Brothers Paul, Danny and Ken Janz from Alberta, Canada formed their pop trio Deliverance in Munich, Germany and released three (now sadly out of print) albums before Paul went on to a solo career.
Now a theologian, Paul is in fact Professor of Philosophical Theology and Head of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at King’s College London.
Though aching ballad “Leaving L.A.” (the band’s only American chart hit at #71) hearkens to the California soft rock sound of Ambrosia, elsewhere Deliverance blended this sound with religious lyrical themes, which made for an interesting and not unappealing mix–Christian soft rock.
The Jayhawks: “Quiet Corners & Empty Spaces” (2016)
I’ll defer here to Walter Tunis’ review of the Jayhawks’ Paging Mr. Proust album from the Lexington Herald Leader:
The opening tune to the new Jayhawks album Paging Mr. Proust isn’t just a fine encapsulation of the band’s Americana and pop inspirations. It is quite possibly the perfect pop song.
Clocking in at three minutes, there isn’t a wasted breath on Quiet Corners and Empty Spaces. It exudes melancholy and a hint of restless urgency (“Not far, a blue guitar was playing; it drew me like it knew me, saying…”) then strides along with such an effortless melodic flow as to recall The Byrds at their best. But then there are the vocals: a three-part harmony design created by Jayhawks chieftain Gary Louris along with keyboardist Karen Grotberg and drummer Tim O’Reagan. That’s the dealbreaker: a simple, infectious but overwhelmingly emotive wave of singing that proclaims, in definitive terms, that The Jayhawks have returned.
So captivating is the song that upon first listen to the album, I hit repeat five times before exploring the other riches within Paging Mr. Proust.
Rufus Wainwright with Florence Welch: “When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men’s Eyes (Sonnet 29)” (2016)
I don’t know how you observed the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, but Rufus Wainwright gathered a diverse group of singers and actors to recite and sing a selection of 16 interpretations of nine of the bard’s sonnets.
Some are operatic, some experimental-sounding, some sparely arranged and others richly orchestrated. Most employ classical arrangements but a few are chamber pop pieces more approachable for the fan of more mainstream pop, such as this take on Sonnet 29 featuring Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine. Never has Elizabethan-era love poetry sounded more catchy.
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state, And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself, and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Featur’d like him, like him with friends possess’d, Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, With what I most enjoy contented least; Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, Haply I think on thee, and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate; For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Unlike say, Al Green or Lynyrd Skynyrd, there is no one Joe Jackson sound. He started out making critically successful, highly-caffeinated pop-punk with the Joe Jackson Band, but abandoned the style almost immediately to explore other genres. His Jumpin’ Jive in 1981 presaged the neo-swing revival and with Night and Day the very next year he seemed to be trying on Cole Porter’s songwriting shoes.
But in 2003 he finally reunited with the band that backed him for his seminal hit “Is She Really Going Out With Him” and his first three albums. While the results were mixed, “Awkward Age” seems to recapture a bit of the classic vibe and energy.
Jackson’s message here is meant to embolden someone (specifically a fifteen-year-old female) trapped in a less-than-cool life situation, reminding her that “we’ll all be fine” and the awkward age can be any age.
Bonus points for the phrase “Klingon beauty queen”.
Clannad: “Down by the Sally Gardens” (Live) (1979)
William Butler Yeats wrote this as a poem, inspired by an older song, “You Rambling Boys of Pleasure”. It was set to music by Herbert Hughes.
Clannad is a family folk group comprised of three siblings and two uncles. They also spawned the solo career of another sibling whose fame eclipsed their own–Enya.
This song drips with the melancholy of unrequited love that is a hallmark of so many Irish traditional songs.
At the height of Garth mania in the early 90’s, Dwight Yoakam’s Bakersfield sound had more of an attraction for me than the typical Nashville product. He seemed to record songs that had more of an authentic emotional pull as opposed to melodrama. And his hooks–like the harmonized, reverb-drenched chorus of this weeper–seemed to owe more to classic pop than Nashville assembly line craftsmanship.
These things are highly subjective of course. All I know for sure is that this is one song that had a way of insinuating itself into my brain and staying there for extended periods of time.
Every Moment Has A Song 