CD Odyssey Disc 1841: Linda Ronstadt

I took today off and treated myself to a little record shop. On the walk home I also finished getting in my listen to the next album up for review.

Disc 1841 is…Mad Love

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Year of Release: 1980

What’s up with the Cover? Linda caught in the dead of night making a clandestine phone call!

Linda looks very sexy here, suggesting this could be a booty call. However, the record is called “Mad Love” so this could be her calling some guy in the dead of night to tell him that they can be together now "the wife is out of the way”. Oh, and she’s hidden the bloody knife in his house with his fingerprints on it in case he gets any ideas about changing his mind.

I gotta ease up on binge watching “You”…

How I Came To Know It: Over the last five years or so I’ve been doing a deep dive into Linda Ronstadt’s catalogue. Little did I know how hard it was going to be to find it, but eventually it came in a package of reissues, and I snapped it up. I had to “re-buy” some of the other records in there, but no harm done, as the resulting doubles all went to good homes.

How It Stacks Up: When I last reviewed a Linda Ronstadt album I only had seven, but that number has grown to nine, requiring a bit of readjustment. “Mad Love” comes in at #8 (of 9), ahead of “Living in the USA (now #9).

Ratings: 2 stars

Linda Ronstadt has one of those voices that can cross into any genre and be successful. Country, folk, pop and rock and roll all suit her well. She would’ve been awesome in a metal band as well but, alas, this never happened.

What did happen in 1980 was “Mad Love”, Ronstadt’s foray into early eighties pop and New Wave. Remember the Flashdance soundtrack? Well, cross that with everything you know about Linda Ronstadt and you’ll have an approximation of what this record is like.

Now, before you tune out at this notion, I will quickly note that “Mad Love” is better than the Flashdance soundtrack. Just hearing Ronstadt’s power vocals are enough to make it better. There’s a reason she’s got the reputation of one of the all-time vocal greats. Her tone is rich through all the many octaves she can sing in, and she’s equally adept at sounding sweet romantic ballads, angst-ridden dirges, and even a bit of growl when a tougher sound is called for. She meets each genre she tackles on its own terms, honours what makes that kind of music unique, and then uses her instrument to elevate it.

On “Mad Love” it is a hard sell. Early eighties pop has a tinny production and a lot of excess instrumentation in the arrangement. While Ronstadt embraces this sound, it doesn’t allow her to fully showcase what she can do. The transfer to CD does not do the low end of the record any favours either.

Good thing we are talking about Linda Ronstadt. The title track launches with a jump at the front of the beat that will feature on and off throughout the record. This song has an easy anthemic quality that was typical of stadium rock at the time, and while you shouldn’t expect to be wowed with anything original, you should expect to be inspired and lifted. Does this song have one too many organ solos? Yes, it does, but if you think you didn’t have fun listening to it then you may be lying to yourself.

Juxtaposed to this we have the sultry croon of “Hurt So Bad” which is up there competing with the likes of Pat Benatar with its combination of sexy and sultry. Again we have Ronstadt leaning forward into the beat, but rather than feeling rushed, it creates an urgency that matches the song’s themes of longing and desire.

Ronstadt tries this same treatment on Neil Young’s “Look Out For My Love” but here things don’t mesh. This song is meant as a meandering stoner journey, and trying to infuse it with early eighties production makes it feel artificial and forced. It’s not often Ronstadt fails to make a cover her own, but it happens here.

Despite some high points, “Mad Love” did not consistently inspire me. Ronstadt demonstrates she can do anything on this record, but I admit I was left wondering if the effort was worth it.

Best tracks: Mad Love, Hurt So Bad, Justine

CD Odyssey Disc 1840: Nite

After a delightful evening spent with the love of my life, I awoke to sunshine and a readiness in my heart to write about music. Read on, and you’ll find me doing just that.

Disc 1840 is…Cult of the Serpent Sun

Artist: Nite

Year of Release: 2025

What’s up with the Cover? On their third album Nite continues their tradition of featuring creepy robed figures on their album covers.

Here we’ve got some cultists resurrecting some horrific shade out of a pile of what appears to be dirt, snakes and blood.

I wonder if each cultist is assigned his own ornate staff, if the staff designates rank, or if it is just whoever arrives earliest gets to pick first.

How I Came To Know It: I read a review of this album on Angry Metal Guy (a great metal music review blog if you don’t know it) and decided to give it a listen. I liked it so much I bought all their albums, but this is the first one to come up for review.

How It Stacks Up: I have three Nite albums and I like them all. I haven’t explored the other two as fully, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say “Cult of the Serpent Sun” is #1.

Ratings: 4 stars

If you are wondering what music cultists play in the clubhouse when they are relaxing between rituals, look no farther than “Cult of the Serpent Sun”. Nite’s brand of traditional heavy metal, infused with a healthy mix of crunchy riffs and dark meandering solos, is just the thing to lift your energy levels after a long night of sacrificing vagrants and virgins to the elder gods.

