WFHB Music - Bloomington Community Radio: May 2006

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Wednesday, May 31

belated additions

COMRADES! Some goodies for you to check out.....SNOW PATROL plays to expectations, NACHITO HERRERA offers up some nice latin piano jazz, and MARIA McKEE returns to form.....As far as int'l discs go, Indian film composer A.R. Rahman gets a 2-CD retrospective, GECKO TURNER looks for the electronica crossover.....and TANGO No. 9 stakes a claim for the best tango band to ever come out of San Francisco.....

Artist: Snow Patrol
Title: Eyes Open
Label: Polydor
Genre: alt / indie
Grade: A

Snow Patrol's fourth album, Eyes Open, doesn't fall short from where they left off with Final Straw (2004); in fact, their hungry indie-rock sound only gets bigger and better this time around. All guitar hooks and singalong choruses are firmly in place. Snow Patrol are the kind of band that embrace simplicity as beautiful and human flaws as art. These Scots are onto something big. (4 stars)

Reviewer: MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide

Artist: Nachito Herrera
Title: Live at the Dakota 2
Label: Dakota Live
Genre: jazz / int’l
Grade: A

“Rumba in the tundra”! I tip my hat to Tom Surowicz’s liner notes—ye gods I wish I’d made that up. Cuban émigré Herrera, now Minneapolis-based, follows up his 2002 live set with another scorcher, proving once and for all that son and snow are not, in fact, diametrically opposed.

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Maria McKee
Title: Peddlin’ Dreams
Label: Eleven Thirty
Genre: singer / songwriter
Grade: A

While McKee’s label touts Peddlin' Dreams as a return to rootsy American rock and folk styles, and as the album that logistically follows You Gotta Sin to Get Saved (1993), this simply isn't true. This is not a look back but a further look in. It's true that acoustic guitars permeate the mix, and the songs walk the folk-rock border, but they are the frame for the rich, labyrinthine, multidimensional songs here. McKee wrote or co-wrote nine of the album's 12 tracks. Using folk, country and rock backdrops, McKee's songs offer stories of the broken, the lost, the wider-eyed and the hopeless. Peddlin' Dreams is a melancholy record to be sure, but it's moving, utterly beautiful and carefully, artfully wrought. (4 stars)

Reviewer: Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Artist: A.R. Rahman
Title: Introducing A.R. Rahman
Label: Times Square
Genre: int’l
Grade: A+

In common with compilations of prolific film composers in general, this two-CD collection -- as lengthy as it is -- is a necessarily selective overview of some of A.R. Rahman's work. With 24 tracks and more than two hours of music, it includes excerpts from soundtracks spanning 1993-2001, most of the selections containing vocals. Working in contrast to the stereotypes many viewers have of the flashy, sometimes cheesy music heard in much Indian cinema, the material here is thoughtfully assembled and dignified, though it does make frequent use of melismatic and female upper-range vocal styles not often heard in Western popular music. All of the material is taken from soundtracks performed in the original Tamil language, Rahman's native tongue. (4 ½ stars)

Reviewer: Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Artist: Tango No. 9
Title: Radio Valencia
Label: Spillhouse
Genre: int’l / Bay-area tango
Grade: B+

“A hot ticket on the San Francisco tango dance circuit” (?!—hey, that’s what their publicist asserts, anyhow), Tango No. 9 delivers up a serviceable set of Argentinian-esque tracks for your programming pleasure. Seeing them live would be fun, I’d guess, but the disc fails to demand wide exposure. Still, they’d be a hit at Lotus for sure.

Reviewer: bjorn Ingvoldstad

Artist: Gecko Turner
Title: Guapapasea!
Label: Quango
Genre: int’l / electronica
Grade: A-

Turner’s blend of loungy latin electronica has been a mainstay on the CMJ New World Top Ten for weeks, so we’re a little late to the party here. There’s a lot to work with, but I recommend starting with the insistent “Limón en la Cabeza” (03) and then working your way out from there.

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

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Monday, May 29

Blues CD Reviews 5-29-06

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Daily, Terry – “I’ve Paid My Dues” (Musik Factory/Great Country Recordings) C+

The best thing on this album is some great Resophonic guitar playing. Playing and singing solo (but for an assist by a friend on drums), the disc showcases Daily’s great guitar style, but his vocals, and songs are below average, in my opinion. Many of his tunes are religious in content.

Hollywood Blues Flames/Hollywood Fats Band – “Road to Rio”/ “Larger Than Life” (Delta Groove) A+

Hollywood Fats’ Band was a forerunner of the best in SW California Blues guitar players, a man far before his time. He had a killer band which fell apart at his death, but lately have picked up the baton again with Kirk Fletcher on guitar (fabulous young black player). So here we have a double disc, the second one recorded with great Hollywood Fats original band tunes, and the first with many former members of his band, now reborn under the name “Hollywood Blue Flames.” The music throughout is stellar. Al Blake (harp) does the vocals in a gritty fashion and sometimes haphazardly, but this record has got it going on. Try anything—they’re all good.

Jackson, Ken – “Lost in Signs” (Indie) D

Not recommended.

Keb Mo – “Remain Silent” – Sample of forthcoming Disc “Suitcase” (Epic) B+

Classic Keb Mo…should go over well on all mixes.

Orta, Paul & Lazy Lester – “Shuffle w/ Lester” (Musik Factory/Great Country Recordings) B+

Harmonica player Paul Orta teams with guitarist/harpist Lazy Lester on this disc of half-Orta originals. The music is good, Orta’s vocals don’t carry it. However, the compilation is good for the great, great music, and the fact that on several tunes, the two play harp doubles which showcase each person’s style. Lester’s is more laid back and primary colored, while Orta specializes in the note-flutter, which must give him a headache, he does it so much (smile). But it’s good. Worth listening. They also trade off on vocals (thank goodness).

Various Artists – “Classic African-American Ballads” (Smithsonian Folkways) A++++

What an incredible gem is this album. It’s a collection of the greatest acoustic blues players known. Original acoustic performances run the course of old time blues. Josh White, John Jackson, Lead Belly, etc. This disc can’t be rated highly enough. They even have recordings of unnamed convicts at two State Farms where work-blues songs kept convicts focused, and the music is natural and soulful. Wow…!!!

Smith, Willie “Big Eyes” – “Way Back” (HighTone) A

Former Muddy Waters drummer, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith has turned front-man/harp player (played harp before drums anyway). He’s gathered a great group of Chicago top-call players and put out another disc with friends. A killer rhythm section is often fronted with stellar guests – James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, Bob Margolin, Billy Flynn, and etc…plus a great up and coming drummer, Willie’s son, Kenny. Can’t go wrong.

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Wednesday, May 17

3 more int'l discs

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COMRADES! Heading off to AZ today for my brother Nils's wedding....Temps are topping 100 degrees they say, so I'll be the one with an ice water IV....Here are a few new int'l discs for the week....GRUPO NAIDY are a nice pickup by Smithsonian Folkways, SARA TAVARES is the latest bright light from Cape Verde, and SMADJ effectively brings acoustic North African music together with global electronica.....ENJOY!

Artist: Sara Tavares
Title: Balancê
Label: Times Square
Genre: int’l / Cape Verde
Grade: A-

On her third album, singer Sara Tavares looks as much to her Cape Verde heritage as to her Portuguese upbringing, using her acoustic guitar and a variety of exotic percussion instruments to create a modified acoustic African pop sound over which she sings her melodic songs, which concern themselves largely with optimistic, generalized expressions of love. Tavares has a jazzy vocal approach that at times recalls Rickie Lee Jones or Norah Jones, and her music has a light touch even when she speeds the tempo for a dance track. She seems to be aiming at a hybrid approach that is neither strictly European nor African, and she largely succeeds, even if the music is more pleasant that substantive. (3 ½ stars)

Reviewer: William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Artist: Grupo Naidy
Title: ¡Arriba Suena Marimba!:
Currulao Marimba Music from Colombia
Label: Smithsonian Folkways
Genre: int’l
Grade: A-

Grupo Naidy combines acoustic marimba instrumentation with unpolished (yet disarmingly charming) call-and-response vocals. The vocals, in fact, keep sliding up into a brief, one-note falsetto that seemingly shouldn’t work, yet always does. Best as I can tell, that’s Grupo Naidy’s signature move, and it’s worth checking out.

