Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat (2006)

Morph the Cat is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Donald Fagen. Released on March 7, 2006, to generally positive reviews from critics, Morph the Cat was described by Fagen as his "death album" in an interview with Fred Kaplan of The New York Times.
Musicians on the album include drummer Keith Carlock, saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, bassist Freddie Washington, and guitarists Frank Vignola, Jon Herington, Wayne Krantz, and Hugh McCracken.

There are no surprises in sound and style on Morph the Cat, Donald Fagen's long-awaited third solo album, nor should any be expected -- ever since Steely Dan's 1980 masterwork, Gaucho, his work, either on his own or with longtime collaborator Walter Becker, has been of a piece.
Each record has been sleek, sophisticated, and immaculately produced, meticulously recorded and arranged, heavy on groove and mood, which tends to mask the sly wit of the songs. When it works well -- as it did on Fagen's peerless 1982 solo debut, The Nightfly, or on Steely Dan's 2001 comeback, Two Against Nature -- the results go down smoothly upon first listen and reveal their complexity with each spin; when it doesn't quite succeed -- both 1993's Kamakiriad and the Dan's 2003 effort Everything Must Go didn't quite gel -- the albums sound good but samey on the surface and don't quite resonate.

Morph the Cat belongs in the first group: at first it sounds cozily familiar, almost too familiar, but it digs deep, both as music and song Sonically, at least superficially, it is very much a continuation of the two Steely Dan records of the new millennium -- not only does it share Fagen's aesthetic, but it was recorded with many of the same musicians who have shown up on the Dan projects.
There are slight differences -- without Becker around, there's a greater emphasis on keyboards and the songs stretch on a bit longer than anything on Everything Must Go -- but this, at least on pure sonics, could have functioned as a sequel to Two Against Nature. But Morph the Cat is very much a solo affair, fitting comfortably next to his first two solo albums as a conclusion to what he calls a trilogy.

If The Nightfly concerned the past and Kamakiriad was set in a hazy future, Morph the Cat is rooted in the present, teeming with the fears and insecurities of post-9/11 America. Fagen doesn't camouflage his intent with the gleefully enigmatic rhymes that have been his trademark: his words, while still knowingly sardonic, are direct, and in case you don't want to bother reading the lyrics or listening closely, he helpfully offers brief explanations of the songs (for instance, on "Mary Shut the Garden Door," he writes "Paranoia blooms when a thuggish cult gains control of the government," a statement that's not exactly veiled).
On top of this unease, Fagen faces mortality throughout the album -- he talks with the ghost of Ray Charles, borrows W.C. Fields' phrase for death for "Brite Nitegown," writes about attempted suicides -- and every song seems to be about things drawing to a close.

It's a little disarming to hear Fagen talk so bluntly -- although he came close to doing so on the deliberately nostalgic The Nightfly, the fact that he was writing about the past kept him at a bit of a distance -- but despite the abundance of morbid themes, Morph the Cat never sounds dour or depressing.
In large part this is due to Fagen's viewpoint -- he never succumbs to mawkishness, always preferring to keep things witty and sardonic, which helps keep things from getting too heavy -- but it's also due to his smooth jazz-rock, which always sounds nimble and light.
This, of course, is how Fagen's music always sounds, but here, it not only functions as a counterpoint to the darkness creeping on the edges of the album, but it's executed expertly: as spotless as this production is, it never sounds sterile, and when the songs start stretching past the five-minute mark -- two cuts are over seven minutes -- it never gets boring, because there's a genuine warmth to the clean, easy groove.
More so than on Kamakiriad, or on the tight Everything Must Go, there is a sense of genuine band interplay on this record, which helps give it both consistency and heart -- something appropriate for an album that is Fagen's most personal song cycle since The Nightfly, and quite possibly his best album since then.


Tracklist

1. "Morph the Cat" – 6:49
2. "H Gang" – 5:15
3. "What I Do" – 6:01
4. "Brite Nitegown" – 7:16
5. "The Great Pagoda of Funn" – 7:39
6. "Security Joan" – 6:09
7. "The Night Belongs to Mona" – 4:18
8. "Mary Shut the Garden Door" – 6:29
9. "Morph the Cat (Reprise)" – 2:53

All songs written by Donald Fagen except where indicated.

