MB Album Club 2022

Trollheart · 07-15-2022, 06:07 AM

Yeah I usually go to bed about 4:00 - 4:15 am. Mind you, I don't get up till 11:30!

Trollheart · 07-15-2022, 06:11 AM

Let's welcome our newest member, Dr. Rezz, always a valuable addition to any endeavour of this kind!

rubber soul · 07-15-2022, 06:44 AM

Hey, Dr. Rezz, where's Ernie?

Anyway, yeah, I wouldn't worry about the ones who have obviously left. If someone does come back, just tell them they have to review an album first before they can submit another. Don't mean you. Dr. Rezz, talking about the ones that joined, got their album reviewed and then take off.

Lisnaholic · 07-16-2022, 08:23 PM

Maria McKee by Maria McKee:

I’d never come across Maria McKee, so I didn’t know what to expect, although that sense of anticipation didn’t last beyond a few bars of the opening track. That’s because there seem to be quite a few female vocalists singing this kind of slow-to-mid-tempo country/pop material. If I ever have more time and interest, I might try to work out how MMcK differs from Juice Newton, Linda Ortega or Lucinda Williams.

Having said that, Maria McKee is super-talented. She effectively wrote the whole album except for one well-chosen cover song; she has some great lyrics and an appealing voice, swinging from soft and vulnerable to a harder, down-but-still-fighting, edge.
Here are some quick track-by-track comments:

Spoiler for track-by-track:

So despite my negative comments at the start, I found plenty to like about this album. Thanks for the rec, TH

: 8/10

Trollheart · 07-16-2022, 09:30 PM

Thanks for that Lisna. Just FYI, the vinyl version I have does not have "Drinkin' in my Sunday Dress" (which I have never heard) and so it does end on "Has He Got a Friend for Me?" which is, I agree, a much better way to end the album. I'll have a lot more to say about it when a few others have posted. Yeah, basically I'll be doing my usual cheat job and posting a review I wrote of it years ago...

Trollheart · 07-18-2022, 10:36 AM

And here it is!

Maria McKee --- Maria McKee --- 1989 (Geffen)

Sometimes you just buy an album on spec, you know? On instinct, or on recommendation. I think this was the latter, with a bit of the other two thrown in: I feel that I read about this in my publication of choice as a twenty-something, Kerrang!, and they had praised it highly. This was prior to her hit with “Show Me Heaven”, which would the following year propel her to international stardom, but forever paint her as a one-hit wonder, this despite being already known for her helming of the rock band Lone Justice and having written Fergal Sharkey's chart-topping hit, “A Good Heart”.

But this album was pretty much ignored, reaching a measley 120 on the US Billboard chart, and failing to chart any singles released. Is that because it's a crappy record? Quite the reverse: as a solo debut this is nothing short of stunning, but in an era obsessed with quick-fire, repeating formulas for success, thoughtful, insightful music like this became criminally overlooked, and it wasn't until “Show Me Heaven” made it that people would stop saying “Maria who?”

The album opens on hard acoustic guitar in a sort of folky/rock bopper, and certainly one of the longer song titles I've come across. “I've Forgotten What it Was in You (That Put the Need in Me)” is filled out by breezy organ and piano, but it's the soulful, aching voice of McKee herself that takes charge and demands attention, like a cross between a country songstress and a rock chick, retaining the best of both. It's a powerful, bitter, almost wistfully angry song that really gets things going well, and some well-placed fiddle from Steve Wickham really adds to the country sound, then the mood slows down for “To Miss Someone”, with a sort of James Taylor feel to it, a downbeat song of realisation as Maria confides ”I'm petrified of running/ Out of things to do” and admits ”Guess I'm not so independent after all.”

Lovely piano lines here, backed by solid organ and some gentle guitar, and you really get a feeling for Maria's songwriting when you see how she speaks to the everyman (and woman) in songs like “Am I the Only One (Who's Ever Felt this Way)?” - you can really identify with her lost loves and her failures, see that she's not some big star writing about other people's experiences, but a human being who has been hurt, loved and lost, and who often feels as confused, betrayed and dismayed as you and I do. This is a big, open country mid-pacer, with great fiddle, mandolin and guitar driving the song, in an upbeat melody though the subject is certainly not happy.

