1994: The Year in Review : Who Was Best in 1994? Just Ask Our Critics

Our pop critics’ favorite albums of the year run from Jann Browne’s “Count Me In,” Johnny Cash’s “American Recordings” and Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s “Sleeps With Angels,” which all tied for the most votes, to relatively obscure releases by country singer Bob Woodruff and Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango. Favorite concerts, meanwhile, included Buck Owens at the Crazy Horse, Love at the Coach House and the Offspring and the Pretenders at Irvine Meadows.

Mike Boehm: Favorite Albums

In order of preference:

1. Jann Browne, “Count Me In” (Red Moon--Swiss import): a shining link in the Southern California country-rock tradition that goes back to the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco and Emmylou Harris. Cohesive, sumptuously melodic, emotionally vivid and insightful and, we hope, available domestically in 1995.

2. R.E.M., “Monster” (Warner Bros.): Back to their garage-rock sources they went. But in toughening up their sound, the captains of the alternative movement didn’t forget to be soulful.

3. Liquor Giants, “Here” (ESD): Pontiac Brothers alum Ward Dotson fully assimilated his Beatles/Kinks influences, maintained his Replacements-style plucky-loser viewpoint and served up a pure-pop masterpiece.

4. Johnny Cash, “American Recordings” (American): Death and damnation, guilt and redemption are the main subject matter. But it’s the sheer, stark presence of the man in black that dominates. A solo-acoustic Cash album was thought to be a daring move, but in retrospect, nobody is more qualified.

5. Elvis Costello, “Brutal Youth” (Warner Bros.): Many Costello fans think he slipped with this one, but I find it one of the most delightfully catchy and inventively played albums of his career.

6. Pavement, “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain” (Matador): The band from Stockton’s wisecracking, crusty stance belies the poignancy of its position as rock latecomers who can’t invent the music afresh, but only can take a noisy ax to the legacy their heroes have handed down.

7. Various artists, “Songs From Chippy” (Hollywood): A posse of Texas songwriting luminaries led by Joe Ely and Butch Hancock crafted an evocative, timeless and mysterious folk-country song cycle based on the diaries of a prostitute in the Dust Bowl days.

8. Hole, “Live Through This” (DGC): One of rock’s most famous widows has a good ear, a grabbing voice, and high-voltage emotional intensity, and she conveys them all with garage band simplicity.

9. Neil Young and Crazy Horse, “Sleeps With Angels” (Reprise): It’s kind of the same ol’ thing from ol’ Neil, but it’s up to the high standards of the artistic hot streak he’s been on for the last five years. (Could be time for another recharging left turn, though, the kind he used to take back in the ‘80s.)

10. Gil Scott-Heron, “Spirits” (TVT): a strong comeback for the jazz-R&B; songwriter, notable for the warm, openhearted stance he maintains while struggling with inner torments.

Honorable mentions:

Iris DeMent, “My Life” (Warner Bros.); Andy M. Stewart, “Man in the Moon” (Green Linnet); Eli Riddle, “Eli Riddle” (Vital Music); Nine Inch Nails, “The Downward Spiral” (Nothing/Interscope/TVT/Atlantic); Huun-Huur-Tu, “60 Horses in My Herd” (Shanachie); Kristin Hersh, “Hips and Makers” (Reprise).

Boehm: Favorite

Local Albums

In order of preference:

Orange County is broadly defined for the purposes of this list: It includes L.A.’s Liquor Giants and Long Beach’s One Hit Wonder and Bierce in L.A. on the basis of longstanding historical and musical ties to the O.C. scene. Boehm feels that this easily is the strongest crop of O.C. rock he has encountered since he started covering music here in 1988.

1. Jann Browne, “Count Me In”: I’ll say no more lest I commence gushing, which is unseemly in a critic.

2. Liquor Giants, “Here”: On top of everything else, it includes a loving cover of “Hold My Hand,” a Dave Davies song that hardly anyone has heard. I hadn’t, and that’s saying something when it comes to the Kinks.

3. Eli Riddle, “Eli Riddle” (Vital Music): Modest Jon Melkerson is the best alternative-rock guitarist Orange County has produced, and the introspective songwriting, influenced by Television and Neil Young, is as strong as the playing on this do-it-yourself album.

4. Offspring, “Smash” (Epitaph): a punk rock album so catchy that it never gets tiresome. Its success was built mainly on the hooks, the sonic architecture and a memorable lead voice, but the lyrical substance is there, too, for those who want to look deeper.

5. Chris Gaffney, “Man of Somebody’s Dreams” (Red Moon--Swiss import): would move up a few notches if it weren’t a live album drawn mainly from the two Gaffney studio albums that topped this list in 1990 and ’92.

6. Bierce in L.A., “Vale of Tears” (Rococo): Bierce’s auteur , Stanley Wycoff, surrounds himself with superb players, grounds himself in country tradition, then starts taking potshots at its pieties in a gritty, jaundiced collection.

7. One Hit Wonder, “Not in This Town” (Lethal EP) and “Long Beach vs. the World” (Doctor Dream single): the state of the art in punk-pop. Songs that would make you hum incessantly if their tremendous clout didn’t knock the wind out of you first.

8. James Harman Band, “Cards on the Table” (Black Top): Harman’s always-infectious personality and blues acumen are backed by some of his strongest songs in years. Marks the auspicious recording debut of Robby Eason, teen-age guitarist extraordinaire.

9. Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys, “Jumpin’ From 6 to 6” (HighTone): Rockabilly merges with Western swing and a touch of R&B; in music that could be dubbed ‘50s nostalgia if it weren’t so completely vibrant and infectious. The best sort of good-time rock ‘n’ roll.

10. Chantays, “Next Set” (Chantay Productions): Their first new album since 1964 rides a wave of cool fire with clean, taut surf-rock guitar architecture. Strong new material complements remade oldies from Surfin’ Valhalla.

Honorable mention (alphabetically by band):

Barrelhouse, “Soul Pimps ‘N’ Blues Pushers” (Steady Rollin’); Bazooka, “Blowhole” (SST); Big Drill Car, “No Worse for the Wear” (Cargo/Headhunter); Cadillac Tramps, “It’s Allright” (Doctor Dream); Cisco Poison, “It’s a Long Way to Heaven . . . “ (Doctor Dream); Dan Crary, “Jammed If I Do” (Sugar Hill); Dick Dale, “Unknown Territory” (HighTone); D.I., “State of Shock” (Doctor Dream); Diamondback, “Ragin’ Wind” (Deadeye); Sydney Ellis, “Goin’ Home” (Black Wallet); Fluf, “Home Improvements” (Headhunter); Fu Manchu, “No One Rides for Free” (Bong Load); Various artists, “Homespun: A Collection of Fullerton Artists” (Homespun); Robert Lucas, “Layaway” (AudioQuest); Lee Rocker’s Big Blue, “Lee Rocker’s Big Blue” (Black Top); Rule 62, “Love and Decline” (Lethal); Smile, “Maquee” (Cargo/Headhunter); Supernova, “Calling Hong Kong” (Goldenrod single); Walter Trout Band, “Tellin’ Stories” (Silvertone); Volkwood Ghost, “Wagon Train” (Kismet Ghreen cassette EP); Junior Watson, “Long Overdue” (Black Top); The Ziggens, “Rusty Never Sleeps” (Skunk). Belated kudos from late ‘93: Big Enjoyers, “Gronkin’ Quiver” (Neabuzz).

Boehm: Favorite Concerts

In order of preference:

1. Nirvana (L.A. Sports Arena, Dec. 30, 1993); 2. Joe Ely (Coach House, Nov. 11); 3. Dramarama (Coach House, Jan. 8 early show); 4. Joyride and One Hit Wonder (Club 369, April 23); 5. Elvis Costello & the Attractions (Universal Amphitheatre, May 11); 6. Kristin Hersh (Coach House, May 6); 7. Offspring and the Pretenders at KROQ “Weenie Roast” (Irvine Meadows, June 11); 8. James Harman Band and Hollywood Fats Band at “Blues Harmonica Blowdown” (The Strand, March 19); 9. Richard Thompson (Coach House, March 18); 10. Charlie Watts (Rose Bowl, Oct. 21. The rest of the blokes were OK, too).

Randy Lewis:

Favorite Albums

In order of preference:

1. Johnny Cash, “American Recordings” (American): Harrowing songs about sin and redemption, faith and temptation are delivered with naked power by an American legend. Unlike anything else in the Man in Black’s remarkable career.

