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USER: Jim2nd USER TYPE: Reviewer ARTIST: Uncle Tupelo SONG/ALBUM: Anodyne GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
Illinois trio Uncle Tupelo was founded in 1988 by guitarists Jay Farrar (who later formed Son Volt) and Jeff Tweedy (who later formed Wilco) and drummer Mike Heidorn. The trio released their first album, No Depression, in 1990 and at some point, their music -- which sought to reinvigorate the punk/indie rock they loved by returning to the authenticity of country and bluegrass -- became labeled “alt” country, and a movement was born. By 1993, when Uncle Tupelo began recording their final album, the monumental break-up chronicle Anodyne, Heidorn had left (replaced by Ken Coomer), and the deteriorating relationship between Farrar and Tweedy would soon finish off what was left. Before that happened, however, all of Uncle Tupelo’s promise and passion came together on Anodyne, most notably on the aching title track (“Throughout the years / it was hard to make it last”), Tweedy’s homage to "Acuff-Rose," and the angry "We’ve Been Had," their own kind of farewell to innocence.
A note of authenticity was struck with their version of Doug Sahm’s "Give Back the Key To My Heart," which features the seminal country rock composer on guitar and vocals, while the world weary "Slate" begs “Lay it down in full view.” The future sounds of Son Volt and Wilco are clearly evident in songs like "Chickamauga" (“The time is right for getting out while we still can”), "The Long Cut" and "No Sense In Lovin." But it becomes evident when listening to Anodyne that, without the hard compromises that Tweedy and Farrar would reach through these songs, their future incarnations probably wouldn't have been nearly as strong. Posted October 22, 2006 2:02 PM | | |
ARTIST: Aimee Mann SONG/ALBUM: Magnolia Soundtrack GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
"Now that I've met you / Would you object to never seeing each other again?" So goes the opening couplet of "Deathly," one of nine Mann originals featured on this highly listenable soundtrack. The lines are the heart and soul of not only P.T. Anderson's movie, but Mann's whole lyrical style -- a kind of relationship fatalism that she's been honing since her days in Til Tuesday. To Mann, a relationship is like a shiny red wagon poised at the top of a steep hill. Before it is set in motion, it is a beautiful thing, a noble idea. But once it begins to move, it can only careen downhill, get knocked around and, inevitably, crash and turn over, broken with its wheels spinning. Mann tempers this bleak outlook with gorgeous melodies and arrangements (produced by studio whiz Jon Brion) that are by turns austerely acoustic and almost carnival-like, full of calliope swoops, popcorn drum samples and bleating Jumbo horns. The disc opens with her cover of Harry Nilsson's classic "One," then sets about elaborating, in the songs that follow, why it really is the loneliest number.
The clattering "Momentum," the McCartney-inspired "Build That Wall," the glass-blown "You Do" -- all serve their lyrical grenades with ice cream and a sprinkle of caustic humor. The most potent song, "Wise Up," is also featured in the film's bravest scene, where the various characters, all firmly in misery's heavy grip, whisper along with Mann's lyrics: "It's not what you thought / When you first began it / You got what you want / Now you can hardly stand it / Though by now you know / It's not going to stop." It's a powerful, heart-stopping three minutes. Rounding out the soundtrack, almost as chasers, are two Supertramp hits, "Goodbye Stranger" and "The Logical Song," along with "Dreams" by Gabrielle and an orchestral theme by Jon Brion. But this is really an Aimee Mann recording. Anderson says in the liner notes that he wrote the screenplay around Mann's songs, and it shows. Posted October 22, 2006 11:09 AM | | |
ARTIST: Beck SONG/ALBUM: Mutations GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
As advance press made clear, Mutations was not to be considered the official follow-up to 1996's landmark Odelay, but rather a kind of stopgap record. Stopgap indeed. If ever a record was less in need of a disclaimer, Mutations is it. By cutting an old-fashioned, band-oriented collection of classic-sounding songs, Beck not only outfoxed trend-watchers, but proved himself beyond doubt as a major musical force, one who can mutate from techno-whiz kid to folk troubadour to band leader effortlessly. Beck told MOJO, "I think I've wanted to make a record like this for at least five or six years. The reason I went in and cut most of it live is that I wanted it to capture a performance, something I felt was missing from my other records. It's not something I've put on the records, apart from bits and pieces of that more personal or emotional side."
