In 1992 when I threw this album on for the first time I immediately knew I was hearing one of my favorite albums of all time. Sade's vocals are wonderful and her song writing superb throughout. Her band, by this album, had cemented a sound that backs her perfectly and draws the listener in with smooth melodic hooks. This album is perfect to throw on for almost any occasion.
To me the real beauty of this album is that it builds on what she had done in her three previous albums. Each of those albums is distinct in their own way, and this album feels to me to have taken all the good components from those and pulled them together brilliantly.
I know a lot of people make fun of Sade, but I think they miss the real beauty of her music. It's not easy to write and perform music so consistently. To blend rock, pop, and jazz so perfectly. It reminds me of a critic I read once who was reviewing her concert. He said he went in to hate it, but couldn't help but get pulled in to the whole vibe of the performance. I think her band, her presence, her voice laying out these simple lyrics in such a poetic fashion make for great music.
Sade - Love Deluxe (1992)
1. No Ordinary Love
2. Feel No Pain
3. I Couldn't Love You More
4. Like a Tattoo
5. Kiss of Life
6. Cherish the Day
7. Pearls
8. Bullet Proof Soul
9. Mermaid
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Best Albums - Tinderbox - Siouxsie and the Banshees
I have a thing for rhythm driven music, and this album is all about the drums. They drive every song with a power and a relentless pace that creates a consistency across the album that the Banshees never succeeded at either before or after. On top of these drums they created a layered dirty guitar sound that blends perfectly with Siouxsie's gruff and powerful voice. The sound of this album is brilliant. I know the Banshees came from a punk background, but there is very little punk left on this album. The lyrics are dark, the sound overall is dark, but because of the relentless beats, the tight production, and the strong hooks it has the feel of a dance/pop album.
Back in 1988 or so I made a list of my top 100 albums. This album was number two on that list, and if I were to make a list today, it may still be at number two. I personally feel that Siouxsie and in particular this album were very influential to a lot of sounds that followed. If you go back and listen to an album like Dummy by Portishead it has much of the same feel as Tinderbox. A beat based sound, with a dirty layered sound over it blended to fit with Beth Gibbons' vocals. The big shift is the pace. Where Siouxsie had kept the driving punk beat for Tinderbox, these guys shifted to the Jazz beat of Trip Hop. I think it's hard to not make a connection between these sounds.
Of course who knows how much Tinderbox was influenced by the Trip Hop scene. The Wild Bunch (the beginnings of Massive Attack) formed in 1983 blending punk, reggae, and R&B and were a huge hit on the dance scene in Britain. It could be that she was heavily influenced by what these guys were doing. The component that is so unique to this album is the atmospheric sound which is a very Massive Attack sort of thing. So who knows except to say that I feel this album was in important piece in the growth of this new sound being born in the mid 1980's.
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox (1986)
1. Candyman
2. The Sweetest Chill
3. This Unrest
4. Cities in Dust
5. Cannons
6. Partys Fall
7. 92 Degrees
8. Lands End
Discover Siouxsie and The Banshees!
Back in 1988 or so I made a list of my top 100 albums. This album was number two on that list, and if I were to make a list today, it may still be at number two. I personally feel that Siouxsie and in particular this album were very influential to a lot of sounds that followed. If you go back and listen to an album like Dummy by Portishead it has much of the same feel as Tinderbox. A beat based sound, with a dirty layered sound over it blended to fit with Beth Gibbons' vocals. The big shift is the pace. Where Siouxsie had kept the driving punk beat for Tinderbox, these guys shifted to the Jazz beat of Trip Hop. I think it's hard to not make a connection between these sounds.
Of course who knows how much Tinderbox was influenced by the Trip Hop scene. The Wild Bunch (the beginnings of Massive Attack) formed in 1983 blending punk, reggae, and R&B and were a huge hit on the dance scene in Britain. It could be that she was heavily influenced by what these guys were doing. The component that is so unique to this album is the atmospheric sound which is a very Massive Attack sort of thing. So who knows except to say that I feel this album was in important piece in the growth of this new sound being born in the mid 1980's.
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox (1986)
1. Candyman
2. The Sweetest Chill
3. This Unrest
4. Cities in Dust
5. Cannons
6. Partys Fall
7. 92 Degrees
8. Lands End
Discover Siouxsie and The Banshees!
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