“Cult of the Serpent Sun” is the band’s most oppressive record yet, and even the soaring solos feel tethered to a thick and viscous production that speaks of fell deeds done in the dark.

Lead singer Van Labrakis has the perfect voice for Nite’s vibe. He has a purposeful rasp to his delivery reminiscent of a young Lemmy, but a bit less punk and a bit more “all hail great Cthulhu”. Labrakis doesn’t demonstrate a bunch of range, but he infuses every word he sings with a dread import that songs this creepy require to be believable.

I sense that Nite grew up listening to Blue Oyster Cult (i.e. they were raised right) with many of the songs having similarly weird and otherworldly melodic structures. Scott Hoffman’s guitar solos are not at the level of Buck Dharma, but he worships at the same altar and knows how to make things interesting without descending into wankery like a lot of lesser NWOTHM acts. He also plays with a rich and deliberate tone that reminded me favourably of Dharma.

“Cult of the Serpent Sun” hits hard from the opening notes and does not take its foot off your throat for all of its tight and controlled 38 minutes. Have you heard these riffs before or are they just so cool to appear timeless? Who cares. Set your feet and throw your hair around, and if you aren’t risking throwing your neck out, you’re doing it wrong.

The album’s best song is “Crow (Fear the Night)” and also, coincidentally the only place the band spells the word ‘night’ correctly. The song starts with a guitar riff so obvious and awesome you’ll say “oh, this again”. Not in an exasperated way, but in an excited way. The song also features some delightful “what the hell is happening here?” lyrics, such as:

“Stay strong, my sons
Of Farwin Cove
Your name, forbidden
Forsaken stone
The jade key of life
Will rule them all.”

Um…sure. I don’t know what’s going on, but it sounds like it involves those dudes on the cover. In any event, Nite is reminding us to fear the night, because this is the sort of shit that goes on in it.

Most of the mythology on the record has this same feel that there is another layer of story going on, even though nothing is ever developed into a narrative any more complex than you’ll find in the lyrics above.

The last song – the epic and exultant “Winds of Sokar” - references the ancient Egyptian god of the same name, but otherwise Nite keeps their mythological inspirations close to their vest. If you want to know what’s going on in Farwin Cove, you’re going to have to join the cult.

The record doesn’t have a lot of range, and all the songs have a similar tempo and structure, but since they are all awesome this did not dismay me overmuch. I even forgave the spelling of the band’s name, on account of the nifty looking logo. Sign me up for the next ritual! Er…I mean record.

Best tracks: Cult of the Serpent Sun, Crow (Fear the Night), The Last Blade, Winds of Sokar

CD Odyssey Disc 1839: David Francey

I’ve had a long day and I’m feeling a bit worn out, but reviewing every single album in my collection is not going to happen by accident, so let’s get to it.

Disc 1839 is…Right of Passage

Artist: David Francey

Year of Release: 2007

What’s up with the Cover? It’s a dory. I was quite pleased to know this without looking it up, but I admit I wasn’t so certain that I didn’t then check anyway to make sure.

This is a fine little dory but appears to be cut adrift. Where is the owner? Maybe it’s fine and is anchored down below that white bumper in the upper right. I sure hope so, because otherwise that bumper is doing very little other than making the framing of this photo look awkward.

How I Came To Know It: I went on a bit of a David Francey binge about seven or eight years ago, and nothing escaped my zeal at the time, including this.

How It Stacks Up: I have 9 David Francey albums (see ‘binge’ reference directly above).  I put this one in at #6.

Ratings: 3 stars

“Right of Passage” has everything there is to like about David Francey. If you know his stuff well, it won’t necessarily be your “go to” #1 record, but it has a few gems that makes it worth a visit.

For those new to David Francey (and even longtime readers of my blog will have had a five year gap since my last review), he is a Scottish born Canadian folk singer-songwriter. Francey’s albums pick a lane and stay in it, and “Right of Passage” sees him still approaching things like he’s done from the start. This means gentle guitar picking and Francey’s light brogue telling stories about regular life in a way that makes you really appreciate regular life.

No one makes the ordinary extraordinary like Francey. His music has no guile or subterfuge, relying on simple heartfelt stories, many of which are little more than snippets, images or short moments. Metaphors are rare and when they appear it is almost by accident, with the songs much more likely to just rely on a good telling over any literary artifice.

This could easily be boring (one could imagine the Folksmen trio from the mockumentary “A Mighty Wind” extolling the virtues of having “never did no wanderin’”). LINK Never fear, because Francey’s homespun honesty elevates life in its purest lived form. Also, he has done some wanderin’.

Take “A Conversation” as an example. The song is nothing more than a chance encounter with an ex – but don’t expect drama or heartache. Francey’s music sees the world three quarters full. One of many “aww…shucks” verses:

“And so we passed a pleasant day
And so we went our separate ways
To do what life gave us to do
Hasn’t time been kind to you.”

