THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (NEW RELEASES) By Michael McDowell

CHRISTMAS WILL NEVER END:  In recent years, few Christmas albums have risen above the herd to take their place among the elite classics of the genre. One notable exception availed intself in late 2024 in the form of I'm Spending Christmas With You by the beloved composer, vocalist, arranger, producer and pianist ALICIA WITT. Editor / Publisher Michael McDowell celebrates this instant classic below. (Click on above image to enlarge).

CDs AND VINYL - NEW RELEASES

(REVIEWS ARE POSTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST)

REVIVAL -

The Cyrkle (Big Stir)

Name dropping can be counter productive.

In a Cyrkle interview with Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People in the early 1980s, among the topics discussed was the 1981 solo single, I Did It For You, by band co-founder and front man Don Dannemann. That single was released as a tribute to Beatles rhythm guitarist John Lennon in the aftermath of Lennon's December 1980 murder. 

From Dannemann's perspective, I Did It For You was a salute to a one time colleague, with whom his band had Brian Epstein in common as a manager. But with rock and roll in the early 1980s still digging itself out of the protracted aesthetic slump of the early 1970s, such gestures were often viewed within musicologist circles as unnecessary apologetics. 

To wit, rock and roll giants Del Shannon and Gary U.S. Bonds did not need the endorsements that they received around that time from Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen to justify their formidable track records as pioneers and visionaries. Shannon's and Bonds' legacies most assuredly stood on their own merits.

Likewise, whereas the Cyrkle (who had begun as the Rhondells while attending Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania) certainly benefitted initially from a heightened profile as the result of Epstein's considerable management acumen, theirs was nonetheless a unique musical vision that bowed the knee only peripherally at most to others. 

Foremost among their many attributes was vivid imagery borne of strong songwriting; either from within or via their most competent interpretations of the compelling storytelling of others. The evidence is borne out repeatedly in the numerous triumphs to their credit that were amassed during their affiliation with Columbia. They include definitive renditions of Neil Sedaka's psychedelic romp, We Had A Good Thing Goin', the P-Nut Butter's sublime garage staple, Please Don't Ever Leave Me and the Bee Gees' otherworldly Turn Of The Century. 

In turn, their mid-1966 anthemic Turn Down Day single earned a fathful cover from sibling duo Twinn Connexion for Decca the following year. Most inspiringly, their Camaro single for Columbia Specal Products underscored just how well the band could execute within a rich variety of genres. Conversely, few singles have captured the nightmare of loss as eloquently as did their magnificent I Wish You Could Be Here.

However, by decade's end, the Cyrkle had embarked upon a protracted sabbatical. Dannemann and bassist Tom Dawes both went on to richly rewarding careers as composers and jingle writers. Drummer Marty Fried relocated to the Detroit, Michigan area, graduating from Wayne State University's law school and enjoying a successful legal practice for decades. Keyboard man Mike Losekamp (who had succeeded Earle Pickens in that capacity in 1966, when Pickens opted to pursue a career in medicine) persevered to varying degrees in music, most recently with the Columbus, Ohio-based Gas Pump Jockeys. 

Happily, by the mid-2010s, Don Dannemann and Mike Losekamp began to realize that the time was right to once again build upon the Cyrkle's formidable legacy.  However, Tom Dawes had passed away in 2007 at age 64, following complications from heart surgery. 

The band also initially shared their renewed enthusiasm with drummer Marty Fried, who was still actively involved in his work as a bankruptcy attorney at the time. However, upon his retirement from the law profession, Fried once again availed himself to his Cyrkle colleagues. Tragically, before either side could move forward in that respect, Fried succumbed to a protracted battle against pancreatic cancer in September 2021. He was 77.  

Nonetheless resolute to persevere in the face of tragedy, Dannemann and Losekamp expanded the Cyrkle to a six piece band and began touring with a vengeance in 2016. The added musical muscle has served them extraordinarily well, as evidenced in abundance in this magnificent new album for the Burbank, California-based Big Stir label.

Thankfully, Revival is not so much a concession to that which the legendary Rick Nelson sang out against so resolutely in 1972's Garden Party (and indeed, that perspective can only be found here in the album's debut single, We Thought We Could Fly, more for informational than wistful purposes). For the most part, the album is a bold assertion that the Cyrkle's main attribute of solid storytelling over a sympathetic and immersible musical backdrop remains their strongest such asset.