2. Neil Young and Crazy Horse, “Sleeps With Angels” (Reprise): Young’s fury about an increasingly violent society and its tragic effects come through loud and clear in his raw lyrics and his stinging guitar work.

3. Iris DeMent, “My Life” (Warner Bros.): This has a more consistently somber tone than her knockout 1993 debut album, but DeMent’s songs about love, loss and family are every bit as richly observed and expressively sung.

4. Jann Browne, “Count Me In” (Red Moon): This Orange County country artist put together a group of songs as accessible as anything out of Nashville and more insightfully written than 99% of what’s on the country charts. So why is this killer album available only in Europe?

5. The Proclaimers, “Hit the Highway” (Chrysalis): Craig and Charlie Reid, Scotland’s twin folk rockers, fleshed out their folk-skiffle sound with full rock instrumentation on their third album. It makes their songs about the quest for faith in an often-faithless world that much more powerful.

6. The Mavericks, “What a Crying Shame” (MCA): This is part of the 1% of Nashville country that matters. Raul Malo’s songwriting has gotten razor sharp on the group’s second album. His writing, singing and the band’s playing can evoke the grandeur of Roy Orbison, the ache of Hank Williams or the sheer fun of Buck Owens.

7. Crowded House, “Together Alone” (Capitol): You’ll look long and hard before finding a more graceful, tuneful or thoughtful pure pop album.

8. Beausoleil, “L’Echo” (Forward): a living, breathing, moving tribute to the pioneering Cajun and zydeco musicians who inspired the boys of Beausoleil, the best Cajun band in the land.

9. Various artists, “Tulare Dust: A Songwriters’ Salute to Merle Haggard” (HighTone): Haggard’s songs chronicling the seemingly eternal struggles facing the working class are given ideal treatments by the likes of Joe Ely, Rosie Flores, Billy Joe Shaver and others.

10. Bob Woodruff, “Dreams and Saturday Nights” (Asylum): Woodruff’s solid debut album evokes the underdog spirit of Gram Parsons.

Lewis: Favorite Concerts

In order of preference:

1. Buck Owens (Crazy Horse Steak House, July 19); 2. The Proclaimers (Coach House, Aug. 7); 3. Tabu Ley Rochereau and Orchestre Afrisa International (Long Beach Museum of Art, Aug. 24); 4. The Mavericks (In Cahoots, Feb. 16); 5. Elvis Costello & the Attractions (Irvine Meadows, May 14); 6. Emmylou Harris (Crazy Horse, July 11); 7. Jimmie Dale Gilmore (Crazy Horse, Feb. 14); 8. Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans (Irvine Barclay Theatre, July 7); 9. Carlene Carter (Crazy Horse, Feb. 21); 10. Jann Browne (Rio Grande Bar & Grill, May 6).

Jim Washburn:

Favorite Albums

In order of preference:

1. Pat McLaughlin, “Unglued” (Dos Records): I’ve listened to knockabout singer/songwriter McLaughlin’s disc easily 100 times past these 12 months, and it still stands--in clear spite of its obfuscatory lyrics--as the most emotionally direct, affecting and timeless music I’ve heard this year. Think John Hiatt. Think Van Morrison. Then think of someone that good who you’ve never heard.

2. Ted Hawkins, “The Next Hundred Years” (DGC Records): If Sam Cooke had spent a long life scraping by, playing for change on sidewalks, he well might sound like this. Hawkins has Cooke’s melodic sweetness, melodic knack and expressive voice, but they’re all shaped by a life of hard experience.

3. Richard Thompson, “Mirror Blue” (Capitol Records): Not one track here can equal Thompson’s spellbinding live versions, but even so, this remains a remarkable piece of songcrafting. “Beeswing” alone contains more narrative heartbreak than most albums.

4. Jann Browne, “Count Me In” (Red Moon--Swiss import): No local favoritism here. Browne and her band have come up with deeply etched songs and heart-tugging performances that put most other country acts to shame.

5. Junior Watson, “Long Overdue” (Black Top): O.C. guitarist Watson plays so authentically within blues tradition that you’d swear nothing here was recorded after 1959, yet his whimsically stinging solos show that tradition puts no limits on invention and immediacy.

