WFHB ADDS for 1/16/06
DATE: 1.16.06ARTISt: The Gourds
TITLE: Heavy Ornamentals
GENRE: Country/Alt
GRADE: A
REVIEW: When the opening chords of "Declineometer" from Heavy Ornamentals hits your ears two things happen simultaneously. The twangy dissonance perks up your ears and commands attention and quickly following it comes a sense of coming back home to the Gourds. They are masters of the world-weary lyrics coupled with feel-good sounds that give you that down-to-earth feeling. They continue to seal their reputation as writing the most obscure lyrics that still seem like they hang together. Somehow. Electric guitars figure prominently among the songs arrangements, similar to their past CD Blood of the Ram, but they seem less disruptive and more ntegrated into the sound on Heavy Ornamentals. Gourds purists like myself still fret that we aren't going get enough of those wonderful mandolin, fiddle, and accordion riffs. But it's all in there. According to the press materials, the Gourds chose to record the album in analog, to capture the warm, intimate, mistakes-and-all feel.
FCC 7 & 11
Track Number / Title / Notes
1 / Declineometer / country rock with a screechy fiddle sound.
2 / Burn the Honeysuckle / deep woods sound with mythic lyrics 3 / Mr. Betty / Sounds like Rolling Stones blues rock, but what are they singing about?
4 / Shake The Chandelier
5 / New Roomate / a crooner
6 / Hooky Junk / obviously the track slotted for mainstream airplay.
8 / Stab / a screechy light-footed bluegrass instrumental
12 / Pill Bug Blues / a foot tapper
13 / Pick and Roll / foly
REVIEWER: taprootradio.com
DATE: 1.16.06
ARTIST: Rhett Miller
TITLE: The Believer
GENRE: Rock/Mainstream
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: On his second solo release away from Old 97s, Miller mostly leaves the twang behind and concentrates on big-chord rock songs. The few acoustic numbers he tries here don't work as well.
Catchy, hooky, well-produced – the best songs here should sound great on the afternoon mix.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,5,6,7,9,10
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
DATE: 1.16.06
ARTIST: Rosanne Cash
TITLE: Black Caddilac
GENRE: Country/Folk/SS
GRADE: A
REVIEW: In the span of two years, from 2003 to 2005, Rosanne lost her father, her mother, Vivian Liberto Cash, and her stepmother, June Carter Cash. And those losses obviously shook her to her core. Losing them led to some of the most intense soul-searching she's ever poured into her songwriting here in Black Cadillac.The ghosts of her three parents hover ever close to these songs, and a palpable sense of grief and mourning infuse/suffuse them. In many ways, it's a grief assuaged by acceptance and eventually even a celebration of their lives, but it remains a very real grief, nonetheless. "Now one of us gets to go to heaven," she sings. "One of us has to stay here in hell." This is one of the most meaningful and musically significant works of her career. And it goes beyond the lyrics, as key as they are. Rosanne Cash has become increasingly musically proficient over the years, and her songs and arrangements more and more encompass musical influences ranging from country to classical to trance to gypsy to folk. I know she's talked in the past about listening to such composers as the Estonian music composer Arvo Part, and you can hear some of his funereal, drone-like influences here. Rosanne recorded half of this in New York with her husband, John Leventhal, producing. The other half was produced in Los Angeles by Bill Bottrell, best known recently for his work with Five for Fighting and earlier albums by Shelby Lynne and Sheryl Crow.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,4,6,9,11,12
REVIEWER: excerpts from Chet Flippo/cmt.com
DATE: 1.16.06
ARTIST: Cat Power
TITLE: The Greatest
GENRE: Rock/Alt
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: On her seventh album, Chan Marshall, who has been performing under the name of Cat Power since the early 90’s, returns to the Memphis rhythms she grew up on and the city that spawned her second album, What Would The Community Think? A departure from her sparse guitar and piano playing, Marshall enlisted Al Green’s guitarist Mabon Hodges to play guitar on the album, along with Steve Potts of Booker and the MGs fame on drums, joined together with other top Memphis musicians. There is no "Love & Happiness" or "Take Me To The River" here, as the slinky 70’s grooves are replaced with Marshall's take on the Stax sound. As a break from her live shows that feature chaotic and introspective folk, The Greatest is filled with saloon soul, as Marshall’s smoky voice tells of stories of loss and longing. But this is no Norah Jones cheese, instead "Could We" roars like a Van Morrison number, while the purring cinematic title track, although about a boxer, might be a future favorite wedding song. Although Marshall steers into a Tori Amos ethereal piano side with the atmospheric "Willie," her voice comes off suggestive and warm. As you hold onto the last note of the swinging final track "Love & Communication," Chan Marshall provides an orchestral gallop for Cat Power that will steer The Greatest onto the Best of 2006 lists.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,4,6,7,10,12
REVIEWER: excerpt from glidemagazine.com
DATE: 1.16.06
ARTIST: Winterpills
TITLE: Winterpills
GENRE: Folk/SS
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Influences as obvious as Elliot Smith are apparent from the opening track of the debut release from the hypnotic Winterpills. That striking similarity soon gives way to the bands` own voice; or multiple voices rather, as richly blended vocals are a standout feature here. Winterpills is an organic and charmed effort fronted by Philip Price, but the inclusion of vocalist Flora Reed really opens this up into something special. Price`s acoustic folk based compositions range from delicate arrangements to slow-brewed rock. Hints of acid-folk and somber-pop add a timeless feel to the music which is heavy with moments of sheer beauty. It`s one of these satisfying records that creeps through you like fog yet leaves a lasting dreamlike impression in its wake.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,4,5,7,9
REVIEWER: milesofmusic.com
DATE: 1.16.06
ARTIST: Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3
TITLE: ...tick...tick...tick
GENRE: Rock/Alt
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Steve Wynne led Dream Syndicate more than 20 years ago. Some of the songs here carry their unique psych/new wave vibe, others just rock. The Miracle 3 compliment his songs with tight delivery and a sense of fun.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,3,5,6,9,10
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
also added at WFHB this week:
Tender Forever The Soft and the Hardcore K
Arab Strap The Last Romance Transdreamer
Steve Riley Dominos Rounder
The Elected Sun, Sun, Sun Sub Pop
posted by WFHB Music @ 7:21:00 AM
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