#15 – Various Artists / 80’S RE:COVERED
Ok, I’ll admit
it. This one’s an odd choice to kick off my annual list of favorite albums. A
compilation album…of covers…by 80’s artists? But, yes, it’s just that good. If names like Curiosity
Killed the Cat, or Johnny Hates Jazz, or ABC, or Go West, or Wang Chung bring
back great memories of zipper shirts and parachute pants and binge-watching MTV
(like, when the network used to play music videos 24/7), then this album is
your nostalgic wet dream come true. The concept is simple: 80’s artists—with
their original production teams—covering their favorite songs from any other
era…in their distinctive 80’s style. Fun, huh? Oh, it’s lots of fun to hear Samantha Fox take on Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls”
or Heaven 17’s version of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” or Kim Wilde’s take on The
Captain and Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together”. It’s a glorious throwback
and contemporary treat at the same time to hear Belinda Carlisle cover Creedence
Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and Kim Carnes take on The
Rolling Stones classic “Under My Thumb”, while Go West goes modern with its
take on The Killers’ “Human” and ABC covers Radiohead’s “High & Dry”.
Making this albums of covers even more eighties-tastic
is that following the dozen newly-recorded covers are twelve remixes of the same songs!
80’S RE:COVERED
is, like, totally tubular…to the max!
Pop it in your Walkman and listen to it while you work on your Rubik’s Cube.
#14 – Hurts /
SURRENDER
Three albums in
and you’ve likely never heard of English synthpop duo Hurts – and that’s a
shame. Despite the fact that singer Theo Hutchcraft and synthesist Adam
Anderson had top ten success with their first two albums – HAPPINESS and EXILE
– in their native United Kingdom (as well as Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Poland, and Finland), the duo’s closest thing to a US connection was a gig supporting
Scissor Sisters on their UK arena tour in late 2010. On their third album,
SURRENDER, Hutchcraft and Anderson craft a set of hooky and infectious pop
songs with a distinctive, synthetic orchestra sound. The result is a euphoric
collection that calls to mind the highly-stylized aesthetic of 80s artists like
Johnny Hates Jazz, Go West, and – on slower moments – Swing Out Sister.
#13 – Kelly Clarkson
/ PIECE BY PIECE
Terrible cover
notwithstanding, Kelly Clarkson's PIECE BY PIECE is a first-rate pop-rock
collection and solid addition to her growing catalog. While highlights for me
include the decidedly 80's retro vibe of "Nostalgic" and "Good
Goes the Bye", the sassy soul of "Bad Reputation", and the
Sia-penned bombast of "Invincible", the standout here is "Run
Run Run" with John Legend. On the first half of the latter, the production
is stripped way down with Clarkson's award-winning pipes taking center stage
accompanied only by Legend on piano, reminding us of why she was able to rise
above her televised singing competition roots to the rank of a true artist.
#12 – Adam Lambert / THE ORIGINAL HIGH
The one-time AMERICAN IDOL runner-up continues his career
winning streak with this third album, his first under the Warner Bros Records
banner after parting ways with original label RCA (reportedly over creative
differences after Lambert balked at the label’s insistence on him recording an
album of 80’s covers). Longtime fans will relish the glam-rock theatrics and
booming vocals that remain intact here, while appreciating that the extravagance
and excess of previous efforts have been markedly toned down in the capable
hands of Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback. On the sets softer
moments, Lambert croons longingly about sex, drugs, and James Dean, suggesting
that he’s capable of slipping on the same hazy Hollywood summer-tinted
sunglasses as Lana Del Rey. But, ultimately, Lambert is a house diva at heart –
and his producers know it judging from the throbbing basslines of standouts like
“Evil in the Night”, “The Light”, and the title track. The album’s best – and
most unexpectedly satisfying – moments come when he blends his penchant for
carrying a rhythmic thumper with some restrained sultriness, as evidenced on
“Underground” and the deluxe edition bonus track “After Hours”.
