Sunday Afternoon Listening Cafe #10
Star Turtle, Harry Connick Jr
Love this album! This was Harry Connick Jr’s concept album, in that the tracks titled Star Turtle tell the story of a giant space turtle walking around New Orleans looking for music salvation. Connick Jr plays all the voices and instruments on those tracks. I’ve previously talked about Boozehound, so let’s take a quick tour of the other tracks. Going to say off the top I love the lyrics of these songs. They all have a sense of finding your place in the world in various ways.
(FYI, I haven’t found a good alternative to Spotify and I found out that YouTube pays even less, so it’s back to posting Spotify links. Read this article to find out about the problems with Spotify and act accordingly.)
How Do Ya’ll Know starts with a typical New Orleans groove with a bit pop edge while talking about not living to other’s expectations. Hear Me in the Harmony, a tribute to James Booker, was the single off the album and has a bouncy and lyrical feel while talking about being anonymous. Reason to Believe features stride playing and horns while talking about loneliness and bad luck in love.
After the second Star Turtle track, we get Little Farley, a very traditional New Orleans march which then mutates into a 70s Funk sound. The lyrics sound like they were written to fit the groove and is my least favourite track.
Eyes of the Seeker is one of my favourite tracks. It starts with a very simple arrangement like a jazz sea shanty, then adds in a blistering guitar, then adding in bass and drums to turn it into something I can’t even describe.1 It doesn’t follow traditional song structure, and the lyrics talk about escaping the criminal life. It immediately flows into the 70s rock stylings of Nobody Like You To Me.
After Boozehound and the next Star Turtle, we move into the final trio of songs. Never Young starts in more of Harry’s traditional style before moving into pop territory, while talking about the price of being famous at a young age. Mind On The Matter moves in double time and feels at home on a street corner. And the closing song, City Beneath the Sea is a lovely soft rock tribute to New Orleans.
We then meet up with the Star Turtle once more, he’s found his mojo, and we all part as friends. Harry Connick Jr never did anything as experimental again to my knowledge, and I think it’s a shame. This album shows just how much range he has. Enjoy this week’s café!
I’m sure some musicstacker here will be able to.
I don't feel a need to analyze this music. It's just fun. I like it. If I have a party, I'm playing this. I might have to download it.
MK, off topic, but are you aware of the current ‘Nazis’ issue here at Substack? Here are a couple of takeaways from Casey Newton’s post that I found compelling. Compelling to the point that I will be following him and you both to another site, should you be unable to change the 'Accountants' position.
Google >> Why Substack is at a crossroads - by Casey Newton (platformer.news)
"But turning a blind eye to recommended content almost always comes back to bite a platform. It was recommendations on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube that helped turn Alex Jones from a fringe conspiracy theorist into a juggernaut that could terrorize families out of their homes. It was recommendations that turned QAnon from loopy trolling on 4Chan into a violent national movement. It was recommendations that helped to build the modern anti-vaccine movement." - Casey Newton
and
"Our readers understand this. During the past couple weeks, dozens of paid subscribers to Platformer have canceled their memberships. “The reason is simple,” one of those readers wrote to us today. “I don't want to fund Nazis. I'm disturbed by a Substack leadership that looks at openly pro-Nazi content and says, ‘We won't de-platform you. In fact, we'll monetize you.’"
I find it VERY hard to disagree with either of them.