June music reviews
Johnny Cash: Ring of Fire – The Legend Of
Sony Legacy
With the interest in Cash spawned by the recent biographical film, the timing of this career compilation couldn’t be better. Plus it’s hard to imagine how Sony Legacy could do a better job on this CD outlining the music of a true legend.
The 21 tracks on Ring of Fire cover his career from early Sun Records singles from 1955 through to the “American Recordings” of 2002. The songs that define Cash as a public persona are all here: I Walk The Line, Folsom City Blues, the title track and Man In Black.
The late 1990s saw a remarkable critical and commercial comeback for Cash with a series of four “American Recordings” albums. Part of what made this series remarkable is that the man behind the series was Rick Rubin, previously better known for producing rap recordings! Among these songs included here are Personal Jesus (originally by Depeche Mode), One (U2) and Hurt (Nine Inch Nails).
Like most re-releases and compilations on the Sony Legacy label, the sound is excellent.
This is a great single disc Johnny Cash compilation. You should buy it. Michael Jones
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Cyrus Chestnut: Genuine Chestnut
Telarc
It is interesting to see the title chosen for this first release, Genuine Chestnut, Cyrus Chestnut’s first release on the Telarc label. Interesting because he plays it so safe, in what must be inferred from the title his preferred manner. Having played some superb sets with the likes of Terence Blanchard, James Carter and Christian McBride this comes a somewhat of surprise though not necessarily a disappointment.
The genuine could well be referring to the setting, a wonderful trio Michael Hawkins (bass) and Neal Smith (drums). They all settle together very well indeed with Russell Malone a welcome guest on guitar on three tracks and Steven Kroon (percussion) also assisting on four tracks.
Mostly penned by Chestnut the tracks have a beguiling blues laden touch with more than a hint of gospel, the imagination of his piano licks being well past the cliché bring numerous moments of “whoa, how did he think of that” Not all is as happy, with an appalling 5"17 seconds of suffering from David Gates’ If making an unsuccessful psuedo-jazz appearance. Definitely an album filler if ever I heard one. (No puns intended).
While this album will do nothing to dismiss the now countless Chestnut is the new Oscar Peterson remarks, there are plenty of us that quickly say that is no bad thing, and indeed it is a welcome blessing that someone has taken up the mantle. Recommended. Allan McFarlane
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Chicago: The Heart of Chicago – The Videos 1982-1991
Warner Vision
Chicago had a long and successful career spanning the seventies and the eighties. In the seventies they were one of a handful of bands bridging rock and big band jazz. Early on their music was complex and challenging. In the late seventies and eighties the rejection of anything remotely progressive pushed Chicago in another direction. They moved to producing soft rock love ballads with their trademark horns.
As the name suggests this video covers the latter part of Chicago’s long career. Anyone over thirty will remember hits like Hard to Say I’m Sorry, You’re the Inspiration and Hard Habit to Break. There are a couple of great videos such as Stay the Night, complete with muscle car, stunts and car chase. I particularly like the part where Peter Cetera gets thrown from a moving car. Another highlight is the Orwell inspired video to the remake of the classic 25 or 6 to 4.
All in all you get eleven videos, no extras and Linear PCM two channel sounds. The music quality is adequate rather than great and video is average considering its age. If you are looking for another trip down memory lane to revisit broken hearts in the eighties then look no further. Richard Nelson
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre
Warner Vision
Two of the biggest big band inspired acts from the seventies team up for a marathon live performance that shows that good songs and great performances just can’t be put down. Both bands were known as great live performers and this 2004 concert shows that they still have what it takes.
Starting with both bands on stage together they share EWF’s In the Stone and then Chicago’s Dialogue. EWF fire up with Boogie Wonderland, Jupiter, Serpentine Fire and then perform a smoking version of the Beatles’ Got to Get You into My Life. The energy of EWF is electric and the performance is dynamic.
On disk two Chicago take the stage and proceed to amaze with their sheer talent. Surely this is the best horn section in the world! These guys have been playing together for over 30 years and it shows in their tight grooves and slick performance. They open with Make Me Smile, a medley that includes a raft of early Chicago songs. One thing that does disappoint is the lack of Peter Cetera. Replacement bassist Jason Scheff is more than the equal of Peter Cetera on bass, but you cannot replace that voice on If You Leave Me Now and Hard Habit to Break. EWF again come on stage for the finale where both bands perform a number of songs including EWF’s September and 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago.
