It took 20 years for Lucinda Williams to release her first four albums. Her most recent four have come at a much faster clip, averaging one every other year.
And while there is no contest in terms of quality — the first batch takes it by a mile — I’m glad to hear new material by one of America’s greatest singer-songwriters with some frequency.
I’ve had this song stuck in my head for the better part of two days now, and I have no idea why. Maybe it’s featured in a commercial or something?
When I realized I didn’t have a SOTD scheduled this morning, I figured I’d give old Lionel Richie his due for planting ‘Stuck On You’ in my brain.
So here is Richie’s official Meet Me In Montauk debut, if you don’t count a cover of ‘Endless Love’ by the cast of Glee.
One-hit wonders are awfully common, but one-album wonders are a bit more rare. And 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill might be the best example.
This thing was a monster hit, a cultural touchstone, a Grammy winner for Best Album. And it was the last memorable thing Lauryn Hill ever did.
In fact, the only other solo album she ever released was a live recording of her appearance on MTV’s Unplugged. That was in 2002.
Neko Case is one of those artists who can’t quite crack my “must listen” list even though everything she does sounds great.
The major exception is her 2006 album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, which broke through to hold a spot among my favorite albums of that decade.
But the albums she’s released before and since just haven’t had the same lasting appeal.
I discovered TV On the Radio through their 2008 album, Dear Science, which kicked my ass in all kinds of amazing ways.
I quickly sought out its predecessor, Return to Cookie Mountain, looking for more of the same, but was disappointed by the album’s less cohesive sound.
