Aimee Mann rose to fame as the voice behind 80s one-hit wonders, 'Til Tuesday. Some may also remember her as Geddy Lee's partner in the duet "Time Stand Still" by Rush in 1987. But Mann has been quietly cranking out solo records since her debut album in 1993, "Whatever." Mann is a darling of critics, but her brand of snarky lyrics wrapped in perky pop hasn't translated into commercial success. Her only chart appearance occurred in 1995 when "That's Just What You Are" (co-written with Jon Brion) managed to climb to #93. The song was lifted from her sophomore effort, "I'm With Stupid," which boasted lots of special guests. Do you recognize the backing vocals on "That's Just What You Are"? That's Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford of Squeeze. Juliana Hatfield sang on some tracks, and her future husband, Michael Penn, played acoustic guitar on several tracks. While commercial success has been elusive, her songwriting prowess has earned her two Grammys and wide critical acclaim. "Say Anything" defies all logical explanation for not giving Mann more commercial success. From her debut solo effort, it remains one of the best, most radio-friendly tunes she's ever written.
A little known "super group" of powerpop icons, The Grays had extraordinary potential. Their one and only record, "Ro-Sham-Bo" from 1994 remains one of my favorites from the decade. The Grays consisted of Jason Falkner, Jon Brion, Buddy Judge, and Dan McCarroll. Filled with a crunchy rockers, melancholy ballads, and playful powerpop tunes, the record is like Chex-Mix. Everything is different, but somehow it all tastes right together. "Very Best Years" is in the crunchy rocker category and still amazes me that it failed to catapult the band to stardom. Falkner and Brion went on to reasonably successful solo careers, the latter scoring several popular films.
