‘Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim’ Was Ol’ Blue Eyes at His Late-Period Best
Antonio Carlos Jobim’s bossa-nova orchestrations provided a platform 55 years ago this month for Frank Sinatra’s most interesting latter-day release.
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How Jethro Tull’s Prog Parody ‘Thick As a Brick’ Instead Became a Prog Classic
Jethro Tull was trying to create a pomposity-popping prog-rock caricature. What they ended up with 50 years ago today was a triumph of the form.
Junior Kimbrough Set a New Blues Standard on ‘All Night Long,’ Then Vanished
Released 30 years ago this week, ‘All Night Long’ unfortunately arrived too close to the end for Junior Kimbrough.
Why Paul McCartney’s ‘Kisses on the Bottom’ Was the Perfect LP at the Perfect Time
Paul McCartney finally returned to the traditional pop and jazz of his youth 10 years ago this week. In more ways than one, I’m glad that he waited.
Why Complaints About Van Halen’s ‘A Different Kind of Truth’ Were Overblown
Van Halen released a reunion LP with David Lee Roth 10 years ago today that was dotted with song scraps from their glory days. So what?
Chicago, “Naked in the Garden of Allah” from ‘Chicago XXXVI: Now’ (2014): Saturdays in the Park
Robert Lamm’s “Naked In the Garden of Allah” helped balance this LP’s expected modern-era Chicago balladry with a return to more politicized songcraft.
John Mellencamp’s ‘Freedom’s Road’ Heralded an On-Going Artistic Rejuvenation
Released 15 years ago this week, John Mellencamp’s ‘Freedom’s Road’ explored the uncertainties that exist inside middle America’s most reliable traditions.
Chicago, “Something’s Coming, I Know” (2014): Saturdays in the Park
Robert Lamm’s “Something’s Coming, I Know” isn’t about taking risks. Instead, it settles for being this Chicago album’s most effortlessly joyous moment.
Chicago, “Free at Last” from ‘Chicago XXXVI: Now’ (2014): Saturdays in the Park
Once, the Robert Lamm-sung “Free at Last” might have had something to do with freedom’s fight, since he was the fierce political heart of Chicago. Not now.
Nancy Wilson, “What Are You Doing New Year’s?” (1963): One Track Mind
The deeply underrated Nancy Wilson nails the sense of hopeful anxiety that surrounds Dec. 31 every year.
