Sunday Morning Albums

My buddy Kieran and I were waxing lyrical on the wonder of the Sunday morning album recently. He offered up the notion that that particular time of the week was optimal for enjoying good albums. But, what makes an album good for Sunday morning? 

I suppose it has to have several things going for it. Firstly, it has to be something that everyone present will enjoy, or at the very least, tolerate. If the music is familiar and well-loved it adds a cosy comfort to the morning atmosphere, but that's not necessary essential. It can be a gamble to try a maiden listen on a Sunday morning and a wobbly aural start to the day can be difficult to shift, if the mood isn't right. 

Ultimately, you want the musical equivalent of a loving hug. Or a welcoming sunrise. Something that seems to promise that today will be a good day. For a lot of people, Sunday morning is a special time, and to have a soundtrack worthy of inhabiting the family's ears is just good sense. It's a time to recharge and reflect on the week that was, while pondering the incoming one.

We always have a big breakfast on Sunday, or as we call it 'Special Breakfast'. Usually that means French toast and hashbrowns for the kids, bacon and eggs for me and Rhones. I tend to add in mushrooms and grilled tomato as well. It's one of the only times we all sit around the dining table together, and we always endeavour to keep it sacred. 

So, for the hour or so I spend in the kitchen preparing Special Breakfast, it's good to have some choice tunes going. I'll ruminate on this subject a bit more in the future, methinks, but for now, I will simply offer up some of my favourite albums to play on a Sunday morning.

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Bryter Layter NICK DRAKE (1971)
A lovely, mellow record to throw on the turntable. It even has an instrumental track called Sunday that finishes it off. Drake's voice is quite soft-spoken, which results in a vocal delivery that doesn't intrude. It sits nicely in the background, but you can also sing along when you want to. Big hallmark of a Sunday morning album right there, I reckon. 

Tapestry CAROLE KING (1971)
Another good quality for a Sunday morning album to have is a solid tracklisting. This record is a prime example of the classic adage 'all killer, no filler'. Even when it starts off with the slightly funky I Feel The Earth Move, it's not intrusive. It's a hearty welcome to the morning in the guise of a piano riff. The ballads are certainly more enjoyable on a lazy Sunday, but the upbeat numbers don't make you feel like you should be getting up to clean house or anything.

Fleet Foxes FLEET FOXES (2008)
These guys are getting played quite a bit in our house at the moment. While our son Lachlan and I battle for sonic supremacy, there are a number of bands we both like to play. This is one of them, and this album is wonderful for a Sunday morning. Reverb-drenched vocals and folky music production together with hooks and lovely lyrics. When White Winter Hymnal kicks off, you can't help but hum or sing along. Their second album Helplessness Blues is also a corker. 

Spring and Fall PAUL KELLY (2012)
A fairly mellow affair, this album could also pass for a late night record. Following the loose concept of the start and end of a romantic relationship (the spring and fall, as it were), this has some of Kelly's best work on it. The promise of New Found Year, as the couple celebrate their love together sits well with the jaunty For The Ages. As the tide turns and the themes get darker, the musical production doesn't; it remains light and acoustic. None Of Your Business Now does have a menacing feel, but it doesn't grab you by the throat or anything. The album's closer, Little Aches and Pains, is one of my favourite PK songs ever. 

Feels Like Home NORAH JONES (2004) 
Norah's follow-up to Come Away With Me is a more enjoyable affair, in my humble opinion. There's a relaxed feeling that permeates the whole record, and it seems as though you're just listening to musicians jamming. Everything sounds effortless and easy, much like a Sunday morning should be. Her cover of Tom Waits' Long Way Home is a big highlight, as is What Am I To You?, which features Levon Helm on drums and Garth Hudson on keys.

Apple Venus XTC (1999)
XTC's thirteen studio album, is also their second last effort, sadly. From the opening string plucks of River of Orchids to the haunting final notes of The Last Balloon, this is hugely enjoyable power pop that never outstays its welcome. Again, the upbeat numbers here are never overpowering, and there's an optimism throughout most of the playlist. Your Dictionary being one of the obvious exceptions, but I'd Like That and Easter Theatre are wonderful doses of sunny pop.

Modern Times BOB DYLAN (2006)
Dylan's last album of his critically acclaimed 'Late Trilogy' (along with the excellent Time Out of Mind and Love & Theft), is immensely enjoyable and perfect for a Sunday morning. Although the opening riffs of Thunder on the Mountain threaten to derail the desired free-and-easy atmosphere, the song settles into a steady toe-tapping groove. Even the guitar solos don't grate against you. Rollin' and Tumblin' could also blow the doors off in the hands of another interpreter, but Dylan keeps a lid on his band nicely. Ballads like Workingman's Blues No.2 and Spirit on the Water rank amongst Dylan's best tracks and they certainly help to welcome a new day.

