A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:
6 cool things in music this week include Greg Brown, Whitney Houston biopic and post-Mariah Carey carols
Shoutouts, too, to Dave Grohl's Hanukkah sessions and holiday shows by the Blenders and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
December 23, 2022 at 11:00AM
Dean Schieve of Lakeville:
1 The Blenders, Pantages Theatre. The quartet with superb vocals covered a range of traditional and original holiday songs, with an excellent backing band that enhanced the singing and signature choreography. One of the many highlights was a hilarious rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
2 Greg Brown, Cedar Cultural Center. Iowa's favorite son delivered his uniquely cadenced and growly tunes in a "retirement" concert. In "Canned Goods," he sang: "Taste a little of the summer. My grandma put it all in jars. Let those December winds bellow and blow. I'm as warm as a July tomato." Just what we need in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard.
3 The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley. This holiday series featured Bach's Brandenburg Concertos with a variety of instruments and lively movements. The acoustics were vibrant and resonant in the beautifully simplistic setting.
Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:
1 The 50 Best Original Christmas Songs Since "All I Want for Christmas Is You," vulture.com. Critic Maura Johnston tackled this unenviable task of ranking post-Mariah Carey original holiday songs. Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath the Tree" (2013) rated No. 1 and Carey's "Oh Santa" (2010) placed second. Sharon Jones, Sia, Carly Rae Jepsen and Ariana Grande also landed in the Top 10. Duluth's Low and Lizzo made the long list.
2 "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." Naomi Ackie convincingly becomes Whitney Houston, conveying the naivete, insecurities and command of the magnificent singer in this flawed, sanitized but engrossing biopic. Her lip-syncing is spot on, too, since that's the case 97 % of the time. Stanley Tucci is splendid as music exec Clive Davis, capturing his mannerisms and paternalistic ways, though Davis produced the film in which — surprise — he comes across as the unsung hero.
3 Hanukkah Sessions. For eight nights, Foo Fighters Dave Grohl, who is not Jewish, and producer Greg Kurstin, who is Jewish, host stars to sing songs by Jewish artists at Largo, an L.A. club. Singers included Judd Apatow revving up "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears and Pink doing her own "Get the Party Started."
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