The video footage is excellent cutting between close-ups and wide angle shots and is presented in widescreen format. The music quality does not disappoint either and is offered in Dolby and DTS. This music DVD is impressive value with two excellent acts for the price of one. Richard Nelson
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
The Coltars: Forerunner
Rounder/Elite
What’s this, the Corrs minus a sister? This foursome is actually two pairs of teenage siblings from Nova Scotia, so the Celtic influence is Scottish rather than Irish, and having two guys really puts them out of the running as rivals to the Irish babes. Never mind, their songs are truer to the folk music in which it has its roots, modern instrumentation notwithstanding, and despite their Canadian origins traditional songs are played with the sensibilities of the Battlefield Band, not Brian Adams.
It’s good stuff, but this lot should veer more toward songs to which they can bring some of the rawness of youth, as they do in Byker Hill and Hold On, rather than noodling on the piano and violin or re-working songs about old geezers of yore. They’ll be a force to reckon with once they start writing or commissioning some material of their own. Come to think, given the surplus of grizzled old spuds chugging around the folkie circuit, a little Corrs gloss wouldn't go astray. Brent Burmester
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Duke Ellington: Ellington At Newport 1956 (Complete)
Columbia/Legacy
This album could well have been called “Diminuendo and Crescendo In Blue” as that is the track that towers over the rest due to a spectacular 27 chorus improvisation by Paul Gonsalves on tenor sax. The mid 50’s was a bit of a slow patch for Edward Kennedy Ellington but one big night at the 3rd ever Newport Jazz certainly helped turn things around. To great critical and public acclaim Duke’s big band played two sets, the 2nd of which makes up the bulk of what we have here. It was a big year for the band as they welcomed back Johnny Hodges and Sam Woodyard took over on the drums.
So we’ve got the band, we’ve got the event, have we got the music? Kind of. For years this album has been released with studio tracks faked as live. Apparently there were two mikes on the stage, one was Columbia’s and one was Voice of America’s. Some of the key solo’s got played into the wrong mike meaning that the band had to get together again a couple of days later and do it again in a studio. These studio tracks were embellished with crowd noise to make them sound live and these were what were released. Some years later the Voice Of America tapes surfaced and by combining these with the original Columbia tapes this disc was born in virtual stereo. Yes the images move around but it’s still a great achievement. The excellent liner notes cover this in full and it’s well worth a read.
Onto the music. The band is on song, the crowd is going wild and now finally there is a record worthy of the event. Apart from Gonsalves’s solo which turned the sax world on it’s ear, you’ve got Johnny Hodges great touches including a lovely solo on Jeep’s Blues, an incredible drum solo by Woodyard on Skin Deep, and Duke all through the album controlling and driving the music. As an ensemble they’re tight and seriously happening. If you love jazz go and buy this today as it’s as good as it gets in many respects. Great, great album. Craig Fenemor
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Brian Eno: 14 Video Paintings
Hannibal Records/Elite
Amy Lowell said “Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in.” Brian Eno produced these video paintings in the early 1980s during his ambient phase. They were originally exhibited in art installations and are now released on DVD in both vertical and horizontal viewing formats.
Art can be beautiful or provocative but these videos are neither. Eno explains, “I am interested in a type of (video) work… a more steady-state image-based work which one can look at and walk away from, as one would a painting.” No doubt revolutionary at the time, they now seem completely irrelevant. To the audiophile Eno’s ambient period is best left alone and so it is with this DVD. Curiosity value only. Richard Nelson
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Roberta Flack: The Very Best Of
Rhino/Atlantic
Some 37 years after her first album for Atlantic Records (1969’s First Take), Roberta Flack’s quietly impassioned singing has been compiled on this superb 17 track CD. It was some two years later that a track from that first LP became a hit, when Clint Eastwood chose the song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face for his movie Play Misty For Me. From then on Flack had a series of hit singles and albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
All the big hits are here: Killing Me Softly (1973), Feel Like Making Love (1974), Making Love (1982), along with duets with Donny Hathaway (Where Is The Love and The Closer I Get To You) Peabo Bryson and Maxi Priest.
