September 2006 List

“Whoo! Alright - Yeah...Uh Huh”: The Rapture
(Pieces of the People We Love, 2006)
I’m a bit late to The Rapture party, but their new album ensures that I won’t leave anytime soon! They truly are the definition of “punk-disco” and this song reminds me of dancing among a crowd of revelers with Mark and Nicole at Luke & Leroy’s back in June.

“La Territoire”: Brazilian Girls
(Talk to La Bomb, 2006)
I remember I was the only person dancing at Nublu for the CD release party of Brazilian Girls’ first album – having a fantastic time, nonetheless - and then being annoyed when the band took more than 3 hours to take the stage at Bowery Ballroom for a concert appearance later that month. Talk to La Bomb redeems Brazilian Girls because it proves that they can deliver the goods a second time without recycling ideas from the first album.

“California Rain”: Madeleine Peyroux
(Half the Perfect World, 2006)
Madeleine Peyroux has a voice that soothes like a warm cup of coffee on a cold, rainy morning (like today, in fact!) What I enjoy about “California Rain” is the dichotomy between the lyrics’ malaise -- “What a fool to be ambitious/Moving here with all of my wishes” -– and the “hopeful” spirit evoked by the hi-hat, keyboard, and guitar.

“It’s Only Make Believe”: Sam Moore
(Overnight Sensational, 2006)
Sam Moore, who was one-half of Sam & Dave ("Soul Man", "Hold On! I'm Comin;"), has a new album of “duets”, which comes off more as an imitation of Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company. “It’s Only Make Believe”, written by Conway Twitty, is a stand out track because it focuses less on guest vocalists and more on Moore’s soaring tenor.

“Reason to Believe”: Lionel Richie
(Coming Home, 2006)
I was really rooting for Richie on his new album but, alas, he’s abandoned his artistry in favor of overproduced material that already sounds out of date. “Reason to Believe”, produced by Dallas Austin, is the only song from the album that resonates with me because it places Richie with an actual band of musicians, singing a strong melody in his own, distinct style (not Usher's or Ne-Yo's etc.).