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Wednesday, December 14

WFHB ADDS 12/6/05

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DATE: 12.6.05
ARTIST:G. Love
TITLE: The Hustle (Brushfire)
GENRE: BLUES/FUNK/ROCK
GRADE: A
REVIEW: This one has been out awhile but we are just getting to it at WFHB. First release from G. Love in a while, still sounding good. Still grooving with that bluesy feel, augmented by a little funk drumming and some jazzy touches here and there. Fun is still a part of the G. Love feel, too.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 3,5,7,8,9,10,11,14 FCC: 1,2,6
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 12.6.05
ARTIST: Brokeback Mountain
TITLE: Soundtrack (Verve Forecast)
GENRE: SOUNDTRACK
GRADE: A
REVIEW: The "Brokeback Mountain" soundtrack is one of the most exciting new albums to come out this season. The movie's original tunes are composed by the talented Gustavo Santaolalla. Parts of his mesmerizing instrumental score are intertwined with vocals tracks performed by Willie Nelson, Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Mary McBride, Teddy Thompsons and others. The Argentina-born Santaolalla has been called the guru of alternative Latin musical production and previously wrote the scores for "21 Grams" and "The Motorcycle Diaries."
Rooted in country, folk and bluegrass, the music on this record perfectly conveys the emotional intensity and the authenticity of the movie's love story that is set in the breathtaking Wyoming landscape. Tender ballads by Rufus Wainwright and Emmylou Harris are mixed with the upbeat country stompers of Linda Ronstadt and The Gas Band.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,4,5,10,16
REVIEWER: wwww.arjanwrites.com

DATE: 12.6.05
ARTIST: Slammin
TITLE: All-Body Band (Crospulse)
GENRE: soul/funk
GRADE: A
REVIEW: One step beyond a capella, Slammin is a group that makes incredible music without any instruments at all. Vocals are a big part of their sound but singing is complimented by body sounds, led by Kieth Terry, who has been fusing dance and sound for years as a solo performer. All tracks recored live, mostly in the Bay Area, where the band is located.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 12.6.05
ARTIST: Don Sternberg/John Carlini
TITLE: By George (Blue Night)
GENRE: FOLK/JAZZ/INSTRUMENTAL
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Here's a tasty treat: the Gershwin songbook as interpreted by the mellow swinging tones of Don Sternberg's mandolin and Don Carlini's guitar. Hearkens back somewhat to the jazzy side of Jethro Burns' manolin playing, with awe and respect for the Gershwin touch.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: all
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 12.6.05
ARTIST: Jennie Stearns
TITLE: Sing Desire (Blue Corn Music)
GENRE: FOLK/SS
GRADE: A
REVIEW:Recorded by Chad Crumm and mixed and produced by Stearns and Crumm with incredible tact and taste, there is a great gamut of producing and mixing styles while all in all staying true to her delivery of lyrical imagery and insights. Assisted by an all-star cast of Ithica musicians from, their unique styles and influences create a wide array of instrumental backdrops and beats in which Stearns' songs are given dimension. The album opens with a sauntering groove in "You Save Me" ingeniously mixed with ambient noises/reverse tracking which gives an extra edge and lift, into her poignant title track "Sing Desire," where the melody sails in waves of momentum and emotion with well placed harmonies amidst the panned piano. Highlights include lyrical insightful tunes like "Shades of Blue," "Season of Dreams," and "Whisper." She loops in and out of grooves and dream sequences throughout the flow of the album, performing such haunting melodies like that of Johnny Dowd's "Garden of Delight" only accompanied by the sustained chords of the spinet organ played by Chad Crumm, to the Latin groove driven "Sleeping" with fiddle, synthesizer, bass, acoustic and electric guitars and drum programmed beats. The subtle longing and edge in her calm voice narrates and makes one feel that one is within Stearns' perspective, looking through her mental photo album or conversations in her head as they are shared and heard."
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,4,7,8,10,11,12
REVIEWER: www.pastemusic.com

DATE: 12.6.05
ARTIST: John Fogerty
TITLE: The Long Road Home (Fantasy)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: After years and years of legal hassles with CCR's record label and ex-bandmates, things have settled down to the point where Fogerty can release a greatest hits package on Said label, Fantasy. Classic singles are augmented by great live tracks. An institution in American music, this all sounds great to me.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: all
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 12.6.05
ARTIST:Matt Haimovitz
TITLE: Goulash (Oxingale)
GENRE: Classical
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Haimovitz’s new album, "Goulash!," explodes with an energetic reading of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" for four cellos. Bartok is the featured composer on the disc, but works such as Romanian Dances or Violin Rhapsody No. 1 gain a new flavor surrounded with improvisational jams with DJ Olive, a turntablist. "Goulash!" is a fiery collection that backs up Haimovitz's notion that classical music isn't defined by where it's presented. He isn't interested in crossover music, nor is he looking to record albums of transcribed pop music. Haimovitz's mission is to bring classical music to those who might not know they like it. "I am stripping away in one fell swoop all the concert traditions that have built up over the last 50 years, and hopefully some young listeners will be caught up in that."

RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,8,10,15
REVIEWER: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

John Cale Black Acetate EMI
Bebe Parfuera Telaranas EMI Latin
Ernie Hawkins Rags & Bones Say Mo' Music

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Monday, December 5

WFHB ADDS FOR 11/28

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DATE:11/28/05
ARTIST:Ashton Allen
TITLE: Dewdrops (Livewire)
GENRE: rock/alt/ss
GRADE: B+
REVIEW: There is a movie out now called “The Man Who Copied”. I have not seen it but the title reminds me of Ashton Allen, for he is the man who copied Elliot Smith. Which ain't a bad thing. In a way it honors Smith's singular musical vibe that was with us so briefly. Dewdrops is a good album. Sometimes it is quiet, sometimes it rocks. All the way through it makes me miss Elliot Smith.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,5,8,9,10,12
REVIEWER:Jim Manion

DATE: 11/28/05
ARTIST:Various Artists
TITLE: Screaming Masterpiece (One Little Indian)
GENRE:INTERNATIONAL/ICELAND/
GRADE: A
REVIEW: A soundtrack to a film about Iceland's usic scene. Herre is a review excerpt on the film from iofilm.co.uk : Screaming Masterpiece gives an overview of the cutting edge of contemporary Icelandic music, from the post-rock stylings of Sigur Ros to the intellectual - well, they say they are - rap of Quarashi to the beatbox folktronica from Bjork. It's a fairly wide focus for an 87-minute documentary and is devoid of external input, composed mostly of interviews with Icelandic musicians, talking about the music they make and the influences that go into it. Many cite religious music, whether Christian hymns or ancient Pagan poems and folk songs, as the aural basis for their music and the bleak, bitterly cold Icelandic scenery for their lyrics, but almost all speak of trying to find their own voice, trying to create something that becomes uniquely Icelandic. The film explores the analogy between the geographical location of the island and its cultural position, a long way from the US, neither in Europe, nor Scandinavia, drawing influences from all of them, yet not conforming to anywhere.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,3,4,5,6,9,13
REVIEWER:

DATE: 11/28/05
ARTIST:Texas Tornados
TITLE: Live from Austin TX (New West)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM/TEXMEX
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Loose but priceless, here are The Texas Tornados rocking out and having fun in their prime. All the TTs shared the spotlight (although Doug Sahm always hogged the microphone between songs to tell you about the tunes) so there are good doses of Sir Doug, Freddy Fender, Flaco Jimenez and Augie Meyer to be found here. Find your fave and let it roll. Play it Augie!
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,3,5,10,12,13,16,17,18
REVIEWER: Jim Manion

DATE: 11/28/05
ARTIST:Kate Rusby
TITLE: The Girl Who Couldn't Fly (Compass)
GENRE: folk/ss
GRADE: A
REVIEW: For a decade, Rusby has built up a reputation for having a voice (and live, a sense of humour) that's easy to fall for. Her gentle tones have a beguiling quality that draw you in and never let you go. They also have the ability of disguising her less-successful tunes. Regular cohort (and husband) John McCusker adds his vast talents to Rusby's simple vocals and guitar, aided by a host of musicians on harmoniums, double bass, flutes, whistles and even euphonium. Thankfully, the results are remarkably uncluttered, bringing uncomplicated backdrops to Rusby's renditions of both traditional and self-penned tunes. Particular attention is deserved for the opening traditional tale of gambling, The "Game Of All Fours", the jigging twitch of "The Elfin Knight" and the beautifully cute bonus track, "Little Jack Frost", written for one of the BBC's Christmas shows last yuletide.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,4,7,10,12
REVIEWER: excerpt from Chris Long's review at bbc.co.uk

DATE: 11/28/05
ARTIST:The Southland
TITLE: Influence of Geometry (Ruffworld)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: B-
REVIEW: A bit derivative of Cure and other “alt/rock” Icons of 80s and 90s, but Southland fuses it all up well when they are on it in tunes like “Shadow”, “Miles”, an odd but likeable cover of “I Only Have Eyes for You”, “Shining Sun” and “Creatures”.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,5,7,8
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 11/28/05
ARTIST:Neil Diamond
TITLE: 12 Songs (Columbia)
GENRE: rock/mainstream
GRADE: B+
REVIEW: From the opening notes of "Oh Mary" you know that this is going to be very different from Neil Diamond's more recent recordings. Using the technique of back to basics that was so successful with Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin strips Diamond back to the essence of singer/songwriter; cutting back on the musical flourishes that often threaten to overwhelm Diamond's compositions. There are some stunning pieces here, the starkness "Oh Mary," the appropriately titled "Delirious Love" a song that captures the emotional resonance of love as well any Diamond has ever recorded(with the addition of Brian Wilson on the added cuts version), The pure folk of "Evermore," and the coolly confrontational "I'm On to You" all stand with Diamond's best work. Sure there are a few misfires here; the cutesy "We" sounding more like a Van Dyke Parks outtake than Diamond and the over the top "Create Me" that reaches back to the overproduced Diamond are two examples. However the weaker songs here are just part of the charm of the work. Diamond puts just as much effort into each song, making for an emotionally honest work and an artistic return to form.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,5,6,7, 8,9,10
REVIEWER: amazon.com