She teams up with the famous Robbie Robertson for one of the standouts, the lovely, slow, gentle “Nobody's Child”, which rides mostly on the mournful organ sound laid down by Bruce Brody, with a great little guitar solo in the middle and of course Maria's wistful, almost tearful voice rising above it all. “Panic Beach”, up next, is an angrier song, lyrically very in Springsteen territory, on acoustic guitar and piano. This song is a real vehicle for the versatility of Maria McKee's vocals, and she reaches some notes that quite surprise you, as Brody's organ drones along in the background, adding a sense of gravitas and weight to the song. The sense of desperation, trying to survive, comes though strongly as she describes her landlord in lines like ”If a tear comes to his eye/ He may let a month go by/ Before he takes my key” and ”I'll do my time/ Then say goodbye/ To Panic Beach.”

Rocking out to the full then, another long title, “Can't Pull the Wool Down (Over the Little Lamb's Eyes)” kicks the tempo right back up as the mistakes referred to, and cried over in the first few tracks are thrown aside and a fierce determination not to be fooled again takes their place. Another great organ performance by Brody and some powerful backing vocals, and Maria screaming her anger and frustration and promise to open her eyes in future makes this song, yeah, another standout. There are a few, believe me.

It's good to see that McKee writes, or co-writes every track on the album, bar the closer, and can she write a good song! We go all gospel for “More Love Than a Heart Can Hold”, with Brody excelling himself on the ivories, and a vocal chorus to wring tears from a stone, Maria singing like a diva possessed who has seen the light, her voice seeming to reach to the very heavens themselves, climbing on the strength of her love and devotion, then her anger returns for “This Property is Condemned”. Carried on sharp acoustic and electric guitar backed up by Hammond organ, it's nevertheless a stripped-down sound which again allows Maria to shine on vocals, her rage and frustration reaching dangerous levels, her band knowing just when to back her and when to fall back and leave her to fly solo.

“Breathe” is a dark, moody grinder of a love song, if you can imagine such a thing. Slow, heartbeat drumming and rising keyboards with a few pin-sharp flourishes on the guitar shape this song, flute and mandolin coming in to add their own touches, with some really nice double-tracked backing vocals helping maintain the atmosphere and mood of the song. We close on what I consider to be the standout, not just because it's a simple piano ballad, but because it approaches the whole idea of love and dating in a somewhat unique way.

Featuring Maria herself on the piano, “Has He Got a Friend for Me” is the only song on the album she does not have a hand in writing, penned as it is for her by Richard Thompson. It's the painfully simple question of a girl who is not pretty or socially active, and wants to know if her more glamourous friend has someone she can date. Something in the vein of Janis Ian's “At Seventeen”, it's quite heartbreaking as she breathes ”If he knows someone who's graceful and wise /Doesn't mind a girl who is clumsy and shy/ I don't mind going with someone that I've never seen...” A beautiful yet painful end to a wonderful album.

I personally hated it when Maria hit fame with “Show Me Heaven”, as rather than then reissuing her album and getting it more notice, the label ignored it completely and she ended up basically living on that as her only claim to fame. She obviously hated it, as she refused for years to play the song live, and who could blame her? But if you like well-written, well-thought-out and, well, real music, you could do a lot worse than take a listen to this album. Just don't hold that single against her, okay?

TRACK LISTING

1. I've Forgotten What it Was in You (That Put the Need in Me)
2. To Miss Someone
3. Am I the Only One (Who's Ever Felt this Way)?
4. Nobody's Child
5. Panic Beach
6. Can't Pull the Wool Down (Over the Little Lamb's Eyes)
7. More Love Than a Heart Can Hold
8. This Property is Condemned
9. Breathe
10. Has He Got a Friend for Me?

