs. Robinson," the theme song for the film The Graduate, "A Hazy Shade of Winter," and the album's final track, "At the Zoo," offer as tremblingly bleak a vision for the future as any thing done by the Velvet Underground, but rooted in the lives of everyday people, not in the decadent underground personages of New York's Factory studio. But the album is also a warning that to pay attention is to take as much control of one's fate as possible. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide