Kat's Korner: After a dull musical summer, Vanessa Williams emerges as much more than a SURVIVOR
Kat: Summer 2024 -- June, July and August -- has been about a lot of garbage and a lot of crap. Trash like, for instance, FOREVER.
Jon Bon Jovi is not a major talent and never was. But with Richie Sambora co-writing songs, the group Bon Jovi seemed to have an anthem or two to shout. And with Sambora on lead guitar, there was a reason to listen. Ahead of the forgettable FOREVER being released this summer, the usual false rumors circulated that Richie might be back with the band -- or with whatever passes for a band. Instead, there was no Richie Sambora and twelve tracks that stood as twelve arguments for Jon Bon Jovi to retire.
Speaking of musty, Moby showed up with one of the worst albums of all time. The music itself was quickly forgotten as we marveled instead over the fact that ALWAYS CENTERED AT NIGHT didn't make it onto BILLBOARD's TOP 200 selling albums -- not even for one week -- his eleventh album since 2013 that's failed to chart in the US. Eminem called it a little too soon (2002's "Without Me"), but, yes, when it comes to Moby, "It's over." The same news should be broken to Neil Young. He's released over 20 albums since 2018. Albums of new stuff? No, this is Neil desperate for money and raiding the archives. Someone break it down to him, he was never Stevie Wonder and he's certainly not Prince. Meaning? It all sounds like the same f**king song and no one needs his archival releases -- although, in fairness, EARLY DAZE did manage to chart this summer and even make it into the top 100 on BILLBOARD's album chart -- something only one of the previous 20 managed. And, speaking of bad, don't forget Ice Spice's Y2K! -- an album so simplistic that it made her Dunkin Donuts commercial seem layered and meaningful by contrast.
This summer brought the news that we're still done with Ani DiFranco. Her embarrassing and racist plantation retreat did get purged from her WIKIPEDIA page but not from our memories. The 'lesbian' sunk a little lower on the honesty scale as she began performing old songs with newly censored lyrics that the twice-married-to-a-man wrote back when she pretended she was into women. Even so, UNPRECEDENTED SH*T brought no one to the yard and that awful title track sounds like a wounded cat needing to be put down. "I've got a lot of heart," Ani insisted over some 'musical' notes far creakier than the ones coming out of her throat before telling us she had "a lot of balls." If you hadn't bailed on her by then, you did when the second verse featured a 'whistle' that was about as musical as a car alarm. The album failed to chart and the official video of the title track couldn't even crack 3,000 views in three months of release. Like OneRepublic's ARTIFICIAL PARADISE, UNPRECEDENTED SH*T begged the question who wanted to toss money into the sinkhole? In Ani's case, it's Ani. She's the head of her own label which makes you wonder will she keep releasing crap albums until all her money is gone or will she be her own best A&R, take herself to a bar and explain, "The career's over. You're dropping yourself from your own label"?
July brought one album that did actually sell: Eminem's THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRACE) which didn't have the strong humor of his first two albums but was his best release since 2002's THE EMINEM SHOW and was also one of the few bright spots of the summer. And while it didn't sell, July also brought Jack White's NO NAME. It was solid if a little light weight. But it wasn't enough to resurrect the career. I think by now, we've all gotten over Jack's lie that his former White Stripes partner was his sister. No, she was his wife. And although we've gotten over the long ago lie, I think we're all still grossed out that for years a then-married couple pretended they were brother-and-sister. The bad taste still lingers.
August brought about Khalid's SINCERE which was frothy enough to make you hope for more but there was no more there. (Khalid is one to watch, however. He needs stronger material than this, but he's got real talent.) Any positive vibes Khalid managed to send out quickly went scurrying with the release of AGHORI MHORI MEI. The what? The latest garbage from Billy Corgan. Whenever he needs money, it's back to what he tries to pass off as the Smashing Pumpkins. The Pumpkins, a grunge era band, has two classics: SIAMESE DREAM and MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS. The first remains a sonic landscape, the second finds Billy at his most heavily Anne Sexton-influenced. Nothing since has ever mattered in the slightest. Maybe that's because even Billy's huge ego hasn't been enough to fill the holes left by the departure of original bassist Darcy or the death of Jonathan Melvoin.
At any rate, I was willing to toss in the towel and be done with the dreadful summer of 2024 when I learned Vanessa Williams' SURVIVOR was out.
The title track crackles with life and makes you want to swing your hips on the dance floor. "I really love that and am looking forward to the new album" -- I wrote that sentence August 24th. Didn't realize that the album had been released the day before until e-mails started coming in. There's been a lot of interest in this album because SURVIVOR has already produced two dance classics.
"The Legs (Keep Dancing)."
Vanessa Williams, Trixie Mattel and LION BABE doing "BOP!"
She does a great job covering Natalie Cole and Linda Williams "La Costa" from Natalie's 1977 release THANKFUL. Even more on the money is her cover of 1934's "Junk Man."
The life she breathes into that Frank Loesser and Joseph Meyer classic is amazing. As is what she does with Cab Calloway's "Zaz Zuh Zaz." Those songs and their dynamic vocals are probably supposed to remind you that Vanessa's triumphed on Broadway with the musicals KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, INTO THE WOODS, SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM, AFTER MIDNIGHT and next month starts wowing British audiences in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA -- London's first ten shows are already sold out.
SURVIVOR celebrates Vanessa's voice by providing her with dance numbers, jazz and Broadway staples and ballads. This is the artist whose chart hits include "Save The Best For Last," "The Right Stuff," "Dreamin'," "(He's Got) The Look," "Work To Do," "Running Back To You" and "Colors Of The Wind." That's a wide range and SURVIVOR honors it. Make a point to check it out.