The emotional atmosphere he creates throughout is like a di Chirico painting -- a dreamy place with the whiff of a seedy, boarded-up carnival. On "Cold Brains" he sings, "A bird of song is heard no more, in the evacuated heavens the drain is drawn." On "Lazy Flies": "Matrons and gigolos carouse in the parlor, their hand-grenade eyes invalid and blind," and on "We Live Again": "Sifted through sand and leftover nightmares, over the hill a desolate wind turns shit to gold and blows my soul crazy." Beck matches his haunted poetry with arrangements that encompass everything from sitar-drenched psychedelia ("Nobody's Fault But My Own") to honky-tonk country ("Canceled Check") to breezy bossa nova ("Tropicalia"). What finally makes this material so compelling is Beck's singing. His deep, cracked drawl is no virtuoso instrument, but like Dylan, he uses his limitations to create a kind of character voice, inhabiting the songs the way an actor does a role. Even the album's title reflects his penchant for playing different parts. Beck told MOJO, "To me, the word was representative of who I am as a songwriter. I'm attuned to a lot of different things… I think of the word as a positive word. I'm embracing all the elements that make our time interesting."
If you like Beck’s Mutations, check out: Boo Hewerdine - Baptist Hospital; Prefab Sprout - Jordan The Comeback; Wilco - Being There; Pernice Brothers - Overcome By Happiness; Aimee Mann - I'm With Stupid. Posted October 20, 2006 4:55 PM | | |
ARTIST: Richard Ashcroft SONG/ALBUM: Alone With Everybody GENRE: Rock RATING: 6
Following a career-making record can be tough. In the case of The Verve, said record came with 1997’s Urban Hymns. It spawned several hits and even managed to cross the Atlantic with the gorgeous "Bittersweet Symphony" (via a marketing boost from the good folks at Nike). The volatile foursome barely had enough time to enjoy their success, however, before splitting again, this time for good. So the stakes for lead singer Richard Ashcroft were even bigger on his follow-up solo debut, Alone With Everybody. With it, the man the UK press has called “Mad Richard” (from the same sinewy, serpentine lineage of Jagger, Tyler, and Morrison) turned out one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the new millenium for fans of Brit rock.
While Alone With Everybody is far from disappointing, fans of The Verve might not (and did not) immediately embrace it. It lacks the swagger and angst that characterized that band, and in its place offers Ashcroft's unlikely take on domestic bliss. The music has a moody feel, but without guitarist Nick McCabe's counterpoint to Ashcroft's seductive vocals, there seems to be something missing. Ashcroft plays several instruments, from keys to guitars to percussion, with notable contributions from ace session players Pino Palladino, Chuck Leavell, and BJ Cole, as well as glistening string arrangements by Will Malone, who created similar arrangements for The Verve. Most of the lyrics focus on relationships. Ashcroft expresses the tentative desire to surrender to his newly found love on the sweeping "A Song For The Lovers" and the laid-back "Brave New World." Elsewhere, as on the graceful shuffle of "I Get My Beat" and the surprisingly pop-inspired "Crazy World," the tone is one of gratitude and peace. Two Ashcroft classics are also found here: "Money To Burn," a funky, conga-driven declaration of devotion if ever there was one, and the real highlight of the album, "You On My Mind In My Sleep," an infectious song that recalls the best of the Stones’ country-tinged ballads. Posted October 20, 2006 4:43 PM | | |
ARTIST: Amy Rigby SONG/ALBUM: Diary Of A Mod Housewife GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
Amy Rigby isn't one to surrender to mainstream conventionality without a fight. On her 1996 major label debut, Diary Of A Mod Housewife, she writes about single motherhood, dead-end jobs and an unraveling marriage, but packages her true-life tales with a classic ‘60s rock vibe and a healthy dose of attitude-dishing humor. A veteran of New York’s country-punk scene, Rigby comes across like a sassy hipster in knee boots and a miniskirt who somehow time-traveled into the ‘90s. Her down-to-earth songs portray contemporary adulthood in all its messy glory -- whether in "The Good Girls," an anthem for every frustrated temp, or "Down Side of Love," which looks beyond the first blush of courtship to the harsh reality of the morning after. Listen to the no-nonsense stance she projects on "20 Questions" -- a pointed inquisition of her deadbeat spouse -- and it’s clear that this is a woman who knows exactly what she wants out of life, and still expects to get it.