6. Neil Young and Crazy Horse, “Sleeps With Angels” (Reprise Records): Hard to believe this guy ever put up with Crosby, Stills & Nash. It’s the usual Young fare here: the limited voice, the squonky, over-the-top guitar work, and the songs that somehow make it all fresh and vital one more time.

7. Chris Gaffney, “Man of Somebody’s Dreams” (Red Moon--Swiss import): This live album of singer Gaffney backed by his guitarist Danny Ott and Jann Browne’s band is a fine sampling of his gritty country style and distinctive songs. He’s better with his own band--which plays bars in Orange County almost weekly--but the closing “Waltz for Minnie” here packs more emotion than a year of Nashville output.

8. Manu Dibango, “Wakafrica” (Giant): Cameroonian saxophonist Dibango makes a rich musical tour of his continent with help from King Sunny Ade, Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour and others.

9. Jimmy Vaughan, “Strange Pleasure” (CBS Records): With his debut solo album--and first outing since brother Stevie Ray’s tragic death--Vaughan gives the blues some fresh twists, with rich vocal harmonies and jazzy organ, and songs that are like a dip in a spiritual pool.

10. The Chantays, “Next Set” (Chantay Productions): While Dick Dale is basking in his justly deserved revival, the originators of “Pipeline” have come back from lounge hell with a powerful, evocative set of surf instrumentals.

Washburn:

Favorite Concerts

In order of preference:

1. Richard Thompson (Coach House, March 18); 2. John Hammond (San Juan Capistrano Regional Library, June 3); 3. Samba Ngo (San Juan Capistrano Regional Library, Aug. 20); 4. Jimmy Vaughan (Coach House, July 28); 5. Rosanne Cash (Coach House, Aug. 1); 6. Chris Gaffney and the Cold Hard Facts (the Canyon Inn, just about any Wednesday); 7. Elvis Costello & the Attractions (Irvine Meadows, May 14); 8. The Subdudes, Pat McLaughlin (Coach House, May 18); 9. Emmylou Harris (Crazy Horse, July 11); 10. Bazooka (The Lab, Nov. 13); 11. Jimmie Dale Gilmore (A Taste of Orange County, June 26); 12. Love (Coach House, July 24).

Buddy Seigal:

Favorite Albums

No particular order:

1. War, “Peace Sign” (Avenue): These ‘70s hitmakers have been an inspiration to many modern hip-hop and acid jazz artists (not to mention one of the most frequently sampled acts of all time), but who would have guessed that they’d come back in 1994 with perhaps the most vital and interesting album of their career? The title cut and “East L.A.” sound better than “Low Rider” and “The Cisco Kid” when played back to back. The efforts of contemporary imitators such as the Solsonics come off as anemic in comparison. Still fresh, still throbbing, still able to pack any dance floor.

2. Black 47, “Home of the Brave” (SBK/EMI): Sounding like a raging cross between the Clash, Doxy’s Midnight Runners and Bruce Springsteen, Black 47 proves that rock can still be angry and rebellious without being whining or self-important, can still be loud and aggressive without being tuneless and overbearing. Frontman/principal songwriter Larry Kirwan sings political anthems about his native Ireland with a rare passion and intelligence, while the band somehow negotiates a seamless truce between traditional Celtic melody and punk sensibility. An-often jolting album from a group that deserves wider recognition outside of its New York base of operation.

3. Buster Poindexter, “Buster’s Happy Hour” (Forward): In a year when swing and classic R & B made something of a mini-comeback, Brian Setzer’s embarrassingly whitebread but Disney-backed project seemed to garner all the attention. That’s unfortunate, because Buster’s overlooked gem of an album is the real goods, full of period attitude, swinging arrangements, whiskey-marinated originals and solid covers, which range from Roy Brown and Joe Liggins to the Kinks (!?!). Buster croons and shouts like a real pro, his band jumps the blues till the walls vibrate with brassy ecstasy. “The Worst Beer I Ever Had” ought to be required programming on every dive-bar jukebox in the country.

4. “Backbeat,” original motion picture soundtrack (Virgin): Not the album that features a studio band waxing covers of the Beatles waxing covers, but the surprisingly enjoyable album of original jazz compositions by Don Was. Trumpeter Terrence Blanchard and saxophonist David McMurray shine brightly here, turning in lyrical, intriguing solos throughout, and Was must be credited for linking Bo Diddley to John Coltrane on the eye-opening “You Asked, I Came.” This album is more original and purely listenable than anything released by such young lions as Joshua Redman and Wynton Marsalis this year, a surprising testament to the principals and a damning indictment of stagnation in the modern jazz scene.

