Jazz & Blues > Contemporary Blues Jazz & Blues

Advantages: Everything! Two very talented artists playing incredible songs
Disadvantages: plain cover art, not for you if you don't like the genre

...Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Live at Luther College is the album I heard in my ex boyfriend's car in 2004, aged 17 and it sparked a long-term obsession with all things Dave Matthews. As an introduction to this artist, the album is somewhat toned down, an acoustic and less rocky version of his work. Living in the UK, the Dave Matthews Band was somewhat unknown to me (certainly in my circle of friends) and I was astonished that they weren't as popular ...
...Tim recorded their first collaborating live album at one of their gigs in Luther College, Iowa. It was not released until 1999. Many of the tracks on the album would later be released on one of the most successful Dave Matthews Band studio album 'Crash'. All the songs on the album are written exclusively by Dave Matthews, apart from 'Little Thing' and 'Deed is Done', which were also written by Tim Reynolds. The cover is very simple, strong blue with ... Read review

Advantages: Easy accessible songs throughout the album
Disadvantages: Could be viewed as slightly repetitive in places

Back in the early nineties, "shoe-gazing" bands seemed to be all the rage - well, maybe not all but certainly a fair old portion of the music scene. One of the more long-lived yet conversely lesser-known outfits were Ivy, who spawned several albums including 1997's "Apartment Life". I can't remember them making a huge impact during the latter half of the decade - can't think why, based on this release, though. Ivy were formed five years earlier ...
...guitarist with the Fountains Of Wayne) met up with Dominique Durand, who came from Paris and who had never actually sung in a band before. Despite her opinion that Chase's then band wasn't "her cup of tea", she got involved with him and this eventually led to the trio forming Ivy. Ciao might list this album as falling in the 'blues' category but that's nowhere near describing what's on offer here - it's simply "shoe-gazing" pop music and very accessible ... Read review

Advantages: A groundbreaking highly original Landmark work!
Disadvantages: None

...Beat Jazz Magazine reviewed The Way Up by describing it as the following: " A triumph...ascendant and inspirational...An ambitious work of great depth, beauty and complexity...easily the best album Metheny has made in many years and could turn out to be one of his best ever. **** 4 Stars" Down Beat Other Magazine reviews of The Way Up are as the follows: "A continuous 68-minute piece...Metheny builds the music as a series of interconnected themes ...
...I like straight-ahead and progressive Jazz. The Way Up is a groundbreaking statement in Jazz. This album is in the place between the cracks, where defined genres disappear into a poetic whole and what emerges is something utterly new, guided and inspired by the limitless creativity of the jazz tradition. ... Read review