Morph the Cat

• Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen, Jerry Barnes, Michael Harvey
• Bass – Freddie Washington
• Drums – Keith Carlock
• Guitar – Frank Vignola, Hugh McCracken, Wayne Krantz
• Guitar [Solo] – Jon Herington
• Fender Rhodes – Donald Fagen
• Tenor Saxophone [Solo] – Walt Weiskopf
• Trumpet – Marvin Stamm
• Vibraphone – Phonus Quaver

H Gang

• Baritone Saxophone – Roger Rosenberg
• Bass – Freddie Washington
• Drums – Keith Carlock
• Guitar – Hugh McCracken, Wayne Krantz
• Guitar [Solo] – Jon Herington
• Percussion – Gordon Gottlieb
• Piano – Ted Baker
• Fender Rhodes, Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen
• Tenor Saxophone [Solo] – Walt Weiskopf
• Trombone – Mark Patterson
• Trumpet – Marvin Stamm

What I Do

• Backing Vocals – Amy Helm, Carolyn Leonhart, Cindy Mizelle, Donald Fagen
• Bass – Freddie Washington
• Drums – Keith Carlock
• Guitar – Hugh McCracken, Jon Herington, Ken Emerson, Wayne Krantz
• Harmonica [Solo] – Howard Levy
• Wurlitzer Electric Piano – Ted Baker

Brite Nitegown

• Alto Saxophone – Walt Weiskopf
• Baritone Saxophone – Roger Rosenberg
• Drums – Keith Carlock
• Guitar – Jon Herington
• Guitar [Solo] – Wayne Krantz
• Marimba – Phonus Quaver
• Percussion – Bashiri Johnson, Gordon Gottlieb
• Fender Rhodes, Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen
• Tenor Saxophone – Lawrence Feldman
• Trombone – Mark Patterson
• Trumpet – Marvin Stamm

The Great Pagoda of Funn

• Alto Saxophone – Walt Weiskopf
• Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen, Jerry Barnes
• Baritone Saxophone – Roger Rosenberg
• Bass – Freddie Washington
• Drums – Keith Carlock
• Guitar – Jon Herington
• Guitar [Solo] – Wayne Krantz
• Percussion – Joe Pasaro
• Piano – Ted Baker
• Tenor Saxophone – Lawrence Feldman
• Trombone – Mark Patterson
• Trumpet [Solo] – Marvin Stamm
• Vibraphone – Phonus Quaver

Security Joan

• Backing Vocals – Michael Harvey
• Bass – Freddie Washington
• Drums – Keith Carlock
• Guitar – Jon Herington, Wayne Krantz
• Guitar [Solo] – Ken Wessel
• Handclaps – Camille Meza, Candice Predham, Eddie Jackson, Jennifer Battista
• Organ, Piano, Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen
• Percussion – Gordon Gottlieb
• Wurlitzer Electric Piano – Ted Baker

The Night Belongs to Mona

• Acoustic Bass – Harlan Post, Jr.
• Bass – Freddie Washington
• Bass Clarinet – Roger Rosenberg
• Drums – Keith Carlock
• Flute – Lawrence Feldman
• Guitar – Jon Herington, Wayne Krantz
• Harmonica – Howard Levy
• Percussion – Gordon Gottlieb
• Piano, Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen
• Fender Rhodes – Ted Baker
• Tenor Saxophone – Walt Weiskopf
• Trombone – Mark Patterson
• Trumpet – Marvin Stamm

Mary Shut the Garden Door

• Backing Vocals – Carolyn Leonhart
• Bass – Freddie Washington
• Drums – Keith Carlock
• Flute – Illinois Elohainu
• Guitar – Jon Herington, Wayne Krantz
• Melodica [Solo], Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen
• Percussion – Gordon Gottlieb
• Fender Rhodes – Ted Baker
• Vibraphone – Phonus Quaver

Morph the Cat (Reprise)

• Backing Vocals – Jerry Barnes, Michael Harvey
• Bass – Freddie Washington
• Bass [Remedial] – Brian Montgomery
• Drums – Keith Carlock
• Guitar – Hugh McCracken, Wayne Krantz
• Guitar [Chorus Solo] – Jon Herington
• Guitar [Tag Solo] – Frank Vignola
• Fender Rhodes, Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen
• Tenor Saxophone – Walt Weiskopf
• Trumpet – Marvin Stamm
• Vibraphone – Phonus Quaver

Harlan Post Jr., Phonus Quaver and Illinois Elohainu are pseudonyms for Fagen himself when he plays an instrument sample patch on a synthesizer trying to replicate the actual instrument.