Rating: 10/10

**Marie Monday** · 07-18-2022, 02:25 PM

the liquid lab album:
the beginning is so good. music with a delicious texture. unfortunately the singing is not appealing to me and is distracting, I'd have preferred just the instruments. Especially for instance around 32:00, with the corny piano too. The beat and other layers are added seamlessly. I really like the way it is produced or whatever, it sounds so crisp. Again the texture thing. I recognise some bits of well-known songs here and there; never songs that really appeal to me though. I like it best when it drifts away from all that; I'd rather have had more abstract music with just the beats and wonderful sound textures. Things like the switch to a more dominant beat around 6:00 (which is a delicious beat too!) work really well for me. The rapping that happens soon after I actually don't mind, unlike the singing.
It is really very nicely layered; rubber soul called it a musical tapestry and I think that's very apt. Also just before 11:00, how the piano becomes a little bit muffled. And then the beat changes texture and becomes sharper. There are also bits like after 18:00 which are just really ****ing groovy. Good crispy beats all around. All in all not something I'd listen to of my own accord but it's quite good
7/10

**Marie Monday** · 07-18-2022, 05:16 PM

sometimes I have no clue how well known an album is. Is Tones Of Town by Field Music a record that the people of this album club know about? If not then it may be my next nomination

Trollheart · 07-18-2022, 06:13 PM

Never heard of it. Wheel it in.

music_collector · 07-18-2022, 07:45 PM

I rate Ms. Mckee's album a 7/10. I'd take her over the dominant pop tarts of the era (Whitney, Tiffany, Debbie, etc). The fact she writes her own stuff is a plus. The songs feel more heartfelt as a result.

I've no idea who Field Music is/are. Bring it on.

07-15-2022, 06:07 AM	#381 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Yeah I usually go to bed about 4:00 - 4:15 am. Mind you, I don't get up till 11:30! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-15-2022, 06:11 AM	#382 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Let's welcome our newest member, Dr. Rezz, always a valuable addition to any endeavour of this kind! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-16-2022, 08:23 PM	#384 (permalink)
Lisnaholic ...here to hear... Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: He lives on Love Street Posts: 4,444	Maria McKee by Maria McKee: I’d never come across Maria McKee, so I didn’t know what to expect, although that sense of anticipation didn’t last beyond a few bars of the opening track. That’s because there seem to be quite a few female vocalists singing this kind of slow-to-mid-tempo country/pop material. If I ever have more time and interest, I might try to work out how MMcK differs from Juice Newton, Linda Ortega or Lucinda Williams. Having said that, Maria McKee is super-talented. She effectively wrote the whole album except for one well-chosen cover song; she has some great lyrics and an appealing voice, swinging from soft and vulnerable to a harder, down-but-still-fighting, edge. Here are some quick track-by-track comments: Spoiler for track-by-track: I’ve Forgotten What...: A little disappointing as an opener, it lets you know straight up there there won't be any jazzy musical pyrotechnics on this album, thank you very much. Still, despite a certain predictability in the rhythm dept, the song has some endearingly honest observations, for e.g. in the verse that includes the admission, “It’s kind of hard to keep the mood up” To Miss Someone: I found the sadness of this track more convincing when I ignored the official video of MMcK surrounded by soft-focus Victorian children. That lays out too plainly the fact that this is a deliberate confection to play on our feelings. But the song has another good line from MMcK: “I’m petrified of running out of things to do.” Am I The Only One...: Another slightly generic country-songbird song, but with another great line: "One more smile's all I can fake" Nobody’s Child: More pulling at our heartstrings, but a pretty slight track imo. Probably my least favorite. Panic Beach: great title, and she really delivers on this one, with a much more biting attitude - even, as far as I can tell, dropping the F-word in her anger. Is this the same woman who was floating around in a ruffled dress with those Victorian children only 3 tracks back?! Listening to this song, Van Morrison came to mind for some reason, and I thought that yeah, this track is up there with that same convincing, soulful passion. A great song. Can’t Pull The Wool...: same energy, same comparison with VM as previous track. More Than A Heart...: very soulful singing and some nice guitar This Property...: best track of the album for me, with a leaner mix of instruments, and at last a chance to hear a guitarist break free from the rather cloying musical backdrop on the rest of the album.The song also has a very welcome break in the rhythm, dropping down to almost zero at one point, before building back up again. I always like that effect in a song: is there a name for it, I wonder? Breathe: the album takes a more serious turn, with violin. A romantic ballad with clear, melodic singing from MMcK. I imagine this being a popular track, though it's a bit too emotional for my liking - and again this is a track ill-served, imo, by the official video, which has MMcK emoting on a hilltop, Bronte style. Has He Got...: Beautiful version of a Richard Thompson song, with delicate piano playing and sad lyrics Drinkin' In My Sunday Dress: such a jump in style from the previous, I think it was a real mistake to put this song here: Should’ve finished the album with the lingering melancholy of “Has He Got…” instead of busting that mood completely. So despite my negative comments at the start, I found plenty to like about this album. Thanks for the rec, TH : 8/10 __________________ "Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953