Recommended listening: Nancy Sinatra - Nancy Sinatra : The Hit Years (Rhino, 1986); Jeannie C. Riley - The Best of Jeannie C. Riley (Varese Sarabande, 1996); Exene Cervenka - Running Sacred (Rhino / RNA , 1990). Posted October 20, 2006 9:20 AM | | |
ARTIST: George Harrison SONG/ALBUM: All Things Must Pass GENRE: Rock RATING: 10
The evidence was there all along. As The Beatles lurched toward their messy break-up, George Harrison was reaching his creative peak. Consider "Something," "Here Comes The Sun," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and it’s clear that, away from the ugly in-fighting and legal squabbles that ultimately brought an end to the greatest pop band of all time, Harrison was steadily growing more confident as a songwriter. Still, when the quiet Beatle stepped forward in 1970 and released his own stunning masterpiece, All Things Must Pass, the listening public was caught off guard. The three-album package -- in effect, rock’s first boxed set -- was a remarkable debut that revealed just how much of Harrison’s talent had been overshadowed by Lennon's and McCartney’s. Without his most famous band mates, Harrison turned instead to such illustrious side players as his best friend Eric Clapton (who was of course falling in love at the time with Harrison’s wife, Patti), Billy Preston, Dave Mason, Gary Wright, Badfinger, Ringo and even a 19-year-old Phil Collins.
And while Bob Dylan doesn’t appear in person, his presence is felt in the lovely opening track, "I’d Have You Anytime," which he and Harrison co-wrote, and in "If Not For You," which Harrison sings with unaffected sincerity. Re-mastered and re-released nearly three decades following its original debut, All Things Must Pass sounds just as urgent, resilient, and uplifting as ever. With thirty years of hindsight, Harrison wrote in his liner notes: "It was difficult to resist re-mixing every track. All these years later, I would like to liberate some of the songs from the big production that seemed appropriate at the time, but now seem a bit over the top with the reverb in the wall of sound." But frankly, Harrison was wrong. Phil Spector’s sweeping arrangements help lift these tunes to celestial heights, complimenting their spiritual themes and adding to the album’s monumental stature. Case in point: "My Sweet Lord," which sparkles with Krishna clarity in its classic version, but sounds stripped of life in its later, misguided reworking. These sweetly melodic tunes need no updating. From the sheer sonic rush of "What Is Life" to the brooding mysticism of "Beware Of Darkness," All Things Must Pass remains an essential rock opus -- one that Harrison never surpassed. Posted October 20, 2006 8:43 AM | | |
ARTIST: Jimmy Buffett SONG/ALBUM: Take the Weather With You GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
So, what have here is an artist with impeccable, adventurous, catholic taste in music, a guy who writes the meanest, leanest pop songs this side of the equator, a supernatural assimilator who takes in every note he’s ever heard – rock country, reggae, blues, anything – and sends it back out fresh and new in music everyone knows is his and only his. You know he’s scary smart, but his real genius is to make you believe he’s just like you. He’s got charisma, sure. But you just got to shake your head in wonder at the quality of the talent, the way the words and melodies come so fast, so perfectly put together, whether he’s writing elegant love songs or sea-faring ballads or funny, exquisitely escapist tunes about booze, beaches and assorted babes.
Jimmy Buffett doesn’t get a lot of respect for what he does so well, especially from the critics, who can’t seem to get past the whole Parrothead thing. But he’s been critic-proof for more than 30 years now, so who cares. Now in his 50s, with dozens of albums to his credit, he still records and tours at a pace that makes him among the most prolific and active artists in pop music. His latest, Take the Weather With You, stands up against his best, delivering a blend of bright, new Buffett originals with a cool collection of offbeat covers written by the likes of Merle Haggard, Guy Clark, Mark Knopfler, Neil & Tim Finn, and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings.
The album sticks to closely to the successful formula that has marked Buffett’s best work since the 1970s. But nobody does the “Beaches-Bars-Boats-and-Ballads” thing better. Here, he sings the communal praises of a friendly Alabama haunt (“Bama Breeze”) tangos his way through an uncertain night in Tierra del Fuego (in the original “Party at the End of the World”) and chills out at a cool Hawaiian beach party (“Dukes on Sunday”). He puts an island spin on the Finn brothers’ Crowded House gem “Weather With You,” revels in the crossroads catharsis of Clark’s “Cinco de Mayo in Memphis” and riffs on the King himself in Welch & Rawling’s ride-the-rails classic “Elvis Presley Blues.”
There are some cool surprises, too, including an island-meets-the-sky gospel number called “Regabilly Hill,” written by Michael Garrett, and a Buffett/Matt Betton original called “Breath In, Breathe Out, Move On” that doubles as a prayer for Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. Posted October 19, 2006 8:52 PM | | |
ARTIST: Fiona Apple SONG/ALBUM: Tidal GENRE: Rock RATING: 8
Eighteen years old and maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet, Fiona Apple strode into a recording studio in 1995 and laid down the tracks for her first album, one that’s as textured and sophisticated as that of a seasoned pro, but with a ton of youthful, bad-girl attitude to spare. Shot through with percolating hip-hop grooves, ragged emotion and swirling symphonic washes, the ten songs on Tidal constitute an amazing debut ¾ not just for someone her age, but any age.
