WFHB Music - Bloomington Community Radio: November 2005

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Monday, November 28

reggae (3), int'l (2), alt (1), hip-hop (1)

hi all--

a chunk of stuff coming in this afternoon (monday):

Date: 28 Nov 2005 Label: VP
Artist: Junior Kelly
Title: Tough Life
Genre: reggae
Grade: A

There's nothing like a talented singjay to renew your faith in modern reggae music, and Junior Kelly is made to order in that department. His latest finds him continuing to develop his signature style, a roots-oriented yet sonically modern mix of cultural and lovers elements. The album opens powerfully with the energetically sung title track (01), admonishes his own brethren on "Rasta Should Be Deeper" (03) and shows considerable vocal prowess on "Receive" (04). The album's finest moment comes on a gorgeous combination track, a DJ cut of J.C. Lodge's "Somebody Loves You," here titled "Love You Like That" (05). It's hard to say which is more thrilling about that song -- Kelly's own fully committed performance or Lodge's seemingly ageless voice. "Not I" (09) and the unusually rockish "Youths Dem Nah Cool" (10) are also solid winners, as is the jazzy and funky "Jam for a While" (13). Highly recommended. (4 stars)

Choice Cuts: 05, 01, 04, 08, 13, 10
Reviewer: Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Date: 28 Nov 2005 Label: VP
Artist: Warrior King
Title: Hold the Faith
Genre: reggae
Grade: B+

Of the two VP releases we got this week, I (and I) must admit I am less enamored with this one. Nothing bad—well, “Education” (13) is pretty bad—but just no fizz. Still, “Judgement Day” (05) and “They Don’t Know” (12) are solid places to start with this latest release from Warrior King.

Choice Cuts: 05, 12, 04, 09, 02
Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Date: 28 Nov 2005 Label: Bossa Nova
Artist: Yashmin Charnet-Abler
Title: Jobim, etc.
Genre: int’l
Grade: B

Acoustic bossa nova with female vocals—a winning formula, but one that requires a little more sparkle than Charnet-Abler can muster to really make you sit up and notice. Smooth and sweet, the overall impression is, well, pleasant. Try the lead track, “Só tinha de ser com você” (01) for an upbeat number, or “Dindi” (09) for a quieter cut. Avoid the English-language tracks.

Choice Cuts: 01, 09, 08, 04
Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Date: 28 Nov 2005 Label: EMI
Artist: Bebe
Title: Pafuera Telarañas
Genre: int’l / latin
Grade: A

It took about a year for Bebe's debut, Pafuera Telarañas, to get the attention it deserves. A colorful, creative, and catchy album that brazenly defies gender stereotypes as they exist in the Spanish-speaking world, Pafuera Telarañas shot from near-obscurity to become one of the most talked-about Latin albums of the year when it notched five Grammy nominations for the singer/songwriter, far and away the most nominations for any artist. Award hype aside, Pafuera Telarañas doesn't really fit neatly into any existing stylistic category -- alternative singer/songwriter dance-pop with a feminist-flamenco flair, perhaps? At its core, this is a dance-pop album, but with its incredible range of rhythms, sounds, and styles as well as its well-written, outspoken lyrics, there's significant depth, enough to make it radio-ready while also tickling the ears of discerning listeners looking for substance in addition to spice. (4 stars)

Choice Cuts: 14, 15, 02, 05, 03
Reviewer: Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Date: 28 Nov 2005 Label: Island
Artist: Bob Marley & The Wailers
Title: Africa Unite: The Singles Collection
Genre: reggae
Grade: A-

What will generate some interest in this collection, essentially a collection of Bob Marley’s Island singles with a handful of his Lee "Scratch" Perry-era tracks added in, is the inclusion of a "new" song, "Slogans" (19), derived from a demo tape made in a Miami hotel room in 1979. The demo tape was rediscovered in 2003 by Marley's sons Ziggy and Stephen, who then worked to finish the song, calling in Eric Clapton and Marcia Ball, among others, to help with the process. The other two "new" tracks here are remixes, one by the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am of "Africa Unite" (18) and the other by Ashley Beedle, who grafts Marley and Peter Tosh's "Get Up, Stand Up" to Damian Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" to create the atmospheric "Stand Up Jamrock" (20). Aside from the "new" material, Africa Unite: The Singles Collection offers up early Lee "Scratch" Perry gems like the still striking "Soul Rebel" (01), as well as strong tracks from Marley's Island period, including the original version of "Get Up, Stand Up" (06) and the majestic "Exodus" (09). ( 3 ½ stars )

“New” Stuff: 19, 20, 18 Old Faves: 01, 06, 09, 02
Reviewer: Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

Date: 28 Nov 2005 Label: Chocolate Industries
Artist: Lady Sovereign
Title: Vertically Challenged
Genre: hip-hop / RPM
Grade: A

CMJ cover-girl Lady Sovereign is a 5-foot MC from London, geared to make a stateside splash. The comparisons with M.I.A. are fair (and mutually complementary): drop “Random” (01) and watch the sparks fly. This 8-track EP includes several remixes that might be of more interest to specialty programmers. Vertically Challenged points the way to a full-on 2006 assault from the S.O.V. Can’t wait.

Choice Cuts: 01, 05, 06, 03
Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Date: 28 Nov 2005 Label: Sire / Mute
Artist: Depeche Mode
Title: Playing The Angel
Genre: Alt-Indie?
Grade: A

There's no doubt this time: Playing the Angel is both the band's best album since Violator and, more significantly, an album that is near Violator in stature. Musically, a lot of analog gear was used, and it's apparent that the arrangements and extra sounds were less fussed over than they have been in the recent past. You get the sense that everything fell into place, as opposed to being forced or aimlessly manipulated. Despite the favoring of older gear, there's no other year in which any of the songs could've been made. Like the best Depeche Mode, almost everything on the album will make an initial wowing impact while remaining layered enough in subtle details to surprise and thrill with repeated listens. It is not the kind of album a 25-year-old band is supposed to make.

Choice Cuts: 02, 05, 03, 01, 07, 04
Reviewer: Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

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Sunday, November 27

Blues-New CDs: Blakey, Hanck, & Holt

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Blakey, Doc -- "The Blues Never Hurt So Good" (Doc Blakey Ifgam Rec) -- B
Blues guitarist Blakey offers fluid chops and the backup of Allman Bros. organist Johnny Neal, as well as talented backup personnel on this big-band sounding disc of blues. Instrumentalism is good though Blakey's guitar sound leans to the treble end (a la Albert King). Big horns and organ support with mediocre singing. Not bad, not that great for early mix shows.
# 4 and # 10 -- FCC warning "Shit" and pretty suggestive.

Hanck, Terry -- "Night Train" (T. Hanck & TVR Music) -- A-
Tenor sax player with real guts and a husky voice laden with soul make this record work. Starting out very strong and fading a little as the disc progresses, Hanck shows his experience as support player for Elvin Bishop, Etta James, etc. Gutsy--love that sax. He does some nice beat change-ups too. Would love to see this live.

Holt, David -- "Let It Slide" (High Windy Audio) -- A
Banjoist David Holt found a new door to music and life upon the death of his young daughter by taking up slide steel guitar. With the help of Doc Watson and Sam Bush (both who appear on the disc with him), Holt puts out some GREAT slide work and original songwriting. Nice work. Doc and Sam don't hurt at all. All cuts good for morning mix.

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Wednesday, November 23

WFHB ADDS FOR 11/22/05

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ATE:11/21/05
ARTIST:Wilco
TITLE: Kicking Television (Nonesuch)
GENRE: rock/alt
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: A live album is, first and foremost, an album: a simulacrum of reality, not the thing itself. Yes, Virginia, studio enhancements are as old as the form, but the presentation extends to which songs are chosen, which banter snippeted, and indeed, even which phase of a performer's career gets chosen for immortalization. This distinction between art and archive is a crucial one for Wilco, as each of the band's albums has represented a progression, or at least a transition-- a unified statement of the group's identity at the moment that it was recorded. Kicking Television: Live in Chicago, a 2xCD live album recorded last year in the Second City's Vic Theatre, is no exception. In its 10+ years of existence, Jeff Tweedy's post-Tupelo project has cycled through several lineups and styles: alt-country, Beach Boys-splashed Americana, Radioheaded abstraction. Then, after 2002 masterpiece Yankee Hotel Foxtrot came last year's confusingly lateral move to listener-unfriendly classic-rock, A Ghost Is Born; "I will turn on you," Tweedy sang in "I'm a Wheel". The tables turn again with Kicking Television, which casts its predecessor's songs in hotter light and serves as a coming-out party for Wilco's newest, six-member incarnation: a drinking man's avant-jam band.Where I work, "continuous improvement" is part of the mission statement, and hey it's apparent in Tweedy's guitar soloing, as well. Both he and Nels Cline torture their six-strings as if the Vic were a covert U.S. detainee camp in Eastern Europe: piercing the infernal night in "Hell Is Chrome", cavorting Grateful Deadward on "Handshake Drugs", and sprawling across the dark center of the universe over the Neu!-like drone of "Spiders (Kidsmoke)", which reinvigorates the studio version and is the release's crowning achievement. So this is what A Ghost Is Born is supposed to sound like.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: CD1: 1,5,7,11,12 CD2: 1,2,3,6,8
FCC: CD1 3 (shit)
REVIEWER: excerpt from Mark Hogan's review, pitchforkmedia.com

