Author: Greg M. Schwartz (Page 5 of 18)

Indigenous: The Acoustic Sessions: A 10 Year Anniversary

June 11, 2010 / Greg M. Schwartz

RIYL: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Los Lonely Boys, Government Mule

Guitarist Mato Nanji is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his band with acoustic renditions of songs that cover the band’s entire career. The anniversary covers the decade of album releases from the band’s 1998 debut Things We Do up through their most recent album, 2008’s Broken Lands. The band has always centered around Nanji’s electrifying guitar work on his trusty Fender Stratocaster. But as we see here, Nanji’s ace musicianship translates very well to the acoustic spectrum. These tracks also serve to highlight his ever-soulful vocals and strong blues songwriting.

The disc opens with two great tracks from Things We Do,; “Now That You’re Gone” and the title track. Both epitomize Nanji’s endearing style with bluesy but melodic tunes that feature sharp chord changes and lead guitar lines that sing. Nanji’s wife Leah also sings on the harmonies, helping to keep Indigenous a family affair (following the departure of Nanji’s brother, sister and cousin from the band in 2006.) Nanji then moves on the band’s great second album Circle, featuring “Little Time” and “Rest of My Days.” The former features some of the best riffing on the album over a tribal sort of rhythm. The latter highlights the way Nanji mixes heartfelt vocals with hard-hitting riffs to really dig deep into the blues. Both were electrifying in their original format, but work great acoustically too thanks to the stinging riffs, vocal melodies and crisp rhythms.

“Want You to Say” moves on to the band’s third eponymous album with one of the band’s top tunes, a deeply melodic and infectious love song that benefits from the husband and wife harmonies. Three songs are featured from the fourth album Chasing the Sun. “Fool Me Again” has some great note bending and more strong harmonies. “Come on Home” is a deep blues ballad that just oozes soul. “Leaving” has some of Nanji’s bluesiest riffs, and feels like it could fit on the soundtrack to a Clint Eastwood western. It also features some great guest fiddle work, which deepens the bluesy feel of the track even further. The last album is represented with “Should I Stay” and “Eyes of a Child,” two more soulful tunes that feature the deeper perspective of the passage of time. A playful cover of Roy Orbison’s “You Got It” closes the album on an uplifting note.

The whole album serves as a great back-to-basics exercise in the blues. It’s easier to impress with amps cranked, but Nanji’s virtuoso blues playing and songwriting really shines on these tracks. (Vanguard Records 2010)

Indigenous MySpace page

Blues, CD Reviews, Rock

Headlines Indigenous The Acoustic Sessions

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

June 11, 2010 / Greg M. Schwartz

RIYL: Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

This is technically the band’s fourth studio album, but the eponymous release marks a new era for the group. Former bassist Bryan Dondero has been replaced with Catherine Popper (formerly with Ryan Adams & the Cardinals), and this change has created a new synergy for the band. Popper helps balance the gender dynamic with her harmony vocals and she drives the songs higher with her superior jam skills on the bass. Rhythm guitarist Benny Yurco has also been added to the lineup, helping lead guitarist Scott Tournet, drummer Matt Burr and keyboardist/guitarist Potter to embiggen their sound, as they’d say on “The Simpsons.”

The album is a showcase for Potter’s dynamic vocals and melodic rock style, but it also feels like a coming-out party for what in hindsight will probably be viewed as the band’s classic lineup. Potter has her mojo working from the start in “Paris (Ooh La La),” a high-energy sexual rocker. “Oasis” comes down a notch, but then builds back up as Potter’s voice and Popper’s bass seem to sync in with each other. “Medicine” cranks it back up with a another blast of down and dirty groove rock where Potter sings about a mesmerizing gypsy type of woman not unlike herself.

