David Bowie - "Is It Any Wonder?" Vinyl, EP, Limited Edition, 2020 (Parlophone)

A six-song 12" EP is another must-have if one is a David Bowie fanatic. Bowie is resembling after-life as a version of Elvis's reissues. Still, the quality is high, and I wonder if it is even possible for Bowie to make a truly bad record?  The answer is no!   The songs here are not totally new, but they are recent recordings made between 1995 and 1998, during his come back, quality-wise, after his "Outside" album and the next underrated "Earthling" recordings.    There are two songs from Tin Machine "Baby Universal" and "I Can't Read," as well as "Stay" from "Station to Station," and "The Man Who Sold The World."  The new songs (at least for me) are "Nuts,' which sounds like the technique of bass n' drums of "Earthling," but has the darker mood of a selection from "Outside." The other tune "Fun (Clownboy Mix)" is not familiar to me.   The song has a nice flow, in fact, the entire collection melts from one song to another.  

This EP is not a rehash but a fresh approach to some of his older songs or re-thought out in a manner for his electro-rock aesthetic at the time. Nevertheless, it's classic Bowie and does show the talents of Reeves Gabriel (now in The Cure) and Mark Plati.  Both contribute a lot to the mixes and their fingerprints on the work come up splendidly.   The Bowie estate is really doing a nice and thorough job in putting out these releases.  When you can, I suggest you buy "Is It Any Wonder? on the Rhino website, here: David Bowie Is It Any Wonder?

Les Rita Mitsouko - "Variéty" Vinyl, LP, Album, 2016 (Because Music)

Les Rita Mitsouko is Catherine Ringer and the late (and great) Fred Chichin.  A remarkable French band from the 1980s to the 21st century.   "Variéty" their last album, due to Chichin's death, is an album of many pleasures.  Ringer is one of the great figures in rock/pop music period.   Her expressive attitude and voice and sense of wonder are way beyond other singers of her generation.  Why she is not an icon here in the United States or in the U.K. can only be that most of the songs are in French.   It is the English speaking world's loss if one cannot dwell on Ringer's (and Chichin's) world. 

"Variéty" after repeated listenings is a treasure to behold.  Joyful, witty, strong melodic moments, and superb performances.  Mark Plati is the (not so) secret presence on the album.   He worked with David Bowie for numerous years, and he brings a Bowie touch to the project that reminds me a bit of that singer's "Hours" album.  Very straightforward approach to the song, but hidden textures that unfold on repeated hearings.   In a healthy world, these songs would be played on the radio on a consistent basis.  Alas, that's not the world that we live in.  

Catherine Ringer - "Ring n' Roll" Vinyl, 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, 2011 (Because Music)

These days when I think of the word France I immediately think of Catherine Ringer.   She and her late partner in crime, Fred Chichin were in Les Rita Mitsouko, not only the greatest band in France, but I think one of the great groups of the 1980s.  Chichin a great multi-instrumentalist and co-writer along with Ringer was a force of nature that couldn't fail to charm.  When I heard their album in Los Angeles at my friend's studio, I was seduced by the first song on side one.   Since the tragic passing of Chichin, I worried about what will happen to Catherine Ringer.   Worries are worries, but "Ring n' Roll" (released in 2011) is as great as any Les Rita Mitsouko album. 

Ringer has that 'it' quality that is difficult to define.  A great beauty, but the additional charm of her personality and force is breathtaking at times.   Beside Grace Jones, there is not another chic artist like Catherine.  She can walk into the room and transform it into another dimension.  So when she gets hold of a song, it's a wow moment.  On the most elementary level, I think of her as a French female Iggy Pop.   Another artist who has that 'it' quality that is hard to dispute or understand.  For one, Ringer knows how to rock.   As a singer, she can sing the most heartbreaking melody, but then in a flip of a coin, she can be hysterical.  Truly a star at its most glamorous and profound stature.  "Ring n' Roll" is 12 songs long and not a bump in the road for the entire album.  She works with RZA, Mark  Plati (one of David Bowie's great musicians), who I presume is her son, Rauol Chichin (on guitar), and a Japanese artist by the name of Coba.  Which funny enough the song, "Rendez-Vous" sounds like a Shibuya pop song from the 90s, but with Ringer bringing the music to a more textural level.  

Life cannot be a bowl of cherries for our Catherine, but when I listen to this album, I'm smiling from Side A to Side C (three-sided album).    The production (by Ringer, as well as RZA and Plati) is always a surprise, in that it follows the logic of one's imagination.   It has the Iggy "Lust for Life" zeal, but I feel Ringer takes it to the next level - a genius level.  One of the great artists of the 20th and 21st century.