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July 5, 2007
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2007-07-05 
Reviews - CD
Calla
Strength in Numbers
(Beggars Banquet)

B+

Calla

Calla's music is progressive in terms of the band's experimentation with sounds and arrangements. The group is one of those bands you'd expect to push musical boundaries with every release. Its last CD, Collusions, was a strong, brooding affair that focused on slow, grinding tempos and gentle electronic elements. Strength in Numbers is another dark presentation, but beneath the cinematic pieces and soft soundscapes appears an optimistic indie pop record. Not only has the songwriting progressed but the group's overall sound has evolved into more conventional song structures that use minimalistic instrumentation. Rather than using the digital effects and sequencers of the past, Strength... relies heavily on acoustic instruments to create an organic sound. Unfortunately, only Sanctify and Le Gusta el Fuego summon the band's heavier work. Props for not repeating itself, but the band is at its best when it's dark and eerie.
— Ashley McCurdy
Chris Cornell
Carry On
(Interscope/Universal)

D

Chris Cornell

I like Soundgarden more than I like Audioslave, and I like Audioslave more than I like Chris Cornell's solo work. I guess that means I think he's in a downward spiral. The problem I have with Carry On is that I hated Black Hole Sun. I think it's Soundgarden's absolute worst song, and Cornell's endless wailing on the hit annoys the piss out of me every time I hear it. Enter 14 songs of Cornell wailing over gently rocking ballads - and I'm annoyed again. You might be annoyed, too, if you had to listen to songs such as Poison Eye. What is that thing? Arms Around Your Love? What the hell? Who is this suck? Why is he covering Billy Jean? Where is Tom Morello? Who authorized this record? Does this guy think he's Harry Connick Jr.? Why are you still thinking about buying Carry On?
— Mike Warkentin
Chuck Fenda
The Living Fire
(Greensleeves)

B+

Chuck Fenda

Music is a serious business for Chuck Fenda. Starting off his excellent The Living Fire disc with an interview about his religious, political and social motivations, the dancehall up-and-comer sets the stage for a take-no-prisoners album about Rastafari, righteousness and revolution. Although he has the tendency to get so passionate in his snarling delivery that he flies wildly off pitch, Fenda's powerhouse vocals are perfectly suited to the roots-driven rhythms that propel addictive tracks such as Long Roadand the instant classic Judgement. First receiving attention a few years back with the single Gash Dem (included here), Fenda addresses that song's subsequent censorship on Freedom of Speech. Gwaan Plant is another brilliant move, sampling John Holt's weed-themed Police in Helicopter for a devastating slap in the face to the anti-marijuana crowd. The few sore spots are collaborations where guests do nothing but hold him back.
— Sam Thompson
Madeleine Peyroux
Half the Perfect World
(Rounder)

A

Madeleine Peyroux

Like Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux is a subtle and versatile chanteuse with a distinctly individual voice, dabbling in blues, a bit of country, pop and jazz to deliver an eclectic songbook. The tunes here are impeccably chosen. Johnny Mercer's The Summer Wind will make you forget Sinatra, and a duet with k.d. lang on Joni Mitchell's The River is haunting and true. Serge Gainsbourg's La Javanaise, sung in French, transports you to the Left Bank. The list of delights continues, and a number of co-written originals confirm the lady's depth of talent. The deft touch of legendary producer Larry Klein is omnipresent. Combined with skilled accompaniment from David Piltch on bass, Dean Parks on guitar and Scott Amendola and Jay Bellerose on percussion, Peyroux's voice is framed perfectly to create a set that charms both head and soul.
— Jim Millican
To the Lions
Baptism of Fire
(Goodfellow Records)

