Salim Nourallah — Hit Parade (2012) |
Salim Nourallah ♣ Hit Parade
Born: Alton, Illinois
Location: Dallas, Texas
Album release: April 10, 2012
Record Label: Tapete Records
Runtime: 46:31
Tracklist:
01. 38 Rue de Sevigne 4:01
02. Unstoppable 3:15
03. Channel 5 3:59
04. Hit Parade 5:13
05. Never Felt Better 4:05
06. The Shootist 0:42
07. Goddamn Life 3:17
08. Warriors of Love 3:59
09. Travolta 3:53
10. The Quitter 3:44
11. Warrior Boy 0:19
12. Friends for Life 3:02
13. Everybody Knows 3:32
14. Miette 3:30
Website: http://www.salimnourallah.com/ // Tapete Records: http://www.tapeterecords.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/salim#!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/salimnourallah
♦ Salim Nourallah is a North Texas music scene fixture. After gaining initial acclaim with the Denton-based Nourallah Brothers he has gone on to release several solo albums and produce a fine list of many others (including the Old 97s, Rhett Miller, Deathray Davies & Carter Albrecht). His solo debut Polaroid (2004) was met with reviews like this one: "discovering a singer-songwriter who can stop tim...e is rare, but Salim Nourallah is such a find..." (Rolling Stone). Beautiful Noise followed in 2006 to more critical acclaim and he swept the Observer music awards with Best Album/Best Song and Best Producer. Salim has gone on to win 5 consecutive Observer Awards for Best Producer. His 5th solo cd, Hit Parade, is slated for release in April 2012 by the German indie label, Tapete Records. Rating Tais Awards: ♣♣♣♣♣ //
Credits:
♦ John Dufilho Drums
♦ Carla Elliott Band Photo
♦ Jason Garner Drums, Guitar (Bass), Shaker, Vocals (Background)
♦ Jeff Johnston Bass, Guest Artist, Tambourine, Vocals (Background)
♦ Richard Martin Fender Rhodes, Mellotron, Organ, Piano
♦ Jayme Nourallah Cover Design, Photography
♦ Salim Nourallah Chord Organ, Clavinet, Composer, Guitar (Ac.), Mellotron, Producer, Synthesizer, Voc.
♦ Joe Reyes Bass, Drums, Glockenspiel, Guitar (12 Str.), Guitar (Ac.), Guitar (El.), Ukulele, Voc. (Backgr.)
♦ Lena Röcker Cover Design, Layout Design
♦ Rip Rowan Guest Artist, Mellotron, Moog Synthesizer, Piano (Electric)
♦ Chris Smart Guest Artist, Tambourine
♦ Jim Vallentine Engineer, Mixing, Producer
♦ Matt Wydra Band Photo
Review by Mark Deming
♦ Salim Nourallah has been quietly making some of the best and most engaging music on the pop underground for over a decade, and while his chores as a producer and engineer have been occupying much of his time since the release of his album Constellation in 2009, he managed to duck into Austin's Treefort Studios for a few days with some talented friends and walked out with one of his best records to date. ♦ Nourallah has always had a gift for a great pop melody, but he's clearly stepped up his game as a songwriter on Hit Parade; the tunes are as lovely as ever, but he digs in deeper as a lyricist on this material, and the Parisian romantic reverie of "38 Rue de Sevigne," the childhood exploits of "Unstoppable," the joys and sorrows of "Goddamn Life," and the teenage anxieties of "Channel 5" hit a little harder and tell richer tales than Nourallah has offered us in the past, and the lively angst of "Never Felt Better" and the sharply focused rage of "Everybody Knows" may feel less nuanced but they still hit their targets dead on. Nourallah also has a top-notch band backing him up on Hit Parade, featuring Joe Reyes of Buttercup on guitar, Richard Martin of Shibboleth on keyboards, Jason Garner of the Polyphonic Spree on bass, and John Dufilho of the Apples in Stereo on drums; the players are individually solid, and together this is the tightest, most versatile, and most simpatico group Nourallah has worked with to date. ♦ And even though he has a fine résumé as a producer, bringing in Jim Vollentine to handle the sessions was a wise choice, as he gives the album a sound that's crisp but full-bodied and makes the most of the dust this band can kick up. Salim Nourallah is still finding wrinkles in his music, and on Hit Parade he delivers a dozen songs that show he has plenty to say and fine ways to tell his tales; this is a superb album from a master of contemporary pop, and if you like a good melodic song well performed, you're going to love Hit Parade. (http://www.allmusic.com)
Review by Jessica Harp
Nourallah gets it right on his first band record in a decade
♦ When it comes to Dallas producer Salim Nourallah’s latest studio effort, Hit Parade, you may ask yourself, “have I heard this before?” The answer is yes, you have. But with The Beatles as a major influence – who knew just what it took to make the perfect pop song – Nourallah can’t go wrong.