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Smadj
Title: Take It and Drive
Label: Rasa
Genre: int’l / electronica
Grade: A-

Jean-Pierre Smadja (or “Smadj” to you, buddy) finds a nice way to blend North African acoustic instrumentation / delivery with global electronica. Tracks seem to work best when guest vocalists get into the mix: Amit Chaterjee (India) and Rokia Traoré (Mali) in particular add a lot to the songs they appear on. Preview cuts to think about skipping incidentals that too often appear at beginning of songs!

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

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Sunday, May 14

Blues CD Reviews 5-15-06

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Coleman, Michael & Delmark All-Stars – “Blues Brunch at the Mart” (Delmark) A-

One of the very best things about the Chicago Blues Fest (and there are SO many) is the Sunday morning Blues Brunch at Bob Koester (Delmark Records) “Jazz Mart.” Koester offers free food and a room full of blues – calling in his Delmark artists to perform one after another for free. It used to be one of the greatest kept secrets, but now it’s well known and always wonderful. This disc is a recording of last year’s treats…some regulars like Bonnie Lee and Lurrie Bell, and the last time Willie Kent will ever play there (sigh). A very good feeling disc. Fine Chicago players down to the bone.

DeSanto, Sugarpie – “Refined Sugar” (Jasman Records) B

Etta James’ cousin…Sugar Pie DeSanto’s claim to fame is she is the only female blues singer who accompanied so many of the Masters on the famous American Folk Blues Festival of ’64. Gravel voiced like Etta, Sugar Pie puts out some good tunes…musicianship excellent…voice a little road-worn, but expressive.

Indigenous (Mato Nanji) – “Fool Me Again” (Vanguard) A

This one-tune disc features Mato Nanji who is some shucks as a guitar player. The young player is inspiring all sorts of comparisons – Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Eric Clapton, etc. etc. That’s a heavy load to carry…ask Bruce Springsteen. Watch that press boys. Still, this kid has the stuff, I have to admit. If his whole disc (“Chasing the Sun” – to be released soon) is this good…I’ll jump on the band-wagon.

Kerr, Mark – “One Drink Away From The Blues” (Indie) B

Stevie Ray Vaughan has a lot to answer for. Here’s another clone (which after all ain’t too shabby…I sure can’t play like that) with tube screaming and distortion guitar. Good for the rockin’ Stevie Ray fan. Vocals are mediocre…playing is pretty good, but obscured (for my money) by all those effects (lots of effects on vocals too). Not my cup of tea.

Lee, Albert – “Roadrunner” (Sugar Hill) A

You pretty much know what to expect when Albert puts his hand to guitar – incredible speed, precision and feel and a whole lot of country on top. The English native is always in hot demand as a session player and occasionally puts out his own CD. Initially sticking to instrumentals, he’s now stretched out and sings a lot as well. He just can’t be beat for beauty and speed in country riffs. Here he also runs through some great Crowell-like mid tempo stuff, and stretches out on piano (his original instrument and on which he does some beautiful work) with his daughter(?) singing Richard Thompson’s “Dimming of the Day.” A really nice album for country lovers, guitar players, and folks that just like good music.

Primich, Gary – “Ridin’ the Dark Horse” (Electro-Fi) A-

Our home-boy Gary has been working the blues scene hard since his move to Austin, and he’s a well-known blues harp guy now. This CD is his first in a while, after some unsettling things on the homefront, and he teams up with pal Mark Korpi and his regular posse to turn out a fine disk of great harp, excellent blues grooves, and some tongue-in-cheek singing. He puts his trademark-on-chromatic tune in there as usual…this time a nod to “Indiana” – where I think part of his heart lies. Great blues. (He’ll be coming through Blgtn. in June 2006.)

Siegal, Ian – “Meat & Potatoes” (Nugene Records) A-

Siegal got his start as a roadie for a European band. Got called up to sub on a vocal one night and tore the house down. Since then has fronted tours with the Stones, B.B. King, etc. Has a great Tom Waits-ish voice, but lots of soul. His playing is especially good on the steel resonator guitar…very tasty. His vocals are something special in a raw way. Think he’s a lot like Jimmy Vaughan.

Thielemans, Toots – “One More For The Road” (Verve) A+

Arguably one of the top three harmonica players in the world, Thielemans has a 50 year history of playing jazz with anyone you can name – Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman, etc. etc. ETC. He’s great—was recently here in Bloomington – fantastic. Here he teams with young vocalists and a player or two to put out another masterpiece of support harp and sweet sailing over the top –never stepping on toes and full of fabulous tone and taste. EVERYTHING on this disc is excellent. It’s all good for all mixes.

