Artist: The Guess Who<
Title: Artificial Paradise
Label: RCA LSP-4830
Released: 1973

I like the Guess Who. I like, “These Eyes,” “Undun,” “Laughing” and a few more hits. I’ve never been a big fan of “American Woman,” or “No Time,” but I’m all right with the band. I like a solid bunch of their hits.

Randy Bachman left the band in 1970, right when the band was peaking. They kept stride with “No Sugar Tonight,” “Hand Me Down World” and “Share The Land” with the new twin lead guitarists, Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw.

1971’s So Long Bannatyne yielded two top 40 hits, but then the well went dry until “Star Baby” hit number 39 in 1974. During this dry spell, the Guess Who released three studio albums, Artificial Paradise, Rockin’ and #10. The personnel was basically the same group since Share The Land and they were working with their long-time producer, Jack Richardson, but the music took a new direction. In the case of Artificial Pardise, it took many directions.

The album opens up with “Bye Bye Babe.” It was an attempt at boogie-rock, like the sound of Humble Pie, early Foghat and 70s circa Status Quo. The rhythm was right but there was joy, unless you find humor in these lyrics, “Head down the road, look for a slimy toad / Nothing in your head you woman / Bye, bye, bye, bye babe.”

“Samantha’s Living Room” is the worst mimicry of Neil Young and “Rock & Roller Steam” brings up images of Spinal Tap’s Derek Smalls. It’s 70’s big moustache rock.

Burton Cummings’ first songwriting credit arrives with the Donovan-esque, “Follow Your Daughter Home.” The intent of the song was fatherly advice – keep an eye on your daughter – but Cummings comes across creepy when he sings the line, “Is she still a virgin / Follow your daughter home.” Plus, there’s a goddamned flute. What is this, the Pied Piping Predator? This song is just wrong.

Side A closes with “Those Show Biz Shoes,” whose opening line is “My girl’s got some solution that’s excellent for removing all the tuna and the oil / And though she laughs at the Constitution at least she’d end up owning up to being just my goil.” Yes, goil. Spelled out, right there on the lyric sheet. Stand tall there Burton Cummings! Stand tall!

And side B doesn’t get any better. “All Hashed Out” is typical sounding 70’s FM fare but once again we get a dose of great lyrics, “How can they look at you bleeding and tell you the dish ran away with the spoon?” My question is, how can you even attempt to pass such a line. Well I know how I’d pass it.

More nuggets of wisdom reside in “Orly,” a song about missing a plane at the Paris airport, and some free time observations. It comes off as an Allman Brothers song with a fiddle containing the line, “Better go to Rome and have a look at younger sister of my Dad” (That is not a typo).

“Lost And Found Town” continues with a free-man-in-Paris theme while Cummings attempts vocal acrobatics ala Joni Mitchell. And if the lyrics haven’t left you dumbfounded by now, the next number is called, “Hamba Gahle-Usalang Gahle.” I have no fucking idea what it means. After some verses of mumbo-jumbo it all comes together with the line, “Kiss a cousin givin’ a dog a bone.”

Befittingly, the album closes with “The Watcher,” containing the line, “All the people missed his message / When the band packed up / When the lights went out /And the band packed up and went home.

This album represents a damn near complete cross section of 1973-FM radio rock. It’s confusing as hell. Maybe they were attempting to find a new voice and were experimenting with other rock-genres. All and all, it’s a mess.

To make it more confusing, the album is brilliantly packaged as a direct mail campaign. My used copy I bought did not have the outer envelope, but it did have the insert that replicated an Ed McMahon-like sweepstakes, complete with photos of winners and a type written letter from the president of Artificial Paradise Ink, Marty Slick. Only on the outer sleeve is there a mention of the Guess Who and that is on the upper left corner as a return address.

Underneath the outer envelope there are graphics depicting a couple at the crossroads of failure and success. The caption states, “Are You Standing At The Fork In The Road?” Obviously the Guess Who were there too and they chose the wrong path.

Grade: D-. Musically it failed, but sometimes it is so bad, it’s funny. The packaging, on the other hand, deserves a higher grade, but it still is representing an Artificial Paradise. It’s the only element keeping this album from complete failure.

