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December 29, 1996
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Lyle Lovett, Cracker topping list of discs mixing
humor, creativity
If there are common threads in my list of favorite albums of 1996 it's
that the discs contain good, original songwriting and a sense of humor
- elements lacking from most radio, MTV, CMT fodder.
1. "The Road to Ensenada, Lyle Lovett (Curb/MCA) In his strongest
disc since 1988's "Pontiac," Lyle Lovett displays an enormous
range of musical style and emotion. From the raucous and funny Western
swing number "That's Right (You're Not From Texas)" to the somber
and world-weary folk songs "Promises" and "The Road to Ensenada"
to the solid country kiss-off "I Can't Love You Anymore,"
Lovett proves his songwriting mastery.
2. "The Golden Age," Cracker (Virgin) Vicious, moody, sentimental;
lush,. intelligent, humorous and totally arresting —Cracker's finest disc
to date is all of these things. While many young rock bands seem to wear
cold disaffection like a badge of honor, Cracker leaders David Lowery and
Johnny Hickman produce rock that is unashamedly alive. Ignoring any input
about what is or isn't trendy, Cracker fills "The Golden Age"
with steel -guitars, strings, catchy melodies, well-written Iyrics and
no whiny self-pity.
8. "Factory Showroom," They Might Be Giants (Elektra) : Quirky
rock band They Might Be Giants delivers a gloriously goofy masterwork.
Lead vocalists/songwriters John Linnell and John Flansburgh make
surprisingly lovable songs about such topics as metal detectors, obsessive
behavior; a mysterious "Spiraling Shape," singing "like
a girl" and nearly forgotten president James K Polk. If there's any
justice, "Factory Showroom" will turn TMBG from an art-house
favorite to a household necessity. .
4. "Revival," Gillian Welch (Alamo) Gillian Welch has taken
a lot of flak for being an upper-middle-class Californian who sings as
if she hails from the hills of Appalachia. I could care less if she comes
from Manhattan, eats caviar for breakfast and is an heir to the Getty fortune.
The original songs found on "Revival" (written by Welch and guitar-picking
partner David-Rawlings) sound like undiscovered Carter family classics,
and she sings, them with more heart and soul than anyone who's actually
come from Appalachia has in ages. It's the best country release of the
year.
5. "To the Bone," The Kinks (Guardian) This live two-disc
set provides a fine portrait of one of the most under-appreciated rock
bands on the planet. No simple rehash of hits, "To the Bone"
features brothers Ray and Dave Davies performing such hits as "Lola,"
"You Really Got Me" and "Sunny Afternoon" plus dusting
off overlooked classics, including "Do You Remember Walter" and
"Village Green Preservation Society." With some of the best songs
in the rock canon, the Davies brothers slide from sweet ballads to bone-crunching
rock. The 30 plus-year-old group has never sounded better. All that's missing
is a version of Ray's most gorgeous song "Waterloo Sunset."
6. "I Lived to Tell It All," George Jones (MCA) Country music's
greatest vocalist finally gets another collection of songs worthy of his
pipes. It's his best disc in more than a decade, and there's no pandering
to radio here— nothing but pure Jones. From the fun "Honky Tonk Song"
(tailor-written for the 'Possum), to the tear-tugging "I Must
Have Done Something Bad" - to the sublime "It Ain't Gonna
Worry My Mind," Jones proves he's still got the stuff.
7. "Just Add Ice," The VRoys (E-Squared) The debut
by Knoxville's own V-Roys crackles with raw energy and enthusiasm. The
solidly written songs chronicle little more than crushes, cheating lovers
and various romantic mishaps, but that's just fine. The songs are ! refreshingly
unpretentious and loaded with hooks. Co producer Steve Earle (whose own
"I'm Alright" would've ranked No. 11 on this list) keeps the
arrangements simple and the recording crisp, clean and vibrant. This is
the best rock 'n' roll debut in a long, long time.
8. "How Long Has This Been Going On," Van Morrison with Georgie
Fame (Verve) Van Morrison finally manes the all-jazz album he's hinted
at for years, and it's a beauty. With organist Georgie Fame and seasoned
players, including saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis and pianist Robin Aspland,
Morrison romps through jazz versions of his own greats ("Moondance"),
pop standards ("That's Life") and jazz, blues and ROB favorites
("Your Mind Is on Vacation"). Morrison and the band seem to be
having a blast, and a listener can't help but join the fun.
9. "Everybody Knows," Trisha Yearwood (MCA) Trisha Yearwood
is the most consistently excellent female country singer of the '90s, and
all the reasons can be found in "Everybody Knows"—strong song
selection, heartfelt vocals that are technically solid and smart production.
Undike most modern mainstream country discs, "Everybody Knows"
is a complete album, not a collection of radio-friendly up-tempo numbers
surrounded by too-cute or contrived throwaways. The fine "Believe
Me Baby (I Lied)" and the title cut are radio-ready, but the rest
of the album is equally strong, from the emotional longing of "I Need
You" to sparse and bluesy "A Lover Is Forever."
10. "Girl," Tiny Tim with Brave Combo (Rounder) The late
Tiny Tim was far more than a novelty artist. He was a living catalog of
pop music he was best- wn for sin n falsetto, the baritone '20s-style crooning
that fills this record more representative of his art n Girl, Tim finally
found The perfect compatriots in the new wave polka bans" Brave Combo.
Tim and the Combo construct startlingly different arrangements to everything
from turn-of-thecentury standards to rock '`Hey Jude"). The result
is sometimes hilarious, sometimes bizarre, and often (for the minded) oddly
touching
Wayne Bledsoe is a music writer with The News-Sentinel. Bledsoe's column
is also available on the Web at http://knoxnews.com/rest.html.
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