MARK ERELLI
Delivered
Signature 2014

Delivered, Mark Erelli’s seventh album, captures blue-collar America in ways not heard since early John Gorka and John Cougar Mellencamp. You’ll also hear echoes of fellow Boston-area songwriters. On “Baltimore” he rocks out and hits high notes reminiscent of Ellis Paul, while “Man of the Family” has the gospel-meets-urban-reality feel of Vance Gilbert. Erelli might be evocative, but he’s never derivative. Both “Hope Dies Last” and “Five Beer Moon” are masterful probes of how Everyman rockets between deep cynicism and cautious optimism. “Shadowland” and “Volunteers” are worthy additions to the ever-growing Iraq-as-worthless-sinkhole oeuvre. Heavy yields to soft on “Once,” a melodic take on how love happens when we feel it instead of analyzing it. Good messages—just call this a great album and enjoy.

Searching for Americana

DANA and SUSAN ROBINSON
‘Round My Door
Threshold 089

The “Americana” label is often appropriated by those who think “folk” isn’t commercially viable, or don’t want to be associated with the right-wing über nationalism of “Country.” Done properly, though, Americana evokes the American character through nostalgic looks at the rural past, common man tropes, and regional diversity. To hear it at its best, check out ‘Round My Door. From the opening reinterpretation of “Pastures of Plenty” to the concluding grunge-on-the-rails “Hell on Wheels,” Dana and Sue Robinson introduce us to farmers, hobos, and workaday folk in the Appalachians, across the prairie, and up to Spokane. Dana’s warm voice, poetic lyrics, and solid guitar work blend perfectly with Sue’s claw hammer banjo, piano, and vocal harmonies. Under any category this is one of the year’s finest releases.

MLB Preview American League West

Los Angeles Angels (who aren’t from Los Angeles):

This team won over a hundred games lat year, but they faltered badly (again!) in the playoffs and lost Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriquez, and Jon Garland in offseason. They won’t win a hundred this year, even in a weak division.

Strengths: Even without Garland, John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Joe Saunders, and Ervin Santana give them a deep rotation. The bullpen setup hurlers—Scot Shields, Justin Spier, Jose Arredondo, etc.—are talented and effective. Chone Figgins (3B) can fly; Vladimir Guerrero can’t, but he is one of the most fearsome hitters in the game.

Weaknesses: Until Santana becomes the ace he should be this is a staff full of 3-4 guys. It also includes Jered Weaver, well on his way to being as big a disappointment as brother Jeff. Kendry Morales must replace Teixeira, but he could use more seasoning. The Angels better hope that Tori Hunter can still track down balls because in an outfield with Guerrero and Bobby Abreu he’ll be chasing a lot of balls in the gaps. There isn’t much pop in this lineup either.

Oakland Athletics:

If the As young pitchers mature fast, they could steal this division. If they don’t the Athletics will be dead last and Matt Holiday will be trade bait.

Strengths: Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi, Jack Cust, and Eric Chavez give the As a scary middle of the lineup. Look for Giambi to have a big year away from the New York boo birds. If Bobby Crosby (SS) can regain his form, Oakland should put up some numbers.

Weaknesses: After Justin Duchscherer, the pitching staff is four question marks. The closer is Brad Ziegler. Who? Other than Holliday, the outfield isn’t very strong.

Seattle Mariners:

How can a team with pitchers such as Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard, Brandon Morrow, Jarrod Washburn, and Carlos Silva have been so wretched in 2008? Oh yeah; look at the lineup.

Strengths: The starting pitching is simply too talented to falter two years in a row. Ichiro will get on base several hundred times during the season. When he’s on first you might as well concede second. Adrian Beltre (3B) is never going to justify his contract, but he’s serviceable.

Weaknesses: How do you feel about Roy Corcoran as a closer? Russell Branyan as a DH? This team needs to rebuild its lineup, so why waste resources on the injury-ravaged and aged Ken Griffey, Jr.? Neither infield nor outfield impresses, and the Mariners will again be scoring-challenged.

Texas Rangers:

What a screwy organization. They’ve got a five-time All Star at short in Michael Young and they want him to move to third to make way for a rookie? And where does that leave young Travis Metcalf, who had a good year at third?

