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Pop
Hot Ticket
By GINA VIVINETTO, Times Pop Music Critic
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 27, 2003
A rare evening with Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, of the neon orange buzz cut, first made heads turn back in the early 1980s as the powerhouse singer of the Eurythmics, one of the most enduring bands of the New Wave days.
Once solo, the Scotland-born singer, whose smooth pipes and blue-eyed soul sensibilities found her collaborating with legends such as Aretha Franklin and Al Green, continued to explore the sophisticated side of pop. Remember Lennox's devastating rendition of Cole Porter's Everytime We Say Goodbye on Red, Hot & Blue? This woman adds grace to any tune, be it a holiday jingle (Walking In A Winter Wonderland), a standard from the Great American Songbook, or one of the many gems on Lennox's second solo album, 1995's cover collection, Medusa, which spawned the hit No More I Love Yous.
Diva, Lennox's solo debut, gave us the hits Why and Walking On Broken Glass. Now, Lennox fans can rejoice; the singer will release -- after just 8 years! -- a third album, Bare, in June, featuring 11 new originals.
Lennox doesn't tour much, so this intimate show is a real treat for fans, especially certain members of Team Pop who had second row Eurythmics tickets back in the 10th grade and were devastated when the band canceled because that nutty Dave Stewart broke his leg.
Annie Lennox performs at 8 p.m. Friday at Tampa Theatre, 711 Franklin St., Tampa. Sold out. (727) 898-2100 or (813) 287-8844.
-- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
Two talents with staying power
A double bill of big names from the 1970s:
Leon Russell, right, is best known for his distinctive gravelly voice, his big woolly beard and for being one of the best session players in the history of rock 'n' roll. A multi-instrumentalist, Russell has collaborated with just about everyone, helping shape and arrange classics such as Ike & Tina's River Deep, Mountain High, the Byrd's Tambourine Man and Herb Alpert's A Taste Of Honey.
In the 1970s, after performing at George Harrison's concert for Bangladesh, Russell became a top concert draw for his own solo work, scoring a 1972 hit with Tight Rope, and in 1975 with Lady Blue. Later in that decade, Russsell -- years ahead of everyone else -- steeped himself in bluegrass music. Russell has kept out of the limelight since, but last year's lovely Moonlight & Love Songs, a collection of standards, graceful renditions of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and Round Midnight to name a few, let fans know he still has the music in him.
One of the founding members of Traffic, Dave Mason's biggest solo hit was 1977's We Just Disagree. Things were quiet for a long time after that -- except for a beer commercial in the 1980s -- until Mason joined Fleetwood Mac for a spell in 1994.
Last year, Mason released not one but two live albums of his solo work. (Of course, Live at Perkins Place, was recorded in 1981, but better late than never, right Mason fans?)
Leon Russell and Dave Mason perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at Jannus Landing, 16 Second St. N, St. Petersburg. $20. (727) 896-2276.
-- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
Cursive's blending of fine and fierce
Indie rock enthusiasts know the power of Cursive. The Omaha, Neb., alt-rock band fronted by the brilliant Tim Kasher has been churning out maddeningly energetic music since 1995. Loaded with schizo drums, angular guitar and Kasher's penetrating wail -- a voice that is as fine as it is fierce -- Cursive's music is heavy in every sense of the word.
Not that Cursive tunes are for those who like to smash their heads against the wall. Kasher writes of the sinister properties of love, and he does so in songs that are remarkably textured. This isn't your old man's verse-chorus-verse "love stinks" music.
The Ugly Organ, the band's latest, chronicles the aftermath of Kasher's messy divorce. The disc teems with a rawness and aggression -- Kasher sings of his grudge and all his post-marriage revenge sex -- that's tempered by only the woozy cello of new member Gretta Cohn. When Cohn kicks in, you want to grab her cheeks and kiss them, so thankful are you for the break from Kasher's urgency.
Don't be scared away from The Ugly Organ; it's a terrific, thoughtful record and if the band's live performance captures a fraction of its intensity, this gig is one not to miss.
Cursive performs with Engine Down and Minus the Bear at 8:30 p.m. Monday at the State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $10 advance, $12 at the door. (727) 895-3045.
-- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
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