Play Meter

f=05JC
By Pat Matthews/ WAJY FM New Orleans
Winners for winter's night
Before the flood
Once a~ain we find ourselves in
the "slow ' months of the music
c alendar . There's r eally no
explaining it - it just happens. Every
year about this time, the product
begins to trickle in. But, just wait!
The dam walls will tumble and the
records will soon begin to gush in.
We'll just have to cross that bridge
when we get to it. Sorry.
Together- Tierra - Boardwalk/
WS85702
I guess this is what can best be
called the new California Sound.
Believe it or not , this is the second
release from this relatively new
group with a very soulful sound. The
harmonies can be likened to the old
Chi-Lites for their breezy quality.
The instrumentation is naturally
heavy on the horns an d t he
arrangement on this one proves
excellent. There's even a spoken
word segment a Ia Chi-Lites over an
excellent sax solo. This band is very
"together" and going places: 10 o ut
of 10 on highest chart.
You 're The Reason God Made
Oklahoma - David Frizzell &
Shelly West - Warner Brothers/
WBS49650
There are country tunes and
there are C o untry tunes. This is one
of the latter. From the opening
strains of acoustic and steel backing
the whiskey sound of Lefty Frizzell,
through the somewhat gutsy feel of
Ms. West's vocals- there's an un-
deniable quality to this record. It's
from the latest Clint Eastwood flick ,
"Amy Which Way You Can" and it
will probably end up as the most
recognizable tune from the film, as
" Lookin ' For Love" was from
"Urban Cowboy." Probably won't
cross over, but I'll give a cinch 9 out
of 10 on the Country lists.
Love On The Airwaves - Night -
Pianet/ P-4 7921A
It's been a long time between
releases for this group, and the time
off apparently hasn't hurt. In fact , it
may have helped. Chris Thompson's
vocals are in fine form and the band
has progressed beyonf the "play it by
the boo k" sound of the debut album.
The arrangement sounds a lot like
the Babys' and there's nothing
wrong with that. Also, this could be
only the second record in memory to
allude to the radio and be a hit.
(Charlie Dare's "Pilot Of The Air-
waves" from 1980 was the first.) It's a
natural rock'n'roller with some nice
harmonic twists; rates 7 out of 10 or
better.
I Ain't Gonna Stand For It -
Stevie Wonder - Tamla/ 54320
This sure-fire hit from the Hotter
Than July lp is even more unlike
Stevie Wonder than was "Master
Blaster." Cold vocal opens this
acoustic based love-rocker- a vocal
that is almost unrecognizable. Not
until the chorus can you tell it 's
Stevie , unless of course you read the
label like I did . This song even has the
country style guitaretwanging on it.
The best way to describe this latest
single release from one of the
geniuses of our time is "rock-soul-
c ountry -pop -funk ." There, that
should cover all the bases. Rate it 10
out of 10 with definite crossover
potential.
The records are rated as follows : 10 out of 10 = Top 10 peak ; 9 out of 10 = Top 20 peak; 8 out of 10 = Top
30 peak ; 7 out of 10 = Top 40 peak; 5 or 6 out of 10 = Somewhere in Top 100; 4 or less = Forget it, loser ,
break in half.
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