Archive for May, 2009
May 31st, 2009 | 
Author: James Luther Dickinson – Dinosaurs Run In Circles – Album Review
“The notion of Jim Dickinson—sideman extraordinaire (Stones, Dylan); iconoclastic producer (Big Star, the Replacements); Memphis raconteur—cutting an album of jazz/R&B standards and obscurities may seem odd to anyone familiar with his rock-oriented projects like his 1972 solo album “Dixie Fried” or anarchic combo Mudboy & the Neutrons. But Dickinson’s nothing if not steeped in the lure and lore of the likes of Louis Jordan, Jimmy Dorsey, Johnny Mercer and Ray Charles, whose songs (or songs identified with them) are among those covered here by the Dickinson trio. The Jordan number, “Early in the Morning,” sets the tone, Dickinson unfurling lazy-hazy rolls of boogie-woogie piano and warbling in a charmingly offhand rasp. From there the listener’s transported to New Orleans, St. Louis, Seattle and other ports of musical call, ultimately winding up at, of all places, Disneyland: Try listening to the gentle take on “When You Wish Upon a Star” without misting up.”
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Great Northern – Remind Me Where The Light Is – Album Review
“If the Cranberries and the Smiths got together and had a love child, it would be Great Northern. With songs featured in TV commercials and popular videogames, the act isn’t new to the scene. “Remind Me Where the Light Is,” the band’s sophomore release, is a poignant, personal record whose only named influences are the light and the darkness. Both Solon Bixler, formerly of 30 Seconds to Mars, and Rachel Stolte let their emotions flow freely while creating the record. On “Houses,” the first single, an electric guitar outlines the darkness communicated in Stolte’s unwavering vocals. Tracks like “Fingers,” “Warning” and “Driveway” feature Bixler’s raspy vocal layered atop catchy drum beats where the melancholy mood turns optimistic by the song’s end. From out of the dark, opening track “Story” through to “33,” its optimistic closer, “Remind Me” stands to be the band’s ticket back into the light.”
Review: Moore returns with folksy `Amanda Leigh’
Mandy Moore, “Amanda Leigh” (Storefront)
Sure, Mandy Moore has grown up. She’s 25, married to singer-songwriter Ryan Adams and pushing past the teen-pop territory of her younger days, as she did on 2007′s decidedly adult “Wild Hope.”
But while her new album, “Amanda Leigh,” sparkles in places, it also shows where Moore needs to grow. The record’s tunes about love and soul-searching, co-written by Moore and Mike Viola, leader of the Candy Butchers, with help from Inara George of the Bird and the Bee, range from country-tinged folk to straight-up alt-country to songs so steeped in harpsichord and harmony, they verge on musical theater.
The songs are recorded with crisp, precise instrumentation, but the lyrics tend to rhyme too much. “I could handle your tortured heart/ Even piece it together whenever you ripped it apart,” she sings on “Love to Love Me Back.”
“I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week,” the album’s main single, is saccharine mixed with saltiness. The chorus of the up-tempo and cheesy blowoff to a guy is catchy, but silly.
At her best, Moore shows that her sweetly tinged voice can be both throaty and twangy. Songs such as “Bug” have a pleasant Joni Mitchell vibe, all clear-eyed ’70s folk.
Moore, though, could use some pointers from her hubby Adams, whose music skillfully straddles country, rock and pop without trying too hard.
CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: “Everblue,” the album’s best song, and co-written by Lori McKenna, has the kind of slow-paced groove that rolls along beautifully, letting Moore sing in a sultry croon.
K’Jon – On The Ocean – Pretty good R&B jam from a virtual unknown. 7/10
Click below to listen (not the original video)
Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard – Em Are I – Album Review
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Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard – Em Are I
“Like the medical procedure punned in the album’s title, Jeffrey Lewis’ fifth Rough Trade release is an insightful collection on which the artist takes stock of his place in the world, sorting through life’s random moments of love, loss and adventure. His songs prick up the ear with alliteration and clever wordplay—as found in the memorable meter of nursery rhymes—and are rife with sharp observation and emotional introspection. (Equally appealing is the fantastic album art, also by Lewis’ own hand.) The uptempo tracks (“Slogans,” “The Upside-Down Cross”) are invigorating with their harder guitars and drums, and Lewis’ humor abounds (“Good Old Pig, Gone to Avalon” is a paean to a swell swine), but his slower, softer, acoustic songs are the standouts. “Bugs & Flowers” is a pensive walk with thoughts on the afterlife; “To Be Objectified” ebbs and flows with longing; and in the existential “If Life Exists?,” Lewis offers a simple solution on the titular inquiry: “It’s hard to get too bored when you pick the right two chords.””
The New York Dolls – Cause I Sez So – Album Review
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The New York Dolls – Cause I Sez So
“The unlikely resurrection of the New York Dolls is solidified by this second recent album, an output that now matches in quantity and mirrors in quality their epic early-’70s sprint. Singer David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Mizrahi (previously Sylvain Sylvain) have seamlessly integrated newer members Steve Conte (guitar), Sami Yaffa (bass) and Brian Delaney (drums); Todd Rundgren returns as producer, reprising that role 36 years after driving the Dolls’ legendary debut. This is the work of rock’n'roll survivors, funky if not chic, and more rewarding for its moments of candid sadness. Johansen’s verbalized street strut—equal parts Mick Jagger’s twisting tongue and Rufus Thomas’ guttural growl—is never so pleasing as it is bent around polysyllabic rhymes invoking a “bloody mess” and “permanent apocalypse” on “Muddy Bones,” the “exacerbations, excruciations” on “Making Rain.” The original musical influences are broadly reflected in the ’66 Stones sound of “Better Than You,” the Rascals’ homage “Lonely So Long,” the “Philly soul Chicago-style” of “Nobody Got No Bizness” and the revival of the Dolls’ own “Trash.” Maturity doesn’t hurt, and the poignancy remains: “Tried to bum a cigarette—nobody smokes no more,” as Johansen sings, are the words of one bemused by a changed world in which he’ll always have a place, if not the one youthful dreams imagined.”
Ciara – Like A Surgeon – I would really like it if she stuck with what she’s got at, making dance anthems. She should stay far away from these slow tracks that make no sense. 4/10
Click below to listen (not the original video)
Plies – Plenty Money – Typical down south banger that will do well on Urban and Rhythmic radio. 6/10
Click below to listen (not the original video)
Yung L.A. feat Ricco Barrino – Futuristic Love (Elroy) – It won’t be a huge single, but it’s not a bad one either. 7/10
Click below to listen (not the original video)