DATE:11/21/05
ARTIST:Dave's True Story
TITLE: Simple Twist of Fate (Bepop)
GENRE: folk/ss
GRADE: B+
REVIEW: Not the most original idea (covering a batch of Dylan), but a good one in the hands of DTS. Pretty straight-forward in interpretation, this production shows the strong vocal skills of Kelly Flint and strong groove skills of Dave Cantor.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,4,5,6 (the “radio edits” save a little time but are not preferred)
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/21/05
ARTIST:Mick Harvey
TITLE: One Man's Treasure (Mute)
GENRE: folk/ss
GRADE: A
REVIEW: It's hard to imagine that One Man's Treasure could be anyone's trash. The first proper solo release from the multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, best known for his tenure alongside Nick Cave-dating way back to the days of the Birthday Party-is at all times haunting, lovely and lush. The Cave-penned "Come Into My Sleep" (a Boatman's Call B-side) launches the album and Mick Harvey, propelling the obvious talent away from sidekick association into a stratosphere all his own. Melancholy and other characteristics are shared with Harvey's lanky comrade, but OMT crafts a sound entirely its own: a collection of small, personal gems. All but two of the dozen tracks are covers, dotting a familiar path between Lee Hazlewood, Scott Walker and Tim Buckley, and then Harvey does his idols justice with his own songs-soaring, lovely odes to some of the bigger themes, like love and soul searching.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,4,5,8,9,11
REVIEWER: Zach Bloom harpmagazine.com

DATE: 11/21/05
ARTIST:Imogen Heap
TITLE: Speak for Yourself (RCA)
GENRE: rock/alt
GRADE: A
REVIEW:Since her stop-in-your-tracks 2002 Frou Frou release, Details, Imogen Heap has been growing on the radar of indie, rock, pop and electronica fans alike. The 2005 release of her long-winded and hard won solo album, Speak For Yourself, sees Heap burgeoning with flavour and inspiration: her baleful single "Let Go" appeared in Zach Braff's critically acclaimed film Garden State, and "Hide and Seek," from Speak For Yourself, was the billowing epitaph to the second season of the musically high-brow TV drama, The OC. Speak For Yourself vanquishes any inkling of doubt in either Heap's music or style. "Headlock" winds Heap's signature croon around a tappy staccato pulse, with some oompa-loompah character burping out background vocals. "Goodnight and Go" and "Loose Ends" are probably the albums poppiest tracks, although these still burst with Heap's mingling layers of electronica. "Have You Got It In You", hearkens back the most to Details, although it simmers in the added edge of Heap's self-production. "I Am In Love With You" is irresistible: deadly simple and surprisingly sophisticated, while "The Moment I Said It" warms slowly and effortlessly. The winner of this album is, of course, "Hide and Seek", a coarse and mirrored a capella proclamation, and a testament to Heap's wide vocal, musical and production abilities. This is the kind of track that you stay in your car to finish, the kind that makes you stop what you're doing and stare into the stereo. What brings Imogen Heap her well-deserved acclaim is an uncompromising style and a unique understanding of sound. Speak For Yourself not only adds repute to an already remarkable discography, but builds into her musical geology, in her own way: layer upon layer of sound.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,3,4,5,10,12
REVIEWER: Megan M. Retka londonnet.co.uk

DATE: 11/21/05
ARTIST:Bobby Bare
TITLE: The Moon Was Blue (Dualtone)
GENRE: country
GRADE: A
REVIEW: The Moon Was Blue sounds like a record made by a man who hasn't been absent from the public forum for decades. At 70 years old, Bare discloses an accountable consequence when he sings. His voice is weighted, moves in a predictable gait, fraying and searing on the edges. It's not exactly extraordinary, but, like Johnny Cash's voice in his later years, it's confident and powerful as a mortal instrument. You can hear the tatters of whimsy flutter in his reading of Shel Silverstein's "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan"; his throat's a singed wisp in a rendition of "Everybody's Talkin'". Like Harry Nilsson's version, Bare's seems to be caught off-guard in preoccupied fancy, but his echoes reverberate through time. A lot of the songs here -- "I Am an Island", "Yesterday When I Was Young", "Love Letters in the Sand", "My Heart Cries for You" -- touch on past arrogances and regrets, loves and longings, obscurities made clear with patient perspective. Bare, though not as well-known as either Johnny Cash or Loretta Lynn, delivers his performances as if nothing was riding on them. Producers Nevers and Bare, Jr. drape a weary haze of string gloss over the performances, lulling yet circumspect, offering up an aural connection to country's past; simultaneously, they usher in noise and unorthodox vocal arrangements to anchor the record to a contemporary sensibility.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,4,5,6,7,9
REVIEWER: Zeth Lundy popmatters.com

DATE: 11/21/05
ARTIST:Chris Brokaw
TITLE: Incredible Love (12XU)
GENRE: rock/alt
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Still somewhat “indie”-sounding (mostly due to complex/abstract rhythm section), Incredible Love shows a greater sense of focus in Brokaw's music. His careening guitar instrumentals on 2002's Red Cities have evolved into more grounded song-forms with compelling vocals and lyrics of personal poetry. A recent live guest on WFHB and at The Church, Brokaw continues to grow as a friend of the Bton scene, too.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: FCC 11
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
TRACK LIST: 1,2,4,5,7,8,9
1.BLUES FOR THE MOON
2.MOVE
3.THE INFORMATION AGE
4.I REMEMBER
5.X'S FOR EYES
6.WHOSE BLOOD
7.ON A GREAT LAKE
8.CRANBERRIES
9.GRINGA
10.100 FACES
11.MY IDEA

DATE: 11/21/05
ARTIST: MX-80
TITLE: We're An American Band (Family Vineyard)
GENRE: rock/alt/”local”(founded in Bton, although in Bay Area CA since 1978)
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Although they will most-likely never rise above their relative obscurity, MX-80 really doesn't care. They'll keep cranking out the smart, clever, edgy and sometimes darkly funny rock they have been since they got rolling here in 1975. Rich Stim's wry, dry sad-sack vocals contrast with the remarkable guitaring of Bruce Anderson and Dale Sophia's bedrock bass.
Start with the Grand Funk cover and take it from there. A band for Bloomington to still be proud of, and thankful to Eric Weddle for releasing new music and side projects from.
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

Also added this week at WFHB:

The Mannish Boys Live and In Demand Delta Groove
Various Artists Sound of the World Wrasse
Ulrich Schnauss Far Away Trains Passing By Domino

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Sunday, November 20

Attention Reviewers: more rock to be reviewed

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More new stuff back on the alt-rock "To Be Reviewed Shelf", some highlights:
-Nous Non Plus (strange looking french rock)
-Hella (heavy rock on 5RC)
-Clue to Kalo
-Azalia Snail
-Music from the OC, vol. 5
-Trey Anastasio (Phish dude's solo disc, prod. by Brendon Benson strangely enough)
-Beastie Boys, Solid Gold Hits
+
lots more.

-JN

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int'l add: brilliant 2-CD comp kicks butt

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available now!

date: 20 Nov 2005
artist: v / a
title: Sound of the World
Label: Wrasse
file under: Int’l
grade: A+
Even a cursory glance at this two-disc, year-end, international compilation reveals a treasure trove of programming goodies. You’ve got your Bloomington conquerors (Amadou & Mariam, Seu Jorge et al.); you’ve got your bona fide global stars (Youssou N’Dour, Ali Farka Touré et al.); you’ve got your Caravan-familiar rising stars (Chango Spasiuk, Daby Balde et al.); you’ve got your fresh faces (Nairobi Yetu, Chehade Brothers et al.). We have the full release on about a dozen artists featured here, so in that sense it’s a reminder of the great stuff that’s come in this year, and a push to go deeper into their discs. At the same time, there’s ample new material here to richly satisfy those who feel Shiayni Ngcobo is sooo Summer 2005. Great set.
Disc 1: 13, 11, 04, 07, 01, 15, 03
Disc 2: 08, 03, 13, 16, 06, 01, 11
reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

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Friday, November 18

WFHB ADDPOOL CDS 11/15

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DATE: 11/15/05
ARTIST: Dr John
TITLE: Sippiana Hericane (Blue Note)
GENRE: Louisiana
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: An EP from the good doctor, reflecting on the tragedy of Katrina on his darlin New Orleans. Only 3 songs really, but all good. #1 is a Bobby Charles song, lyrically longing for all the world's waters to be clean. 2 through 5 are instrumental variations on the old gospel song “Wade In The Water”. #6 cuts to the chase concerning Katrina.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: all except 7
(which is a very short reprise of 1)
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/15/05
ARTIST:Paul Kelly
TITLE: Foggy Highway (Cooking Vinyl)
GENRE: Bluegrass
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Kind of a holding pattern, but a fun one, for Aussie singer/songwriter Paul Kelly. He takes his best songs and redoes them in a bluegrass mode. Great picking throughout and his Aussie accent puts a cool twist on the bluegrass breakdowns.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: cd1:2,5,7,8,9,12 FCC #1 CD2: 2,3,4 FCC:#1
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/15/05
ARTIST:Mark Gardener
TITLE: These Beautiful Ghosts (UFO)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Mark used to be in a shoegazer UK band called Ride. This is very different, more in mellowly rocked-out singer/songwriter mode, but minimal trancey elements of Ride are still floating around the edges, making for a distinctive sound.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,4,6,7,10,12
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/15/05
ARTIST:Various Artists
TITLE: For A Decade of Sin (Bloodshot Records)
GENRE: COUNTRY/ALT
GRADE: A
REVIEW: A broad compenium of rangy sounds from this great free-range label that helped define “alt-country” whatever that is. Artists/tracks tend to be either full on high-energy, or moody atmospheres. You probably have a few favorite artists in the 42 represented, so go with them for a start.
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/15/05
ARTIST:Jamie Cullum
TITLE: Catching Tales (Verve Forecast)
GENRE: JAZZ/sorta
GRADE: A
REVIEW: UK piano/vocal whiz kid Jamie Cullum is back with another groovy platter. The jazz trio thing still cooks, but he also breaks out with some guitar-based tunes. Great production, great tunes.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,4,6,8,12,13
REVIEWER:

DATE: 11/15/05
ARTIST:Kevin Gordon
TITLE: O Come Look at the Burning (Crowville Collective)
GENRE: country/alt
GRADE: A
REVIEW: A moody crossroads of country and blues and a little ambient rock and a guy with a gruff voice. The elements seem to roll out of the speaker. Highly exceptional.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:
REVIEWER: 1,2,4,7,8,11

DATE: 11/15/05
ARTIST:Cindy Bullens
TITLE: Dream #29 (Blue Lobster)
GENRE: rock/mainstream
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Dream #29 is her sixth solo effort, and it's a very tasteful and mature work. I suppose it could be called rock for grown-ups. The music has all the energy of rock's halcyon days, with thoughtful, literate lyrics, which are mainly about relationships that did not always turn out as expected. She is joined by a first-rate band, which includes guitarist George Marinelli, who has been a part of Bonnie Raitt's group, Garry W. Tallent, of the E-Street Band on bass, plus Dennis Burnside on keyboards, and Ginger Cote on drums. She is also joined by some notable guests, including her old employer Elton John on piano on one track, Delbert McClinton on vocals on another, and Tim Wakefield, the Red Sox pitcher who has also launched a musical career. Her band is a straight-ahead rock group with strong electric guitars, vintage Hammond organ and Wurlitzer piano, and an air-tight rhythm section. Ms. Bullens, never a screamer, locks right into the band with her guitar and vocals, rocking, but also often imparting a slightly melancholy texture, with several songs about loves torn asunder.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,5,6,7,8,11
REVIEWER: georgegraham.com

DATE: 11/15/05
ARTIST:John Dehner
TITLE: Childhood Music (John Dehner)
GENRE: LOCAL/SS
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Finally! A CD from John Dehner, modest but talented Monroe County singer-songwriter. Somewhat influenced by the likes of Neil Young and Vic Chesnutt, Dehner stands out as his own voice, singing songs of childhood experiences and life on earth since. Joined by Dan Deckard, Merrie Sloan, Sohia Travis and more great locals. Recorded at Farm Fresh.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,4,6,8,10
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

Artist: Kate Bush
Title: Aerial
Label: Columbia
Genre: Mainstream Rock
Date: 11/15/05
Grade: A-

After a 12-year absence, Kate Bush's double-CD release is mixture of
uptempo and quiet ballads in styles she's perfected over the years. If
you're looking for some of the wild and wacky vocal gymnastics that mark
Bush's previous albums, you won't find too many of them on this release.
Her overall vocals are strong, but have a more down-to-Earth sound with
lyrics that reflect her rather contented observations of life.

Disc 1 - A Sea of Honey - is the more accessible for daytime play with a
wide range of musical styles, some upbeat, others soft and a couple that
are a bit too sweet. Of these, Bush's tribute to Elvis, "King of the
Mountain" (#1) is the most upbeat and popular of the tracks (released as
a single in the U.S.). "Mrs. Bartolozzi" (#4) is an interesting ballad
about the daydream of washing clothes while "How to be Invisible" (#5)
is another standout on the subject of privacy.

Disc 2 - A Sky of Honey - reminds one of the B side of "Hounds of Love,"
laying-out a dream theme that observes painters, birds, sunrises and
sunsets - most of it is quiet and lovely, but tends to work best as one
piece. Even so, "Prologue" (#2) is a beautiful song ideal for morning
mix programming, while "Somewhere in Between" (#7) has a strong, dreamy
component that might work for late night programming. One of my personal
favorites on Disc 2 is "Nocturn" (#8) with soft, beautiful vocals over a
smooth rhythm track.

Recommended Tracks: Disc One: 1, 5, 4, 2, 7 Disc Two: 8, 7, 2, 9
Reviewer: Gary Glynn/WFHB

Also added this week:
Great Lake Swimmers Bodies and Minds Misra

From the first reverb-drenched notes of "Song for the Angels" I was hooked. I can't help it. I'm a sucker for stripped-to-nothing acoustic guitar. Blame Neil Young. Then, enter Tony Dekker's voice, as soft and understated as Sam Beam's and laced with the same wounded tone as Mark Kozelak's. I'm sold; completely surrendered to the album. If the 42 minutes that followed this aching ballad were a disaster I still could have listened to Bodies and Minds three or four times before putting it down. Fortunately, for everyone this album isn't a disaster at all. In fact, it may be one of this fall's best. So good is this album that when I first sat down to write the review I was at a complete loss as to what I should write. These 11 songs from Great Lake Swimmers architect Tony Dekker are so compelling and magnificent that I had a difficult time grounding myself long enough to begin the review. I was completely in its grasp.
Bodies and Minds is the second full-length album from Toronto native Tony Dekker. While the first album, Great Lake Swimmers, was met with critical acclaim and laid the groundwork for what was to come, it is this sophomore effort that should demand the absolute attention of the music community. It isn't that the Great Lake Swimmers are doing anything earth-shattering on this album. To be sure, they are working entirely within the framework established by generations of North American singer-songwriters. What makes this album so special is the near-perfect execution. Bodies and Minds breathes with the emotion of Dekker's voice and pulses with the subtle beauty of his sparse acoustic arrangements.
In the spirit of his debut, Dekker again selected a desolate atmosphere to record. The debut was recorded entirely in a silo; Bodies and Minds was recorded entirely in a rural lakeside church in Ontario. This is less a side-note than you may initially think. The effect this atmosphere has lent to the music provides much of the character in these songs. The music sounds at once ethereal and intimate, like a specter wafting through open windows. On "Let's Trade Skins" the drums sound as though they were recorded from a block away, while Dekker's understated voice resonates like that specter of the past is hovering just over your shoulder. The effect is arresting.
It isn't the only time that Dekker manages to create such a poignant moment. "Various Stages" is as sublime a folk song as you are likely to hear this year. The mid-tempo riff and harmonica sound as though they could have been plucked right from Harvest. In less capable hands, this could be an irreconcilable misstep. However, once Dekker enters with the lyrics, "I have seen you in various stages of undress / I have seen you through various states of madness", his broken-hearted timbre completely inhabits the song, transcending any such thought. By the time he fully apologizes, "I am sorry I have nothing left for you", I was so wrapped up in the song, I had dismissed my fleeting comparisons to Neil Young.
The added instrumentation on Bodies and Minds (spare as it may be) adds another depth to this album that was somewhat lacking on the Great Lake Swimmers' debut. The players on Bodies and Minds lend a subtle craftsmanship to this album that shouldn't be ignored. The title track actually borders on becoming a full-blown rock song, while "Falling into the Sky" benefits greatly from the voices of the London Community Singers. It isn't just these two tracks that benefit. Nearly every time the subtle slide guitar and (highly underused) Wurlitzer surface on the album, the effect is spellbinding.
Bodies and Minds is a terrific album, one that will stay in heavy rotation throughout the winter months for sure. A more cynical reviewer (certainly I have been that at times) may dismiss this album on the grounds of being derivative. To that person, I would only argue that they have no soul. What is borrowed from the past is made new by the subtle grace of Dekker's songwriting and the Great Lake Swimmers' careful musicianship.Bodies and Minds deserves a broad audience and Dekker's name deserves mention alongside Sam Beam's as one of today's most lauded singer-songwriters.
by Dave Brecheisen
PopMatters.com

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Friday, November 11

Blues CD Reviews 11-11-05

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Cooke, Sam -- "Live at the Harlem Square Club" (RCA/Legacy) B
A live recording of one of Sam's shows...sound is uneven, but it is interesting to hear his stage demeanor/presentation--working the audience. Though there are a few unusual tunes here, most are re-workings of his standards, done before a live audience.

Cooke, Sam -- "The Hits--The Best of Sam Cooke" (Sony/BMG) A

What many would call the seminal collection of Sam Cooke tunes. A reissue of late '50s recordings that really display the popular soul/R&B flavors that made him famous. Pick any tune...they all work well.

Cooke, Sam -- "Night Beat" (RCA) A
Another reissue of music recorded when Sam was only 33 years old (right before his death). But MAN...this disc is truly a vocal wonder. At first listen, the uninitated might think it too smooth, or too tame, but the vocalization here is truly unmatched. As Ray Charles put it "He hit every note where it was supposed to be...with feeling." YOu can hear Rod Stewart (also quoted on the liners) scammin' just about every note Sam did. Very cool vocals--what can I say--smooth, night club fare...laid back and sultry.

Eaglin, Snooks -- "New Orleans Blues Singer" (Smithsonian Folkways) A+
Not always known as an acoustic blues musician (he was quite an R & B/New Orleans band musician), Snooks really had a handle on getting the most out of a song. His solo work demonstrates so much of his unique ability to express the core feeling of a tune. He didn't like solo work/rarely did it, but this disc is a pearl--there's just nothing bad on it. Good for any format.

