Album Reviews: Loudon Wainwright III, Adam Wright and Katie Melua
"I'd Rather Lead a Band," Loudon Wainwright III with Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
On the aptly titled "I'd Rather Lead a Band," Loudon Wainwright III embraces a role even more retro than the one he has carved out as an old-fashioned troubadour, putting his guitar aside to join the '20s — the 1920s. Wainwright makes like a dance band crooner as he revives material by Irving Berlin, Fats Waller and Frank Loesser, among others. For any kids who might listen, this is their great-great-grandparents' music, which explains the reference to a Gatling gun. Wainwright is ably backed by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, and while the band is tight, old Loudo is loose. He hams it up with the same comic timing that has served his own songs so well for the past half century. That makes him the ideal interpreter of "I'm Going to Give It to Mary With Love," a lascivious, hilarious obscurity that would make Cardi B blush. Some of the other songs are more familiar, including "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Heart and Soul," and just about everything swings thanks to arrangements highlighted by muted horns, creamy winds and lots of hi-hat. Wainwright sings about fidelity, forgiveness and the consequences of a kiss, which shows the romance dance hasn't changed much in the past century or so. – Steven Wine, The Associated Press
"I Win," Adam Wright
Nashville songwriter Adam Wright may have sensed we could all use a laugh, and so he has released a witty antidote to 2020. Wright, whose compositions have been performed by such stars as Garth Brooks, Lee Ann Womack and Alan Jackson (his uncle), wisely kept these 12 tunes for himself. The whimsical tone is in the tradition of Roger Miller and Ray Stevens, whose sly humor made songs funny even on repeated listening. "I Win" is a quarantine accomplishment — one-man-band Wright performed, recorded, mixed and produced the set. He plays acoustic and electric guitar, bass, keyboards and percussion, overdubs vocals and achieves a charming, demo-style informality that suits the material. There's nothing casual about Wright's songwriting, however. Craft and care are reflected in the way he packs clever rhymes and wordplay into concise tunes. The set is half an hour long, and one song — the delightful "I'd Be Good" — runs a minute. Wright's last album, 2018's "Dust," was filled with compelling dark dramas, and not everything here goes for a grin. The love song "Sure Wanna Stay" and the topical "Wonder If the World Can Wait That Long" showcase his yearning tenor. But Wright sings with tongue in cheek — a nifty trick — about logic, losing at love, cash flow woes and, on "Rhymes With Bucket," a philosophy for life. He offers a tonic for a pandemic on "Cheer Up," singing, "Probably going to be here awhile — smile." This album can help us do just that. – Steven Wine, The Associated Press
"Album No. 8," Katie Melua
Katie Melua sings as though she's sharing a secret, which is what makes her music so inviting. Born in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Melua lives in the United Kingdom and is more popular there than in the United States. Perhaps that's because she rarely raises her voice, but on "Album No. 8," she really doesn't need to. Her affecting, arresting alto stamps the set's 10 original songs with an ethereal beauty that's immediately ear-catching. When Melua begins by singing "I'm taken in," she's describing her audience. The Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra provides support, with lovely arrangements by producer Leo Abrahams. As strings swirl and bloom, Melua is also accompanied by guitar, piano, organ, saxophone, bass and drums in various combinations that never spoil the intimate mood. There's a dreamy longing to Melua's tunes about faded love, reality and illusion, the tug of roots and edelweiss. The compelling drama "English Manner" swings like background music at a cocktail party, and "Voices in the Night" flirts with a dance beat, but the tempos are never fast. The way Melua sings, there's no reason to rush. – Steven Wine, The Associated Press
