Blues Traveler
Bastardos!
(Vanguard Records)

D-

Website: www.bluestraveler.com

Brian Setzer
Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1: A Tribute to SUN Records
(Surfdog Records)

A-



Website: www.briansetzer.com

First and foremost, this record is meant to be as fun as a hot-rodded ’57 Chevy or a surf party at the beach. Brian Setzer wanted to honour the rockabilly tunes recorded between 1954 and 1957 at the famed SUN Studios in Memphis, Tenn. He used all the original drum parts; a thumpin’ stand-up bass; a rollicking, rockabilly piano player; an eye-popping Gretsch DuoJet guitar; and little amps with gobs of echo. There are 23 songs here, and each is handled with respect, love and joy. This is a tough record to ignore, and these infectious little tunes bring easy smiles and a desire for a pompadour haircut.
Chris Brown

Chris Spedding
Click Clack
(SPV)

A

Since his first solo outing in 1970, English guitarist-for-hire Chris Spedding has pretty much piloted his own low-flying career. The iconoclastic mystery man has never really bothered to try and expand his word-of-mouth fanbase, but those who have enjoyed keeping track of the man’s sparse but regular recorded output have plenty of reason to anticipate each new and understated work. Click Clack is no exception. This dozen-tracker finds the mellow maestro in his most comfortable element, presenting a mix of low-toned blues, soul and Spedding originals done in his inimitable tight but loose style. His own Please Don’t drags along mightily, a brilliantly slow boogie featuring Spedding’s emotional slide guitar playing. The title track is copped directly from the Captain Beefheart songbook, proving that Spedding, as usual, has his musical head on straight. As good a place as any to experience this journeyman’s special style.
Jeff Monk

Calling Adrian Belew a guitarist is like calling Lance Armstrong a cyclist — the Kentucky native has added his brand of intelligent six-string thrak to classic albums by a stylistically broad range of artists such as The Talking Heads, Frank Zappa and Nine Inch Nails. He’s also noted for his role in progressive rock titan King Crimson. Side One and Side Two are two distinct albums. For the first, Belew uses Primus mainman and fellow traveller Les Claypool on bass and Danny Carey on drums to create a few songs worth of heavily prog-centric power-trio mayhem. Like Crimson, Belew and his pals throw down a kinetic blast of thinking-person’s hard rock. It’s dense and, above all, electric and exciting. For the balance of the tracks, expect the typical mathematically advanced time signatures and sonic wall of sound that Belew seems to wrench from his axe effortlessly. Great stuff. Side Two is another short listen and features Belew in a less frantic setting. The more subdued palette of sounds he uses is as familiar to his fans as his visceral wall-of-noise antics. Lush, moody and no less intense, Side Two provides a perfect complement to Side One.
 
Jeff Monk

Mike Warkentin

Songs about peace and love can come across as contrived unless you really mean them. Dwight Trible and his Life Force believe in the music — and it shows. Not only a highly successful jazz vocalist, Trible has received numerous awards for his humanitarian efforts. His musical mission is not only to entertain but also to heal and bridge the gap between races. His credo of “peace, unity, love and having fun” can be felt throughout this hip-hop-inspired disc. If you’re in the mood for something more relaxing, try out the instrumentals on Disc 2. Calling upon a multitude of producers, musicians and vocalists, Trible’s message is guaranteed to be heard. Equipoise features the calming vocals and production of Sa-Ra, while the rough Waves of Infinite Harmony gets the Madlib treatment. It’s dinner music with a message.
Shannon Ander

It’s been trendy for a while for indie rock types to bash the shit out of Nickelback, and sometimes the band really, really deserves it. Take the songs Photograph and Rockstar, for example, from this album. Utter garbage. Similarly, frontman Chad Kroeger’s lyrics are embarrassingly bad — recalling awful poetry written by anguished high school kids. That said, Nickelback can create a catchy — if formulaic — post-grunge hook. Check out Animal or Follow You Home for examples. Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of All the Right Reasons is the production by the band and Joey Moi. The sound is big and full, which is just what you would expect from a band that is becoming the flagship act for Roadrunner. While it’s tempting to trash this entire album as radio-ready crap, that would be painting with too wide a brush.
Mike Warkentin

His name doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as Cat in the Hat or Yertle the Turtle, but Treva Whateva’s twisted beats and wacky breaks rival any Dr. Seuss story. Born in 1979, the North Englander started out in record shops at age 14 before releasing tracks of his own. After a quick stint with the Skint and Tru Thoughts labels, Whateva found his home with the eclectic Ninja Tune family. On his first full-length, the tracks run the spectrum from the tribal synths on Driving Reign to funky guitars on Dustbowl, with bits of nu-jazz, hip hop, and drum and bass thrown in to round out the disc. The cheerful beats on Singalong rival Fatboy Slim’s Praise You — just listen to the funky breakdown for proof. Get this and make memories of your own.
Shannon Ander