Steve Lukather - Ever Changing Times (2008)

My hopes were high for Lukather's first album of original material since 1997's Luke. While I thoroughly enjoyed his rather unusual yet festive Christmas venture, Santamental, a few years ago Lukather is at his best when performing original material.

Initially, I was underwhelmed. The album opens with a bang on its title track and had some high points like New World which featured guest background vocals by former Toto bandmate, Joseph Williams, and the deeply personal I Am was also a highlight for me but much of the rest of the album fell flat for me on first listen.

That being said, I didn't feel I was being fair to Lukather. Didn't feel as though I'd given the album a fair enough shake. After all, there were a handful of Toto albums that I'd initially been lukewarm to which later grew to be my favorites. So, I gave Ever Changing Times a few more listens and sure enough like a fine wine this album is to be sipped and savored. It won't blow you away on first listen, it will sneak in and subtly win you over, but only after you give it the time and chance it truly deserves.

While Luke, with its raw unpolished sound and darkly personal lyrics remains my favorite of Lukather's solo endeavours Ever Changing Times is arguably a more well rounded album featuring a better mix of the uptempo and Lukather's more melancholic melodic side (sometimes in the same song as in Tell Me What You Want From Me).

If you're new to Lukather's solo material or new to his music in general this is an excellent album to start with as it really displays his multiple talents-- guitarist, songwriter, and singer. If you're already familiar with him, this album might not grab you at first-- but give it a chance, in the long run it won't disappoint!

Related Links
Steve Lukather - Ever Changing Times music video


The Making of Ever Changing Times


Steve Lukather (Wikipedia entry)



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Now playing: Steve Lukather - Stab In The Back
via FoxyTunes

The Little Book by Selden Edwards

The Little Book by Selden Edwards

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Time-travel tales, as intricate as they are, require a special touch, a unique understanding of cause and effect. As such they are incredibly easy to write poorly and at the same time quite difficult to write well.

There is a long tradition to the cyclical nature of these tales, beginning, arguably with Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Flying Trunk and continued a century later with Richard Matheson's Somewhere in Time in the 1970s and most recently with Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife.

Over 30 years in the making, Selden Edwards The Little Book is a wonderful addition to the fine tradition of the well-written time-travel tale.

The book reads like a puzzle, the reader starts with a collection of pieces and characters-- The Haze, Dilly, Wheeler, Weezie, and Flora-- all of which with deep back stories that adds an extra dimension to the novel. Slowly but surely, little by little these pieces fall together to create a cohesive picture, the loose ends get tied up and a beautiful portrait of turn-of-the-century Vienna, Austria is created.

Edwards does an exceptional job-- not with merely the compelling characters he has created but with the lush portrait of Vienna at its cultural apex. In making the fiction feel so real and comfortable, Edwards is also able to create believable portrayals of historical figures like Buddy Holly, Sigmund Freud, and Gustav Mahler. And if you're now left wondering how Buddy Holly ties in to a time-travel tome set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, you'll just have to read the book.


View all my reviews.

James Reyne - "... and the horse you rode in on." (2005)

After the demise of his band, Australian Crawl, James Reyne, has for several years continued to enjoy success as a solo artist. From his pop-friendly early material to his more laidback and eclectic recent releases Reyne has continued to show himself to be an excellent singer/songwriter.

His 2005 predominantly acoustic endeavor is an aural treat. Featuring a mix of acoustic versions of some of his Crawl classics like Errol, Reckless, Downhearted, and Oh No, Not You Again along with acoustic versions of material from his own solo career. The album is rounded out with covers of songs by Townes Van Zandt, Dan Hicks, John Hiatt and fellow Aussie singer/songwriter Paul Kelly not to mention a cover of the English folk classic Mr. Frog Went a Courtin'.

The acoustic versions of his material differs considerably from the original versions. The already melancholy Australian Crawl classics, Reckless and Downhearted take on an even more somber vibe when stripped down to merely Reyne's vocals and guitar.

Perhaps the greatest treat of this collection is how Reyne's voice has matured and improved with age. The minimalist approach of these recordings allow his voice to really shine. While his vocals with Australian Crawl were quite enjoyable, this album shows that his voice, like a fine wine, has grown considerably better with age.

Whether you're already familiar with Reyne or have never heard of him and are merely on the lookout for something new-- if you're a fan of acoustic music, chances are you'll find yourself enjoying this exceptional collection.

Related Links and Media
James Reyne - Downhearted (acoustic)


James Reyne - Reckless (acoustic)


Interview with James Reyne


The Official James Reyne Website
James Reyne Wikipedia entry
James Reyne - "... and the horse you rode in on" (Order the album on Amazon.com)
James Reyne Myspace.com site
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Now playing: James Reyne - Hammerhead
via FoxyTunes