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USER: Jim2nd USER TYPE: Reviewer ARTIST: 38 Special SONG/ALBUM: Resolution GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
Don Barnes, vocalist and guitarist with veteran Southern rockers 38 Special, called Resolution “an album that emphasizes where we’ve arrived creatively, without forsaking what got us here. We’ve gone through a lot of changes over the years, watching the musical landscape shift dramatically. We’ve tried to look at those changes in a positive way and tried to learn from them, rather than be intimidated by them.” One thing that hasn’t changed is the band’s ability to meld southern rock with a penchant for memorable, pop-inflected choruses. Like the classic songs most often associated with the band, among them "Caught Up In You," "Back Where You Belong," and "Second Chance," the thirteen tracks that comprise Resolution are stuffed to the brim with six string alchemy and four-on-the-floor pop rock smarts. Producer Joe Hardy, who has worked as well with southern rockers ZZ Top and Steve Earle, captured the trademark intensity of 38 Special’s infamous live energy on "Deja Voodoo" and "Miracle Man," both of which recall the glory days of the band’s greatest success. Elsewhere, the band’s knack for earnest and emotional ballads comes into focus on tunes like "Shelter Me" and "Changed by Love," both of which reveal a band which has aged gracefully, and isn’t afraid to confront mature subjects. “Without a doubt,” Barnes remarks, “we tried to push ourselves lyrically, a lot of which is simply the result of getting to points in our lives where our concerns are naturally broader than they were in our twenties." With renewed energy and enthusiasm, 38 Special delivers one of its most inspired recordings here. Also recommended: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gimmie Back My Bullets; The Allmann Brothers Band - Idlewild South; Marshall Tucker Band - The Marshall Tucker Band. Posted October 24, 2006 8:58 AM | | |
ARTIST: Laura Allen SONG/ALBUM: Hold OnTo Your Dreams GENRE: Pop RATING: 6
Some people are born to make music. Take Laura Allan, for example. This California girl heard her destiny calling in the first grade, when she made her debut on recorder and autoharp. At age seven, she was strumming a folk guitar and singing the songs of Bob Dylan, Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie. By high school, Laura had added piano, flute and dulcimer to her palette. Around that time, she also began writing her first songs, encouraged by her friends Jackson, Joni and David…Browne, Mitchell and Crosby, that is. Her musical mentors recognized a talent in bloom and made sure Laura was heard by the right industry folks. One year out of high school, Allan landed a major record deal and cut an album of her own songs backed by such top West Coast session players as Leland Sklar, Jim Keltner and Jeff Porcaro.
While the album didn’t make a big splash in the U.S., it did very well in Japan and China, beginning a long and successful association between Laura and the Far East. In the years since, she has toured the Orient (collaborating on songs with Jacky Cheung, one of China’s biggest pop stars), served as an opening act for David Crosby, and penned songs for artists as diverse as Kenny Rogers and Lynn Anderson. On Hold On To Your Dreams, Allan follows the next step in her pop kismet, sailing through fourteen new originals that explore inspiring themes, from love with a capitol L ("Every Beat Of My Heart", "Our Love," "Enchante") to spiritual renewal ("Storm Song") to the importance of dreams ("Be Strong," "Hold Onto Your Dreams"). The supporting cast of players, including respected L.A. session musicians Mark Gould, Scott Gordon, and Trance Thompson, builds a sensitive set of arrangements around Allan’s hammered dulcimer work and satin n’ sandpaper voice. But what really shines through is Allan’s unbridled joy. You can picture her smiling, closing her eyes, bobbing her head and getting lost in these songs. This is the sound of an artist who’s been in love with making music since the first grade. Posted October 22, 2006 10:45 AM | | |
ARTIST: Merrie Amsterburg SONG/ALBUM: Little Steps GENRE: Pop RATING: 7
Merrie Amsterburg knows how it feels to inspire comparisons. Shawn Colvin, Tori Amos, Aimee Mann and Jane Siberry are just a few of the female artists whose names have been invoked by pop critics in search of either an emotional or stylistic link with Amsterburg’s music. As flattering as these references are, though, they tend to negate the one virtue that sets Amsterburg apart from the pack -- an original voice. Or perhaps “voices” is more like it, since Amsterburg’s writing is every bit as distinctive as her singing. On Little Steps, Amsterburg's small, soulful, dusky soprano makes a big first impression, sometimes radiating an insinuating lyricism even when the lyrics suggest that there’s a lot more on the singer’s mind than simply a romantic excursion along the fringes of folk-pop. For example, she wraps her distinctive style around unforgiving lyrics to create an intriguing contrast in "Design," a song that combines a veritable scolding with a sensuous vocal track and typically multi-layered arrangement. If the melody doesn’t pull you in, the unfolding drama most certainly will.