Unlike (too) many compilation CDs, the sound on The Very Best Of is true to the original recordings, with no weird equalisation changes or attempts to “modernise” the sound. I directly compared Killing Me Softly from this CD with the title track from my US-pressed LP. They were very similar, save that the CD had an extra kick in the bass (I suspect that the bass has been “goosed” a little on this CD release). Michael Jones
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Goodnight Nurse: Always and Forever
Festival Records
Always and Forever is the debut release from three piece Auckland pop-punk band Goodnight Nurse – and damn fine it is too.
Mainly upbeat – this is one of those albums that I’d put on to get ready for a noisy night out or when you’re looking for something to play in the car (loud). Full of guitar driven, high tempo anthems such as singles Loner and My Only, with the occasional slower paced number like Our Song to add a bit of light and shade, this is an album that works best played at high volume.
Stylistically Goodnight Nurse have similarities to fellow NZers 48May (who they toured with in 2005) and Yellowcard. It’s pop-punk, with an emphasis on catchy choruses and power chords. Sure it won’t change the world, but hey, does it have to? I like it! Douglas Lang
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Gorillaz: Demon Days Live at Manchester Opera House (DVD)
Parlophone/Capitol
Recorded in November 2005 this DVD captures the world premiere of the Gorillaz live presentation of their latest studio album Demon Days.
I’m assuming that even if you’ve not heard much of their (dance oriented and intelligent) material, you will still be aware of Gorillaz, the “virtual” band creation of Blur frontman Damon Albarn and visual artist Jamie Hewlett. In videos and on studio albums four cartoon characters represent the band. On the DVD, 2D and Murdoc (two members of the cartoon band) appear briefly. However the main action takes place courtesy of a skilled and tight, (back lit for anonymity?) set of real musicians, ably supported by a series of guest artists (including Ike Turner, De La Soul, and Neneh Cherry among others). Albarn keeps to the rear of the stage for most of the concert before reluctantly making his way to the front of the stage for the first encore Hong Kong.
The DVD is well recorded and lit and gives the viewer a great sense of what the concert would have been like. Shots of the performers on stage are intercut with shots of a very enthusiastic and engaged audience. Sound options include Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1and DTS for a truly involving experience. Not much in the way of extra features, although you can opt to play Hewlett’s concert visuals (shown on the backdrop) on their own (with supporting music) if you tire of watching the live footage itself.
Highlights for me are Dirty Harry which features a stage full of body popping school-children; the high energy White Light and the superb Don’t Get Lost in Heaven/Demon Days segue. The latter numbers feature the Manchester Gospel Choir who inject a truly uplifting feel to the concert whenever they are involved. The previously mentioned Hong Kong is a showcase for Zeng Zhen playing some beautiful Chinese zither.
The only slightly duff moment is courtesy of an overweight Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays) who murders his part of Dare (but fortunately he doesn’t have a big part to play!).
This being my first real exposure to the music of Gorillaz, apart from hearing the occasional single on the radio, I wasn’t too sure if I’d like it. Suffice to say I love it and I’m now a fan – what a clever boy that Damon Albarn is! Douglas Lang
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Hiromi: Spiral
Telarc (Hybrid SACD)
Every once in a while you find an artist that challenges your perception of a genre. Hiromi Uehara is a jazz pianist that does just that. Three piece jazz never sounded so… interesting. Stylistically she moves easily from jazz to pop then classical and back to jazz, all the time keeping the music flowing. The first track, Spiral, follows the classical rondo format but is executed in a progressive way, incorporating improvisation and development of the themes. The second track again shows Hiromi’s strong classical composition and is delivered as a four piece suite that challenges normal jazz convention. All tracks except the bonus track are conceived as three piece jazz. The bonus track sounding like a mix of seventies jazz-funk fusion meets progressive rock. Think Herbie Hancock meets Keith Emerson.
Apart from her challenging compositions, Hiromi impresses most with her sheer talent and energy. Some artists are technically good and some are able to make their instrument speak. Hiromi’s piano can shout, whisper, cry and laugh. Her expression, timing and dynamics are exceptional.
From a Telarc CD you expect a great recording and the CD and stereo SACD layers do not disappoint, but what blew my socks off were the surround tracks. Few surround recordings enhance the music without somehow becoming artificial. With this recording my listening room was transformed into a studio containing a Yamaha CF3 Concert Grand Piano. A tangible reality and a feat only the best two channel systems can replicate. Spiral is an exhilarating listen and I look forward to more from this unconventional artist. Richard Nelson
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Karsh Kale: Broken English
Six Degrees
Born in London, raised in New York City, and of Indian descent, Karsh Kale's life has seen him raised in a mix of cultures, and his music definitely reflects this.
