Cornershop "Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast" (2009)

Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast
release date: Jul. 27, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Tjinder Singh
label: Ample Play Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Who Fingered Rock 'n' Roll" - 2. "Soul School" (4 / 5) - 4. "Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast" (live) - 6. "Free Love" (4,5 / 5) - 7. "The Roll Off Characteristics (Of History in the Making)" - 8. "Operation Push" - 9. "The Mighty Quinn" - 10. "The Constant Springs"

5th studio album by Cornershop released seven years since the most recent studio album Handcream for a Generation (Apr. 2002). Apparently, the band was dissatisfied with their label Wiiija in terms of promoting the previous album, and they went on a hiatus from focusing on issuing new music and meanwhile formed their own record label, Ample Play Records for future releases.

Stylistically, it doesn't seem like seven years 'cause these two albums actually seem closer to each other than any other two albums I can think of by Cornershop. As was the case with the 2002 album this is with focus on a unique fusion of styles - in fact, I find that this sounds much like a big mix of the band's best selling album from '97 When I Was Born for the 7th Time and their fourth album in the way that the indietronica has been put slightly more in the background allowing more focus on sheer melody structure. Aside from the usual elements of soul and funk in a playful mix with British britpop the album also contains elements from glam rock. As always, Tjinder Singh is credited as songwriter of all songs except from a warm and fine cover of Dylan's "The Mighty Quinn".
The album kicks off with two strong tracks but my favourite here is the indietronica-shaped: "Free Love", which is nothing more than an absolute amazing progressive composition playing with lyrics in both English and Punjabi - like a modernised version of "6 a.m. Jullandar Shere" without plagiarising their own hit.
Imho, this is no less than the so far best album by Cornershop.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, The Observer 3 / 5, Daily Mirror, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

Paul Weller "22 Dreams" (2008)

22 Dreams
release date: Jun. 2, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Paul Weller, Simon Dine, Steve Cradock; Charles Rees
label: Island / Universal Music Group - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Light Nights" - 2. "22 Dreams" - 3. "All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)" (4 / 5) (live session) - 4. "Have You Made Up Your Mind" - 5. "Empty Ring" - 6. "Invisible" (4 / 5) (live at the BBC) - 8. "Cold Moments" - 10. "Black River" - 11. "Why Walk When You Can Run" - 20. "Sea Spray"

9th studio album by Paul Weller following the release of two live albums: Catch-Flame! (2006), and Live at the Royal Albert Hall (May 2008), and a compilation album Hit Parade (2006) - the latter being released as both a single disc version with 23 tracks and as a 4 disc box-set - in both cases containing material from all his long career with tracks with The Jam, The Style Council, as well as compositions from his eight solo albums. 

22 Dreams consists of 21 tracks and is Weller's first studio release to be issued as a double vinyl lp with a running time above 68 mins. Perhaps the title refers to 21 tracks + 1 album = 22 Dreams? Anyway, it was generally met by quite positive reviews. Here, he collaborates with a dozen of guests musicians, especially, performers from the britpop genre he more or less has been claimed to be a major source of inspiration to. Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer of Oasis, Steve Cradock from Ocean Colour Scene, Graham Coxon of Blur are all guests on several tracks - especially Steve Cradock plays on many tracks, and would become one of the staples in Weller's backing group. The band Little Barrie and Aziz Ibrahim of The Stone Roses and Simply Red also stars on the album. 22 Dreams follows more quietly in the footsteps of As Is Now (2005), and comes out as his perhaps boldest singer/songwriter album to date. The single "Echoes Round the Sun" / "Have You Made Up Your Mind" paved the way for the album, which topped the UK album charts list. 

I too find it a rather strong album without a lot of fillers, but I also find it a wee bit anonymous. I know, it has been hailed as one of his absolute best, but I think the positive reception has more to do with how the Brits perceive (especially their own) musical history, and Weller really has built up his rock & roll stardom and celebrity status in front row in the UK. "The king of mod" and the perhaps strongest source to the britpop movement has had it coming no matter what at this time of his career. I like it - it's very fine, and despite a number of truly fine compositions, and two great ones, I just don't find it his best - I just tend to like his two previous albums slightly better; however, this is his third consecutive album in the high end proving that the naughts, musically, are great years for Paul Weller.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, Mojo, PopMatters 4 / 5, The Observer 5 / 5 stars ]

Lou Reed "The Raven" (2003)

The Raven
release date: Jan. 28, 2003
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,27]
producer: Hal Wilner, Lou Reed
label: Sire / Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

19th studio album by Lou Reed is an art rock conceptual album with songs based on the works by Edgar Allen Poe. The album was released in two different versions: a standard one disc edition, which is the one I have and know of, and in a two-disc Deluxe Edition with a completely altered track listing. The album feature several mainly vocal guest artists including Antony Hegarty, David Bowie, Amanda Plummer, Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Elizabeth Ashley, and Laurie Anderson to whom the album is dedicated with the words: "To Laurie Anderson, a constant source of inspiration." All tracks are written solely by Reed. It's not his most accessible work, and it mostly seems some what pretentious - but he has been that before. I don't really like it much, which is kind of sad 'cause to me this is his last studio album, although, he released the album Hudson River Wind Meditations in 2007, and the collaboration album Lulu with Metallica in 2011. A few things I still need to hear. I may not ever get in the mood to listen to the latter, though. This is Reed as we know him, sometimes he is just not being very accessible but he always returns to form - only this time he checked out before showing his artistic level, which to me makes Magic and Loss his last really fine album.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, Blender 2 / 5 stars ]

Olesen-Olesen "Anonyme melankolikere" (2002)

Anonyme melankolikere
release date: Apr. 2, 2002
format: cd (melo 001)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Olesen-Olesen
label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Anonyme melankolikere (som folk er flest)" - 2. "På Eik Skaløes Plads" - 3. "Sådan skulle livet altid være" - 4. "Husråd og mundheld" - 5. "Alle linier er optagede" - 6. "I en storm af metaforer" - 10. "Ikke langt herfra"