There are plenty of human moments like this on the record, as well as a few more where Francey is inspired by places (Edmonton, Kansas and the Oregon Coast to name just three). Even at his saddest reverie, Francey finds a way to make music his therapy and by extension, yours as well.

Francey albums will sometimes dip a toe in the headlines of the day, and one of the best songs on “Right of Passage” is “Jerusalem.” It is a sad tale of an oft-renewed conflict, and you can hear how the whole experience just breaks Francey’s giant, gracious heart.

Francey’s talent is as a songwriter, and while these songs have the same melodic structures of his previous records (and I mean they sound a LOT like those previous songs) they are a winning formula that I’m glad he doesn’t stray from.

He also attracts the right musicians to help him out. Guitarist Craig Werth’s quiet playing adds colour and nuance to Francey’s vocals. Also, a huge shout out to the multitude of voices on “All Lights Burning Bright”. This song also appears on the David Francey/Mike Ford nautical compilation “Seaway” (reviewed back at Disc 1219). Both are good, but for my tastes, the version on “Right of Passage” is just a step up, and the chorus work is a big part of why.

The record is not perfect, and there are a couple of songs where Francey’s dangerous proximity to schmaltz fails him – notably the clunky “Their Wedding Day”. Does picking on a joy filled David Francey song about a wedding make me a monster, dear reader? Maybe a little.

Best tracks: Leaving Edmonton, A Conversation, New Jerusalem, All Lights Burning Bright

CD Odyssey Disc 1838: Lauren Mayberry

I was up earlier than usual and have spent the morning dabbling with my favourite pastime…music. Along the way, I squeezed in another uninterrupted listen to my next album so I could bring you a weekend review.

Disc 1838 is…Vicious Creatures

Artist: Lauren Mayberry

Year of Release: 2024

What’s up with the Cover? Is Lauren Mayberry making money on the side as one of those “living statue” buskers?

Maybe she’s just looking skyward and wondering why she wore such an impractical hat. “This thing bumps into everything!”  

How I Came To Know It: I read a review. Gave it a listen and was surprised to find I liked it.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Lauren Mayberry album (and I have no Chvrches albums – more on that later) so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 3 stars

When the lead singer of a band puts out a solo album it doesn’t always work out. In the case of Lauren Mayberry I had the opposite worry – what if it were the same as her work with Chvrches? Apart from the abhorrent and woefully deliberate misspelling of their name, I don’t actively dislike Chvrches, but nor have I ever found them shelf-worthy.

However, I am nothing if not open minded about new music, dear reader, and so, perceiving an olive branch when she did not spell her name Lavren, I gave “Vicious Creatures” a listen and hoped for the best. It turns out, I was pleasantly surprised.

I might not have taken even that first step if it weren’t for the fact that I knew from her work with Chvrches that Mayberry had a wonderful voice. I may not love their songs, but I knew Mayberry could sing. In the end, it turns out that separated from Chvrches made me like her vocals even more.

I should note at this point that this record is 100% pop music. Ear worms, easy melodies, and hook-heavy compositions are the order of the day. If you insist on music “challenging” you, or you are looking for some discordant noises to reflect the torturous struggle that is life, then this record will not be for you.

That’s not to say Mayberry doesn’t have anything worth saying – she certainly does and more on that shortly – she just doesn’t feel the need to twist the melody to prove she’s clever. Don’t get me wrong: I love a good twist but I’m also totally comfortable when an artist doesn’t feel the need to apply one.

First, to the pop fun, of which there is plenty. This record is full of earworms that will get in your head and have you humming them all day. “Punch Drunk” has a funky little beat and a chorus that is little more than the song’s title and doesn’t need anything more than that. “Change Shapes” has a similar jump that is built for driving with the top down or toodling down the sidewalk with a jaunty skip in your step. That said, Mayberry is adept at pairing these fun jumpy earworms with an undercurrent of edge. “Punch Drunk” has some sexually aggressive imagery behind all that breezy romanticism.

“Change Shapes” is no slouch either, as it explores manipulation of image for personal gain. It’s a clever about face showing the pressure put on women performers to “stay current” with their image in a way rarely if ever expected of their male counterparts. Far from rebelling against the notion, “Change Shapes” is a song about embracing the power of image and using it to get what you want. Don’t like the artifice being shoved in your face this way, audience? Hey – you’re the reason it happens.

The most heartfelt and direct song on the record is “Oh, Mother” which may also be my favourite. The theme of the song – how we relate to our mothers at various stages of our lives – is hardly new, but it is well paced and honest. When we are children, our mothers protect us, as we get older we want to rebel from them and get away, but ultimately, all we want is more quality time with them.

Nothing new here, but Mayberry’s vocal performance here is the best on the record and will 100% get you feeling sentimental in a good way. If you’re lucky enough that you still can, you will want to immediately call your mom and tell her you love her. Give in to this feeling – Lauren wants you to.

