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December music reviews

Audioslave: Revelations

Sony BMG

First there was Superman, then there were supermarkets and now there are super-groups. Audioslave did well to combine talents to make a unique entity with their first self titled album. Although they tried to break the mould with their second album, it flopped. Revelations is their third album and it is a return to familiar format that worked so well the first time. The radio hit The Original Fire with it’s retro 70s feel is great for dinosaurs like me but tracks like Revelations are more on the mark.

Super-groups often suffer from over production and lack something special, that spark that marks a truly super rock album, and so it is with Revelations. Richard Nelson

Whirimako Black: Soul Sessions

Maimusic

From the start, as Joel Haines’ guitar elegantly explores the chord sequence of Marangai (Stormy Weather) and Whirimako’s voice slides in, it’s ageless music that you can feel to the proverbial bones, a sound both sumptuous and spare that’s curling round the limbs of moonlit pohutukawa. It’s a celebration of the soul of some classic jazz songs and testament to the fluent beauty of the Maori language. Whirimako has the breadth and span in her vocal delivery to arc through the engineered air of spaciousness that conjures a setting of late evening palm beach or post-modern hotel atrium.

But it’s about much more than atmospheric projection. The lyrics are imbued with knowing nuances, inflections that brood or swing or smoulder - all the more convincing given the lady’s prime role in translating the seven songs here sung in te reo. She has Diana Krall’s smoky smoothness and Nina Simone’s raw strength in the shadows. Underscoring this, Joel Haines’ lilting and sinewy arrangements tread the fine line between restraint and bite, punctuated with often serenely apt solos – most notably Alan Brown’s Hammond organ on Horia (Georgia) and Kim Paterson’s flugelhorn on Kinehunehu (Misty). Repeatedly compelling. Paul Green

Lindsey Buckingham: Under The Skin

Reprise/Warner

It seems a long time between solo Buckingham albums, but sometimes things aren’t always as they seem. Many of the songs intended for his next album ended up in the last Fleetwood Mac album, 2003s Say You Will, instead. So, some three years further along, here’s Buckingham’s first solo album since 1992s Out Of The Cradle.

This time around it’s pretty much his voice, acoustic guitars, the occasional drum machine and lots and lots of reverb. This might suggest a simple, “unplugged” album. But the reality is more like Buckingham’s tracks from Mac’s Tusk, but acoustic and without the Mac rhythm section. All songs bar two (Rolling Stones I Am Waiting and a cover of the wonderful Donovan song To Try For The Sun) are Buckingham originals.

Buckingham is in fine voice on this CD and his guitar work, of course, is wonderful. Michael Jones

Randy Crawford & Joe Sample: Feeling Good

Universal

This is a light jazz collection of thirteen agreeable and interesting tunes. Ms. Crawford establishes the album mood with Anthony Newley’s title tune as a catchy samba, and later moves to a rare Billie Holiday gem Tell Me More and More and Then Some More. Pop favourite Everybody’s Talking and R&B standard When I Need You are delivered “vamping in the (rhythm) pocket” style to good effect.

“A Team” accompaniment comes from guitarists Dean Parks (Thriller), Ray Parker Jr (Raydio, Ghostbusters), and Anthony Wilson (Diana Krall regular) along with jazz supremos, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Steve Gadd. But I’m somewhat disappointed by the complete lack of soloing from everybody except Joe Sample, who gets in a few decent licks on three tunes. Otherwise, the superb ensemble plays it perfectly by the numbers with their formidable talents, unfortunately, underutilised.

A clean and well balanced recording by engineer Al Schmidt, this will probably become a café’ music favourite. If you like Natalie Cole and Sade slick pop-jazzy stylings, you will probably enjoy this “baby- boomer’ grooviness. Otherwise, any Patricia Barber or Diana Krall’s DVD in Montreal for good female jazz works. John Paul

Guy Clark: Workbench Songs

Dual Tone/Shock

This is an instant candidate for album of the year. Well not quite instant as the depth of these songs grows and sneaks up on you after repeated listening.

If you have yet to discover the poet that sings called Guy Clark, this is as good a place to start as any, alongside the now legendary albums Boats To Build and Old No.1. His unhurried poignant story telling is ideally caught in guitar and mandolin laden tracks that are simply yet effectively crafted, and not without occasional coloration from violin, cello and even trumpet.

Great songs, not a bad voice for a Guy in his sixties, and the picture painting lyrics are all most welcome. Allan MacFarlane

Miles Davis: Cool & Collected

Columbia

The re-rebirth of Mr Cool, the re-cooling of Miles. Same sounds, different packaging – this time pivoting around both classic and contemporary connotations of the talismanic word, and the man. To underline the re-brand ploy point, the liner booklet does a thesaurus sting with a raft of accessory adjectives (‘timeless’, ‘aloof’, ‘dark’, ‘sensual’, ‘radical’ etc) super-imposed half-tone through a sequence of Miles-guru-of-Cool poses: the lounge lizard, Don Juan, kingpin hipster, and so forth.

