If you haven’t picked up on it from previous mentions (such as comments I have left on certain blogs), I have a “thing” against Wal-Mart. When I lived in Atlanta at the turn of the century, I worked for a company that did business with Toastmaster, who sells small appliances. Toastmaster was approached by Wal-Mart about reducing their price point, and great folks that they are, they already had it figured out. Close down your US production, move it overseas to China (“we’ve got a facility already picked out for you”), and make something that’s cheaper to ship back to the US than to actually make it there. We didn’t lose that many jobs, but just the concept of what went down was disgusting to me, and I swore that I wouldn’t support such a company.
Nine years later, I personally think Wal-Mart has played a small role in our economic downturn by making us more dependent on foreign imports for the sake of saving a buck or two here or there, and not doing enough to protect US jobs. That’s why when I heard that Bruce Springsteen had agreed to an exclusive-to-Wal-Mart Greatest Hits collection, I was a bit stunned. Bruce has always been one to speak out in support of US workers, and he’s normally seen by the Right as a bit radical in his stances, so the fact that he would work with the Dark Empire really shocked me.
In preparation for his Super Bowl performance tonight, the Boss sat down for a pretty wide-ranging interview, and offered a mea culpa on the Wal-Mart deal. In his words:
“We were in the middle of doing a lot of things, it kind of came down and, really, we didn’t vet it the way we usually do,” he said. “We just dropped the ball on it.” Instead of offering the exclusive collection to Wal-Mart, “given its labor history, it was something that if we’d thought about it a little longer, we’d have done something different.” He added, “It was a mistake. Our batting average is usually very good, but we missed that one. Fans will call you on that stuff, as it should be.”
Truthfully, I’m glad to hear it, but it seems like bad timing, since the CD is in the stores, and will probably be a big seller post-Super Bowl. I’m not sure if it’s just an unplanned comment, or if he decided to fall on his sword, but you’ve got to imagine Wal-Mart’s pretty pissed. Would they pull all of his music like they did with Sheryl Crow’s music in the 90s when she trashed the Wal on her debut?
If a ban occurs, it couldn’t occur at a worse time, because Bruce not only has a Greatest Hits out, but he also released his 16th studio album, entitiled “Working on a Dream”. In originally defending the Wal-Mart exclusive, Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau said to Billboard that 15% of the Boss’s music is sold in Wal-Mart. For someone who may be looking to help his mates in the E Street Band stash some money away (my friend Eric has a theory about this), that’s a big chunk o’ royalties to lose.
I haven’t heard the whole CD, but I like what I’ve heard. Maybe it’s just reminiscing, but “My Lucky Day” sounds like something out of the “Born in the USA” era. Check it out below (actual song starts at the 2:04 mark):
– Jacksonville – When 
– Salt Lake City – Okay, a bit better, but still. Frankie Jordan’s got a good voice, but come on, stop copying Amy Winehouse phrase by phrase! David Osmond…okay, talent. Fine. But boring. It was good to see an episode with two stellar voices, and for once they were both female. Taylor Vaifanua (right) did her thing on “Joyful, Joyful”, and Megan Courkey had a really cool take on “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man”. Although I don’t think he’ll make it far, I did like Austin Sisneros on a personal level. There’s just something about him that’s really likable, and he has a great tone to his voice, even if he didn’t have the best audition.
– NYC/San Juan, PR – So craptastic that they squeezed both cities into an hour. You know it’s bad when you look at your notes, and see multiple names that you started to write down, and then crossed off because they didn’t deliver. Did you catch at the end that San Juan only saw 9 golden tickets? Pitiful. Jorge Nunez (left), though, is one to watch out for. I fear he might flame out early (you can guess whether there’s a pun there or not) like AJ Tabaldo. New York didn’t fare much better, and it’s sad when the most memorable one to get a ticket is the one the producers framed as a freak. Having said that, I do like Melinda Camile, but I think she’s going to end up in the same category as Austin.
– If you can’t get enough of former Idols, Entertainment Weekly has an update gallery with contestants from the previous seven seasons. As you might expect, I was glad to read about 
– Finally, the top 2 from last year’s Idol have both announced tour plans. 
Adele, for all of her success, has had a rough road this past year. One tour was curtailed by illness, and a second one was scrapped due to family drama. “Chasing Pavements”, which is up for Record of the Year at this year’s Grammy Awards, didn’t get as much airplay as it could have, due to an Internet myth that the title referred to gay sex. There really isn’t a convenient time for things to go wrong, is there?
Musically, the set was terrific, as it was only James on guitar, with another guitar player and a keyboard player. He did a great job of going back and forth between music from “Undiscovered” and “Songs for You, Truths for Me”, and while the audience may not have known a lot of the music, they gave him a much warmer reception than the usual opening act gets. For songs that needed some percussion, he utilized an effects box to loop some vocals and tambourine to great effect.