07-16-2022, 09:30 PM	#385 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Thanks for that Lisna. Just FYI, the vinyl version I have does not have "Drinkin' in my Sunday Dress" (which I have never heard) and so it does end on "Has He Got a Friend for Me?" which is, I agree, a much better way to end the album. I'll have a lot more to say about it when a few others have posted. Yeah, basically I'll be doing my usual cheat job and posting a review I wrote of it years ago... __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-18-2022, 10:36 AM	#386 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	And here it is! Maria McKee --- Maria McKee --- 1989 (Geffen) Sometimes you just buy an album on spec, you know? On instinct, or on recommendation. I think this was the latter, with a bit of the other two thrown in: I feel that I read about this in my publication of choice as a twenty-something, Kerrang!, and they had praised it highly. This was prior to her hit with “Show Me Heaven”, which would the following year propel her to international stardom, but forever paint her as a one-hit wonder, this despite being already known for her helming of the rock band Lone Justice and having written Fergal Sharkey's chart-topping hit, “A Good Heart”. But this album was pretty much ignored, reaching a measley 120 on the US Billboard chart, and failing to chart any singles released. Is that because it's a crappy record? Quite the reverse: as a solo debut this is nothing short of stunning, but in an era obsessed with quick-fire, repeating formulas for success, thoughtful, insightful music like this became criminally overlooked, and it wasn't until “Show Me Heaven” made it that people would stop saying “Maria who?” The album opens on hard acoustic guitar in a sort of folky/rock bopper, and certainly one of the longer song titles I've come across. “I've Forgotten What it Was in You (That Put the Need in Me)” is filled out by breezy organ and piano, but it's the soulful, aching voice of McKee herself that takes charge and demands attention, like a cross between a country songstress and a rock chick, retaining the best of both. It's a powerful, bitter, almost wistfully angry song that really gets things going well, and some well-placed fiddle from Steve Wickham really adds to the country sound, then the mood slows down for “To Miss Someone”, with a sort of James Taylor feel to it, a downbeat song of realisation as Maria confides ”I'm petrified of running/ Out of things to do” and admits ”Guess I'm not so independent after all.” Lovely piano lines here, backed by solid organ and some gentle guitar, and you really get a feeling for Maria's songwriting when you see how she speaks to the everyman (and woman) in songs like “Am I the Only One (Who's Ever Felt this Way)?” - you can really identify with her lost loves and her failures, see that she's not some big star writing about other people's experiences, but a human being who has been hurt, loved and lost, and who often feels as confused, betrayed and dismayed as you and I do. This is a big, open country mid-pacer, with great fiddle, mandolin and guitar driving the song, in an upbeat melody though the subject is certainly not happy. She teams up with the famous Robbie Robertson for one of the standouts, the lovely, slow, gentle “Nobody's Child”, which rides mostly on the mournful organ sound laid down by Bruce Brody, with a great little guitar solo in the middle and of course Maria's wistful, almost tearful voice rising above it all. “Panic Beach”, up next, is an angrier song, lyrically very in Springsteen territory, on acoustic guitar and piano. This song is a real vehicle for the versatility of Maria McKee's vocals, and she reaches some notes that quite surprise you, as Brody's organ drones along in the background, adding a sense of gravitas and weight to the song. The sense of desperation, trying to survive, comes though strongly as she describes her landlord in lines like ”If a tear comes to his eye/ He may let a month go