While this record doesn’t break any new ground in the history of pop music, it is a delightful listen, has no duds, and will leave you feeling in better spirits than when you started.

Best tracks: Punch Drunk, Oh Mother, Change Shapes

CD Odyssey Disc 1837: Colleen Green

I had some exended driving time this week and got in a couple of listens to not one but two new (to me) albums. One was the latest from Blind Guardian and the other was a collection of Alison Krauss folk tunes. If you’d like to know more about either album you’ll have to wait for…an indeterminate amount of time! The order of these reviews remains random!

Instead, when I was back in town and returned to regularly scheduled programming, the dice gods selected me some indie pop.

Disc 1837 is…Cool

Artist: Colleen Green

Year of Release: 2021

What’s up with the Cover? Not a lot. Colleen Green does a passable job of looking cool. The leather jacket helps a lot. Is there a piece of clothing that is more quintessentially cool than the leather jacket? Reader, there is not.

How I Came To Know It: I don’t recall. It was during the pandemic, and day to day experiences were a bit blurry back then. Probably I read a review.

How It Stacks Up: Colleen Green has five albums to her credit, but “Cool” is the only one I own, so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 3 stars

“Cool” grew on me. I hadn’t taken it down from the shelf for a couple of years, and at first it felt just…OK. Nothing big or bold going on, just some songs that walked the line of pop and rock, with a bit of a synthy vibe in the background that felt a bit empty. However, on repeat listens, the record revealed its small sound charm to me, and by the third time through I was once again converted.

Notably, it wasn’t the lyrics or vocals that formed the gateway to love’s return, it was the guitar. While Green is as likely to rely on a bassline or a synth organ to get her point across, when she pulls out the guitar things elevate. It’s the thing on the record that most reminds you that at its heart, this is a rock and roll record. Sometimes it has the metallic echo of a Cure song, and sometimes it crunches out a more traditional hard rock vibe but each time the guitar comes out, it quickly takes centre stage.

Whatever approach she is taking, Green’s playing has a richness to her tone. There is very little in the way of furious finger acrobatics, it is all about pulling the emotion out of the notes. Whether it is the haunting mini-solos on “Highway” or the post-grunge crunch of “You Don’t Exist” Green knows how to fill the air with some tasty licks.

From here it was easy to appreciate the songwriting and range on the album. The songs have pop melodic structures, but that rock and roll heart gives everything an underlying edge.

Sometimes Green relies on an almost spoken word delivery (“Someone Else”, “Highway”) and other times she sings sugary licks (“You Don’t Exist”) but it all works.

On “I Wanna Be a Dog” she is inspired by the Iggy Pop classic of similar name, tellingly minus the possessive. She borrows from Iggy heavily for the chorus, but it is a launch point to a very different song. Throughout, Green doubles down on dog imagery with observations like:

“'Cause I'm still communicating from my tail end
I don't really see the difference”

Yeah, there’s the pack mentality and desire for love, but it’s coming from a place of self-awareness. The song is also a catchy little pop ditty that in a just world, would’ve been a hit.

At the other end of the record’s range you get the club-beat feel of “Highway” a moody bit built for late night dancing under a strobe light. Sway and stare at the strobe, or the floor, or just close your eyes. The groove will get you there at just the right pace.

The record peters out a bit near the end, with three mostly forgettable songs, culminating in the soupy instrumental, “Pressure to Cum”. If this tune is trying to recreate the feeling of boring sex, it does a fine job, and I feel bad for the protagonist waiting for it to end. For a record with so many tight and interesting little songs, it causes the experience to end with whimper that could’ve been avoided with a…um…happier ending?

Overall, however, I liked “Cool” more and more on each listen, and I’m going to make a point of playing it more often. If nothing else it’s a reminder that the covid years weren’t a total loss – people like Green may have been locked in their houses, but they were making good music in there.

Best tracks: Someone Else, I Wanna Be A Dog, Highway, You Don’t Exist

CD Odyssey Disc 1836: Nightwish

I just finished reading Richard Dawkins’ fascinating work, “The Selfish Gene” which makes this next randomly selected album quite fitting, as it is mostly inspired by the theories of Charles Darwin and…you guessed it…Richard Dawkins. A weird and wonderful coincidence indeed…or is it? You decide.

Disc 1836 is…Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Artist: Nightwish

Year of Release: 2015

What’s up with the Cover? It’s evolution, baby! A wide range of creatures that currently (or have ever) walked the earth are arrayed, crest-like, around coil of what I believe is intended to be a strand of DNA.

How I Came To Know It: I’m a Nightwish fan and have been for quite a while. I had not previously explored the Floor Jansen years but finally gave in to temptation and bought this unheard about a year ago.

How It Stacks Up: I have five Nightwish albums. Of those, something had to be last and “Endless Forms…” is it, coming in at number five.

