More Music

1. 
   Ralph Towner, Batik (ECM, 1978)
   The first song, "Waterwheel", is a classic. The rest is merely good.
   The copy I have is a Warner Brothers re-issue, and these generally are a lot better than the US originals, which were pressed and distributed by Polydor. But I thought this one was a bit dark, and it left me wondering what a German original might be like. That said, I'm not sure I love this album enough to pay what it would take to find out.
2. 
   Daniel Lanois, For the Beauty of Wynona (Warner, 1993)
   As diverse as what he produces, and beautiful. One of my very favorite albums. The highlight here for me is "Unbreakable Chain", though there are a lot of competitors for that title.
   It's a nice recording, too. Though, as you might expect, it is a bit inconsistent in that respect, given how it would have been recorded.
   Unsurprisingly, the original US release, on CD, included a censored version of the cover.
3. 
   Daniel Lanois, Acadie
   His first solo album. I remember hearing it the first time and wondering how on earth this guy could make this album. It's basically folk, with a slightly Cajun edge. But it is wonderful, too, maybe even better than Wynona, because it is more coherent as an album.
   Unfortunately, the recording is just all right. There's quite a lot of sybillance on the vocals (which always reminds me of cheap, crappy speakers).
4. 
   kd lang, Ingénue
   I hadn't listened to this for a while. A great album, and her voice sounds amazing, even through the digital recording. There could be a lot more depth to the recording, but for the most part the instruments sound very natural.
5. 
   Steve Tibbetts, Safe Journey
   I've mentioned him in other recent posts. Many of his albums are meditative and quiet, and this one has such moments. Lovely, and a nice recording, as one expects from ECM.