Broken English is his third studio album. Trained as a classical Indian musician (tabla being his instrument of choice), Kale chooses to mix up a variety of beats and styles on this entertaining and varied offering. Part electronica; part rock; part classical Indian, Broken English is beautifully crafted and well produced.
From atmospheric soundscapes such as Drive to the Franco-Indian tinged Innocence and Power and the rockier Dancing At Sunset, Kale weaves a variety of influences and styles.
He has worked with artists such as Sting, Herbie Hancock and Bill Laswell in the past and on this album has engaged the services of a number of high profile artists including Ekova's Dierdre, Trixie Reiss (Crystal Method), and Sophie Michalitsianos (Sparklehorse), Award winning Bollywood film composer Salim Merchant also plays piano and keyboards. This man is certainly not afraid to push the envelope!
Would you like it?
If you are open to different musical styles (Eastern and Western) and don’t mind shifting gears/languages/vocalists between tracks I’d say you would. If your taste is a bit more mainstream/English speaking/guitar band oriented, then perhaps not – but you never know. I dare you to give it a try! Douglas Lang
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Raul Midon: State Of Mind
EMI
Another case of hyperbolic blurb inducing an appetite that fails on first tasting. (And subsequent sampling doesn’t improve any of the unpalatable flavours).
Dubbed as a “remarkable melange” of soul, R&B, pop, folk, jazz and Latin, this debut by New Mexico-born, NY-based blind singer/instrumentalist Midon is more of a bland blend of poached cliches that will only satisfy those with a hunger for feel-good fare. His is a Wonder/Benson-style voice, often harmonised with self or guest in a protracted and florid manner most recently redolent of Adeaze. Lyrics (largely hackneyed couplets, boyzone bravado, and saccharine sincerity) are strictly for those who haven’t outgrown repetitious teen declamations of affection. Overall: over-effervescent/-earnest/-stated/-rated. Paul Green
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Minuit: The Guards Themselves
Tardus
I heard a lot of the material from this second album live over a rather below-average PA, and came away not sure if the threesome from Nelson had changed direction. Having now heard it in its studio recorded glory, I can attest that for the most part they haven’t, and that’s not a bad thing. In the style of Portishead, and without sounding like them, Minuit has an inimitable sound thanks to lead singer Ruth Carr and the intricate, layered beat-driven electronica conjured up by Ryan Beehre and Paul Dodge.
Rather than try to avoid their signature sound, the band plays to its strengths. Like The 88 before it, The Guards Themselves remains intriguing, quirky, danceable, and evocative. Many of the tracks here could happily sit alongside those on the first album, but the real drums deployed in Fake and the sparer arrangements of Forever, Do Me In, and The Sum of Us are less familiar. It’s a shame the single I Hate Guns wasn’t included, but there you go. See if you can get the EP in an online auction. If you like their chart material, or find names like Moloko, Björk, Moby, and Morcheeba in your CD collection, you’re ready to take on The Guards Themselves. Brent Burmester
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Michelle Nicolle: The Crying Game
ABC Jazz
Concept albums, on the whole, annoy me. Getting surprise discs not on the exhaustive wish list prepared for my 40th birthday annoy me. So guess how I felt getting a surprise disc by somebody I’ve never heard of working with a flimsy unifying concept of movie songs? Not impressed really. (I know, I’m a miserable old bugger but at 40 I’m allowed to be.) Due surprise and gratitude faked the disc found it’s way to the bottom of the pile and a day or two later I was bored and decided to give it a spin.
The first song, the venerable To Sir With Love, is introduced by 16 seconds of humms and la’s, and by the end of that 16 seconds I was sitting up straight and listening. Pitch, tone, timbre and timing – the basics of great singing were all there and over the next 12 tracks I wasn’t let down once but I was very pleasantly surprised on a number of occasions. The last time that I heard somebody new to me that so got it right was Jackie Ryan a year or two ago but here was a little ol’ Aussie pushing all my buttons.
The songs range from A Spoonful of Sugar to Charlie Chaplin’s Smile to Lou Reed’s Perfect Day and what brings them together isn’t their celluloid past, but the present as interpreted by Ms Nicolle. These aren’t just covers either. Something Good from The Sound Of Music is suddenly full of gospel/blues feeling and Somewhere My Love is recast in Hawaii by the addition of a pedal steel. Smile is treated with (disserving?) reverence and is possibly the highlight for me.
