|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
  |
 |
|
USE THIS BLOG TO POST: Music Reviews |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTIST: Dolly Parton SONG/ALBUM: The Grass Is Blue GENRE: Country RATING: 8
Despite the success she’s enjoyed in Hollywood and on international tours, Dolly Parton has never really left home, or abandoned the bluegrass music that first inspired her to sing. Her love for southern string band music and tight, keening harmonies has never been entirely overshadowed by all of her achievements in pop music, television and film. Yet until the release of The Grass is Blue, Parton’s first full-length bluegrass album, recorded evidence of the singer’s devotion to music popularized by the likes of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and the Louvin Brothers has been parceled out only here and there, scattered across numerous albums that generally appeal to fans of mainstream and pop music.
On The Grass Is Blue, Parton decided to celebrate bluegrass without interruption or studio cosmetics. The musicians who greeted her in the studio were all seasoned pros -- respected pickers and singers including dobroist Jerry Douglas, mandolinist Sam Bush, fiddler Stuart Duncan and vocalist Allison Krauss. Parton brought along some of her own songs, both old and new, and soon the singer and ensemble were at work infusing an intriguing collection of tunes with the passion and spirit of bluegrass music. True, some of the songs were overhauled in the process. Billy Joel’s "Travelin’ Prayer" may seem an unlikely choice for a bluegrass album, but Parton’s adaptation works wonders, and with a little gender-bending she even manages to make the Louvin Brothers’ "Cash On The Barrelhead" sound as if it were always intended to be sung by a woman. Parton doesn’t interpret the old songs on the album so much as revel in singing them again. She takes particular delight in reprising Lester Flatt’s comical "I’m Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open," brings a haunting tone to Johnny Cash’s "I Still Miss Someone," and reaffirms her often overlooked talent as a songwriter with compelling performances of "Will He Be Waiting For Me" and "Steady As The Rain." Reflecting on the results, Parton said, “I think The Grass Is Blue is the purest thing I’ve ever done.”
Posted November 9, 2006 3:53 PM | | |
ARTIST: Kelly Willis SONG/ALBUM: What I Deserve GENRE: Country RATING: 7
What Kelly Willis deserves is a major label contract, a platinum-selling record and a rapt audience at the Grand Ole Opry. Instead, she'll have to settle for knowing that her roots-rock is often more genuine, more heartfelt and more truly country than much of what Nashville sells today. On her Rykodisc debut, What I Deserve, the Austin-based performer recruits some of alternative country's most inspired sidemen, including John Leventhal (Shawn Colvin, Rosanne Cash) and Gary Louris (The Jayhawks, Golden Smog), to add color and texture to her classic, lonesome sound. Whether singing her own tunes or interpreting those of Nick Drake, Paul Westerberg or Paul Kelly, this artist knows how to use her pipes to their fullest effect and, just as importantly, knows when to lay back. The result is an album that blends retro twang with an amped-up blast of folk-rock, all delivered without the slightest hint of irony.
Posted November 9, 2006 3:47 PM | | |
ARTIST: Beth Nielsen Chapman SONG/ALBUM: Sand & Water GENRE: Folk RATING: 7
In the title track, songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman crystallizes a lifetime of knowledge in a few simple lines: “All alone I came into this world / All alone I will someday die / Solid stone is just sand and water, baby / Sand and water, and a million years gone by.” The songs on Sand & Water give voice to a full spectrum of human experience, from the most exhilarating flights of joy, to the strongest undertow of grief. A few years before recording this album, Chapman was enjoying a flurry of commercial success as the composer behind such country hits as Tanya Tucker’s "Strong Enough to Bend," Willie Nelson’s "Nothin’ I Can Do About It Now," Lorrie Morgan’s "Five Minutes" and Trisha Yearwood’s "You Say You Will." She’d also scored a string of adult contemporary hits with her own recordings, including the singles "In The Time It Takes" and "The Moment You Were Mine." Then, in 1994, her world fell apart when her husband, Ernest, died of cancer. On this brave collection of reminiscences, Chapman transformed that tragedy into a life-affirming album that ranges from the upbeat "Happy Girl" to the devastatingly honest "Seven Shades of Blue." She’s joined on the album by guests Michael McDonald and Bonnie Raitt, with the talented Rodney Crowell serving as the project’s producer.
