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Check out
this week’s
online CD reviews by our
music staff |
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Andy Bey
American Song
(Savoy Jazz)
C
Website: www.savoyjazz.com
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At 64 years young, jazz
vocalist Andy Bey is no spring chicken. He’s been rattling
around the U.S. jazz scene for a dog’s years and has garnered
the kind of respect that only the best singers excite from the
most jaded of jazz reviewers. This album is a tribute to American
songwriters of yore — Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen and Billy
Strayhorn to name a few. Bey undoubtedly has some skills in vocalizing;
he has a warm, deep and resonant tone that he controls to the
utmost degree of finesse. The problem with American Song is that
for nearly the whole album Bey croons in an unchangeable tone.
By the third track you’re ready to pass out from sheer somnambulant
ecstasy. On a couple of tracks he does move into a meatier voice
— one that finally gives the listener a break from the low
vibe. Excellent mood music for yuppie seducers.
Jeff Monk |
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Various
Artists
Dig Your Roots — Spoken Word
(DYR
C-
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What this new compilation
proves is that the organizers of this project have their hearts
in the right places. By giving these Canadian artists (are they
poets or spoken word-ers?) venues across the country and the channel
to have their work released on CD is honorable, to be sure. However,
the content varies in quality, and if you have a low tolerance
for rhyming dictionary word babble then it’s best to sneak
away quietly and stand in the back row on this one. Jeremy Gorman’s
take on the classic Pussycat Pussycat is a giggle but Winnipeg’s
Nico Rogers’ Hard to Choke Your Artichoke Heart is just
dumb and bothersome. Some of the creators use a kind of hip-hop
Stuart McLean delivery that only prevents any kind of honest listening
experience. Where is the next Charles Bukowski?
Jeff Monk |
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Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
Tour 2003
(Koch Records)
C
Website: www.kochrecords.com |
Hey, it’s Ringo
Starr! Again! With the all-star band thing that seems to keep
happening on a regular basis whether we need it or not! This time
around the so-called stars are shining brightly for a relatively
subdued Canuck crowd at a place called Casino Rama located somewhere
in this great country of ours. The band is actually in fine form
— John (When I See You Smile) Waite plays a pretty mean
bass; Colin (Down Under) Hay is a pretty talented neo-rockabilly
guitarist and Sheila (Glamorous Life) E knows what side of the
skins to whack. Paul (How Long) Carrack holds up the keyboard
duties without fail and the addition of non-star saxophonist Mark
Rivera adds the necessary instrumentation to keep things tight.
Worth it? Hardly. But fun nonetheless.
Jeff Monk |
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Coral
Egan
My Favorite Distraction
(Justin Time)
C+
Website: www.coralegan.com
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Daughter of expressive
Montreal jazz singer Karen Young, Coral Egan seems to be out to
prove what she’s not with this recording — that she’s
not her mother and that she’s not Diana Krall, Norah Jones
or Sade, either. What results is an 11-song set which almost tries
too hard to be a hip, contemporary recording and which ignores
the fact that what Coral does best is simply step up to the mic
and sing. Hers are the vocal cords of the prematurely world-weary,
blessed with the sound of having seen it all while still roaring
with a damn-the-consequences flair. At times, as on the intensely
personal Idiotsyncracies, Egan uses her vocal instrument to its
full capacity. Mostly, though, she sounds muted by the material,
which is mostly mid-tempo, mostly her own — and mostly pedestrian.
With a little more time and a little more living Egan will be
writing the material her voice requires. She isn’t quite
there yet.
John Kendle |
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Toots & The Maytals
True Love
(V2)
A
Website: www.tootsandthemaytals.net
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Too many duets albums
are geared to the lowest common denominator of consumer: Stick
a fading star in a studio to record some of their early career
classics, toss in a few ringer, mainstream hitmakers, and hopefully
watch the albums fly off the shelves. Toots Hibbert must have
a picture of Dorian Rastaman hidden somewhere in his soulful lair
because he seems to be infinitely ageless, as this fine new 15-track
album demonstrates wonderfully. The trick, it seems, is to keep
the guests in a supporting role, allowing them to contribute but
not take over the track simply because they may have current hits.