Madonna proved (once again) that rumors of her cultural
irrelevance were grossly exaggerated with her (lucky) thirteenth studio album. Using
“Living For Love” as the bridge to leave the cold EDM sound of the HARD CANDY
and MDNA era behind, the music icon wisely grounded REBEL HEART in a decidedly
more pop-oriented landscape and the results are nothing short of dazzling.
There’s a surprising delicacy at play here reminiscent of her softer BEDTIME
STORIES days on tracks like “HeartBreakCity”, “Joan of Arc”, and the stunning
“Ghosttown” (easily her best track in a decade). The album seems divided thematically between
Madonna’s softer and more rebellious sides and the stark juxtaposition works
surprisingly well despite all the hands in the production pot here. Framed by simple
folk guitars and churchy piano strains, the melodious “heart” tracks contrast
sharply with the contemporary electro grooves of “rebel” tracks like “Best
Night”, “Holy Water”, and “Inside Out”. Mixed in for good measure—and harkening
back even further into the Madonna catalog—are the bubblegum levity of “Body
Shop” and the reggae beat of the No Doubt-ish “Unapologetic Bitch”. The title
track is the most revelatory—and possibly most authentically
biographical—glimpse into the real Madonna we’ve ever had, with her singing
clearly and confidently with unabashed nostalgia about the price she’s paid for
her non-conformity.
A few missteps like groaners “Bitch I’m Madonna” and the
unlistenable “Illuminati” kept this one just shy of my year-end Top-Ten but
it’s in no way a snub. With REBEL HEART, Madonna proves that she’s a pop
artisan of the highest caliber who delivers her most satisfying music when she focuses
on structured pop arrangements. She seems to have finally learned that her
continued relevancy will come from remaining true to her genuine artistic self
instead of importing trendy chart styles from hot production teams.
#10 – Grace Potter / MIDNIGHT
Relegating bandmates The Nocturnals to the sidelines for her
first solo outing, Grace Potter impresses with this slick pop-rock collection.
Having proven herself as the dynamic lead singer of the aforementioned rock-soul
outfit, Potter belts and struts with gleeful abandon on this terrifically fun set of smart, rhythmic AOR confections. Wisely, producer Eric (Queens of the
Stone Age) Valentine keeps Potter's powerhouse vocals central against the
musically eclectic palette he creates for her. Even amidst the overblown propulsive
percussion and New Wave funk, Potter still manages to howl and growl with a
gritty rawness that should keep fans of the Americana authenticity of her work
with The Nocturnals happy. While highlights include “Hot to the Touch”, “Alive
Tonight”, and “Delirious”, the standout track here is the uber-funky “Your Girl”.
#9 – Jess Glynne / I CRY WHEN I LAUGH
You’ve likely first heard this English powerhouse fronting Clean
Bandit’s international hit “Rather Be” (included here for good measure) last
year and—if justice prevails—you’ll be hearing a lot more of her in the coming
year. Stepping out into her own with this relentlessly uplifting debut, Jess
Glynne seems poised for stardom with this piano-centered collection of musical
optimism. There’s a decidedly happy, gospel-like feel throughout I CRY WHEN I
LAUGH with tambourine-shaking, hand-clapping, and backing choirs packed
into each song, most of which fall thematically into the idea of one’s inner
strength overcoming tribulation. Glynne’s husky alto is nicely contrasted
against the effervescent disco strings and jaunty piano riffs on the majority
of the songs, while the Adele comparisons are inevitable on the slower tracks
like “Take Me Home” and the acoustic “My Love”. Standouts include the ebullient
“Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself”, bouncy “Hold My Hand”, house-thumping “You Can
Find Me”, and the so-sappy-but-somehow-it-works ballad “Saddest Vanilla”, in
which she and duet partner Emeli Sandé play
two women whose hearts get broken in an ice cream parlor.
