What's new

Just Name-Drop Someone Like Tom Waits and They Will Think You're Cool...

I have been buying CDs from internet auctions again. Here's a couple of my recent purchases.

Elisa Fiorillo / Elisa Fiorillo
I Am / Elisa Fiorillo


Fiorillo is an American Singer who had a semi-hit back in the 80s with "WHO FOUND WHO", which appeared on the "JUST VISITING THIS PLANET" album by the Uber-producer, Jellybean who is well known for producing a bunch of songs for Madonna early in her carreer.

She was 18 when the self titled album was released but had been in the biz from a very early age, so she was no novice when it came to singing. She demonstrates some nifty chops on this album. Most of the tunes were by the writers who also had written hits for Madonna (aforementioned Jellybean, Gardner Cole, etc.) and it is clear that they were trying to turn her into the next Madge. The songs sound rather dated with all the cheesey synth and glittering guitars but for those of us who truly love the 80s pop music, this is GOLD.

"I Am" was her second album, and it was a departure of sorts for her. It was recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studio and many of the tracks are written/produced by the Purple Paisley God Himself. The lead off single "On The Way Up" was a modest hit ( I think it cracked the top 40). Some of the songs are overly sexual and I remember being a bit shocked when I heard it for the first time. Is this the same Elisa!? As with the first, her vocal prowess is quite impressive on this album.

Out of all the ingenues that appear on the long list of Prince's female proteges, she is one of the handful who could actually sing. Remember Vanity? Apollonia? Jill Jones? lol Apparently, Prince was impressed enough by her singing that he asked her to sing on some of his tracks as well as inviting her to be a part of his touring band. I hear she is touring with him again this year.

I've had a chance to listen to her recent work (she is doing mostly Jazz these days but her latest is a country album!) and she sounds better than ever. I love this woman's voice!

NEVER ENOUGH / Patty Smyth

Not to be confused with the punk-rock Goddess, Patti Smith, Smyth is a singer who first came into the spotlight with her hit with the band SCANDAL, "The Warrior" about 5000 years ago.

She then left the band and this album was her first attempt at a solo success.

It didn't sell much unfortunately... but it is quite good (if you're into synth-heavy pop-rock, that is).

The album was produced by Rick Chertoff, who'd had huge success producing Cyndi Lauper's debut album as well as working with The Hooters. It is abvious that the record company was trying to make Smyth into another Lauper. They even employed the songwriting team of Tom Kelly/Billy Steinberg who was responsible for Lauper's True Colors. The resulting track, The River Cried is one of the stand-outs.

As much as the producers tried to mold and fit Smyth into the role of a Pop songstress, she was a Rocker at heart. Just listen to her voice and you know this woman was born to rock out! It is a well-known story that during the recording of this very album, Eddie Van Halen actually asked her to join Van Halen as the replacement for Dave Lee Roth who had just left the band. In recent interviews, Smyth sayd she now regrets turning down the offer. Her "rock" side comes through on a track titled "Isn't It Enough", one of my favorite tunes off this album.

Then, there is the cover version of Tom Waits' Down Town Train. You may know this tune from the version Rod Stewart did a couple of years later that became a big hit. Listening to Smyth's version, you know that Stewart did a cover of HER version rather than Waits' original. Unlike all these Tom Waits covers by people who THINK they can pull them off, she truly makes Downtown Train hers. The only other singer who succeeds, in my opinion, in covering Waits is the Canadian Jazz chanteuse, Holly Cole, whose album of Waits covers, "Temptation" is one of my favorites. Her rendition of "Take Me Home" is, by far, the best Tom Waits cover, ever. I am a huge fan of Waits and when Cole and her trio did a Waits composition titled Purple Avenue on thier "Blame It On My Youth" album, I was very impressed. It takes balls to take on a Tom Waits tune and play it "straight" AND not sound like a second-rate lounge act.

Other CDs I've bought....

Little Lives / Adele Bertei
An american singersongwriter. A prominent figure in the "no-wave" avantgarde music movement in NYC back in the day but here, she writes/sings African-influenced pop tunes backed by a synth-heavy, slick sound production. She even sings/speaks in Japanese on "Love This Way".

Harmony / EPO
A Japanese singersongwriter. In a way, she's a protege of Tatsurou Yamashita whose influences can be heard in her tighter than tight chorus work as well as in her almost craftsman-like pop songwriting. This one includes a version of Tibetan Dance written by Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Eroica / Wendy & Lisa
Formerly of Prince & The Revolution. This is the duo's third album. One of the best Soul-Pop-Funk-Folk-Blues albums out there.

Peace Beyond Passion / Me'shell Ndegeocello
My favorite bass player. I have seen this woman perform live twice and I was awestruck both times. Her vocals on this album are outstanding, too. The relentlessly grooving "Bittersweet" and her gender-bending cover of Bill Withers' "Who is he and what is he to you?" are two of the stand outs.

Desperate / DIVINYLS
Christina Amphlett.... The VOICE!! After releasing the soundtrack-mini-album to the cult film "Monkey Grip", they came out with this first full album. I get chills everytime I listen to "Elsie". Includes the hits, "Boys In Town", "Only Lonely", and the brilliant "Science Fiction". This is just about a perfect rock n roll album if there ever was one. Courtney Love/Hole and Yeah Yeah Yeahs may have sold more records in the US, but Christina Amphlett and DIVINYLS had perfected the style while those girls were still in their diapers ( well...not really... but you know what I mean)!!

Comments

Weren't the DIVINYLS the ones who recorded "When I think of you I touch myself"?

Other than that...the only names I recognized were Prince, Cindi Lauper, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

You must really know your music!
 
Yes, that indeed is DIVINYLS. I suppose they are best known for that one pop single. As catchy as that song was, they are so much more than the one hit wonder most people think they are.
 

Journal entry information

Author
Ashikaga
Read time
5 min read
Views
1,204
Comments
2
Last update

More entries in Language

More entries from Ashikaga

  • 親父、ごめん!
    俺の住んでる栃木県足利市内のガソリンスタンドはどこも凄いことになってます。 みんながいつも通りの給油をしていればこういう事態にはなってないと思うんだけど・・・ 普段なら「ガソリン少なくなってきた...
  • Suckers...
    2-3日前の晩、仕事から帰ってシャツを脱いだらプックリ と ピンク色の膨らみが.... あぁ、とうとうASHIKAGAも 大 人 の女性への階段を上り始めたのネ.... じゃなくっ て...
  • ピリ辛な生活
    昨日の午後、とあるブログで、「桃屋の辛そうで辛くない少し辛いラー油」という商品が紹介されているのを見た。これ、今物凄い人気で品切れ状態なのだそう。 桃屋のサイトに行ってみたら案の定売り切れ。お詫...
  • The Unapproacheable
    So, I was in a supermarket the other night and was in line at the checkout. I noticed the...
  • その町の少年は皆、 同じ髪型をしていた…
    ちょっと前に深夜のケーブル局でやっていたのをみてからすごく気になっていたのが「バーバー吉野」という映画。 「かもめ食堂」や「めがね」を撮った荻上直子という若手監督の初作だそう。...
Back
Top Bottom