Similarly, the confessional ballad "Heart Of My Head" has two things going for it: a languid, soft-spun melody, and a thoroughly unsentimental lyric. Or consider "Atmosphere," a song with a melody that could pass for an ancient Irish air and a lyric that candidly explores the emotional dynamics of love gone bad: “I was the one blind to all that was at stake, you had the last word, though it was unspoken.” Like so much of Amsterburg’s thoughtful, tuneful music, there’s a lot more going on here than meets the ear the first or second time around. As on her debut album, the critically acclaimed Season Of Rain, Amsterburg displayed great resourcefulness in the studio. She used an unusual array of instruments -- guitars, mandolin, bouzouki, harmonium, trumpet and banjo, among others -- as well as a washing machine to create a series of imaginatively woven settings that cast three or four minute spells. In the end, that’s one of the reasons why Little Steps also proves to be more than a little haunting. Also recommended: Merrie Amsterburg, Season Of Rain; Shawn Colvin, A Few Small Repairs. Posted October 26, 2006 1:53 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: 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: Audioslave SONG/ALBUM: Revelations GENRE: Alternative RATING: 9
There are plenty of new bands out there pretending to be rock stars, filling iPods and radio play lists everywhere with disposable, passionless music. Then there’s Audioslave – a band pieced together from the ruins of two of the greatest rock outfits of the 1990s.
The pairing of former Soundgarden lead vocalist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine’s guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk was among the most hyped superstar mash-ups in rock history. History tells us that supergroups rarely live up to the sum of their parts. But Audioslave has proven to be a glorious anomaly, producing three albums during the past five years – 2002’s Audioslave, 2005’s Out of Exile and the new Revelations – that arguably rank among the best rock albums of all time.
What makes Audioslave special? You could point to the taut, original songwriting, or to Cornell’s charismatic, ferocious classic-rock vocals, or Morello’s innovative, mind-bending lead guitar work, or a rhythm section that will kick your ass. Whatever it is, the magic and the chemistry is on full display in the new Revelations, an album that blends fist-pumping anthemic rock (“Somedays,” “Shape of Things to Come”) with funky, post-modern fist-pumping funk and soul (“Original Fire,” “Broken City”). Toss in pointed, fist-pumping political statements (“Wide Awake”) and the occasional fist-pumping power ballad (“Until We Fall”) and you’ve got the makings of an authentic rock classic. Posted September 26, 2006 7:57 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: Joan Baez SONG/ALBUM: Gone From Danger GENRE: Folk RATING: 8
Anyone calling Joan Baez a "legend" to her face is likely to see Baez recoil uncomfortably in response. The truth is, her remarkable four-decade career may have earned her that tag. But Baez would rather be recognized for what she continues to do, not just be put on a pedestal like some sentimental object. While she may sing with the voice of experience, there's nothing dated about 1997's Gone From Danger, easily among her most memorable releases. Baez is likely to impress both longtime listeners and new ones with how totally contemporary her performances sound. Her first collection of new material since her 1992 Grammy-nominated 1992 release, Play Me Backwards, this album pairs Baez' untarnished voice with an outstanding selection of songs. Pouring over hundreds of tapes from dozens of writers, her finely tuned ear pointed her in the direction of Dar Williams, Betty Elders, Sinead Lohan, Richard Shindell and Mark Addison, all singer/songwriters whose lyrics sound as if they might have been custom-written for Baez.
The album includes two strong selections by Williams ("February" and "If I Wrote You"), a unsettling rumination on child abuse by Elders ("Crack in the Mirror"), and two Celtic-inflected tunes by Irish newcomer Lohan ("Who Do You Think I Am?" and "No Mermaid"). Addison (a singer-guitarist with The Borrowers) also supplies his moving tune, "Mercy Bound." And Shindell sensitively writes from various personas ("Reunion Hill," "Fishing" and "Money for Floods"), giving Baez plenty of room to exercise her masterful interpretive skills. Just as importantly, the album also includes a new song by Baez herself. Co-written with the album's producers, "Lily" reflects on forgotten dreams and diminished expectations, with lyrics that confess "I loved us just the way we were." Baez followers know that throughout her career she's been an outspoken supporter of rising young musicians, often extending herself to promote their material and help boost their emerging careers. No wonder, then, that Gone from Danger displays her uncanny ability to spot the best new talent around.
