Top Artists - Week Ending 2007-09-30

Joni Shines, Rahsaan revisited, etc.

by j. brotherlove

I listened to a ton of tracks by a lot of artists this past week. It’s not surprising to see some shuffling around on my charts. As usual, I’ll address what’s new after the jump including, a review of Joni Mitchell’s Shine and Rahsaan Patterson’s Wines & Spirits.

Joni Mitchell Never Lied

Joni Mitchell, one of my favorite artists of all time, returns to the music scene and tops my chart for the week. I’m mildly surprised because Shine was a slow burn for me. You have to really listen to Mitchell (vs. throwing her in a random playlist) to appreciate the textures.

Often considered the greatest female singer-songwriter of the century, Joni’s been covered by nearly everyone (including a new CD by Herbie Hancock which I need to get). In short, Mitchell doesn’t have anything left to prove. So I’m especially ecstatic that she put aside her distaste of the music industry to give us the moody Shine, a meditation of sorts on society’s ills.

Mitchell neophytes may find Shine’s content depressing or preachy. However, the contemplative magic is in her lyrics, phrasing and arrangements. When she sings lyrics like "Holy War, Genocide, Suicide, Hate and Cruelty, How can this be holy?, If I had a heart, I’d cry" on "If I Had A Heart" she includes herself in the equation.

Having said that, one of the best song on the disc is opening track "One Week Last Summer," a beautiful piano-driven instrumental evoking the ballet Joni composed. Although there’s no lyrics, her description paints a perfect picture.

Every song isn’t a home run. My biggest disappointment is her retreading of classic "Big Yellow Taxi". The song has been covered and sampled endlessly; Mitchell’s new interpretation isn’t necessary. However, "Hana", "If" and "Night Of The Iguana" more than carry their weight.

Listening to Mitchell’s husky alto float and dip as the music swells is a perfect complement for a Sunday afternoon. Shine is as treasured as visiting a long lost friend and talking over old times. Be sure to check out her Shine EPK on YouTube.

Rahsaan Revisited

Last week I mentioned I was uncertain about Rahsaan Patterson’s new CD, Wines & Spirits. My stumbling block is that the collection of songs don’t function as a collection. Instead, it’s a mix of traditional Rahsaan ("No Danger", "Higher Love"; classic gospel/soul ("Oh Lord (Take Me Back)") and experimental ("Deliver Me", "Pitch Black").

There’s nothing wrong with this approach however, the order of the tracks do not showcase the songs very well (in particular, the droning faux-rock of "Pitch Black" sounds almost criminal).

Rahsaan’s cover of Janis Ian’s "Stars" is refreshing and beautiful. But the centerpiece is the infectious, genre-jumping "Deliver Me". Wow! I wish Rahsaan had taken the entire album In that direction. But I’ll take what I can get.

The Other Fellas

Peven Everett is one of my favorites and not just because I know him. There’s not a lot I can say that I haven’t already (feel free to search my site). He records music like crazy, releasing demos, remixes and experiments with dizzying frequency. I actually had him on ban for awhile because he was dominating my charts.

Eric Roberson is what R&B music should sound like. It’s a damn shame he doesn’t get radio play. Roberson’s music, lyrics and voice are all top notch. Also, his freestyle abilities are golden. You’ll have to catch him live to see him in action. And you really want to do that. Make sure to check out his blog too.

I mentioned Donnie’s sophomore CD, The Daily News in July. I have to admit, it’s not an easy album to listen to lyrically. He’s dealing with some very dark subject matter (suicide, child molestation, conspiracy theories, etc.) often accompanied by a bouncy beat. His sound (a unique blend of soul/gospel) makes the CD stand out. You have to catch him performing live. He runs a tight set.

Still Bumpin’

The more I listen to Jill Scott and Ledisi the more I like them. I really can’t say more about the new Jill that you haven’t read. However, if you don’t have Ledisi’s Lost & Found, you are only dabbling in the soul pool. Ledisi’s voice, vocal arrangements and overall production is flawless.

Re-Entries

I dismissed Joss Stone’s Introducing Joss Stone when it was released earlier this year. I was burnt out on the British-white-girl-sings-soul-music schtick at the time (and the naked/body paint plus Raphael Saddiq romance didn’t endear me either). But there’s some really good stuff on the CD specifically "Proper Nice" and "Girl They Won’t Believe It".

Sunchild by Thief is a tricky album to categorize. I use the label "nu folk" but that probably doesn’t mean much to anyone else. It’s has elements of pop, folk, electronica, jazz, ambient… Check out the link for samples to draw your own conclusion.

I heart Thief. I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at my lastFM chart :-). If the band’s music is folk, then I’d begin to characterize it as channeling Donovan for the 21st Century.

you know i got joni off of emusic recently just because i knew that you’d be praising it. i just had that feeling. the main reason i got it though, is i read about that herbie hancock cover of her stuff and went looking for that — only to end up finding shine. so as i faced that decision, i said, “what would j do?” i did what i thought you’d do, and i was right. i guess we’ll stay super on last.fm for a while.

Speaking of emusic, I’m thinking of ditching that service. I never can remember when my downloads expire.

I had to get Herbie Hancock of course. I’m lukewarm on it so far. But his treatment of Joni’s “Edith And The Kingpin” featuring Tina Turner is dynamite!

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