Thankfully that virtue is borne out repeatedly throughout the proceedings. To wit, the opener, Goin' Steady With You serves as the first half of a two-part tale of the relentless optimism borne of the joy of newfound relationships. For the second installment, Center Of The World brings it into a different setting as a tongue in cheek look at the adventures of internet dating. 

Most encouragingly, the Cyrkle endeavors to take We Thought We Could Fly a step further in We Can Find It. Therein, they endeavor to soar musically in a manner not unlike that undertaken by the New Colony Six in their ambitious Ride The Wicked Wind. Happily, they hit their stride in that respect, as evidenced in the optimistic Singing For Tomorrow. 

The band underscores the enduring strength of their mission statement with a profession of solidarty cover of Harpers Bizarre's The 59th Street Bridge Song, alongside well thought out remakes of Turn Down Day and their 1966 Columbia-era signature single, Red Rubber Ball (which was composed by like minded colleagues Bruce Woodley of the Seekers, in tandem with Tom And Jerry and Tico And The Triumphs alumnus, Paul Simon).

More than a half century after the fact, the notion that a veteran band can still produce at optimum level is nothing short of answered prayer. And with Revival, the one time Rhondells have most assuredly come full Cyrkle in that respect. To paraphrase a standout cut from their 1966 Neon album, the weight of their words has served them well.

MISS YOU BLUE -

Devon Marie

(Devon Marie Music)

I'm Gonna Be Strong.

Those words, which comprise the title of a 1964 Musicor label 45 by Gene Pitney, are most assuredly indicative of the late composer and vocalist's status as one of the absolute masters of high drama. But they only tell half of the story. 

With his trademark bombast tempered by heightened sensitivity borne of the circumstances at hand, Pitney therein professes his determination to stand resolute. However, as the proceedings crescendo to a compelling climax, his defenses begin to crumble, as he succumbs to the inevitable, crushing defeat. I'm Gonna Be Strong arguably remains among the finest moments of the high drama approach overall.

To be certain, there were others who tried their hand at the heightened dramatic approach prior to Pitney. Johnnie Ray's Cry for the OKeh label is one enduring example, as was Joan Weber's Let Me Go Lover for Columbia. 

In the ensuing years, a wide variety of artists found such a setting to be a logical extension of their respective mission statements, from New Traditionalist greats Lorrie Morgan and Holly Dunn to the much loved Laura Branigan. 

The latest to apply her considerable acumen to that most demanding of pursuits is the vocal tour de force, Devon Marie. With a curriculum vitae that is highlighted by such triumphs as fronting the acclaimed Rubix Kube and providing backing vocals for Debbie Gibson, the New Jersey native now takes a decisive leap forward in the high drama department with her solo single, Miss You Blue.

Composed, produced, engineered and mixed by Steve Brown (whose credits include various projects with Def Leppard and KISS co-founder Ace Frehley, among others), Miss You Blue takes Gene Pitney's saga a step further by chronicling the recovery process in all of its challenges. Therein, Devon Marie echoes the determination of the aforementioned Branigan, Morgan and Dunn (and perhaps even Martina McBride) in bringing Frank Sinatra's trademark determination to pick one's self up and get back in the race to the next level.

"That is definitely a broad range", she said.

"I've been hearing many interpretations of this song. Most are going this route. I think the high drama approach would deliver nicely". 

And if Miss You Blue is any indication, it is an approach that will serve both artist and audience sublimely in the long run.

"I love everyone's individual thoughts on the song", Devon Marie added.

"That is why I love the art so much!"

Miss You Blue is presently available on Spotify, Apple Music and Itunes. The video (shot in part in New Jersey's Asbury Park) drops on the thirtieth of August.

KINGDOM -

Amanda Fish

(Vizztone)

No news is good news.

That was the perspective that inspired the Jive Aces in 2011 while filming the video for their magnificent cover of the Mills Brothers' Bring Me Sunshine. Therein, the band (with a bit of good natured assistance from Jim Meskimen and Elsa Fisher as broadcast news presenters) endeavored to counter the despondency that engulfed them with a bit of their trademark relentless optimism.

Conversely, in Mockingbird (the opening track of this, her third album), composer and vocalist Amanda Fish celebrates that same news as a badge of honor or sorts. Rather than opting for a positive spin, Mockingbird takes the despondency a step further by citing familiar examples from present day society. Ironincally, it is a perspective that may well have been difficult for the Jive Aces to bring to fruition a mere thirteen years earlier. 

