The legendary Johnny Cash, one of the top 100 artists of all-time, has graced us with his gritty songwriting style and trademark vocals. His career began back in 1956 when his classic, "I Walk The Line", strutted to #17. Towards the end of his life in 2003, he put his own spin on several other artist's classics in his "American Recordings" series. A song that seemed to be written for Cash is "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails. NIN took the song to #54 in 1995. Cash's interpretation on little more than acoustic guitar suits the lyrics perfectly, and the video will linger in your mind as a haunting epitaph. Cash's version of "Hurt" did not chart, but the digital track went gold and helped score a ranking of #22 for his "American IV" album released in 2002.
I never dreamed I'd be writing a RIP tribute for Prince in 2016. The extraordinary songwriter and performer passed away on April 21 at the age of 57. In addition to his own impressive list of hits, he had written many more for other artists, including The Bangles, Sinead O'Connor, Cyndi Lauper, and Chaka Khan. Prince was second only to Michael Jackson in being the most successful artist in the 80s, and also ranked #12 of the most successful in the 90s (Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles). His biggest hits included "When Doves Cry", "Let's Go Crazy", "Cream", "Kiss", and "Batdance", all of which went to #1 on the charts. In remembrance, here is Prince at his finest, performing his smash hit "Purple Rain", which went to #2 in 1984.
Paul Carrack has been all over the music landscape since the 70s when he had his first big hit with the outfit called Ace, which took their signature song, "How Long" to #3 in 1975. After Ace broke up in 1977, Carrack played with Roxy Music and worked on his first solo record, "Nightbird" (1980), but it failed to chart. Carrack then did some time with Squeeze, finding chart success with his song, "Tempted". "Tempted" landed at #49 in 1981. Carrack then left Squeeze, but would rejoin briefly in 1993 to re-record "Tempted" for the movie Reality Bites. Carrack stayed in Squeeze long enough to complete a new album with them, "Some Fantastic Place". After leaving Squeeze the first time, Carrack made his first appearance on the charts as a solo artist in 1982 with the delightful little song, "I Need You". "I Need You" went to #37 and was produced by Nick Lowe, who also teamed up with Carrack to form a side band called Noise To Go. Some of you may know Carrack's voice best from his work with Mike + The Mechanics. In 1985, Carrack gave the band their first hit, taking "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" to #6. In 1989, Carrack finally hit the apex of the chart, taking "The Living Years" to #1. Carrack also found success as a solo artist. His third solo record, 1987's "One Good Reason", was his most successful, yielding four charting singles - the best performer was the excellent "Don't Shed A Tear", which hit #9. With the exception of "I Need You", Carrack's second solo record, "Suburban Voodoo", was strangely overlooked. It didn't produce any other charting singles, but managed to get to #78 on the album chart thanks to "I Need You". The album remains one of my favorite records from Carrack - filled with snappy pop and rock tunes. Carrack's vocals are earnest and the musicianship sharp. Check out "Always Better Than You", one of many other great tunes on this under-appreciated classic.
Indie singer/songwriter and producer Michael Carpenter has been releasing infectious power pop records since 1999. In a rational music world, his talents would have translated into superstardom. "Believes Again" is just one highlight of many from his excellent 2001 release, "Hopefulness". Carpenter has stayed busy releasing many more records since then, some with side projects. All in all, he's appeared on over 300 records!
As one of the biggest artists of the 70s, The Carpenters need no introduction. Scoring three #1 hits in that decade, "(They Long To Be) Close To You" in 1970, "Top of The World" in 1973, and "Please Mr. Postman" in 1974, and lots more top 10 hits, The Carpenters ranked as the fourth most successful 70s group according to Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles. The popularity of this brother-sister duo began to wane by the close of the decade as the two fought their own personal demons. Richard sought help for his addiction to drugs and Karen was battling anorexia, which ultimately took her life in 1983, robbing us of one of the smoothest voices in pop history. Their 10th and final album, "Made In America", was released in 1981 and spawned their first top 20 hit in over 4 years when "Touch Me When We're Dancing" went to #16. Amazing to me, the next single, "(Want You) Back In My Life Again", only reached #72. Featuring the bouncy keyboards of Daryl Dragon (Captain and Tennille), this upbeat number suggested that The Carpenters would have sustained a viable career adapting to 80s musical trends.
Take the pop sensibilities of a Swedish band and add a singer from South Carolina and you have a mashup called Carolina Liar. Delivering catchy pop songs with a rock edge, it is rather astonishing they haven't had more chart success. They broached the chart with their debut album, "Coming To Terms". Propelled by the second single, "Show Me What I'm Looking For", which got to # 67, "Coming To Terms" reached #140 on the Billboard Top 200 in 2008. Surprisingly, the band's peppy first single, "I'm Not Over", didn't chart despite massive airplay and being featured in the movie, What Happens In Vegas. Nor did the band's 2011 follow up record, "Wild Blessed Freedom". If you want to check out a standout track from that album, seek out "Daddy's Little Girl".
How did I miss The A's back when we did the "A's"? "Heart of America" comes from this little-known Philly band's second album, "A Woman's Got The Power", released in 1981. The A's were a rambunctious band that rounded off their rough edges with smooth melodies, reminding me of The Replacements at times. The A's never aced the charts so they were pretty much over before they had a chance to begin. It is a shame because I really liked the way their sound was evolving. "Heart of America" stands out not only because it is catchy, but it also brings in saxophone and banjo (!), making this energetic rock song one you won't soon forget.
