Since his rise in the late-'90s as part of the Atlanta R&B and soul production community surrounding producer Dallas Austin, the Grammy-winning artist has released a handful of hard, thoughtful records that draw on the instrumental vibe of live '70s funk and soul without sounding the least bit "retro".
Helplessness Blues is a thoughtful, elegant record that retains a great deal of what people loved about the Foxes the first time around.
In sum, Mr. Niemann is a gentleman outlaw, but mostly he's a history-minded technician on this thoughtful, magnetic record, his voice carrying bits of Garth Brooks (whom Mr. Niemann has written for) and George Strait put in service of oodles of plain, forceful writing.
You have to hope that Ms. Cuckson and Mr. Burns will continue to perform "La Lontananza," but in the meantime their thoughtful, thrilling recording does the work full justice.
He is joined in the Elgar by Hilary Hahn, a young soloist who recently released a thoughtful, energetic recording of the work on the Deutsche Grammophon label.
"Desolat has fuller tracks, they've got stripped-back ones, there are pure funk, jackin' tech-house bombs, as well as really deep and thoughtful house records".
"At least for president, at least for the Oval Office," Mr. Pawlenty said, "I think the country is still going to put somebody in there who is experienced, seasoned, strong, thoughtful, with a record of results".
Change is the theme, and the dark, organ-laden opening couplets of New Person, Same Old Mistakes could be addressed to all those alienated fans hoping for the Antipodean groove-king's meisterwerk and getting a thoughtful yacht-rock record instead.
"Even though we have moved as a country more toward this fusion of entertainment and politics in news," Mr. Pawlenty said, "at least for president, at least for the Oval Office, I think the country is still going to put somebody in there who is experienced, seasoned, strong, thoughtful, with a record of results".
