Staff Picks for April 2022
April 30, 2022
This charting sophomore set proved again that the artist was comfortable making music that engaged and melded Latin styles with jazz and R&B. It afforded producers David Grusin and Larry Rosen the trust to support her desire to record more challenging material such as the progressive pop epic "The Voyage.” The set also contained several sleek R&B tunes such as "What I Wouldn't Do (For the Love of You)," and "The Feelin's Love,” as well as a disco-fied remake of Thom Bell and Linda Creed's "People Make the World Go 'Round."
April 29, 2022
Dwight Yoakam has never hidden his admiration for Buck Owens (even duetting together on "Streets of Bakersfield," a number one country hit in 1988) so this set of covers is lovingly presented with a fervor that Yoakam can't help but exude. His voice cracks, curls, and whoops are all his own, but the breakneck energy and enthusiasm that the Buckaroos poured into every song are given a fitting tribute.
April 28, 2022
Few hardcore bands of the 1980s made more of the power of sheer belief than Minor Threat, and fewer still were as articulate when the inevitable disappointment of the corruption of their scene made itself known. A pretty remarkable emotional arc, a few great anthems, and the insightful and heartbreaking "Salad Days," all within the space of 47 minutes. There's a lot to be said for concision.
April 27, 2022
After three experimental albums for ECM, Virelles turned his attention to the folkloric music of his hometown in Santiago de Cuba. He reinterpreted the works of Santiago composers Electo Rosell Chepin, Mariano Merceron, and Antonio María Romeu.
April 26, 2022
Richie Hawtin's third album as Plastikman was a major departure from the manic, percussion-heavy acid techno he'd been associated with since the early '90s. Plunging fathoms deep into unknown waters, Consumed approximated the sensation of being trapped in a submarine at the bottom of the ocean, echoing the nautical dub techno of Porter Ricks' Biokinetics but tapping into a much bleaker, more isolated frame of mind. It remains a singular entry in Hawtin's catalog, and is easily his greatest work.
April 25, 2022
A masterpiece from the glory days of synth pop, the music tech pioneer's solo debut album has much more to offer than the defiantly quirky Top Five hit "She Blinded Me with Science." With guests ranging from Andy Partridge (on harmonica and percussion) to Lene Lovich (he wrote her single "New Toy"), the album was financed with funds raised from his session work on Foreigner's 4.
April 24, 2022
A raw and uncut gem of an album, Washington was a Detroit local R&B scene hero whose brief career left behind this urgent and driving set of songs. Each tune is driven into the red with handclaps, rock n' roll guitar licks, and the vocalist's incendiary delivery.
April 23, 2022
This aptly titled special was the culmination of the comedian's four standup specials of the '90s -- on par with 1998's Dress to Kill but better suited for audio formats since its humor is less physical. She dives straight into Big Topics, starting with the creation of the world, then Noah and the ark (it was silly to bring animals that can, y'know, swim) before moving on to a lengthy, hilarious retelling of the Trojan War. Among the smartest standup comedy ever performed, a working knowledge of European history and culture is required to catch some of the more subtle jokes.
April 22, 2022
On their sophomore effort for ECM, pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and drummer Michal Miskiewicz reflect the true sign of their maturity as a group of seasoned jazz musicians and risk-takers. This is a terrific second effort by a band that, despite the fact that its members have been together for 17 years, is only really coming into its own in the present moment.
April 21, 2022
Bob Marley has been so overplayed in dorm rooms and hacky sack circles, it is easy to forget (or never be exposed to) his early R&B-influenced bluebeat and rocksteady recordings from the late '60s. This extensive box set details the Wailers' early tracks including many recorded by legendary producer Leslie Kong. Of note is the Wailers' rendition of the Archies' pop staple "Sugar, Sugar" which is transformed from a bubblegum love letter into a slinky late night plea.
![Godzilla [Original 1954 Soundtrack]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004204758/front/400/uOktLAXNCCpnH7s6gyHBgw4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=.jpg)
April 20, 2022
Most of the Kaiju films that came in its wake were colorful and purposefully bombastic, but seen in its original form, Ishiro Honda's 1954 Godzilla is a remarkably somber and affecting work, with a clear pacifist undercurrent. Akira Ifukube's score beautifully matches the tension and dread of Honda's story, and heard on its own, it's one of the truly great soundtracks in the history of horror and fantasy cinema.
April 19, 2022
Optimo's most notorious mix CD is a high point of the era when mashup-style collage mixing met the deep-crate obsessiveness fostered by the advent of filesharing. Think 2 Many DJs or Girl Talk but with more of a taste for no wave, Tropicalia, and sleazy electro-disco than mainstream pop. Also, be dumbstruck at how they manage to throw an unmixed Gang of Four classic and the Langley Schools Music Project's rendition of "Good Vibrations" into the middle of the set and manage to make it work.
April 18, 2022
Cohen's fourth date for ECM wanders freely between its many influences to emerge with a compelling identity of its own. The melodies are often hummable and there are many different stylistic forays into psychedelic rock, R&B and funk, Hebrew folk, and sound system electronica. It is easily the most accessible album of Cohen's career thus far, in that it will likely appeal to listeners not normally drawn to jazz.
April 17, 2022
Various Artists
A document that had a seismic effect on the burgeoning folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s, Harry Smith's 1952 compilation Anthology of American Folk Music Vol. 1-3 was a brilliantly idiosyncratic summation of the years between 1927 and 1933, when record companies were willing to record nearly anything. Deep blues, Appalachian dread, tall tales, eccentric dance tunes – this is endlessly, gloriously fascinating and steeped in the weirdness of everyday life.
