...to the Sublime

Before 'Sara' Smiled

I recently flew to Denver one morning and returned that same night. It wasn't quite a "turnaround"--that's airline lingo for flying to a destination then immediately returning to the departure city. But my itinerary made me think about Hall & Oates' "Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)," from their 1973 album, "Abandoned Luncheonette." The album (released on Atlantic and produced by Ahmet Ertegun's partner, Arif Mardin) yielded their first hit single, "She's Gone," which would launch their career as blue-eyed soul boys. But the rest of this fantastic album was quite different--more acoustic, even some pop-folk--though backed by a band that featured R&B drummer Bernard Purdie and jazz saxophonist Joe Farrell.

"Las Vegas Turnaround" starts with the lyrics: "Sara's off on a turnaround / flying gambling fools to the Holy Land Las Vegas..." "Sara" was Sara Allen--Daryl Hall's longtime companion who was really a stewardess when they met and who would later inspire "Sara Smile." (She would also share songwriting credits on several H&O hits, including "I Can't Go For That" and "Maneater.")

"Abandoned Luncheonette" was the second of three albums that H&O would record for Atlantic. The third, "War Babies," was produced by Todd Rundgren and was a flop. Atlantic let them go, and it was their first album for RCA that would yield "Sara Smile." That would be Hall & Oates' career turnaround. But this was an earlier clue to their budding songwriting prowess.

Download 03 Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)

The Lioness of Panjshir

I've been intrigued by Ariana Delawari ever since reading this story about the Afghani-American singer-songwriter. In 2002, her parents--who had lived in Southern Caliornia since 1970--returned to Afghanistan to help rebuild their homeland. In early 2007, Delawari visited them amid escalating violence in Kabul, hoping to record an album with traditional Afghani musicians. Delawari returned to L.A. with instrumental tracks, which were then melded with her folk-rock songs, aided by filmmaker and occasional music producer David Lynch. The result was "Lion of Panjshir," an album named after the late mujahedin leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. (Massoud, who fought against both the Soviets and Osama bin Laden, was assassinated just before 9/11.)

I recently had the chance to see Delawari perform at the Echoplex (which, by the way, is a fantastic venue). Her powerful voice pierced through the mix of electric guitar, Middle Eastern percussion and the recorded Afghani tracks. It made for a haunting sound that I can't shake, just as this image has been embedded in my memory: a few weeks ago, while driving in a wildly diverse section of Mid-City, I came across a mother and daughter strolling along a sidewalk. Walking through a background of palm trees, Korean markets, and billboards advertising the latest Hollywood dreck, the woman was draped in a burka.

Delawari's album is available on iTunes, but this song is from a Madonna tribute album. Even here, she adds her distinctive touch.

Download 14 Crazy for You

 

I Second That Emotion

I've written about The Avett Brothers before, but they just released a great new live album that merits revisiting their work--and it's making me regret having missed their recent show in L.A. Their alt-country sound is often referred to as "punkgrass," given the intense energy level of their songs. They've even got me withstanding the infernal banjo. And it's not all country-ish. Some of their songs have the rock flavor of fellow North Carolinian Ben Folds.

But it's the plain and powerful emotion of their ballads that really grabs me, especially "Murder In the City." Perhaps this is their nod to the murder ballad genre that was once common in American popular music, but it's a bit of a mystery why Scott Avett would be singing such a darkly-themed song that is obviously somewhat autobiographical. I can't stop listening to this song, and I defy you to keep a dry eye when you give it a listen.

(FYI--this version is from another live recording of theirs; for you PC users, I'm trying to not make downloads available from new recordings.)

Murder In the City

 

 

RIP, Solomon Burke

Legendary record producer Jerry Wexler once called Solomon Burke "the best soul singer of all time." But Burke, like Ray Charles, was also a great country singer. According to the liner notes in "From Where I Stand: The Black Experience in Country Music": "His multi-market voice was such that some of his country audience didn't know he was black, and, says Burke, he was once even booked accidentally for a Ku Klux Klan rally."

Burke died today, en route to a gig in Amsterdam, at the age of 70. Here's one of his best country hits, "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)," released as a single in 1961 when Burke was barely out of his teens.

 

Download 2-07 Just Out Of Reach

 

 

From the Rarities File: Björk

Recently stumbled upon this great version of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's "Ruby Baby," recorded in 1990 by Björk when she was fronting a jazz trio with the snappy name of Björk Guomundsdottir & Trio Guomundar Ingolfssonar. Here are the roots of the vocal exuberance that she would later display on "It's Oh So Quiet." (The album, "Gling-Gló," is available on iTunes.)

Download 02 Ruby Baby