Finest Worksongs finestworksongs

The casual music fan may not immediately recognize the name Kevin Parker. But say "Tame Impala," and it's a different story. Sure, there have been band "members" (ie., collaborators) in Tame Impala, but the band is really all Parker's creation and doing. And nowhere is that more evident than on 2015's "Currents" album. Parker holed up in his Fremantle, Australia, home (taking some breaks to swim in the ocean) to record, mix and perfect the album. The result is a more dance-heavy take on Parker songs (especially compared to previous Tame Impala  joints), and an album also heavy on the breakup theme. But don't think it's a downer; the album has hooks and flourishes and so much dance-ability – especially on the 8-minute-long lead track "Let It Happen," as well as on "The Moment," "The Less Know the Better" and the oh-too-short "Disciples." Parker was influenced by cocaine and mushrooms for "Currents" --and it shows. The album is trippy and funky. In other words, it's Tame Impala.

Alanis Morissette's 1995 album "Jagged Little Pill" was ripe for mid-90s success -- and it more than delivered. Morissette -- previously a child actor and dance-pop artist -- dug into her soul, and (with the help of songwriter Glen Ballard) released an album of angry, frank and catchy post-grunge rock hits. To say these songs struck a nerve is an understatement. Six singles came off this album with five of them becoming bonafide radio and MTV hits: "Hand in My Pocket," "Ironic," "You Oughta Know," "You Learn" and "Head Over Feet." Alanis was able to unleash her inner emotions and thoughts in a raw offering assisted by some of the biggest musicians from that era -- and it showed. 

In an era of iconic music (and fashion) superstars, Cyndi Lauper burst onto the scene in the 1980s with a flash of neon-infused female-forward pop. She was perfect for the MTV generation, as her look took the pop culture world by storm. But “She’s So Unusual” was not just a vehicle to get her on TVs. The album is packed with timeless classics like “Time After Time,” “All Through the Night” and the VERY progressive for its time “She Bop.” But with “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Lauper delivered a female anthem that resonates 40 years later. And she looked so … “unusual” doing it.

"And as we wind on down the road ..." of Season 10 of Finest Worksongs, we turn our attention to perhaps the original Monsters of Rock: Lez Zeppelin. Their fourth album (sometimes called "IV," sometimes referred to as "ZoSo") was released in 1971 and was an immediate and longstanding success. "IV" became one of those albums that everyone seemingly had thanks to the might of muscle of "Rock and Roll," "Black Dog," the marathon majesty of "Stairway to Heaven," and the mystical and mysterious "Battle of Evermore" -- not to mention the pounding of "When the Levee Breaks." It's an album that showcases the best of Page, Plant, Bonham and Jones, and it truly stands the test of time -- more than 50 years later. 

Sure, it's been 20 years since Usher's "Confessions" album was unleashed on the world and solidified Usher Raymond IV as one of the biggest musical and entertainment artists of his generation. But an artist like Usher is timeless, and his pick to rock the Super Bowl halftime in 2024 speaks to that. "Confessions" is the second best-selling album of the 2000s decade, and it spawned a number of (consecutive) No. 1 songs, including the iconic "Yeah!" But it wasn't just the music that made Usher a sensation. His charisma and physics-defying dance moves left people in awe. "Confessions" would go on to sell more than 15 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling R&B album of the 21st Century (so far) by a male artist. 


 



You can listen to Confessions by Usher on Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and also he's playing the Super Bowl, y'all!!

For our season-ending "Listener's Choice" epipod, we dive into Billy Joel's fifth album, his 1977 offering, "The Stranger." The album made it to No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 thanks to singles such as "Just the Way Your Are," "Only the Good Die Young," and "She's Always a Woman," but it has long since become critically appreciated (especially by fans) due to Joel's ability to capture the Big Apple via tunes "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," along with "Vienna."


 



You can listen to The Stranger by Billy Joel on Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and those little juke boxes in the booths of those old school pizza restaurants in New York.