And at number two…

Artist: Hacienda
Title: Big Red & Barbacoa
Label: Alive 0106
Released: April 6, 2010

I thought 2008’s Loud Is The Night was an uncovered gem. But San Antonio’s Hacienda has mined another from the pit. This time it’s from a barbecue pit, as the title confirms. It’s a good balance of a spice rub and smoke.

Yes, the harmonies still exist, sometimes in the four-part form. But instead of floating on a cloud, they exist in a smolder of a fuzz bass, like on the opening track, “Who’s Heart Are You Breaking Now?” (Yeah, that’s how it’s spelled on the album.) The song moves like a camel walk with the Everly Brothers riding on top.

As you’re loping along in the groove, the band throws this weird beat at you in track two, “Younger Days.” It’s like a waltz on the wrong beat with some stinging guitar lines. It’s definitely a challenging number. When you deconstruct it you hear different elements of rock music. When you put it all back together again it is organized noise. I love it. Where as “Got To Get Back Home” on side two, is as straight as waltz can get in rock music.

And they follow it up with “I Keep Waiting” a Beach Boys type song with a muffled Duane Eddy-like riff. “Hound Dog” too shows the Beach Boys influence. Brian Wilson would be proud of these numbers.

“Prisoner” sounds like Los Lobos meets “Iko Iko,” and then side A ends with the instrumental, “Big Red” and side B with another, “Barbacoa.” The instrumental cut is a lost art. The inclusion and the placement of these tracks proclaim a vision of an album as a whole.

Of the twelve tracks on the LP, all are original with the exception of the Everly Brothers cover, “You’re My Girl.” It’s a gritty number by Everly Brothers standards, and the Villanueva brothers take it one step further.

The production work was once again handled by Dan Auerbach of Black Keys fame. (Hacienda was also his backing band on his solo tour.) His touch is present, but it is not overriding great songs, nor is it glossing over crap. The album still sounds honest, not manufactured but crafted.

And at number three…

Artist: Spoon
Title: Transference
Label: Merge 365
Released: January 18, 2010

After the release of two meticulously crafted alt-pop records, Spoon released Transference, an album that critics referred to as sounding like a collection of demos, using terms like spare, sparse and stripped. The term they ignored was space.

Spoon took the production reins into their own hands on this 2010 release. Yes, it was a departure from 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and 2005’s Gimmie Fiction. With a title like Transference, change was to be expected.

They still carry an early 80s post-punk sound, but with the prominence of piano. Even though the piano can carry a melody, it is a percussive instrument. With the drum a little higher in the mix than previous albums, it creates space in the music. There aren’t layers of bongos or liquid bass lines, but a congruence of rhythm. Although the album has a slow-to-medium tempo, it still exhibits a drive because of the space.

Melodically, it is narrow, with vocalist Britt Daniels being more conversational than canorous. But when he reaches down inside for emotion, it’s found more in the grunts, screams, oooohs and ahhhhs, coming off like a cross between Elvis Costello and John Lennon.

Lyrically it reminds me of the Talking Heads, somewhat simple, vague and disjointed but full of images. The interpretation is in the musical delivery. I don’t know how well they would survive on their own, but they are lyrics, not poetry set to music. “Trouble Come Running” is a good example.

Spoon did not abandon being fastidious; they just cultivated a new vision. It takes just as much forethought to anticipate silence as it does noise.

And at number four…

Artist: Galactic
Title: Ya-Ka-May
Label: Anti 87002
Released: February 9, 2010
Genre: Funk / R&B / New Orleans

Jazz-funk artists Galactic opened the doors to New Orleans musicians, inviting all sub-genres in the Crescent City from hip-hop to bounce to brass bands, to Mardi Gras Indians to classic R&B to funk.

The juxtaposing of the Rebirth Brass Band to Big Freedia, expose some of the roots of New Orleans bounce. So does the inclusion of the hip-hop tracks by Katey Red & Sissy Nobby and the bending of the genres by Josh Cohen & Ryan Scully from the now disbanded Morning 40 Federation. It once again shows that New Orleans is still a musical melting pot. Cohen & Scully’s “Liquor Pang” is a low riding cruise through the streets of alcohol, rationalizing a sense of hopelessness with lines like, “I’m making bad decisions with the money I earned” which rolls into “Ain’t no shame for a pang for some liquor, man.”