Having names such as Ryan Adams, Ben Harper, Jeff Beck, and Trey
Anastasio connected to a Toots album may seem odd, but it actually
works. And all the classic Toots hits areupgraded for today’s
listener. Buy this!
Jeff Monk |
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Autopilot
Off
Make A Sound
(Island)
C
Website: www.autopilotoff.com
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The is the New York quartet’s
third release, following up a full-length, Looking Up (1999),
and a self-titled EP released in 2002. Autopilot plays a blend
of emo and pop-punk, and has been criticized in the past for lacking
any depth or discernable flavour; the same might be said of this
recording. There are moments of brilliance, such as the title
track or the catchy riffage of Byron Black, but songs such as
Blind Truth and I Know You’re Waiting just lack that visceral
quality that could set this disc apart. Chris Johnson’s
vocals just can’t seem to get the emotion across here, and
by the midpopint of the disc you’ll be yearning for a guttural
yell or a painful screech of feedback. These boys need to be poked
with something really sharp so we can see what they’re made
of.
Mike Warkentin |
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Carrie
Newcomer
Betty's Diner: The Best of...
(Philo)
C+
Website: www.carrienewcomer.com
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From the first song on
this album you just know you’re going to get more of the
same — and if you’re a fan of singer/songwriter country-tinged
journeys through relationships, diners and this road called ‘life,’
then you’ll love this disc, which spans the artist’s
10-year career and eight previous albums. Between uptempo songs
such as Bowling Baby, blues-inspired tunes such as Bare to the
Bone and everyday slice-of-life folk ditties such as the title
track, you’ll get a range of sounds. But you’ve heard
all of these songs before — or at least songs that sound
like this. Newcomer’s voice lies somewhere between those
of Anne Murray and Jewel — which isn’t necessarily
a bad thing. So, if you enjoy cheeseburgers for lunch everyday...
Sean Allum |
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The
Smugglers
Mutiny in Stereo
(Mint Records)
B
Website: www.thesmugglers.com
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The one problem The Smugglers
have is that they’ve been consistently good at doing one
thing for the last decade or so, which may not seem like that
much of a problem at all. But this can be a Catch 22 if you try
to do something different. Mutiny in Stereo is the latest offering
from those rubber-boot-wearing garage rock kings from Vancouver,
B.C., and it’s filled with up-tempo gems such as Billy Billy
and Suntans, but it’s the quieter mid-tempo moments on songs
such as Mach 1 (the standout track) that make this album worthwhile.
But that may leave some diehard fans scratching their heads in
confusion. The boys have decided to give us another side here,
and those who aren’t expecting it might walk away in disappointment.
Give the disc a second listen and you’ll realize these rock
veterans are aging well. They’re just serving up more steak
and less sizzle.
Sean Allum |
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The
Vines
Winning Days
(EMI)
B
Website: www.thevines.com
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A new Vines album should
make everyone nostalgic for the hype of ’01, when rock ’n’
roll was ‘saved’ by The Strokes, The Hives, The White
Stripes and these guys. That was false prophecy, of course, but
it doesn’t mean this Aussie quartet is no good. Quite the
opposite, in fact. Upbeat, uptempo, raw ’n’ ready
opening troika Ride, Animal Machine and TV Pro are as animated
and rawkin’ as anything you’ll hear this year —
but the notion that the Vines are a simple garage rock band should
be wiped away by the depth and breadth of this recording. Black
Sabbath riffs, Zeppelin-esque vocal wails, Beatle-esque acoustic
tunes and surf-inspired psychedelia are as much a part of the
Vines’ sound as the straightahead, buzzsaw beehive of the
band’s uptempo numbers. Singer Craig Nicholls’ gear-smashing
antics may make the band seem tough — but songs such as
the title track and She’s Got Something to Say to Me reveal
there’s a soft side to these little tearaways.
John Kendle |
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