The highlight of the opening act for me, though, was actually meeting James Morrison during the intermission. Here’s how different things are between the UK and the US: “Songs for You” was on sale for $10, and by purchasing it, you got to meet James in between sets. Not being one to pass up a photo op or a deal on music, I bought the CD and got my golden ticker (or wristband). He seemed to be in great spirits and enjoying the interaction, and I got momentarily tongue-tied, before telling him that I knew of several friends in the UK that would have loved to have seen him perform acoustically like that. He gave me that “sure…whatever you say” type look, but it didn’t really matter. The show was great, and I already felt like I’d gotten my money’s worth.
The set started off with “Cold Shoulder”, and it was a stellar start. Her band was tight, and at times they let loose with a seriously funky groove. I’m not sure if it was just a bad mix, or if she intentionally planned this, but at times her vocal just dropped right into the middle of the band, simply being a part of the mix. It worked most of the time, but once or twice the vocals got lost in the power of the drums, but that’s a minor complaint at best.
With all of the great music, you would think that there would be some downside, but really, there wasn’t. Adele couldn’t have been more sweet, and her banter with the audience came across as extremely genuine. She was all apologies on the first two missed shows, and even braced the audience for a muddy mix with the bass (although it sounded find to me). By the end of the show, I really wanted to just hang out with her. Either she’s got an amazing acting persona, or she really is the girl from school who was always cracking self-effacing jokes.
One of the things I hate more than anything else when reading critiques of new artists are the comparisons to other artists. Not necessarily because they are comparisons, but more because I didn’t come up with the comparison myself. [Competitive, anyone?] I read Rufus Wainright meets Duncan Sheik, and damn, if “Monarch” doesn’t fit that to a “T”, I don’t know what does. For me, Matt is a male version of kd lang, and I mean that as the highest compliment I can think of. There are more than a couple of parallels between Matt’s “Hide Nothing” and kd’s “Watershed”.
Life, as it is prone to do, is keeping me extra busy at the moment. I’ve got a few entries waiting in the wings, including a review of the Adele/James Morrison concert last week, but in the meantime, I wanted to share with you this little tidbit about Georgia Wonder, who made my top 
I have gone through several seasons of Idol where I almost gave up at one point or another, but I just might do it this year. These auditions are beyond boring. It’s almost like the show is on prozac…the lows aren’t as low, but man, the highs aren’t that high. [All of this is second-hand info, btw. Just sayin’…]
The sole memorable performance goes to Adam Lambert (right), whose “Bohemian Rhapsody” indeed was a bit musical-ish, but wow. Not bombastic like Von Smith, not overly campy like Danny Noriega, but impressive none the less. Granted, a talent like that is going to need a little refining for mainstream audiences, but I like my Idols distinctive, and Adam seems to have that special something.
Night two brought us to Louisville, Kentucky, and while it was actually better, I don’t know that millimeters count on network TV shows. Three singers stood out to me: Matt Giraud, who hails from Kalamazoo (and who I’m surprised I never saw out at a certain bar in Grand Rapids); Brent Keith Smith (left), who had a great presence as he belted Bad Company; and Joanna Pacitti, who had my favorite performance of the night with “We Belong”. My DVR cut out at 8, so I missed the final performance. Please don’t be offended if they were amazing.
Ah, San Francisco…you’ve got me. I just got back from three days in the City by the Bay, and I’m already missing it. While I praise Denver for being such a livable city, there’s an edge to San Francisco that I really am drawn to at times. Of course, I encountered some of the nicest January weather you can ever come across, but the city has really grown on me in so many ways. It has a soul unlike any other city I’ve ever encountered, and that soul keeps calling out to me like a old, haunting song that you can never avoid.
My good friend Bill called me about two months ago and told me that Sandra Bernhard was going to be performing her 1987 record “Without You, I’m Nothing” for two nights, so of course I had to go. “Without You” is a classic comedy album for me in several ways: it was the first female comedy record I ever owned, it was the first one I ever knew word-for-word, and it was the first in my mind to really integrate music, not only as a punchline, but also as a storytelling tool. Fun facts…Tori Amos sings backup on “Little Red Corvette”, and a later version of “(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real” hit #15 on the Billboard Dance Chart.
After a day of wandering around town (checking out the scenery, above), Bill, another friend and myself all met up to see Sandy at the Herbst Theater (see aerial photo, right). For once, I had a quality camera with me, so of course there was a sign at the door saying “No Cameras”. My luck. Still, it wouldn’t prohibit me from enjoying the show, and enjoy it I did. Sandra was on-point, unlike five years ago when I saw her in Denver at the Comedy Works. The most memorable part of that show was that she kept referring to the venue as the “Comedy Cavalcade”. Saturday, however, she stayed right in the moment, and she worked with it.
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