“Wild Man” featuring Big Chief Bo Dollis of the Wild Magnolias get some modern sampling treatment with some rock guitar riffs over a funk rhythm. While Allen Toussaint gets some updating, it’s still unmistakingly Allen, which cites what an influence Toussaint was on the New Orleans scene. No matter how you want to fuck with the structure of New Orleans music, give it a dose of Toussaint, and you can’t help but give him a stake in the claim.

But the artist that most benefits form this step forward in New Orleans music is Irma Thomas. Some national award faction should recognize Irma Thomas’ performance on “Heart of Steel.” The conviction in her delivery over the new material shows that she is still a force to be reckoned. Her reading surpasses all others on this album. Even if you don’t care for another melding of music, give Irma’s track a chance. It should be nominated for single of the year.

Paraphrasing the sticker that was pasted on the CD cover, “this ain’t your daddy’s New Orleans music.” Well, in many ways it is. This music would not exist without the contributions of the mothers and fathers of New Orleans R&B, nor would this CD be as successful with their inclusion.

And at number 5…

Artist: Seu Jorge & Almaz
Title: Seu Jorge & Almaz
Label: Now-Again 5068
Released: July 27, 2010
Genre: Brazilian

Seu Jorge entered the American mainstream consciousness with his appearance in the Wes Anderson film, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissos. He played the guitar strumming, Pele, covering David Bowie songs in Portuguese. His latest effort employs the band, Almaz, which provides a perfect backdrop for Jorge’s staging.

The band slides easily from samba to funk to rock, which Jorge can also do vocally. He can be refined on the samba covers or attack them, like he did on “Cristina.” He can also do both in the same song, like on Cain & Abel’s early 70’s funk-rock number, “Girl You Move Me.” He almost sounds plaintive as the song rocks over a bed of chunky guitar riffs, and then shifts into a more primal delivery.

Their cover of Kraftwerk’s “The Model” Jorge’s cadence is mechanical, which is a true reading of the song, while the band adds a life-giving vibe. Almaz drives these songs when Jorge’s voice can be come languid. On the Joao Donato cover, “Calo Boca, Menino,” the almost snotty, “nyah, nyah, nyahs” of the original, become this alluring “yeah, yeah, yeah,” where Jorge does his best Brazilian Barry White over the top of the music.

Jorge’s take on Roy Ayer’s “Everybody Loves The Sunshine,” is a keystone on the album. It is song most people can identify, holding it all together and letting the other numbers waterfall into place. It is the exemplifying groove that gives the album vision and the listeners definition.

And at number six…

Artist: The Parting Gifts
Titles: Strychnine Dandelion
Label: In The Red 201
Release Date: October, 2010

“Pursed lips still red with wine / Tell me lies as they’re touching mine” sings Coco Hames in “Bound” the second track of Strychnine Dandelion. Hames is also the lead singer of The Ettes. The composer of “Bound” is Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound. Cartwright produced the previous Ettes record, which lead to the formation of The Parting Gifts.

The Parting Gifts is mainly the Ettes augmented by Cartwright on vocals and guitar, plus lending his tremendous songwriting talents. Ten of the fifteen tracks are Cartwright numbers, four are Coco’s and the other is a Stones cover – “Walking Through The Sleepy City.”

Cartwright writes it best in the cut, “Staring.” He sings, “A steady diet of broken dreams and aspertame,” which describes the album perfectly. Cartwright may have perfected melancholy garage rock. He writes and sings with his heart truly exposed but surrounded by sweet rock and roll hooks. The Coco Hames songs run from country-tinged rock to punk. She serves as a good muse for Cartwright who has developed a signature sound. Coco on the other hand shows she is still exploring and pushing musical boundaries.

Cartwright carries most of the vocal work, even singing on the Hames composition, “My Baby Tonight,” a smoky piece of early 60s influenced R&B. Sadly, “Bound” is the only track where Cartwright and Hames duet. Plus, the title track is better suited for Coco to sing, but Cartwright took the lead on it.

Nonetheless, it is another strong offering from Greg Cartwright. He doesn’t get the attention of someone like Jack White, per se. But as a person who bought every single White put out on his Third Man label this year, I’ll take the Cartwright creations over Mr. White’s.

And at number seven…

Artists: Lee “Scratch” Perry & Adrian Sherwood
Title: Dubsetter
Label: On U Sound 126
Released: July 13, 2010

This is truly a sonic experience. Just when you think you know your dub, Adrian Sherwood and Lee Perry do it again. With the roots of this material lying in the 1990 Mighty Upsetter, the duo rework number from that LP to where the compositions take on new personalities.

