One of the best albums to come out of the past two years was Songs for Mass Destruction by Annie Lennox. All composed by Annie herself, there was nothing mass destructive about the songs in the CD. It was a message collection from a woman who is taking stock of her surroundings, talking about what she sees and how she feels and of her hopes for finding ways to relieve the suffering. I know that themes like those come across as heavy stuff. But in the case of that album, those words are set against such beautiful arresting melodies and sung by a voice so smooth, so dramatic and so powerful.
I love Annie’s singing. There is something almost other-worldly about it. And unlike others, her voice stays full and clear even when it soars up with the high notes. I had actually been wondering when she would come out with a new CD when I got hold of her new one. Well, it is new, but then also not. There are no new songs in her latest because it is The Annie Lennox Collection, a compilation of some of her best works from her days with the Eurythmics and as a solo artist.
Just in case you have forgotten, that was how Annie started her career, as the voice of the innovative Eurythmics. In fact, she has been singing for over 25 years and still sounds terrific. The group made hits like Here Comes the Rain Again, No More I Love You’s, When Tomorrow Comes, There Must Be an Angel Playing with My Heart or Thorn in My Side and the biggest of them all, Sweet Dreams Are Made of This. It was while listening to them that we knew that Lennox, by herself, was more special than the Eurythmics or any of the hit songs she created with the group.
Ghosts in My Machine, the best number from Songs for Mass Destruction is not in the collection. You have to get the original CD if you want to hear that one and also Big Sky and Fingernail Moon with their beautiful birit notes. Sing, though, which is the next best, is included. That song was a fund-raiser to help alleviate the AIDS crisis in Africa and was the album’s epic, relevant piece. It is also a standout here alongside the other cuts Little Bird, Walking on Broken Glass, Why, No More I Love You’s, Precious, A Thousand Beautiful Things, Pavement Cracks, Love Song for a Vampire, Cold, Dark Road, Pattern of My Life, Shining Light and a goose-bump inducing A Whiter Shade of Pale.
Don’t miss out on this one. The Annie Lennox Collection has music that will surely amaze new listeners and will give fans from way, way back a chance to hear their favorites playing one after the other.
The Café Carlyle Sessions
For more great sounds, you might want to check out The Café Carlyle Sessions by Christopher Cross. You know Cross, he did a show here late last year. He won Grammys for his hit tune Sailing and his recording of Arthur’s Theme by Burt Bacharach won the Academy Award for Song of the Year in 1981. He has not had new big sellers for quite sometime but he has more than enough oldies to keep the fans coming and in the case of his CDs, also buying.
The Café Carlyle Sessions is totally made up of his old songs but they have all been rerecorded live with new jazzy arrangements and all acoustic instruments. Cross, who is a pop rocker took easily to the new style. He is smooth, laid-back and very sophisticated, just the sort of singing you would expect to hear in a trendy New York hotel. He is also a mean guitarist. He plays guitars in all the cuts alongside a talented band made up of David Mann on sax and flutes; Andy Ezrin on piano and Fender Rhodes; Kevin Axt on bass; and Dave Beyer on drums and percussion.
If you like this sort of music, I mean what the locals call, bossa or acoustic, you will surely love the big change that rendered Sailing and Arthur’s Theme all sweet and quiet. Also included are Never Be the Same, Swept Away, Talking in My Sleep, Ride Like the Wind, Open Up My Window and Walking in Avalon.