Throughout the majority of the ten originals herein, Fish underscores the point in an almost encouraging manner. Encouraging that instead of falling into lockstep with the pedestrian twelve bar blues approach common to the work of a number of her colleagues, Fish instead opts for a slight undercurrent of the minor key dirge approach that characterized much of Black Sabbath's early work. 

Indeed, Fish's relative lack of sugar coating does much to get her various points across. They include music industry politics (Sell The Record), the deterioration of society (The World We Leave Behind) and the futility of chasing the dream (the Black Sabbath-like Work).

But where Fish differs decisively from the Jive Aces is that she takes the solution to the next level. While the Jive Aces opted for the quick fix of personal gratification, Fish herein makes it abundantly clear that the only viable long term option is to lay it all down before the Lord and trust in Him. That she does so without minimizing the impact of dealing with the challenges at hand does much to make The Great Reset, The Hard Way and the title track resonate all the more. 

"I'm prayin' for revival, life's more than survival", she sings.

"Wake up and fight before you lose everything".

And as the late Sam Cooke once astutely observed, Ain't That Good News.

INDOOR SAFARI -

Nick Lowe

(Yep Roc)

When rock and roll desperately needed rescuing from what the late, great Michael Nesmith once astutely referred to as the Grand Ennui, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds and Elvis Costello were among the primary artists who came to the rescue.

Nearly a half century after that gargantuan accomplishment, Nick Lowe remains one of the absolute masters of the verse, chorus and bridge template. To that effect, his all new Indoor Safari album states the case by reasserting his inspirations with two far above the herd covers: Rick Nelson's Raincoat In The River and Garnet Mimms' A Quiet Place. Those discerning  touchstones are augmented by ten duly inspired originals that sublimely showcase Lowe's remarkable gift for a turn of phrase within a strong hook. 

Among the originals, those attributes are showcased with the rich diversity of genre that has characterized Lowe's output from the onset. To wit, the album's closer, Don't Be Nice To Me stands firmly in solidarity with the aforementioned Rick Nelson's mission statement. In turn, Love Starvation serves as a philosophical adjunct of sorts to Buddy Holly's Heartbeat.  

Conversely, the instantly immersible Trombone sustains the element of melancholy by calling for professions of sympathy from musical colleagues. The straight ahead rockabilly of Tokyo Bay brings the proceedings full circle by offsetting the overall undercurrent of high drama with a brief yet decisive assertion of relentless optimism (complete with a profession of solidarity with Barry Manilow).

Lowe herein is once again backed by the ambitious Nashville quartet, Los Straitjackets. The band is presently comprised of guitarists Eddie Angel and Greg Townson, bassist Pete Curry and drummer Chris Sprague. Los Straitjackets have been providing a most inspiring solo segment at the midpoint of Lowe's live set, highlighted by purist (yet most assuredly not pedestrian) renditions of such monster classics as the Trashmen's Bird Dance Beat and the Ventures' Driving Guitars. Their inspiration is particularly felt on the album's opener, Went To A Party, which they co-write with Lowe. 

"I think they feed off of each other a bit", said one observer, following the tour's recent stop at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, Michigan. 

"(Lowe) is relaxed and debonair, as he was thirty years ago".

On the current tour, Lowe's vast and groundbreaking legacy has been kept to the essentials. His decades ahead of its time 1976 Stiff label So It Goes single opens the proceedings, with such triumphs as I Knew The Bride, Heart Of The City, (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love And Understanding and his cut to the heart signature single, Cruel To Be Kind surfacing at the most pertinent moments. 

"On stage, they're a little more relaxed and enjoying the moment", said the aforementioned observer.

"Playing the song the way they think it should be".

In a year that has seen a number of veteran artists finding renewed inspiration (including one time Lowe sideman, Geraint Watkins, who celebrated the release of his new Rollin' Man single with the Mosquitoes in November), Indoor Safari is arguably one of the best new albums of 2024. Job over the top well done.

THE FLIP SIDE -

Monogroove

(Tap Tunes)

Sometimes, a bit of reshuffling is necessary in order to stay ahead of the curve creatively.

In the case of the prolific, Northern California - based Monogroove, band founder and guitarist Rin Lennon has assembled a revised line up (including guitarist Michael George and drummer Jay Smith) for this latest release. Happily, The Flip Side remains true to the band's mission statement by continuing to deliver above the herd. 