Top notch band, great guests, inventive arrangements (all by Michelle who also plays the piano) and excellent vocals makes The Crying Game quite a find. I don’t know about its availability in New Zealand but I urge you to get on the web and hunt it down. ’Tis good. Craig Fenemor
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Jaco Pastorius Big Band: The Word Is Out
Heads Up/Telarc
Jaco may have died nearly 20 years ago but it’s unlikely his influence or music will die away for many a year yet. If you haven’t heard of Jaco Pastorius consider yourself told off and get thee to a computer and get googling. Obviously it’s difficult to get Jaco to record much these days (although not impossible – read on) so this album features some top class bass players sitting in his seat.
The majority of the musicians are the big band of conductor Peter Graves, which is where the connections with Jaco begin. As a young man starting out Jaco played with a house band led by Peter Graves for a number of years. Add in former band mates and assorted luminaries like Peter Erskine, Jimmy Haslip, Randy Brucker, Toots Thielemans et al and you have a recipe for a pretty hot session. The music covers all moods from gentle and introspective to full on rocking numbers, mostly written by Pastorius, and as befits a tribute to a great bass player, the guest bassists get plenty of room to strut their stuff.
I see no point in highlighting anything in particular here, as it’s simply a fun album with everybody working well together. If there is one star I guess it would have to be Jaco Pastorius himself through the quality of his tunes and the guest appearance playing on the final track. They’ve lifted his part from a 24-track master of Reza and the rest of the band played around very convincingly. It nice to find top music, played well, and recorded excellently. (If it’s of interest to you there is both the CD version that I’ve reviewed and a 5.1 surround SACD.) Craig Fenemor
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
David Russell: Renaissance Favorites for Guitar
Telarc
I love well-recorded guitar music. Even with the most modest of systems it can be so expressive. (A friend of mine always used guitar recordings when he was demonstrating “dodgy” hi-fi equipment that he had for sale, as it all sounded so good.) It was in fact one of the most significant musical developments of the Renaissance that saw the evolution of instrumental styles sufficiently sophisticated to sway the emotions without a sung text and the guitar was perfect for this.
David Russell is not only expressive; he is technically brilliant and has among other awards received a Grammy last year for his CD Aire Latino. He has even had recognition from the great Segovia for his musicality. This is an artist at the peak of his craft – his technical brilliance does not get in the way or draw attention to its self it is simply there to serve the flow of the music.
This is no music for airports – it’s music that flows. This CD is a surprisingly varied and engaging recording that you will find yourself being drawn back into. Much of the music of this period was written to be danced to, with the dominant dances on this recording being the pavan and the gilliard. The pavan was a slow dance with refined gestures and these tracks have an almost melancholic charm that is very soothing. The gilliard was originally a leaping dance with a quick triple meter so these tracks are uplifting and energizing. Think of it like a recipe where the components combine to create a satisfying whole.
To top off the recipe is the brilliant recording process that Telarc have used with DSD (Direct Stream Digital). You simply have not heard what conventional CD is capable of until you have heard the resolution and life of a DSD recording! A must buy. John Groom
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Spyro Gyra: Wrapped in a Dream
Telarc/Heads Up/Elite
Undemanding jazzy stuff, as you might reasonably expect from a band that never strayed far from its jazz roots. The music, coloured by latin, R&B, and rock, is a warm blend of bass and electric guitar, drums, saxes, and various keyboards. It’s expertly played and recorded and just the thing for late night listening, not springing any surprises and yet without a sedative effect. Stand out track might be Impressions of Toledo, perhaps for its flirtation with atonality. Good music to work to, if your work involves slaving over a hot Microsoft Office. The world wasn’t crying out for another album of this sort, but it won’t be much put out that’s arrived anyway. Brent Burmester
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Teddy Thompson: Separate Ways
Verve
Teddy Thompson is the son of English folk-rocker Richard (who plays guitar on a number of tracks) and Linda Thompson (who duets on a secret track on the album – a neat take on the Everly Brothers Take a Message to Mary). Separate Ways is his second album.