Apple had virtually no experience as a live performer when she cut this record, but effectively led an ensemble of studio musicians who followed her intuitively, often nailing these lush, improvised arrangements in one take. Her pulsing piano tugs like an undertow, with brooding minor-key melodies that evoke defiance one moment, vulnerability the next. Like her primary lyrical influence, poet Maya Angelou, Apple’s words come tumbling out in a rhythmic current that spills over from one line to the next. She delivers those lyrics in a voice that’s dusky, rich and filled with an old-soul’s wisdom. Moody, compelling and mature beyond its years, Tidal is a force of nature that sweeps away everything in its path. Posted October 6, 2006 5:27 PM | | |
ARTIST: The Raconteurs SONG/ALBUM: Broken Boy Soldiers GENRE: Rock RATING: 8
After defying the two-guitars-drums-and-bass rock ‘n’ roll model with the White Stripes, Jack White chose the standard route for the Raconteurs, his side project with pal Brendan Benson and the Greenhornes’ rhythm section. But there’s nothing standard about their album, Broken Boy Soldiers. The disc is full of heavy rock and blues – and enough hooks to make you crave way more than the 10 songs it contains. It opens with a full-tilt charmer, “Steady, As She Goes,” full of deep bass grooves and chunky chords – and enough resemblances to Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out With Him” that he might want to consider collecting royalties. On the title tune and “Blue Veins,” White does a better Robert Plant than the Led Zep frontman, but this is hardly about borrowed riffs and retro rock homages (though they do claim in a sleeve rhyme that the Raconteurs are “four lousy thieves”). It is about having fun while producing relentless melodies with meaty guitar jams, weighty rhythms and White’s and Benson’s well-matched voices.
Though the Raconteurs are being called a supergroup, it’s doubtful many people had heard of drummer Patrick Keeler or bassist Jack Lawrence previously (unless they’re familiar with the Jack White-produced Loretta Lynn album, Van Lear Rose, on which they appeared). Still, it’s quite a summit meeting, with equal contributions from a band that could have far more than one great album up its sleeve. Heck, White could decide to give up his Target-ad look (and White Stripes partner) for good and just concentrate on this collective, and it’s doubtful we’d even miss that other incarnation. Posted October 3, 2006 12:24 AM | | |
ARTIST: Hole SONG/ALBUM: Celebrity Skin GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
It never was difficult for Courtney Love to make headlines. Throughout her tumultuous career, the unsinkable Ms. Love traversed identities -- from grunge’s lewd lady, to grieving Cobain widow, to struggling single mother, to surprisingly good actress -- all the while garnering intense media interest every step of the way. With the release of Hole’s third album, Celebrity Skin, Love again made an impact, though this time with a definitively positive spin: Rolling Stone gave the album four stars, and Spin ranked it near perfect.
With California (LA, in particular) serving as the album’s center of inspiration, Love peels back Hollywood’s glamorous shroud to reveal the shattered hopes and sleazy practices of those just beyond the spotlight’s glow. In "Awful," she warns all wannabe starlets with “They know how to break all the girls like you / And they rob the souls of girls like you / And they break the hearts of girls.” And in "Reasons To Be Beautiful," advice is given to those who’ve passed the audition: “You’ll get bitter just like them / And they steal your heart away / When the fire goes out, you better learn to fake.” At times it sounds like Love is speaking from experience, and perhaps she is -- a jaded past never hurt the reputation of a bona fide rock star. But the city of angels did more than inspire themes. The city’s jagged musical history (from the Beach Boys to punk rockers X and early ‘80s metal bands like Guns N’ Roses) clearly lent itself to Celebrity Skin’s amalgam of styles.
Forsaking unrestrained power for precise strikes, the album’s diverse arsenal, like the songs of co-producer Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), exemplifies fine craftsmanship. Strict attention was given to every whiplash lick, bubbling crescendo, pregnant pause and rousing chorus until each hit its mark like a boxer’s well-timed punch. Celebrity Skin marked a turning point in Hole’s career. If previous albums Live Through This and Pretty On The Inside were the result of rebellious adolescence, then Celebrity Skin is the work of mannered adults who finally knew it was time to grow up.