♦ He gets it right on his first band record in a decade. Nourallah has an uncanny ability to make infectious, uptempo, foot-tapping beats mixed with catchy yet simple hooks that are hard to get out of your head. Even songs like “The Quitter” and “Everybody Knows,” which are chock full of thinly veiled insults, are upbeat and so damn catchy. It speaks well of his talent, given he's one of the producers to go to if you want a record done right in Dallas.
♦ The album, which was fully tracked in five short days at Austin’s Treefort Studios, has been years in the making. On the backend of his third European tour in the spring of 2009, Nourallah wrote the record’s opening track, “38 Rue de Sévigné,” during his stay in Paris as a love letter to the City of Light. The song has just the right amount of ‘60s pop bubblegum flavor that you just want to keep chewing. You’ll find yourself humming the chorus even after the tasty tune has left your ears.
♦ Although the album’s title track, “Hit Parade,” is a sleeper, Nourallah more than makes up for it with his sense of what makes a song truly memorable: the hook. And Nourallah knows just the right pop formula to keep the tune in your head long after it has been played, which is evident in nearly every track on the album. He takes his cues from the songwriters of his youth, most of all, Paul McCartney.
♦ ♦ Key tracks to listen to: “38 Rue de Sévigné,” “Friends For Life,” and “Unstoppable.”
♦ Fortaken: http://www.pegasusnews.com // See also: http://soundsxp.com
Photo by Jason Janik for Quick At the Cactus in Austin - February 24, 2005 Granada Theather, Fall of 2004 Granada Theather - December 27, 2007
Constellation (Tapete 2009) painting, photography and design by Jayme Nourallah Ciphers from snowing (Paisley Pop 2008) painting and design by Jayme Nourallah Snowing in my heart (2008 Tapete) photography by Jayme Nourallah, design by Lena Rocker Live at pleasantry lane (2007 Paisley Pop) painting by Johnny Hawkins, design by Jayme Nourallah A way to your heart (2004 Paisley Pop) photography by Salim, design by Jayme Nourallah Polaroid (2004 Western Vinyl) photo of Jayme by Salim, design by Brian Sampson
Salim Nourallah — Hit Parade (2012) |
Salim Nourallah ♣ Hit Parade
Born: Alton, Illinois
Location: Dallas, Texas
Album release: April 10, 2012
Record Label: Tapete Records
Runtime: 46:31
Tracklist:
01. 38 Rue de Sevigne 4:01
02. Unstoppable 3:15
03. Channel 5 3:59
04. Hit Parade 5:13
05. Never Felt Better 4:05
06. The Shootist 0:42
07. Goddamn Life 3:17
08. Warriors of Love 3:59
09. Travolta 3:53
10. The Quitter 3:44
11. Warrior Boy 0:19
12. Friends for Life 3:02
13. Everybody Knows 3:32
14. Miette 3:30
Website: http://www.salimnourallah.com/ // Tapete Records: http://www.tapeterecords.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/salim#!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/salimnourallah
♦ Salim Nourallah is a North Texas music scene fixture. After gaining initial acclaim with the Denton-based Nourallah Brothers he has gone on to release several solo albums and produce a fine list of many others (including the Old 97s, Rhett Miller, Deathray Davies & Carter Albrecht). His solo debut Polaroid (2004) was met with reviews like this one: "discovering a singer-songwriter who can stop tim...e is rare, but Salim Nourallah is such a find..." (Rolling Stone). Beautiful Noise followed in 2006 to more critical acclaim and he swept the Observer music awards with Best Album/Best Song and Best Producer. Salim has gone on to win 5 consecutive Observer Awards for Best Producer. His 5th solo cd, Hit Parade, is slated for release in April 2012 by the German indie label, Tapete Records. Rating Tais Awards: ♣♣♣♣♣ //
Credits:
♦ John Dufilho Drums
♦ Carla Elliott Band Photo
♦ Jason Garner Drums, Guitar (Bass), Shaker, Vocals (Background)
♦ Jeff Johnston Bass, Guest Artist, Tambourine, Vocals (Background)
♦ Richard Martin Fender Rhodes, Mellotron, Organ, Piano
♦ Jayme Nourallah Cover Design, Photography
♦ Salim Nourallah Chord Organ, Clavinet, Composer, Guitar (Ac.), Mellotron, Producer, Synthesizer, Voc.
♦ Joe Reyes Bass, Drums, Glockenspiel, Guitar (12 Str.), Guitar (Ac.), Guitar (El.), Ukulele, Voc. (Backgr.)