Posted October 27, 2006 4:42 PM | | |
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: Jeff Beck SONG/ALBUM: You Had It Coming GENRE: Rock RATING: 7
Any fan of guitar legend Jeff Beck would have been surprised, even shocked, by rumors of Beck going "techno." Yet when the sound first caught the rock icon's ear in London dance clubs in the late '90s, in the percussive thrust of Prodigy and Fatboy Slim, he soon began plotting his own variation on a techno theme. Perhaps remarkably, the result became 1999's Grammy-nominated Who Else. What Beck found fascinating about the London club scene was the so-called "bottom line" -- the rhythmic force that underpinned the music and often compensated for trite lyrics and otherwise unremarkable mixes. Indeed, Beck, who normally took long breaks between recordings during his prolific career, was so drawn to the drum-driven techno sound that he returned to the studio to experiment further with its fundamental rhythmic structure. The impressive result can be heard on You Had It Coming, a brash and still unlikely fusion of guitar wizardry and contemporary beats.
Anyone looking for proof that Jeff Beck, a Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer with the Yardbirds and an immensely successful solo artist, is open to new musical ideas will unquestionably find it here. Beck’s studio work for this album was mostly a solo affair -- or at least it was once producer Andy Wright decided that the sounds of Beck improvising over sampled loops assembled by programmer Aiden Love offered more than enough creative possibilities. Despite this insular approach to recording and the obvious techno influence, the music on You Had It Coming doesn’t sound premeditated, canned, or phony. On the contrary, Beck often sounds as if he’s responding to the loops in spontaneous bursts of drama ("Earthquake") and lyricism ("Nadia"). And despite the reliance on electronics, several tracks reveal Beck’s roots in blues and rock without apology or interference. The lone vocal track, in fact, finds Beck and British singer Imogen Heap passionately reprising the Muddy Waters hit, "Rollin’ and Tumblin." There’s also something old-fashioned about the way Beck employs the basics on these sessions, such as his trademark Stratocaster and Marshall amps, that prevents his brief romance with techno from ever sounding impersonal or insincere. Posted October 26, 2006 3:27 PM | | |
ARTIST: Persephone's Bees SONG/ALBUM: Notes from the Underworld GENRE: Alternative RATING: 6
First, class, let us have a brief lesson in Greek mythology. Persephone, you will recall, has the dubious but rather hip honor of being the goddess of the underworld. She rose (or descended, if you prefer) to this position because the Bronze Age devil himself, Hades, took a fancy to her, kidnapping the poor daughter of Zeus while she was picking posies on the plain of Enna. This did not sit well with Persephone’s mom, Demeter, goddess of the harvest, who threatened to turn the Earth into her own Depression Dust Bowl unless Hades let her daughter go. Knowing that hell hath no fury like a mistress scorned, Zeus pulled rank and forced Hades to release Persephone. Things might have ended happily there, but silly Persephone got the munchies on the long trip back to Earth and ate a pomegranate given to her by Hades. For some great Greek mythical reason, this meant she was bound to the underworld forever and had to spend three months a year in hell. During her daughter’s yearly absences, Demeter pouted, refusing to let anything grow. Viola! Winter was born! Now, that we’ve got that little bit of history out of the way, we can address the question of Persephone’s Bees, a new Bay Area alternative-rock quartet fronted by go-go-goth lead vocalist Angelina Moysov. The Russian ex-pat fancies herself a post-modern pop Persephone, walking the ironic line between light and the dark and melody and dissonance in the band’s debut album, Notes from the Underworld. Of course, this is nothing new in pop music. Bands from the Rolling Stones to Nirvana to Green Day have been working the territory between the mainstream and the underground. But Moysov does a good job of putting her own gypsy spin on the formula, with guitarist Tom Ayres, bassist Bart Davenport and drummer Paul Bertolino adding heavy-rock-meets-punk sting to the