4th studio album by Olesen-Olesen follows two years after Dagens gerning is the brothers' first release on their own new-founded label Melodika. It's self-produced and contains 10 tracks with a total running time at just over 41 mins.
Musically, it doesn't represent major changes, although, it appears as less orchestrated when comparing to Der er brev fra Onkel Bob i Amerika (Sep. 2000).
The album is another truly fine release of well-known Danish folk rock and singer / songwriter melodies, and an overall more subdued and laid-back album, and perhaps more sinister compared to the duo's most recent album.
I really enjoy this album too, which simply was completely ignored at the time of its release. At this point of their career, I guess the brothers Olesen must have seen the irony of what may have felt like a continuous artistic acclaim that doesn't always go hand in hand with commercial success. The duo has nearly always been met by fine reviews but at the same time never succeeded in selling more than a few hundred copies of their albums. I think, Olesen-Olesen is one of the best Danish artists in the late '90s and in the new millennium up until the duo's disbandment in 2007. This album only verifies that.
[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6 stars ]

The Breeders "Divine Hammer" (1993) (single)

Divine Hammer, single
release date: Oct. 25, 1993
format: digital (HD Tracks) (4 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Fred Maher
label: 4AD Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Divine Hammer (single version)" (4 / 5) - 2. "Hoverin' " - 3. "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)" - 4. "Do You Love Me Now Jr?"

Single release taken from the album Last Splash (Aug. '93). Along with the title song, also track #4 is from the album, however, both versions are different from the album versions. Track #4 here feature Dinosaur Jr. vocalist Joseph Mascis on additional vocals. These alternate versions are not better, not worse, only slightly different, which is nice. Track #2 is written by Kim Deal and former husband John Murphy and basically sound more like a demo to a track by Pixies. Track #3 is a cover of a country-song by Hank Williams.

John Frusciante "Enclosure" (2014)

Enclosure
release date: Mar. 25, 2014
format: cd (ECM 72542)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,86]
producer: John Frusciante
label: The Record Collection - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Shining Desert" - 2. "Sleep" - 4. "Stage" - 5. "Fanfare" - 6. "Cinch"

10th full-length solo album by John Frusciante is a further experiment into electronic, glitch pop and art rock as initiated with his 2012 album PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone and continued on the ep Outsides from 2013. At first I found this really poor - like an experiment taken too far. But... there's actually some interesting compositions here. Many of the tracks are piano- and vocal-based with synth drums hitting away and basically with scarse instrumental contributions. The best parts are when he seems to be what sounds like improvising on his guitar - in some places resembling music by Mike Oldfield... without comparison. It's really not all that bad, and I may just rate it higher in time. Anyway, it's clearly bettering his 2012 album.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo, Classic Rock 3 / 5, Q Magazine 2 / 5 stars ]

a-ha "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" (1990)

East of the Sun, West of the Moon
release date: Oct. 22, 1990
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,58]
producer: Christopher Neil, Ian Stanley
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: Norway

4th studio album by a-ha is another pop / rock album with stress on pop. To me, it's much the same output as Danish band Michael Learns to Rock - another band I never really understood. It's music loaded with piano, keyboards, saxophones and vocal harmonies, and music without any distinction, I think. It bores me, and I'm on the verge to delete this album from my collection, 'cause why on earth do I keep it?
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

McAlmont & Butler "The Sound of... McAlmont & Butler" (1995)

The Sound of... McAlmont & Butler [debut]
release date: Nov. 27, 1995
format: cd / boxset (2 lp + 2 cd + 1 dvd - 2015 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]
producer: Bernard Butler
label: hut Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Yes (Full Version)" (4 / 5) (live) - 4. "Although" - 6. "Disappointment / Interval" - 9. "How About You" - 12. "You Do"

Collaboration debut by McAlmont & Butler by the project-band of David McAlmont and Bernard Butler (ex-guitarist of Suede). McAlmont is songwriter and vocalist and Butler guitarist and keyboardist, and he has arranged, composed and produced the album.
After McAlmont's overlooked but great debut, McAlmont (1994), he found together with Butler on this project, which was received with mostly positive reviews and peaking at number #33 on the UK albums chart list. The album features a huge blend of genres and styles of pop / rock, art pop, r&b and neo-soul in a Dusty Springfield-kind of way. I do think that the huge mix of styles and what at times feels like a multi-layered sound are what keeps this from being a truly great pop album. The great "Yes" was quite a big hit, reaching number #8 on the national singles charts and together with "Disappointment" and "You Do" (second single from the album peaking at number #17) they are the finest tracks on what at a first glance may appear as a somewhat varied album, but after accustomising to the layered sound, it does resonate as a fine coherent album with strong bonds to productions of the '60s.
The duo, however, soon split after this release and individually they went back to pursue their solo careers; however, in 2001 they came back together again to release the sophomore Bring It Back (2002).

The 2015 remastered boxset on Edsel is a mighty fine issue which also includes a 12'' maxi single, the original album on cd with a bonus cd, a dvd containing music videos, live recordings, an interview, as well as a nice book.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]

Radiohead "In Rainbows" (2007)

reissue cover

In Rainbows
release date: Oct. 10, 2007
format: digital (18 x File, FLAC) / vinyl (2016 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,04]
producer: Nigel Godrich
label: self-released / XL Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "15 Step" (4 / 5) - 3. "Nude" (4 / 5) - 4. "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" (4 / 5) - 5. "All I Need" - 6. "Faust Arp" - 7. "Reckoner" ( 4 / 5) - 8. "House of Cards" (4,5 / 5) - 9. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place"
[ Live from the Basement 2008 (includes other tracks) ]

7th studio album by Radiohead is the first studio album after the record contract with EMI had ended, and the band initially made the album accessible for download only to the prize of 'what-you-want-to-pay'. Three months later it was issued on the British label XL Recordings (the American label ATO Records for the North American market).

Style-wise, it's a combination of what may be found on OK Computer and the band's later releases with more experimental compositions. In addition to that, the band successfully incorporates strings on most of the tracks.

The album seems quite homogeneous but it's hard to narrow down an overall genre or style. It's somewhere in alternative rock-land. It's experimental without being strange and yet almost impossible to label as it explores stylistic elements taken from jazz, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and ambient elements as well - but is it post rock? It sort of breaks stylistic boundaries and just... is. And what that 'is', is fascinating and truly exquisite music.

Even without including sales based on the download distribution, the album topped the UK album charts list, as it also did in Ireland, Canada, and France, and making it to #2 in Australia, Belgium, Finland, New Zealand, and in Switzerland, and it generally faired more than just well. According to Thom Yorke, the album is the band's best-selling album.

