Language of Life

How many jazz musicians can you invite to contribute to your pop album?

Everything But The Girl's "Language of Life" is one seminal album that will remain as one of my favorite of all times. It is an exquisitely crafted piece of art and performed with the accompaniment of more than 10 acclaimed jazz sessionists of that time (1990).

Here is a sample of who the sessionists were and they were a real "Who's Who List" of the 80's Jazz era:

• Omar Hakim - drums 
• John Patitucci - bass guitar 
• Larry Williams - synths 
• Joe Sample - piano 
• Russell Ferrante - piano 
• Lenny Castro - percussion 
• Stan Getz - tenor sax 
• Michael Brecker - tenor sax 
• Kirk Whalum - tenor sax 
• Jerry Hey - flugel 

Usually with such a cast one would worry that "too many cooks will spoil the soup" but in this album it was not the case at all and the talents of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt were beautifully showcased as the music was fantastic!

This album really proves that you can have it all and still make it all sound great! I am sure many would envy them (and Tony Lipuma) for assembling such a cast of talents. This is "pop" at its best!

Here is another great song from EBTG:

Doobie Brothers vs ZZ Top

Its the final face-off between The Doobie Brothers and ZZ Top as they fight it out for The Ultimate Classic Rock Hall of Fame honours for 2013!



You can still vote to choose your favorite band before the close on Jan 5, 2014 here

As a tribute to The Doobie Brothers (which is my choice!) here is one of my favorite track from their album The Captain and Me (1973):




For collectors and fans check out the Original Album Series 5CD compilation box sets featuring their most memorable albums at a very nice price!

  

A Bitter Sweet Symphony

A great song from The Verve in 1997 which is still being played all over the world (except in Malaysia).


It is interesting to note that this song was mired in controversy due to "plagiarism" claims. Does it sound a bit like The Last Time by The Rolling Stones?

A Tribute to the late great George Duke

I have been following George Duke since I fell in love with the Brazilian Love Affair in 1979. He is one awesome musician and keyboardist and his love for jazz funk was what brought me into the genre in the 80s. There was his Clarke Duke Project (1981) which produced the hit "Sweet Baby", Dream On (1982) and Thief In The Night (1985). George was a very prolific musician and producer and soon I lost touch with his meanderings into more mainstream stuff.

George Duke passed away on August 5, 2013 but not without leaving us a huge legacy of his contributions for the past almost 50 years. Check out his well written history here and the many albums he has written and produced.



Enjoy this amazing track "So I'll Pretend" featuring his cousin Diane Reeves from the album Illusions produced in 1995.

Light Up The Night - The Brothers Johnson

You can never go wrong with this great R&B album produced by the great Quincy Jones in 1980 who later went on to produce for Michael Jackson's biggest albums. Michael even contributed his signature "woos" in one of the tracks in this one of the finest pre-MJ era funk album!

Light Up the Night

Lana Del Ray

The 25-year-old songstress became one of 2011's most seemingly organic upstarts. Following the release of her breakout single "Video Games" and its vintage-shaded video, apparently filmed and edited on her Macbook, the Lake Placid, N.Y., native racked upwards of 13 million YouTube views and has sold 20,000 copies of her double A-side "Video Games" single since its October 2011 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It debuted and spent three weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart.

Rarely is a breaking artist as polarizing as Lana Del Rey and of course if you are in Malaysia, obviously no radio station here is aware of her near cult status as she is not given any airplay here.



Lana Del Ray's "Video Games"

Article from Billboard Magazine

Farewell my dear Donna Summer

Farewell Ms Summer & Thanks for a great 70's through to the 80's!

LA Times: The Sonic Seduction