Mannish Boys -- "Live and in Demand" (Delta Groove Records) A-
Record Exec, and harp player Randy Chortoff's new West Coast label has been putting out numerous "real deal" blues records these last few years and this band, "The Mannish Boys," is one he put together with legendary figures out there. Kid Ramos is excellent on guitar chops with occasional treble leanings to clean out your sinuses. Johnny Dyer and Finis Tasby are two of the best remaining West Coast blues singers; Richard Innes is legendary on drums; and Leon Blue, Tom Leavey and Frank Goldwasser (piano, bass, guitar) are not to be sneezed at. Nice musicianship and blues done right.

Pinetop Perkins -- "On Top" (95 North Records) A-
This label is putting out some nice reissues. This is a re-release of a 1992 Boston recording session with top-notch players backing the piano blues veteran. David Maxwell, Jerry Portnoy, Mudcat Ward, and Steve Ramsey are a rock solid blues group with other contributers putting a hand in as well. Pinetop is known for his economic, right-in-the-pocket piano style, and his voice though beginning to crack, still yields all the blues feelin' a good girl needs.

Pinetop Perkins -- "Live Top--The King of the 88's" (95 North Records) B
A live performance at a college in Maine, 1994. Though the recording quality is uneven, the band is dynamic and good; respectful of Pinetop's star talent. Some very nice tunes even though some vocals nearly disappear. Enthusiastic crowd.

Strehli, Angela -- "Live From Rancho Nicasio" (Independent) B+
One of the pivotal Texan singers of the '70s-80s, Strehli dropped out of the "life," married, and started a restaurant in northern California-Marin County. But just when she thought she was safe (!), she started performing there and now she's back. Here's a live recording from her cafe with the home boys. Nicely done. Not quite as moving as her recent "Blue Highway" disc, but certainly above the throng.

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int'l adds coming 11/11....

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Date: 11 Nov 2005
Artist: Bob Marley & The Wailers
Title: “Slogans” [1-song single from the Africa Unite compilation]
Label: Tuff Gong
Genre: reggae / lost nugget
Grade: A-

"Slogans" (01) is a “new” song derived from a demo tape Marley made in a Miami hotel room in 1979. The demo tape was rediscovered in 2003 by Marley's sons Ziggy and Stephen, who then worked to finish the song, calling in Eric Clapton and Marcia Ball, among others, to help with the process. The end result is a solid, if a bit underwhelming, addition to the Marley catalog, but there is no denying "Slogans" is tuneful, wise, and increasingly timely, as politicians continue to mouth slogans as promises, and then routinely manage to not keep them.

Reviewer: Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

Date: 11 Nov 2005
Artist: Afro-Celt Sound System
Title: Anatomic sampler [3-song EP from new disc]
Label: Real World
Genre: int’l / global fusion
Grade: A

On Anatomic, the Afro Celt Sound System return as a streamlined quartet, a group whose members no longer care about programming as their primary function, but instead work together -- writing, performing, and jamming -- as a band. The sheer heaviness and thudding beats are evident from the album's first cut, "When I Still Needed You" (01), with the mighty Dorothee Munyaneza (Rwanda) on vocals. Sevara Nazarkhan (Uzbekistan) duets with the Afro Celts' tenor, Iarla O'Lionaird, on "My Secret Bliss" (02) a seductive, deliriously romantic track created for nocturnal listening. (The title track [03] is a bouncy, textured instrumental.)

Choice Cuts: 01, 02, 03
Reviewer: Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Date: 11 Nov 2005
Artist: Yerba Buena
Title: “Sugar Daddy” Remixes
Label: Razor & Tie
Genre: int’l / Latin RPM
Grade: A- / B+

Nearly a dozen different mixes of YB’s bona fide single to choose from. The “Radio Edit” (01) is a condensed version of the album version, mostly without the intro banter. Three reggaeton mixes follow—I really liked “Don Candiani’s Mix” (05). From there we have three disco-fied versions, followed by a more house-d up “Hott 22 Mix” (09). “ROCAsound” (10) is robo-techno, and the “Chris Joss Vocal Mix” (11) that closes is a nice mix that doesn’t neatly fit any particular genre. Put the needle on the record, if you know what I mean (and I know you do).

Choice Cuts: 05, 11, 10, 09, 01
Reviewer: bjorn Ingvoldstad

Date: 11 Nov 2005
Artist: v / a
Title: Asian Lounge
Label: Putumayo
Genre: int’l / global chill
Grade: B / B-

Putumayo Presents: Asian Lounge isn't as adventurous as previous offerings from the label. Whether it's Prem Joshua on his own (08) or with fellow multi-instrumentalist Manish Vyas(10), Deepak Chopra (04) or Biddu Orchestra (09), the results are pretty similar, and pretty standard for the hundreds of chillout comps blending Western electronic elements with Eastern instrumentation and traditions. On the plus side a lilting female vocal helps Nitin Sawhney build some character into the otherwise conventional trip-hop of "Koyal" (02), and the shamisen on "Fukaki Umi No Kanata" (01) is nice even if the track's lounge-tronica backgrounds aren't. Overall Asian Lounge sustains a recognizably fusionist groove, and provides background information for anyone wishing to explore further. But that doesn't let the set off the hook for not exploring further itself. (2 ½ stars)

Choice Cuts: 02, 01, 10, 09
Reviewer: Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

Date: 11 Nov 2005
Artist: v / a
Title: Bollywood: An Anthology of Songs from
Popular Indian Cinema
Label: Silva Screen
Genre: int’l / Indian film sndtrk treasure trove
Grade: A

I won’t pretend to be a Bollywood expert, but I’m willing to stick my neck out and say this is a welcome thumbnail-sketch of a sampler to the music of the most prolific national cinema on the planet. Generally speaking, Disc One covers the period of post-WWII thru the 70s, while Disc Two covers the last quarter-century. It follows that big names such as Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, and Mohammed Rafi (all of whom have their own single-disc Rough Guide retrospectives filed in our library) dominate the former, while the latter becomes increasingly shiny and sequenced.

Disc One: 06, 12, 01, 10, 05
Disc Two: 11, 09, 10, 08, 07
Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

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Wednesday, November 9

ADDPOOL CDS 11/7

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DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
TITLE: Howl (RCA)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: This British band sounds more American all the time. Obviously enamored with Byrds/Dylan/Band, etc., they soak their influences up well and write songs that are somewhat original and fresh sounding. Not quite as good as their influences, but not bad for 2005.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,4,6,8,10,12
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham
TITLE: Moments From This Theater (Proper)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Dan Penn has written some timeless songs, including “Dark End of the Street”, “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”, “I'm Your Puppet”, “Cry Like A Baby” and manyothers in the southern soul vein. Joined here by keyboardist Spooner Oldham onstage in England and Ireland, he shows he still oozes with the essence that makes his songs so great. A real gem!
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,4,5,8
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Jerry Douglas
TITLE: The Best Kept Secret (Koch)
GENRE: BLUEGRASS/PROGRESSIVE
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Jerry Douglas has played on something like 1500 albums as a session dobro player. Then he chucked it all to join Alison Krause and Union Station. On this release he calls some of his favorites back into the studio with him to return the favor. The guy is brilliant and his guests know how to have fun.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1 (Derek Trucks),2(Sam Bush & Bela Flek),3(Alison Krauss),6(Bill Frisell),7(John Fogerty),10
REVIEWER: Jim Manion WFHB

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Supergrass
TITLE: Road to Rouen (Capitol)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Supergrass have a hard time coming down from their musical highs. Every time they release a giddy, irresistible pop album, they repent on the next record, crafting a moodier response. For 2005's Road to Rouen, they once again retreat from the bright colors and sunny melodies and turn toward darker textures. But there's a big difference here: Road to Rouen is a tight, sharply focused album with purpose and momentum. It may have two long epics in the opening "Tales of Endurance, Pts. 4, 5 & 6" and "Roxy," clocking in at 5:31 and 6:17, respectively, but the record lasts just over 35 minutes, and there's a mastery of tone, as the group creates a warm, trippy, late-night vibe and then never lets it flag over the course of nine songs. If Road to Rouen is anything, it is not monotonous -- it may be an ideal soundtrack for night, but this is hardly a one-note, self-absorbed introspective record. "Tales of Endurance" has an infectious minor-key vamp, the title track is a propulsive glammy rocker, and "Kick in the Teeth" has a jangling guitar that off-sets the jazzy, lazy "St. Petersburg," the folky "Low C," and dreamy "Fin." All the songs take varying routes to the same destination, and part of the appeal of this album is that each track sounds different, yet sounds the same. Supergrass have found new things to do with their sound without getting self-consciously mature or middlebrow. Road to Rouen may not be a party record, but the best of bands can do any number of sounds while still sounding like themselves, and with this excellent album, Supergrass do prove that they can do exactly that.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
REVIEWER: excerpts from a review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine allmusicguide.com