“The songs on this album reflect many stages of grief and healing for me,” said Chapman. “I hope this music will touch a chord with others who have lost a loved one,” she adds. “In my experience, there is no way around grief, only the way through to the other side.” On Sand & Water, Chapman offers solace, hope, and ultimately uplifting music for life’s long journey.
Posted November 9, 2006 2:50 PM | | |
ARTIST: Lisa McCormick SONG/ALBUM: Right Now GENRE: Pop RATING: 7
For Lisa McCormick, many years of hard work paid off out of the blue when ‘70s folk-rock legend Jonathan Edwards stepped into a tiny club where she was playing and happened to catch her show. Two weeks later, he called to offer her a contract with his label, Rising Records. And McCormick’s sometimes rocky path to success suddenly got a bit smoother. With Right Now, this New England-based singer/songwriter drew rave reviews. Produced by Edwards, Right Now gets much of its smooth, polished sound from a top-notch cast of back-up players, including guitarist Duke Levine from Mary Chapin Carpenter’s band. Edwards also pitches in on lead guitar, percussion, harmonica, mandolin and backing vocals. But overall, it’s McCormick’s powerful voice and disarmingly honest lyrics that command the listener's attention.
By her song titles alone -- "Sex and Consequences," "Gotta Go," "Bored," "Cars, Cars, Cars, Relationships" -- it’s clear McCormick is adept at tackling both the big issues and minor set-backs of everyday life with equal doses of humor and grace. Says the artist: “Honesty, inquisitiveness and a sense of humor are primary tools in my work as a performer.” McCormick proves that successfully on this impressive collection. Posted November 9, 2006 2:41 PM | | |
ARTIST: Johnny Mathis SONG/ALBUM: Merry Christmas GENRE: Pop RATING: 8
Posed in front of a painted winter backdrop and decked out like a skier, Johnny Mathis looked like a fresh-faced kid when his first holiday album cover was photographed. In fact, Mathis was only 23-years-old when he recorded Merry Christmas with the Percy Faith Orchestra in 1958, one year after he'd become the biggest selling pop vocalist in the U.S. Listening to this record, it's easy to understand his phenomenal success. His trademark sound -- soaring range, amazing breath control, a violin-like tone, and clipped, perfect enunciation -- makes his voice the ideal instrument for these holiday standards. And his choice of material is impeccable. "The Christmas Song" may be most closely identified with Nat King Cole, but Mathis' version could hardly be more lovely. When his breathy, hushed vocals glide up and down the melody without a hint of effort, the effect is soothing and sublime. On "I'll Be Home For Christmas," his voice floats over a gauzy string section and imparts a dreamy sense of longing to the lyrics. And on "O Holy Night," as the music builds into a glorious crescendo, Mathis delivers the concluding lines with as much power, control and passion as opera's greatest tenors. Posted November 9, 2006 2:32 PM | | |
ARTIST: David Massengill SONG/ALBUM: The Return GENRE: Folk RATING: 7
For David Massengill, songwriting is an "exercise in wishful thinking, and a way to find meaning and steadfastness in the midst of uncertainty. A lot of my songs are about the way I want the world to be, and that’s very satisfying thing," says the soft-spoken Tennessee native whose tunes have been performed by such artists as Joan Baez, The Roches and Nanci Griffith. On his second album, The Return, this unassuming veteran of the '70s New York folk scene steps up to the microphone and demonstrates why his insightful story songs have won him such a loyal cult following.