by/ Before he takes my key” and ”I'll do my time/ Then say goodbye/ To Panic Beach.” Rocking out to the full then, another long title, “Can't Pull the Wool Down (Over the Little Lamb's Eyes)” kicks the tempo right back up as the mistakes referred to, and cried over in the first few tracks are thrown aside and a fierce determination not to be fooled again takes their place. Another great organ performance by Brody and some powerful backing vocals, and Maria screaming her anger and frustration and promise to open her eyes in future makes this song, yeah, another standout. There are a few, believe me. It's good to see that McKee writes, or co-writes every track on the album, bar the closer, and can she write a good song! We go all gospel for “More Love Than a Heart Can Hold”, with Brody excelling himself on the ivories, and a vocal chorus to wring tears from a stone, Maria singing like a diva possessed who has seen the light, her voice seeming to reach to the very heavens themselves, climbing on the strength of her love and devotion, then her anger returns for “This Property is Condemned”. Carried on sharp acoustic and electric guitar backed up by Hammond organ, it's nevertheless a stripped-down sound which again allows Maria to shine on vocals, her rage and frustration reaching dangerous levels, her band knowing just when to back her and when to fall back and leave her to fly solo. “Breathe” is a dark, moody grinder of a love song, if you can imagine such a thing. Slow, heartbeat drumming and rising keyboards with a few pin-sharp flourishes on the guitar shape this song, flute and mandolin coming in to add their own touches, with some really nice double-tracked backing vocals helping maintain the atmosphere and mood of the song. We close on what I consider to be the standout, not just because it's a simple piano ballad, but because it approaches the whole idea of love and dating in a somewhat unique way. Featuring Maria herself on the piano, “Has He Got a Friend for Me” is the only song on the album she does not have a hand in writing, penned as it is for her by Richard Thompson. It's the painfully simple question of a girl who is not pretty or socially active, and wants to know if her more glamourous friend has someone she can date. Something in the vein of Janis Ian's “At Seventeen”, it's quite heartbreaking as she breathes ”If he knows someone who's graceful and wise /Doesn't mind a girl who is clumsy and shy/ I don't mind going with someone that I've never seen...” A beautiful yet painful end to a wonderful album. I personally hated it when Maria hit fame with “Show Me Heaven”, as rather than then reissuing her album and getting it more notice, the label ignored it completely and she ended up basically living on that as her only claim to fame. She obviously hated it, as she refused for years to play the song live, and who could blame her? But if you like well-written, well-thought-out and, well, real music, you could do a lot worse than take a listen to this album. Just don't hold that single against her, okay? TRACK LISTING 1. I've Forgotten What it Was in You (That Put the Need in Me) 2. To Miss Someone 3. Am I the Only One (Who's Ever Felt this Way)? 4. Nobody's Child 5. Panic Beach 6. Can't Pull the Wool Down (Over the Little Lamb's Eyes) 7. More Love Than a Heart Can Hold 8. This Property is Condemned 9. Breathe 10. Has He Got a Friend for Me? Rating: 10/10 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-18-2022, 06:13 PM	#389 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Never heard of it. Wheel it in. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-18-2022, 07:45 PM	#390 (permalink)
music_collector Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2022 Location: Canada Posts: 744	I rate Ms. Mckee's album a 7/10. I'd take her over the dominant pop tarts of the era (Whitney, Tiffany, Debbie, etc). The fact she writes her own stuff is a plus. The songs feel more heartfelt as a result. I've no idea who Field Music is/are. Bring it on.