I spent most of last week listening to new music CDs. The two I enjoyed the most are Jessie Ware’s That Feels Good! and Lana Del Rey’s There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
As the review in the Wall Street Journal says: “The title track on Jessie Ware’s That Feels Good! launches with a clear statement of purpose as friends of Ms. Ware, including Kylie Minogue and Róisín Murphy, whisper the titular phrase repeatedly just before the irresistible beat kicks in. Its groove, powered by a rubbery bassline and surging horns, is a marvel of arrangement—there’s a great deal going on, but the track also feels infectiously light and spacious. And then the following “Free Yourself” adds a hypnotic piano and shouted background vocals to the body-moving mix, while the third track, “Pearls,” combines the force and confidence of Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” with the warmth of Donna Summer.” I agree.
I was blown away in 2019 by Lana Del Rey’s “Norman F—ing Rockwell!” It created a world of sound and music that kept me listening to it for weeks. Now Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd arrives with the same level of energy and wonder. This is Lana Del Rey’s 9th album and should rank near the top in quality. She also involves a talented team to boost her music: her frequent partner Jack Antonoff makes many contributions, and Drew Erickson and Zach Dawes, both of whom have worked with Ms. Del Rey on previous albums, appear here on multiple tracks—often to fold in dreamy strings, evoking the billowy arrangements favored by Natalie Mering of Weyes Blood.
If you’re in the mood for some marvelous music miles away from contemporary radio bilge, here are two winners! GRADE: A (for both)
TRACK LIST:
| That! Feels Good! | 4:22 | ||
| Free Yourself | 3:54 | ||
| Pearls | 4:03 | ||
| Hello Love | 4:42 | ||
| Begin Again | 5:24 | ||
| Beautiful People | 3:35 | ||
| Freak Me Now | 3:28 | ||
| Shake The Bottle | 3:23 | ||
| Lightning | 3:10 | ||
| These Lips | 4:21 |
TRACK LIST:
| The Grants | ||
| A2 | Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd | |
| A3 | Sweet | |
| A4 | A&W | |
| B1 | Judah Smith Interlude | |
| B2 | Candy NecklaceFeaturing – Jon Batiste Featuring – Jon Batiste | |
| B3 | Jon Batiste Interlude | |
| B4 | Kintsugi | |
| C1 | Fingertips | |
| C2 | Paris, TexasFeaturing – SYML Featuring – SYML | |
| C3 | Grandfather Please Stand On The Shoulders Of My Father While He’s Deep-Sea Fishing | |
| C4 | Let The Light InFeaturing – Father John Misty Featuring – Father John Misty | |
| D1 | MargaretFeaturing – BleachersF eaturing – Bleachers | |
| D2 | Fishtail | |
| D3 | PeppersFeaturing – Tommy Genesis Featuring – Tommy Genesis | |
| D4 | Taco Truck x VB |
I’m familiar with Lana del Rey but not her music.. I’ll check it out on Pandora or You Tube. Jessica Ware I’ve never heard of. There is still a lot of good music being produced. It just doesn’t fit into top 40 radio which is top heavy on pop and hip hop. I recommend Jesse Malin a singer songwriter from NYC who I’ve been listening to a lot lately. He has about ten albums available. One was produced by Lucinda Williams. I also recommend Defiance Part 1 a new album from Ian Hunter who turns 84 this June. Also anything by The National or Wilco. Both great bands.
Steve, thanks for the recommendations! I’ll check out Jesse Malin. I’ve listened to THE NATIONAL AND WILCO. Both excellent bands!
Thanks, Steve. Long ago I was a huge fan of both Mott the Hoople and Hunter’s solo work, my absolute favorites being “All the Young Dudes” and “Once Bitten Twice Shy”, but I haven’t heard anything from or about him in years and assumed he was dead. And now a new album to get!!
Michael-Ian Hunter has been putting out solo records on a regular basis for years and touring up until the pandemic. A couple of years ago when Def Leppard was inducted into the Rock and roll Hall of Fame they brought out Hunter and performed All the Young Dudes. Also Mott did a reunion tour about 5 or b6 years ago. So he is alive and well and living in Connecticut.
Steve, thanks for the info!
Michael, Steve has rewarded us over the years with some great music recommendations! He knows his stuff!
Don’t know Jessie Ware. Lana Del Rey annoys me.
Jeff, Katie introduced me to Jessie Ware’s music. Very energetic and fun. Lana Del Rey annoys a lot of people–remember her bizarre performance on Saturday Night Live?–but her cerebral lyrics hook me every time! A true original artist!
Never heard of either of them!
Bob, if I can find a duplicate of one of Jessie Ware’s CDs, I’ll send it to you. I think you’d enjoy it!
Sorry to go off topic but I came across this on the Tor website and thought you or one of your readers might like to take a crack at it:
https://www.tor.com/2023/05/25/can-you-solve-the-classic-wrinkle-in-time-cover-mystery/#
Byron, I don’t know who the illustrator was, but I’m sure someone out there knows! I’ll be looking for updates on this!
I thought that given your love of paperback cover art it might look familiar. It reminds me of a lot of late sixties/early seventies stuff. I’m pretty sure this was the printing I read. It’s a pity artists didn’t always get credit.
Byron, it’s sometimes easy to identify major paperback artists like EMSH and Kelly Freas and Robert McGinnis. But some of the more fringe artists who weren’t credited in the book makes IDing them difficult.