Recommended listening: Joan Jett, Bad Reputation (Boardwalk, 1981); Cheap Trick, Cheap Trick (Epic, 1977); Kiss, Love Gun (Casablanca, 1977); Veruca Salt, Eight Arms to Hold You (Outpost/Geffen, 1997); Boston, Don’t Look Back (Epic, 1978). Posted September 23, 2006 4:55 PM | | |
USER: Jim2nd USER TYPE: Reviewer ARTIST: Pat DiNizio SONG/ALBUM: Songs & Sounds GENRE: Rock RATING: 5
"I can go anywhere/I can do anything/I can laugh at the world/No one's listening," declares Pat DiNizio in "Running, Jumping, Standing Still," one of the 12 distinctive songs on his first solo album, Songs and Sounds. DiNizio led the critically acclaimed Smithereens for 15 years, and for much of that time it may indeed have seemed to him that not enough people were listening. Although the New Jersey quartet grazed the Top 40 once with "A Girl Like You," the band's '60s-rooted pop-rock sound seldom reached the full audience it deserved.
With DiNizio as their principal songwriter, the Smithereens sounded like Bruce Springsteen might have if he'd preferred the Beatles to Bob Dylan. On Songs and Sounds, DiNizio builds on this legacy, with songs like "Today It's You" reflecting his careful study of bands like the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Who. "Running, Jumping, Standing Still" echoes the Who's "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere," but the British Invasion bands aren't the only conspicuous influence on Songs and Sounds. Although the album was produced by '60s-style rock specialist Don Dixon, it reveals a new interest in jazz and funk. Songs like "I'd Rather Have The Blues find the singer crooning to the accompaniment of saxophonist Sonny Fortune, formerly of Miles Davis' band. Fortune is joined on this album by Stranglers’ bassist JJ Burnel and drummer Tony Smith, who's worked with Jan Hammer, Carlos Santana, and Lou Reed. This versatile combo helps DiNizio explore much new territory.
The album’s bluesiness suits the songwriter's outlook. The mood of melancholy ballads like "Liza" and "No Love Lost" reflects both the end of the Smithereens and of DiNizio’s marriage. "Ultimately, it's about loss," he said of the album. But that assessment shouldn't worry Smithereens fans much. Songs and Sounds is well endowed with the characteristic energy and tunefulness of DiNizio's earlier work. Such songs as "124 MPH" and "Everyday World" show that power-pop delight remains one of DiNizio's fondest moods. Posted September 22, 2006 3:53 PM | | |
ARTIST: R.E.M. SONG/ALBUM: Up GENRE: Rock RATING: 8
With the resignation of drummer Bill Berry in the fall of 1997, many suspected that R.E.M.’s Up would be missing something. And it was. Minus Berry, the album lacks the live feel of a rock band -- and just as well, as the Athens, GA foursome hasn’t been a true rock band since 1994’s guitar-driven album, Monster. Surprisingly, Berry’s departure added to R.E.M.’s sound by allowing its members to explore new musical terrain. "At My Most Beautiful," a touching piano sonata, and "Airportman," the album's opener, with its soft tones, whispers, and gentle feedback flourishes, suggest that this is not the same R.E.M. responsible for putting alternative rock on the map with such previous efforts as 1986’s Life’s Rich Pageant and 1987’s Document.
Lavish strings and lofty vocals adorn "You’re in the Air," where a close listen reveals subtle guitar squeals amongst the conga beat. "Why Not Smile" begins with an acoustic guitar rolling over folky melodies, but soon builds into an amalgam of organ whines, distorted bursts, and click-clock rhythms. R.E.M.’s remaining members may have calmed as the years have gone by, but Up’s sonic foragings and well-placed intricacies are evidence that, while styles may change, the band's pop sensibilities have only improved with age. The album isn’t a complete departure in form, however. "Hope" opens with a fluttering drum machine and synthesized bloops, evoking an attempt at electronica; but when Michael Stipe’s distinctive vocals and imaginative lyrics enter the scenario, familiarity instantly returns. Beneath the new masks, old faces give each song identity as traces of the band’s former selves pepper much of the album. "The Apologist" is classic Stipe lyricism, self-deprecating in its beautiful one-sided conversation, while the guitar bombast of the otherwise solemn "Sad Professor" is reminiscent of the heavy-handed approach of Monster.
While Up is the one of the most wandering of the band's albums, it’s not the only time R.E.M. has taken risks. Most every album has shown a different side of the band. Up, however, manages to show all sides, without lapsing into redundant rehashing or unnecessary alteration.