The follow up to his 1992 debut, Comin' Up for Air, this album features Massengill singing and playing his trademark dulcimer on 12 tracks, with guest vocals supplied by The Roches, Jane Siberry, Howard Jones and Suzanne Vega. The tunes range from "Rider On An Orphan Train," which details a young boy’s separation from his brother, to the title track, an updated retelling of the story of Noah’s ark. Throughout, Massengill uses a warm, low key style to deliver songs that blend simple craftsmanship with larger philosophical meanings. "I've found over the years that you have to have personal satisfaction with what you're doing, because careers go up and down and some years are better than others," he muses. After honing his skills for nearly three decades, this singer/songwriter brings a newcomer's innocence and fresh perspective to his underrated music.
Posted November 9, 2006 2:28 PM | | |
ARTIST: Guy Lombardo SONG/ALBUM: Enjoy Yourself: The Hits of Guy Lombardo GENRE: Pop RATING: 7
Where will you be this New Year's Eve -- out battling the millennium throngs, or at home, safely barricaded behind closed doors? Should you choose the latter, why not spend time with Mr. New Year's Eve himself, Guy Lombardo, whose performances of "Auld Lange Syne" were themselves a classic tradition for more than half a century? On Enjoy Yourself: The Hits Of Guy Lombardo, the band leader and His Royal Canadians play their signature song with all the panache you'd expect them to have after fifty years of practice. But one tune alone isn't enough to justify an entire album.
While, the other 15 songs may not be as well known to today's listeners, they were some of the most popular recordings of their time. "Red Sails In The Sunset," "Seems Like Old Times," "Harbor Lights" and other tracks evoke a much more innocent age, when couples took to the dance floor without hint of the turmoil that lay ahead. Sure, this album sounds dated. Sometimes, though, that's comforting. Guy Lombardo's style is nothing like the pop music of today. It's quaint, it's hopelessly square, and it's totally devoid of trendiness. But that's what makes it so special. This record sounds as if it's being played on an old Victrola in your grandparents' living room. Posted November 9, 2006 2:12 PM | | |
ARTIST: Nanci Griffith SONG/ALBUM: Blue Roses From The Moons GENRE: Folk RATING: 6
Rolling Stone once crowned her "the Queen of Folkabilly." Her five Grammy nominations also bear witness to her music's unaffected beauty and simple charms. With more than a dozen outstanding albums behind her, country-folk songwriter Nanci Griffith celebrated life on the road with Blue Roses From The Moons, a sparkling collection of 14 tunes that pay tribute to her folk and rock-and-roll beginnings. "I wanted to do an album that would really capture the sound of the Blue Moon Orchestra and would mark the years we've been together as a band," says Griffith, whose highly literate lyrics and disarming vocals have won her legions of followers. "I'd also been hearing from our fans that they'd love to have another live album, which we hadn't done since 1988, so this covers all that," she adds. "We recorded live in the studio with almost no overdubs, and a lot of these songs are first takes."
A Texas-born troubadour, Griffith was able to capture an off-the-cuff immediacy by recording with current and former members of her touring band, then adding Buddy Holly's legendary back-up band, The Crickets, to the mix. As Griffith trades vocals with Sonny Curtis on his rollicking '60s classic, "I Fought The Law," the fun of those studio sessions is unmistakable. "Other than the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show, that's Sonny's best known song," she says, "and we just had to do it with The Crickets." In contrast, her duet with Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish, brings a new level of intensity to the haunting "Gulf Coast Highway," a ballad that's long been a highlight of her live shows. The album also debuts nine Griffith originals and, in keeping with her finely-tuned instincts for great songwriting, includes distinctive cover versions of Nick Lowe and Guy Clark songs. Blue Roses For The Moons marks a milestone of sorts for Griffith and her band mates and, in the end, serves as a souvenir of their still-growing musical collaboration.