Lead single “Tiny Light” shows off the new lineup at its best. The overall sound conjures visions of Rumors-era Fleetwood Mac, before blasting into the stratosphere with a big jam driven by Popper’s dynamic bass line. The song also features some of Potter’s best lyrics, which acknowledge the chaos of the early 21st century but ultimately lead to an uplifting catharsis. The song also gives a snapshot of the band’s live power with the jam at the end, where Tournet rips a sonic blast of lead guitar and Potter belts it out to the extreme. Potter’s softer side shines on piano-driven ballad “Colors,” where her delicate vocals dedicated to the twilight time of day are sure to melt hearts. “Only Love” provides a another high-energy blast of skillfully layered blues rock, a sound that is the band’s bread and butter.

The second half of the album isn’t quite as strong as far as memorable songs, although the band’s sound remains vibrant. “One Short Night” is a catchy number with a funky flavor about a questionable night out, while “Low Road” explores a bluesier territory with Potter still shining on vocals. “Hot Summer Night” is another sexy rocker similar to “Medicine” and “Only Love.” It would be nice to see Potter explore a wider variety of sonic flavors, but there’s no doubt this is one she’s very good at. “Things I Never Needed” closes out the album with a contemplative and endearing ballad. The first half of the album gets four stars, but the second half gets only three, so that’s three-and-a-half overall. This is a very good album, but the next one should be a true classic.

The band’s five-star live show is where they shine the brightest. When Potter & the Nocturnals played at Austin’s SXSW Festival in March, they highlighted the new material and knocked it out of the park with high-energy, jam-heavy performances in both an evening headliner show and a day-party performance. The band was good in 2008, but this version is at a higher level. Whoever orchestrated Popper’s entry into the band on bass should win rock ‘n’ roll’s “general manager of the year” award for the transaction. (Hollywood Records 2010)

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals MySpace page

Blues, CD Reviews, Jam Band, Pop, Rock, Rock Babes

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Melissa Auf der Maur: Out of Our Minds

June 8, 2010 / Greg M. Schwartz

RIYL: Hole, Smashing Pumpkins, Danzig

As a former bassist for alt-rock icons such as Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur has been through the grunge wars. She’s been lying low for a while, but she’s clearly put a lot of energy into this new album. The album seems to have a vague theme about using the power of music to transcend dark times, and Auf der Maur has put together a collection of powerful tunes with strong production value and artistic flair.

“If there’s a fire, a need, a desire, are you willing and able to set the stakes higher?” asks Auf der Maur on the darkly-tinged title track. She’s set the bar higher with this album, inviting fans to go along for a ride. All of the tunes are minor key songs that veer from moody to hard rocking, and she navigates between those two areas with great skill. Many of the songs seem to have a cinematic vibe, as the album was apparently designed to accompany a graphic novel and film. The tunes stand alone well on their own, though.

“Isis Speaks” is a hard rocker that conjures the image of a dark goddess. “Follow the Map” is a highlight with its dark, edgy riffs and lyrics about a pirate’s journey. “Meet Me on the Dark Side” is another dynamic hard rocker, interspersed with some melodic guitar lines to create some extra sonic texture. The tune conjures the image of a character like Kate Beckinsale’s Celine from the “Underworld” movie series. Glenn Danzig joins the fun for a dark duet on “Father’s Grave,” which delves into a more subdued but freaky territory. Auf der Maur amps it back up with two more killer rockers toward the end of the album in “The Key” and “The One.” Then she closes it out with “1000 Years,” which seems to allude to an epic storyline.

The material is strong and could make for an intriguing theatrical style performance in the live setting if Auf der Maur should decide to go that way. (PHI-MAdM/EMI 2010)

Melissa Auf der Maur MySpace page

Alternative, CD Reviews, Rock

Melissa Auf der Maur Out of Our Minds

The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards

May 26, 2010 / Greg M. Schwartz

RIYL: The Raconteurs, The Kills, Queens of the Stone Age

The Dead Weather’s second album picks up where 2009’s debut left off and keeps going, which means another tasty platter of dirty, hard-hitting grungy blues rock. You can’t really call it low-fi, because it sounds too good to be low-fi. Drummer/guitarist/producer Jack White does this better than anyone, taking that sludgy blues sound and tweaking everything just right to make it sound vibrant. The man is a true master in this regard. The sound is somewhat similar to his work with the Raconteurs, but not quite as melodic and hooky. But there are some monster grooves here and vocalist Alison Mosshart is akin to a dark angel, laying down a vengeful wrath from seemingly beyond.