In Rainbows is the fourth and so far final studio album [as of 2016] by Radiohead to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". In my mind it's the most deserved Radiohead album on that list - and it's generally considered a major work by the music critics.

I find this particular album, the band's easily strongest and most fascinating release.

[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, NME 4,5 / 5, Spin 4 / 5, The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]

The Creatures "Hái!" (2003)

Hái!

release date: Oct. 20, 2003

format: digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: The Creatures

label: Instinct / Sioux Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Say Yes!" - 4. "Godzilla!" - 5. "Imagoró" - 6. "Tourniquet"

4th and final studio album by the duo The Creatures - consisting of Siouxsie Sioux and her husband Budgie (aka Peter Clarke) following 4½ years after the acclaimed Anima Animus (1999). Siouxsie and the Banshees, in which both played, disbanded in 1996, but in 2002 the group reconvened for an abbreviated world tour, which resulted in the live album The Seven Year Itch - Live (May 2003), the final concert being played in Tokyo, after which Siouxsie and Budgie took the opportunity to stick around to record studio improvisations with taiko drummer Leonard Eto of the Japanese instrumental group Kodō, with whom Budgie had long wanted to play. Later in France, sequences from the recordings were mixed with Sioux's vocals, and a number of tracks were selected for the album here. Hai! exists in a variety of versions and may often be found as a double album - in vinyl edition with the same tracks as here on single CD, or as a 2CD version, where the album's second disc is dedicated instrumental versions of the standard album, but it's also released with the standard CD and a DVD of the full-length Tokyo improv with Budgie and Eto. The album was also reissued in 2004 with three bonus tracks.

Musically, the album is possibly the band's most experimental, where familiar styles are hard to pinpoint. In a way it follows the recipe from the band's debut album Feast (1983) by being created in the encounter with another culture, and by trying to include this encounter in the music - and at the same time it's also a return to a more organic sound without the use of electronic instruments. Here, traditional pop structures are layered on top of Budgie and Eto's percussion / drums session, where a Japanese tradition clearly shines through. The focus is not on radio-friendly hits, but rather with respect for tradition and musical improvisation as a focal point. Nevertheless, they have succeeded in creating nine distinctly different compositions, each with their own individual expression and temperament.

The album garnered positive reviews despite the fact that it landed at number #157 on the UK albums chart. The track "Godzilla!" was released as the only single from the album a week before the actual album release.

Much to normal procedure regarding album releases by The Creatures, this one is filled with complex compositions as a very original release that sounds like nothing else and still manages to present music as something other than the usual radio-friendly muzak - reminding us of other radio-friendly tones. It is music on its own terms and something that demands the presence of a listener. My first few listens were special experiences, where the music contained good elements but felt distant. After several examinations, the ears and brain may have adjusted to the specialty - the original blend, and the music became present and almost intrusively intense. It's hard to pick the best tracks, because the album is great as a whole more than anything else.

In 2004, Siouxsie Sioux undertook an acclaimed solo tour - accompanied by Budgie and guitarist Knox Chandler of The Banshees - featuring tracks from both The Creatures and Siouxsie and the Banshees' back catalogue, which was released on film DVD under the title Dreamshow (2005). In 2007, Sioux announced that she and Budgie (Peter Clarke) had separated, which also meant an end to The Creature's career, and the same year Sioux released her (so far) only solo album, Mantaray.

Rasmus Walter "Verden i stå" (2014)

Verden i stå

release date: Oct. 20, 2014

format: cd

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,88]

producer: Søren Mikkelsen & Rasmus Walter

label: Playground - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Indtil du lægger mig på plads" - 2. "Verden i stå" - 3. "På en dag som i dag" - 7. "Dit nordlige sind"

3rd studio album by Rasmus Walter following 1½ years after Lige her, lige nu (Mar. 2013).

Walter continues exactly where he ended on the predecessor, and it mostly sounds as a new chapter to whatever he started on the debut. The production sound is fine, Walter's vocal is a honey-dripping instrument that could take him far, and it's a strong choice to keep to his native tongue, but the overall sensation is still a bit: "So, what's next, Walter?!" Quite typically, the album starts out on a high level with the culmination on track #3, a fine and strong composition that truly exposes his best qualities, and then the album drops... very much as usual, and you sit back pondering if what he does is to make one great song per year and release that with 9 other compositions. It's (harmless) middle-of-the-road mainstream pop that comes in gallons, and the pop / rock style is so subdued that it's difficult to maintain the idea of something with bonds to rock music.

I must confess that although it's nicely produced and you cannot put a finger on Walter's qualities as a vocalist, I cannot help thinking that he could have been a great singer in the right band with the right people around him to help compose original material 'cause Verden i stå ["The World at a Halt"] is the mirror of Rasmus Walter, who stands still in knee-deep waters without the intention to produce new music. Listen to any song by this talented dude, and you have no clue as to what collection of songs it originates from. Musically, it seems suitable as background music for X-Factor contenders of the upcoming 188th season.

Not recommended.

[ Gaffa.dk 3 / 6 stars ]

The Cardigans "Gran Turismo" (1998)

Gran Turismo
release date: Oct. 19, 1998
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]
producer: Tore Johansson
label: Stockholm Records - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Paralyzed" - 2. "Erase / Rewind" - 3. "Explode" - 6. "Higher" - 8. "My Favourite Game"

4th studio album by The Cardigans is a stylistic change. Completely gone is the loose and 'blue-eyed' lounge and jazz pop and instead the band is transformed into a Blur sound-a-like clone with a sudden strong love for britpop. The producer (Tore Johansson), record label (Stockholm Records), as well as primary songwriters, Nina Persson and Peter Svensson, all remain unchanged, so the band has simply grown, wanting to explore new grounds. The result, however, is to me less interesting, but record buyers didn't care as the album became the best selling "The Cardigans' album so far and the first to reach number #1 on the national albums chart list (number #8 in the UK). The music video for My favourite game, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, was received as highly controversial in many countries as it shows Nina Persson playing a suicidal game of crashing her car into other cars on an American straight highway driving in the wrong lane.
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Underworld "Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future" (2016)

Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future
release date: Mar. 16, 2016
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Rick Smith, High Contrast [aka Lincoln Barrett]
label: Beat Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "I Exhale" - 2. "If Rah" - 3. "Low Burn" - 5. "Motorhome" - 6. "Ova Nova" - 7. "Nylon Strung"