Recommended Listening: Counting Crows - August & Everything After (1993, Geffen); R.E.M. - Out of Time (1991, Warner Bros); Patti Smith - Radio Ethiopia (1976, Arista); Beth Orton - Trailer Park (1997, Dedicated); The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground (1969, Verve). Posted September 21, 2006 4:09 PM | | |
ARTIST: World Party SONG/ALBUM: Dumbing Up GENRE: Rock RATING: 8
When last we heard from Karl Wallinger in 2001, he had been dropped from his deal. His manager had died, then Karl himself collapsed from a brain aneurysm. The future looked bleak. He had surgery (or as he says, he had his “head sawed in half”), then relearned to walk, talk and sing. This album was started before his collapse, and finished after his rehabilitation.
Though an acceptance of the unpredictable nature of fate has always been a theme of Wallinger’s writing, songs like “Another 1000 Years” and “See The Light” seem to speak directly to what he’s been through. And “The Best Place I’ve Ever Been,” though on the surface a simple love song, is a celebration of the miracle of everyday living, by a man who’s been to the edge and back.
Not that it’s all zen and happiness. Wallinger being the activist he is, there’s plenty of righteous anger too. “Who Are You?” and “Here Comes The Future” are flower-powered missiles aimed Bush and Blair, and “Always On My Mind” is an acid-tongued letter to an ex-love. But like Mary Poppins, Wallinger believes in the spoonful of sugar approach to delivering these kind of rants. The melodies are so strong that you may miss the lyric the first few times around.
Like all World Party records, Dumbing Up makes no concessions to modern trends. It sounds like it was made in 1968 on an analog tape machine with real instruments. That’s not to say it comes across old or dated. It’s more that it sounds timeless. Posted September 21, 2006 3:34 PM | | |
ARTIST: Boston SONG/ALBUM: Boston GENRE: Rock RATING: 9
It’s still the biggest basement tape ever made.
Decades before Garageband or ProTools rendered home recording as easy as stamp collecting, a former Polaroid employee-turned-musician named Tom Scholz built his own crude multi-track tape machine. Sequestered in his basement with instruments and a head full of song ideas, he constructed a rock masterpiece, one track at a time.
Thirty years and seventeen million satisfied customers later, the first Boston album has been remastered and repackaged for a the i-Pod generation. While the stadium-ready guitar riffs and city-sized melodic hooks will touch a chord of nostalgia for those who remember when, what’s remarkable is how startlingly fresh and modern the record still sounds. The skin-tight syncopation and explosive chorus on “Rock ‘n’ Roll Band.” The space race build-up of “Foreplay / Long Time.” The sunburst dazzle of Brad Delp’s vocal harmonies on “Peace Of Mind.” And of course, the gorgeous chords and majestic dual guitar leads on “More Than A Feeling.” These are blissed-out thrills that measure up to whatever’s riding high on the charts this year, or any year.
In the extensive liner notes, Tom Scholz says, “The possibility that anyone would be listening to this album thirty years into the future was incomprehensible.”
Maybe it seemed that way in his basement back in ‘76. But Scholz & Co’s potent formula of “love and music” is likely to be around for another thirty years. And that’s more than a feeling. Posted September 8, 2006 12:58 PM | | |
ARTIST: Better Than Ezra SONG/ALBUM: How Does Your Garden Grow? GENRE: Rock RATING: 8
New Orleans’ Better Than Ezra — singer/guitarist Kevin Griffin, drummer Travis McNabb and bassist Tom Drummand — isn’t your typical pop band content to rely on past formulas for success. Their debut album, 1995’s Swell, brought them national attention via the smash single "Good," while their third effort, How Does Your Garden Grow?, suggested that the band wasn’t about to retrace its steps.
That’s not to say they completely abandoned pop songs — there are still plenty of radio-ready singles to choose from on this release — but the album’s breadth of influence is definitely a change for the better. How Does Your Garden Grow? isn’t confined to any one style. Rather, like the city from which the band hails, it’s a melting pot of influences. "Je Ne M’en Souviens Pas" opens the album with a menacing groove before a succession of rimshots form a Brazilian rhythm that carries the song through spacey, synthesized soundscapes. The theremin wails and screeching guitar on the rumba-inspired "Like It Like That" bring a futuristic sound to an antiquated beat, as does the electronic bass lines diving well below the surface of the dirge-like "Beautiful Mistake."
By incorporating the various moods and styles of the Crescent City, Better Than Ezra’s music is at once daringly experimental and enjoyably familiar. And you thought they only played rock songs. Well they do that, too. The Calypso-flavored "Happy Day Mama" combines a lovely melody with the vibrant burst of a lofty chorus. Not hard enough for you? Then try the punchy hooks and manic guitar solo of "Pull," with its flurry of rumbling drums, or listen to the punked-up, distorted blues rock of "New Kind of Love," which comes as something of a shock compared with the album’s otherwise straight-ahead guitar tones.