Production

• Producer: Donald Fagen
• Tracking Engineer: Elliot Scheiner
• Overdub/ProTools Engineers: Brian Montgomery, T. J. Doherty
• Mix Engineer: Elliott Scheiner
• Second Mix Engineer: Brian Montgomery
• Assistant Engineers: Eddie Jackson, Jim Keller, Chad Lupo, Steve Mazur, Brian Montgomery, Matt Scheiner, Bryan Smith, Allan "A.T." Thomas
• Piano Technicians: Sam Berd, Wayne Williams
• Drum/Guitar Tech: Artie Smith
• Music Copyist: Gary Blu
• Mastering Engineer: Darcy Proper
• Additional Mastering: Joseph M. Palmaccio
• Mastering Assistant: Maria Triana
• Management: Irving Azoff
• Production Coordinators: Jill Dell'Abate, Cindy Osborne
• Production Assistant: Mary Lou Arnold
• Art Direction: Jeri Heiden
• Design: Ryan Corey
• Photography: Danny Clinch

Notes

Released: March 7, 2006 

Recorded: 2004-2005 

Recording Location: Avatar Studios, New York, NY / Clinton Recording Studios, NewYork, NY / Sear Sound, New York, NY / Sugar Sound, Kauai 

Genre: Jazz-rock, jazz-funk 

Length: 52:49 

Label - Reprise Records

Joe Bonamassa - Black Rock (2010)

Black Rock is an album by the American blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa. It was recorded at Black Rock Studios in the Greek island of Santorini and it was released worldwide on March 23, 2010.
Track 8, "Night Life", features a duet between Bonamassa and his childhood hero B. B. King.

It’s a sign of Joe Bonamassa’s increasing profile that he got blues legend B.B. King to guest on his eighth album Black Rock -- and if what you’re doing is good enough to rope B.B. in, there’s not much reason to change, so Bonamassa doesn’t tinker with his formula here, retaining a little of the folky undertow of The Ballad of John Henry, but with its remaining roots in a thick, heavy blues-rock more redolent of ‘60s London than the ‘50s Delta.
Of course, Bonamassa has never shied away from his love of Brit-blues, even underscoring it with a good streamlined cover of Jeff Beck’s “Spanish Boots,” but he retains a healthy respect for all manners of classic blues, kicking out a Chicago groove on a cover of Otis Rush’s “Three Times a Fool,” reaching back to Blind Boy Fuller for “Baby You Gotta Change Your Mind” and ably replicating B.B.’s latter-day soul groove on a horn-smacked cover of Willie Nelson’s “Night Life.”

Bonamassa has an ear for non-blues writers too, cherrypicking Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on a Wire” and John Hiatt’s “I Know a Place,” tying it all together with beefy lead lines, but the provocative moments on Black Rock are all self-penned, whether it’s the clattering stomp “When the Fire Hits the Sea,” the British folk lilt of “Quarryman’s Lament” and “Athens to Athens,” or the droning dramatic epic “Blue and Evil.”
These are easily the most intriguing songs here, suggesting Bonamassa realizes that the familiar covers allow him to stretch out elsewhere, and while it might be interesting hearing him follow this path for a full album, what’s here on Black Rock is both satisfying and admirably, if reservedly, ambitious.


Tracklist

1. "Steal Your Heart Away"  (Bobby Parker cover) - 3:48
2. "I Know a Place"  (John Hiatt cover) - 4:19
3. "When the Fire Hits the Sea"  (Joe Bonamassa) - 3:55
4. "Quarryman's Lament"  (Joe Bonamassa) - 5:22
5. "Spanish Boots"  (Jeff Beck cover) - 4:38
6. "Bird on a Wire"  (Leonard Cohen cover) - 5:21
7. "Three Times a Fool"  (Otis Rush cover) - 2:02
8. "Night Life"  (ft. B.B. King; Willie Nelson cover) - 3:26
9. "Wandering Earth"  (Joe Bonamassa) - 4:19
10. "Look Over Yonder's Wall"  (Freddie King cover) - 3:27
11. "Athens to Athens"  (Joe Bonamassa) - 2:26
12. "Blue and Evil"  (Joe Bonamassa) - 5:44
13. "Baby You Gotta Change Your Mind"  (Blind Boy Fuller cover) - 4:25


Personnel

• Joe Bonamassa – guitars, vocals
• Rick Melick – keyboards
• Carmine Rojas – bass
• Bogie Bowles – drums
• Thanasis Vasilopoulos – clarinet
• David Woodford – saxophone
• Manolis Karadinis – bouzouki
• Lee Thornburg – brass & brass Arranger
• guests:
• B.B. King – guitars, vocals
• Anton Fig – drums

Companies, etc.