arrangements. There is a surrealistic, rockin’ Kurt Weill vibe in many of the tunes, including the oddball love song, “Way to Your Heart,” and the sarcastic ode to materialism, “Climbing.” The pop-meets-punk fusion reaches critical mass on “Paper Plane,” and the surf-meets-Red Square ditty, “Muzika Dlya Fil’ma,” while “Walk on the Moon” puts Mikhail Bulgakov’s classic Russian novel, “Master and Marguarita,” in which the Devil pays a visit to the godless Soviet Union, into an engaging, anthemic, pop-music context. We know. It all sounds a bit much for a pop group. But it works somehow, never veering into eye-rolling pseudo-pop poetry or faux intellectualism. Hum along Hades. Posted October 14, 2006 11:01 AM | | |
ARTIST: Adrian Belew SONG/ALBUM: Op Zop Too Wah GENRE: Alternative RATING: 6
Adrian Belew’s Op Zop Too Wah is a dichotomy, a glimpse into the schizophrenic musical soul of one of modern rock’s most significant artists. On the one hand, it’s a pop record, full of Beatles-inspired chord progressions and solid song constructions. On the other, it’s an avant-garde record, full of disturbing, twisted, and quirky experiments in eclecticism. The result, as a whole, is clearly disconcerting. Belew’s impressive track record as a solo artist and collaborator is common knowledge to any fan of cutting edge rock. He's a master of otherworldly guitar sounds, and has developed one of the most singular styles in music. His radical approach to the role of the electric guitar in the rock ensemble first caught the attention of Frank Zappa and David Bowie and, ultimately, the Buddha of King Crimson, Robert Fripp. Belew contributed heavily towards establishing King Crimson as one of the most cutting edge bands of the '90s, lending his beautiful voice, impeccable sense of melody, and psychotically profound guitar licks to Crimson's Beat, Discipline, Three Of A Perfect Pair, and Thrak.
His concurrent solo career culminated with Here, which showcased Belew’s talents as a songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist, and became immediately notable for its compositional soundness. There isn't a single wasted moment on Here, as Belew reveals his mastery of both guitar and pen, and subverts his natural radicalism for his dual penchant for pop melodicism and fully realized chord progressions. Op Zop Too Wah, conversely, explores Belew’s more experimental side. The pop gems are fewer, and often obscured by the musical shards of glass surrounding them. There's a sense of incompleteness to the album, as if brilliant ideas were pursued only halfway to their completion. Nonetheless, tracks like "Six String," "All Her Love Is Mine," and "Time Waits" are clearly among Belew’s best songs. More experimental tracks like "Word Play Drum Beat" and "Modern Man Hurricane Blues" add to the diverse emotional resonance of the album. It’s hard to deny the quirky sense of fun that pervades this collection, and its creator's obvious dedication to his muse. Also recommended: David Bowie - Scary Monsters; Talking Heads - Remain In Light; Tom Waits - Swordfish Trombones; King Crimson – Thrak; Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask. Posted October 24, 2006 9:44 AM | | |
ARTIST: Tony Bennett SONG/ALBUM: Duets - An American Classic GENRE: Pop RATING: 7
At 80, Tony Bennett remains a picture of youth and vigor, a timeless classic of an American singer with an indefatigable capacity to turn the perfect phrase and swing. His latest project is an across-the-generations duets album that teams him with some of the top names in contemporary pop music, singing selections from the Great American Songbook. Bennett, of course, is intimately familiar with this material. Tunes such as “Lullabye of Broadway,” “Smile,” “Put on a Happy Face,” “The Good Life” and “The Best is Yet To Come” have been a part of his repertoire for more than 50 years. But are his younger partners on Duets – An American Classic up to the task?
Happily, most of them are. Bennett and Paul McCartney put a sly, romantic spin on the Ray Noble ballad “The Very Thought of You.” Elton John adds a Rat Pack-like flair to “Rags to Riches,” which Bennett took to No. 1 solo way back in 1953. Piano man Billy Joel shows off his own flair for sophisticated phrasing, dueting with Bennett on “The Good Life,” while Bono adds a boozy charm to “I Wanna Be Around.”