Thomas, Irma – “After the Rain” (Rounder) B

Irma Thomas comes out of that same elder stateswoman, blues-mama bag as Etta James, with the same puzzling song choices Etta sometimes makes – pop to blues to soul. Irma leans heavily on soul with smooth vocals and when she nails it—she nails it good. I have little interest in the pop tunes, but the James Brownish funk tunes, and especially her melting and soulful vocals on the slow ones, get to me. She does a post-Katrina tribute on “Another Man Done Gone” that hits home, and hits that same mark on “Soul of a Man.” Irma is a national treasure.

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int'l +

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COMRADES! Signatures were procured Friday, so we are happy campers here at Caravan Central. New discs from old friends THE CHURCH & THE CHARLATANS UK make us warm and fuzzy.....ROOTS TONIC get the Bill Laswell treatment....CAFE D'AFRIQUE, in a fit of odd marketing, chooses an exotic-sounding French title for this African electronica, despite nearly all songs being sung in English.....and int'l discs arrive from the likes of JUANA MOLINA and CIBELLE, as well as some French guys who call themselves BENET. Have at 'em, Mr Amusing!......

Artist: The Church
Title: Uninvited, Like the Clouds
Label: Cooking Vinyl
Genre: indie
Grade: A

Uninvited has everything an adoring Church fan could want, and all the ammunition a detractor could carry: a bloated, beautiful, unsettling storm of a record that manages to celebrate improvisation and songcraft without any favoritism, resulting in their most cohesive record since 1992's underrated Priest = Aura. Uninvited, Like the Clouds -- like 2003's Forget Yourself -- won't win the group any new fans, but it may be the just a shiny enough apple to lure the brethren back into the garden. (4 stars)

Reviewer: James Christopher Monger, AMG

Artist: The Charlatans UK
Title: Simpatico
Label: Sanctuary
Genre: indie
Grade: B+

Sixteen years into their career and the Charlatans UK are roughly at the same place the Rolling Stones were at the same point in their career -- not in terms of popularity, of course (the Charlatans have never had anything approaching a hit in the U.S.), but in musical terms. Which is a roundabout way of saying that their ninth studio album, Simpatico, is the Charlatans' version of the Stones' Emotional Rescue: it's a groove-centric rock album, heavy on disco and reggae rhythms, where the overall vibe is more important than the individual songs. The disc works well on its own terms and is proof that the now-veteran Charlatans UK are building a reliably entertaining body of work. (3 stars)

Reviewer: Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Artist: Roots Tonic / Bill Laswell
Title: Roots Tonic Meets Bill Laswell
Label: ROIR
Genre: reggae / dub
Grade: A-

Laswell is arguably the biggest name in US dub, and Roots Tonic back Matisyahu, arguably the biggest name in US reggae. Basically a win-win for the home-grown enthusiasts.

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: v / a
Title: Palace Lounge Presents Café d’Afrique
Label: Savoy Jazz
Genre: electronica
Grade: A-

Put together by South African producer Andrew Mitchley, the collection brings together the cream of the South African and European dance music scenes. Producers, bands, songwriters, and exquisite female vocalists come together seamlessly in this nonstop mix. All of these artists are held in the highest esteem in South Africa, so it's no surprise that prior to the U.S. release of this fascinating, toe-tapping collection, it was a number one-selling dance music collection in that country.

Reviewer: Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide

Artist: Juana Molina
Title: Son
Label: Domino
Genre: int’l
Grade: A-

Molina’s latest set continues her mellow, acoustic aesthetic. Morning-friendly and specialty-show worthy.

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Benet
Title: Flora y Fauna
Label: Rasa
Genre: int’l / electronica
Grade: B+

Let’s see…the new-age Air? Electronica candle merchants (see booklet)? French global chillers? A good reason to dig out your old Ultramarine tapes? All of the above, for better or worse. Innocuously mellow!

