ADDS FOR JUNE 19
DATE: 6.19.06ARTIST: Darrell Scott
TITLE: The Invisible Man
GENRE: Country
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Reminiscent at times of recent Rodney Crowell — Let's Call It a Life, Do It Or Die Trying, even the emotional closer In My Final Hour — The Invisible Man may arguably be Scott's most mainstream recording. Surrounding himself with the best of Nashville – Danny Thompson-bass, Kenny Malone-drums, and Richard Bennett-guitar and keyboardist Gabe Dixon – Darrell then invites other like minded iconoclasts – Sam Bush, John Cowan, Dan Dugmore, and Andrea Zonn – to make the invisible man visible. Highlight tracks include: Shattered Cross, There's A Stone Around My Belly and The River Is Me. RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 12
REVIEWER: www.acousticmusic.com
DATE: 6.
ARTIST: Ane Brun
TITLE: A Temporary Dive
GENRE: rock/alt/s-s
GRADE:
REVIEW: Swedish singer-songwriter Ane Brun’s 2004 release A Temporary Dive finally has been issued stateside, courtesy of the Virgin off-shoot V2 — and it comes not a moment too soon. In spite of its minimalist production, the album is imbued with a melancholic ambience that is worthy of Neko Case. Brun’s voice is equally enchanting: an angelic, almost childlike soprano that possesses both Joan Baez’s quaver and Joni Mitchell’s lilt. Add to this confessional lyrics and guest appearances by indie singer-songwriters Ron Sexsmith and Syd Matters, and the resulting record is both mystifying and irresistible. A Temporary Dive’s opening cut To Let Myself Go is an enigmatic, bare-bones, folk-pop lament that enhances its introspection with haunting backing vocals, while The Fight Song features a frenzied slide guitar bridge in the midst of its ominous, inscrutable lyrics. Elsewhere, the country-folk Balloon Ranger is reminiscent of a solitary, late-night drive down a deserted, southern highway; the title track manages to be both mournful and hopeful, philosophical and accessible; and with a jaunty rhythm that belies its lyrics of depression and loneliness, Little Lights (Brun’s duet with Syd Matters) concludes the effort on a high note. At first glance, the moseying rhythm and full-band production of Song No. 6 should seem at odds with the rest of the album, but beneath the spark and spirit of the tune, lurk the same ambient shadings that pervade the entirety of the affair. Of the outing’s 11 tracks, only the overly simplistic Where Friends Rhymes with End is less than stellar, meaning A Temporary Dive is essential listening for fans of meditative, atmospheric euphony.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10
REVIEWER: www.music-boxonline.com
DATE: 6.19.06
ARTIST: Frank Black
TITLE: Fast Man Raider Man
GENRE: Rock/Alt/S-S
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Two CDs, 27 songs. Overkill, perhaps? Yes. Somewhere there’s a bootlegger crying over his CD burner. These days, everyone is Ryan Adams. No more outtakes — just release everything and let the listener sort it out. On Fast Man, Black kept to an informal, impulsive recording schedule. In Nashville, he’d ring up his producer, Jon Tiven, and have him gather the finest players available on short notice — Steve Cropper, Spooner Oldham, Free’s Simon Kirke, Buddy Miller, Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson; in L.A., he rounded up drummer Steve Ferrone, bassist Carol Kaye and P.F. Sloan. Black’s come a long way from the Pixies, and the assurance of working with overly competent studio pros has enabled him to slip into Americana mode without sounding disturbingly out of place. Much like 2005’s Honeycomb, Fast Man Raider Man uses traditional forms, specializing in soul ballads (“Fast Man”) and classics (Ewan MacColl’s “Dirty Old Town”) that economize on the electricity spent without sacrificing too much power.
FCC CD 2 TRACK 6 “SHIT”
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: CD 1: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 12
CD 2: 2, 4, 7, 9, 10
REVIEWER: www.orlandoweekly.com
DATE: 6.19.06
ARTIST: Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin
TITLE: Lost John Dean
GENRE: Country/Alt
GRADE: A
REVIEW: The duo, along with the nifty skills of multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin, released You Can’t Save Everybody in 2004, a solid mix of folk, roots, blues, and everything that makes Americana or alt.country music great. Now, they’re back with their second album. Recorded in a span of basically a few days, the album gets off to a slow, bluesy, folksy start with Kane taking the lead vocal for “Monkey Jump”, a tune that flies thanks to its barebones feel and Kaplin’s subtle but effective fiddle in the background. From there, they slow things down just a hair for the steady, Delta blues-flavored “Satan’s Paradise” that Welch delivers quite nicely. If you’re looking to boogie your butt for a few minutes, then you’ll lap up the mountain-meets-Delta vibe of the title track, which has some sweet harmonies by both Welch and Kane as a banjo leads the song along. While all of the songs here are great, this one seems to edge the others out by a nose. Although both songwriters would be able to shine on their own with these songs, it’s the combination of the two of them that makes for one heck of a listen. Add Kaplin to the mix and songs like “Them Wheels Don’t Roll” anymore just roll perfectly from start to finish, no one performer stepping on the toes of the other. And if the first ten songs weren’t enough, the trio decides to let loose for a rousing and instantly infectious cover of “Mellow Down Easy”, a track that doesn’t mellow down at all.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11
REVIEWER: www.popmatter.com
DATE: 6.21.06
ARTIST: Hacienda Brothers
TITLE: What's Wrong With Right
GENRE: Country/Soul
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Out in Arizona The Hacienda Brothers put together a slow-burning mix of country and soul that I bet is big fun to check out live. In the studio, southern-soul producer Dan Penn is a good match for the band, although the gas doesn't really get turned up high enough on the stove to make this the scorcher it could have been. Still, their slinky sound gets under your skin. Many fine original tunes here and some great covers – The Boxtops “Cry Like A Baby” (written by Dan Penn and Spoomer Oldhame, the Gamble & Huff soul classic “Cowboys to Girls”), and “Rebound”, written by Bill Justis and Charlie Rich.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9
REVIEWER: jIM mANION/wfhb
DATE: 6.21.06
ARTIST: Jason Wilber
TITLE: Live and Otherwise
GENRE: LOCAL
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Local favorite Jason Wilber compiles some of his best songs recorded live (and otherwise) at variou locations over the last 6-7 years. Soundwise, a mixed bag, some of the live tracks are kind of raw, but Jason's spunk always cuts through.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 4, 5, 6, 10
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
posted by WFHB Music @ 4:12:00 PM
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