• Recorded At – Black Rock Studios
• Mixed At – Black Rock Studios
• Mastered At – Gateway Mastering
• Pressed By – Record Industry – 86318

Credits

• Engineer [Engineered By] – Denis Caribaux, Jared Kvitka (tracks: A5, B1)
• Executive-Producer – Joe Bonamassa, Roy Weisman
• Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
• Mixed By – Kevin "Caveman" Shirley
• Producer [Produced By] – Kevin Shirley

Notes

Released: March 23, 2010
Recording Location: Black Rock Studios, Santorini, Greece
                                  Document Room The Cave, Malibu, CA
Genre:  Blues rock
Length: 52:51

Label - J&R Adventures 

Supertramp - Some Things Never Change (1997)

Some Things Never Change is the tenth album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in March 1997.

Rick Davies, Bob Siebenberg, Mark Hart, and John Helliwell re-formed Supertramp with a number of anonymous studio musicians in 1997 to record and release Some Things Never Change, their first album in ten years.
And the title is correct -- nothing much has changed within Supertramp's world; they're simply churning out the same sophisticated jazzy, lite-funk-inflected pop as they did in the mid-'80s.
The only thing that is different is that the group can no longer write ingratiatingly catchy melodies as they did when they called it quits in the '80s, but hardcore fans will still find the instrumental interplay a joy to hear.

Some Things Never Change represented a deliberate return to the band's earlier sound (before Free as a Bird), using more organic recording techniques than on their previous studio album.
John Helliwell recounted that "we recorded the album in a way that Supertramp never had and that was by all going into the studio together and doing it as a much more live thing."
The album features the single "You Win, I Lose", which was a minor hit in Germany and also received considerable airplay in Canada.
The song "Live to Love You" features both the 'tackled' sound from the Coleco Electronic Quarterback handheld electronic game, as well as the Trouble "Pop-o-matic bubble" sounds from their 1979 hit "The Logical Song".

Rick Davies explained the concept behind the album cover: "It's something to tie in with the title. In England people have tea at four o'clock and it doesn't matter where they are or what sort of social plane they're on, they will have that tea."


Tracklist

1. "It's a Hard World" – 9:46
2. "You Win, I Lose" – 4:31
3. "Get Your Act Together" – 4:49
4. "Live to Love You" – 5:18
5. "Some Things Never Change" – 6:26
6. "Listen to Me Please" – 4:46
   • Lead vocals: Rick Davies and Mark Hart
7. "Sooner or Later" (Rick Davies/Mark Hart) – 6:50
   • Lead vocals: Mark Hart
8. "Help Me Down That Road" – 4:36
9. "And the Light" – 4:40
   • Drums: Tom Walsh
10. "Give Me a Chance" (Rick Davies/Mark Hart) – 4:24
    • Lead vocals: Mark Hart
11. "C'est What?" – 8:17
12. "Where There's a Will" – 5:36

All songs written and sung by Rick Davies except where noted.

Personnel

• Rick Davies – keyboards, vocals
• Mark Hart – guitars, keyboards, vocals
• John Helliwell – saxophones, woodwinds
• Cliff Hugo – bass
• Bob Siebenberg – drums
• Lee Thornburg – trombones, trumpets, background vocals
• Carl Verheyen – guitars
• Tom Walsh – percussion, drums on "And The Light"

Additional personnel

• Bob Danziger – Kalimbas
• Karen Lawrence – background vocals
• Kim Nail – background vocals
• Fred Mandel - guitars on "And The Light" (uncredited as a musician on the cover)

Production

• Producers: Jack Douglas, Fred Mandel
• Executive producer: Rick Davies
• Engineers: Ian Gardiner, Jay Messina
• Assistant engineers: Ian Gardiner, Mike Scotella
• Mixing assistant: Roy Clark, Brian Hargrove
• Mastering: Bob Ludwig
• Creative director: Richard Frankel
• Cover art: Dimo Safari
• Portraits: Dennis Keeley

Notes
Released: 24 March 1997
Recorded: 1988–90
Genre: Blues rock, progressive rock
Length: 65:36

Label - EMI/Oxygen (US) 

Chris Rea - The Return Of The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes (3CD) (2008)

The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes is the twenty-second studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2008 by his own record label, Jazzee Blue.
It comprises three CDs and double 10" Vinyl records in an 80-page hardback book. It is the second album of his project, the Hofner Blue Notes (2003).