Ratings: 3 stars, although it is more complicated than usual. You’ll have to read on to find out why.

“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” is the debut of Nightwish’s third singer, Floor Jansen, and brings the folksiest feel the band has displayed yet. There are sections of this record that, minus the electric guitar, would be perfectly at home on a Capercaillie record.

Longtime readers of the CD Odyssey will know that this is not a problem for me. I love Capercaillie’s singer Karen Matheson and found it very easy to love Floor Jansen as well, and for many of the same reasons. Her pure power, the light stone-skipping phrasing she employs, providing a new and interesting avenue to appreciate Nightwish’s galloping style of symphonic metal.

If you don’t like your metal to gallop, or you have a problem with flourishes of keyboard or even whole string sections, then “Endless Forms” may not seem most beautiful for you. I loved it, and while this is the least heavy of my Nightwish collection, it makes up for a lack of thump with some of their best melodies yet. If some of them feel borrowed from the Celtic song book – and some do – it is a joyous borrowing, not a pernicious one.

As for subject matter, “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” goes literary on not one, but two axes. Fans of the genre will know that heavy metal is the most likely to do this. We’re a well-read bunch.

The main object of their intellectual obsession is evolution and gene theory. The album literally begins with Richard Dawkins reading a quote aloud on “Shudder Before the Beautiful”.

Nightwish triples down on science on this record in a way typically reserved in metal only for history or sci-fi. It’s a nice third leg to the stool, and the album’s early songs ably convey the grandeur of the natural world. You will simultaneously feel the mystery of genetic reproduction and the awe-inspiring power of nature's majesty.

While a large portion of the record focuses on making science awesome, Nightwish save a little room for fantasy literature as well. “Edema Ruh” is inspired by the Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicle series. Yes, I have read these and yes, they are excellent, although I could use another one. The song is solid enough, but don’t look for it in the “best tracks” section below.

With all this praise, how could the record not climb above the lowly rank of fifth in my Nightwish discography? One reason and one reason only – artistic excess.

Any artist that has been as successful for as long as Nightwish has earned the right (and bank account) to do as they damn-well please. Iron Maiden has been making this a general rule for years (their 2021 album “Senjutsu” is two discs, 81 minutes and most of the songs are 10 minutes long. Yes, it is awesome.

So it isn’t that the final two songs on “Endless Forms…” are long, although they are. It’s that they are boring.

“The Eyes of Sharbat Gula” is a six-minute instrumental mood piece where the highlight is some gentle chanting (hint: a very minor highlight). This is  followed by the gargantuan 23 minute “The Greatest Show on Earth”.

Together, they sound like the background music to a nature program (sometimes with animal noises thrown in because, you know, evolution). That’s the good sections. There are long sections that have as much interest as that secondary score that plays over the latter stages of a movie’s credits, where the Oscar-nominated song is over, the main theme’s been played and you’re down to reading the names of the technical crew and learning it was filmed in Georgia (again).

Are there sections within that 23-minute mess that are cool? Yes, and those sections pulled out could make a perfectly serviceable four-minute song. Instead, I felt like I worked for the circus: a few moments dazzling the crowd on the highwire, but the majority of the time packing and unpacking the tents.

Were the final two songs on “Endless Forms…” removed the record would become a tight little nine song, 48-minute collection that easily landed four stars. Instead my zeal slowly waned through the final half of the record as I was subjected to the sad reality that endless forms are not always the most beautiful.

Best tracks: Weak Fantasy, Elan, My Walden, Endless Forms Most Beautiful, Alpenglow

CD Odyssey Disc 1835: Warren Zevon

It was my first day back at work in 11 days, so maybe it’s appropriate I start the week off with an album cover full of men with suits.

Disc 1835 is…The Envoy

Artist: Warren Zevon

Year of Release: 1982

What’s up with the Cover? We must assume this is a depiction of the titular “envoy” off to do some international diplomacy on that waiting jet.

In addition to Mr. Zevon playing the title role, we have a whole lot of other dudes milling around in blue and black, feeling their own importance.

The dude to the left has a briefcase. Remember in the days before laptops when we walked around with briefcases full of important papers? Forgot to bring something important for that critical international summit? I’m afraid you’re officially S.O.L., my friend. Maybe ‘envoying’ isn’t for you.

How I Came To Know It: My friend Randall put me on to Warren Zevon, but by the time I was buying up obscure albums liked “The Envoy” I was already well into my own personal journey through the back catalogue.

How It Stacks Up: I have 10 Warren Zevon albums. Of those, I put “The Envoy” at #5, narrowly edging out “Sentimental Hygiene”.

Ratings: 4 stars

I once did a presentation at university on Robert Frost’s political poetry. If you don’t know Robert Frost’s political poetry, it is because it is not his best work, nor his most memorable. He wrote a fair bit of it, but he did it for himself.