Posted November 9, 2006 1:57 PM | | |
ARTIST: Valerie Ghent SONG/ALBUM: Unstoppable GENRE: Pop RATING: 5
As soon as you hear her music, you'll know Valerie Ghent is a product of her environment. Born and raised in Greenwich Village, Ghent's thoroughly downtown sensibility colors every track of Unstoppable, the debut release from this keyboard virtuoso and studio wizard who's worked with some of the biggest names in the business, from R&B legends Ashford & Simpson, to avant-garde composer Laurie Anderson. For her first solo project, Ghent decided to take complete control of the reins, founding her own record label and assembling much of the album in her home studio. She also wrote, arranged, performed and recorded these 11 songs with longtime friend, Jimmy Biondolillo, co-producing. "We didn't really have the finances to record basic tracks in a 'real' studio," she says. "So Jimmy pushed me to record as much as possible right here, where there was no pressure. Later on, I traded many hours of engineering time to gain access to outside studios, where I could record my vocals and add the guitar, bass and drum overdubs."
Those touches, plus the evocative accompaniment of a Russian accordionist on one track, are proof that Ghent has learned an important musical truism: that technology is most effective when it's paired with skilled performers and genuine human emotion. "Jimmy encouraged me to do much of this album myself and, most importantly, to have fun doing it," she says. And that's what ultimately comes through -- a spirit of self-reliance and exuberant creative freedom. After years as a sought-after behind-the-scenes player, Ghent finally stepped forward here to showcase her own considereable talent as a solo artist.
Posted November 9, 2006 1:51 PM | | |
ARTIST: Natalie Cole SONG/ALBUM: Stardust GENRE: Pop RATING: 8
Sure, there are great songs being written today. But when composers like Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and Hoagy Carmichael were at their peak, the music they created seemed spun from an ethereal gauze -- a luminous combination of elegant lyrics and unforgettable melodies that held fast against trends and time. Natalie Cole knows the appeal of those classic songs firsthand. The daughter of jazz great Nat King Cole, she grew up in a household filled with music, where legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Harry Belafonte were frequent guests. Cole pays tribute here to that golden age of songwriting on Stardust, a 19-song collection of impeccable standards. It’s a chance she’s long savored, and an opportunity to wrap her voice around some of the best songs ever written. “All of these songs have a wonderful ambiance to them,” she says. “They kind of give you that warm feeling of someone putting their arms around you.”
In 1991, her critically acclaimed tribute to her father, Unforgettable, With Love, easily topped all of her previous successes. Her gorgeous time-travel duet with her father on the title track propelled the album’s sales over the 9 million mark and netted seven Grammy awards. Here, she’s recreated that stunning cross-generational effect with a second father-daughter collaboration on the lovely ballad, "When I Fall In Love." Whether crooning a half forgotten gem that she’s rescued from near-obscurity ("Where I Go Without You"), or bringing new life to a familiar chestnut ("Let’s Face The Music And Dance"), Cole is never overshadowed by the innate beauty of these tunes. Posted November 9, 2006 1:22 PM | | |
ARTIST: Ulli SONG/ALBUM: Ageless Guitar Solos GENRE: Folk RATING: 6
Ulli plays classical guitar, but he's no purist. On Ageless Guitar Solos, he's combined his own compositions with finger-picking standards of the last thirty years by Alex de Grassi, Leo Kottke, and Davy Graham. Although Ulli has the mastery to play Bach and Scarlatti, the album's "classical'' selection is Mason Williams's 1968 hit, "Classical Gas." Ulli eliminates the orchestral part of the original version, though. With guitar playing this lucid, no symphonic embroidery is necessary. "There were only two ways to hear good guitar music produced between 10 and 25 years ago,'' Ulli explains. "You could either resort to listening to your scratchy old records or buy an expensive enhanced-sound, re-issued CD. With this in mind, there was nothing better to do for a guitarist than to go into a studio and digitally record these pieces anew.'' The German guitar prodigy (whose full name is Ulli Bogershausen) has been playing onstage since he was 11, and has experience performing both with rock bands and as a solo artist in the Berlin folk-music scene.
