ELLN August Music Quick Pick
Each month for our ELLN teleconference this year, I am highlighting an album. I hope you join us on our Forums or for this afternoon’s call. If you’re an in-house counsel and not part of the ACC or the Employment & Labor Law Network, you can join ACC and ELLN today and see what we’re all about! I hope to (virtually) see you soon.
ELLN August Music Quick Pick
ELLN Chair Doug Hass has long been a music buff (he founded country music site Roughstock.com in 1993) and long done a lot of driving for and to work. That’s given him lots of time to indulge and explore his music interests To help entertain you on your commutes or at the gym, office, home, or on the go, Doug is offering a year-long series of picks that will showcase some of the best albums you may have never heard, or that deserve another listen. We hope that each monthly choice piques your interest in these albums and artists. These may be titles that you have never heard of, but our hope is that your interest will be piqued and your musical world enriched!
| The Mavericks – In Time (2013) |
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| Amazon Music – Apple Music – Spotify — Pandora |
One of my favorite bands of the last 30 years is The Mavericks. Where July’s pick, Gangstagrass, has a unique sound that “defies” both rap and bluegrass, The Mavericks simply are multiple genres at once. Every Mavericks song is a country song. Every Mavericks song is also norteño, Latino, Bakersfield, jazz, and rock and roll. Their live sets will cover David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Chuck Berry, and CCR in breathtaking and effortless transitions. The Mavericks are one of the rare groups that have the chops to connect with a broad range of diverse listeners.
Far from just throwing different styles together, these musical influences of the Miami-based, Grammy-winning group run in parallel. Their secret weapon is, and always has been, lead singer Raul Malo and his Roy Orbison-style vocals that skip effortlessly among all those styles. Their highest-charting country single came back in 1996 with “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” their collaboration with accordionist Flaco Jiménez. You would also likely recognize their 1998 single “Dance the Night Away,” though my favorite song from that era was their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “All That Heaven Will Allow.” After breaking up in 2004, I was afraid that their best days were behind them. However, The Mavericks came back together to record a “comeback” album in 2013, this month’s album pick, In Time. What a comeback it was, too.
The 14-song album has several earworms that will keep you coming back, including the standout gospel-meets-flamenco ballad “Call Me When You Get to Heaven” featuring the fabulous McCrary Sisters on harmony. “Back in Your Arms Again,” “Dance in the Moonlight” and “All Over Again” are fun tracks, and the album wraps up with Ven Hacia Mi (Come Unto Me), which is a new live staple. Speaking of live, if you want to hear the English version of this song live, you can watch their 2012 Americana Music Festival performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville here on YouTube. Crank the speakers up to 10, get ready to move, and stay for the trumpet solo at the end…
I hope you enjoy (or enjoy rediscovering) this month’s pick!