Other highlights include a swingin’ take on “Lullabye of Broadway,” with the Dixie Chicks adding their own harmonious kick. Pure jazz fans will dig the smooth, finger-snapping sophistication of the Bennett/Michael Buble rendition of “Just in Time,” and the swinging sass of the Bennett/Diana Krall take on “The Best is Yet to Come.” Posted November 12, 2006 1:25 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 | | |
ARTIST: Bjork SONG/ALBUM: Selmasongs GENRE: Alternative RATING: 7
Of course, Bob Dylan deserves a shelf’s worth of accolades. He is, after all, one of the supreme songwriters of our age. But at the 2000 Oscar ceremonies, Dylan didn’t deserve the Academy Award for best movie song. Instead, members of the Academy should have honored Bjork for her brilliant, breathtaking work on Dancer In The Dark. The Icelandic pop star had already picked up the Best Actress award at Cannes for her acting debut as an impoverished immigrant factory worker who gradually loses her sight, and whose son has inherited the same degenerative condition. Bjork’s Selma turns to the escapism of musicals to brighten her workaday world. And it’s there -- in her song-and-dance filled daydreams -- where her dreary existence suddenly springs to life.
Selmasongs, the movie’s soundtrack, is short -- a seven-song EP that’s over in about half an hour. But during that brief span, Bjork creates a musical suite of glorious, gutsy genius. From the instrumental "Overture" -- whose hushed opening strains build into an explosion of timpani and brass -- through the quiet fadeout of its closing track, "New World," Bjork layers texture over unexpected sonic texture. In "Cvalda," in which she duets with co-star Catherine Deneuve, she welds the clang and clatter of industrial machinery to a cheery Broadway backdrop. And in the lullaby-like "Scatterheart," symphonic strings swirl and dive over trippy techno beats. But the album's real tour de force is "I’ve Seen It All," which she performs with Radiohead’s Thom York. An innocent, Zen-like optimism pours forth as she sings about accepting the limitations her blindness imposes ("What about China? Have you seen the Great Wall? / All walls are great if the roof doesn’t fall."). With Selmasongs, Bjork accomplished a rare feat: she produced a musical score that stands on its own, and maintains its ability to move us, beyond its film context. Selmasongs harks back to grand-scale, classic soundtracks, when composers focused more on art and less on commerce. When Paul McCartney writes a classical piece, we can admire his willingness to stretch himself and to tackle a difficult new genre. Still, there’s always an understanding that pop music is where his musical genius resides. With Selmasongs, Bjork seems to have found her true voice as a post-modern avant-garde composer. Years from now, it’s not hard to imagine these compositions being performed by serious symphonies -- liberated, over time, from the trappings of Bjork’s quirky pop diva persona.
Posted October 28, 2006 1:09 PM | | |
ARTIST: The Black Crowes SONG/ALBUM: By Your Side GENRE: Alternative RATING: 8
In an unlikely turn of events, The Black Crowes became, at the height of their commercial success, spokesmen for a style of music for which they were once mere pretenders to the throne. Simply by virtue of sticking around for as long as they have, the Crowes have earned true legitimacy. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the Brothers Robinson and Co. play their brand of Stones/Faces/Aerosmith rock with enough Southern-fried swank and sleazy conviction to sway all but the most jaded listeners. They emerged from Georgia at the dawn of the grunge movement, offering testimony to the power of the music that so moved them -- late 60’s British rock, Stax and Motown soul, the relentless shuffle of Exile-era Stones, and a touch of the Blues through the conduit of the Allman Brothers Band.
