These two records were short enough that I could put them both on one CD. Are they a stylistic match? Not at all, but they are both strong musical personalities who do things their way and not at the behest of some overpaid label jackass who hasn't a clue.
First is Paul Weller's "Wake Up the Nation." The man is an icon/legend in the UK but virtually unknown here in the States. I was never a fan of punk, so I didn't care for the Jam. They made three of England's most respected albums in the late 70's. I remember having the records in the WPRK catalog but I never put a needle to them on air. It was a few years later when the Style Council debuted that I came to respect Mr. Weller's talent. I mean, really, how the hell do you go from punk to R&B/soul/jazz?! SC had three great pop albums before hitting the creative wall, and then Weller went solo in the 90's and the rest is British musical history. The man can do it all, and "...Nation" is aural proof. Normally, I am not a fan of two minute songs, and 12 of the 16 tracks clock in at less than three minutes. But if you want a musical history lesson, this record is it. I have never heard so much music packed into such small sections. His Jam days are in a song or two, Style Council in a couple of others, there's Merseybeat, funk, those great instrumental tracks he's been known to do...just amazing. Damn shame we Americans aren't smart enough to understand the genius of Paul Weller.
We had the Shelby Lynne CD's in our Music 4 Less stores in the Country section all through the 90's, and they were OK as far as that genre of music goes. Then "I Am..." comes out in 2000, pulling a page from the Sheryl Crow handbook, doing her songs the way she wants to do them, and I AM FLOORED. I push and push this record in my stores with limited success, and I just can't fathom that no one seems to get it. Well, I was vindicated by her winning the Grammy for Best New Artist. Funny how you can be a "new artist" with six records, but "I Am" really was a new Shelby. I got to meet her during her tour for the followup record "Love, Shelby" and, deep sigh, I was smitten by the young vixen. But you could sense that she would kick your ass if you gave her a reason, and it's that mentality that she's put into her music ever since. "Tears, Lies & Alibis" just may be her finest record since "I Am", though many loved her last album that was in tribute to Dusty Springfield. Give me Shelby Lynne songs, and all ten here are hers. Poppy, jazzy, country, Americana, all rolled into one fine release. If country radio doesn't pick up the Jack Daniels inspired "Old #7" and make it a hit, well, they just don't deserve their jobs.
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