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Cibelle
Title: The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves
Label: Six Degrees
Genre: int’l / electronica
Grade: A-

Cibelle makes a bold move with her second album: away from the broadly appealing samba-lounge of her self-titled debut album and toward relatively abstract soundscapes and poetics that comprise a style that could be described as "folktronica" (i.e., heavy-handed studiocraft rustling around quietly behind Cibelle's mix of Portuguese- and English-language self-penned lyrics, with a few choice covers thrown in as well). It's a consciously artistic direction, for sure—a delightful surprise to those who enjoy their music heady as well as beautiful, and with a literate, worldly edge. (3 ½ stars)

Reviewer: Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

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Saturday, May 6

everything but the kitchen sink

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COMRADES! It is the end of the semester! Final grades are in! Dissertations are soon to be defended! The Twins are not in last place (yet)! All is seemingly right with the universe!

I have a bunch of new things here for you to dig through...in terms of INTERNATIONAL music, the soundtrack to La Mujer de mi Hermano is particularly nice, though there are a number of discs to check out....MAINSTREAM sees new compilations from Blondie and Roy Orbison....INDIE gets two interesting samplers, and there's even a JAZZ disc for f**k's sake. Maybe I should clean out the garage?

Artist: v / a
Title: The Rough Guide to Merengue
Label: WMN
Genre: int’l / latin
Grade: A

You might not find much in the way of traditional meringue—the dance associated with the Dominican Republic—here, but you'll find plenty of hot, pop meringue, be it the superbly infectious "La Ciguapa" (02) or the relentless "Caro" (04). The music here is definitely for the modern dancefloor, and quite definitely on the pop end of the spectrum. Yet there's nothing wrong with that; in fact, it's a tactic that might work to the disc's advantage. It's accessible, the kind of record that dares you not to move your feet as you listen. Well-researched, with good basic information about the history of meringue itself and of the artists here, it's a very good primer. (4 stars)

Reviewer: Chris Nickson, All Music Guide

Artist: Rosa Passos
Title: Rosa
Label: Telarc
Genre: int’l / Brazil
Grade: A

Brazilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist Rosa Passos is known worldwide for her stunning voice and her interpretations of classics as well as her own originals. So it's nice, then, that Rosa contains some of both. The album is, in short, reflective of what she is, a combination of the past and present. It's simple, too, in that perfect way: just her and her guitar and 15 tracks to show them off. The sound throughout the record is very consistent, with Passos' smooth, sensuous voice coupled with the warm tones of her guitar. (4 stars)

Reviewer: Marisa Brown, All Music Guide

Artist: Los Alazanes
Title: Siempre Que Me Emborracho
Label: Costarola
Genre: int’l
Grade: A-

Ever wonder what AM radio in Tucson sounds like? Here you go. No electronica touches for the gringos, just accordion-led 2/4 and waltz-time stompers. Los Alazanes are clearly not afraid to collectively wear both the white and black hats!

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Wa-Zimba
Title: Mande Wazy
Label: Tinder
Genre: int’l
Grade: B+

Based in France, with hearts left in Madagascar, Wa-Zimba offer up feel-good Indian Ocean grooves. This trio is a little too slick for their own good at times, but hints of great stuff to come can be found on tracks like the irrepressible “I Soa no tiako” (02).

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Label: Nacional
Artist: v / a
Title: La Mujer de mi Hermano (soundtrack)
Genre: int’l / latin
Grade: A

Not sure when the film will ever make it to B-Town, but let’s not let that stop us. The Nacional label should be a tip-off that there’s good south-of-the-border electronica on offer: Monareta (11) mixes rap with English lesson recordings for good effect, Tanghetto cover “Blue Monday” (02) in an Argentinian mode, and Nortec Collective (06) offer a loungy norteño track. Both Sara Valenzuela (07) and Andrea Echeverri (10) deliver atmospheric, pretty songs. And Angel Milli’s film theme (09) is a nice instrumental. Plenty to play with—I encourage you to check out this modest gem.

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Yoshida Brothers
Title: III
Label: Domo
Genre: int’l / Japanese folk rock
Grade: A-

The Yoshidas have a distinct sound: pairing their stringed tsugaru shamisen with rocking drum beats. Throw some strings on for good measure and you’ve got an interesting mix to be sure—try “Erghen Diado” (01) and you’ll hear what I mean. Crossover covers include Eno’s “By This River” (07) and Lennon/Ono’s “Oh My Love” (09).

