Sum 41
Go Chuck Yourself
(Aquarius)

B-

Website: www.sum41.com

The Cottars
Forerunner
(Rounder)

C-



Website: www.thecottars.com

A forerunner this is not. This is a watered-down Canadian version of The Corrs. From Cape Breton and made up of two MacGillivrays and two Mackenzies, this brother-and-sister act doesn’t surprise anyone with finger-picked acoustic guitars, fiddles, a whistle, a cello and a bodhran. Fiona MacGillivray has a voice richer and more seasoned than her slim 16 years, but it lacks real emotion. Traditional jigs, polkas and hornpipes abound. Produced by Gordie Sampson and father Allister MacGillivray, Forerunner is squeaky clean. These songs leave me cold because they’re delivered with a passion about an inch deep. Musically, these kids can play, but they don’t have the ability — yet — to make these songs their own. Their sound is typical of the genre rather than a modern take on a traditional form.
Chris Brown

Van Morrison
Pay the Devil
(Polydor)

A



Website: www.vanmorrison.com

Van could sing the phone book and I’d buy the album. That said, Pay the Devil is Van’s first full-on country record, and it’s terrific. This is not a modern, slick pop-country record like you’d hear from Kenny Chesney or Keith Urban. This is a record Waylon, Willie, Johnny or Kris could have made in the ’70s. The fiddles saw, the lap steels whine, the drummer cross-sticks, the guitarist chicken-picks and the girls sing harmony. Van’s voice is rich and pure as he digs in and delivers a pure shot of vintage Nashville. Hey, singing about the temptation of There Stands the Glass may not be a stretch but does ring with a certain truth for those of us who’ve seen Van perform live. If you love traditional country, buy this. If you love Van the Man, you’ve no choice.
Chris Brown

The Vines
Vision Valley
(Capitol Records)

B-



Website: www.thevines.com

Vision Valley is the most consistent Vines record to date. Previous albums Highly Evolved and Winning Days contained some spectacular songs but were mired by inconsistency. The reliability of Vision Valley might be a drawback, however. If you’re looking for some instant ear candy, disappointment is likely, as radio-ready anthems like Get Free or Outtathaway are absent. This is a far more relaxed Vines disc. Don’t Listen to the Radio and Candy Daze stray far from the angsty, Nirvana-like sounds of the past and owe much more to The Beatles than to Cobain. While very enjoyable, the songs lack punch, something earlier Vines work certainly had. It’s a hard tradeoff to accept. Do you want greatness some of the time or goodness all of the time?
Jared Story

The artist currently known as Wil was part of the recent Blue Bird North travelling concert series, and he stole the show from such Canadian stars as Divine Brown, Jimmy Rankin, Tom Wilson, Lennie Gallant and Shari Ulrich. After the show I purchased Wil’s Both Hands CD only to find that all the primal elements which had made him such a commanding force onstage were lost to the album’s structured nature or buried under an avalanche of sampled sounds, reverb and production gloss. A couple of tunes, most notably Dance with the Devil, still manage to convey the lost, haunted and hopeless vibe that Wil created at the West End. This is a talented acoustic-guitar player who punishes his instrument, drawing out fascinating solos and rhythms. His rich baritone voice is perfect for the sad, evocative songs he pens. I can’t wait for the next album.
Chris Brown

This collection presents a cross-section of the best of what Rounder has to offer from its bluegrass catalogue. Twenty different artists contribute songs, all 20 of which charted in the Top 10 of Bluegrass Unlimited sometime between 1988 and 2005. Blue Highway, Alison Krauss and Union Station, J.D. Crowe and the New South, Ricky Skaggs — all are among the real stars of the world of bluegrass, and all are strongly represented here. If you think you might want to add a bit of country to your CD collection and you’re interested in something a little more vital than what comes out of mainstream Nashville, this would be a worthy place to start. What might come as a surprise for people unfamiliar with this corner of the music world is the fact that these musicians are serious players. Really serious.
Jamie Howison

French poet, singer/songwriter and actor-director Serge Gainsbourg (1928-1991) was regarded as ‘the dirty old man’ of French pop music. His preferred songwriting style during his career peak usually featured a young female voice riding along with his Gitane-hardened croak, and his smarmy lyrics can only be described as originating from the Lolita school of songwriting. He was hugely popular, his records have been reissued numerous times since his death, and there seems to be no end of acolytes willing to pay tribute to his laconic, Euro-groovy style. This tribute works purely on the strength of the performances by a wide array of like-minded crooners, and if you have yet to enjoy the Gainsbourg back catalogue, this may be as good a place as any to get your parts wet.
Jeff Monk

The finest moments on this disc feature the original DPGC core: Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Daz, RBX and Lady of Rage. Their chemistry is still intact when they’re spitting over Battlecat production on Real Soon and Notorious DPG, and newcomer Josef works it heavy behind the boards on We West Coast. That said, Welcome to tha Chuuch should have focused on the hype of reuniting the LBC-based, Dre-mentored clique. Instead, the listener is treated to a mixed bag — with mixed results — of no-name, D-list rappers and singers riding beats that share no cohesive link. Pick this up if you’re a fan, upload the DPGC tracks, then throw a 40 on the jewel case — ultimately, that’s the most use you’ll get out of this album
Angelou Flores