From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V13 #336 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, December 13 2007 Volume 13 : Number 336 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Best of 2007 [jjhanson@att.net] precious? ["Donald G. Keller" ] I knew I forgot something (re: best of 2007) [morayati@email.unc.edu] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:42:12 +0000 From: jjhanson@att.net Subject: Best of 2007 My best of 2007 is a remarkably traditionally "ecto" list. Maybe I'm getting stuck in a rut, a lot of the newer artists I've put on my queue in LaLa, but haven't rushed out to purchase, and haven't heard yet. Some of the other releases, just never caught my interest. So in rough order, Amy Winehouse - Back to Black - I pretty much love every song on this album. And I bought it not really expecting to like it--I think it has a very solid, fresh yet retro sound. I hope Amy can get past all the media attention, drug problems, etc and continue on a great long-lived career. Tom McRae - King of Cards - Tom McRae keeps putting out gems--there is something about his music that completely resonates with me. Over the Rhine - The Trumpet Child - I've long been a fan of Over the Rhine, but this album seems much stronger than previous. Maybe its because I saw them twice this year, but the first time I heard the song "The Trumpet Child" I was pretty blown away--think its one of the best songs of the year for sure, but the whole album is good. Maria McKee - Late December - Maria continues her forays into rock opera and the more experimental, but this album seems to be a good balance between her more experiemental side with her more traditional side. After returning to her roots last year with Peddlin' Dreams, a lackluster effort, I was actually much more taken with Late December and its return to edginess. Certainly an artist to follow her own muse, and not necesarily what her fans want, Late December was an album that I've listened to pretty much continuously since it came out, and continue to be surprised by. She also released a really decent live album, Acoustic Tour 2006, sampling some of the best moments from her career--I do wish though they'd trimmed some of the stage banter. Alison Moyet - The Turn - Alison is probably my all time favorite singer. I don't like this ablum as much as Voice, but it is a very solid effort, featuring 3 of the songs she performed in Smaller, a off-East End theater production about an aging singer. Its a pretty eclectic mix of song styles, but there is always that voice that elevates it above almost everything else out there (at least in my opinion). I'll be going to see her in London in January and can't wait--given that its been at least 12 years and probably longer since I last saw her perform. The Wyrd Sisters - Wholly - If Alison formed a trio, they'd be the Wyrd Sisters. Kim Baryluk's rich voice is almost as good as Alison's, and this album is a great release from Canadian Wyrd Sisters (no relation to the Harry Potter band!). Some of the songs lyrics border on the New Agey, but the Wyrd Sisters manage to pull them off. Holly Cole - Holly Cole (to be released in the U.S. January 22nd--and touring the US!) A really great new release from Holly--very jazzy, with horns and strings, but still her unique interpretations. I'm glad to see they're finally releasing this in the U.S. They never did release her last album Shades here and I thought they mgiht have given up trying to tap into the U.S. market. I always wonder why fellow Canadian Diana Krall, who is talented in her own right, gets so much more attention than Holly, when Diana's emotional and musical range is so much more limited than Holly's. Annie Lennox - Songs of Mass Destruction Another of my all time favorite singers, I'm always glad to hear new material, and this album really holds up well. Comparable to the last couple of Eurythmics albums, but still fresh. The great vocal choir of 29 astounding female vocals is a bit wasted on Sing--I would have liked to hear a little more differentiation in the voices but I know that wasn't the artistic intent. But still, why use celebrities if they sound no different en masse than a choir of backup singers? Siouxsie - Mantaray Siouxsie offers a surprisingly good release--not exactly ground breaking, but edgy at times, emotional, and contemporary, but still true to her past. A good step forward, showing that Siouxsie is still the queen of cool. Haris Alexiou - Sour Cherry and Bitter Orange - yet another of my all time favorite voices, releases a somewhat mellower album, but one filled with all the passion and emotion her voice can convey. Given I don't speak a word of Greek and can't even tell what the song titles are, still the emotion comes through. Elton John - The Captain and the Kid - I grew up listening to my sister's Elton John albums, and while he never was one of my favorites, his songs always bring back good memories. This album is really solid, with some really standout tracks. Placebo - Meds - Edgy, a bit whiny, and with a Kate Bush cover--what more could you want? I think this album actually came out last year, but just found out about it this year. This one also really grew on me and I listened to it much more than I expected to. Kelly Sweet - We are One Kelly falls probably more on the side of bland adult contemporary than most ecto artists, but she's got an amazingly pure voice, and how can you not like someone that covers Lisa Gerrard! She also does a pretty beautiful version of Aerosmith's Dream On. Patti Smith - Twelve Patti Smith offers a pretty compelling collection of covers--that, while not revolutionary, she certainly brings her own spin to. It's interesting because I usually think of Patti more as a songwriter/poet than a singer, but this album proves that she can sing--in her own unique way. Older releases I listened to a lot this year: Lucinda Williams - West -Kind of a depressing album, but Lucinda really captures a mood--this album has been in constant play since I saw her last year, and is solid throughout. Casey Stratton - Divide/The Crossing - I picked up these from CdBaby after being a fan of his major release Standing on the Edge for a while. Really a solid songwriter and good pianist--a couple of songs veer to being a bit too emotionally over the top, but overall both are fine releases. Many may be thrown by his almost feminine voice, but if you can get past that, they're great, very ecto-friendly voices. The Fits - Seize to Amaze I can't listen to this Veda Hille side project without smiling. Funny lyrics, unusual covers (who'd have thought they'd hear Veda singing Anne Murray's Snowbird, but yet, once you hear it, it seems strangely appropriate), unusual medleys, Supertramp, songs about fellatio--what more can you want in an album? Some Disappointments: Tori Amos - American Doll Posse - While there are a few moments I love on this album, most of it I just find irritating, and largely unmemorable. To me, Tori appears to becoming stranger and stranger, just for strangeness sake, sacrificing piano skills and melody in the process. Tracy Thorn - out of the Wood - a few good songs, but largely forgettable Debby Harry - Necessary Evil - sorry Debby, been a fan for years, love almost all the Blondie releases and even some of your solo ones, but this one just wasn't necessary. Songs are repetitive, and largely just boring. Your voice still sounds good though. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:43:52 -0500 (EST) From: "Donald G. Keller" Subject: precious? In my opinion: 1. "precious" is not at all an objective critical term 2. nor is it in any way gendered. Antony (of the Johnsons) is one of the most "precious" singers I've ever heard: though I'm one of the people who likes Bjork's =Volta=, I can't listen to the tracks he's on. Other people's mileage clearly varies. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:08:01 -0500 From: morayati@email.unc.edu Subject: I knew I forgot something (re: best of 2007) The problem with being a relatively new album buyer is that it's really difficult which albums actually came out in 2007 and which you just *bought* in 2007. Especially when said album came out early in the year. So I have an addition to my list: Learn to Sing Like a Star by Kristin Hersh. Out of all her solo work, this comes the closest to her Throwing Muses work. Powerful, edgy - "In Shock" in particular is a killer - and it has a sense of humor, often in titles, such as the instrumental "Christian Hearse" and the album title itself. Kristin's the last person on earth who should be teaching people how to sing like a star, but I'd take her singing any day over generic Pro Tools-ed pop star voices. Among my favorite rock albums of 2007. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V13 #336 ***************************