Edie Brickell, with husband Paul Simon.
Photo: Mark Seliger
As 2024 rolls on, we continue our backward glance at Texas-tied albums celebrating significant birthdays in the next 12 months.
For this batch, we’ve arranged, chronologically by release date, an array of mostly North Texas-rooted records which will hit their 30-year anniversaries over the course of 2024. (In case you missed it, here are the albums celebrating their 40th anniversaries and 35th anniversaries this year.)
Vanilla Ice, Mind Blowin’ (released March 22, 1994)
How do you follow up the life-changing success of a multi-platinum debut album? If you’re the Dallas-born Rob Van Winkle (known to his fans as Vanilla Ice), the answer is picking a fight with Mark Wahlberg, via the track “Hit ‘Em Hard.” The 17-track sophomore effort following his 1991 breakout didn’t make quite the same splash — the 1998 follow-up, Hard to Swallow, veered off into <checks notes> “skate rock.”
Boz Scaggs, Some Change (released April 5, 1994)
Plano-raised singer, songwriter and guitarist Boz Scaggs returned from the wilderness with Some Change, the first of three records he would release through the 1990s. His 11th studio album is a smooth, pop-rock showcase for an artist who is, these days, far more preoccupied with the blues.
MC 900 Ft. Jesus, One Step Ahead of the Spider (released June 28, 1994)
Dallas rapper Mark Griffin (aka MC 900 Ft. Jesus) fused jazz and hip-hop on this, his third studio album (and as of this writing, his most recent recording). The guest list here is bonkers: Drummer Earl Harvin contributes, as does guitarist Vernon Reid, percussionist Mike Dillon and saxophonist Chris McGuire.
Edie Brickell, Picture Perfect Morning (released Aug. 20, 1994)
Oak Cliff-bred singer-songwriter Edie Brickell ventured out on her own with this solo debut, produced by David Bromberg, Roy Halee and Paul Simon, whom Brickell had married two years earlier. Although the project bears only Brickell’s name, plenty of New Bohemians contributed to Morning, including Kenny Withrow and the late Brad Houser.
Toadies, Rubberneck (released Aug. 23, 1994)
Roaring out of Fort Worth with this fearsome, melodic and brooding major label debut, Vaden Todd Lewis, Darrel Herbert, Lisa Umbarger and Mark Reznicek caught the grunge wave at its apex with Rubberneck, but brought a flavor all their own in the process. Searing hits like “Possum Kingdom,” “Away” and “Backslider” still kick just as hard three decades on.
Deep Blue Something, Home (released Oct. 1994)
Todd and Toby Pipes, along with Kirk Tatom and John Kirtland, broke out big out of North Texas with this, their power-pop-charged sophomore studio album. Co-produced with David Castell in a Denton studio, Home (which would be re-released by major label Interscope Records the following year) brought the world the indelible hit single “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Eagles, Hell Freezes Over (released Nov. 7, 1994)
Linden native Don Henley reunited alongside his Eagles bandmates Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit for this live release, coming 14 years after the band first split. (The title derives from Henley’s answer to a journalist about when the band would reunite.) The soundtrack to a corresponding MTV special, the 15-track LP spawned a few fresh hits, including “Love Will Keep Us Alive” and the snarling “Get Over It.”
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