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Marty Stuart
TITLE: Badlands (Superlatone)
GENRE: COUNTRY
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Marty Stuart tried way too hard mid-to-late 90s to be relevant and some of his efforts fell flat. He took some time to regroup and reinvent himself and now his creative torch is burning bright again, putting albums out as fast as Ryan Adams. His “Souls Chapel” earlier this year focused on gospel/country/soul. Now “Badlands” zeroes in on another of his passions – the history and plight of South Dakota's Lakota Souix Indians. Marty and his collaborators immersed themselves for years in the culture and have been embraced by the tribe so this is far from an outside-looking-in project. Very moving. And, his Fabulous Superlatives band provides great foundation and backing, just like on “Soul's Chapel".
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,3,5,6,8,9,11,13
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Merle Haggard
TITLE: Chicago Wind (Capitol)
GENRE: COUNTRY
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Coaxing his old producer Jimmy Bowen out of retirement and back on his longtime label capitol, The Hag naturally comes up with a record that stands up with his best. His music has always been a ways beyond the country template, mixing jazzy guitar sensibilites and unusual rhythms and chords, but somehow managing to sound down-home. Also, he's never been one to mince words about current affairs and he cuts to the chase on songs Like “Where's All the Freedom?” and “America First”, which are definitely not “Okie from Muskogee” retreads as he sings “let's get out of Iraq and get back on track...”
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,3,4,7,8,9
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Stevie Wonder
TITLE: A Time To Love (Motown)
GENRE: SOUL/FUNK
GRADE: A
REVIEW: After a Kate Bush-challenging ten year break, Stevie Wonder finally returns. Considering his acknowledged genius and his early 70s track record of FIVE perfect albums in a row, after a decade off you'd expect something half decent, wouldn't you? And that's pretty much what you get. ATTL suffers mainly from its sequencing. Too many of the slower (and more schmaltzy) tracks are squeezed into the second half, making it lose pace. Yet Stevie's gift for melody remains utterly assured and there's little waste here. The obligatory celebrity pals show up (Prince, Kim Burrell, India Arie etc.), but never detract from the whole. He even has the sense to get Paul McCartney to play guitar, rather than sing on the title track. So we're spared another ''Ebony and Ivory''. The most remarkable guest, however, is daughter Aisha Morris on ''How Will I Know''. Yes, the same one who waile on ''Isn't She Lovely'' nearly thirty years ago.While Wonder's heartfelt songs of love and understanding may appear embarrassingly straightforward in this ironic age, there's no denying the emotional sincerity behind them. A Time To Love may not restore his commercial standing, but it will certainly come as a relief to his fans.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,6,9,12,15
REVIEWER: Chris Jones bbc.co.uk

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Bettye LaVette
TITLE: I've Got My Own Hell To Raise (Anti)
GENRE: SOUL/FUNK
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Detroit homegirl Bettye LaVette scored a ’62 R&B hit (“My Man — He’s a Lovin’ Man”) with her first record at age 16. Despite sporadic R&B success and performing “Bubbling Brown Sugar” on Broadway, she never charted pop. Spotted on the blues-soul festival circuit, Anti- Records paired her with fellow Michigander Joe Henry, who produced Solomon Burke’s 2002 comeback effort. Henry’s minimalistic approach works similar magic here, as LaVette wraps her steel-belted vocal cords around material written exclusively by female songwriters, ranging from country (Dolly Parton’s stark “Little Sparrow,” Lucinda Williams’s bluesy “Joy”) to folk (Joan Armatrading’s brooding “Down to Zero”) to modern-rock (Aimee Mann’s sassy, “How Am I Different”). LaVette hand-picked all the songs; the album’s title comes from a line in her jazzy rendition of Fiona Apple’s “Sleep To Dream.” And while she turns Cathy Maciejewski’s “Just Say So” (a country hit for Bobbie Cryner) and frequent Leonard Cohen collaborator Sharon Robinson’s “The High Road” into slow-burning soul ballads, the album’s highlight just might be the opening track — an a cappella take on Sinead O’ Connor’s “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” where LaVette sounds like she’s shredding yards of silk with every syllable.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,3,5,7,10
REVIEWER: Don Waller www.metrotimes.com

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Joy Lynn White
TITLE: One More Time (Thortch)
GENRE: COUNTRY
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Though she has remained active with frequent guest shots, including appearances on Walter Egan's Brooklyn Cowboy efforts, this is Joy Lynn White's first release since 1997's "The Lucky Few." White co-wrote 9 of thet 11 cuts, most with a decidedly dark feel. "Keep This Love" explores a fading relationship in which the singer acknowledges that salvage attempts are futile, while "I'm Free" is the tale of a woman coming to terms with the aftermath of a bad relationship. "Love Sometimes" and "Victim Of Love" reveal a similar negative perspective. The cover of Naomi Neville's "A Certain Boy" is perhaps the cheeriest sounding tune, though the singer's feelings of love remain unexpressed. While "Girls With Apartments In Nashville" avoids the complexities of love, it is a harsh examination of the isolation and hardships of pursuing Nashville dreams. With White's powerful voice and thoughtful compositions, this is an impressive return.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,4,6,8,11
REVIEWER: www.countrystandardtime.com

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Tom Vek
TITLE: We Have Sound (Star Time Intl)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A
REVIEW: With We Have Sound, Tom Vek lives up to his hype and proves he is more than the sum of his numerous influences. In many ways the album's mix of funky guitars, electronic flourishes and belligerent beats seem to sit alongside other new wave revival artists such as Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand. But additional elements of lo-fi rock and even jazz make it hard to define, though very easy to dance to. Stand out tracks "C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)" and "I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes", the first two songs on the album, are a case in point. Opener "C-C..." kicks off with a Red Snapper-like bass and beat, before sinking into a wall of sweet synth which builds to a dischordant crescendo reminiscent of free-form rockers Pavement. "I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes" picks up the pace and embraces the spirit of John Lydon's PIL with infectious glee. Vocally, the 23-year-old Londoner has been compared to John Lydon and Mark E Smith, but there's something of David Byrne's jerky showmanship in the meandering yelps on "A Little Word In Your Ear" and the narrative delivery of "Nothing But Green Lights". The chiming guitar in this latter track has similarities to Washing Machine era Sonic Youth, evoking a real sense of drama. This sensation is carried into "On The Road". There's nothing showy or pretentious about this record, it sounds fresh and inspired, and even better live. Listen to it now.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,4,8,9
REVIEWER: Lisa Haines guardian.co.uk

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Speech
TITLE: The Vagabond (Bluhammock)
GENRE: HIPHOP/SOUL/FUNK
GRADE: A
REVIEW: While some may still think Arrested Development was a 1-hit-wonder with 1992's “Tennessee”, they continue to be quite popular overseas. Guess they got slamdunked by the rougher forms of hiphop that followed. Sppech continues in the AD tradition with the earnest and thoughtful jams on Vagabond. Track 1 is with Neneh Cherry and was heard a few years back on the 1 Giant Leap project. If cartoonish thug-hop bums you out, Speech might lift you up.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Brazz Tree
TITLE: Quest (Brazz Tree Music)
GENRE: WORLD FUSION
GRADE: A
REVIEW: A duo out of NYC, Brazz Tree features the intricate/funky/rhytmic guitar of Brad Hammonds and the soaring vocals and global violin of Mazz Swift. The melange of music the create is hard to pin down, but contains elements of Celtic, Indian, Jazz and Funky Soul. Lyrics are on the “conscious” side, and they match well with the heady brew of sounds Brad and Mazz kick out.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,4,5,9
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST: BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
TITLE: BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE (Arts & Crafts)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A++
REVIEW: In Canada, Broken Social Scene is somewhat of a phenomenon. Since wooing fans and critics alike with their 2003 Juno Award-winning album You Forgot It in People, the band's peculiar popularity has made them stars. The community that surrounds the 15-member-plus band is a family-like atmosphere with its many Canadian artists and musicians. When listening to Broken Social Scene, you also get the individual sounds of Feist, Stars, Memphis, Metric, and Apostle of Hustle, among others. It's camaraderie and education combined. The 14-song set is as bright and moving as the band's previous efforts, but Broken Social Scene holds more charisma, more depth, and surely more complexities. Album opener "Our Faces Split the Coast in Half," which features the Dears' Murray Lightburn, makes a grand entrance with its polished horn arrangements, tight guitar riffs, and hypnotic harmonies. Additional standouts include indie rock moments such as "7/4 (Shoreline)" and the nervy "Fire Eye'd Boy." Handclaps and crowd chatter dosie-do with a sharp rock aesthetic on "Windsurfing Nation," which was the original title. Here, Toronto rapper K-Os and Feist vocally find their way through this majestic cinematic backdrop for one of its finest songs. Broken Social Scene are more than a collective; they're an orchestra for both the slacker generation and the literati.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,4,6,8,9,11
FCC:14

extra EP notes:
e.p. to be you and me
no FCC ON EXTRA LP!
titles are only on the cd
1. “her disappearing theme” (Mostly instrumental- Feist breathy vocals- good for morning mix)
2. “Canada vs. America” (Loud and Brassy)
3. “baroque social” (Instrumental-acid feedback sound. great rhythm reminiscent of 1997 album)
4. “no smiling darkness/snake charmers associations” (An endless tambourine
solo-instrumental)
5. “all my friends” (Acoustic feel-good song good for all mixes)
6. “major label debut”(fast) loud and rockin
7. “feel good lost reprise” (piano-instrumental. good for all mixes)
REVIEWER: excerpts from a review by MacKenzie Wilson allmusicguide.com
EP REVIEW BY CATHERINE RADAMACHER/WFHB

OTHER CDS ADDED THIS WEEK AT WFHB:
The Mendoza Line Full of Light and Full of Fire (Misra)
Vashti Bunyan Lookaftering (DiChristina)
Dolly Parton Those Were The Days (Sugar Hill

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ADDPOOL CDS for 10/31

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Sorry this is a littel tardy. 11/7 adds will be posted later today.
Tons of great new music into the station!

