Adrian's Top Five
My Top Five NEW! Albums by Legacy Artists
I have been listening to a lot of old music this summer.1 After our April road trip (with excellent driving music) my teenage daughter decided she would now listen to more CDs instead of streaming. There is a local independent record store nearby, so this summer we often took excursions looking for music. Before they browse the new releases, I load up my teenagers with the essential CDs they should own. I then linger in the used section looking for diamonds in the discount bin. I found Abbey Road, Purple Rain, The Joshua Tree, and a ton of excellent greatest hits compilations from The Doobie Brothers, Guns N Roses, Jimmy Buffett, Sade, Dolly Parton, and Patsy Cline.
There is nothing better than spending a too-hot summer afternoon inside listening to your latest albums purchase. My daughter blasts Jimmy Buffet from her boombox while my son learns Garth Brooks’ catalogue in preparation for his concert. Listening to Songs You Know by Heart and the live version of Friends in Low Places in their bedrooms is a new experience for them, one I do not ruin with my incessant jabbering. While they are experiencing those older albums for the first time, I listen to my favorite legacy artists who have recently released a new album. I did not expect new music from these artists, but their late-career new releases got my attention. As I am in mid-life myself, I feel a special affinity toward older songwriters reflecting on their musical careers. Here are my Top Five new albums from legacy artists.
5. Foreign Tongues | The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are 82 and 83 years old. I never expected these octogenarians to continue writing and releasing new music. In 2023, The Stones released Hackney Diamonds, their first album of original songs, in almost 20 years. It was also their first album since the 2021 death of drummer Charlie Watts. It is a great album! Collaborations with Lady Gaga (Sweet Sounds of Heaven), Sir Paul McCartney on bass (Bite My Head Off) and Sir Elton John (Live By the Sword) made the album feel like a reunion of sorts while still giving us the archetypal Stones sound. When Foreign Tongues was released in July, I had high hopes. I was not disappointed. The Stones are masters of their craft; they know how to make a great album. They are confident in how their songs should sound, using their tried-and-true combination of blues, R&B, and early rock & roll. Foreign Tongues is a summertime album, showing that Mick and Keith still have their creative gifts, and want to keep sharing them with their fans.
4. The Boys of Dungeon Lane | Paul McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney seems not to age (he is 84 years old). When I listen to Ripples in a Pond, my mind transports me back to my own bedroom listening to And I Love Her from A Hard Day's Night, and the gorgeous simplicity of I Will from the White Album. Instead of a wistful youth singing of love and devotion, Ripples in a Pond shares McCartney’s expressions of mature love through a lifetime of ups and downs. Let's carry on making ripples in a pond / And we'll see how far it goes. This entire album fills one with nostalgia. It sounds great (of course it does!) and is perfect for listening on late summer evenings. Maybe I am a sucker for gentle, Beatles pop melodies, but in truth, my love of the Beatles matured as they did. As a young, energetic teenager, I blasted Please Please Me. Once I got married and had children, I graduated to Rubber Soul and Revolver. Through my 30s, I kept Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road on repeat in my classroom. Now, smack-dab in the middle of my forties, I watch Beatles documentaries, listen to Let It Be, and better appreciate their genius. Paul McCartney will always sound like the Beatles to me, even without John, George, and Ringo. Still, I love that McCartney is still releasing new music. I love you more than I ever did before / the feeling grows and grows. That feeling is mutual!
3. Wild at Heart | Neil Diamond
I remember watching Eric Clapton play an acoustic version of Tears in Heaven on MTV Unplugged. I was twelve years old and mesmerized (his version of Layla remains one of my favorite covers). After watching that performance, I was hooked on music “unplugged.” I wanted to hear all of my favorite artists sing their hits with just an acoustic guitar, and throughout the 90s, MTV fulfilled my wish: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, LL Cool J, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart, all performed new renditions of their music.
