Closing Time. Tom Waits. Elektra Entertainment. (1973)

Careworn, and still hopeful romance rarely sounds better than in this superb collection of songs. Tom Waits' confiding voice and beautiful arrangements merge and play with each other across a range of songs about loss and the eternal possibilities of love.
Opening with a song that uses "likedsplit" naturally and effectively it is clear that Tom Waits is a very confident songwriter. The second song "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You", is a minor masterpiece of melancholy romance, the struggle between the possibility of romance and the unwillingness to act on that possibility.
"Martha" is the standout song of the collection, a stunning song about memory, regret and the joy of being young.
The songs have a welcome variation without straying too far. They are carefully constructed to make the most of Tom Waits vocal delivery, it has a relatively narrow range with great depth. The songs are much more celebratory than otherwise and this gives the whole collection a subtle power and grace. The weight of experience and expectation is clearly visible yet the optimism of the hopeless romantic seeps through to invite the listener in. Effortlessly atmospheric and glowingly truthful about love this collection is unfailing pleasure.

Between The Lines. Janis Ian. CBS (1975)

This is the most romantic collection of songs I have heard. This is not a collection of love songs, though love is an important idea in the songs, they are adult romantic songs that measure the way ideas and dreams shape and haunt us. We grow up with ideas about how our lives will unfold, how central romantic relationships will feel. The reality of our lives usually diverges widely from these ideas, they still retain a considerable force as a measure of what could or should have been. A romantic adult retains these dreams in a modified form, there is still the hope that they could be fulfilled, there is a undying hope that they may become true.
The songs in this collection are drenched in this struggle between the hope for fulfillment and the sharp reality of living and the compromises that it entails. "At Seventeen" is the most explicit accounting of the divergence between reality and the dreams and the price that is extracted for having them in the first place. "Bright Lights and Promises" looks at what a life is like when the dreams you had are all you have to cling to as you move through a life you could never have imagined, a life that is based on simulating romance.

"Between the Lines" walks headlong into the difficulty of being a couple, how can it possibly be made to work and the beautiful "Light a Light" catches the aftermath of love and its dreams. The music is lush and mellow on the songs, it captures and frames the mood with precision and deepens the impact. It is subtle and pervasive, it does not come forward over the vocals, it gently frames them. Janis Ian's vocal are pure and clear, she has a mellow tone that expresses emotion clearly. This is a great production of a lovely collection of songs.

Blood On The Tracks. Bob Dylan. Columbia (1975) CD.

This is one of the collections of songs that always open up fresh and crisp every time I listen to it. Any collection that opens with Tangled Up In Blues and follows that with a Simple Twist of Fate is announcing big ambitions and possibly setting itself up to fail. The collection goes on to fulfill those ambitions and even exceed them. There is a huge lyrical density in the songs in this collection, not only are there a lot of words, they are complex and twisting. They create a significant burden for the singer and the listener. They are also interesting and intriguing, they take the listener seriously and require attention.

The music partners with the lyrics in a most unusual fashion, they do not frame the lyrics nor do the counterpoint them. The music propels the music, they lift them and add to the meaning and the emotional resonance. There is a genuine partnership at work which is not often achieved. This is where the craft of songwriting blends into art, that mysterious creative force that communicates directly with us.

While I love Shelter from the Storm and think that Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts may be one of my favourite spaghetti western, the stand out song for me is If You See Her Say Hello. There is a impossible yearning in this song, to repair what has long been broken that just catches me. An astonishing achievement.

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle. Bruce Springsteen (1973) CBS Inc.

The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle was Bruce Springsteen's second album, also the second he released in 1973, he was announcing his arrival with style and a confident authority. The musical themes that are present in this collection are the same one that re-occur throughout his work, urban working class and unemployed life, love celebrated and lost love lamented, all driven by exuberant musical arrangements and captivating melodies.

It is amazing that this is a second collection, it has none of the hesitations that frequently dog second outings as artists struggle to find their feet in the music industry with all the attendant production and scheduling pressure that come with it. Bruce Springsteen displays the lyrical density and dexterity that he has always had, there does not seem to have been a learning curve, he had a fantastic talent to capture a slice of life that feels truthful and honest without being pedestrian or patronising. In particular 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy), a song about a fading romance , showcases this aspect of his songwriting. The music is gently supporting the words. On the other hand Rosalita (Come out tonight), the music is rushing and triumphant, the lyrics are clever and joyous, it is celebrating life , love and success.

This collection contains one of my all time favourite sings, Wild Billy's Circus Story. From the opening tuba through the extraordinary evocation of a circus at work and play it is wistful, generous and haunting. This collection lacks the thematic coherence of some of the later great collections, it does not suffer by any comparison to any of them. A glorious collection of songs.

