| Reprieve | | Posted Wednesday, August 23, 2006 10:11:51 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | Given these tumultuous times, one would expect Ani DiFranco to confront strife head-on, but on this, her 18th album, she tunnels beneath the headlines toward deeper emotional, psychic, and institutional conflicts and causes. She begins by channeling her inner Joni Mitchell, pouring out a quartet of jazzy confessions lightly dusted with electronica, musique concrete, and keyboard drone, but urged forward by Todd Sickafoose's warm acoustic bass. His throbbing, be-bop lines are this spare but somehow atmospheric album's musical soul. As DiFranco's voice bobs and weaves around those rhythms, the personal poetry makes the politics hit harder--and vice versa. She celebrates marginalia and makes peace with a world in flux. She conveys the heat of across-the-café infatuations and grows anxious over her subconscious desires. When she locks her sights on contemporary culture, she sends a scattershot spray against celebrity cults, network news, biotechnology, Yucca Mountain, stolen elections and, of course, patriarchy. But she's a gifted enough poet and musician to keep the album from collapsing into radical rhetoric and psychobabble. The spoken-word title track begins in Hiroshima and ends in a declaration that feminism is not about equality but about "reprieve"--an amnesty from fear and hate, in other words, and an affirmation of life. In the context of a death-driven culture, her decision to bear children, "to split herself in two," becomes the most "radical thing you can do." None of her manifestos, however, would ring true if it weren't for her imaginative, even playful singing and her ever-more accomplished acoustic guitar playing, sometimes classically graceful, sometimes purely urgent. --Roy Kasten... | |
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| | | The Avalanche: Outtakes & Extras from the Illinois Album | | Posted Friday, August 18, 2006 10:11:52 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | These are tracks not used on the "Illinois" album; some songs were finished, others weren't, requiring substantial editing, arrangements and/or vocals. The centerpiece of course, is the title track, "The Avalanche", a song intended for the leading role on "Illinois", but eventually cut and placed as a bonus track on the vinyl release. Almost every song on "Illinois" has a counterpart on this outtakes release. "In his own modest way, Stevens has quietly become the master of micro over six years and five albums; his ornately detailed compositions hold a magnifying glass to the dusty ephemera in his curious scope - and, intermittently, the center creases of his US atlas" - Entertainment Weekly.... | |
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| | | Forever Changes | | Posted Tuesday, August 08, 2006 6:11:38 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | One of rock's most overlooked masterpieces, this third album by the L.A. folk-rock outfit led by inscrutable singer-songwriter Arthur Lee sounds as fresh and innovative today as it did upon its original release in 1968. With David Angel's atmospheric string and horn arrangements giving the work a conceptual underpinning, Lee explores mainstream America's penchant for paranoia ("The Red Telephone") and violence ("A House Is Not a Motel") with songs that are as sonically subtle and lilting as they are lyrically blunt and harrowing. Add two gems by Love's secret weapon, second guitarist Bryan MacLean ("Alone Again Or" and "Old Man"), and you've got one of the truly perfect albums in rock history. Rhino's deluxe reissue serves up seven bonus tracks, including outtakes, alternates, and the "Your Mind and We Belong Together"/"Laughing Stock" single. --Billy Altman... | |
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| | | Savane | | Posted Sunday, August 06, 2006 6:11:47 AM by BlogJeeves Team | | Savane, the great African guitarist and bluesman Ali Farka Touré's final solo studio album, was recorded in his native Mali toward the end of his life, when the artist knew his days were numbered. He spent his last years in his home village of Niafunké, concentrating on farming and family matters, jamming with local musicians of an evening. This impassioned, roots-drenched, mostly acoustic valedictory finds the Maestro's stalking rhythms and high-noon-at-the-crossroads, dusty desert-to-delta vocals in no less than life-summing form. "Soya" (track 5) seems to stand still in a million directions, while "Hanana Soko" (track 9) features a searing njarka fiddle spinning delirious circles around its throaty accompanying percussion. Pee Wee Ellis (sax) and Little George Sueref (harmonica) each manage to make strong impressions while adhering to the groove at hand. Afel Boucoum, a talented younger musician who has been mentioned as Touré's most likely successor (as if such a thing were possible!), graces "Njarou," the last tune. The other players are also at the top of their game, as fluttering ngoni (a West African spike lute) riffs weave in and out and airy female vocals float like a breeze off the river Niger. There are reports that Touré senior sat in on his son's upcoming album and scads of archival material will undoubtedly materialize. But his unsentimental, voluptuously masculine, spirit-guided magic is captured at its best, for all time, in this magnificent farewell. --Christina Roden... | |
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| | | James Taylor: Greatest Hits | | Posted Tuesday, August 01, 2006 4:12:04 AM by BlogJeeves Team | | James Taylor's mid-'70s departure from Warner Bros. may be one of the best things that ever happened to the label; otherwise, it might not have been in such a rush to compile his Greatest Hits, one of the company's biggest sellers ever at 11 million and counting. Taylor's style, which all but defines the word diffident, has more backbone than it's often given credit for. Here, as surprisingly complex songs like "Carolina in My Mind" (in a newly recorded version) and "Steamroller" stack up, he sounds like an artist worth spending some time with. At the least, few of his singer-songwriter cohorts came up with a melody as lovely as "Sweet Baby James." --Rickey Wright... | |
