Bloggerhythms

The following review first appeared online in November 2004. Therefore some of the information about how to obtain a copy is now out of date. A year after this review first appeared the album is now considered a collector's item. Unless you can find a few leftover copies at your local Hallmark store the album appears to be available only at places such as Amazon. James Taylor's first ever Christmas CD, simply titled A Christmas Album , is now available only at Hallmark stores. I have bought some of these Hallmark Christmas CDs in past years and they are usually mediocre or worse, partially because only half of the tracks are by the featured artist. The remaining tracks usually feature the London Symphony Orchestra who, at least on these Christmas CDs, is a group with very plodding arrangements. However, this year Hallmark has outdone themselves. A Christmas Album features JT on all 11 tracks, is produced by jazzman Dave Grusin, and features trumpeter Chris Botti on "...

It’s been a long time since Chicago, the American rock band that ranks second only behind the Beach Boys in terms of commercial success, was on the cutting edge of rock music. Newer fans may not realize how eclectic and influential the band was in the early 70’s. Their artistic peak came so long ago that the group’s more recent fans were only familiar with the power ballads that featured the now departed Peter Cetera on diva-like lead vocals while the band played over-produced, bombastic arrangements in which the brass section was treated only as an accessory that no longer provided any musical substance. If you were a fan of their vintage period the drippy Cetera ballads became very hard to take. Therefore, I was both happy and very surprised to hear Chicago 25, The Christmas Album , their best release of the 90’s. Despite the fact this disc is influenced more by their later pop-rock style than their early psychedelic, blues-rock and jazz days that launched them to stardom in 1969, ...

Diana Krall always has a fine singing voice and a great band. She also plays very cool jazz piano. Her readings of jazz standards from The Great American Songbook and covers of more modern fare are always top drawer. In short, I like her. On her this new release, The Girl In The Other Room , Krall shows her usual good taste in covers including a Mose Allison original, the slow and bluesy "Stop This World." She also is great covering Tom Waits' "Temptation." She even does a nice take on Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow." The highlight of the album is the Chris Smither/Bonnie Raitt classic "Love Me Like A Man." I could listen to Krall sing material like this all day long. On this disc, for the first time, Krall has recorded her own songs. She has co-written six new works with her more famous husband, Elvis Costello, and here is where the CD falls to the ground. Most of the Krall/Costello songs have no melody and no beat, two ingredients th...