Marshall Crenshaw entered the studio to begin work on his third album, Downtown, but for the first time, he was without the familiar backing of Chris Donato on bass and brother Robert Crenshaw on drums (though he does appear on two tracks). Following the dense, sonic thunder of the commercially disappointing Field Day, this album employed the services of various studio pros, and returned him to the roomier, more traditional tone of his first effort. Along with co-producers T-Bone Burnett and Larry Hirsch (and Mitch Easter on one track), Crenshaw creates an old-fashioned rock & roll record with the inviting warmth of '60s pop and the swing and recklessness of the '50s. And though he doesn't do anything radically new or different here, the results are once again never less than fresh or stirring. Tracks like the irresistible "Little Wild One (No. 5)," the primal beat of "Yvonne," and "(We're Gonna) Shake Their Minds," with it's syncopated guitar and drum interplay, are first-rate rockers, while Ben Vaughn's "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)" and Crenshaw's own "Like a Vague Memory" have the feel of classic '50s pop tunes. Though Downtown did little to reverse the downward slide of Marshall Crenshaw's market value, it does complete a brilliant triad of releases going back to his 1982 debut.
Ok, I was gone a week. But it wasn't a week without MOG. Every day seemed to bring a new exchange of e-mails, as the techies at MOG worked on the problem of the impossible upload. They tried things, I tried things, they moaned, I cried, I bitched - and THEY MADE IT WORK! So, if you were unable to upload tracks or pictures, try again.The problem was apparently the fact that MOG was not working c...
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I would imagine most people who love pop music are particularly attracted by the vocals - lots of harmony and great lead vocalists. I know that's one of the big draws for me, which is generally why I'm left cold by instrumentals. There is usually no quicker way for a new track to get deleted from the iPod as for me to discover that it has no vocals. I usually need that human connection. But the...
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 "Downtown")