DATE: 11/28/05
ARTIST:Shawn Amos
TITLE: Thank You Shirl-ee May (Shout Factory)
GENRE: rock/mainstream
GRADE: A
REVIEW:Amos, son of '60s singer Shirl-ee May, was in the dark about his mother's early career as a singer on the New York nightclub circuit. After discovering demos, publicity photos and articles about his mother, who chucked her promising career to start a family, Amos decided to make a record in her honor. Thank You Shirl-ee May (A Love Story) is a concept album, but there are no guitar-toting elves or marching hammers here; Amos simply uses his memories of his mother, along with information gathered from her past, to create songs that detail the rise of her musical career and the gradual lapse into mental illness that ultimately destroyed her. The funky "Make It" mixes disco-era strings with R&B rhythms, and chronicles Shirl-ee May's relationship with shady music industry executives. Amos goes for more depth on the harrowing alcoholism tale "The Bottle Always Brings Me Down". This, and the album's only cover -- Joseph Arthur's "Dear Lord", a piano-heavy ballad that Amos laces with southern-fried soul, including gospel-style backup singers -- gives listeners a better glimpse of Amos's feelings about his mother's life. Thank You...'s songs combine classic jazz elements with occasional modern flourishes: saxophones squawk and brushes drag slowly across snares, but you'll also hear guitars and electronic beats. Amos neither directly mimics any particular influence nor pushes any musical boundaries, but his biggest departure is the rock-tinged "You're Groovy (For Boy Blue)", which trades brass instruments for guitar riffs, and the jazzier "Bubble Hill"; together, they form the halfway point in his mother's struggles. "Thank You Shirl-ee May" is naturally fraught with sappy sentiment, but Amos's intentions are pure -- and that's what matters most.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,4,5,6,7,10
REVIEWER: David Cobb splendidzine.com

ALSO ADDED AT WFHB THIS WEEK:
Okkervil River Black Sheep Boy Appendix Jagjaguwar
Various Artists Impulsive! Impulse!
David Holt Let It Slide High Wind

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Sunday, December 4

CD--Mary Gauthier

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Gaithier, Mary -- "Mercy Now" (UMG Recordings) A-

Mary Gauthier ("Go Shay") was a welcome surprise to me. WONDERFUL descriptive lyrics with half-spoken, half-sung lines over moody, often mournful story lines, a la John Prine, Lucinda Williams, and I thought -- Tom Waits. A hard-luck lady who tells stories like a road warrior. Some tunes were low voltage, but most were plain-speaking and visceral in impact. Very original with original instrumental voicings against her spare, almost stark vocals. Special.

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Blues CDs--Flower, Hawkins & Logan

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Flower, Mary -- "Bywater Dance" (Yellow Dog Records) - A-
Mary Flower is an old folkie who was transformed to a "blues" player by a workshop given by Steve James and Jim Schwall. She plays wonderful acoustic finger-style blues and rag and a mean slide guitar. Her vocals are still white-folkish, which gives the tunes an odd sound. Still, the playing is masterful and all tunes on the disc well done. I like instrumentals best. Playing is lighthearted--what she does best. Disc produced by Bloomington's Mark Bingham.

Hawkins, Ernie -- "Rags & Bones" (Indie) A-
An avid student of the Rev. Gary Davis, Hawkins has mastered many acoustic blues finger-picking styles and likes to showcase his arrangements of them via tunes of the "masters." His vocals pale next to his picking prowess; he alternates instrumentals with vocalized numbers, and is joined by Maria Muldaur on one Gary Davis number. Hawkins covers Gary Davis, Jimmy Rogers, Willie McTell, Mance Lipscomb, and some really interesting Louis Armstrong tunes. Playing is stellar. I still favor the instrumentals.

Logan, John "Juke" -- "The Truth Will Rock You" (Mocombo Records) B+
Juke is the first to say he doesn't stick absolutely to blues, and several tunes on this disc will rock you. He puts over great music backed by pal Gary Primich and Gary's band, along with Guitarists Johnny Moeller, Nick Curran and some KILLER playing by Bloomington's Dave Biller. Not to mention assists of great rhythm section artists like Sarah Brown and Jimi Bott. You can hardly go wrong. Juke (writer of "Let's Buzz") pens earthy tunes with no extra syllables and a street approach, but he still sounds like a clean white guy singing (smile). Everyone had a great time making this one.

posted by Cathi N @ 4:06:00 PM   0 comments

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