Same sounds, but mostly maestro sounds – particularly the opening eight from the late fifties, presided over at track one with 1959’s regally accomplished So What. Such authoritativeness, such understanding – of the undercurrents of dis/connection played out in the twilight zones, of the poignancy and conundrums and ironies, of being numbed or compromised or consummate. Perhaps the defining tone comes in Bye Bye Blackbird (’56) which, with its wry and wistful solos, seems to most truly settle at the heart of the leader’s swallow-the-pill/s and bite-the-bullet take on life. Coltrane, of course, is crucial in the impact of the songs from this era; two front men with an immaculate (occasionally overly so) grasp of note choice and timing, ranging together through a landscape of slick stride or sombre discordancy. In contrast, some of the handful of later tunes, such as 1984’s Time After Time, sound lightweight and diminished in purposefulness. Still, an embarrassment of riches. Paul Green

Amos Lee: Supply and Demand

Blue Note

Fresh the success of his debut album and subsequent touring opening for legends like Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard and John Prine, Amos Lee proves that he is way more than a one album wonder with this superb set of new material. Very hard to classify, if you think of a mix of James Blunt without the banal lyrics, Sam Cooke without the gospel, and Keb’ Mo’ with more of a country tinge than a blues one and you get the idea. What you don’t get without a good listen is the voice. A lyric multi-octaved voice that can float as well it can punch.

While all the material on Supply and Demand is totally accessible this is another must listen release from a major talent who is growing in stature and maturity by the day. Take the title track and the sublime Careless and you’ll get the idea. While the angst and the desperate days have yet to impact on his song writing there is much to admire here, all caught in a very truthful recording. Recommended. Allan MacFarlane

Paulo Nutini: These Streets

Warner Music

My overall assessment of this debut album release from Glasgow’s 19 year old Paulo Nutini is a 6/10 - good but not great. While the album shines in a few places, in the end I was left a little unfulfilled by ‘the whole’.

Nutini has an expressive and interesting voice – reminding me at different times of David Gray, James Blunt and John Mayer, but with some unique phrasing that is all his own.

The pace of the album is generally slow/mid-tempo. Standout tracks are the single Slow Down; Autumn - mournful and full of feeling; the more upbeat New Shoes and These Streets which tells the story of how it feels to be away from home in the big smoke of London –

Cross the border, into the big bad world
Where it takes you ‘bout an hour just to cross the road
Just to stumble across another poor old soul
From the dreary old lanes to the high street madness

There is nothing offensive about the album, but neither is there anything particularly memorable. It’s one of those albums that you enjoy well enough when it’s on, but as soon as it’s finished, it’s difficult to remember too much about it.

P.S. At the end of the album is a hidden track – an alternative mix of Slow Down which sounds like it might be a demo version. I actually preferred this slightly rougher and grittier version to that on the main album, which sounded smoother and slightly sanitized. Perhaps a bit more of this roughness would have endeared Mr. Nutini to me more! Douglas Lang

Tom Petty: Highway Companion

American Recordings

Some CDs just don’t gel at first and so it was with Tom Petty’s new album. But sometimes persistence rewards and I found the more I listened the more it drew me in. Highway Companion is a surprisingly eclectic collection of songs that repay persistance in spades. Saving Grace opens the album in typical folk-rock style. Next is the ballad Square One which is followed by the toe tapping Flirting with Time. Other tracks like Turn this Car Around bounce and rumble and Night Driver flows like honey.

What brings the songs together is the theme of travelling. Play it in your car and before long you will be singing along. Jeff Lynne’s production ensures that it also sounds good on the home stereo and his influence can be felt through the album. Thankfully he resisted the urge to over produce the album and the songs breathe and stretch nicely.

This is a lighter album than Tom Petty’s earlier work but don’t let that stop you from throwing a copy in the car. You will be rewarded. Richard Nelson

Madeleine Peyroux: Half the Perfect World

Rounder

The debut album Dreamland introduced us all to a major new talent. The long-awaited second album Careless Love was a triumph but here with Half The Perfect World we have the definitive must have work from this subtlety marketed yet major talent.

This release finds this gifted vocalist delving into a personal collection of fine tunes that she has a clear deep personal empathy with. Truly inspirational offerings such as Serge Gainsbourg's La Javanaise and Joni Mitchell's River make this an instant classic of the blues/jazz smokestress genre and with the expert production of Larry Klein once more driving the desk duties, a sonic delight in all ways. Allan MacFarlane

Mark Sholtez: Real Street

Verve/Universal

Verve jazz label supremo Tommy Lipuma saw something in the music of Ocker Mark Sholtez, flew him to New York, teamed him with some serious jazzers and produced this lovely album.