While the material still retains a bit of the all-purpose lyrical flavor indigenous to Lennon's earlier work with On The Air, there is herein an overall greater focus on a strong verse, chorus and bridge template. This is particularly evident in the memorable I Don't Wanna, as well as the ambitious openers, Modern Day Romeo and So Many Other Lives, and the playful, Sonics - flavored Tuff On Dirt.

True to form, Monogroove herein has re-established their solidarity with their like minded predecessors via the inclusion of a well chosen cover. In this case, an ambitious take on the Monkees / Rebounds / Paul Revere And The Raiders monster classic, (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone early in the proceedings. Its trademark atmosphere of defiance is bookended quite well by an inspired, keyboard - friendly take on the Original Caste's One Tin Soldier as the pertinent closer.

"Hope you find something you like", said Lennon.

Lennon need not have worried. To paraphrase one of the band's earlier triumphs, with The Flip Side, there is still something here.

HALF & HALF -

Lara Price

(Gulf Coast)

I Mean Business.

That 2015 release on the Price Prouctions label most assuredly lived up to its name. Therein, the Bay Area-based composer and vocalist Lara Price stood far above the herd with her no nonesense hybrid of classic jazz and R&B.

On Half & Half, Price offers ambitious takes on a rich variety of classics, from her acoustic interpretation of Duke Ellington's Solitude to her faithful yet highly personalized salute to Ann Peebles' Trouble Heartaches & Sadness. She absolutely soars on Fools Like Me; doing the definitive versions by the Merseybeats and Jerry Lee Lewis justice in the process.

In turn, Price's compositional skills have certainly held their own in the years since I Mean Business. In particular, the vivid lyrical imagery of the deceptively low key Rain reflects a keen mastery of the all true rare attribute of subtle intensity. Conversely, the relatively uptempo The Way Love Goes allows Price to cut loose in a manner that best showcases her formidable vocal prowess.

With Half & Half, Lara Price has continued to rise to the occasion and deliver far above the grand ennui. And in the words from one of the standout cuts from I Mean Business, she does so One Tear At A Time.

THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT -

Taylor Swift (Republic)

"I love you, it's ruining my life".

That lyrical excerpt, taken from the opening track, Fortnight and reproduced on the back cover of this album, provides a pertinent clue as to why composer, vocalist and West Reading, Pennsylvania native Taylor Alison Swift has enjoyed massive and sustained acclaim for nearly two decades.

Few experiences resonate with such cut to the heart universal appeal as does the subject of unrequited love. The legendary Hank Williams was among the first to build a musical legacy with that attribute as a recurring focal point, as evidenced in such enduring masterpieces as Moanin' The Blues, Cold Cold Heart, Why Don't You Love Me and Lowdown Blues.

In the present day setting, Swift articulates that resultant despair with savvy and discernment to the degree that it resonates with her faithful in like manner. Given the persistent proclamations from various media sources that despondency and hopelessness persist at record levels in society at large, Swift has found herself in a de facto authoritative position in that respect. 

The prevailing mood throughout this two LP / single CD set is not so much a series of related verse, chorus and bridge essays as it is one of ongoing conversation. To wit, in the title track, Swift looks for common ground with her antagonist, citing solidarity with such proven wordsmiths as Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith. Curiously therein, she alludes to an amenable response in terms of symbols such as wedding rings. Curious in that in Lavender Haze from her Midnights album blanketly dismissed such periphery as "that 1950s s---". Ultimately, the fact that she reaches across the cultural divide with success suggests a welcome work in progress in that respect. 

As the saga progresses, touchstones run the gamut of the human experience, from the "my plastic smile" of My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys and the futile escapism of Florida!!! to the "Am I allowed to cry?" of Guilty As Sin and "I want to snarl and show you how disturbed this has made me" of the somewhat disarming Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me? 

To her considerable credit, the frequent use of the so-called four letter word that found its way into most of the material on Midnights has given way herein to a primarily cerebral approach. Not that The Tortured Poets Department is bereft of that characteristic; it simply avails itself primarily in Down Bad, with an occasional appearance throughout the remainder of the proceedings. The fact remains that a sizeable percentage of the Swift faithful can only draw from personal experience borne of a variation in societal basics, which suggests that such metholdology is no longer a subject of elevated concern as it was at the time when the likes of the Kingsmen, the Fugs and the MC5 each introduced it into their own work. 