Although Ageless Guitar Solos was his American debut, he had previously released eight albums in Europe. That wealth of experience and breadth of taste is evident on Ageless Guitar Solos, whose selections range from folk-influenced to jazzy. Ulli's style is confident and crystalline, whether he's playing material rooted in American folk (Leo Kottke's "The Fisherman"), new age (Alex De Grassi's "Children's Dance"), British folk (Davy Graham's "Angie") or Brazilian jazz (Werner Lammerhirt's "Samba on a Quiet Sunday"). Although Ulli can give folk material an appropriate twang, the guitarist’s tone is most notable for its luminous clarity. His playing evokes sunlight playing on water or refracted through gems. Rendered with the precision of a diamond cutter, his intricate guitar work shimmers and glows. Ulli's dedication to preserve his favorite solo guitar work didn't prevent him from including five of his own pieces on the album, and it's good that it didn't. From the jazzy "(I Don't Know) What Is Happening" to the neo-baroque "Certainly Maybe," these selections demonstrate that Ulli's own compositions are as elegant as his playing. Posted November 8, 2006 3:55 PM | | |
ARTIST: Scott Sympathy SONG/ALBUM: Unfinished Sympathy GENRE: Folk RATING: 6
Scott Bradshaw knows that the music of his band/alter ego, Scott B. Sympathy, is not for everyone. After all, he named one of his albums Neil Yonge Street, a joke that's likely to produce a chuckle only in his hometown of Toronto, where the main drag is Yonge (pronounced “Young”) Street. “We don't play the type of music that can be hyped, or that the industry can build a buzz on to get the kids out,” the singer/songwriter declares. Instead, Bradshaw plays the type of music that grows and lasts. The songs on Unfinished Sympathy are the sort that could have been written any time since the folk boom began 40 years ago, and can be played as long as listeners appreciate catchy melodies, insightful lyrics and a distinctive sensibility. Some of these songs would probably find a good home in Nashville, an affinity that's underlined by twangy banjo and weeping slide guitar. Bradshaw's version of Gary White's "Long Long Time," which audaciously mixes a beatbox shuffle, jazz bass and a string section, practically orders a beer for you to cry in. You might be tempted to light up a cigarette too, until the singer starts to contemplate life "Beyond The Nicotine."
Singing about life as much as unhealthy substances, he admits “maybe I've had enough.” Despite titles like "Downhearted" and "What Went Wrong," however, Unfinished Sympathy is not all minor-key regrets. A tune like "Unbroken," with its gutbucket bass, reverb-heavy guitar and banging piano, is grown-up rock 'n' roll, with mature vision but exuberant energy. Bradshaw's style may not make sense to fans of the latest electronic or industrial sounds, but it should connect to those who prefer music that shows a trace of humanity. In fact, when such listeners hear first-rate songs like "Light Expose" and "Save Me Too," Unfinished Sympathy just might be the kind of album that generates a buzz. Also recommend: Gillian Welch, Hell Among the Yearlings; Blue Rodeo Casino; Neil Young, Old Ways.
Posted November 8, 2006 3:42 PM | | |
ARTIST: Prairie Oyster SONG/ALBUM: Blue Plate Special GENRE: Country RATING: 5
There are lots of ways to reinvent country music, but one of the most effective is simply not to change its classic sound at all. That's what Prairie Oyster does on Blue Plate Special, an album of twelve songs that would sound just right on the jukebox in any roadside diner. This Canadian sextet first got together more than thirty years ago, and didn't release its first album until 1986. Although little known in the United States, the group won six consecutive “Band of the Year” honors at Canada's Big Country Awards. Most members of Prairie Oyster hail from the Toronto area, but their music has the lonesome, melancholy sound associated with the wide open spaces of Texas, or maybe Alberta. On songs like, "If My Broken Heart Would Ever Mend," Dennis Delorme's pedal steel guitar whistles like the wind across tall grass. Blue Plate Special includes a country-swing version of Roger Miller's "In the Summertime (You Don't Want My Love)," a song that's been in the band's repertoire almost since the beginning.