Silver & Gold NEIL YOUNG (2000)
Utilising the mellow acoustic feel of the Harvest, Comes a Time and Harvest Moon albums, this absolute pearler is a joy from start to finish. Songs of love, nostalgia and gentle yearnings. The title track holds strong significance between Rhona and I as well, citing it as one of (if not, THE) 'our songs'. I rank Distant Camera and Razor Love pretty highly as well. Hearing Neil reminisce about his old band on Buffalo Springfield Again is something special too. 

Album of the Week - Vol. 17

Feels Like Home NORAH JONES (2004)
Week: Sun 21st to Sat 27th Feb
Format: LP
Producer(s): Arif Mardin & Norah Jones
Track listing:
1. Sunrise *
2. What Am I to You? *
3. Those Sweet Words *
4. Carnival Town
5. In the Morning 
6. Be Here to Love Me
7. Creepin' In 
8. Toes
9. Humble Me *
10. Above Ground
11. The Long Way Home *
12. The Prettiest Thing
13. Don't Miss You At All
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 46:26

The incredibly talented Norah Jones found massive international success with her 2002 debut album, Come Away With Me. The record would win a swag of awards and go to sell more than 27 million copies worldwide. No pressure for a follow-up. The 'difficult second album' could have been a carbon copy of her first, but she leant further into a country/pop direction. Keeping the jazz/folk vibes of the debut, she released this effort almost two years to the day after that record.

In my opinion, this is a much better album. There are some terrific songs on Come Away With Me, the title track and the hit Don't Know Why to name a couple, but it feels like a bunch of songs that have been thrown together. Feels Like Home has a similar mix of covers and originals, but it flows better. There's a cohesion to this set of songs that is very aurally pleasing, especially to this listener. 

Starting with a simple bass line before Jones' twinkly piano kicks in, Sunrise is possibly one of the best songs of her career. It's a fantastic way to open the album as it feels like an awakening, a new day. Forget the album before, this is a new one. Her effortlessly-delivered, breathy vocals wash over you like the rays of the sun. The song was co-written by bassist Lee Alexander, who also contributed to Come Away With Me and 2007's Not Too Late. 

Along with Alexander, guitarists Adam Levy and Jesse Harris return on this record, the latter being the songwriter behind her hit Don't Know Why. Harris just plays on two tracks however, with more guitaring duties going to Canadian singer/songwriter Kevin Breit. Jones does a great version of his song Humble Me here as well. Whereas Brian Blade played most of the drum tracks on Come Away With Me, he only appears on The Prettiest Thing with the lion's share of the drumming coming from Andrew Borger. 

Some stellar guests appear on the album, with Creepin' In featuring none other than Dolly Parton. The fun tune would earn a Grammy nom for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. Renowned classically-trained cellist Jane Scarpantoni contributes to the track Carnival Town and jazz/folk singer/songwriter Tony Scherr pops in to play guitar on the Jones-penned What I Am to You?. Former members of The Band, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson also appear on the aforementioned track, on drums and Hammond organ respectively. Hudson also lends some gentlemanly accordion to a fabulous rendition of Townes Van Zandt's Be Here to Love Me.

One of my absolute favourite moments on this record is The Long Way Home, which I only recently discovered was a Tom Waits cover. One of many songs he co-wrote with his partner Kathleen Brennan, the track appeared on Waits' sprawling rarities box set Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, two years after the release of this album. Other highlights for me include Levy's In The Morning and Those Sweet Words, written by Alexander with Richard Julian, who is part of the country supergroup featuring Jones and Alexander, The Little Willies. 

Not one to be pigeonholed, Jones would release the pop-heavy album The Fall in 2009 and employed Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) to produce 2012's Little Broken Hearts. A frequent collaborator, a compilation dedicated to songs she appears on ...Featuring Norah Jones was issued in 2010. One of the more surprising albums Jones released was one she did with Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. 2013's Foreverly was a song by song cover of The Everly Brothers 1958 album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us. Her most recent work has featured more original music and less covers with her writing or co-writing all of the songs on her most recent album, Pick Me Up Off the Floor. 

This is a great album to put on as the sun is going down and you enjoy that first drink of the evening with a loved one. Jones' voice is so easy to listen to, and the musicians she's surrounded herself with know how to enhance the songs she's chosen without getting in their way. Simply stunning.