Better Than Ezra’s diverse musical underpinnings are impressive, even though most people’s knowledge of the band stems from infectious pop hits like "A Lifetime," "American Dream," and "Juicy." It’s perfectly acceptable to be lured in by an infectious single, but to fully appreciate the band’s potent concoction of new takes on old sounds, you must delve deeper. For a well-rounded lesson in modern sounds deeply rooted in tradition, Better Than Ezra is as good as it gets.
Posted September 3, 2006 12:52 PM | | |
USER: Jim2nd USER TYPE: Reviewer ARTIST: Bad Company SONG/ALBUM: Stories Told & Untold GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
Their hit list is so etched into your rock-consciousness that it’s nearly impossible to read the titles without strapping on an air guitar and singing each one in your head: "Can’t Get Enough (Of Your Love)," "Feel Like Makin’ Love," "Good Lovin’ Gone Bad," "Movin’ On," "Shooting Star." Legendary rockers from Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Black Crowes to Bon Jovi openly acknowledge Bad Company as one of their most important influences. In Stories Told & Untold, Bad Company tells more than one story, with seven "new" tunes and as many retakes on some of their most notable hits, including the freight train paced "Oh Atlanta," a power-packed "Ready For Love," the anthemic classic "Shooting Star, and an acoustic, shuffle-paced "Can’t Get Enough" with back porch guitar by original bandmember Mick Ralphs and one heck of a guest vocal by Bekka Bramlett.
Other special guests keeping company here include Vince Gill (electric guitar), Kim Carnes (vocals), Alison Krauss (vocals & fiddle), Richie Sambora (12 string acoustic) and a fifteen member choir brought together especially for this recording. Stories Told & Untold is a thundering showcase of the band’s power and range, from gospel-graced grooves ("Weep No More") and arena-ready ballads ("Is That All There Is To Love," "Simple Man") to mid-tempo tracks ("Silver Blue and Gold") and flat-out biker rockers ("Love So Strong"), a track that revs-up like a hog before roaring off full throttle. Bad Company's at its best on fist-pounders like these. Remaining far from fads and trends, this band continues to carve classics from solid bedrock. And more than a generation after their first #1, it seems their fans still can’t get enough.
Posted September 2, 2006 4:28 PM | | |
ARTIST: Widespread Panic SONG/ALBUM: Earth to America GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
Formed in the musical hotbed of Athens, Ga., way back n 1987, Widespread Panic became one of the mainstays of the 1990s jam-band movement by blending classic guitar rock with an eclectic mix of blues, funk, psychelica, soul, R&B and jazz. Along with bands like Phish, they were frequently compared to the Grateful Dead and dismissed by many critics as neo-hippie pretenders. But they won new fans to rock with recordings and concerts that valued spontaneity and sophisticated improvisation over high-gloss production and glitz. There was an undeniable magic in the Panic groove. Now that Phish has disbanded, Widespread Panic is big, dark superstar of the jam-band nation. The group’s latest album, Earth to America, finds John Bell(lead vocals and rhythm guitar), George McConnell (guitar), Todd Nance (drums), David Schools (bass), Domingo Ortiz (percussion) and John Hermann (keyboards) at the top of their boogie-jazz game. It features some of their strongest tunes to date, scooting from atmospheric, blues-rock psycedelica ("Second Skin") to hard-edged, epic boogie ("Good People") to jazzy, cosmic shuffles ("Time Zones," "Crazy"). Through in a couple dark, demented jams ("You Should Be Glad," "May Your Glass Be Filled") and you have the makings of a post-modern Panic classic.