5. Johnny Cash, “American Recordings” (American): The simple pleasures of Cash’s reassuring baritone, a warm-sounding acoustic guitar and a batch of homespun folk songs remain relevant and essential listening. It takes as much nerve to record an album like this in 1994 as it does raw, native instinct and pure talent to actually pull it off without sounding like you’re trying too hard. Cash even manages to inject soul and wisdom into a song by heavy-metal muscleman Glen Danzig--no small accomplishment.

6. Ben Harper, “Welcome to the Cruel World” (Virgin): If Harper is a singer/songwriter sorely in need of a sense of humor, chalk it up to youthful intransigence--everyone believes they have all the answers at age 23. Harper still manages to display extraordinary originality in his songcraft, vocal technique and bottleneck guitar chops on this, the debut album of the year. Plus, his spiritual/political vision is refreshing and intelligent, if sadly idealistic/unrealistic, in the age of Newt Gingrich, Jesse Helms and Proposition 187.

7. Dr. John, “Television” (GRP/MCA): The Good Doctor returns to what he truly excels at, with a swampy, steaming album of New Orleans funk that picks up where he left off way back in 1973, with his career-best “In the Right Place” album. He could’ve done without the rap interlude by Anthony Kiedes, though, which sounds more like an old man’s grudging nod to the contemporary than it does a vital ingredient in a Dr. John prescription.

8. Jerry Jeff Walker, “Viva Luckenbach!” (Rykodisc): definitely an acquired taste, but just as fine as chorizo con huevos washed down with a Lone Star beer once you’ve developed it. Walker and the Gonzo Compadres return to Luckenbach to record a live disc on the 20th anniversary of his celebrated “Viva Terlingua!” album. New tunes, old tunes, celebrations of Texas and its crazed inhabitants, all of which are sung in a pleasantly artless manner and feel as easy and comfortable as a beat-up old Stetson. Metaphysical quotation: “The call us the Gonzo Compadres/Los gatos con queso/And we love our mommies.”

9. Al Kooper, “ReKOOPERation” (MusicMasters): Onetime guitarist with the Royal Teens (“Short Stories”), Brill Building house composer, keyboardist on Dylan’s prime cuts in the ‘60s and with the Blues Project, founder of Blood, Sweat & Tears--not to mention producer, A & R man, author and underrated solo artist--Kooper has been out of circulation for too many years. He returns here with a (mostly) instrumental jazz and R & B album featuring such old running partners as trumpeter Randy Brecker, bassists Harvey Brooks and Jim Fielder, plus legendary saxophonist Hank Crawford, New York guitar hotshot Jimmy Vivino and a host of others. The sound is sweaty, urban and seriously soulful, ala prime Ray Charles and Booker T. & The MG’s. Kooper plays a meaner Hammond here than ever before, writes some sharp tunes and arranges some groovin’ charts. Welcome back, don’t be a stranger!

10. Various artists, “The Specialty Story” (Specialty): Five-disc box set chronicling the history of the Hollywood-based record label, best known as the home of Little Richard in his hit-making youth. The real story here, though, is the reintroduction of hot sides that have been out of print for eons by such important, seminal R & B figures as Roy Milton, Joe and Jimmy Liggins, Percy Mayfield, Larry Williams and Don & Dewey. It also includes obscure but vastly entertaining artists such a Daddy Cleanhead, Joe Lutcher and Jim Wynn as well as rare, early material by the likes of Sam Cooke, Lloyd Price, Clifton Chenier, John Lee Hooker, Jesse Belvin, Ernie K-Doe and more. The package includes a 44-page booklet, loaded with great photos and featuring incisive notes by anthology compiler and long-time studio fixture Billy Vera.

Honorable mentions:

Roy Hargrove, “With the Tenors of Our Time” (Verve); “The R & B Box” and “The Doo-Wop Box,” (Rhino); Dave Alvin, “King of L.A.” (HighTone); The Smithereens, “A Date With the Smithereens” (RCA); The Jerky Boys, “The Jerky Boys 2” (Select); Various artists, “Texas Music Vols. 1-3” (Rhino).

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