Bloggerhythms

Where I'm Coming From is the big turning point in Stevie Wonder's career. Released in 1971, shortly before his twenty-first birthday and around the time his original Motown contract expired, it was the first album under Wonder's new deal in which Berry Gordy reluctantly gave the R&B superstar total artistic control of his work. When the record stiffed Gordy, who did not like it, began to have second thoughts about allowing Wonder to go off totally on his own. However, beginning with 1972's Music of My Mind through 1980's Hotter Than July this magnificent musician proved Gordy wrong by becoming one of the most creative, relevant, and popular artists of the 70s. The nine song album is as diverse as anything Wonder ever recorded even if doesn't quite reach the heights of Innervisions , Talking Book , and one of the greatest albums in the history of pop music, his gigantic, twenty-one song work, Songs In The Key Of Life . Where I'm Coming From's...

Today's post is probably the most personal one ever to appear on Bloggerhythms because I've followed one rule about blogging that I discovered on the web many years ago. It is to inject your personality into your posts without getting too personal. Bloggerhythms turns five years old this week and it's still online because I discovered I enjoy writing even more than I thought I would. I'm happy this is a passion that I can actively participate in because I embarrassed myself every single time I tried my hand at my first love, music, and my second one, baseball. (The Mendoza line was a huge pipe dream for me even when I was in little league). This blog started out strictly as a CD review site but it's focus has changed slightly over the last couple of years because I discovered that readers are often more interested in some of the other music related stuff I've written about than they are in the reviews. I've also noticed that there appears to be great...

John Oates, one half of Hall and Oates, the biggest selling duo in pop music history, issued a very interesting solo CD in 2008 called 1000 Miles Of Life . It's not overloaded with the catchy hooks that are a trademark of his famous band but it's still a good enough outing to make you wonder why their long and stellar career was so dominated by Daryl Hall. Many fans of the superstar, 80s version of Hall and Oates may not realize that they began life as a folk-pop duo. The music they made in the early 70s was more singer-songwriter oriented even though blue-eyed soul was still a component of their work. Their best album from this period, Abandoned Luncheonette , (1972) was the perfect synthesis of folk and R & B. The highlight of the record was the single "She's Gone." It would take several more years for both the song and the album to become a hit after the success of "Sara Smile" but today they are considered classics. 1000 Miles of Life i...

The late Vince Guaraldi is known to most of us only as the pianist on the soundtracks to the Peanuts TV specials and especially as the genius behind the most famous jazz Christmas album in history, A Charlie Brown Christmas . That is a real shame for a man who died too young of a heart attack at age 47 just after completing work on another Peanuts TV show earlier that day. Fantasy Records released this fourteen song disc, Vince Guaraldi's Greatest Hits , on vinyl in 1980 and on CD in 1989. It is far from being a complete retrospective because it only contains music Guaraldi recorded for Fantasy but it still serves as a very nice overview of this intriguing jazz man's work. Guaraldi started making records in the mid-50s as a sideman for Cal Tjader. He also sat in with Woody Herman. Later he played with percussionist Mongo Santamaria and Dave Brubeck's bassist, Eugene Wright. In 1959 Guaraldi set out on his own. It would be 1963 before he hit paydirt when "Cast...

Guitarist and singer-songwriter Loren Francis is a Maine native currently residing in Boston. Francis has buskered down the entire East coast of the United States, on Greek islands, in the catacombs of Jerusalem, on the beaches of the Virgin Islands, and all over Central America. Even though he has written tons of songs in those locales I've Been Down Before is his first CD release. Francis describes the music on his four song EP as urban Americana. While his arrangements may fall on the softer side of rock they still offer plenty of energy and passion. The very radio friendly title song opens with just a solo piano and voice, gradually building in intensity while morphing into a full blown rock anthem. "If It Was Up To Me" and "Lot Left To Learn" are nearly as effective.  During the disc's best moments his vocals remind the listener of an American Ray Davies. The New Englander writes very personal songs and he takes complete advantage of his natura...