"New" oldies music sounds like an oxymoron, but only to those poor benighted souls who think that the blues or rockabilly or classic R&B or country music -- excuse me, authentic country music -- is dead, simply because it doesn't reside at the top of the charts anymore. Actually, a few of these CDs did make the Billboard Top Ten, and since that isn't done without the support of at least some youngsters, it may be sending a message to the Big Three that Gen Y is more diverse and thoughtful than they've been given credit for. In any event, here's my list of the ten best new studio albums made by oldies artists in 2008.
1. Neil Diamond, "Home Before Dark"
Some people think mega producer Rick Rubin just throws legends like Neil Diamond and Johnny Cash in front of a mic with a guitar and records them, but Rick's more like a personal trainer than a producer -- he works hard to find the strengths in his artists, their core greatness, then spends the rest of his time making sure nothing gets in the way of that expression. The accomplishment of Home Before Dark is in revealing a Neil we never truly came face to face with before: not just an elder statesmen ruminating about the end of the road, but a great -- and honestly terrified -- philosopher holding forth on life and love. The result makes this Neil's finest moment on record.
2. Randy Newman, "Harps And Angels"
An amazing thing has happened to Randy Newman over the past few years. Having undergone at least two miraculous career transformations, from offensive character-study songwriter to serious film composer and, finally, somehow, a shiny Disney/Pixar collectable, he's beginning his most daring era simply by singing about himself. Or, rather, not singing. Newman always half-delivered a tune, but his conversational style has now gone full-on monologist, like Spalding Gray with a piano. For someone who writes with a novelist's pen, that's a big plus, and even on the political stuff -- like his controversial hit "A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country" -- he refuses to hide behind fiction, using his humor to sharpen the point rather than deflect it.
3. Al Green, "Lay It Down"
If anyone deserves to rest on the backs of young up-and-comers who idolize him, it's Al Green, who made sexy spiritual years before Prince and who somehow pulled the opposite trick at the same time. Yet the great irony of Lay It Down is that collaborating with neo-soulsters like Anthony Hamilton, Corinne Bailey Rae, and John Legend has only made Al sound more like his Hi glory days than ever. Much of the credit has to go to the Roots' drummer ?uestlove, the one percussionist in the world who can both understand and replicate the beauty of the Willie Mitchell sound. But Green only gets more in control of his instrument over time, and the result is a glorious alternate universe where the parallel worlds of real soul and the neo kind converge.
4. Ray Davies, "Working Man's Cafe"
It took Ray Davies decades to realize this, but all he every really needed was a band of young turks to back up his acerbic wit; after all, Davies' songwriting has never faltered, no matter to what strange locales his wandering muse has taken him. Speaking of which: globalization, living in post-Katrina New Orleans, and the general horror of Bush-era politics has given him plenty of fodder. The result feels like his first real step forward in years: not since his old band's party classic Give The People What They Want has Ray sounded so energized by his own cynicism. As well he should be. And with a quartet like Brooklyn's Locksley pushing him musically, he hasn't got much choice.
5. Todd Rundgren, "Arena"
Arena rock sounds like a strange idea coming from Rundgren, at least if all you know are his occasional hits like "Hello It's Me" or "Bang The Drum All Day." But don't forget that Rundgren the producer and guitar wizard somehow turned Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell from a bad joke into a tour de force. So even at his age, he's entitled. Of course, this being Todd, he delivers the whole thing with tongue firmly in cheek, and the obsessive popcraft and quintessential Todd harmonies still shine through. Better still, he takes this opportunity to turn his trademark introspection inside out, delivering bluntly titled songs with pointed-stick lyrics. Consider this his Tin Machine.
6. Various Artists, "Soul Men: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
The movie "Soul Men" is not much of a sendoff for cast members Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, both of whom died within days of each other during the end of filming. But the comedy has served one useful purpose: to reintroduce the sound of classic Stax and deep soul to a new audience. Credit for this goes to the army of neo-soulsters who produced and performed on the soundtrack: if you thought the under-30 crowd had forgotten how to speak soul, this disc proves you, happily, dead wrong. It doesn't hurt that they're performing classic (if rare) soul song, or that the new tracks which make up the bulk of this album were recorded in Memphis with the Bo-Keys (a soul-jazz instrumental outfit looking to carry on the house-band tradition of the MGs).
7. Sergio Mendes, "Encanto"
Fergie sings "The Look Of Love." That alone should scare off a number of Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66's old fans. But the glory of Encanto lies in how much things improve from there: the first two and last two cuts get the will.i.am treatment, with varying degrees of success, but the album lurking in between is actually quite a straightforward and effective updating of the classic Mendes sound. Remember, it was Sergio who made Latin lounge hip in the first place, so it's pointless (and unfair) to judge him by too purist a yardstick. But slick as it is, Encanto translates slightly sultry Latin jazz quite well to the dance floor, and the true international flavors are rich indeed.
8. Solomon Burke, "Like A Fire"
Solomon Burke, the underrated soul legend of the Sixties responsible for the hits "Cry To Me," "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)," and "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love," works best when his deep voice has an equally deep emotional palette to work with. Four albums after his 2002 comeback, it's perhaps easy to see why Burks fatigue has set in -- not that he's lost a drop of soul. But the wan, halfhearted, deathly slick and oddly titled Like A Fire, tellingly produced by session legend Steve Jordan, surrounds Solomon with the pens of Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, and Keb' Mo instead, and the difference is pronounced. Sometimes the great man himself seems a little bored.
9. Ringo Starr, "Liverpool 8"
According to Mark Hudson, ex-Hudson Brothers member and Ringo's chief producer/collaborator, the decision to part ways on this latest album was set off by Mark's refusal to go digital. Ringo himself says Mark decided to go on tour instead of finishing the album. Either way, ex-Eurythmics member Dave Stewart has taken over, and the result is... well, more of the same. You liked Vertical Man, Ringorama, or Choose Love? You'll enjoy this. "Liverpool, I left you," he sings on the title track and first single, developed by Stewart as an aging statesman's coming-to-terms of sorts, complete with a very Beatlesque chamber music feel. "But I never let you down." Could this be Ring's own "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina"? The mind reels.
10. Various Artists, "Cadillac Records: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
The theory behind projects like the film "Cadillac Records" is a simple, double-sided one: get 21st-century favorites to take on Fifties rock and blues, and you'll make converts of new fans while making tired old standards fresh again. In this case, Beyonce plays Etta James, Mos Def is Chuck Berry, and other recent R&B stars attempt the classic cuts of the history-making Chess Records. But the result is arguably too far removed from its time to recapture it fully, resulting in an update that's sometimes tentative and stilted. Still, the magical blues, rock, and R&B of Chess deserves all the exposure it can get, and some of the lesser-known artists here do a surprisingly good job at taking on the masters.