Portrayed on the CD artwork as a psuedo early Sinatra, Sholtez’s plesent voice wraps itself around his own songs (11 of the 12 are self-penned). And let’s all be thankful that we don’t have another crooner having yet another go at the “standards” instead of producing original music (can you hear me, Ms Krall?). The uptempo opening track, Love Me For The Cool, is delightfully boastful: “if I don’t do the things like the man of your dreams, baby what you gotta do is love me for the cool.” A cover of the U2 song, All I Want Is You, follows the beautiful ballad If You Were A Song.

Musicians inclue Rob Mounsey on piano and keyboard, Lewis Nash on drums and the wonderful Christian McBride on bass.

This album seems to be aimed at the “jazz light” market in the USA. Curiously, it’s not on Verve’s web site, which suggests the company is seeing how the album is received south of the equator before putting a big push behind it.

But don’t let that stop you. This is a finely crafted album that you can buy now. Michael Jones

The Veils: Nux Vomica

Rough Trade

The Veils are a New Zealand band that seems to spend most of their time in the UK these days. The band broke up after their debut album The Runaway Found, before reforming with a new line-up in 2005 after vocalist and songwriter Finn Andrews went looking for some new band members in former high school classmates Liam Gerrard (keyboards) and Sophia Burn (bass).

Nux Vomica is often intense, sometimes intimate. Lead singer Andrews has a reputation as an emotional live performer, and you get a sense of this on tracks like the opener Not Yet which lopes along pleasantly for a couple of minutes before getting altogether darker and ‘bigger’ in its second half. This track and Calliope! which follows it have a bit of a Smiths feel to them.

As a contrast, on Jesus for the Jugular, Andrews comes on like a crazed Tom Waits/Nick Cave, complete with honky tonk style piano and ponderous drums and bass. Not a particularly easy listen and not one to play at a party, unless you’re looking to chase people away home at the end of the night!

Other influences that appear on a varied and interesting album are Jeff Buckley on the final track Home Where We all Live, David Bowie on (the very Man Who Sold the World-ish) One Night on Earth and Transformer-era Lou Reed on Under the Folding Branches (one of my personal faves – simple but effective). This track is followed by the album’s title track which is a powerful mix of emotional vocals and drum/guitar interplay which builds and builds to a screaming crescendo – great stuff!

Based on this album, The Veils will definitely be on my list of bands to check out at next January’s Big Day Out in Auckland – particularly to see how Andrews comes across live. If he’s on form I suspect the Veils show could be one of the standouts. Douglas Lang

Mozart: Operatic Arias

Archiv Produktion
Magdalena Kozená (mezzo-soprano); Jos van Immerseel (fortepiano); Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment conducted by Sir Simon Rattle

Born in the Czech city of Brno in 1973, Magdalena Kožená has within just a few years rocketed to international stardom and achieved extraordinary critical acclaim. She has appeared in most of the world's musical capitals - in concert, recital and opera - and her recordings have won numerous prizes. In 2004, she was named Gramophone's “Artist of the Year".

This recital showcases both the familiar and the not so every day aspects of Mozart’s unparalleled genius. Rattle is not the first choice of Mozart conductor’s and sadly, for some ears, the Orchestra of Enlightenment is the ensemble of choice over Rattle’s normal band, the Berlin Philharmonic.

I have found this highly acclaimed disc to be a bit of a mixed bag. Some tracks are simply miraculous, others gratingly edgy and just a tad too closely miked. Not in doubt is the virtuosity of all the performers, the thorough preparation and the empathy that the two principals clearly enjoy – they are partners in the romantic sense as well.

Overall a disc that will undoubtedly secure further accolades for Kozená, though I personally remain unconvinced that the timbre of the voice as recorded here is always welcome to these ears. Allan MacFarlane

Scelsi: Natura Renovatur

ECM New Series
Cellist: Frances-Marie Uiti. Munich Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christoph Poppen

Scelsi (1905-1988) was an Italian composer working in a Modernist style and maybe this, plus his own heremetical way of life, means that he and his music are not widely known outside of avant garde musical circles. As far as I can perceive he works with a restricted range of intervals and relies on subtle changes of motifs but without the mechanical style of the Minimalists.

The music of the works for multiple strings seems to consist of clouds of notes that change in density, pitch and volume throughout their duration. Ave Maria (which is placed twice on the CD) for solo cello can seem on first hearing to be a bit pretentious in its simplicity but it does grow on you with repeated hearings. Ygghur is a more extended piece in which the cellist uses two bows (this technique being a speciality of this soloist) to turn her instrument into a multiphonic one.

I enjoyed this CD more than I expected to, having tried a CD of Scelsi several years ago only to find the music impenetrable. However you do have to be in a very calm, unhurried state of mind for the music to enchant one. Maybe this is not surprising since I found out that the composer had adopted and was very involved with Eastern religious ideas. The engineering seems fine although the music itself does not demand a spectacular stereo sound. Russell Finnemore

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