# 8 – Rob Thomas / THE GREAT UNKNOWN
The consummate pop-rock craftsman returns with a third solo
outing and he comes bringing hooks aplenty. From swelling, insistent anthems to
contemplative power ballads, Thomas delivers a cohesive set of toe-tapping,
head-bobbing AOR guaranteed to have you singing all the way to work and back
again. Thomas excels at that middle-of-the-road classic pop formula, from the
catchy hooks to the universal lyrics, all wrapped up in a slick and
well-polished production. It’s ear candy through and through, with a sincerity
and familiarity that’s the equivalent of musical comfort food. And no one does
it better than Thomas, his vocals always strong and clear, emoting and
emphasizing on all the right notes. Highlights from THE GREAT UNKNOWN include
his gorgeous duet with new vocalist Rooty on “Paper Dolls”, the disco pulse of
"Things You Said", the electronic horn stabs of “Absence of
Affection”, and the jaunty midtempo rocker “Not Like You Told Me”.
#7 – Lana Del Rey / HONEYMOON
Wistful catatonia reigns supreme on Lana Del Rey’s sublime
third album. This first-rate set remains awash in the moody musical equivalent
of film noir that captured fans’ hearts on the songstress’s first two efforts,
with tortured lyrics, melancholy string arrangements, and Del Rey’s
now-trademark slurred vocals ably setting a mood of faded glamour and unhappy
Hollywood endings. Gorgeously languorous, HONEYMOON seemingly combines the
worlds of Del Rey’s BORN TO DIE and ULTRAVIOLENCE to create a hybrid world
where the musically murky soundscape is best heard through a dreamy, auditory
gauze. Whether she’s reciting a specifically abstract passage from T.S. Eliot’s
poem “Burnt Norton” over a sparse, science fiction-like score during the
interlude to “Religion” or covering Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be
Misunderstood” to avant-garde perfection, Del Rey is taking chances here on
HONEYMOON unseen on earlier efforts. That those musical gambles are so subtle
as to be easily missed by the casual fan is what makes them feel like rewards
for our loyalty to the hardcore fatalist femme fatale. An excruciatingly
exquisite addition to the gloomy chanteuse’s growing songbook. Highlights
include: “Music To Watch Boys To”, “High By the Beach”, “Freak”, and “24”.
#6 – Jimmy Somerville / HOMAGE
Somerville has never sounded better vocally or more in his
element musically than he does on HOMAGE, an unabashedly ebullient collection
of pure old school disco goodness that feels completely authentic but never
outdated. Worth digging out the bell bottoms and platform shoes for such
highlights as "Back to Me", "Lights Are Shining", and
"This Hand". Easily gives Jess Glynne’s I CRY WHEN I LAUGH a run for
the most shamelessly happy album of 2015.
#5 – Seinabo Sey / PRETEND
If Mary J. Blige and 80’s Brit-soul ensemble Soul-2-Soul had
a lovechild, her name would be Seinabo Sey. PRETEND is a genre-defying debut,
an enticing fusion of transatlantic pop, soul, and EDM that reflects the
singer’s Swedish and Gambian heritage. Drawing from her dual musical roots (her
late father was the renowned Gambian musician Maudo Sey), the 25-year-old
singer and songwriter creates an evocative sound that’s wholly and uniquely her
own—no small feat in the crowded and highly imitative pop landscape of today.
Combining deeply introspective lyrics with ambitious, pop-friendly arrangements
(courtesy of Magnus Lidehäll, who’s done work with Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and
Britney Spears), PRETEND is an eclectic collection drawing from a grab-bag of
influences and adorned with trip-hop beats, EDM and Afropop flourishes, and
ghostly choruses. It’s simultaneously soulfully accessible and dramatically
boundary-pushing. Sey retains marvelous control of whatever musical background
she’s placed up against, demonstrating an enviable versatility and ease singing
everything from stomping gospel-tinged anthems to sweeping piano ballads alike.
This album (and artist) are true discoveries meant to be savored in their
entirety. Highlights for me include the poetically soaring “Burial”, Sey’s
musical response to the death of her father in 2013, the percolating title
track with its killer bass-like synthesizer punches, “Poetic”, the somber
“Sorry”, and the dizzying musical frenzy of “Words”. Oh, hell…they’re all standouts. Devour this one whole.