Like Frost, Warren Zevon sang about whatever he wanted, in whatever style that appealed in the moment. Also like Frost, Zevon is a gifted, brash and brilliant writer whose legacy has been more than proved with the passage of time.

Did someone say political poetry? Zevon has you covered. The title track is not a metaphor for someone engaging in diplomacy, it’s a literal song about an envoy. Zevon demonstrates the dread import of foreign affairs with music that feels like the theme song to an international thriller, only cooler. It helps if you are a news junky, but either way it’s nice to have a song celebrating the heretofore unsung heroes engaging in the complex and unforgiving world of international politics.

Zevon goes from the slow majestic build of “the Envoy” with “The Overdraft” which has the reckless fast pace of a driving song, spilling you around corners with fast breaking electric guitar, and Zevon’s ever-present breathy baritone delivery.

From here, Zevon lightens up a bit, with “The Hula Hula Boys” a tongue-in-cheek ballad about a man who loses his girl to some local Hawaiian lads. The song has the laid-back luau sound of Hawaii mixed artfully with Zevon’s signature rising melodies. It is majestic, but farcical, and proof that Zevon is equally good at gravitas and humour, applying them simultaneously when the need arises.

Not content with trying on two styles, Zevon adds in an original Doo Wop number, with “Let Nothing Come Between You”. This one felt so aligned with that late fifties sound (recently reviewed back at Disc 1823) I was sure it was a cover, but turns out it was a Zevon original.

My favourite song on the record is “Never Too Late for Love,” mostly for its majestic melodic structure, and the heroic refrain of:

“You say you’re tired
How I hate to hear you use that word.”

Zevon’s vocals in that moment lift you up with sheer force of will, and maybe a little chastisement as well – like he knows you can do it. The first half of the song is all heavily struck piano, filling you with the reverberations of hope, and then later electric guitar crashes in, perfectly mirroring the spiritual lift Zevon exhorts out of his listener. This song finds hope among the wallow, and yet never feels trite or forced. Great stuff.

“The Envoy” is a fine example of Warren being brilliant in a way few appreciated. This record had zero hits, and only one song that even charted (“Let Nothing Come Between You” managed a modest #24). And yet, the strange and marvelous genius of “The Envoy” endures, because just like a Warren Zevon melodic hook, good things rise up, inexorable, to inspire us when we need them most.

Best tracks: The Envoy, The Hula Hula Boys, Let Nothing Come Between You, Never Too Late for Love

CD Odyssey Disc 1834: Paul Cauthen

I am not a fan of the EP. I can forgive a single (hey, we all gotta pay the bills) but if you don’t have enough material for a record, keep touring and write more material. I’ll see you when you’re got north of eight songs and 30 minutes.

Despite my bias, I do sometimes succumb to an EP, but usually only years after, when I’m confident the artist isn’t going to just release the same songs, plus five more to make up their next LP. I’m looking at you, Miya Folick and the Beaches. Love you both but…er…stop that.

Disc 1834 is…Have Mercy EP

Artist: Paul Cauthen

Year of Release: 2018

What’s up with the Cover? A visual re-creation of the concert experience, by which I mean the angle to see the artists can be awkward, and any photos you take are likely to end up a little blurry.

But you don’t go to a live show for glamour shots, you go for the music. Not coincidentally, that’s why we’re here as well.

How I Came To Know It: My friend Ross introduced me to Paul Cauthen. This particular album was an impulse buy when I was looking for something else under miscellaneous “C” in the country section of my local record store.

How It Stacks Up: I have three Paul Cauthen albums, if you decide to count this EP (which I will do). One of them has to finish third and this is it.

Ratings: 3 stars

Groove country? Lounge western? That is the best approximation I can muster for what to expect from a Paul Cauthen album. Cauthen is clearly country music but there is something a little extra embedded in his sound that gets into your spine a few vertebrae below where “mosey” typically resides. Imagine Waylon Jennings crossed with Studio 54 and you’ve got an approximation.

The Waylon Jennings comparison runs deeper than just the seventies country swagger (although there is plenty of that). Like Jennings, Cauthen is blessed with a sexy baritone warble that makes everything he says seem that much more meaningful. You know that very cool, vaguely dangerous dude who sits in the corner of the pub. He speaks sparingly, but when he does it’s something incredibly wise or, if not wise then at least memorable.

That’s Cauthen, except when that guy with a couple of bourbons in him and is sharing all kids of wise and/or memorable stuff and maybe dancing a bit when the jukebox plays something with a bit of jump.

A lot of country music has an amble to it, but Cauthen rides his music at a mid-tempo gallop. It all sounds country except sitting up in the middle of the beat it strays into lounge territory. Tom Jones if Tom Jones had deeper thoughts.

Although this is Cauthen’s second album as a solo artists (and his seventh if you count his previous work in the band “Sons of Fathers”) there are elements that felt a bit unformed to me. The sound I’ve described above is all there, but the songwriting doesn’t have the same immediacy of purpose as the albums that follow (2019’s “Room 41” and 2022’s “Country Coming Down”). This is Cauthen as a highball: tasty but a bit watered down in places.