Not surprisingly, first day sales of The Tortured Poets Department were brisk upon its 19 April release. A random sampling that afternoon of several Target Department Store locations (which has long maintained a successful business and marketing partnership with Swift) found inventory in both the CD and vinyl configurations either low or significantly depleted. As was the case with Midnights, cover variations and varying vinyl colors fueled the interest of Swifties, musicologists and collectors alike.

To be certain, The Tortured Poets Department showcases a veteran artist who is nonetheless unabashedly a work in progress, in terms of both her art and her ability to navigate and articulate the human experience. If indeed, as Swift herein suggests, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, then by extension, so can one and all.

I THINK I'M SPENDING

CHRISTMAS WITH YOU -

Alicia Witt (Alicia Witt Music)

As the late Andy Williams has reminded one and all every Christmas since 1963, It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. However, Williams' legacy has since found itself in relatively elite company. 

As Christmas season kicks into high gear each December, so does its extraordinary musical legacy. For decades, Christmas has been largely represented by a series of classic singles and albums by a few select greats, such as the aforementioned Andy Willaims, along with Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole,  the Beach Boys, Perry Como, Bobby Helms, Brenda Lee, David Seville, Barry Manilow, the Harry Simeone Chorale, Charles Brown, Dean Martin, the Supremes, the Kingston Trio, Chicago, Chuck Berry, Wham!, Stompin' Tom Connors, Elvis Presley and producer Phil Spector, to name but a few. 

However, within the past decade, a pair of far above the herd and all new Christmas offerings have impacted the genre to the degree that they have devisively taken their place within that vaunted group. 

First among them was 2018's Christmas Party, the farewell studio album by the Monkees. With its loose salute to such lighthearted Christmas fare as Bing Crosby's Mele Kalikimaka augmented by its cut to the heart takes on Alex Chilton's Jesus Christ and the haunting Claude and Ruth Thornhill composition, Snowfall, the beloved band wrapped up its extraordinary half century legacy with an instant classic. 

More recently, the October 2022 Winterlicious album by composer, vocalist, producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Debbie Gibson has taken center stage as the most inspired such offering to avail itself within the twenty-first century. Its all embracing approach covers everything from a definitive take on Vaughn Monroe's Let It Snow to a dramatic rendition of the standard, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, alongside such memorable originals as Illuminate, Christmas Dreams and The Gift. The Winterlicious album has impacted the genre to the degree that Gibson has been able to successfully tour on it each December since its release. 

In the current year to date, a number of artists have released their own Christmas offerings. Nonetheless, only a few seem poised to take their place alongside those enduring clssics.  Joining that select group is I Think I'm Spending Christmas With You, the all new studio album by the remarkably gifted musical visionary, Alicia Witt. In this release, Witt offers an inspired mixture of twelve timeless Christmas classics and duly inspired originals that celebrate the holiday in all of its glory. 

Subtle intensity in delivery is a seemingly paradoxical vocal technique that has been honed to perfection by very few. Its absolute master was the late, great Michael Holliday, whose uncanny ability to mesmerize the listener with understated delivery has few peers. 

One such peer is Witt, who unwaveringly draws in one and all with a deft juxtaposition of pathos and relentless optimism. That attribute serves her well on the more familiar fare, allowing such seasoned material as The First Noel, I'll Be Home For Christmas and the sublime O Holy Night to soar with renewed purpose. 

However, it is with her lyrically ingenuous and often wry original material that Witt herein brings a respectful yet commanding presence to the proceedings. Drawing in part from her richly diverse legacy in film (which includes key roles in such acclaimed fare as Dune, Vanilla Sky and Mister Holland's Opus, as well as a series of first rate productions for Hallmark), Witt makes her mark decisively with such originals as Lonely Holy Christmas, Weird Time Of Year, Soap Suds Snow, If Christmas Was and the title track.

Herein, Witt also sweetens the proceedings exponentially by drawing from her lengthy experience as an avid musicologist. To that effect, on a record hunting expedition with Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People in March 2024, Witt perused the extensive racks of one particular music retailer with considerable relish; experiencing in the process the joy of discovery via a series of releases by such greats as Woody Guthrie, Patti Page, Mac Davis and first generation garage rock greats, the Underdogs.

"I love ideas", Witt said during that summit meeting with Blitz Magazine earlier this year.

And with I Think I'm Spending Christmas With You, that love of ideas, combined with Witt's impeccable musical vision and above the herd savvy has given the world of Christmas music a considerable blessing. In the words of one of her earlier musical triumphs, I Think I'm Spending Christmas With You is anything but a Consolation Prize.