It has been 27 years since the poet laureate of roadkill warbled his one and only Top 40 hit, "Dead Skunk." Better known these days as a pop than a pop star, the father of piano man-singer Rums Wainwright has found happiness elsewhere on the dial. A frequent contributor to National Public Radio, Wainwright, now 53, first performed many of these 15 topical zingers on NPR. For Wainwright the skewer is mightier than the sword, and he delights in impaling everyone from Bill Clinton and Jesse Helms to Tonya Harding and Bill Gates. Another favorite target is O.J. Simpson, who not only gets lambasted in song but is the subject of an intricate word scramble game ("O.J. Fun Page!") included in the CD package. Wainwright aims witty, observant broadsides at music industry greed ("Bring me the bones of Brian Jones/And Joplin's tinted glasses") in "What Gives," urban paranoia in "Carmine Street," compulsive smokers in "New Street People" and millennial madness in "Y2K." With backing by a crack group of musicians, including multi-instrumentalists David Mansfield and Chaim Tannenbaum, as well as harmonies by his ex-lover Kate McGarrigle (mother of Rufus), Wainwright talk-sings a mock warning: "The stock market will crash, the air traffic will stop/You won't find a doctor, forget about a cop."
Bottom Line: Troubadour hits his marks—and stings
Lisa Stansfield (BMG)
Album of the week
Fans of Britain's hazel-eyed soul princess may have been pining for more of her lush, R&B flavored pop tunes last heard on Lisa Stansfield, the album she released two years ago. Here the 33-year-old singer and songwriter jumps on the big-band wagon with an album of supper club music from a film (released in Britain in May) of the same name. (She made her acting debut in it as a modern day torch singer.) Along with a brassy arrangement of the Supremes' 1966 version of the Motown hit "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'," Stansfield tackles standards like "Mack the Knife" (featuring a sax solo by Clarence Clemmons, who also appears in the film), the Gershwin brothers' "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and a WWII home-front oddity called "Blitzkrieg Baby." Stansfield and her longtime songwriting partner and producer Ian Devaney contribute four tunes, two of which are sung by '60s Brit R&B bandleader Georgie Fame. Unlike some aging singers (Brian Setzer, Phil Collins) who have relied on swing to hotwire stalled careers, Stansfield possesses the nimble vocal chops that the jump-jiving genre demands.
Bottom Line: Swinging good time
>RETURN OF THE GRIEVOUS ANGEL: A TRIBUTE TO GRAM PARSONS Various Artists (Almo) The late country rock pioneer's songs are covered by Wilco, the Pretenders and Beck, among other disciples.
WALKING OFF THE BUZZ Blessed Union of Souls (Push/V2) The vocal group's hit "Hey, Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)" gives hope to un-DiCaprios everywhere.
REALLY ROSIE Carole King (Ode/Epic/Legacy) New to CD, King's classic 1975 kids' album, with lyrics (and pictures) by Maurice Sendak, captivates taller listeners as well.
>Kenny Rogers
Like the character in his 1978 signature song "The Gambler," Kenny Rogers figured he knew when to fold 'em. But although more than a decade had passed since the onetime country king had scored a hit, Rogers could not resign himself to the likelihood that he had played his last hand. In fact, Rogers, 60, had had an ace up his sleeve. His 59th album, She Rides Wild Horses, released on his own Dreamcatcher label in May, has climbed into country music's Top 10, spurred by the success of his surprise hit single "The Greatest." A baseball-themed song written by Don Schlitz (who also wrote "The Gambler"), the tune is getting heavy airplay on country radio stations and in ballparks, where Rogers, who lives in Atlanta with his fifth wife, Wanda, has been performing the tune all season long.
Were you disappointed that so much time passed without a hit?
I had a wonderful, wonderful career. I had my run. But it was disappointing to me that I couldn't break into [radio], where they were playing all new, young country. I wasn't new, and I wasn't young.
How does it feel to be back on the charts?
It gives me a sense that I'm no longer totally retro, that I have some contemporary success. It feels better performing something that's not 15 years old.
Is it as sweet the second time around?
Truth be told, I don't have any interest in being the No. 1 singer in the world again. I was there, I did that, and it wasn't the happiest time of my life. When you're that successful, you have no life. Right now, life is good for me.
- Contributors:
- Steve Dougherty,
- Monica Rizzo.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
