Jonathan Edwards - Jonathan Edwards (LP, 1971)

I found this LP for a dollar earlier this year, and I bought it. I had heard good things at some point, and figured I'd give it a shot. I actually ended up liking it a bit. It's sort of Cat Stevens, sort of Gordon Lightfoot, sort of hippie-fueled idyllic crap that I can only listen to so much of in one sitting.

You've probably heard Edwards' song "Sunshine" before, even if you don't know it. I feel like it's been on some commercial recently. It's not a bad song, though it does contain some of that hippie bullshit I was talking about.

He's got a strong voice, and this isn't a bad one for a lazy afternoon.

"Sunshine"

Steve Earle - El Corazón (CD, 1997)

Full disclosure: this is the only Steve Earle album I own (not counting the split EP he did with the Supersuckers), and I bought it because I am an obsessive Supersuckers completist and they play on track eight, "NYC." This is sad, because I really like Steve Earle. I have a bunch of his tracks on soundtracks and compilations, but I just have never taken the dive and fully immersed myself in his catalog. I plan to, I just haven't come to it yet.

Anywho. I won't go through the long and torrid tale of Earle's career, but this album was recorded after he kicked heroin and decided to become a really fucking important songwriter. (I mean that sincerely.) Earle reminds me of Bruce Springsteen in a lot of ways, except that I like Earle a lot better and feel like if they were having a deep political discussion, Earle would kick his ass with endless references to specific events.

This record begins and ends with haunting acoustic numbers (the a-bit-too-long "Christmas In Washington" and the string-aided "Fort Worth Blues," respectively), but mostly rocks in the in between. Earle's country roots are still with him, but it's the old side of country, not the new-country he flaunted in the 80's. Songs like "I Still Carry You Around" and especially "The Other Side of Town" sound like they could be 50 years old. And they're both really great songs.

The song with the Supersuckers is my favorite on this one, but that could simply be because I've heard it the most, or because the Supersuckers wall-of-guitar sound is easily identifiable and sweet to hear with Earle's vocals. Plus, the melody is catchy as shit, and the lyrics are dour but sung with an uplifting conviction that betrays (what I interpret to be) the intended tale of naivety behind the song.

Man, I really do like this record.

"NYC"

Eagles of Death Metal - Death By Sexy (CD, 2006)

The production is a little more refined on this record, but otherwise, things haven't changed much since the first one. Nothing wrong with that, as the songs are almost as good and they're careful to not let the attitude factor overtake the proceedings and let things get hokey.

The songs on this record aren't as initially catchy as the ones on the first album, but I've found that's actually a good thing, as after giving them some time to grow on me, they actually seem to be slightly more mature than the ones on their debut. Only slightly though, as a song like "I Got a Feelin (Just Nineteen)" seems like it could have been a leftover from the first record.

Really though, overanalyzing records from a band like this is missing the point completely. They're not the type of group that's going to eventually shed their signature sound in favor of a more experimental one. They bring the rock, the lyrics are always great, and it's better "party rock" (for lack of a better term) than anything else I would choose to listen to.

Nothing wrong with a good time.

"I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"

Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal (LP, 2004)

In 2004, I read that Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age was drumming in a forthcoming side project. Coming from Homme, the "side project" thing didn't shock me. Dude's a busy man. The "drumming" thing struck me as a little odd. I was a big Queens fan at the time, so I was curious to hear what the hell he was doing.

The first time I heard the band was on late night TV, I think it was Conan, performing "Speaking in Tongues." It was weird to see Homme behind the drum kit. He was bulky at the time, his kit was tiny, and the sticks looked utterly tiny his meaty fists. He wasn't technically great, but he didn't need to be. He just pounded away as this slightly gay-seeming dude hammered out power chords and sang in a hiccup-y falsetto in front of him. Two girls with mustaches danced behind microphones but never seemed to actually sing anything. They had no bass player, but did have another guitar player. It was not what I expected. It was way better than what I expected.

So, I was in. I had taped the performance, kept watching it, and the song was jammed in my head. I went out and bought the album as soon as I could find it, and it got played a lot that summer. You could write it off as glammy garage rock or something, but it's more complex than it initially seems. Everything on this record is calculated, from the innuendos in the lyrics to the medium-quality production and recording. It rattles and feels raw, which fits perfectly with the entire vibe of the band. I wouldn't have thought I would love a song called "Whorehoppin' (Shit, Goddamn)," but I sure do.