The Jim Croce Collection. CD. Castle Communications. (1986)

This is one of my Desert Island records, a collection of songs I would be able to listen to repeatedly without growing tired of them. Jim Croce had the extraordinary gift of making simple look easy, the songs on this collection are straightforward musically and lyrically. There is no innovation in songwriting, singing or production, there is simply outstanding levels of craft and composition.

As a singer Jim Croce has a melodious, masculine voice that delivers the songs in a direct and confident fashion, they are addressed directly to the listener and involve them instantly in the mood and thoughts of the song. The songs are amazingly articulate, the lyrics are often amusing they are always carefully chosen and carefully crafted. The words are forcefully expressive, they capture a feeling with great exactness and tenderness. I have never wished that I had thought of expressing myself the way that he does in his songs, I do get captured by how accurately he expresses the feeling himself.

The music is a subordinate element, it is essential to the expression of the song, it lies underneath the words, amplifying and supporting them with flowing melodies and power when required. These songs are so straightforward that they would either soar or fail terribly as a jumble of cliches or pedestrian conceits. Jim Croce's talent was that he could cut straight to the heat of the matter using exactly the right word backed by the right music so we can see that true plain speaking is also subtle, wondrous poetry.

Amy MacDonald. This is the Life. Melodramatic Records Ltd. (2007)

This a very nice collection of songs by a talented singer/songwriter. Amy MacDonald avoids the cliches of a female singer/songwriter, the music is neither introspective nor overly concerned with romantic failure. The songs are nicely varied and sung with considerable energy. The range is nice too, they mix up nicely with the production giving a necessary weight to the music as much as the singing.

Amy MacDonald's voices is very pleasant without being outstanding, she has talent and sings with expressiveness and has a willingness to push herself. There is enough of a distinctive personality infused in her singing for it to stand out and it lifts the songs. None of the songs are really memorable in their own right except the first one, Mr Rock & Roll which has a nice bite and the production gives it setting and force. The rest of the songs are good, they easily bear repeated listening, they not have quite the same sparkle. The music is strong throughout, the playing is clear and focused, it surrounds and supports her singing very well. Amy MacDonald is a talented song writer and the collection is well worth listening to.

Lucinda Williams. Little Honey. UMG Recordings (2008)

Country music forms a large portion of my musical diet, while I lean towards the drinking, cheating and dying end of the spectrum, I like a fairly broad swathe of the music. One of the things I really like about country is the upfront emotion that is so typical of it, the melodrama is clear and present. The other thing I really like is that there are a lot of female singers with very distinctive voices, not simply nice or great singing voices, they have voices that are resonant with character and feeling.

Lucinda Williams has such a voice, it is deep and drawling and luxuriates in the songs she is singing, they are given an extra dimension by her delivery. Tears of Joy could be the most sarcastic song I have ever heard except that the way it is sung wrings out the deep sadness that lies in it. On the other hand Honey Bee is is a fast moving shout of pleasure.

The standout song of the collection is Jailhouse Tears, a duet with Elvis Costello that just breaks my heart every time. This is a fresh and moving collection of songs sung with care and passion. A musical pleasure.

Melissa Etheridge. Gtreatest Hits. The Road Less Travelled. Island (2005)

Subtlety is not Melissa Etheridge's strong suit, the songs on this collection could win Plain English awards, they are direct and played at full tilt and all the better for it. Musically, vocally and emotionally these songs all benefit from the full bore treatment they receive. They are songs about tumultuous emotions and tangled, uncertain situations where feelings are running high and frequently ragged. Low key would betray them by not honouring the force they represent.

Melissa Etheridge has a great voice, she can sing at volume, not shout nor loose any element of musicality, it is a rare gift. I love the sweep of the music and her voice, the clear articulation of the laden words is a pleasure, the emotions are loud and proud.

The stand out song on this collection for me is track 11, "I Want To Come Over", unrequited love has never been more forceful and despairing, it is a punch to the heart. This is a great open hearted collection of songs, turn the volume up to 11 and let them sweep you away.

Bruce Springsteen Working on a Dream. Sony Music (2009)

A glorious collection of songs form one of the best albums that Bruce Springsteen has released to date. I have listened to this CD a lot since I got it and I enjoy it more each time, it is just bursting with life and vitality. It captures the spirit of some of the very early albums with the more stripped down sound that he later developed. The momentum of the songs is infectious and the music is bubbling with pleasure and joy.

Outlaw Pete is simply an amazing song, it shot straight into my heart, the country influences of Tunnel of Love have matured and developed into a great melody and sharp lyrics. The Wrestler is a melancholy song that is not despairing. The character in the song has a life that is all behind him no matter how many years there are to go, he is resigned not desperate, the work continues. This CD is so good that I can forget about the terrible cover art and the ridiculous soul patch that Bruce Springsteen is sporting. Treat yourself to a great talent working at the top of his game.