Jeff Tuohy COCOON Tanya Tucker

 

Jeff Tuohy - Cocoon

Written by Joe Viglione

Sunday, 30 August 2009 12:59

The solitary smooth stone against a dark, soft background is a nice reflection of the music inside Cocoon, Jeff Tuohy's follow-up to Breaking Down The Silence, his fine 2005 outing. The four years in between releases was well worth it as the funky/jazz/pop on this second CD is mature, innovative and compelling. What isn't very compelling is the ink used for the liner notes, virtually impossible to read against a black background inside the eco-friendly slick packaging, but I guess that's why God let man create the world wide web. Second track "Monogamy" has nifty sounds drifting in and out of the modern-day Gino Vannelli-styled musings, very well produced by Tuohy and Danny Bernini...it sounds like a man caught up in temptations when he sings "I gotta let it rip a little"..."lose my grip, then I slip...". Tuohy is a musician who speaks volumes through the layered production and the well thought out placement of sounds. "Real Love" (not The Beatles title of the same name) comes back at you with pure pop, a complete turnaround from the heavily jazzed first two tracks, opening number "44 Linden" in the same vein as "Monogamy"...and track two or track three may have made for a better opening song, "Real Love" very inviting with its descending guitarlines, a beautiful counterpoint to the vocals which nick a few riffs from 1999's "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals (certainly a sound worth recycling) or, dare I say it, Reunion's 1974 single, "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)"...but in subtle ways, just as it is hard to place the guitar riff from "Monogamy" disguised enough to sound more "innovative" (as stated above) than recycled...and then Tuohy hits you with a Country influenced "Driving Her Away", his warm and friendly voice gliding nicely into each genre he decides to touch upon.     From the artist's website: Product Description Cocoon is Jeff Tuohy’s new, sophomore album containing 12 eclectic tracks. Produced by Danny Bernini and the artist, it features performances from Lenny Pickett (SNL/Tower of Power), Terry Adams (NRBQ), and Jon Graboff (Ryan Adams and the Cardinals), among others. From South Beach to Bourbon Street and dance clubs to arenas, Cocoon takes its audience on an audible road trip through a spectrum of human experience. After one pass, the listener realizes why fans and industry alike refer to Jeff Tuohy as “a musical chameleon.” 1.44 Linden 2.Monogamy 3. Real Love 4. Driving Her Away 5. SampleTrain 6. Sit Tight 7. I Am A Fool 8. Crucify 9. Palm Trees, Latin Radio 10. Light My Heart 11. Slow Down, Isabella 12. Bourbon Street BREAKING DOWN THE SILENCE

Last Updated on Sunday, 30 August 2009 13:18

____________________________ TANYA TUCKER - The Upper 48 Hits 1972-1997 25 years of hit recordings on Raven Records, Australia Over 150 minutes of music from Tanya Tucker appears on this exquisite double disc from Australia's Raven Records, The Upper 48 Hits 1972-1997 opens with her terrific "Delta Dawn" and closes with "Little Things" while vocal performances and/or duets with Vince Gill, Paul Davis and Paul Overstreet, Beth Nielsen Chapman, T. Graham Brown and Delbert McClinton are found in between. Though Raven Records has established itself with a diverse catalog ranging from The Velvet Underground to Ronnie Spector, Joe Perry Project, Captain & Tenille and so many others, their country catalog contains releases from Dolly Parton, Rosanne Cash, Hoyt Axton, Gram Parsons and more, so this beautiful double CD set is no fluke or one-off. Tucker's pop leanings come through loud and clear, and liner notes author Keith Glass makes a keen observation regarding "this powerful recording" of "Delta Dawn" getting passed over by Top 40 radio for "the less atmospheric Helen Reddy recording that reached number one..." Indeed, only "Lizzie And The Rainman"} reached the Top 40, and that just barely in the middle of 1975. This compilation is proof of how this artist's bright and bouncy pop could very well have livened up '70's and '80's hit radio but was strangely relegated to the genre Tanya is most associated with. There's a reproduction of her appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and that famous pose of the singer holding sticks of dynamite in the sixteen page booklet, but it's the well crafted music which is a revelation for those who never listened to country radio and have this compilation as their introduction to Tucker. "Don't Believe My Heart Can Stand Another You" is a standout on disc one, "(Without You) What Do I Do With Me?" the same on disc two, both surrounded by a boatload of great songs. It's staggering to think she had 10 Country #1 hits and 21 Top 5's, so Raven accurately touts this as the "ultimage multi-label double CD hits collection." With licensing more popular in the new millennium - major labels being more willing to share their music and imprints like www.ravenrecords.com.au interested in going that extra mile to satisfy the fans - a project like The Upper 48 Hits 1972-1997 becomes all the more vital in putting a career into perspective. Surprisingly accessible music for people not familiar with Tanya Tucker's work.