The album's other songs, however, sound like country standards -- they're actually Prairie Oyster originals, but manage to recapture, rather than merely mimic, the true spirit and style of classic country music. With three principal songwriters in the group, Prairie Oyster had an unusual depth and diversity in its material. "Unbelievable Love" evokes the good-natured drive of '50s rhythm ‘n’ blues, while "One Way Truck" has the chugging rhythm of early Johnny Cash, and "There She Goes" is as plaintive as vintage Roy Orbison. Despite its many echoes of old-time country, Blue Plate Special is not a museum piece. In such songs as "Long Gone Daddy," inspired by today's growing ranks of single mothers, the band's style is entirely up-to-date. As Prairie Oyster plays it, traditional country has never sounded more timely.
Posted November 8, 2006 3:34 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 | | |
ARTIST: Kathy Mattea SONG/ALBUM: The Innocent Years GENRE: Country RATING: 5
A number of different styles can be heard on Kathy Mattea's, The Innocent Years: country, of course, but also folk, gospel, soul and even some reggae. Yet the singer has no difficulty pinpointing the crucial ingredient. "I think there's more of me on this album than on any other album I've made," she said shortly after its release. Country music used to prize the mature performer with a hard-won perspective, but these days younger singers with pre-fab sounds dominate the charts. As a mature performer, Mattea may not be as marketable as she once was, but The Innocent Years is among her strongest efforts. The album was made during a difficult time for the singer. She interrupted the recording several times because both of her parents were seriously ill. When she finally went back to work, the experience changed her idea of what her music should be about. "I spent a lot of time thinking about what's important to me," Mattea explains. "I think this is an album about those things. It's an album of 'if not now, when?'" Although Mattea had a hand in writing only two of its songs, the album is notably personal. The singer chose the material to create an overall mood, ultimately rejecting half a dozen tunes that were originally set for the album. "If I felt like I was doing it from my head and not my heart, I dropped it," she said. The only mood-breaker is a playful honky-tonk tune, "B.F.D.," which Mattea placed at the end of the album.
The sound of the disc, which Mattea co-produced, is not as stark as its spirit. The lilting "Trouble With Angels" includes a reggae bass line and a soulful backup chorus. Yet the most important influence probably comes from confessional singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. Mattea may not write many of her songs, but The Innocent Years still speaks from her heart. Posted November 8, 2006 3:05 PM | | |
ARTIST: Ron Sexsmith SONG/ALBUM: Other Songs GENRE: Pop RATING: 7
On Other Songs, Canadian songwriter Ron Sexsmith’s impeccable sense of melody makes it impossible to stop humming these tunes, despite their unassuming presentation. But this collection, a follow-up to his equally impressive debut, also confirms his standing as an insightful lyricist who, like the best painters, can depict emotionally complicated scenarios with a few simple brush strokes. An unabashed fan of '60s and '70s radio, his knack for buoyant pop can be heard on "Nothing Good" and other upbeat tracks. But much of the album is rendered in a subdued palette of muted horns and mournful steel guitar, a contrast that makes the optimistic tone of songs such as "Thinly Veiled Disguise" and "It Never Fails" even more affecting. And on his most delicate tunes, such as "April After All," a hushed lullaby, or "Pretty Little Cemetery," a meditation on life’s transience, Sexsmith’s winsome, vulnerable vocals challenge us to lean in and listen closely to observations that quietly unfold like an epiphany. Also recommended: Nick Drake - Way To Blue: An Introduction To Nick Drake; Chet Baker - The Best Of Chet Baker; Elvis Costello - The Very Best of Elvis Costello and The Attractions.