Even though he retired in 2018, Neil Diamond’s latest album, Wild at Heart, shows that Diamond never really stopped making music. In fact, Wild at Heart is the final in a trilogy of albums produced with Rick Rubin. In 2005, Diamond and Rubin put out 12 Songs, and then in 2008 released Home Before Dark. I love Rubin’s work with Johnny Cash, so I knew I was going to enjoy listening to these three albums. 12 Songs sounds like an homage to Neil Diamond’s legacy. Home Before Dark is a more ambitious comeback with a few new love songs. But from the first guitar chords of Wild at Heart, I feel like I am listening to brand new, stripped-down Neil Diamond. Even at 85 years old, Diamond defies aging and becoming forgotten. In 2018, Neil Diamond announced his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and retirement. While he was able to release 12 Songs and Home Before Dark before his symptoms worsened, Wild at Heart is a testament to Diamond drive to tell his own story and share his amazing legacy. As all good albums do, the songs on Wild at Heart tell a story, and as he tells Rubin, these songs were “born to be written.” Diamond is much more than a stadium Sweet Caroline sing-along, and songs like, You Still Look Good To Me, You’re My Favorite Song, and an alternate version of Forgotten (originally recorded for Home Before Dark) prove that Neil Diamond still has something important to say with his music.
2. Dream Chaser | Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson is the oldest white guy on this list. At 93, I cannot comprehend how he is still able to write and make new music. Of all the albums on this list, Dream Chaser (his 156th album!) speaks the most to me and my aging body. I imagine that when you are a nonagenarian, it is inevitable to reflect on and wrestle with your past. No one does this better than Willie Nelson. The first (and titular) track, opens with Nelson catching a glimpse of himself. Today I looked in the mirror / And I caught me by surprise / The man I saw lookin’ back at me / I almost didn’t recognize / Wasn’t I just a kid / Movin’ to Tennessee / With an old guitar and eyes full of stars / Chasin’ a crazy dream?
Every song on this albums is worth listening to, even if you are not a fan of country music. Nelson has outlived the midlife crisis, career plateau, his outlaw era, and super stardom. He is a musical elder, freely sharing wisdom. We might be too young to understand it, but he leaves it here for us to return to when we are ready. But it's worth every mile / To get to sing for a while / Truth is I've done it all for free.
For those who do love country music, this album is filled with warm, bittersweet, traditional country songs. There are many excellent country lyrics. In I Can’t Read Your Mind (cowritten with Bob Dylan), Willie does not know how to read your mind because the letters are too small. The song Whiskey Wants Me To gives us the familiar trope of giving up drinking, but with one of the most clever country music imagery:
I don't wanna drink no more, but the whiskey wants me to
I can't stand the taste no more or what it makes me do
It makes me hate the things I love and think I don't love you
I don't wanna drink no more, but the whiskey wants me to.
Each song is a vignette about aging, perseverance, life on the road, and human connection, all blended with twangy guitars, driving backbeats, and a honky-tonk feel. Although Willie never lived in California, Dream Chaser seems to have picked up that 50s Bakersfield Sound (think Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and Dwight Yoakam), while staying true to his plainspoken, Texan storytelling and masterful guitar work. Nearing 100 years old, it is understandable that Willie may feel like he is running out of time. He says that he resemble his guitar, Trigger: “old and beat up.” But this album is an effortless 30-minute listen. In a time when life feels rushed, no song feels hurried or forced. He still has his iconic rough-around-the-edges voice, and though he is more weathered, this album proves that Willie Nelson is the greatest of all time.
1. Crown of Roses | Patty Griffin
Crown of Roses is Patty Griffin’s first album in six years, dedicated to her late mother, Lorraine Marie Martin Griffin, whom she refers to as her “most favorite singer of all” (and tributed in the song, Way Up to the Sky). On the backside, Griffin notes that Crown of Roses is “for all of my sisters.” I may not be her core demographic, but I am a huge admirer of Griffin and her perpetual “pursuit of goodness.” As expected, Griffin offers us reflections from her life and career. She is a masterful lyricist and storyteller. I can think of no other artist (maybe Joni Mitchell or Leonard Cohen?) who engages listeners with unapologetic emotional depth. In an interview, Griffin said of Crown, “I wanted to try to make smaller songs… I like singing small.” There is nothing small about this album, a perfect 8-song collection. I was, however, surprised that this album feels more of a restart for Griffin than a simple retrospective. Her raw voice forces us to feel everything alongside her; unafraid to be vulnerable and optimistic.