Posted August 29, 2006 3:36 PM | | |
ARTIST: Billy Joel SONG/ALBUM: 12 Gardens - Live GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
Billy Joel is in a league of his own as a hit maker. Since 1972, when he signed his first solo recording contract, he has put 33 singles into the Billboard Top 40, making him one of the most prolific and successful artists of the rock era. His latest release – a two-CD, 32-song live set recorded in early 2006 during a 12-night stand at New York’s Madison Square Garden – is a remarkable testament to the both the depth and familiarity of his songbook. The hits come one after the other here, from “Piano Man” to “River of Dreams” and just about every other popular tune in between. They are delivered with high-energy passion and clarity by a fit-and-feisty Joel and his longtime touring band. There are plenty of surprises. There are cool takes on lesser known tunes like “Laura” and “A Room of Our Own,” plus plenty of re-inventions and re-imaginings. “River of Dreams” is aired out, becoming a gone-to-church, sing-along gospel epic. “Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway”) is transformed into a post-9/11 tribute to New York City. “It’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll to Me” ends the set, churning like a foot-stomping arena rocker. Some live albums feel like filler, an excuse to put something on the market between studio recordings. (Joel has already released two live albums during his 30-plus years in the spotlight – Songs in the Attic in 1981 and Kohuept in 1987.) But even if you already own those two recordings, 12 Gardens is certainly worth adding to the collection. It’s a document of a mature artist still at the peak of his power, looking back on a long and fruitful life in music. Posted August 28, 2006 8:58 PM | | |
ARTIST: Dixie Chicks SONG/ALBUM: Taking the Long Way GENRE: Rock RATING: 8
If the Dixie Chicks had emerged from the world of rock 'n' roll, nobody would be fussing about their politics. Rock stars have been on the vanguard of the counter-culture since the early days of Dylan, taking stands against various wars, criticizing presidents and using their celebrity to raise awareness about issues ranging from racism to the environment. But when your home base is country music, taking sides on political issues - particularly when the United States is engaged in a shooting war - is risky business. The Dixie Chicks discovered that the hard way in 2003 when lead singer Natalie Maines took a swipe at President George W. Bush during a concert in London. Country radio stations in America organized boycotts. Maines and bandmates were swamped with hate mail and even a few death threats. With the media stoking the fire, the controversy threatened to sink the Chicks, then one of the most popular bands in the world with a string of hit singles from the bestselling albums "Wide Open Spaces" and "Fly." But Maines and bandmates Emily Robison and Martie Maguire refused to give up - or back down. And no matter what you think of their politics, you have to admire their tenacity and talent. Taking the Long Way is their first album since the big blowup, and it's an uprepentent tour de force, a big, sprawling splash of sass and soul that bounces between rockin' confrontation ("Not Ready to Make Nice," "The Long Way Around," "Lubbock Leave It") and soulful introspection ("Lullabye," "Silent House," "I Hope.").
Noted producer Rick Rubin helped guide the Chicks here, telling them he wanted Taking the Long Way to "sound like a great rock act making a country album, not a country act making a rock album." Maines, Robison and Maguire wrote or co-wrote all 11 songs and put together a talented group of notable musicians to work with them in the studio, including Pete Yorn, John Mayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, the Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and the Jayhawks Gary Louris. The resulting album is the Dixie Chicks' best to date. More importantly, it's wide-ranging soul puts the Chicks where they have belonged all along - in the broader world of pop music and rock n roll. Posted August 10, 2006 5:49 PM | | |
ARTIST: Katell Keineg SONG/ALBUM: Jet GENRE: World RATING: 6
Katell Keineg is a one-woman tour of the Celtic world: She was born in Brittany, raised in Wales, and lived in Dublin. But her music reaches even further than that. On Jet, the singer-songwriter’s second album, Keineg incorporates the occasional Latin and Spanish phrase, and mixes traditional Greek and Indian instruments like the lyre, bouzouki, and tanbur with modern drum programming. No part of the world or its music are off the map of her explorations. Keineg’s choice of collaborators demonstrates her eclecticism: Jet was produced by the singer with Eric Drew Feldman, whose credits include Pere Ubu, PJ Harvey, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, and John Holbrook, who’s worked with Natalie Merchant. “I like music that spans as wide a space as possible,” she explains, “Genres are never set up by musicians.’’
Keineg’s music does indeed span wide spaces, sometimes in a single song. The seven-minute "Mother’s Map," for example, builds from a simple synth-drum beat to a sweeping arrangement, as strings swell in an attempt to follow the upward spiral of the singer’s powerful voice. Many of the album’s songs are in this folk-based yet nearly operatic style, but the singer is equally adept in other modes. "Leonor," an obituary for a Jazz Age luminary, is almost conversational, while "One Hell Of A Life" features a bluesy swagger, and "Veni Vidi Vici (I Came, I Saw, I Conquered)" has a sauntering, ‘60s Europop sound. The world’s beats are vital to Keineg’s style. Jet features a wide array of acoustic and synthetic percussion. The music’s essence, however, is vocal. Like Jane Siberry, Keineg sometimes builds epic arrangements, but never overwhelms the fundamental emphasis on the human voice. Even at their most epic, her songs retain their intimacy. Indeed, one of the album’s most powerful tracks is the simple "Hoping And Praying, which the singer recorded at home alone (but with multiple overdubs that transform her voice into a chorus). “I want to hang on to the joy of being an amateur,” Keineg says of such experiments. None who listens through Jet, however, will mistake her for one.
Posted November 8, 2006 3:26 PM | | |
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