The album’s best song is the opener. “Everybody Walkin’ This Land” is what would become Cauthen’s signature sound on later records, as he runs through a litany of different kinds of folks (some good, some bad) but all of who are forced to share the land together. The best I could take from it was Cauthen’s philosophy of “we’re stuck with the jackasses as well”, and while we don’t accept their behaviour, we can invite them to change for the better and see how it goes.

All the songs have some degree of the frenetic energy of “Everybody Walkin’…” but not all of them pull it off with the same aplomb. Think about that guy at the club who has had one too many and is cutting it up on the dance floor. 75% of his moves are expressions of wanton brilliance, but 25% are him losing his balance and bumping into your table and spilling your drink.

Overall, this record feels slightly undercooked (most EPs do), but all the brilliance that makes me a Paul Cauthen fan are there, and the good easily outweighs the bad. Hopefully that’s the case for everybody walkin’ this land as well. I suppose it depends on the day.

Best tracks: Everybody Walkin’ This Land, Resignation, Cadillac

CD Odyssey Disc 1833: Prince

Greetings, readers! I am in the middle of a week of vacation, which is why you are getting this review a bit earlier on a Wednesday than you ordinarily might.

Disc 1833 is…Self-Titled

Artist: Prince

Year of Release: 1979

What’s up with the Cover? Prince shows us how to make a stock ‘head and shoulders’ shot into something sexy. What makes it sexy? The porn-star moustache? The lack of a shirt? The tantalizingly almost-visible right nipple?

Yes, all these things, and one thing more: Prince knows he is sexy. And when he stares at you with those big, beautiful eyes, you know that he knows.

How I Came To Know It: Over the last few years I’ve been slowly exploring Prince’s back catalogue. I found this one in the used section of my local record store, after some very foolish person decided to part with it.

How It Stacks Up: I have nine Prince albums in the collection (up from four in 2011 and seven in 2020). I highly doubt I’m done. However, I rank against what I have in the moment, so today I’ll put this record in at…#3.

Ratings: 4 stars

In 2006 Justin Timberlake proposed to bring sexy back, but in 1979 Prince wasn’t interested in such temporal niceties. His self-titled sophomore effort is suffused with sexy in a way that transcends space and time. Sexy is Everywhere, All at Once, All the Time. If you are ready to slide into that reality, then you are ready for this record.

Marvin Gaye wishes he could have this kind of staying power on a theme. That is not to say this record is without variety – it is just to say that all that variety exists in the context of sexy times.

Sometimes, Prince drops fast-moving funky grooves. Let’s call this ‘vertical sexy’, the kind of sexy you experience on the dance floor. Maybe you are dancing with a partner and reveling in the mirroring and call-and-answer crazy when you’ve got a groove going, and so does your partner (or partners – the dance floor being a wondrous and chaotic place). You’re showing off your moves, you’re checking out other people’s moves. The vibe is fan-fucking-tastic. Know the feeling? Well, Prince has the music you need.

Let’s start with “I Wanna Be Your Lover” which is one of the funkiest dance tunes ever written. You will dance until you split your pants grooving to this song, but you will be so in the throes of the music you won’t notice until later. Do not worry; it is dark in the club.

Do you love the opening riff of Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration”? Then you’ll also like the opening of “I Wanna Be Your Lover” which came out a year earlier and very much ‘inspired’ (and I’m being kind here) Kool’s “Celebration”. “I Wanna Be Your Lover” eschews the more mainstream celebration vibe, however and goes deep into the twisty Tunnels of Undiscovered Groove. Funky drum? Yes! Synthesizer wonderment? Yes! The funkiest guitar that ever funked up Funktown? Hell yes!

Prince follows this song up with “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” a song that shows the proto-eighties funk sound that Prince would later make famous three years later on “1999”. He’s already working it here – there’s just less people noticing at this time.

Rounding out the top three “vertical” tunes that start the record is “Sexy Dancer”. If the previous two songs were not funky enough for you, Prince has a balm for you, and that balm is a bomb - “Sexy Dancer” If some of the funkiest bass and guitar riff action on this song is not enough to get the juices flowing, don’t worry, Prince has added some sexy panting. Yes, panting – and not the split in the bottom kind I mentioned earlier although…related.

The record also features many slower songs like “When We’re Dancing Close and Slow”, “With You” and “It’s Gonna Be Lonely” that I would call ‘horizontal sexy’. I hope I don’t have to explain why, but if I do then you should ask your parents instead. This column provides music advice only. This stuff is Prince at his most…romantic. Not sure that’s the word. How about…intimate? It shows off his delightful high head voice and also that he knows how to play a more nuanced and gentle guitar style when the occasion calls for it.

