Month: February 2009 (Page 2 of 9)

Reel Big Fish: Fame, Fortune and Fornication

February 27, 2009 /

Covers are nothing new to Reel Big Fish. They gave A-ha’s “Take on Me” the full blown ska treatment, offered a doo wop version of “New York, New York” and reggaed Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution” on past releases. In 2007, they joined with Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer in splitting an EP of covers and offering co-lead vocals on each other’s tracks on the tremendous Duet All Night Long. Fame does make you smile because Aaron Barrett and his merry band of nuts are as funny as they are talented, but if falls short of Duet because too much of it is simply ska versions of very familiar material. They do sound like they are having fun (as they always do), but these versions lack the fire and enthusiasm that the Duet record captures. Highlights of this quick-hitting 30-minute record, which features covers of Poison (two, actually), Van Morrison, John Mellencamp, and Tom Petty, include a reggae-soaked take on the Eagles’ “The Long Run” and the minimalist duet between Barrett and Tatiana DeMaria (from the Rock/Punk outfit Tat) on Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me,” which is comprised of a rhythm guitar track, handclaps and an excellent and understated vocal performance. Fame has its moments and is more like an after dinner mint then a meal. (Rock Ridge Music)

Reel Big Fish MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Reggae, Ska

Jim Brickman: Ultimate Love Songs – The Very Best of Jim Brickman

February 27, 2009 /

Counting compilations, the ballad-loving pianist Jim Brickman has released an astounding 22 albums since 1994, all of them virtually indistinguishable from one another to anyone not cursed with a bottomless thirst for treacle and a superhuman tolerance for schmaltz. Album number 22, Ultimate Love Songs: The Very Best of Jim Brickman, collects some of Brickman’s best-known collaborations with vocalists, adds four new tracks for good (?) measure, and even tacks on a wonderful liner notes essay from Brickman himself (“My songs calm the frenzy, and wrap the listener in a soothing blanket of melody”). If you’re a fan of early ‘90s adult contemporary music, Ultimate Love Songs is a veritable feast for the ears, featuring Martina McBride, Michael W. Smith, Collin Raye, and many others (oh yes, There Will Be Bolton) – but if you’ve got any sort of affection for rock music, then listening to this album will make you want to die. It’s just one hokey love song after another, many of them performed by cornpone country singers well past their commercial prime (two notable exceptions: Wayne Brady, whose vocals on “Beautiful” will make you wish a bitch had choked him, and Jane Krakowski of “30 Rock). It’s calculated, connect-the-dots stuff that all sounds pretty much the same, and a little of it goes an awfully long way – but if you’re one of Brickman’s many, many fans, it’ll give you another soothing blanket of melody to cuddle up under until Album 23 comes along. (Time Life 2009)

Jim Brickman MySpace page

Adult Contemporary, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews

The Damnwells: One Last Century

February 27, 2009 /

For Alex Dezen, who for all intents and purposes, IS The Damnwells, to release an entire album for free download on the Paste Magazine website was a stroke of genius. It’s not like the guy isn’t already revered in sub-radar pop/rock circles, but now he’s given those in said circles every reason to preach the gospel of the Damnwells to anyone who will, you know, damn well listen, and for them to spread the word with no repercussions of piracy. But by no means is One Last Century devalued, nor is it a bunch of crappy B-side recordings that Dezen dug up from his basement. It’s more of the same brilliant melodic, heartfelt and smartly arranged songs we’ve come to expect, a continuation of sorts from 2006’s Air Stereo. He only wanted to release this one for free a) because he wants more people to discover the band, b) because today’s economy makes free stuff attractive, and c) because he can. On One Last Century, you’ve got the gamut that runs from sugary pop (“Bastard of Midnight” or “55 Pictures”) to beautiful acoustic (“Soundtrack” or “Say”) to riveting mid-tempo (“Like It Is” or “WWXII”). Go ahead, try and find something you don’t like here – you won’t find a better value anywhere. (LABEL: Paste Magazine)

The Damnwells MySpace page

Link to Download One Last Century for Free

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Company of Thieves: Ordinary Riches

February 20, 2009 /

If Edie Brickell was a little more of a rocker – and had a strong literary fetish – she might sound like Genevieve Schatz, lead singer of Chicago’s Company of Thieves. By dint of steady touring and strong Windy City support, the band managed to turn its 2007 debut, Ordinary Riches, into a DIY success – one which Wind-Up is now seeking to take national with its licensing deal for the record, a deal that includes heavy promotion on iTunes and the talk show circuit, as well as a string of dates opening for labelmates Thriving Ivory. Whether the big push is a result of the label’s belief in the band or simply a function of a typically weak first-quarter release schedule, it’s still a remarkably lucky break for Company of Thieves; the band’s music is enjoyable enough, but nowhere near as colorful as you might expect, given their penchant for quoting Oscar Wilde. Ordinary Riches contains elements of rock, blues, and folk, but major chunks of the record sound like nothing so much as a band marking time until a musical identity drops in its lap. Given enough opportunities, they may actually find one – songs like the closer, “Under the Umbrella,” hint at a sound that could rebuild the bridge between old-school AOR and Top 40 – but in the meantime, this is a fairly Ordinary debut. (Wind-Up 2009)

Company of Thieves MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Ume: Sunshower EP

February 20, 2009 /

Ume (pronounced…I have no clue) (Editor’s note: it’s pronounced Ooh-may) is an Austin-based alt-rock trio led by the impressive, alliteratively-named Lauren Langner Larson. She’s not full-on riot-grrl, but Larson has an edge to her voice, with a growling undertone constantly on the threat of bubbling over and taking control throughout their latest EP Sunshower. Her screams on the opening “East of Hercules” have echoes of Brody from the Distillers and Joan Jett; throaty, guttural and utterly powerful. What really makes her, and by extension Ume as a whole, stand out is Larson’s ability to go back and forth between her punk-rock growls and a more dominant melodic singing voice that wouldn’t be out of place on a Top 40 pop record. The music behind the bipolar vocals isn’t half bad either, and is equally manic in a Pixies loud-quiet-loud kind of way, but they do the loud parts better than the quiet ones. When they keep it mellow too long they suffer, and the full-on ballad title track sinks before it takes off because there’s no power or emotion to carry it. The other slow track on the album, “The Means,” works better because the restrained first half builds to an explosive second half where Larson is once again able to showcase her quality vocal chops. Ume released a full-length record back in 2005, and this far-too-short EP is evidence that they’re ready for another. (Hulga 2009)

Ume MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

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