392 - Credence Clearwater Revival - Willie and the Poor Boys

Credence is in the house and a party is in full effect. There's cheap beer on the washing machine, a few dozen of your friends are hanging out, and everyone is there for a little fun on this breezy, summer day. The songs on Willie and the Poor Boys are uptempo but you won't exhaust yourself dancing to them. It is feel good, fun music; which makes it easy to listen to the album and not pick up on the serious content in "Fortunate Son."

"Down on the Corner" gets the mood set right off the bat. "Don't Look Now" sounds like CCR is doing an Elvis impersonation. And there may never be a day that I hear "Effigy" and not think of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" - the songs are really similar after the bit of noodling at the beginning. "Effigy" is the only song on the album that doesn't live up to the party feel...however, it fits very nicely as the last track.

( Compare the two, if you want. )

Songs I knew I liked: "Down on the Corner," "Fortunate Son," and "Midnight Special"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Feelin' Blue" and "Effigy"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: None, but "Don't Look Now" is definitely my least favorite.

391 - Jackson Browne - The Pretender

I gotta be honest, I probably should have done my reviews for CCR and Jackson Browne on Tuesday. However, I've enjoyed listening to the albums so much that I procrastinated writing the reviews and moving on.

There is something about Jackson Browne's voice that disarms and soothes me. Yes, when I pay attention to the lyrics, I get the seriousness and sadness present in many of the songs on the album. But my ears are in love with the tone of his voice and keep arguing with my brain that Jackson is actually serenading me.

While I enjoy the songs on The Pretender a great deal more than For Everyman, I frequently found the production of the tracks distracting. From what I've read, this was Jackson's first album with a bona fide producer. Alas, I kept thinking that the producer approached the recording of this album with the philosophy of "what all can I add to these songs to justify my being here." There are many songs where piano and strings seem thrown in and don't really contribute to strengthening the song. The producer seems to be trying to make the songs sound more epic. I think I'd enjoy the album more with a couple of instruments pulled out of each song. The instrumentation for the Latin "Linda Paloma" grates on me so much.

Songs I knew I liked: "The Pretender"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "The Fuse," "Your Bright Baby Blues," "The Only Child," "Daddy's Tune," and "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate" (I love the line "But the times when we were happy/ Were the times we never tried")

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: If I decide to get this album, I can guarantee I will either not download "Linda Paloma" or will habitually skip it on vinyl/CD.