My SJ (and two non-SJ) faves of 2004
5. Steve Oliver - 3-D
There's a lot that one cannot possibly dislike about guitarist Steve Oliver: his use of voice as an additional instrument, the way his ultra-positive outlook on life finds its way into his playing and his strong resemblance to Owen Wilson, to name three examples. Though looking like the star of such intriguing films as The Minus Man and, to a much lesser extent, Behind Enemy Lines is not among my specifically stated goals, I'm always searching for ways to improve my own guitar playing and optimistic philosophies. Thus, Oliver's small but steadily growing body of work continues to serve me well as both an enjoyable listening experience and as a learning tool. 3-D maintains the man's high standard of quality while throwing a few new elements in the mix, the most salient of which is the placement of Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman in the producer's chair, ensuring more than a twist of musical creativity to go along with the smile that'll be put on the listener's face.
4. Christine McVie - In the Meantime
After bowing out of the bigtime comeback project Say You Will -- evidently she didn't want to tour, so the record's producers told her to bite them -- many Fleetwood Mac fans such as myself began to fear that Christine McVie, the vocal and keyboard talent responsible for such 'Mac gems as "Little Lies" and "Everywhere," had high-tailed it from the music scene for good. With an astonishing 45 years (or thereabouts) of performing to her credit, I doubt that anyone would begrudge her a comfortable retirement, but as is the case with so many dedicated musicians, she couldn't, much to the delight of her enthusiasts, stay away from the studio. The result of her latest sessions, In the Meantime is McVie's third -- the last one having come out two decades ago -- solo album, allegedly a quieter, more low-key affair than anything she's done before. Thankfully, the production isn't as sparse as that description might lead you to believe; there are plenty of lush touches in the album's sound, and the individual tracks themselves (particularly the lead single "Friend") all warrant listen after listen. After listen.
3. Peter White - Confidential
Okay, I realize that, after fourteen years of sublime acoustic guitaristry (a word? perhaps...), nobody really thought Peter White would turn out a bad album, but Confidential blew past even the expectations of this vehement White aficionado. Driving tracks like the opening "Coast Road Drive" show that he can easily modernize his sound without compromising the feel of his acoustic playing, while collaborations such as "Are You Mine?" (with saxophonist Mindi Abair), "She's in Love" (with, surprisingly, now-reclusive pop star Christopher Cross), and the title song (with Brian Culbertson) shine as examples of what he can do when paired with other luminaries of the genre. You'd better believe I was there on release day to lay down my hard-earned greenbacks for this one.
2. Torcuato Mariano - Diary
Picture my desperation as I spent years spinning Torcuato Mariano's first two albums, 1994's Paradise Station and 1996's Last Look, over and over again, enjoying them every time but feeling cheated that such an excellent guitarist would abandon his fanbase. Because he had apparently not recorded anything new in nearly a decade, I naturally assumed -- if only I knew then that to assume makes an "ass" out of "u" and "me" -- that he had tossed his instrument aside and joined the foreign legion, hoping to forge a better life in the sun-scorched desert. Just when things looked their worst, I read the delightful news that a new Torcuato Mariano album was on its way! Diary, released in May, was the answer to a Mariano fan's prayers in more ways than one. Having spent all this time as a record executive in Brazil, his style has resurfaced in the new millenium with the additional flavors and influences of the myriad other acts he's worked with in the interim. Though there's a more skill and variety on his latest record than on the last two, the only element that seems to be missing is his use of the electric guitar. I suppose I can forgive the lack of the kind of soaring distortion work heard on Paradise Station, but it'd be excellent to have a touch of it on what will hopefully be Torcuato Mariano's many future outings.
1. Tears for Fears - Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
Another act that many had by this point left for dead, 2004 saw the reunion of Tears for Fears, and boy, what a reunion! Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith parted ways before the 1990s were even here, and, though they were still above average on the terms of the pop world, TFF's next two albums were essentially Orzabal solo projects and thus lacking in the dual creativity that made the group a great one in the first place. Music critics have called Everybody Loves a Happy Ending "Beatlesque," but I think it's better than that; sure, there's the joyous, colorful, almost excessively elaborate soundscape laid down in the style of the later, more substance-influenced Liverpudlians, but the essential slickness and sophistication of Orzabal and Smith are what make the album truly work. Tragically, this grandiose, technicolor audio voyage likely won't receive its due credit due simply to the fact that it's a Tears for Fears record. Despite the recent reanimation of 1980s pop culture, much of the music of that era is nevertheless wrongly regarded as self-important cheese. Orzabal, Smith and their latter-day masterpiece may well fall victim to this phenomenon, and that’d be a definite shame.