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST:Carmen Rizzo
TITLE: The Lost Art of the Idle Moment (The Lab)
GENRE: ELECTRONIC
GRADE: A+
REVIEW:Carmen Rizzo is an LA-based, two-time Grammy nominated producer, remixer, musician and programmer who has has worked with a veritable "who's-who" in the music industry including Alanis Morissette, Coldplay, Seal, BT, Delerium, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cirque du Soleil, Marius de Vries, Trevor Horn, David Foster and Don Was. With such an estimable resume, it only seemed natural that Rizzo would eventually look to releasing his own material. Recently, Rizzo joined forces with "Vas" vocalist Azam Ali and "Axiom of Choice's" multi-instrumentalist Loga Ramin Torki to form the highly acclaimed world-beat/electronic group "Niyaz." Apparently Rizzo's endless well of creativity is nowhere near empty. The Lost Art of the Idle Moment is a sumptuous and atmospheric collection of electronic gems featuring guest vocalists Esthero, Jem, Kate Havnevik, Inga Liljestom, Grant Lee Phillips and the Digable Planets' Ladybug Mecca, Diedre Dubois (of Ekova) and Thomas Hanreich. Other musicians include long-time friend and co-writer Jamie Muhoberac and Andy Jenkins and Corin Dingley of retro-chillout band Alpha. With its eclectic and hip roster of collaborators onboard, The Lost Art of the Idle Moment proves to be an exceptional listening experience chock-full of aural beauty and bliss. Canadian downtempo diva Esthero provides vocals for the sensual and languid "Too Rude." Fans of Alpha's music will definitely hear the creamy 70's Burt Bacharach influence as Esthero croons over jazzy breaks and orbiting synth swells. The whispery sweet voice of Kate Havnevik graces the retro-fabulous "Travel in Time," a Bond-esque, filmic piece of work and the more dense and aqueous "Bring it Back to Me." Welsh popstress Jem is featured vocalist on the self-introspective "Easy Way Out." "I'll Carry You" is another strange and lovely piece with Inga Liljestrom's strongly-accented and rich voice rolling over a dramatic soundtrack backdrop. Rizzo also finds space for two male-vocal fronted tracks: "As the Day Breaks" with former Grant Lee Buffalo frontman, Grant Lee Phillips and "Next Life" featuring Thomas Hanreich. Diedre Dubois takes the helm on "Farther," the only truly "trance" inspired track on the album. Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets lays down a tight and smooth rap on the funky "Indigo." The instrumental tracks "Overlooked Happiness" and "Amborella" are both fine ambient numbers that compare favorably to the best Delerium instrumental numbers.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 INST: 3, 10
REVIEWER: excerpted from Justin Elswick's review at musicaldiscoveries.com

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST: Blackalicious
TITLE: The Craft (Anti)
GENRE: HIP HOP
GRADE: A
REVIEW:The Craft is the album Late Registration promised to be. Should be. And likely wishes it were. At the very least, the latest release from American veterans Blackalicious is this year's finest hip-hop album. The duo of lyricist Gift of Gab and producer/DJ Chief Xcel have, fittingly, crafted a smart, sharp, soulful breath of fresh funky air as good as -- artistically and commercially -- anything in the OutKast catalogue. It's a ripe release that transcends the self-imposed limitations of the genre, taking it somewhere else entirely -- a predominantly positive, uplifting and very real someplace, where few acts such as De La Soul, OutKast, Dangermouse and Jemini are open to taking it and have in the past. With the help of other musicians and collaborators, the San Fran pair do it with a well balanced sense of humour and seriousness, and an ear for eclecticism and accessibility that allows very few excuses for The Craft to be ignored as have previous equally as excellent efforts such as Blazing Arrow and NIA. Supreme People, Rhythm Sticks, Side to Side, Black Diamonds and Pearls -- there's an embarrassing wealth of hit riches here for the finding.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 13
REVIEWER: Mike Bell/Calgary Sun

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST:Richard Hawley
TITLE: Coles Corner (Mute)
GENRE: MAINSTREAM ROCK
GRADE: A
REVIEW:Coles Corner is Hawley's third full-length, and it finds him further refining his sound. His voice is richer and the arrangements have an extra smidge of polish. The songs are remarkably clear and direct, trading almost exclusively in familiar couplets that have become part of western pop currency.Coles Corner is unapologetically retro to the max but it works. Hawley's style, his sturdy baritone singing songs that combine hints of country with pre-rock pop and orchestral flourishes overlaid with healthy dollop of reverb, has a robust appeal. It translates in 2005 because this corner of music was always about nostalgia and taut drama constructed with tightly circumscribed language. Hawley resides deep inside this material, writing songs with the melodic muscle to stand up next to standards.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10
REVIEWER: exceprted from Mark Richardson pitchforkmedia.com

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST:Gang of Four
TITLE: Return the Gift (V2)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: by Andy Kellman Why let others reheat your back catalog when you can do it yourself? Maybe that's one of the questions Gang of Four asked themselves before recording Return the Gift, a self-tribute album involving re-recordings of their earliest and best work. While the reunion of the original members synched up with the popularity of several bands that were appropriating some of their ideas, one of the greater music-related motivators behind this release was...wait for it...correcting the drum sound. Drummer Hugo Burnham likened the drum sound on those releases to that of cardboard boxes, and some of the other members seemed to harp on it as well, in addition to regretting that the records never reflected their live sound, despite the nagging specters of greater imperfections in their past. There has rarely been any dispute about the magnificence of the 1979-1982 releases, so it's not as if thousands, or hundreds, or even dozens of Gang of Four freaks spent the past 20 years pining for something like Return the Gift. But here it is anyway, and it's very loud, and it comes across like a mostly live album played in an empty meat locker. Like Wire (who re-recorded old material as well, but released it in a very limited form and then went on to make an album of new songs), the early-2000s version of Gang of Four is more caustic than ever. There are moments when the band seems as temperamental and charged as a downed power line. One thing that remains unchanged, to no surprise whatsoever, is the enduring vitality of the material. The songs, concerning the politics of both self and societal interest, make as much sense today as they did when they were originally recorded and released. They also contain some of the most startling sounds you will ever hear.
REVIEWER: allmusicguide.com
TRACKS: 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST:STS9
TITLE: Artifact: Perspective (1320)
GENRE: ELECTRONIC
GRADE: A
REVIEW:Over the years, Sound Tribe Sector 9 has dug deeper and deeper into its electronic influences. Originally an organic outfit, whose sound melded jazz/fusion with light trance, STS9 has gradually drifted into virtual reality embracing computers, synthesizers and a DJ persona dubbed Live PA. Perhaps the final stage in the group’s evolution towards electronica is Perspectives, the first remix album culled from the group’s long labored studio disc Artifact. A 15 song collection, arriving roughly six months after the group first unearthed Artifact, Perspectives features remixes by a number of well known DJs, hip-hop MCs and electronic producers. Intended as an Artifact companion piece of sorts, interjecting new energy into STS9’s songbook as is the group continues to barnstorm clubs across the country, Perspectives turns out to also be something of a shift in identity. Gliding from dub to drum and bass to thoughtful hip-hop, Perspectives continues to develop STS9’s often overlooked studio persona. Instead of remixing its entire album, STS9 focuses on Artifact’s signature tracks: “Tokyo,” “Possibilities” and “Better Day,” with a few additional numbers thrown in for good measure.As expected, each of Perspectives remixes resembles its creator’s voice. Drum-n-bass icons Ming + FS adjoin “Tokyo” and “Better Day” like Siamese twins while Richard Devine creates an electric suite consisting of “Better Day” and “Trinocular.” On “Possibilities,” Mr. Lif, who has collaborated with STS9 on stage in the past, adds a hip-hop beat which calls his work with the Perceptionists, while noted oddball producer/bassist Bill Laswell sets the group’s “Tokyo Shinjuku Flashback Mix” around a mellow dub backdrop which recalls his famed Dub Chamber series. By having a number of musicians reinterpret its songs, STS9 follows the lauded jamband principal of changing its songs structures and also establishes the studio as an forum for experimentation as well as documentation. The end result allows STS9 to carve a new identity while using the studio as its newest instrument. RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2, 3, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
REVIEWER: Mike Greenhaus jambands.com

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST:Steve Reynolds
TITLE: Exile (SLG/429)
GENRE: FOLK/SS
GRADE: A
REVIEW: A Canadian in L.A., Reynolds has an arresting sound that places him way in front of the singer-songwriter guys-with-guitars pack. For one, he can actually play the guitar in a distinctive way that recalls the fingerpicking of Nick Drake, although he is not a Drake clone. The album has an overall smokey vibe (as in wood smoke from a fireplace), moody and comforting.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST:Bruce Cockburn
TITLE: Speechless (Rounder)
GENRE: FOLK/SS
GRADE: A+
REVIEW:Speechless is a perfect title for an instrumental album. Sometimes words aren't enough and all we need is love and or music, but when they are combined it can be more powerful then the component parts. Cockburn's love of the guitar shines through on this collection which features three new tunes with the rest culled from previous albums including a track previously only available in Japan thrown in to pique interest. This makes the release of minor interest perhaps to those possessing the complete Cockburn discography, but a completist will likely purchase the album eventually. The album will probably be of more interest to the casual Cockburn fan, especially guitar enthusiasts. Cockburn ranges from elliptical folk jazz into the folk blues territory reminiscent of "Mississippi" John Hurt. It's more refined, but the spirit is there. The new recordings range in tone from the mournful "Elegy", blues laced "King Kong Goes To Tallahassee", to the evocative and near tantric feel of "The End Of All Rivers" which sounds like Cockburn is trying to tell the life story of a river with music. "Rise And Fall" is the cut previously only available in Japan. The rest of the album is filled with choice gems of instrumentation from previous albums, most featuring just Cockburn and a guitar. I'm partial to the bright jazzy tracks filled with sparkling splashes of notes myself with the best of the bunch being "Sunwheel Dance" dating back to 1971.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 14, 15
REVIEWER: Wally Bangs blogcritics.com

