New Music CDs for Adults
Hundreds of CDs are added to the Library's collection each month. Here are the most recent Music CDs for adults.
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Dreamers Do
Kat Edmonson's upcoming 2020 record, explores the common human struggles around daring to dream, including a range of emotional and psychological consequences. The music all takes place over the course of one, sleepless night. (syndetics)
Format: Music CD - 2020
Holds: 14 on 4 copies
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The Family Songbook
Featuring three great voices and just one birthday, anything the Haden Triplets do together is in the truest sense a family project, but the trio are pushing the concept forward on their second album together, 2020's The Family Songbook. The main focus of this project is the truly stellar close harmony singing of Petra Haden, Rachel Haden, and Tanya Haden, who in the great folk and country tradition mesh their voices in a way only shared DNA can make possible. Their brother Josh Haden (who leads the group Spain) also plays on the album and wrote one song, and even more to the point, four tunes were written by Carl E. Haden, their paternal grandfather who was a successful C&W songwriter and drafted their dad, Charlie Haden, into the family band years before Charlie became one of the most respected and innovative bassists in jazz. There's a sweetness and gentle sadness in the Carl E. Haden numbers that seems to especially inspire the sisters, even on the once-topical, now curious "Memories of Will Rogers," and though Woody Jackson's production is suitably unobtrusive, the best tracks here tend to be the ones that have been dressed up the least. Bill Frisell, Doyle Bramhall, Greg Leisz, and Don Was are among the accompanists on these sessions, and they have the good sense to not dominate the tracks. They lend artful support while staying out of the spotlight, and the a cappella take on "Pretty Baby" is sublime, as emotionally eloquent as anyone could hope for. (The set also includes a cover of "Say You Will" that's the great indie folk Kanye West remake you never knew you needed.) The Family Songbook sounds pleasingly simple on the surface, though closer inspection confirms this is an album of tremendous craft that achieves its effects in a way that camouflages the effort that went into its creation, allowing us to simply appreciate the beauty. In a family full of world-class musicians, the Haden Triplets live up to their high standards on The Family Songbook, and one hopes the sisters' schedules will permit them to make another album sooner rather than later. ~ Mark Deming (syndetics)
Format: Music CD - 2020
Holds: 10 on 3 copies
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Apala: Apala groups in Nigeria 1967-70
(syndetics)
Format: Music CD - 2020 Yoruba
Holds: 8 on 3 copies
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The Women Who Raised Me
Kandace Springs attracted Blue Note with a version of "I Can't Make You Love Me," a ballad popularized by Bonnie Raitt, then covered Shelby Lynne on Soul Eyes, and updated "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," deeply associated with Roberta Flack, on Indigo. Honoring the women who raised her has always been one of Springs' facets -- she has also evoked other inspirations less obviously with vocal nuances -- but the singer and pianist does it in concentrated form with her third Blue Note album. Like Soul Eyes, The Women Who Raised Me was produced by Larry Klein, who tracked it live with bassist Scott Colley, drummer Clarence Penn, and guitarist Steve Cardenas providing economical and softly luminous core support. Springs' poised if consistently fiery voice (over her tasteful keyboard work) pays tribute here to singular voices spanning genres and generations, including Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, and Mainstream-era Carmen McRae, along with the softer-styled likes of Flack, Astrud Gilberto, and Sade. Knowing Springs' back story, it's a delight to hear an official recording of "I Can't Make You Love Me," enriched with Avishai Cohen's consoling trumpet. Springs' own held notes ooze romantic resignation. A few exceptions aside, the song choices aren't adventurous, though Springs skillfully balances reverence with her individuality, treating even "I Put a Spell on You" and "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" like they're no more worn than anything she has written herself. Among the several featured players, bassist Christian McBride, who drives "Devil May Care," and flutist Elena Pinderhughes, heard on two of the songs with the strongest hip-hop connections, add the most. Springs also gets to duet with formative influence Norah Jones on Ella Fitzgerald favorite "Angel Eyes," in which the two exchange leads and back one another like longtime play cousins. On the surface, The Women Who Raised Me might seem like a regression, the kind of project that would have made more sense as an introduction -- especially since Springs co-wrote some of her debut and almost everything on the follow-up. Only one spin makes it clear that Springs is in her element, and an increasingly fascinating interpreter. ~ Andy Kellman (syndetics)