I went to see the band at Dante's in Portland and the show was wild. It was the summer, it was packed, and it was a beer and sweat-soaked mess all the way through. That's fine, that's how it felt like it should be. Homme didn't play the drums; I think it was Joey Castillo. It was a bummer not to see "Baby Duck," but Castillo's performance juiced up the songs even more.

Yeah, this is a good one.

"I Only Want You"

Dungeon Family - Even In Darkness (CD, 2001)

I don't know about anyone else, but I was pleasantly surprised these guys actually got their shit together to do this record. Not because they're lazy or incapable, but because there's a ton of 'em. The fact that's it's really, really good is just the icing on the ol' cake.

The beats here are a good mix of the kind of stuff you'd expect to hear on a Goodie Mob or Outkast record. They're not throwaways, either. This is prime shit, and this record is far from some one-off hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the 'Kast. These are hard beats and rough rhymes, with posse cuts galore. No weak links, nobody phoning it in. Some strong shit.

"Crooked Booty" is a great song, but when "Follow the Light" kicks in, you know you're in for it. How that song wasn't a huge hit, I'll never know. Big Boi slays his verse as usual, and Cee-Lo once again reminds us that he's just as strong when he's rapping as he is when he's singing. (I actually like him better when he's rapping.) I think "Trans DF Express" was the single, which strikes me as bit of an odd choice. It's a great song, but not as immediately catchy as "Follow the Light." Still, strong.

One of the other real gems here is "6 Minutes (Dungeon Family It's On)," a track that runs about nine rappers deep and reminds us, as if we needed it, that Big Boi is a pure bred stallion:

"HOT tub.. Bubbling like warm water call me, HOT tub
Cut your wife and daughter like a meat cleaver
We be the, Dungeon Family
Niggaz up under the step from A-T-L to overstand me
D-F, is the clique that I represent
Puffin purple, poppin poppers, spittin straight pimp shit"

It also reminds us that Big Rube is the only guy in rap who can pull off poetry without sounding like a cornball. I dig the shit out of that dude. And I dig the shit out of this record.

We don't have to talk about Bubba Sparxxx being on this thing, do we? No?

Good.

"Trans DF Express"

Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst (CD, 1996)

Kool Keith is a nut job.

Lucky for him, it's all a widely accepted part of his charm. Otherwise, phrases like "rectal rebuilding" and "space doo doo pistols" might seem rather off-putting. In this case, and as is often the case, it's all being spit out of the mouth of an alter ego, so it's not really like it's Keith saying it anyway - it's Dr. Octagon. I can't remember the entire back story (it's been a while since I listened to this one), but I think he's some sort of interplanetary obstetrician. You know, your run of the mill rap shit.

If the premise sounds iffy, it should. Ostensibly, it's a pretty retarded idea. The beauty of this record is the amount of sheer lyricism that Keith pulls out of the woodwork for the subject matter. That, and Dan the Automator's swizzity beats. Kool Keith is all over the map, stringing non sequiturs together at some points, telling linear stories in others.

It's madness, but it's also strangely compelling. This is my favorite Kool Keith record, but there's a bunch I haven't heard. So really, I don't know what I'm talking about.

But I do know this is some spaced-out dope shit.

"Blue Flowers"

Dr. Dre - 2001 (2xLP, 1999)

We can all act like this album is as good as the original Chronic, but it's not. It's still really great, and that's impressive enough. So, and pardon the pun, what's the difference?

Too many dudes. Too many guest spots from guys who just sound like dudes. Six-Two and Hittman shouldn't have been on this record. They're fine rappers, but on a song like "Xxplosive," next to Kurupt, they're outranked. Really, that's been my only ongoing beef with this record. Otherwise, aside from a little bit of filler and a few tracks that don't completely resonate, it's a damn fine album.

Dre's production is flawless as always, and I think while most people focus on his beatmaking skills, they forget the other part of his producer role that is integral: his ability to get great performances out of people. Snoop without Dre never sounds as good as Snoop with Dre. Same with Nate Dogg. He reins in their bullshit, cuts out the fat, and makes them as good as they really are. "Still D.R.E." was Snoop Dogg sounding like Snoop Doggy Dogg again. Finally. And "What's the Difference" is one of the best collabo cuts of the 90's, easy. Eminem's verse on that song is just way too good.

Daz is conspicuously absent, but Kurupt comes back and proves he's still got it. I was excited to see MC Ren's name on the track listing, but his guest spot is disappointing, though not his fault. It's a crowded record, and by the time you're into the 20's in the song count, it starts to feel long. But fuck it, it's Dre, and you knew he wouldn't put out another album for a long time.

And he hasn't.

"What's the Difference"