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST:The Capes
TITLE:Hello (Hard Soul)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A
REVIEW:Most press on the Capes has relied heavily on comparisons to Bloc Party, but these parallels are misleading; both bands may be throwbacks to bygone genres, but the Capes lean heavily on the synths to produce bright and bouncy tunes—embodied best in the wonderful "Tightly Wound." Hello is so full of chipper melodies and electronic blips that there are few songs on the band's first LP that don't warrant a head bop or two, though the more impassioned tracks, such as "Comet Tails" and "Gimme," show the band successfully reaching beyond the one-dimensional confines of today's pop.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2, 6, 8, 9, 11
REVIEWER: cmj.com

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST:Billy Joe Shaver
TITLE:The Real Deal (Compadre)
GENRE: COUNTRY
GRADE: A
REVIEW:As a singer, no one will mistake Billy Joe Shaver for Ray Price or George Jones, but his limitations work to his advantage. On The Real Deal the extra effort he puts in to make his case adds a poignancy that a more skilled singer might sacrifice for technical perfection or smoothness. Shaver sings with a relaxed confidence, reminiscent of the late Don Williams, giving his material a standalone quality that puts the focus more on the product than on its producer. For a journeyman songwriter like Shaver, that's not a bad thing. Since you can't make a country record these days without guest stars, we get Big & Rich with a nice turn on "Live Forever" and Kevin Fowler on the semi-tongue-in-cheek "Slim Chance and the Can't Hardly Playboys." (There's also a bonus cut of "Feliz Navidad" with the immortal Flaco Jimenez.) But it's Shaver's female friends who provide sweet nuance on two of the disc's best cuts-"Valentine" and "West Texas Waltz." They help not only to elevate The Real Deal above the ordinary but to confirm the truth of its title.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17
REVIEWER: Rick Allen Harp Magazine

DATE: 10/31/05
ARTIST:The Earlies
TITLE:These Were (Secretly Canadian)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A+
God and death are no strangers to art, but that doesn't mean they can't be explored with grace, which is exactly what the Earlies do on their epic psych-pop debut These Were the Earlies, quite possibly one of the best new albums … ever. A British collective of Polyphonic proportions, the Earlies employ nonrock instruments bassoon, oboe, and euphonium, and unlike the Dallas outfit, these folks never resort to cutesiness in their psychedelic treatise on living and dying. "In the Beginning" opens with a burst of sound swelling with samples of comforting words from a preacher and a child. It segues into "One of Us Is Dead," on which singer Brandon Carr – quite possibly the next pop prophet – evokes a mellower Wayne Coyne as euphonium floats plaintively above the music. Is it a call to arms or a beckoning home? The disc alternates between unsettling, exhilarating, and devastating in its emotional impact; it's also difficult not to get distracted by everything going on musically. Nevertheless, the Earlies' meditation on the gates of heaven is a deeply affecting one – perhaps even a masterpiece.
REVIEWER: Austin Chronicle

OTHER ADDS THIS WEEK:
Castanets First Light's Freeze (Asthmatic Kitty)
Cherryholmes Cherryholmes (Skaggs Family)
Franz Ferdinand You Could Have It So Much Better (Domino)
Buddy Guy Bring 'Em In (Silvertone)

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Monday, November 7

int'l genre adds 11/07

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coming in monday at 5pm....these will be in the genre add area....Jim has also put the new Dr Israel disc out in the reggae genre add slot.....four solid discs for your programming pleasure!
--bj

Date: 07 Nov 2005 Label: Sony
Artist: Ravi Shankar
Title: The Essential Ravi Shankar
Genre: int’l
Grade: A

With over 90 albums to his credit, the task for those who wish to investigate the recordings of India's master musician Ravi Shankar can be a daunting one. Therefore, the Legacy/BMG Essential Ravi Shankar fills a welcome place in his catalog and serves as a starting point for the novitiate. There are 20 cuts on these two discs that range over most of the sitarist and composer's shelf, from his early Angel recordings where he played mostly Indian classical music, to his later recordings for Private Music, to his lone Columbia album, The Sounds of India, in 1968…This is the real intro to Shankar that has been needed for such a long time on CD. (4 stars)

Disc One: 04, 07, 02, 05, 06
Disc Two: 01, 04, 08, 06, 13
Reviewer: Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Date: 07 Nov 2005 Label: World Village
Artist: Boubacar Traore
Title: Kongo Mangni
Genre: int’l
Grade: A-

In Europe and the U.S., the Malian singer/songwriter Boubacar Traoré tends to be marketed as a sort of bluesman -- perhaps because his band prominently features the harmonica, and perhaps because his songs are dark and spare. But his latest album seldom if ever makes use of any of the conventions of the blues; the 12-bar chord progression on which the blues is based never appears, and Traoré's guitar style owes far more to the kora-wielding griots of his native country than to the emotive, string-bending bluesmen of the American south…Throughout the whole album Traoré's sound is gentle and subdued, and his backing ensemble, which includes accordion, marimba, gourd, and small harp as well as harmonica, supports him with exquisite delicacy and taste. Highly recommended. (3 ½ stars)

Choice Cuts: 02, 06, 09, 03, 04
Reviewer: Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Date: 07 Nov 2005 Label: Riverboat
Artist: Papua New Guinea Stringbands
with Bob Brozman
Title: Songs of the Volcano
Genre: int’l
Grade: B+

While the journalists’ quotes on the sleeve are breathless enough to really make you reconsider, Brozman’s latest world music excursion works, which you’ll recognize from the sunny opening bars of “Alir Pukai” (01). As per usual, it’s Bob on National Steel slide guitar, with collaborators this time being a number of different Papua New Guinean groups. We can debate the whole Brozman/Cooder school of collaboration some other time…

Choice Cuts: 01, 04, 14, 16, 10, 08
Reviewer: bjorn Ingvoldstad

Date: 07 Nov 2005 Label: NorthSide
Artist: Väsen
Title: Live in Japan
Genre: int’l
Grade: A

And then there were three: when last they came to Bloomie for Lotus, Väsen was a trio. A follow-up of sorts to Live at the Nordic Roots (2001), Live in Japan showcases the band in their latest incarnation. I’ve chosen some of my favorites below (how can you pass on a track called “Nipponpolka” (13) recorded in Japan?), but you can confidently play your own personal faves from previous concerts and discs. Just remember to fade accordingly!

Choice Cuts: 02, 13, 17, 01, 07
Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

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Sunday, November 6

New Alt rock to be Reviewed

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ATTENTION REVIEWERS:
Lots of great stuff back on the Alt Rock "To Be Reviewed" shelf. Highlights include:
-They Might Be Giants, They Got Lost (Rarities compillation)
-Mark Eitzel, Candy Ass (New solo album from American Music Club guy)
-Paul Duncan (I heard this guy's last CD and it was really good. Cool packaging)
-Drums & Tuba (always pretty cool)
-John Parish, Once Upon a Time (Sometime PJ Harvey collaborator)
-Broken Spindles (on Saddle Creek)
-OAR (jam kidz)
-Electrelane
-Nirvana, Silver (best of the box sampler)
-Test Iciciles (band name of the month, sounds like the Blood Bros.)
-Magnetaphone (on 4AD)
-Thrice

DIG IN!!!