Thompson possesses a warm, rich voice, which is reminiscent at times of the Finn brothers (check out Separate Ways for the Crowded House feel). His vocals also bring to mind an underrated UK band from a few years back – The Unforgettable Truth who were fronted by Andy Yorke, the brother of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. If you’ve seen Brokeback Mountain you might be familiar with his voice as he was featured in a couple of tracks on the film soundtrack
Generally downbeat in pace, with the exception of That’s Enough Out Of You which picks up the pace for a couple of minutes, this is an album that works for some quiet introspection over a glass of wine, but would also work on a long evening drive in the car.
The recording of the generally understated but classy playing is a good one, allowing you to relax into the vibe of a talented songwriter who is ably supported by some fine musicians.
While a number of the tracks make their presence felt on the first listen, this is an album that benefits from subsequent listens. I know I’ll be coming back to this one over coming months and years.
Highly recommended if you enjoy Crowded House or other quality singer songwriters in that style. Douglas Lang
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Various: Goal! OST
Sony
All the motifs characteristic of the (young/ish male) generation here, not surprisingly in a soundtrack for a film which plays to the contemporary preoccupation with sport/stage stardom. The lyrics pose the questions (“Who put the weight of the world on my shoulders?”) and directives (“Take a leap of faith”, or “Don’t try and fuck up my head with your problems”) – typically rendered in baleful voice over guitars grinding or chiming across synthetic strings.
And the music defines the various guises: the muscular pirouetting and pouting rampant in a storming re-mix of Oasis’s Morning Glory; bitter grit grunge in Kasabian’s Club Foot; the nod towards the more musing and ruminative – Zero 7’s Look Up; and the brashly salacious, dripping all through Princess Superstar’s Wet Wet Wet.
Apart from the original fim score overtures, which crawl with grim quantities of Gladiator overtones, this is mostly tough, terse and racy stuff – right on cue for another interlude of masculine dream-framing via the impending World Cup. Paul Green
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Various: Putumayo Presents Brazilian Lounge
Putumayo
Another lounge, another groove. It’s Putumayo cocktail chill-out time again, with the formula fusion of retro and electronica allegedly delivering a “compelling synergy” to carry us off into the luscious dusk. And sometimes it does – with voices as fluent and serene as Bebel Gilberto’s or newcomer divas such as Katia B or Maria de Moraes, it’s got to be hard not to have your precious samba/bossa nova mix sound anything other than elevating. But there are plenty of moments here which seem steeped in colourlessness; swish and svelte rhythms, with eloquent little interventions from trumpet or trombone, yet ultimately apparently inconsequential. The lyrics rarely come to the rescue, either – when you’re hawking the likes of “We’ll go out for a walk/And then we’ll go out for a date/And then…and then…and then…” or “For those who like the rain/It will rain”, the conviction factor slips off the scale somewhat. Seductive melodies, indeed, but slow on substance. Paul Green
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Various: The Rough Guide To Flamenco Nuevo
World Music Net
Much is made of the irrepressable nature of flamenco, its elusive gypsy soul, its legendary embodiment of passion and pain, longing and love. And listening to this delightfully diverse selection of recent recordings, it’s not hard to know why. Throughout a multitude of incarnations (acid jazz, reggae, hip-hop, funk, metal, rap, rock, deep house – take your pick), the sense of vitality and edge is inescapable – whatever the tempo, tone or texture.
The energy and pulse abound: in Son De La Frontera, who claim to be using their “weapons of mass creation” to explore the frontiers of Moorish, Caribbean, African and Andalucian forms; in Ojos De Crujo, Barcelona’s so-called house band, who serve up a “scintillating shot” of Catalan rumba powered by hip-hop scratching; and in the Mexican-born Irish-based guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela whose live recording of Foc epitomises the genre’s sense of riding the giddy tight-rope, of being spun and unravelled and wound back in, of straining then launching forth. This is the traditional world of the wanderer, the grafter, lost in the pipe-dream, out on the perimeter, simultaneously flourishing and yearning. And this Rough Guide compilation eloquently underlines how that spirit is as relevant today as it’s ever been. Music with something to say. Paul Green
[an error occurred while processing this directive]The Veronicas: The Secret Life of…
Sire/Warner Bros
The Veronicas are 20 year-old identical twins from Brisbane, Jess and Lisa Origliasso. The press material on their website describes this, their debut album, as follows: “Tough and edgy with hooks and harmonies to spare, the Veronica's deliver a sound and lyrics that rock with the sheer joy of free spirits on the prowl, ready to take over the planet.”