#4 – Andra Day / CHEERS TO THE FALL
Looks like we’ve found the missing link between Adele and
Amy Winehouse in this 30-year-old San Diego native and one-time Stevie Wonder
discovery. On her sterling debut, CHEERS TO THE FALL, Day’s jazz-trained vocals
wrap effortlessly around soulful pop melodies and the result is downright
intoxicating. Although the effect is akin to being transported back to a smoky,
1950’s cabaret with the raspy-voiced, pompadour-coiffed Day wearing her
influences – namely, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Etta James – proudly, her
sound is awash in nostalgia without ever feeling dated. NPR’s Katie Presley
aptly characterizes the juxtaposition: “[Day]
cultivates an aesthetic with clear reference points in the past, but she tells
stories firmly rooted in her present. It's a jarring and compelling
combination.”
Indeed it is. This is the one debut of 2015 that must not be
missed.
#3 – Brandon Flowers / THE DESIRED EFFECT
The Killers’ frontman once again proves he may have come to
musical prominence in the wrong decade, wearing his 80’s influences proudly on
his artistic sleeve on this second solo album. THE DESIRED EFFECT is a
masterclass in that era’s wonky production artifices and lyrical
heavy-handedness – and it suits Flowers to perfection. Most impressive, for all
the album’s chugging piano lines, orchestra hits, hand-clap snares, and New
Wave synth-disco flourishes – all musically equated with the signature sound of
a past decade – Flowers and producer Ariel (Haim, Charli XCX) Rechtshaid make
it sound contemporarily relevant and authentic. Lyrically, Flowers is still all
Springsteen-esque wanderlust, shift work, open highways, and small-town
imprisonment, a theme hammered home when he generously samples Bronski Beat’s
classic SMALLTOWN BOY (which, if it didn’t sound 80s enough, includes a brief
spoken-word cameo by Neil Tenant of Pet Shop Boys) on the standout track “I Can
Change”. THE DESIRED EFFECT is lyrical earnestness intersecting with production
grandiosity, and the result is an entirely organic sound in which the
charismatic, eternally-optimistic Flowers has never sounded more in his
element. Highlights: “Can’t Deny My Love”, “Lonely Town”, and the rollicking
“Diggin’ Up the Heart”.
#2 – Melanie Martinez / CRY BABY
Generally not a fan of the concept album, but Long Island
native Melanie Martinez's brilliant CRY BABY is an easy exception. Loaded with
childhood metaphors and similes, this bitingly insightful, surrealistic musical
fairy tale plays like a maniacally macabre children's storybook. Martinez is a
mesmerizing blend of Lana Del Rey and Lorde, and her debut collection of songs
set against a pastel-Goth backdrop of growing up amidst familial turmoil makes
it one of the best alt-pop bows in recent memory. Musical incisors for the brain.
Color me officially infatuated with Ms. Martinez.
#1 – Adele / 25
Adele’s career pause may have seemed interminable but as her
much-anticipated new album proved, good things come to those who wait…and wait.
And then wait some more. Luckily, the intervening years between her juggernaut
21 and the new (juggernaut-ier) 25
have been kind to Adele. Her magnificent voice actually improved following that
nail-biting laser microsurgery on her throat in 2011, adding four additional notes
to the top of her mezzo-soprano vocal range. On 25, she cements her
reputation as a musical old soul, with songwriting and vocals that belie her
age (now 27). All the pathos that defined 21 remains intact with plenty of
nostalgic piano-bar ruminations to accompany almost anyone’s future break-up or
life’s regret. While the smash “Hello” has already inspired countless cover
versions, among the album’s other highlights are the jubilantly syncopated
gallop of “Water Under the Bridge” and the soulful Danger Mouse collaboration
“River Lea”. Adele remains one of the few contemporary vocalists whose voice
can elicit actual emotion from recipient ears, as future tear-jerking classics
like “When We Were Young” or “Million Years Ago” or “All I Ask” prove. Welcome
back, Adele. We’ll likely be celebrating your return through 2016 and beyond.
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