1990’s “Yellow Tongue” becomes “Yellow Fever,” stripping away Samia Farah’s voice and replacing it with wandering violins. “Lee’s Garden” is morphed into “All Will Be Well In The Garden,” with a harmonica and a bowed cello in a dub surrounding. “Lucky Charm” becomes “Lucky Tarzan,” and so on, but these versions change dramatically with the presence of strings. You can also hear Sherwood’s influence with his dabbling into Asian dub.

A composition not included on Mighty Upsetter but still drawing some source material to compliment it is Ernesto and Margarita Lecuona’s “Taboo.” The song since its 1941 inception, has been recorded by lounge icons, Ferrante & Teicher, Les Baxter, Henry Jerome and Xavier Cugat among others. The Sherwood/Perry treatment sends the song to another genre, transcending all previous attempts.

The musicianship and production values surpass anything else I heard in 2010. It is rich and textured. It demands your attention while at the same time, sweeping you away into a trance.

And at number eight…

Artist: Nick Curran & The Lowlifes
Title: Reform School Girl
Label: Eclecto Groove 509
Released: February 16, 2010
Genre: R&B, Rock

Not many albums start off covering a vintage Etta James and finish with AC/DC. In between are twelve originals that sound like Little Richard meets Phil Spector with a dash of sixties camp.

When I first head “Sheena’s Back In Town” I thought it was a lost R&B gem; maybe an unearthed King Coleman cut. The misogynistic “Kill My Baby” is frighteningly believable with a nasty guitar line and an adrenaline rush of rhythm fueled by a baritone sax. The cut is followed by, “Psycho” with schizophrenic vocal to match. Not even Esquerita sounded this nuts.

But then on cuts like, “Reform School Girl” you hear Phil Spector and sixties girl group camp with background vocals in the chorus that sound like the Modern Folk Quartet regrouped for the session. “Ain’t No Good” leans more toward the rockabilly side of the tracks, as does “Flyin’ Blind” (featuring guest vocals from the Blasters’ Phil Alvin) while “Dream Girl” is bound to show up in a Tarrantino film.

The retro sound is so real thanks to the production work of Billy Horton, a Curran’s bas player that puts Nick’s vision into sound. Curran’s career has had him playing with his father’s band in Portland, ME at nineteen. He also toured with the rockabilly mistress, Kim Lenz, was a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and has pursued a solo career with Reform School Girl being his fifth album.

Some artists love a sound and do what they can to mask themselves in it. Curran is the sound he wants. It is derivative but it’s done expertly. Listen to the cover of AC/DC’s “Rocker,” you’d think it was a Little Richard song.

And, at number nine:

Artists: Various
Title: Daddy Rockin’ Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos
Label: The Wind 002
Released: September, 2010

Nolan Strong & The Diablos were not a band that was underappreciated by followers of vocal group harmony. To the general public though, they don’t have the recognition of groups like the Orioles or Moonglows. Only one of their singles broke nationally; “The Way You Dog Me Around” b/w “Jump, Shake & More,” hitting the number twelve position on the national R&B charts. But around Detroit in the 1950s, these guys were kings. They were a franchise group at the Motor City’s Fortune Records. Their 1954 single, “The Wind,” was rated the eleventh best Detroit record out of 100 in the Detroit Metro Times, nestled between “Kick Out the Jams” and “Smokin’ In The Boys Room.”

Nolan Strong was the link between Clyde McPhatter and Smokey Robinson. He was a master of the falsetto and also a great songwriter. The majority of the songs on Daddy Rockin’ Strong have come from the pen of Nolan Strong, and some from Devora Brown – a co-owner of Fortune Records. And knowing the practice of the music industry, I wouldn’t doubt that Nolan lent a strong hand in writing the Devora Brown numbers.

Daddy Rockin’ Strong is thirteen tracks in tribute to the Diablos, all covered by bands that have roots in sixties garage, but an obvious appreciation for Nolan Strong. One exception to that rule would be a surviving label mate of Strong’s, Andre Williams. In the past two decades, Andre’s musical spectrum has expanded, but in the sixties, he put out some gritty R&B. He covers Strong’s only national hit, “The Way You Dog Me Around.”