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| | | Boulevard de l'Independance | | Posted Saturday, July 29, 2006 4:11:38 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | Toumani Diabate, scion of one of Mali's oldest hereditary musical dynasties, was born into a few-centuries-worth of hard-acts-to-follow. But his output continues his father Sidiki's life-long exploration of the manifold possibilities of the kora, West Africa's glorious 21-string harp-lute. Aside from folklore-based recitals, such as New Ancient Strings with fellow kora virtuoso Ballake Sissoko, he has also released a quiver-full of genre-bursting experiments. The flamenco-infused Songhai albums, Kulanjan, with American roots master Taj Mahal, and 2005's Grammy-winning In The Heart Of The Moon with the late, great Malian guitarist Ali Farka, are only a few highlights. The present project, featuring a 50-member big band hailing from Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Côte D'Ivoire, and Guinée, can best be described as neo-trad-with-attitude. Local xylophones, plucked instruments, and percussion abut drum kits and electric bass. The string arrangements sometimes recall Zanzibar's Taarab orchestras, while the brass charts have an aggressive yet tasty swagger; you might not imagine that the kora could work as a lead instrument in such company but it does. Further graced by the astounding vocals of Kasse Mady Diabate and a mixed chorale, this is a ground-breaking and soon-to-be-legendary release. --Christina Roden... | |
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| | | Life Short Call Now | | Posted Thursday, July 27, 2006 4:11:39 AM by BlogJeeves Team | | Four decades and 29 albums into his career, Bruce Cockburn has stood for many things: flawless musicianship, activist actions, and lyrics that effortlessly flow from touching to caustic many times throughout a single CD. It is fitting, then, that Ani DiFranco makes an appearance on Life Short Call Now, as the two world-class guitar players have strong political roots, both seeking to leave legacies that extend far beyond memorable melodies in the hearts and minds of their fans. Their lushly produced duet, "See You Tomorrow," has a slight zydeco feel, the only surprise is the lack of overt political bite in the track; a subsequent Cockburn song, "Tell the Universe," more than makes up for the subtlety with its anti-Bush commentary. "Mystery" is straight-up classic Cockburn, yet the inclusion of Ron Sexsmith, Hawksley Workman, and Damhnait Doyle is not just beautiful but also clever, as it shows the genealogy linking Cockburn's effect on subsequent Canadian songwriters. Familiar sounds aside, there is a wonderfully new commonality throughout this disc: Cockburn has included a 27-piece string section whose arrangements add not just richness to songs ("Beautiful Creatures" and "This Is Baghdad"), but powerfully dark counter-melodies as well. One of the most compelling pieces falls near the CD's end: "To Fit in My Heart" somehow manages to combine his love of jazz, worldbeat, and folk music into one gorgeous, haunting melody. It is rare indeed to see such an experienced musician continue to evolve, but Cockburn has done exactly that with this new disc. --Denise Sheppard... | |
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| | | The Avalanche: Outtakes & Extras from Illinois Album | | Posted Monday, July 24, 2006 4:11:40 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | These are tracks not used on the "Illinois" album; some songs were finished, others weren't, requiring substantial editing, arrangements and/or vocals. The centerpiece of course, is the title track, "The Avalanche", a song intended for the leading role on "Illinois", but eventually cut and placed as a bonus track on the vinyl release. Almost every song on "Illinois" has a counterpart on this outtakes release. "In his own modest way, Stevens has quietly become the master of micro over six years and five albums; his ornately detailed compositions hold a magnifying glass to the dusty ephemera in his curious scope - and, intermittently, the center creases of his US atlas" - Entertainment Weekly.... | |
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| | | 40 Days | | Posted Wednesday, July 12, 2006 2:11:43 AM by BlogJeeves Team | | The Wailin' Jennys--Cara Luft, Nicky Mehta, and Ruth Moody--are three Canadian singer-songwriters with already established careers who first got together for a one-shot gig in 2002 and, to their surprise, discovered that their voices blended in an almost magical harmony. They decided to put their solo endeavors aside for a while to see where this gift would take them, and the appealing folk-pop vibe of 40 Days is the result. They perform an eclectic selection of material, including covers of John Hiatt's "Take It Down" and Neil Young's "Old Man" plus lovely versions of the old English folk songs "The Parting Glass" and "Saucy Sailor." However, it's the original songs that stand out most. As you would expect, each Jenny has a distinctive voice and writing style, but the amazing vocal harmonies help Luft's spiky, rock-inflected songs, Mehta's poetic and mysterious meditations, and Moody's lively Celtic-tinged melodies blend into a seamless whole. --Michael John Simmons... | |
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| | | Firecracker | | Posted Sunday, July 09, 2006 2:11:54 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | When Winnipeg's Wailin' Jennys recorded their debut disc, 40 Days, back in 2004, their enthusiastic fan base--cultivated in part by significant airplay from CBC Radio One--provided the young group with a fast track to fame. Their fans' praise came first, critical acclaim arrived shortly thereafter, and a 2005 Juno for Best Roots & Traditional album soon followed. Surprisingly, as opportunities arose, founding member Cara Luft left the band, expediently replaced by Annabelle Chvostek. Thankfully, the Jennys' sound is none the worse for wear, even stronger in the respect that Chvostek's deft fiddle and mandolin playing helps to further uplift their melodies, while her warm alto adds a nice touch to the three part harmonies. On this sophomore release, founding members Nicky Mehta and Ruth Moody continue in the tradition of writing songs independently, with each songwriter taking the lead on her own tracks. Moody seems to have the strongest songwriting sense: Listening to "Things That You Know" and "This Heart Of Mine" makes one yearn to hear the Dixie Chicks cover these tracks with the vocal strength and three-part power that the Wailin' girls do not have… yet. With a country edge and a Celtic lilt, Firecracker is an enjoyable listen, but those looking for edgy, O Brother-style country and alt-folk might find a better fit seeking out Gillian Welch or the Be Good Tanyas. Roots fans looking to dip their toes into easy listening-style acoustic music, however, will find this to be a fine fit. --Denise Sheppard... | |
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