Speaking of guitar, it is worth pointing out that even at this early stage of his career, Prince is already showcasing his virtuosity on the instrument. The soft and sensitive tones of “With You” and the raunchy rock power featured on “Bambi” are played with equal and amazing skill. Prince is so compositionally brilliant and musically innovative that it is easy to forget what a talent he was on guitar.

Near the end of the record Prince gives us “I Feel For You”, made famous by Chaka Khan many years later, Prince delivers the original (yes, he wrote it) almost as an afterthought.

This record is a hidden gem and only hidden because of the sheer volume of awesome things Prince did in the years that followed. Do yourself a favour and go back to the beginning. You’ll be glad you did.

Best tracks: I Wanna Be Your Lover, Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?, Sexy Dancer, Bambi, It’s Gonna Be Lonely

CD Odyssey Disc 1832: Patterson Hood

It took a while, but at last we have my first review of an album released in 2025. This was going to happen at some point, as I’ve purchased 23 albums released this year already, and I’ve got a further 25 on my wish list. More will come – this is the nature of my affliction.

Disc 1832 is…Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams

Artist: Patterson Hood

Year of Release: 2025

What’s up with the Cover? Sometimes a cover is a burly handsome man in a ruffled shirt (see previous Tom Jones entry). Sometimes it is a lovely pastoral scene. Sometimes it is…this. Art is not always styled for comfort, readers.

With that bit of philosophy out of the way, let’s explore the wonders of this artfully crafted murder scene. The actual title of this Frances Thrasher painting is “Headache”. That’s pretty self-explanatory but if I were naming it, I’d call it “Gogo Yubari wins the fight” and it’s what would’ve happened to the Bride in Kill Bill if she hadn’t fortuitously found a board with a nail in it.

How I Came To Know It: I’m a long-time fan of the Drive-By Truckers, and one of the principal members of that band is Mr. Patterson Hood. As a result when he released a solo album, I decided to give it a try.

How It Stacks Up: Hood has done a few solo albums over the years, but this is the only one I have, so I can’t stack it up. Maybe I’ll get more in the future.

Ratings: 3 stars

Some voices just lend themselves to storytelling, and Patterson Hood is blessed with just such a voice. Some storyteller vocals are gravelly baritones – think Johnny Cash or John Moreland – but Hood’s talent comes in a high quaver, and poetic phrasing. He reminded me strongly of Hold Steady lead singer Craig Finn’s solo work. Like Finn, Hood has a formula as well and so the songs all sound similar in their construction. Since they all sound good, you don’t mind so much.

“Exploding Trees & Airplane Schemes” is a tight little collection of ten stories, largely based on characters and experiences from Hood’s early life. While this information (gleaned from Hood’s own words in the liner notes) tells you the characters are primarily founded in real experience, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that Hood knows how to ensure there is internal truth to each narrative, and to give these characters their due in a way that brings them to life for the listener.

If you’re already familiar with Hood’s songs in the Drive-By Truckers, then these songs will sound very similar. Melodic and rhythmic structures are the same, with songs that lilt along before they alight at the end of every stanza like a songbird on a slender branch, delicate and beautiful. You don’t have to love paying attention to a song’s lyrics to enjoy a record like this, but it helps. A lot.

The best song on the record is “A Werewolf and a Girl”, a duet with Lydia Loveless. Longtime readers will know I’m a big fan of Lydia Loveless’ solo work (three reviews so far, and more to come) and her work here with Hood reinforced how much I like her. The song is about Hood’s first girlfriend and does a pretty incredible job of describing the awkward vulnerability of young love.

Loveless is at her finest here, with her rich and scratchy tone juxtaposing nicely against the airy uncertainty of Hood’s verses. For two middle aged musicians, they do a bang up job of recalling the ardour of youth.

Also powerful was “Miss Coldiron’s Oldsmobile” the song of an old recluse with mental health issues. You get the impression that Miss Coldiron is both blessed with those willing to help her, and others just as willing to take advantage of her. Under Hood’s exceptional guidance you get a strong sense of just who she is, inside and out, and willing to root for her not despite her complex mix of light and dark, but because of it.

The record ends with “Pinocchio”, an exploration of life and experience through the prism of the story of the same name. It’s a pretty song that’ll have you thinking hard about its ultimate premise, delivered succinctly in the song’s last line: “Deep inside of every man is a real live boy.”

I did not love all the decisions Hood makes with the arrangement and production, although most of my criticism on this front is both light (didn’t bother me that much) and well-worn (my long-standing bias towards a light touch on production – add too many bells and whistles, and you’ll often lose me).

Also, there is a gap in quality between the album’s best songs – the ones I’ve noted above – and a lot of others that have great turns of phrase, but not always delivering the full-frontal emotional assault I expect from Patterson Hood when he’s at his best.

Overall, not a great record, but a good record, and more enjoyable on multiple listens, which is always a good sign.

Best tracks: A Werewolf and a Girl, Miss Coldiron’s Oldsmobile, Pinocchio