Sorry but I don’t think so!!
Sure there are a few tracks that have some grunt to them including the singles 4ever and Everything I’m Not. Unfortunately after the first three or four tracks (including the aforementioned which are the best on the album) the rest starts to sound a bit like outtakes from a Kelly Clarkson/Avril Lavigne set.
For some reason the Corrs also came to my mind a few times as I was listening to this, particularly on Speechless – must have been the harmonies and sisterly connection, rather than anything Irish about the content.
The sound is pop rock – with the emphasis more on pop than rock. If you like your music towards the sugary end of the spectrum, with competent musicianship, sing-along choruses, and nothing too taxing in the lyrical content, this may well work for you.
I suspect that a teenager who is into Kelly Clarkson or Britney would love this. 45 year old male reviewers (like me) aren’t the target market anyway so what would I know! Douglas Lang
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Yulia: Montage
Sony
Sometimes reviewing is a tough job. In reviewing this CD for example I have had to draw a distinction between the singer and the recording. The singer I love – how could you not feel warmly towards a 20-year-old Russian immigrant to New Zealand? She is intelligent beautiful and very gifted. The recording however sucks. It is busy, over processed and leaves Yulia so far back in the mix that I thought that my hi-fi was broken. I suspect that this recording simply does not do justice to what she is capable of in concert.
Being a reviewer can give one a realistic sense of one’s unimportance in the world. When I reviewed Yulia’s first release, Into the West, I had similar criticisms of its busyness. The track that I warmed to the most was Russia where I noted “She is left more alone so that we can appreciate the marvelous voice”. Curiously, my opinions have been thoroughly ignored in this current CD – one could even imagine the producer giving me the finger as he threw the full weight of the Montage Orchestra at each track with no sonic relief!
This is not a recording to listen to with the heart. If you listen with your head you will note that she control of several languages, can tackle pop and classical with equal aplomb, has an amazingly rich contralto voice for such a young person and if anything, her singing has even improved since her first recording. If you listen with your heart however, you will be strangely unmoved. How can a 20 year old possibly sing from her heart about issues of the soul and passion when she has so little life experience to draw on? It maybe no coincidence that her national tour has been with the UK opera band ‘Amici Forever’. Perhaps they both appeal to a similar audience. John Groom
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Mozart: Piano Concertos 17 & 20
Virgin Classics
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 17 in C major K.453; Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor K.466
Piotr Anderszewski (piano and direction); Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Without out a single doubt this will become a legendary record, such is the freshness and insightfulness of Anderszewski’s interpretation, bravely committing to disc a performance that in some circles could be dismissed as unruly.
Not these circles however. The sheer grandeur of his point making may well be considered vulgar by some but is most definitely is delightfully refreshing to these ears, moving a way from the (still welcome) perfection and sheer beauty of Perihia et al and producing a Mozart performance that reminds one of the individuality of the performer as well. I am convinced Mozart would have loved this. Beauty is not forgotten with some phrasing and shape in the slow movements that is on par with the legendary king of the phrase – Perahia – yet the extra vitality and life brought to the faster movements is in a league of its own. The ability to repeat a phrase with a totally different colouring is magical and should not be missed. Highly recommended. Allan McFarlane
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Mozart: String Quartets
EMI Classics
Mozart: String Quartet in C major K.465 “Dissonce”; String Quartet in D major K.499 “Hoffmeister”
Belcea Quartet
The Mozart string quartets are the kind of chamber music that the CD is almost ruining due to one of the positives of the medium. It is possible to get so much onto a CD that new listeners attempting to get throught the whole CD or even the whole bargain box set simply fall asleep. Hence my advice to dip, absorb then move on.
This however is one chamber music release that will have you thirsty for more, so much so that an immediate replay is almost mandatory. I have rarely heard such thought out integral interpretations of any work, much less so Mozart quartets that have these days are tossed off all too readily. The old adage that the easiest gets harder as we get older applies here as much as elsewhere. The Belcea wonderfully capture a complete sense of discovery, alongside a coherent and structured (not straight-jacketed) interpretation. I’m delighted to have discovered this release and urge you to do the same. Allan McFarlane
Buy from Marbecks New Zealand | Amazon USA
Have your say!
Tell us what you think about this article. Email your comments.
Talk about this article on the AudioEnz Forums.
Contents are copyright to AudioEnz 1986-2011. All rights reserved.