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Charles Lloyd
Title: Sangam
Label: ECM
Genre: jazz / Caravan overtones
Grade: A

This set, recorded live in 2004 at a theater in Santa Barbara during homage for the late Billy Higgins, was Charles Lloyd's debut performance with Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain (Shakti), and drummer/percussionist Eric Harland (Lloyd's quartet drummer). What started as a one-off by three players brought together for one purpose has become Sangam, a going concern. This music, while rooted in the rhythms of the world, is jazz without a doubt… Lloyd, Hussain, and Harland honor understand the music's great generosity of spirit, bringing in everything that feels right while freely giving props—sonically—to the territories it derives that inspiration and generosity from. (4 stars)

Reviewer: Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Artist: v / a
Title: Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited (sampler)
Label: Verve Forecast
Genre: alt / indie
Grade: A-

Four-track sampler of this set of English-singing indie artists translating Gainsbourg songs. The Rakes (01) lead off strong, then Cat Power (02) takes the theatrical absurdity up a notch, only to have Gonzales et al (03) go electro on our butts. The Michael Stipe cut (04) is smoky and atmospheric, yet ironically falters when he stops breathily speaking and sings.

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Elvis Costello w/ the Metropole Orkest
Title: My Flame Burns Blue (sampler)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Genre: indie / jazz
Grade: A

Two-song sampler from this live album bringing together Mr Costello and a full-on jazz orchestra. Tracks 01 & 02 here include Costello discussing the track ahead of time, while 03 and 04 are just the songs themselves. Did we ever get the full-length? In lieu of that, this is a nice taste, anyhow.

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Roy Orbison
Title: The Essential Roy Orbison
Label: Sony
Genre: mainstream
Grade: A

All the Roy you can handle on this two-disc set. Disc One covers the same ground as several other best-of sets out there—you’re bound to have your own particular favorites. Disc Two is more odds and ends: later work, soundtrack cuts, live versions, etc. The last big single “You Got It” (01) and the re-recorded “In Dreams” (12) are standouts (U2 completists should check out “She’s a Mystery to Me” [02]).

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

Artist: Blondie
Title: Greatest Hits
Label: Capitol
Genre: mainstream
Grade: A

What can I say? Blondie were brilliant, then they weren’t. Proof? Compare anything here from their first five albums against “Island of Lost Souls” from The Hunter. Still, “Maria” (from 1999) was a nice make-up exercise. For the goods, though, “Hanging on the Telephone,” “Dreaming,” “Rapture,” etc stand up with the best late ‘70s / early ‘80s new wave you can throw at The Peoples. Check out “Rapture Riders” for a Blondie vs Doors mash-up.

Reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

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Thursday, May 4

adds for 4.24.06

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DATE: 4.24.06
ARTIST: Yonder Mountain String Band
TITLE: s/t ( Vanguard )
GENRE: BLUEGRASS/PROGRESSIVE/JAMBAND
GRADE: A
REVIEW: The real test of a jamband is not whether they can jam on a riff for 30 minutes while on mushrooms, it's whether they can write and perform quality short songs. YMSB passes the test, probably due to the succint songwriting style of their prime influence – bluegrass. Using traditional instrumentation while taking stylistic risks in songwriting style, these songs carry a punch fueled by instruental dexterity and well-honed harmoinies.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,6,8,10,11
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 4.24.06
ARTIST: Matthew Sweet/Susanna Hoffs
TITLE: Under the Covers #1 (Shout Factory)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: B+
REVIEW: This one may not have a lot of long-mileage potential but it is fun for awhile. Sweet and ex-Bangles vocalist Hoff take a crack at a tasty batch of 60s covers, not trying to reinvent them but more like paying homage to their original sound. For the most part it works, but I would avoid the Dylan cover.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,5,6,9,10,11
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 4.24.06
ARTIST: World Party
TITLE: Dumbing Up (Seaview)
GENRE: ROCK?MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Karl Wallinger has always been stand-out pop artist but has also taken his good time between releases, nearly falling off the radar each time. While he still has a unique voice and songwriting style, too much of this album sounds over-deriviative of the Beatles/Stones/Dylan influence worn on his sleeve. Still, it sounds great for what it is.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,4,5,8,10 FCC: 12
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 4.24.06
ARTIST: Alejandro Escovedo
TITLE: The Boxing Mirror (Backporch/EMI)
GENRE: SINGER-SONGWRITER
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: After 15 years of stirring and stunning solo work, AE was knocked flat by hepatitis C, nearly dying. This is more than a comeback album, it's a life-affirming set of songs that cover all the sonic territory he is known for, from tender pin-srop acoustic ballads to fierce punky/Stonesy rocking out. Some are claiming this to be his best. Not sure about that but it's right up there with the rest of them. Produced by John Cale, who dominates a few tunes a little too much with freaky synth sounds.
Otherwise, it's a fine rendering of Alenjandro's various vibes.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS: rock-out with 6 & 8, get moody with 1,2,7,9
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 4.24.06
ARTIST: Bruce Springsteen
TITLE: The Seeger Sessions (Columbia)
GENRE:FOLK/SINGER-SONGWRITER
GRADE: A+
REVIEW:We Shall Overcome -- which was recorded live in Springsteen's New Jersey home with a fourteen-piece band, including horns, banjo, fiddles, washboard, organ and accordion -- is his most jubilant disc since Born in the U.S.A. and more fun than a tribute to Pete Seeger has any right to be. But as on Born in the U.S.A., seemingly triumphant anthems are paired with lyrics of pain and protest that champion the oppressed and the exploited. Springsteen has always mined a deep vein of Americana, from the hot-rod-and-B-movie-obsessed early albums to the Steinbeckian social realism of The Ghost of Tom Joad and last year's Devils and Dust. But with his first-ever album of songs written by other people, it feels like he's turned to the music of our shared past to find a moral compass for a nation that's gone off the rails. The protest anthems "Eyes on the Prize" and "We Shall Overcome" are performed with an understated urgency. On the gospel standard "Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep" Springsteen sings in a gruff Tom Waits-ish baritone and the Seeger Sessions Band gives it a Dixieland treatment with Stephane Grappelli-style violin." Springsteen discovered most of these tunes -- which also include sea chanteys ("Pay Me My Money Down"), minstrel songs ("Old Dan Tucker") and outlaw ballads ("Jessie James") -- on LPs by Seeger. Among the pleasures of this album is rediscovering childhood staples like "Erie Canal" or "John Henry" via Springsteen's craggy, familiar voice -- which is as mighty and powerful as the steel-driving man himself.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,3,6,8,9,11
REVIEWER: excerpts from rollingstone.com

DATE: 4.24.06
ARTIST: The Waybacks
TITLE: From the Pasture to the Future (Compass)
GENRE: FOLK
GRADE: A
REVIEW:The Chicago Tribune says that the Waybacks offer "a near-ideal balance of irreverence, chops, discipline, and originality," and that actually sums it up quite well. This primarily acoustic folk-rock group is irreverent about genre boundaries, jumping gleefully back and forth between the lines that separate blues from bluegrass, rock from jazz, and Celtic music from pop, but they're never so irreverent that they just sound goofy. Their chops are considerable, but (in the studio anyway) they never lapse into wanky self-indulgence. Their discipline and originality are manifest in tightly written, hook-filled songs and unusual arrangements, and all of those qualities come together beautifully in this, the group's fourth album. From the Pasture to the Future offers brilliant instrumental hot jazz ("Monkey Pants," "Hot Kranski"), a sharply rocking kissoff song ("Helping Me," which features the timeless couplet "It's not that you're bad for me/It's just that you're bad"), and a very fine rhumba ("Armando's Rhumba"). It also features a funny folk-rock number titled "Petrified Man" and a beautiful Texas-style dance number called "Bluebird Waltz." The Waybacks are not terribly convincing as purveyors of straight-up traditional Irish music, as "The Blacksmith" demonstrates, but everything else works so well that you hardly even notice that one. Very highly recommended.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,4,6,8,10
REVIEWER: Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Tom Verlaine Songs and Other Things Thrill Jockey
Gotan Project Lunatico XL/Ya Basta
The Black Angels Passover Light in the Attic
Ursula 1000 Here Comes Tommorrow ESL

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WFHB Music - Bloomington Community Radio

Wednesday, May 31

belated additions

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Monday, May 29

Blues CD Reviews 5-29-06

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Wednesday, May 17

3 more int'l discs

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Sunday, May 14

Blues CD Reviews 5-15-06

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int'l +

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Saturday, May 6

everything but the kitchen sink

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Thursday, May 4

adds for 4.24.06

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