♦ Lena Röcker Cover Design, Layout Design
♦ Rip Rowan Guest Artist, Mellotron, Moog Synthesizer, Piano (Electric)
♦ Chris Smart Guest Artist, Tambourine
♦ Jim Vallentine Engineer, Mixing, Producer
♦ Matt Wydra Band Photo
Review by Mark Deming
♦ Salim Nourallah has been quietly making some of the best and most engaging music on the pop underground for over a decade, and while his chores as a producer and engineer have been occupying much of his time since the release of his album Constellation in 2009, he managed to duck into Austin's Treefort Studios for a few days with some talented friends and walked out with one of his best records to date. ♦ Nourallah has always had a gift for a great pop melody, but he's clearly stepped up his game as a songwriter on Hit Parade; the tunes are as lovely as ever, but he digs in deeper as a lyricist on this material, and the Parisian romantic reverie of "38 Rue de Sevigne," the childhood exploits of "Unstoppable," the joys and sorrows of "Goddamn Life," and the teenage anxieties of "Channel 5" hit a little harder and tell richer tales than Nourallah has offered us in the past, and the lively angst of "Never Felt Better" and the sharply focused rage of "Everybody Knows" may feel less nuanced but they still hit their targets dead on. Nourallah also has a top-notch band backing him up on Hit Parade, featuring Joe Reyes of Buttercup on guitar, Richard Martin of Shibboleth on keyboards, Jason Garner of the Polyphonic Spree on bass, and John Dufilho of the Apples in Stereo on drums; the players are individually solid, and together this is the tightest, most versatile, and most simpatico group Nourallah has worked with to date. ♦ And even though he has a fine résumé as a producer, bringing in Jim Vollentine to handle the sessions was a wise choice, as he gives the album a sound that's crisp but full-bodied and makes the most of the dust this band can kick up. Salim Nourallah is still finding wrinkles in his music, and on Hit Parade he delivers a dozen songs that show he has plenty to say and fine ways to tell his tales; this is a superb album from a master of contemporary pop, and if you like a good melodic song well performed, you're going to love Hit Parade. (http://www.allmusic.com)
Review by Jessica Harp
Nourallah gets it right on his first band record in a decade
♦ When it comes to Dallas producer Salim Nourallah’s latest studio effort, Hit Parade, you may ask yourself, “have I heard this before?” The answer is yes, you have. But with The Beatles as a major influence – who knew just what it took to make the perfect pop song – Nourallah can’t go wrong.
♦ He gets it right on his first band record in a decade. Nourallah has an uncanny ability to make infectious, uptempo, foot-tapping beats mixed with catchy yet simple hooks that are hard to get out of your head. Even songs like “The Quitter” and “Everybody Knows,” which are chock full of thinly veiled insults, are upbeat and so damn catchy. It speaks well of his talent, given he's one of the producers to go to if you want a record done right in Dallas.
♦ The album, which was fully tracked in five short days at Austin’s Treefort Studios, has been years in the making. On the backend of his third European tour in the spring of 2009, Nourallah wrote the record’s opening track, “38 Rue de Sévigné,” during his stay in Paris as a love letter to the City of Light. The song has just the right amount of ‘60s pop bubblegum flavor that you just want to keep chewing. You’ll find yourself humming the chorus even after the tasty tune has left your ears.
♦ Although the album’s title track, “Hit Parade,” is a sleeper, Nourallah more than makes up for it with his sense of what makes a song truly memorable: the hook. And Nourallah knows just the right pop formula to keep the tune in your head long after it has been played, which is evident in nearly every track on the album. He takes his cues from the songwriters of his youth, most of all, Paul McCartney.
♦ ♦ Key tracks to listen to: “38 Rue de Sévigné,” “Friends For Life,” and “Unstoppable.”
♦ Fortaken: http://www.pegasusnews.com // See also: http://soundsxp.com
Photo by Jason Janik for Quick At the Cactus in Austin - February 24, 2005 Granada Theather, Fall of 2004 Granada Theather - December 27, 2007
Constellation (Tapete 2009) painting, photography and design by Jayme Nourallah Ciphers from snowing (Paisley Pop 2008) painting and design by Jayme Nourallah Snowing in my heart (2008 Tapete) photography by Jayme Nourallah, design by Lena Rocker Live at pleasantry lane (2007 Paisley Pop) painting by Johnny Hawkins, design by Jayme Nourallah A way to your heart (2004 Paisley Pop) photography by Salim, design by Jayme Nourallah Polaroid (2004 Western Vinyl) photo of Jayme by Salim, design by Brian Sampson