Posted October 28, 2006 2:04 PM | | |
ARTIST: Alison Krauss SONG/ALBUM: Forget About It GENRE: Country RATING: 8
Alison Krauss knows how to turn up the energy. As fans of the country/ bluegrass sensation will testify, Krauss' fiery fiddling and Appalachian-tinged vocals can electrify an audience and transform even the stuffiest concert hall into a hoe-down. But there's another side to this Grammy-winning performer, one she finally allowed herself to explore more fully on Forget About It, her eighth album. A seasoned music veteran at 26, Krauss turned her formidable talent inward here and delved into complex emotional terrain on this, perhaps her most mature release. With only a handful of hushed, acoustic instruments behind her, she uses her exquisite vocal skills to create a quietly moving collection of tunes. Each track resonates with longing and regret, until the cumulative effect is a tour de force of subtlety and grace. "When you possess a great pop voice, it's inevitable that you'll someday make a pop album," wrote music journalist Geoffrey Himes of Forget About It, "and Alison Krauss has finally made hers."
Whether on "Stray," the gently pleading opening track, or "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference," a gorgeous rendition of Todd Rundgren's poignant ballad, Krauss draws us in and allows us to share her most reflective moments. The album closes with the lovely country waltz, "Dreaming Of You," with dobro specialist Jerry Douglas adding a mournful twang to the tight harmonies of Lyle Lovett and Dolly Parton. Soulful, sad and broodingly beautiful, this is one album you're not likely to forget about.
Posted October 28, 2006 1:48 PM | | |
ARTIST: Bela Fleck SONG/ALBUM: Live Art GENRE: Folk RATING: 8
Some things have to be experienced live. The music of Bela Fleck, whose imagination leads him on incredible flights of fancy, definitely falls into that category. A banjo player who’s completely redefined our concept of the instrument, Fleck and his band the Flecktones have astounded thousands of concert audiences with their wildly improvisational performances. Five years’ worth of those concerts have been condensed onto Live Art, a double album that captures the best moments from many of the band's most unforgettable shows. Along with Victor Wooten on bass and Future Man on synth-axe drumitar (an electronic hybrid of his own invention), Fleck is joined on these 20 tracks by fellow travelers Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis and Bruce Hornsby. Also along for the ride are two of his former bandmates from New Grass Revival -- Sam Bush on mandolin, and vocalist John Cowan, who performs a killer version of The Beatles’ "Oh Darling." Despite the sophistication of his music, Fleck never forgets that every performance is a dialogue between artist and audience, and that the give-and-take between musician and listener can trigger the unexpected. "Since our music is very complex, we need to make it fun for people," Fleck has said. "The humor also reflects the personalities of the musicians, whose joyfulness comes out in performance. Music can be a very emotionally deep experience, and it can also be a playful game. It’s nice to find all of that in one group."
For the uninitiated, here’s a chance to experience some of the most impeccable musicianship you’ve ever heard. And for those fortuante enough to have been to these shows, here’s proof, once and for all, that the music really was as good as you thought it was.
Posted October 28, 2006 1:23 PM | | |
ARTIST: Marlene Dietrich SONG/ALBUM: The Cosmopolitan Marlene Dietrich GENRE: Pop RATING: 6
Ernest Hemingway probably never set out to write a record review, but he inadvertently penned the perfect sound bite to describe Marlene Dietrich. "She also has that beautiful body and the timeless loveliness of her face," he wrote of the German femme fatale. "But if she had nothing but her voice, she could still break your heart with it." And break our hearts, she does, on The Cosmopolitan Marlene Dietrich, part of Columbia / Legacy's fascinating Art Deco CD series. Immortalized in such screen classics as The Blue Angel, Dietrich was a thinking person's sex symbol whose husky Teutonic tones were thick with innuendo. In his insightful liner notes, writer Will Friedwald describes the screen legend as "perhaps the first performance artist," and then concedes that "psychology and seduction are far more important tools to her than the ability to hit notes." It's true: she's not a musical virtuoso. But her imperfections merely add shading to her complex character. One minute, she sounds like an exhausted but still defiant Berlin cabaret singer on "Lili Marlene." Then, on "Falling In Love Again," she appears adrift on a sea of her own emotions, too weak to stem her heart's tide. Redolent of cigarette smoke and dark German beer, this CD evokes the heady thrill of sexual tension, the gloom of existential angst, and the unbearable pain of unrequited love.
Posted October 28, 2006 1:16 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 | | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