9th studio album by Underworld released after three live albums [including a part as musical directors at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London], two compilations and a soundtrack, and who knows how many collaboration works, all following the 2010 album Barking. Apparently, the obscure title refers to what Hyde's father said to his wife, Barabara, shortly before passing away [see The Guardian review]. It seems with this album that Rick Smith and Karl Hyde once again have regained some of their curiosity concerning progressive house and moved away from techno influences.
The album is perhaps at a more experimental level than I believe the two have ever found themselves at before. I think, the album may silence critics who have argued that Smith and Hyde wouldn't know how to appeal to their fans after Darren Emerson left the band. It's clearly an improvement from their two most recent studio albums. The album has been met by critical acclaim, which also brought the duo a Grammy nomination.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, Mojo, The Guardian, Spin 4 / 5, PopMatters 4,5 / 5 stars ]

John Frusciante "Outsides" (2013) (ep)

Outsides, ep
release date: Aug. 27, 2013
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Tracklist: 1. "Same" - 2. "Breathiac" - 6. "Shelf"

Studio ep by John Frusciante. This is really fine although he keeps to his new-found style of experimental and electronic. He understands to build a sound of emotions and takes the listener on excursions into an unknown external zone. It's both beauty and ugliness but held together in frames of powerful composition.

The Breeders "Last Splash" (1993)

Last Splash
release date: Aug. 31, 1993
format: cd (CAD 3014 CD)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]
producer: Kim Deal & Mark Freegard
label: 4AD Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "New Year" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Cannonball" (5 / 5) - 3. "Invisible Man" - 5. "Roi" - 6. "Do You Love Me Now?" - 7. "Flipside" (live) - 8. "I Just Wanna Get Along" - 10. "Divine Hammer" - 11. "S.O.S." - 13. "Saints"

2nd studio album by The Breeders who at this point consist of Kim Deal on guitar and vocals, her twin sister Kelley Deal on guitar and vocals, Josephine Wiggs on bass, and with Jim MacPherson on drums.
Musically and stylistically, the band here sounds both more uniform but also more experimental than before. Pod was much more of a one-dimensional expression compared to this. Last Splash is like Pixies, Belly, and Breeders in one band. There are strong aggressive outbursts, which pars the strongest energetic outbursts by Pixies, and there are strangely sounding bits and pieces where you wonder what is going on - and then it all falls in to place in melodic harmonies and great chorus lines.
The album primarily harvested critical acclaim, and is so far the only album by The Breeders to sell Platinum (US), Gold (Australia & Canada) and Silver (UK). It reached number #5 on the album charts list in the UK (base of 4AD Records), and the single release of "Cannonball" went to number #2 on the US single charts list (Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks list). In time it has been lauded as one of the most defining albums of the alt. rock scene of the 1990s. A sample of "S.O.S." was used by The Prodigy in their hit single "Firestarter" (1996), and that electronic project also used a sample from "I Just Wanna Get Along" for the track "World's on Fire" released on the album Invaders Must Die (2009).

The album was released five months after Pixies' frontman Frank Black released his solo debut album to much attention. And Last Splash also spawned fine reviews and was greeted as an immediate success but The Breeders never was and never intended to lead a life in the spotlight, and the acclaim seems to have been more of a burden to a side-project with members who just wanted a playground for themselves. Anyway, the band members returned to other musical projects. Kelley Deal got occupied by drug 'related problems' and Kim formed the band The Amps (which included both Kelley Jim MacPherson), however, the band never split but was put on a hiatus.
In 2013, the album was issued as LSXX (Last Splash 20th Anniversary Edition) - a vinyl box set containing 3 full length records and 4 eps, as well as an optical version consisting of 3 discs.
Last Splash is probably one in three albums I played the most in the mid 1990s, and I'm sure my then-neighbours know "New Year" and "Cannonball" 'cause I kinda played them really L O U D.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Blender 4 / 5, Spin, Rolling Stone Album Guide 4,5 / 5 stars ]

1993 Favourite releases: 1. Tindersticks Tindersticks - 2. Björk Debut - 3. The Breeders Last Splash

Jack Frost "Jack Frost" (1990)

Jack Frost [debut]
release date: Nov. / Dec. 1990 (?)
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]
producer: Steve Kilbey
label: Arista Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Every Hour God Sends" - 4. "Geneva 4 a.m." - 6. "Providence" - 7. "Thought That I Was Over You" - 8. "Threshold" - 9. "Number Eleven" - 12. "Ramble"

Studio album debut from Australian duo-project Jack Frost founded by Steve Kilbey (front figure of The Church) and Grant McLennan (one of the main composers and lead vocalists of The Go-Betweens). The name of the project refers to the pseudonym Bob Dylan used as a producer on his latest album Under the Red Sky (1990) released a few months earlier. The story behind this perhaps uneasy pairing is that Kilbey reportedly contacted McLennan in Jul. 1990, at a time when, half a year earlier, McLennan and Robert Forster had decided to end 'their' band, The Go-Betweens. Both had then begun their respective solo careers, and Kilbey, on the other hand, had found himself in a personal crisis with obvious conflicts within The Church, and he went through a strained relationship with the group's record label, Arista, who had pushed the band's progress in a more commercial direction, although the band itself had other ideas in relation to its musical development.

The most recent album by The Church, Gold Afternoon Fix (Feb. '90) didn't turn out as succesfully as the band, and probably especially the record company, had expected. McLennan was in a position where he had ended his first and only band, a decision and an aftermath that sent him into an emotional slump when his girlfriend Amanda Brown subsequently ended their relationship. So, that's how Kilbey and McLennan met as two 'lost souls' and began this short-lived musical partnership, which led to this very debut and the 1995 follow-up Snow Job.

Jack Frost consists of thirteen tracks with a total running time at just under one hour. In addition to being credited as album producer, Kilbey is credited vocalist, guitarist, bassist, keyboards, and drummer, while McLennan is credited as vocalist, guitarist, and bassist. Along the way on the album, the two switch roles as lead vocalists, and they also [quite] apparently switch roles as songwriters without it being stated who wrote the individual tracks, as they are both credited all tracks.