Strengths: Young, DH Hank Blalock, Josh Hamilton (OF), and Ian Kinsler (2B) anchor a lineup that can put up crooked numbers. The Rangers wisely kept both their young catchers (Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden); in the midsummer heat they’ll need both. Look also for pitcher Brandon McCarthy to fulfill his promise.

Weaknesses: As always, pitchers meltdown under the hot Texas sun. They’re looking at Kris Benson and that says a lot, but it wouldn’t be the worst idea to insert someone like him or Kason Gabbard and try a six-man rotation. The problem is that after Kevin Millwood there’s a big drop in talent. Frank Francisco is the designated closer. I doubt it.

Predictions:

1. Angels—Proven pitching should get them to the playoffs.
2. Athletics—The dark horse if the Angels slip.
3. Mariners—The pitching is talented; the lineup is pitiful.
4. Rangers— They’ll win the 10-8 games, but lose when they don’t put up big numbers.

Best Films of 2007

Every new year’s day for at least two decades, I have listed the top 10 films seen in the past year.

Here’s the list for 2007.

1. The Lives of Others
2. The Last King of Scotland
3. Notes on a Scandal
4. Away from Her
5. Michael Clayton
6. Children of Men
7. Hairspray
8. Breach
9. Sicko
10. No Country for Old Men

Best Films of 2006

Ten Best of 2006

OK, so you maybe don’t get out to the movies much…in fact, you haven’t seen any of my top 10 films from 2007. No problem…let’s start a year farther back.

Here are some of the films that caught my eye in 2006 that still seem worth a view. Note the extraordinarily good selection of documentaries that year.

The Queen—Helen Mirren pulls off the nearly impossible, portraying Queen Elizabeth II as both an imperious public presence and a private citizen so very private that she needs the upstart Tony Blair to teach her what the British public really want from their monarch as they mourn Lady Di’s passing. A tour-de-force performance by Mirren that justly brought her a heap of acting awards.

Thank you for Smoking—a black-as-midnight comedy that uses the natural smarminess of Aaron Eckhart to great advantage.

An Inconvenient Truth—If the campaign trail Al Gore had been the passionate, persuasive Al Gore on display here, the last presidential election would have been a Democratic landslide. As a consolation prize, Gore won an Oscar for this powerful documentary on the reality of global warming, and landed a Nobel prize too. Too bad about the presidency…

The Constant Gardener—A riveting political thriller with Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, story from a John le Carre novel

North Country—Charlize Theron erases all traces of her ultra-glam self to play a hard-luck miner who’s sexually harassed by her fellow (and I do mean fellow) miners. Features towering performances by Theron and Frances McDormand as her feisty “one of the boys” coworker. Based on the true story of America’s first class-action law suit for sexual harassment.

Wordplay—Although I’d never completed even one crossword puzzle, this documentary about the national crossword championships left me speechless with the excitement of word play and how deep communities form over shared passions of the oddest sorts. Like Spellbound, which follows kids’ spelling bees, this doc. thrills despite its seemingly bland theme.

The Illusionist—Far better than the other movie about magic that came out around the same time, The Prestige, The Illusionist captures the awe and wonderment we all feel in the presence of a talented magician. Edward Norton’s natural intensity works wonders for him here as the title illusionist in 1900 Vienna.

Little Miss Sunshine—a dysfunctional family dramedy that overcomes its obvious low-budget flaws with heart, snarky dialogue, a delightfully naughty turn by Alan Arkin, and debut of the most natural child actor to emerge in ages, Abigail Breslin.

Inside Man—Director Spike Lee shows his considerable talents, and reins in his usual excessiveness, in this straightforward crime thriller starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Jodi Foster.

Man Push Cart—This little gem came to my attention at Roger Ebert’s Overlooked Film Festival, and it’s worth searching for (check PBS as well as video stores). This one was shot in documentary style, but was scripted based on the filmmaker’s own tale of being a food vendor on the streets of Manhattan. The title image, where the vendor literally pushes (and pulls, and cajoles) his heavy cart through the pre-dawn streets of the city, haunts me still.