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Articles by Nick Dedina
Billie Holiday’s Searing “Strange Fruit” Still Has the Power to Startle
Listen Up February 19, 2020 by Independent Lens in Beyond the Films By Nick Dedina There are often false narratives we tell ourselves so that we can simplify, and beautify, the past and erase aspects of the present that we are uncomfortable with. Take the view that the olden times glowed with a rosy hue, and that people were more innocent way back when.
I Don't Want To Live Without You by Foreigner
It's pretty hard to deny Foreigner at their best. And this is a collection of their best. When you need full-throated rock belting, thrusting power chords, camel-toed dungarees and lyrics oozing with more sexual innuendo than a season's worth of Three's Company episodes, go no further than Foreigner.
You're Getting Married [Solo Home Demo] by The Replacements : Napster
This EP finds the 'Mats getting rid of the '70s rock elements found on their debut (the best track "Go," being the noted exception) making them an almost better-than-average second wave punk band. Westerberg's jokey "it sucks to be a teen" lyrics actually give this something of a drunken American version of the Undertones -- minus the pop brilliance, of course. The 'Mats would soon get a WHOLE lot better.
I Got A Name [Rhino] by Jim Croce : Napster
By 1973, Jim Croce was America's favorite new singer-songwriter, a master at both tender, sometimes pained ballads and tough, working-class folk-rockers. The title track is the only Croce hit that he didn't write (it's a Gimble-Fox movie theme), though he penned "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" for his wife after an argument they had about their continued poverty.
by Aaron Neville
New Orleans' most famous soul crooner covers the R&B classics that we all grew up hearing. While everyone from Rod to Julio is covering old songs now, Aaron Neville does them right; he respects the brilliant source material while bringing his own style and experience to each number. The low key arrangements compliment his intimate, oddly touching falsetto.
Strangeways, Here We Come
It came as a shock when guitarist Johnny Marr left the band after this album. Morrissey's often-surreally violent lyrics are leavened with further band experimentation (Marr's signature multilayered guitar sound is re-created on the opener without using guitars, for instance). Not a bad track here, though "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" is arguably the album's crowning triumph, with Moz's mad rush of lyrics revealing the tough, street-smart cad hidden behind the sensitive lad.
Portrait Of A Legend: 1951-64
After decades of digital neglect, one of history's most gloriously pure voices finally gets remastered on this stellar overview of Cooke's artistry. Includes R&B, gospel, standards and such timeless hits as "You Send Me," "Chain Gang," "Another Saturday Night" and "(What A) Wonderful World." It gets no better than this. Nick Dedina
Wingspan: Hits And History
Going through the end of the Beatles to Wings to his early '80s hits, this is the best overview of Paul McCartney's solo output available. The first disc showcases 18 hit singles, while the second unearths key album tracks (why weren't "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "Tomorrow" released as singles?). This is expansive enough to illustrate Macca's abilities as a sonic innovator and restless rocker and his playful way with melody and harmony.
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