B

To the Lions

Goddamn - it's gnarly to come across a good hardcore disc once in a while. The driving, snarling guitars and intense shouting just get your blood moving and remind you of that time you threw a shopping cart across a parking lot just to see if you could get any sparks. To the Lions' debut has plenty of sparks - put down the cart, mad dog - and enough riffage to satisfy fans of the genre where the screaming never stops. Hardcore albums are never terribly diverse - a few chords and homogeneous vocals - but good bands have the sense to keep things short and aggressive so the energy never wanes. Best of all, Baptism of Fire captures the live energy of hardcore and flings it at you in 10 angry cuts that total just over 30 minutes. Highlights include Ride the Apocalypse and Armour of God.
— Mike Warkentin
Uncle Earl
Waterloo, Tennessee
(Rounder)

B

Uncle Earl

The beauty of bluegrass music is the spontaneity of the playing, the unbridled joy of shared performance and co-operation, and the familiarity of the form that rewards inspiration and interpretation, much to the joy of its many fans. Uncle Earl keeps that feeling of immediacy and intimacy and adds a little swagger and a lot of stripped-down emotion. The band is four women who play fiddle, guitar, banjo and mandolin, and all can sing beautifully. John Paul Jones produced the record, and his rock background with Led Zeppelin pushes the mix aggressively out front, ensuring that the recording is no shrinking violet. Many bluegrass records suffer from the music being held in such high regard that the playing becomes clinical and stilted, but Uncle Earl swings, staggers, laughs, dances and - dare I say it? - rocks. Winnipeg Folk Festival artistic director Chris Frayer, take note.
— Chris Brown
Warren Zevon
Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings
(New West Records)

B-

Warren Zevon

When the late Warren Zevon's son Jordan was rooting around his dead daddy's storage locker one day, he stumbled upon some reels of tape that contained some lost treasures. Depending on how deep your loves goes for the cantankerous Zevon and his brand of literate, California singer/songwriter rock 'n' roll, this will either draw a yawn or evoke flutters of gotta-have-it delight. Disc 1 contains 16 tracks of varying audio quality, some never-released gems and a few fan favourites in all their naked (sans band) glory. The accompanying disc features only three songs, but the balance is filled with interview snippets that deliver Zevon in all his smart-mouthed glory mumbling on about everything from his career ups and downs to life in Los Angeles. Comes complete in a lovely sleeve including full-colour bound booklet.
— Jeff Monk
White Cowbell Oklahoma
Casa Diablo
(Slick Monkey)

A

White Cowbell Oklahoma

On Casa Diablo, the nine-man, 18-arm beer-drinking and hell-raising beast known as White Cowbell Oklahoma shows an extreme fondness for '70s-style riff-rocking, rivalling the jam-kicking ability of Thin Lizzy, Foghat and early Kiss. Sugar City has a big Strutter-like beat and equals AC/DC's Giving the Dog a Bone as far as obvious oral anthems go. Do Me So Wrong reeks of Billy Gibbons' beard with its La Grange-type intro, and Get on, Get Down is only one kick-ass scream away from being the next Highway Star. Even retro rockers can be a little bit country, too, and these space cowboys crank out the swamp music on the Black Oak Arkansas-like Fly Away and the barn-burning leadoff track Faster Than Sin. Original? No, but I got a fever - and the only prescription is more White Cowbell Oklahoma.
— Jared Story
Various Artists
XXX Dancehall Anthems
(Greensleeves)

C+

Various Artists

Subtlety has no place on this record. A collection of "18 hardcore classics," XXX Dancehall Anthems explores the 'slack' side of dancehall: explicit lyrics about sex. Song titles such as Breast Specialist, More Punanny and Good Hole don't exactly leave much to the imagination, and although slack lyrics have always been an important aspect of the genre, this comp is too much of a good thing. That's not to say the songs aren't of the proper quality - Bounty Killer's Sadda Dem holds up to some of his less perverted material, Ward 21's Da Pum (Brain Damage) has an irresistible beat, and rising star Vybz Kartel is all over the CD. Unfortunately, even the best tracks don't offer much variety. The 18 tracks here definitely get the message across, but aside from a few standouts nothing is particularly memorable.
— Sam Thompson
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