The album opens up with “The Wind,” a strangely produced cover by Mark Sultan, the other half of King Khan & Bab-B-Q. It’s literally fingernails on the guitar strings, sliding up and down the fretboard creating an eerie ambiance behind Sultan’s falsetto.

The Dirtbombs contribute the title track, which is a twist (a polite euphemism for rip off) of “Daddy Rolling Stone.” Greg Cartwright’s Reigning Sound rocks a version of “Mind Over Matter,” one of the more popular tracks amongst Strong followers. In fact the A-Bones riff on it in the closing of their cover of “Real True Love.”

Guitarist Lenny Kaye, the compiler of the great Nuggets collection and member of Patti Smith’s band performs the ballad, “I Wanna Know.” Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby to a fine interpretation of “I Wanna Be Your Happiness,” sounding like a new millennium Mickey & Sylvia. And from beyond the grave, Cub Koda, another Detroit rocker, a founding member of Brownsville Station, contributes, “You’re The Only Girl Delores.” The song was originally released in 1994 on is album, “Abba Dabba Dabba.”

There were some good tribute albums released in 2010. Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows, the John Prine tribute record was very good, as was Twistable, Turnable Man the Shel Silverstein collection. But I’ll take the Daddy Rockin’ Strong as my favorite tribute record of the year. The record rocks (And it’s available on clear vinyl for a price). It shows Strong’s recognition of a good hook. It also displays a great cast of musicians that definitely have a strong feeling for the Diablos.

Artist: She & Him
Title: Volume 2
Label: Merge 354
Released: March 23, 2010

If you’re not aware of She & Him, the She is part-time actress/part-time singer-songwriter, Zooey Deschanel and the Him is the well-respected M. Ward. Together they make beautiful pop songs.

But for many strange reasons, people won’t accept Zooey Deschanel as a singer-songwriter. Personally, I like her better as a musician than I do an actress. I liked Elvis Presley better as a singer than an actor. Madonna, no doubt she’s better in the music business than in film. I like Tom Waits in both roles. Dean Martin too. The point is, crossing over is not a new concept.

I was waiting in line at the Electric Fetus on Record Store Day. I was listening to my iPod. The customer next to me asked me what I was listening to and I told him, the new She & Him record. He made it clear that he did not like Zooey Deschanel, claiming that she had no talent and got a record deal mainly on her good looks. He had no interest in listening to the record based on that belief. I told him that I hoped he enjoyed his Susan Boyle album.

Get over it people! I can see if you don’t like 70s influenced pop music you can dismiss this as a matter of taste, but to base it on pure jealousy is pretty damned ignorant.

I’ll admit, Zooey doesn’t have the range of a great vocalist, but she works very well within her limits. With writing eleven of the thirteen songs, they do, for the most part, fit within her range. The production work of M. Ward also keeps the listener interested, layering sounds upon sounds with subtle guitar fills, hand claps, bells, chimes, bongos and sweet harmonies.

Right in the middle of the album, the track “Home” opens up with a piano riff, reminiscent of the 70s L.A. singer-songwriter sound. The song then drifts into late 60s Beach Boys territory and than falls comfortably into a little romp. It’s complex in structure but yet it doesn’t sound too busy.

M. Ward’s production should be commended. The sonic roots are obvious and he dresses up some very simple pop songs into elaborate works. “Brand New Shoes” rings of Brazilian pop, with it’s acoustic guitar in the forefront and the cadence of Deschanel’s delivery.

The opening track, “Thieves” riffs on Patsy Cline’s “Strange” but has production bigger than Owen Bradley’s. “In The Sun” is close to a perfect pop song and “Lingering Still” touches more on 60s Countrypolitan than most tracks on the album.

The covers are expertly chosen too. “Gonna Get Along Without You Now” was a hit for Skeeter Davis, keeping that 60s country-pop flair alive. NRBQ’s “Riding In My Car” is a classic song about cars and girls, it could be the lost gem of Brian Wilson.

The album is not perfect, “If You can’t Sleep” shows Zooey’s shortcomings in holding a note in a slow song. “Don’t Look Back” marches along, and I just don’t like marches (unless there’s a brass band funkifying it.). But the great songs outshine many of their charting contemporaries making it one of my favorite albums of 2010.

Watch the video for “In The Sun”