Sarah Vaughan had an amazing voice : rich, velvety, smoky. My go-to Vaughan LP remains her 1955 release with the great Clifford Brown. IMHO, one of the greatest vocal jazz albums ever recorded. Lullaby of Birdland. April in Paris. Gershwin's Embraceable You. I mean, classic stuff from top to bottom.
The Sugarcubes' Life's Too Good. Oh man. Some records evoke vivid memories from a certain time and place. Like this one. The absolutely crazy summer of 1988 with my cousins. A quirky, fun, energetic album that's still a great listen. The discovery of a unique voice: Björk. Easily the band's best LP.
King Crimson's USA. One of the best prog live albums I've heard. It captures the band right before it broke up (IMO, with its definitive lineup); remarkably intense and heavy, technically brilliant, surprisingly emotionally charged. Still potent and a great listen 50+ years after its release.
Friday afternoon is often the perfect time for me to spin some Sade. Especially when it's sunny and hot. Promise, her second LP, is almost as good as her debut. Great singing but also the band is tight, top-notch. Sweetest Taboo, Jezebel, Fear, Maureen. Cool, elegant, sophisticated, timeless stuff.
I often like to listen to Thelonious Monk on a Saturday morning... with a cup of coffee. Especially this album. It's very intimate. Just him at the piano exploring melodies, leaving spaces and traces of humour, circling ideas. A unique, lyrical, contemplative item in Monk's catalog.
Let's Get It On. I highly recommend listening to this LP on a Saturday evening... in good company. It's perfect. The grooves are sensual, hypnotic, Gaye's singing incredibly soulful. The album's sophisticated and treats sexuality as something profoundly human and meaningful. Influential masterpiece.
Rainy Sundays are perfect for some Chet. Chet Baker Sings is as delicate as it is elegant, as intimate as it is comforting, as spacey as it is laid-back. There's a proximity with the listener that's utterly charming. A collection of standards that's now considered an absolute cool jazz classic.
Yesterday, I listened to On the Beach... on the beach. Fabulous experience. Some people I know dismiss this album but IMO, it's the peak of Young's "Ditch" Trilogy. 3 out of the 8 tunes have the word "blues" in their titles but it's not a blues record. It's a harrowing, personal rock tour-de-force.
In a little less than 3 months I'm going to see Rush live. Or, shall I say, Rush 2.0. To remind me of the good old days. Peter Collins knew what to do to make the band sound good on record. Power Windows may have keyboards but the prod's top-notch. Marathon, Middletown Dreams are tunes I really dig.
Between the "classic lineup" Mac LPs Rumours and the 1975 "White Album With The Weird Cover", I've always preferred the latter. It's less polished and formulaic. A lot fresher and overall exciting, IMHO. Rhiannon. Landslide. Monday Morning. Over My Head. I'm So Afraid. Can't go wrong with that.