However, it would be an obvious continuation of the practice McLennan was familiar with from his many years of pairing with Robert Forster in The Go-Betweens. While Kilbey / McLennan are songwriters and composers of all tracks, they have teamed up with Pryce Surplice, who is credited on drums, computers, and synthesizers without being an official member of the project. In addition, some other musicians participate, which includes Kilbey's (Swedish) girlfriend, Karin Jansson on backing vocals. The album was first released in Australia in late 1990 on the Red Eye Records label and later on Arista in early '91 for international releases - actually to positive reviews, but at the same time to very little commercial interest. Two singles were released: Tracks #1 and #7 released in Nov. '90 and Apr. '91, respectively.

Stylistically, the album falls in the box of alt. rock with elements from jangle-pop and neo-psychedelia as well as folk rock. It's in no way surprising that some songs bring memories of The Church while others point more in the direction of The Go-Betweens, but the two bands have always shared the jangle-pop element as a common starting point, even if Kilbey and McLennan have different starting points, when it comes to lyrical narratives but also the musical arrangements. In the simpler arrangements with classic melodic song structure, McLennan focuses on down-to-earth personal relationships centrered on family and love affairs, whereas Kilbey's songs generally are more complex in structure, focusing on cosmic ideas and mysticism. So even though they are both credited as songwriters and composers on all compositions, it's pretty obvious who is actual writer of the individual tracks. In this way, the album is anything but coherent, as in places it sound like the art of compromise, which nevertheless points in multiple directions.

Well, Jack Frost is both an interesting project and an album that hasn't gotten the attention it rightly deserves.

In later interviews, Kilbey - who has been open about his use of illicit drugs, which dates back to the beginning of The Church - has said that it was McLennan who introduced him to heroin and that his usage started during the recording of the songs for this first Jack Frost album.

The pair played some national concerts soon after its release, after which McLennan returned and concentrated on recording the tracks that would later result in his solo debut Watershed (Jun. 1990).

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Blondie "The Curse of Blondie" (2003)

The Curse of Blondie
release date: Oct. 13, 2003
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,86]
producer: Steve Thompson
label: Sanctuary Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Shakedown" - 2. "Good Boys" (live)

8th studio album by Blondie following the band's comeback album No Exit from 1999, an album that sold well, although, it wasn't really good. This is a better album but the album failed to chart, and I suspect the predecessor helped burying the (brand of the) band. Blondie tries hard to come out as a resurrected synthpop band with something to offer, but it's really far from essential.
[ allmusic.com, Blender, The Guardian 3 / 5, Rolling Stone, Slant 2 / 5, Uncut 5 / 5 stars ]

<  alternate cover >

alt. cover

M.I.A. "AIM" (2016)

AIM
release date: Sep. 9, 2016
format: digital (Deluxe - 17 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,60]
producer: M.I.A., various
label: Interscope - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Borders" - 2. "Go Off" - 3. "Bird Song (Blaqstarr Remix)" - 5. "Freedun (feat. Zayn)" (4 / 5) - 6. "Foreign Friend (feat. Dexta Daps)" - 7. "Finally" - 10. "Visa" - 12. "Survivor"

5th studio album by M.I.A. is like the predecessor Matangi (2013) a collection of songs written and produced by M.I.A. in collaboration with many others, including Diplo, Skrillex, and Blaqstarr to mention just a few. The standard album contains twelve tracks, the Deluxe version 17 tracks.

The style and her choice of narratives are more or less the same as on her 2013 album, and without just being a copy of that, I think she still contributes with some fine compositions that is more than just danceable music.

AIM was met by luke-warm reviews, some stating she has released a bunch of lesser and unfocused songs instead of creating what she's capable of. I honestly think, it betters Matangi, although, it doesn't quite reach the level of /\/\ /\ Y /\ (2010) nor her best album, Kala (2007). Track #2 and especially track #5 are some of her best songs ever but the consistency is not the biggest asset here, although, it's by no means a minor release.

As always, M.I.A makes music with contemporary concern and her narratives are always a recommended listen.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, The Guardian, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Paul Weller "As Is Now" (2005)

As Is Now
release date: Oct. 10, 2005
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,53]
producer: Paul Weller & Jan 'Stan' Kybert
label: V2 - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Blink and You'll Miss It" (4 / 5) (live) - 2. "Paper Smile" - 3. "Come On / Let's Go" - 5. "The Start of Forever" - 9. "I Wanna Make It Alright" - 10. "Savages" (live on later)

8th studio album by Paul Weller (released in North America by independent Yep Roc Records) follows his covers album Studio 150 (2004). Here, Weller is back as main composer but also back with producer Jan Kybert from his near-mediocre 2004 album. 

The cover may suggest a close link to his time with The Style Council but this is anything but a sophisti pop release, in fact it's a rather strong album from Weller with fine pieces of mod revival, his 'usual' pop soul textures in a pop / rock context with stress on rock and singer / songwriter.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, NME 3,5 / 5, The Observer 3 / 5 stars ]

Julian Cope "Floored Genius - The Best Of..." (1992)

Floored Genius - The Best Of... (compilation)

release date: Aug. 1992

format: digital

[album rate: 4 / 5]

producer: diverse

label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

1st best of album by Julian Cope and the Teardrop Explodes with the full title: Floored Genius - The Best of Julian Cope and The Teardrop Explodes 1979-91 released on Island Records and issued two months before Cope's eigth studio album Jehovakill on the same label.

The album is finely structured in temporal phases starting with 'Phase 1' consisting of six tracks from the early period together with The Teardrop Explodes - a band who only managed to release the two full studio albums Kilimanjaro (1980) and Wilder (1981) before Cope initiated a solo career. The album is pushed to the limit in terms of running length for the CD format with a total of twenty compositions and a total running time exceeding 77 minutes. 'Phase 2' through to 'Phase 4' (tracks #7-20) are all Cope as soloist and listed chronologically up to and including three tracks from Peggy Suicide (1991).

This album could be a mighty fine place to start if you don't know much about Julian Cope, and it was also a release that garnered quite fine reviews, and which probably contributed to Cope gaining greater recognition - and which generally helped drawing a different and more positive image than that of an LSD-stricken megalomaniac, which some described him as. The album paved the way for a whole series of "Floored Genius" releases, including Floored Genius 2 - Best of the BBC Sessions 1983-91 (1993), Floored Genius 3 - Julian Cope's Oddicon of Lost Rarities & Versions 1978–98 (2000) , and Floored Genius 4 - The Best of Foreign Radio, Rare TV Appearances, Festival Songs & Miscellaneous Lost Classics 1983-2009 (sic) (2009), all followed with covers in the same style, although only the first best of album is released on Island Records.