April 16, 2022
An easy and insistent album of folk songs from the UK filtered through West Coast denim and fringe. At times the band sounds like an electrified Fairport Convention, and at others they sound like they're covering Sweetheart-era Byrds b-sides. Sweet harmonies, twee vocal urging, and chiming 12-strings underscore this lesser-known gem.
April 15, 2022
Subdued and patient, Journey to the One is a double album statement that seems to pass by in seconds. Released in 1980, the music here is far removed from the bluster and chaos that often enrobed Sanders' free jazz work in the '60s and early '70s, looking more to soft meditative grooves and themes of personal peace and autonomy.
April 14, 2022
A truly enchanting compilation of solo piano pieces by Ethiopian nun and composer Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou. Captured in the 1960s and '70s, her peculiar amalgam of blues, jazz, and classical is deeply poignant, yet effortlessly breezy.
April 13, 2022
Following their star-making breakthrough Fantasies, the Canadian indie crew delivered another near-perfect set for the masses. With even more polish and depth, the band shines with catchy nuggets like the glam-stomper "Youth Without Youth," the frantic "Speed the Collapse," and the buzzing, Strokes-y "Synthetica." Lou Reed even pops up on "The Wanderlust." Yet it's the gorgeous, U2-sized "Breathing Underwater" that steals the show and reveals their massive ambitions.
April 12, 2022
Ian Whitcomb was briefly a rock star after scoring a Top Ten hit with 1965's engagingly silly "You Turn Me On," before he devoted most of his career to documenting ragtime, vaudeville, and music hall tunes of the past. This two-fer reissue of his first two albums captures both sides of his musical persona, and it's a fun introduction of one of the most unusual one-hit-wonders of the 1960s.
April 11, 2022
A wild ride of vivid, nervy pop, Lindsey Buckingham's second solo outing could almost be seen as a lab demonstration for the then-cutting edge Fairlight CMI synthesizer; its kooky sounds and samples are liberally slathered across nearly every track. But, for those who love his intensity, the sound of Linsdey being Lindsey in a lab sells itself.
April 10, 2022
Sometimes, covers are just as good as or even better than the original, as proven by the musical comedy-drama series Glee. The first album from a sequence of soundtracks documenting songs sung by the cast, Glee: The Music, Vol. 1 journeys through multiple defining musical eras by fusing nearly four decades of music into one. The show's high school setting adds a youthful, revitalizing dimension to each number, making "songs for old people" more appealing for young'uns.
April 9, 2022
Though Kiss finally broke through to mainstream success by replicating the excitement of their live show on 1975's Alive!, their songwriting chops began coming into their own on Dressed to Kill. Still overflowing with hard rock sleaze and puffed up tales of debauchery, the production was better than their first two hastily-made albums, and the pop edge that would eventually land them platinum sales was coming into view.
April 8, 2022
Their highest-charting release without the sales to match, this might be the "forgotten" YYYs album. Packed with deep cuts, this sometimes uneven mood piece is as creepy as the title suggests, a subterranean exploration through lo-fi atmospherics, haunting grooves, and a killer Dr. Octagon verse. While it might not have made as big an impact in 2013, it has aged extremely well and pairs nicely with Show Your Bones.
April 7, 2022
PinkPantheress writes brief, heartfelt songs somewhere in between bedroom pop and alt-R&B, set to beats that draw heavily from turn-of-the-century drum'n'bass and U.K. garage. Her debut mixtape is all of 18 minutes (and that's including a bonus track, which samples Adam F's classic "Circles"), and while it seems like a set of preview clips on first listen, the songs quickly prove to be highly addictive, and before long listening to it five times in a row isn't enough. Hey!
April 6, 2022
Although he entered the music business during the early 1970s and spent the decade as a busy session musician, it wasn’t until 1986 that the saxophonist issued his debut solo offering. He plays tenor sax and EWI, a MIDI synthesizer triggered by blowing into it. He is joined by guitarist Pat Metheny, keyboardist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Jack DeJohnette.
April 5, 2022
Candy-O is the rare follow-up to a classic debut that almost reaches the same rarified air. Throw in one more absolute classic hit single and it would have been there. As it stands, it may be one of the best second albums ever made, full of great songs, inspired performances, and sporting a still-perfect sound.
April 4, 2022
The sophomore long-player from the Southeastern Michigan-based outfit, Electric Company sees Starling Electric retrofitting their Baroque-pop finery in order to make room for some newly amassed power pop muscle. There's not a note wasted, nor is there a sonic nodule left unexplored throughout Electric Company's 16-track (just shy of 40 minutes runtime).
April 3, 2022
Angela Bofill became the hot Latin pop singer in the late '70s with her debut for GRP. It was a smart blend of glossy urban contemporary, light jazz, and fusion; Bofill's voice had enough sophistication to sound sleek and enough Flora Purim influence to attract interest from jazz, Latin, and urban contemporary audiences. It scored three mild hits and got the then-fledging GRP label some vital sales.
April 2, 2022
The veteran bassist, along with co-producer Don Was, assembled a new band and cut material the musicians only encountered for the first time as they were about to record it. This genre blurring set ranges across jazz-funk, hip hop, electronica, neo-soul, rock, electronica and cinematic cues.
April 1, 2022
One of the most seminal and influential releases of the late '80s, Guy's self-titled debut album did more than its part to popularize new jack swing, a style that would soon become inescapable on urban contemporary radio. Teddy Riley didn't actually invent new jack swing with Guy -- he'd already gotten the ball rolling on Keith Sweat's 1987 debut Make It Last Forever -- but this album did more than any other to make it so incredibly popular in the R&B world.