The project narrates the history of The Delmonts, an imaginary guitar instrumental band from the late 1950s, who in early 1960s evolved into blues band The Hofner Bluenotes.
It also gives a brief history of the Hofner guitar, and its importance in the development of music in Britain. The book is lavishly illustrated with period photos and mocked up posters and newspaper cuttings about the band, together with some of Rea's paintings, and photos of Hofner guitars.
The music was recorded by Rea (guitars), Colin Hodgkinson (bass) and Martin Ditcham (drums), who feature in the book, together with Niel Drinkwater and Robert Ahwai.

After the album was released, Rea started a European tour, including a show at London's Royal Albert Hall and Newcastle City Hall.
He and his band would perform as a quintet The Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes. The concerts were divided in three sections: in the first, they would play only songs from Delmonts (CD1), then some blues songs from Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes (CD2), and in the third part Rea's greatest hits.



CD 1 The Delmonts
1.  Dirty New Town - 2:25
2.  008 Jimmy Bond - 3:30
3.  India Arab - 3:06
4.  BB Was a Comanche - 3:11
5.  Theme From 'the Pink Guitar' - 2:25
6.  Russian Roulette - 3:10
7.  Black Wave Heroes - 3:31
8.  Andorra Star Blues - 3:27
9.  Gippo Euro - 2:48
10.  The Power of Love - 3:45
11.  Big Storm Coming - 3:01
12.  Race Fever Blues - 2:35
13.  It's Behind You - 2:11
14.  French Football - 2:32
15.  Green Shirt Blues (For George Russell) - 3:40
16. Blue Miles - 3:55

CD 2 The Hofner Bluenotes 
1.  I Can't Wait For Love - 3:49
2.  Speak of God, Act Like the Devil - 4:37
3.  Big Wave - 3:42
4.  Don't Give Your Ace Away - 3:26
5.  Renaissance Blues - 3:37
6.  Let's Getaway - 3:50
7.  Legacy Blues - 4:07
8.  Don't Tell Me About The Blues - 4:35
9.  If I Keep My Faith In You - 4:29
10.  The Shadow Of A Fool - 3:55
11.  Rock And Roll Tonight - 3:28
12.  I Will Be With You - 4:00

CD 3 The Hofner Bluenotes 
1.  Twister Inside - 4:11
2.  When The Truth Comes Out - 3:22
3.  Because It's You - 3:32
4.  Looking Glass Blues - 4:07
5.  Blues For Janice - 3:46
6. Meet Me On the Mountain - 4:25
7.  Skylark Blues - 4:05
8.  Which Part Of The Painting Made You Cry? - 4:24
9.  The Days I Spent With You (Song For Bella) - 3:32
10.  Yes I Do - 4:14

Companies, etc.

• Licensed To – Edel Entertainment GmbH
• Manufactured By – Optimal Media Production – B717394
• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Jazzee Blue
• Phonographic Copyright (p) – NavyBeck Ltd.
• Copyright (c) – Jazzee Blue
• Copyright (c) – NavyBeck Ltd.
• Made By – Optimal Media Production – B717394
• Pressed By – Optimal Media Production – B717394
• Published By – Jazzee Blue
• Mastered At – Close To The Edge

Credits

• Art Direction, Design – Peacock
• Illustration [Cover] – Sam Hadley
• Lacquer Cut By – ⓂMILES
• Management – John Knowles
• Mastered By – Jon Astley
• Painting – Chris Rea
• Performer [The Hofner Bluenotes Are:] – Colin Hodgkinson, Martin Ditcham, Neil Drinkwater, Robert Ahwai
• Photography By [1960's Lifestyle] – Rex Features
• Photography By [Guitar] – Mike Hill (11)
• Photography By [Lotus Cortina] – Mark Rea
• Producer – Chris Rea
• Recorded By – Tommy Willis
• Written-By – Chris Rea

Notes
Released:  United Kingdom 11 February 2008
Recorded: 2007
Genre:  Blues, rock
Length: CD1: 50:04
              CD2: 48:15
             CD3: 40:02

Label - Jazzee Blue/EarBooks