Highly recommended.

Dire Straits "On Every Street" (1991)

On Every Street
release date: Sep. 2, 1991
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,72]
producer: Mark Knopfler, Alan Clark
label: Vertigo Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Calling Elvis" - 4. "Fade to Black"

6th and final studio album by Dire Straits released more than 6 years after Brothers in Arms (May 1985).
The album doesn't reveal new stylistic influences, and it seems the band has come to a halt in more than one sense. Yes, the album faired more than well - it was after all released after a highly successful album and fans had to await new material for quite a while. So, the album of course sold millions of albums world wide, though critics weren't impressed.
I didn't listen to the album in its full length until after the new millennium, and honestly it didn't appeal to me one bit. I had heard the single releases from the album: "Calling Elvis", "Heavy Fuel" and the title track and found all of them more than just plain reproduction. Another three singles from the album were released but little did they do to the overall impression of a band that literally had no more to offer the world. The best fairing single "Calling Elvis" is country rock and blues-shaped and "Heavy Fuel" sounds too much like an attempt to make a follow-up to "Money for Nothing", but without success. Several tracks are like remakes of pieces of familiar compositions from the band's last two albums - long progressive intermissions with Knopfler showcasing his capabilities as the gifted guitar-player he truly is, but all in all, the album sounds like 'everything on repeat'.
The end of the band that many had feared during the long hiatus after the band's fifth album was announced in 1995 after another long brake, and Knopfler finally initiated his solo career which saw him take on more classic styles and genres that may have been impossible as a member of Dire Straits.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Kent "Hagnesta Hill" (1999)

Hagnesta Hill
release date: Dec. 6, 1999
format: cd (repress)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: Zed (aka Zed Nagrano)
label: RCA / BMG Sweden - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Kungen är död" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Revolt III" - 3. "Musik Non Stop" (4 / 5) - 4. "Kevlarsjäl" (5 / 5) - 7. "En himmelsk drog" - 8. "Stanna hos mig" - 10. "Beskyddaren" (4 / 5) - 13. "Visslaren"

4th studio album by Kent following two years after Isola is the band's second consecutive album to be produced by Zed [Nagrano]. Here the band has taken a stronger move into a tighter 1-2-3-4 indie pop universe. This time it has taken the band two years to get the new album ready.
Now we're talking. 'cause with this album Kent really proved to have moved another step up - on all parameters. With Hagnesta Hill Kent conquered all of Sweden's neighbouring countries, and the album became an immediate bestseller in the late '90s establishing a vast fan crowd throughout all of Scandinavia. The band has found its very own special formula and refined its unique style. The album contains both fine up-tempo pop / rock tracks as well as slower chamber pop ballads. The track "Musik Non Stop" is probably the most played track from the album, although, "Kungen är död" and "Kevlarsjäl" are my personal favourites.
As was the case with Isola, the album was re-issued as an English-versioned album after one year, which would be the last time Kent made attempts with lyrics in English. I have only heard outtakes of their translated English songs, but I have to say, I'm really happy they didn't pursue that path and make further attempts in satisfying what could only be commercial interests.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

<  show lyrics >

~ ~ ~

"Music Non Stop"

"Jag behövde en hundradels sekund
Nu när jag tagit beslutet är jag lugn
Visioner i mitt huvud när du ler
Jag har hittat nånting vackert,
vännen, ser du vad jag ser?
Jag är nästan som du

Och du är som jag när du dansar
Har aldrig träffat nån som du
Du är som jag när vi dansar
Musik non stop till slut

Jag sa upp mig för att fånga lite sol
och jag flyttade mitt skrivbord och min stol
till nattgaraget under vårat hus
När jag sluter mina ögon ser jag ljuset
Jag är nästan som du

Och du är som jag när du dansar
Har aldrig träffat nån som du
Du är som jag när vi dansar
Musik non stop till slut

Så det tog mig en hundradels sekund
Jag har rest tillbaks i tiden, blivit ung
Visioner i mitt huvud när du ler
Jag har hittat nånting vackert,
vännen, ser du vad jag ser?
Jag är nästan som du

Och du är som jag när du dansar
Har aldrig träffat nån som du
Du är som jag när vi dansar
Musik non stop till slut

Och du är som jag när du dansar
Har aldrig träffat nån som du
Du är som jag när vi dansar
Musik non stop till slut"

~ ~ ~

"Kevlarsjäl"

"Sommartid
Jag är tystnaden och vinden
Mitt land är ditt land, allt är fritt
Sommartid
Jag är lyssnaren som, som tårar
mot din kind
Min dröm är din…

Så länge hjärtat mitt slår
så minns jag dig när
du stack ett hål i min Kevlarsjäl
och så blev du mitt sår
och jag blöder ihjäl
Kom gör ett hål i min Kevlarsjäl

Sommartid
Var är hjärnan, här är våldet
Mitt land är mitt land bara mitt
Sommartid
I Socialstyrelsens folder
är allt svart & vitt
Din dröm är min…

Så länge hjärtat mitt slår
så minns jag dig när
du stack ett hål i min Kevlarsjäl
och så blev du mitt sår
och jag blöder ihjäl
Kom gör ett hål i min Kevlarsjäl

Så länge hjärtat mitt slår
så minns jag dig när
du stack ett hål i min Kevlarsjäl
(Min dröm är din nu…)
och så blev du mitt sår
och jag blöder ihjäl
Kom gör ett hål i min Kevlarsjäl

(Din dröm är min nu…)

Så länge hjärtat mitt slår
så minns jag dig när
du stack ett hål i min Kevlarsjäl
(Min dröm är din nu…)
och så blev du mitt sår
och jag blöder ihjäl
Kom gör ett hål i min Kevlarsjäl"

~ ~ ~

The Breeders "Cannonball" (1993) (single)

Cannonball, maxi single
release date: Aug. 19, 1993
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,59]
producer: Kim Deal, Mark Freegard
label: 4AD Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Cannonball" (5 / 5) (live - live) - 2. "Cro-Aloha" (3 / 5) - 3. "Lord of the Thighs" - 4. "900" (3 / 5)

Single release taken from the forthcoming sophomore studio album by The Breeders. At this point, Tanya Donelly has left the band to concentrate on her new band, Belly, and Kim Deal's twin sister Kelley, now replaces Donelly on guitar and vocal. Also drummer Britt Walford has left to concentrate on his primary band, Slint. Instead, the band now includes drummer Jim MacPherson - and you may call it: Breeders Mark II.
The cd single comes in a 2-track version and this one, the 4-track maxi single. The first two compositions are by Kim Deal - with the title track from the forthcoming album, and the second track, a re-take on "No Aloha", also from the Last Splash album - track #3 is a cover by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and track #4 is written by Josephine Wiggs of the band.
The title track is truly a giant of a song, which basically is the band's best ever song, and one I simply adore. The rest is more so-so with "Cro-Aloha" as a skewed near Pixies sort of song.