Format: Music CD - 2020
Holds: 8 on 3 copies
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Honey Moon
Originally the solo bedroom pop endeavor of Chicagoan Lili Trifilio, Beach Bunny found its legs in 2018 as fully formed fuzz-pop quartet, landing a streaming hit with the dark-witted body image paean "Prom Queen." More so than on her earlier more-acoustic releases, Trifilio's full-band version of Beach Bunny revealed a knack for infectious pop hooks played with a collaborative energy, which helped propel her anxious observations beyond mere folk confessionalism. The success of "Prom Queen" also helped the group net a deal with New York indie Mom + Pop Records, which offers up their full-length debut, Honeymoon. Like the self-released EP that preceded it, Honeymoon capitalizes on Trifilio's emotional honesty and strong melodic sense, but with a bolder production aesthetic, doing away with some of the lo-fi leanings of her previous output. Having spent the last couple of years gelling as a live band, Beach Bunny seem altogether more streamlined here, even flirting with elements of pop-punk precision on cuts like "Cuffing Season" and "Colorblind," though without losing their indie charm. Most of the songs are up-tempo, with Trifilio taking a timeout on the introspective electric piano piece "Racetrack" and the more jagged "Rearview," the latter of which is played entirely solo until its mighty final 30 seconds. Honeymoon is bookended by a pair of highlights in "Promises" and "Cloud 9," two rousing tracks that connect squarely and showcase the best of what Beach Bunny can do. There's an endearing tenderness to Trifilio's personal songwriting style that mostly avoids emo clichés, and the band's cautiously buoyant indie pop walks the line between sweet and muscular on this solid debut. ~ Timothy Monger (syndetics)
Format: Music CD - 2020
Holds: 5 on 3 copies
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Far From Home
For anybody who's ever felt as if they didn't quite fit in, Sellers's masterful second album is essential listening. Sonically, it's a sweeping, epic vision made manifest in crushing, amp-busting guitar rock and delicate yet shattering widescreen ballads that form compelling frameworks for her angelic voice to take flight. (syndetics)
Format: Music CD - 2020
Holds: 2 on 4 copies
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Like New
The duo formerly known as Jack and Eliza releases their second musical project, which takes its cues from a lineage of dual-lead-vocalist bands with sonic roots in the late '60s and '70s. (syndetics)
Format: Music CD - 2020
Holds: 3 on 3 copies
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ERYS
Jaden's second studio album features Summertime in Paris with sister Willow; Chateau featuring A$AP Rocky; Noize with Tyler the Creator; and more. (syndetics)
Format: Music CD - 2020
Holds: 1 on 4 copies
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Chairs Missing
Chairs Missing marks a partial retreat from Pink Flag's austere, bare-bones minimalism, although it still takes concentrated listening to dig out some of the melodies. Producer Mike Thorne's synth adds a Brian Eno-esque layer of atmospherics, and Wire itself seems more concerned with the sonic textures it can coax from its instruments; the tempos are slower, the arrangements employ more detail and sound effects, and the band allows itself to stretch out on a few songs. The results are a bit variable -- "Mercy," in particular, meanders for too long -- but compelling much more often than not. The album's clear high point is the statement of purpose "I Am the Fly," which employs an emphasis-shifting melody and guitar sounds that actually evoke the sound of the title insect. But that's not all by any means -- "Outdoor Miner" and "Used To" have a gentle lilt, while "Sand in My Joints" is a brief anthem worthy of Pink Flag, and the four-minute "Practice Makes Perfect" is the best result of the album's incorporation of odd electronic flavors. In general, the lyrics are darker than those on Pink Flag, even morbid at times; images of cold, drowning, pain, and suicide haunt the record, and the title itself is a reference to mental instability. The arty darkness of Chairs Missing, combined with the often icy-sounding synth/guitar arrangements, helps make the record a crucial landmark in the evolution of punk into post-punk and goth, as well as a testament to Wire's rapid development and inventiveness. ~ Steve Huey (syndetics) (8/13/2020 6:28:15 AM)
Format: Music CD - 2018
Holds: 0 on 3 copies
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