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Tuesday, November 1

ADDPOOL CDS 10/24

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DATE: 10/24/05
ARTIST: The Clientele
TITLE: Strange Geometry (Merge)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: The template stays roughly the same – to wit: hazy guitars, a melody anchored by a sturdy bass line, and Alasdair MacLean’s careful vocals. They even, from time to time, bolster their work’s general impression of ethereality by adding field recordings of a religious variety.MacLean’s lyrics serve to refresh the template. He’s like most pop songwriters in that he’s preoccupied with being lonely and miserable, but his strength is that he explores those emotions in miniature. A typical MacLean song isn’t specifically a my-woman-done-me-wrong number, and he might instead write about an awkward post-breakup period where one party has moved on and the other hasn’t. Strange Geometry is The Clientele’s first album with an outside producer, Brian O’Shaughnessy, in a fully equipped studio, and the added technical skill shows. If The Violet Hour and their 2001 collection of singles, Suburban Light, had a failing, it was that in attempting to mimic the hazy sound of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band and other ’60s icons, their arrangements sounded nonexistent. The guitar lines floated well above the rest of the mix, and MacLean’s voice was reduced to a dull echo. On Strange Geometry, however, MacLean’s alto is fully audible, the French chamber pop artist Louis Philippe contributes some tasteful string arrangements, and the band even jams on a few songs, albeit very cautiously.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10
REVIEWER: excerpts from Tom Zimpleman's review at dustedmagazine.com

DATE: 10/24/05
ARTIST: Fiona Apple
TITLE: Extraordinary Machine (Epic)
GENRE: SINGER/SONGWRITER
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: The album launches with "Extraordinary Machine," one of the two Jon Brion-produced tracks that remain on the album following Apple's decision to discard much of their work together, and offers a sort of "I Will Survive" for the chamber-pop circuit; string arrangements pirouette around Apple's deft lyricism, offering an uplifting backdrop for her triumphant assertion "I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine." The tune achieves its no doubt desired effect - to bridge the interminable gap between the album's sullen, spectacular predecessor When the Pawn and her newfound optimism - and sets a tone that the album, thankfully enough, sustains for almost all of its fifty minute running time. The remainder of the tracks feature production by Mike Elizondo, a prodigy of Dr. Dre, whose unlikely collaboration proves unexpectedly fruitful: rather than sharply contrasting with Apple's idiosyncratic lyricism, it opens the tracks to more fluid interpretations by the listener. With its percussive gurgles, tack piano flourishes and hand-clap drumbeat, "Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)" sounds like a future Dre banger in development, but beneath Apple's transcendent confession "I just really used to love him" the song achieves that rarest of combinations - poignancy with pop savvy; "Parting Gift," meanwhile, is a solo piano number that at first seems cloying in its melodramatic simplicity, but appreciates in emotional value with subsequent listenings. The remainder of the songs dance delicately between hope and despair, obscurity and candor, and most effectively, commerce and creativity; "Window," "Oh Well" and "Red Red Red" are all old-school Apple classics-in-the making, while "Get Him Back" and "Waltz (Better Than Fine)" presage a new development in the Fiona canon - that is, a glimmer of sincere, unfettered hope - that suggests a future full of happiness not just for her fans, but for the artist as well. Extraordinary Machine isn't merely a new declaration of independence for Fiona Apple; she's already free. Rather, it's her call to arms, her manifest destiny, and her battle cry all at once.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12
REVIEWER: excepted from Todd Gilchrist's review at ign.com

DATE: 10/24/05
ARTIST:Chocolate Genius
TITLE: Black Yankee Rock (Commotion)
GENRE: SOUL/FUNK/ALT-ROCK
GRADE: A
REVIEW:Chocolate Genius is Marc Anthony Thompson, a vocalist and visionary who released two records under his own name in the eighties before delving into the downtown music scene and developing an expansive take on neo-soul. His latest release is an ambitious collection of down-tempo numbers (with an occasional guitar-driven song) that includes contributions from Meshell Ndegéocello, Marc Ribot, Toshi Reagon, and others. The album is one of those deep ones that takes a few listens to totally sink in, with new details and treats revealed with each listen.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10
REVIEWER: Jim Manion WFHB

DATE: 10/24/05
ARTIST: Tom Verlaine
TITLE: Warm and Cool (Thrill Jockey)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Every week as I open the mail a few CDs jump out the package like the Xmas present you really wanted but couldn't imagine really getting. This is one: an all-instrumental album from Tom Verlaine, founder and genius guitarist with the legendary NYC band Television. The music on Warm and Cool harkens back to 50s & 60s guitar instrumentals (with very little 'surf' influence), as well as noirish film soundttracks. It sounds black and white – as in film, not race.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:1,2,3,4,5...what the hell, they are all good 1-14
15-22 tend to be rougher sketches that don't work so well on radio
REVIEWER: Jim Manion WFHB

DATE: 10/24/05
ARTIST: My Morning Jacket
TITLE: Z (ATO)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Jim James knows what he's doing. As the driving force behind My Morning Jacket, James has been crafting expansive pop songs since the band's 1999 debut, The Tennessee Fire. While similar songsmiths change their sound with each new release (see: Spoon's Britt Daniels), James has refined his sensibilities with every album. The result is Z -- the first My Morning Jacket whose songs reach the heights to which James's voice aspires. Following a few post-It Still Moves lineup changes -- most notably the replacement of James's cousin Johnny Quaid with Carl Broemel on guitar -- My Morning Jacket rocks and grooves with renewed passion. From the rocksteady "Off The Record" and the quirky pop track "Into The Woods" to the classic guitar freakout that closes "Lay Low", the band not only complements James's voice but extends it, offering a broader context for his often ethereal vocal adventures. Similarly, "It Beats For You"'s laid-back arrangement and closer "Dondante"'s sparse instrumentation are testaments to the band's restraint and ultimate respect for James's singing. In a pop landscape littered with singers who can't muster decent original material and songwriters unable to fully flesh out their ideas, Z is a breath of fresh air.My Morning Jacket aren't the most experimental or accomplished group around, but they've carved out a niche among listeners who appreciate an ambitious pop record with a healthy respect for classic rock.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10
REVIEWER: excerpted from splendidzine.com

DATE: 10/24/05
ARTIST: Dirty Three
TITLE: Cinder (Touch and Go)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A+
REVIEW:Cinder, their latest for Touch & Go, contains hypnotic mini-suites that sway in delicate rapture. Despite their avant-inclinations, Dirty Three are not a group hell-bent on re-invention. The band seems content to craft emotionally suggestive instrumentals that allow violinist Warren Ellis plenty of room to maneuver. He uses this space to draw brooding, sinuous lines across the compositions like red ink on brown parchment. Massive, room mic’ed drums are joined by guitars, bouzouki, mandolin and sundry instrumentation, forming a discreet lullaby coalition. The majority of Cinder feels like a wistful daydream or a half-formed memory; a pleasant, if not entirely distinguishable experience. The album’s 19 tracks seem magically threaded together, with occasional sonic exclamation points such as the distorto-strut of “Doris” and Chan Marshall’s stunning vocal on “Great Waves.” The latter sounds so spiritually pure it begs for a full-length collaboration between the artists. “It Happens,” has, believe it or not, the feel of a Stones ballad, replete with a melody lifted from some parched portion of Beggar’s Banquet. The Celtic-influenced intro on “Too Soon, too Late,” subsequently gives way to a noir-esque waltz that could be the soundtrack to a spaghetti western filmed in coastal Ireland. The oddball gem “Rain On” ambles along in a slow motion stupor. “Ember” is similarly tempered, with light brush work and a turbulent, if workmanly chord progression. Largely, it’s difficult to separate one track from another, but this is probably the intent. With a solid emotional through-line and a few sonic surprises, Cinder is a musical novella, whose narrative compels you to its last luxurious line.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 15, 17
REVIEWER: excerpted from casey rea's review at dustedmagazine.com

DATE: 10/24/05
ARTIST: Paula Frazier
TITLE: Leave the Sad Things Behind (Birdman)
GENRE: COUNTRY/ALT
GRADE: A-
REVIEW:Paula Frazier's first record was sparse and extremely special. Now, with one quality-riddled album under her belt, Frazier is branching out slightly, but at the core of each song is her ability to conjure up images of singers like Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris and Connie Francis with an ease and grace that comes so naturally to so few.
"Always On My Mind" (no, not the cover of the Willie Nelson tune) is a mid-tempo track that sounds like Neko Case if she was the understudy for Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies. The soft, subtle pedal steel of Tom Heyman gives way to a nice arrangement that isn't quite world weary and jaded. Frazier's haunting voice kicks off the Mexican feeling of "Watercolor Lines", with its quasi-flamenco guitar touches that bring to mind the theme to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. It's earthy and quite ethereal at the same time, making for an eclectic yet inviting ditty. "It's Not Ordinary" seems to have the best of both worlds: the roots country flavor blended with a pinch of radio-friendly pop complete with nice harmonies. If there's one fault however, it might be how Frazier goes to the well one too many times with the chorus. On "Long Ago", you get the impression she has set her mind on creating music that is perhaps a generation old. The strings and piano used on this number resembles something that might have been on an early James Bond soundtrack. The album's highlight is the folksy amble that is "Leave the Sad Things Behind" that works on all fronts, as the vocals and music complement each other on a song that someone like Rosanne Cash or Emmylou Harris might consider covering. Frazier might not dazzle as many with this album as she did her first, but there are several quality tracks, especially the bouncy retro feeling all over "Funny Things" with its cheesy organ and sing-along harmonies. Concluding with the dusty, precious "Where Did Time Go", Frazier has made a strong album that could be a hint at a slightly different direction.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10
REVIEWER: Jason MacNeil popmatters.com

OTHER ADDS THIS WEEK:
Tab Benoit Voice of the Wetlands Rykodisc
Ryan Adams Jacksonville City Nights Lost Highway
Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate
In The Heart Of The Moon World Circuit

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WFHB Music - Bloomington Community Radio

Monday, November 28

reggae (3), int'l (2), alt (1), hip-hop (1)

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Sunday, November 27

Blues-New CDs: Blakey, Hanck, & Holt

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Wednesday, November 23

WFHB ADDS FOR 11/22/05

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Sunday, November 20

Attention Reviewers: more rock to be reviewed

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int'l add: brilliant 2-CD comp kicks butt

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Friday, November 18

WFHB ADDPOOL CDS 11/15

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Friday, November 11

Blues CD Reviews 11-11-05

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int'l adds coming 11/11....

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Wednesday, November 9

ADDPOOL CDS 11/7

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ADDPOOL CDS for 10/31

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Monday, November 7

int'l genre adds 11/07

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Sunday, November 6

New Alt rock to be Reviewed

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Tuesday, November 1

ADDPOOL CDS 10/24

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