Each song builds on each other; the entire album could be one epic song, moving from internal strife to spiritual survival and loving acceptance. For example, in the song, I Know a Way, she sings, Sometimes you feel like a fool / To try and try again / To keep on singing out / Straight into the wind, and then shares a secret in the song, A Word: The love you leave on earth goes 'round forever. It can feel futile to continue spreading small acts of goodness when there is so much hate and life feels catastrophic. Griffin reminds us to keep singing into the wind because love outlives hate.
This album is a gift. Patty Griffin is an extraordinary treasure. Listen well and enjoy.
Have a great week!
— Adrian
What are some of your favorite new albums?
Forthcoming Albums
Comes in Waves | Carly Simon
Out August 14
Carly Simon’s Comes in Waves is set to be released on August 14. The only song available now is Howl, a letter to a friend whose lover has just left them. She advises her friend to leave: Howl like the wind / Roar like the river / Wail like the rain / Cry, shout, and shiver, all leading to the chorus crescendo to call love a liar. If this song is a preview what is to come, I am confident this will be incredible album!
What!? Prince is releasing a new album? Yes, this is happening. Get excited! Timeless is a 10-track posthumous collection featuring previously unreleased vault recordings spanning 1977-2016 (one song per decade) and ending with a live performance of How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore?, recorded in 2016. It is set for release on August 28. There are a couple of songs available to listen to: the piano-driven ballad, With This Tear (he gifted this song to Céline Dion) and Stone.
Resources
Why Is Reminiscing Good for Us? | Psychology Today
As one gets older, reminiscing about the good ol’ days is expected. This does not mean everyone over the age of 45 is stuck living in the past. Reminiscing makes us feel connected to each other and the lives we have lived. We feel connected to our shared experiences of feeling human: heartbreak, love, grief, and joy. This article by Psychology Today explains the neuroscience behind this phenomenon.
Old Music Friday! | Owen Cutts
Owen Cutts is my new favorite TikToker. Every Friday, he records a video listening to an old song. I promise, you have heard many of the songs he breaks down, but after listening to them with Owen, you will hear them with fresh ears! Here is a playlist of all of the songs he has discussed on his TikTok channel so far.
You may not need to learn about Willie Nelson’s guitar, Trigger, but I promise you will be glad you did. Willie has played his Martin N-20 nylon-string classical acoustic guitar in over 10,000 shows and it has featured most of his recordings.
In this interview, neuroscientist Dr. Brian Pennie discusses the science of nostalgia — why it’s bittersweet, how it affects the brain, and why it can bring comfort, meaning, and pain. He also explores how younger generations experience nostalgia differently in an always-online world.
Heavenly Day is my favorite Patty Griffin song. It is a pure love song about her beloved dog; a glorious song from her 2007 album Children Running Through. If you like this, I highly recommend listening to her perform Up To The Mountain, her beautiful response to Dr. Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech.
And just for fun, here are Rick Beato’s Top 20 acoustic guitar intros of all time. I am huge fan of Beato. I share much of his taste in music, but lack all of his musical aptitude. In this video, he plays his favorite intros. If electric guitar is more to your liking, he has a Top 20 electric guitar intros video.
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Want more of Adrian’s Top 5? Check out a few of my archived posts.
“Old” is a relative term. Growing up, the oldies radio station played pop hits from the 50s and 60s. Now, they play 90s chart-toppers. I have since learned of the 30-Year Rule: radio stations will moves a particular decade into “classic” rotation once it hits the 30-year mark. This means that 90s music fit into the nostalgic category in 2020!
I love that you have your kids listening to CDs! We have an epic CD cabinet that rivals the game closet in The Royal Tenenbaums. 😂 We’re also big on vinyl because my husband kept all his teenage records from the ‘80s and we’ve been adding to that collection. It’s so different when you buy the work of artists you love and *own* it!
I can’t wait to try that Patty Griffin album!
This makes me want to buy a CD player!