CD LETDOWNS OF 2006
There are artists who, in a sense, are their own worst enemies for having too much talent and having to compete with their own top-notch back catalog.
That said, sometimes they release albums that cannot be classified as good, bad or merely OK.
Instead, these CDs should be termed letdowns, not because of one's sky-high expectations but because the music lacks something. Sometimes what's missing is easy to identify or explain, and other times it's difficult to put a finger on. Nevertheless, listening to the album is more frustrating than enjoyable because it should be better.
That being said, here's a look at four CD letdowns released this year:
Golden Smog, Another Fine Day (Lost Highway).
After two focused CDs by this Americana-rock supergroup (featuring Gary Louris, Jeff Tweedy and Dan Murphy, among others), the way-too-mellow Another Fine Day meanders big-time. Cliched lyrics are forgivable when the melodies are hook-filled and memorable, but that's not the case on this CD. This time around, drummer extraordinaire Jody Stephens only appears on four of the album's 13 tracks, and his energy is sorely missed.
Los Lobos, The Town and the City (Hollywood).
Since breaking through to the masses in 1984 with How Will the Wolf Survive?, Los Lobos have never issued consecutive full-length studio letdowns -- until now. The Town and the City, the proper follow-up to 2004's The Ride, is a David Hidalgo-dominated affair; it could have used a few more edgy and upbeat Cesar Rosas-led numbers for the sake of variety. The album's sound is indeed interesting and atmospheric, but it doesn't come close in overall quality to the band's sonically similar Kiko, as some like to believe.
Bob Dylan, Modern Times (Columbia).
Sure, not everything Dylan does ranks up there with Blonde on Blonde. But it's hard to get excited about an album on which a master songwriter uses traditional blues structures and themes on a bunch of tunes. On top of that, half of the songs on Modern Times are waaaay too long, clocking in at six-minutes plus (the excellent "Workingman's Blues #2" is the lone lengthy exception). And what's with name-checking Alicia Keys in "Thunder on the Mountain"?
Cheap Trick, Rockford (Big3 Records).
There have been times when Cheap Trick albums have suffered from the dominating presence of so-called song doctors. (The same can be said about Aerosmith, by the way.) But despite all four members of the band having a hand in writing every song, Rockford has that same mucked-up-by-outsiders cloud over it. Some of the album's songs reference material from Cheap Trick's salad days (titles, themes or structures), but only one ("Dream the Night Away") is better than its ancestor. ("This Time You Got It" and "Decaf," which do not have obvious connections to the past, are the CD's only other standouts).
There are artists who, in a sense, are their own worst enemies for having too much talent and having to compete with their own top-notch back catalog.
That said, sometimes they release albums that cannot be classified as good, bad or merely OK.
Instead, these CDs should be termed letdowns, not because of one's sky-high expectations but because the music lacks something. Sometimes what's missing is easy to identify or explain, and other times it's difficult to put a finger on. Nevertheless, listening to the album is more frustrating than enjoyable because it should be better.
That being said, here's a look at four CD letdowns released this year:
Golden Smog, Another Fine Day (Lost Highway).
After two focused CDs by this Americana-rock supergroup (featuring Gary Louris, Jeff Tweedy and Dan Murphy, among others), the way-too-mellow Another Fine Day meanders big-time. Cliched lyrics are forgivable when the melodies are hook-filled and memorable, but that's not the case on this CD. This time around, drummer extraordinaire Jody Stephens only appears on four of the album's 13 tracks, and his energy is sorely missed.
Los Lobos, The Town and the City (Hollywood).
Since breaking through to the masses in 1984 with How Will the Wolf Survive?, Los Lobos have never issued consecutive full-length studio letdowns -- until now. The Town and the City, the proper follow-up to 2004's The Ride, is a David Hidalgo-dominated affair; it could have used a few more edgy and upbeat Cesar Rosas-led numbers for the sake of variety. The album's sound is indeed interesting and atmospheric, but it doesn't come close in overall quality to the band's sonically similar Kiko, as some like to believe.
Bob Dylan, Modern Times (Columbia).
Sure, not everything Dylan does ranks up there with Blonde on Blonde. But it's hard to get excited about an album on which a master songwriter uses traditional blues structures and themes on a bunch of tunes. On top of that, half of the songs on Modern Times are waaaay too long, clocking in at six-minutes plus (the excellent "Workingman's Blues #2" is the lone lengthy exception). And what's with name-checking Alicia Keys in "Thunder on the Mountain"?
Cheap Trick, Rockford (Big3 Records).
There have been times when Cheap Trick albums have suffered from the dominating presence of so-called song doctors. (The same can be said about Aerosmith, by the way.) But despite all four members of the band having a hand in writing every song, Rockford has that same mucked-up-by-outsiders cloud over it. Some of the album's songs reference material from Cheap Trick's salad days (titles, themes or structures), but only one ("Dream the Night Away") is better than its ancestor. ("This Time You Got It" and "Decaf," which do not have obvious connections to the past, are the CD's only other standouts).
posted by Chris M. Junior at 8:37 PM
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