Lisa Ekdahl "Heaven, Earth and Beyond" (2002)

Heaven, Earth and Beyond (compilation)
release date: 2002
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: various
label: RCA Victor - nationality: Sweden

Compilation album by Lisa Ekdahl with tracks from both her two studio releases with Peter Nordahl Trio: When Did You Leave heaven from '95 and Back to Earth from '98; and then a few previously unreleased songs, and some of the tracks from her most recent studio album: Lisa Ekdahl Sings Salvadore Poe from 2000, thus with the consequence that the selected material here is mostly vocal jazz and in the style of bossa nova and latin jazz.
I must confess that I still don't like it much when Ekdahl sings in English and in the style of bossa nova. Perhaps I think so, because so many other artists do (and did) well in the genre, or simply because Lisa Ekdahl's voice makes it noting more than indifferent, and both traditional vocal jazz and bossa nova may be very fine but brought into a sphere of jazz pop and or folk pop is simply not the best mix, imho.

Robbie Robertson "Music for the Native Americans" (OST) (1994)

Music for the Native Americans (OST) (soundtrack)
release date: Oct. 4, 1994
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Robbie Robertson
label: Capitol Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Coyote Dance" - 2. "Mahk Jchi (Heartbeat Drum Song)" (feat. Ulali) (live) - 3. "Ghost Dance" (4 / 5) - 5. "It Is a Good Day to Die" - 6. "Golden Feather" - 10. "Skinwalker"

3rd studio album by Robbie Robertson released as 'Robbie Robertson & The Red Road Ensemble' is a soundtrack album for the TV documentary "The Native Americans" - an American-produced series in three parts and six hours.

Being an actual soundtrack it's quite obvious a rather different album than his two previous studio releases, and the styles represented here are much more shaped towards traditional native Indian music with bits and pieces thrown in from rhythm & blues and the style established on his solo debut from '87. A few compositions are pure instrumentals with strong stylistic bonds to native Indian music, then some sound if leftovers from his debut, and a few points to his 1998 successor with the inclusion of electronica. The lasting impression is a great variety of songs of genuine complexity with some traditional melodic songs scattered all over the album, where the most memorable tracks being the first three.

The reception of the album was quite positive, as I recall it. Together with The Red Road Ensemble, Robertson toured America and Europe playing the music from the documentary much as to celebrate the much forgotten Indian culture. And as a half Indian himself, Robertson was put on a bit of a pedestal of the Indian culture movement with this contribution.

I recall listening to the album with much anticipation when it was all new and also remember my initial confusion as how to digest the whole thing. I think "complex" is a rather neutral kind of term to use when people actually don't fully appreciate something, and from my perspective, the album is generally formed by too many stylistic influences - not that those implications in themselves produce lesser works of art, but here the vast variety of styles point in too many directions; however, the album is far from a lesser work of art as it also contains fine structures and some truly fine compositions. Also, from a personal perspective, I have come to appreciate this much more over the years and today find it much more gratifying because of the album's complexity and despite the many stylistic impressions, you still find that common denominator in the native tone that fills the whole album.

Anyway, Robertson was lauded with this original album, but as a stand alone album, it's... different and somewhat difficult.

[ Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Trentemøller "The Last Resort" (2006)

The Last Resort [debut]

release date: Oct. 6, 2006

format: 2 cd (LTD. - PFRCD18)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]

producer: Anders Trentemøller

label: Poker Flat Recordings - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Take Me Into Your Skin" - 2. "Vamp" - 3. "Evil Dub" - 4. "Always Something Better" - 5. "While the Cold Winter Waiting" - 6 - "Nightwalker" - 8. "The Very Last Resort" - 12. "Moan" - 13. "Miss You"

Bonus disc "The Singles": 1. "Always Something Better (Vocal Version)" (feat. Richard Davis) - 2. "Moan (Vocal Version)" (feat. Ane Trolle) - 3. "Physical Fraction" - 5. "Chameleon" - 7. "Always Something Better (Trentemøller Remix)" - 9. "Killer Kat" - 10. "Rykketid"

Studio album debut by Danish electronic musician Anders Trentemøller originally released on A:larm Music - here issued in a 2 disc limited edition - is instrumental ambient techno, microhouse and so-called IDM ["intelligent dance music"... whoever came up with that term!].

Basically, it's progressive ambient and electronic music, which draws on music by Aphex Twin, Orbital, LCD Soundsystem, The Future Sound of London - and to some extent builds on the legacy of Jean Michel Jarre, I think, although, you may ask what electronic artist who wasn't inspired by Jarre.

The Limited two disc edition contains the standard album as disc 1 and the bonus disc "The Singles" containing many of his former single and ep releases including the Physical Fraction ep (Jan. 2005), the Nam Nam ep (May 2006), the singles Polar Shift (Apr. 2005), Sunstroke (Aug. 2005) and Always Something Better (Sep. 2006).

His name had popped up on several occasions as "the new big thing" from Denmark, primarily, from single releases, working as a DJ and remixing (artists like Röyksopp and The Knife), and I sought Trentemøller and the album out. It appears to be more ambient and progressive as opposed to his more techno and dub techno single releases, which brought him fame. Despite general positive reviews from international magazines (allmusic.com and electronic online magazine Resident Advisor were more than happy about it), I haven't exactly been bedazzled over this. Frankly, at first I found it somewhat uninspiring at times. However, if you let it sink in, digest it as something organic that needs light and air, you may find it's truly great for background noise, for work or just as a wall of sound. Perhaps my reluctance has to do with my general dislike for ambient music in the first place. To me - without the most comprehensive knowledge on electronic music development and sources - I find similarities with earlier works by Aphex Twin, Autechre, The Orb and The Future Sound of London; however, and without knowing who to refer to, I also find spots and glimpses of sheer originality. Generally, it's and album one should pay attention - it doesn't just open up and spread its wings. It's something for a keen listener.

