Songs You May Have Missed #166

17 Aug 2012 1 Comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

mystery

Mystery: “Between Love and Hate” (2010)

Mystery feature the vocals of Benoit David, who until recently was Jon Anderson’s replacement in Yes after Anderson experienced voice problems, until David’s own vocal difficulties forced the band to replace him in turn. Benoit, by the way, was discovered by Yes while singing in a Yes tribute band.

“Between Love and Hate” typifies the regal brand of prog rock that Mystery deliver on their excellent 2010 offering One Among the Living. For fans of long-form rock played with taste and relative restraint–without the metal overtones present in so much of today’s prog–this is a band to look into.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/06/20/songs-you-may-have-missed-429/

Songs You May Have Missed #165

17 Aug 2012 2 Comments

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: , ,

skeeter

Skeeter Davis: “I Can’t Stay Mad at You” (1963)

A mostly forgotten trinket from the pop music moment just before the Beatles.

If we rightly think of the Mick Jaggers and Paul McCartneys as rock and roll royalty, what ought we say about Carole King, who was crafting perfect pop songs like this one several years before even they came onto the scene?

King’s often-covered “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”, as recorded by the Shirelles, became pop’s first number one hit by a girl group–in 1960. If you want a short clinic on great pop songwriting just listen to any version of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and King’s own recording of “It’s Too Late” (with its jazzy sax solo). It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Granted, the sentiments of “I Can’t Stay Mad at You” are passe, but it’s charm is undying, like the innocence of a love story in an old black and white movie.

Songs You May Have Missed #164

13 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

kelis

Kelis: “Lil Star” (2006)

The R&B singer and rapper best known for “Milkshake” (search “Spock” on this site for a unique take) released Kelis Was Here in 2006, an album that debuted at #10 but sold relatively disappointingly. However, the album contained a Cee Lo Green-produced gem called “Lil Star”, which never charted as a single in the U.S. although it did peak at #3 in the UK.

Refreshingly not the usual subject matter of R&B diva fare (man-does-diva-wrong, diva-wants-ranchy-sex-as-much-as-man, diva-is-too-good-for-underachieving-man, etc. etc.) “Lil Star” finds the typically brash Kelis putting the sauciness (and vulgarity) aside in favor of actual humility. As she sings about her own imperfections and being a small part of a bigger picture in the verses, Cee Lo takes over in the chorus with almost-fatherly exhortations to “keep tryin’ and tryin'”.

Like I said, refreshing. And the fact that a song like this can’t be a hit in the U.S. is part of what’s wrong with R&B in the Nicki Minaj era.

Songs You May Have Missed #163

13 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: , ,

low

Low Stars: “Child” (2007)

Low Stars are, or were, sort of an “Eagles Lite” who released a self-titled debut album in 2007 containing the same breezy harmonies as the country rock heavyweights but with a third fewer calories on the lyrical side.

A highlight is the low-key acoustic “Child”, a reflection on the circle of life at the approach of middle age.

Songs You May Have Missed #162

11 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

fields

The Magnetic Fields: “Andrew in Drag” (2012)

Have you ever appreciated the genius in a song that perfectly captures a universal human emotion or experience? Well, that will not be your response to hearing “Andrew in Drag”–not unless you commonly have experiences that are out of the realm of the ordinary. Still, I think the experience related in the song could happen. And it would be really sad, and hilarious, if it did. And so this song is both sad and funny. And a little less than completely PC. You’ve been warned.

Imagine – The Story of the Guitar Part 2 – Out of the Frying Pan

09 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

Video by Ed Cyphers

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