Certain factions wasted no time slinging mud the band’s way, slamming them for their retro tendencies and rock posturings. But the Crowes stuck around, filling an increasingly vacant spot in the rock landscape. To their critics, Chris and Rich Robinson responded like perfect Southern gentlemen: “We play the music we grew up loving, and we have just as much right to it as anyone else does.” Eventually, their persistence payed off, especially on By Your Side, the band’s fifth and probably finest release. To say that the album comes screaming out of the speakers like a shrill rebuke to its nay-sayers may be a touch over the top. But not by much. Picture Sam & Dave guesting on Aerosmith’s Rocks, and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what’s going on here. Vocalist Chris Robinson sounds so much like Faces-era Rod Stewart at times that it’s downright uncanny, but his soulfulness sounds more earned than manufactured throughout the album’s eleven tracks. Sibling Rich Robinson handles all of the guitar duties here in the wake of Marc Ford’s departure, with rich, vibrant layerings providing the majority of the album’s sonic information. The album kicks off with Chris Robinson’s "Otis Redding after too many bong hits" intro rap, blazes into the brutally endearing "Go Faster," and doesn’t let up until the last notes of the sultry "Virtue and Vice." Along the way, there's vintage Crowes ("Kickin’ My Heart Around"), old school R&B ("By Your Side," "Only A Fool"), groove-heavy rock ("Horsehead"), gospel-edged soul ("Go Tell The Congregation"), and even a pinch of psychedelia ("Welcome To The Goodtimes"). Also recommended: The Faces - A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse; Aerosmith – Rocks; The Allman Brothers - Idlewild South. Posted October 24, 2006 9:17 AM | | |
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: Chris Botti SONG/ALBUM: To Love Again GENRE: Jazz RATING: 7
Since jazz faded from mainstream popularity at the dawn of the rock era, instrumental music has had a tough time cracking the pop charts. But a new breed of instrumentalists is challenging the conventional wisdom, producing crossover hits with mass-market, romantic appeal. Trumpeter Chris Botti is the latest to ride the wave. A talented horn player with a lush, distinctive tone and impeccable, soulful phrasing, Botti kicked around the New York jazz scene in the 1980s before moving into pop as a sideman, recording and touring with the likes of Paul Simon, Sting, Joni Mitchell, Marc Cohn and Natalie Merchant. He recorded a string of solo albums beginning in 1995, but hit pay dirt in 2004 with When I Fall In Love, a mostly instrumental collection of romantic jazz standards that hit No. 37 on the Billboard pop album charts. Botti’s follow-up effort, To Love Again, sticks close to the same, smooth, engaging formula, but aims at even broader mainstream appeal by adding a lot more vocals. When I Fall in Love featured just a handful of vocal duets, including a rendition of “La Belle Dame Sans Regrets” with old pal Sting. To Love Again includes cool, cabaret-style collaborations with nine guest vocalists, including Sting (on a slow, swaying rendition of “What Are You Doing With the Rest of Your Life?”), Paula Cole (adding sultry charm to “My One and Only Love”), Michael Buble (dancing his way through a bubbly “Let There Be Love”) and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler (yes, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler weathered, warm and wonderful color to Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”).
Botti puts his atmospheric stamp on a quartet trio of instrumental jazz standards – “What's New?" "I'll Be Seeing You," "Embraceable You," and "To Love Again" – getting an able assist from the London Session Orchestra. Put it all together and you’ve got an ageless collection of romantic pop, delivered with sophistication and style. This is the sort of music that sounds best by candlelight or moonlight, delivered with wine and shared with the one you love. Posted August 11, 2006 5:59 PM | | |
USER: Jim2nd USER TYPE: Reviewer ARTIST: BR5-49 SONG/ALBUM: BR5-49 GENRE: Country RATING: 6
When half a band’s releases are live recordings, it’s certainly no secret that playing gigs is their strength. The Nashville quartet BR5-49 (the phone number for Junior Samples’ used car lot on Hee Haw, for those wondering where the odd name comes from) is indeed one of the best live bands of the past decade. But this, their first studio record, might be their most satisfying album to date. Like their three-hour live sets, this disc strikes a healthy balance between cover tunes and original compositions by guitarists Chuck Mead and Gary Bennett, and brims with subtle pleasures. Mead especially shines here, and his tunes "Lifetime to Prove" and "Chains of This Town" are every bit as convincing as the classic honky-tonkers by Ralph Mooney and Chuck Seals ("Crazy Arms") and Mel Tillis ("Honky Tonk Song and "I Ain’t Never") that the band interprets admirably.
As vocalists, Bennett and Mead truly grasp honky-tonk inflection and emotion, and harmonize skillfully. The whip-crack sound of string whiz Don Herron, who provides steel and acoustic guitars, dobro, fiddle and mandolin, combined with rhythm men Jay McDowell on upright bass and “Hawk” Shaw Wilson on drums, is impressive. Bennett may not be quite as skilled a writer as Mead, but his two contributions, the opening "Even If It’s Wrong" and "Are You Getting Tired Of Me," are among the album's best. One of the band’s live staples, "Little Ramona (Gone Hillbilly Nuts)," is here as well, chronicling an ex-punk gone country, and confirming the band's strong sense of humor alongside such classic BR5-49 tunes as "Me ‘N’ Opie." Rock pioneer Gram Parsons is also saluted in a languid version of "Hickory Wind," with an ultimately astute and revealing re-interpretation of that underappreciated song. Posted October 22, 2006 1:05 PM | | |
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 | | |
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