I'm glad to have found the 2-disc Limited Edition of the album 'cause I actually find the bonus disc the most interesting of the two, simply because it displays more varied and original music and generally also contains more uptempo club compositions. Tracks from the original album like "Always Something Better" and "Moan" are hardly recognisable but better in their vocal versions, I think, although, the minimal house of the original album has its distinct qualities, when you allow the tracks to flow. Should I rate the standard release alone, I would hand it around 3,4. But it's really nice to have this as a document of Trentemøller's talent for production and sound showing us where he started as a solo artist.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,2 / 100, Gaffa.dk 5 / 6, Resident Advisor, Sputnikmusic 5 / 5 stars ]

Zucchero "Miserere" (Int.) (1992)

Miserere (International version)
release date: Oct. 1, 1992
format: digital (12 x File, MP3)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,26]
producer: Corrado Rustici
label: London Records - nationality: Italy

Track highlights: 2. "L'urlo (Medley with 'La solitudine')" - 3. "It's Alright (The Promise)" - 7. "Un'orgia di anime perse" - 9. "Come Back the Sun" - 12. "Miserere (feat. Luciano Pavarotti)"

6th studio album by Zucchero in the international English issue with four songs that apparently have been exchanged from the "ordinary" Italian edition but which are all simply translated versions. This version is released on London Records, whereas the Italian issue is released by Polydor. On the Italian issue the artist is credited with his full moniker as 'Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari' while he is simply credited as 'Zucchero' on the International / English version - as seen on the front cover. The album is Zucchero's first to be released simultaneously in an Italian version for the domestic market and an English-versioned issue.
Overall, this is a bit of a step down from his most recent album(s). Although, I feel that the Italian version is the better choice with what I sense reveals a stronger coherency with songs mostly in the same mother tongue, it's still an album with an almost all-American sound to it. It's made with americana slide-guitars and dobro, country-rock banjos and harmonica and with dominating Wurlitzer or Hammond organs and acoustic guitars - all put together making it sound like Eric Clapton jamming with Ry Cooder while they try to sound like The Band.
Zucchero is an artist with his own distinct qualities and he has made several strong releases with inspiration from American music styles but on this it's as if he tries too hard to make an American album instead of continuing making Italian music with various influences.
With two previous number #1 albums in Italy and growing international esteem he has sought out an embracement of both markets, so that, yes, there's still an Italian foundation but the tone has become unmistakably English-American regardless what version of the album you purchase.
If your thing is John Mellencamp, The Doobie Brothers, J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton, then this might just be your kinda thing. It's not for me, though, and in the discography of Zucchero Fornaciari this sits pretty much at the low end.
Not recommended.

Nena "Made in Germany" (2009)

Made in Germany
release date: Oct. 2, 2009
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,35]
producer: various
label: Laugh & Peas / BMG - nationality: Germany

Track highlights: 2. "Du bist so gut für mich" - 3. "Ich bin hyperaktiv" (4 / 5) - 5. "Geheimnis" (live) - 6. "Du hast dich entschieden" - 7. "Wir sind wahr" - 9. "In meinem Leben"

10th solo studio album by Nena (released after Himmel, Sonne, Wind und Regen, a 2008 album made for children). The album is her first to be released on her own label Laugh & Peas, and it comes out as a fine combo of her 2001 and 2005 releases, meaning primarily German pop / rock with some synthpop and / or electropop. The album is her first to include her twins Larissa and Sakias featuring on additional vocals on three of the songs. Apparently, Nena is so far the only artist to have had 14 singles charting on the German singles hit list - something she accomplished with the single "In meinem Leben" reaching number #4.
The album was well-received in Germany, reaching number #3 on the albums chart list.

Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari "Miserere" (1992)

Miserere (Italian version)

release date: Oct. 1, 1992

format: cd (2004 remaster)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]

producer: Corrado Rustici

label: Polydor - nationality: Italy

Track highlights: 2. "L'urlo (Medley with 'La solitudine')" - 3. "It's All Right (La promessa)" - 7. "Un'orgia di anime perse" - 10. "Ridammi il sole" - 11. "I frati (Ovvero l'osteria della felicità)" - 12. "Miserere (feat. Luciano Pavarotti)"

6th studio album by Zucchero following Oro incenso e birra (1989) is his third consecutive and fourth album overall to be produced by Corrado Rustici and it introduces a new "release formula" by Zucchero - or his manager, which is to produce two different issues simultaneously: one for the national market and a slightly different issue for the international markets. Both releases contain 12 compositions, and with this the Italian issue the album comes with four (tracks #3, #4, #10 & #11) that have been exchanged on the International version with English translated or altered titles and with English lyrics - also the track listing has been altered slightly (so that the aforementioned tracks correspond with tracks #3, #4, #9 & #11 on the international issue). Although, this is the Italian market version, the English language is not absent. Two songs are co-composed with Paul Buchanan (of The Blue Nile): The song "It's All Right (La promessa)" is partially in English (it has been translated to "The Promise" for the international issue) and "Ridammi il sole" (mostly in Italian except for a repetitious chorus-line but for the international issue it's entirely in English with the title "Give Me Back the Sun"). Both versions of the album comes with the song "Miss Mary" written by Elvis Costello and composed by Zucchero. This means that the music on both albums remains the same - only titles and lyrics have been changed.

In essense, the style has become less pop soul and more americana and blues-oriented, which in my opinion, is a wrong turn. It's as if he's trying to copy Joe Cocker with a hint of Bruce Springsteen and Ry Cooder, and I don't really like that direction. With two previous number #1 albums in Italy and a growing success internationally he has tried to embrace both markets, so that yes, there's still an Italian foundation but the tone has become unmistakably English-American regardless what issue you purchase.

If your thing is John Mellencamp, The Doobie Brothers, J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton, then this might just be your kinda thing and you should probably aim for the international version of the album. But it's not to my liking, and in the discography of Zucchero Fornaciari this sits pretty much at the bottom.

Not recommended.