“Hustle and Cuss” features Mosshart in prime form. Like most of the album, her vocals almost sound like they were recorded in the bottom of a well, but it lends an otherworldly vibe. White rides the cymbal and there’s great sonic spacing here, which makes every note hit deep. “The Difference Between Us” is another winner, with Mosshart dazzling over the dark and foreboding groove. The blend of psychedelic organ and trippy guitar effects throughout the album is truly unique, with White as a mad scientist of the blues.

“I’m Mad” starts off kind of static, but explodes midway through with some fat riffage and great vocal accents from Mosshart. Lead single “Die by the Drop” mines a similar formula but features a duet between Mosshart and White. It’s probably not going to be a hit, but it’s got a compellingly heavy sound. This kind of sonic mayhem continues throughout the album, to the point that it’s sometimes hard to tell where one song stops and another begins. In this sense, the songwriting could be a little sharper. But that dark, grungy blues sound is so tantalizing.

“I Can Hear You” slows things down a little, with Mosshart as a bluesy mistress intent on collecting the object of her desire. She captivates on “Gasoline,” which features a wicked guitar solo, some huge synth work and cool drum rolls. “No Horse” is more of the dirgy blues, but with White riding the cymbal for a great beat over another fat groove and more dynamic vocals from Mosshart. “Looking at the Invisible Man” is another highlight, with a huge groove, dynamic riffs and another duet between White and Mosshart.

The overall rating on the songs might be only worth three stars, but the album has five-star sound and energy, so that’s four stars overall. (Third Man Records/Warner Brothers2010)

The Dead Weather MySpace page

Alternative, Blues, CD Reviews, Punk

Alison Mosshart Dead Weather CD review Headlines Jack White Sea of Cowards Sea of Cowards CD review The Dead Weather

Stone Temple Pilots: Stone Temple Pilots

May 26, 2010 / Greg M. Schwartz

RIYL: Pearl Jam, Incubus, Silversun Pickups

The new album from Stone Temple Pilots represents a rare throwback in more ways than one. The album’s vibrant sound is a bit of a flashback in how it recalls the early ’90s heyday of grunge. But the fact that it’s a major label release with full publicity push from Atlantic Records is another throwback – such releases are increasingly rare these days, with more and more bands opting for the indie route. But STP came out of the 20th century’s last significant musical revolution, so it seems fitting somehow.

The album definitively reasserts the band’s status as one of the best in rock. It mixes up hard rock with hooky melodic power-pop and a sonic majesty that should please any longtime fan, while also winning new ones. It’s the band’s most diverse collection of tunes yet, demonstrating an unwillingness to play it safe. Lead singles “Between the Lines” and “Take a Load Off” mine that classic STP sound – hard rock with a groove that makes you wanna move. Dean DeLeo is one of the best guitarists of his generation, while brother Robert on bass and Eric Kretz on drums make one of the tightest rhythm sections around. Scott Weiland’s distinctive vocals catalyze the tunes in a way that he could only do in hit-and-miss fashion with Velvet Revolver.

“Huckleberry Crumble” stirs things up a bit with a swaggering ’70s groove that recalls classic Aerosmith, and some melty wah-wah from Dean DeLeo. “Dare if You Dare” and “Cinnamon” bring in a heavy ’60s influence, with a swirl of psychedelia and Beatle-esque melody mixed into a modern rock stew for a couple of tasty sonic treats. The bright and uplifting sound of “Cinnamon” is a hit single in waiting, but the song still brings more rock flair than most of what you’ll hear on pop radio.

Another highlight is “Hazy Daze,” which opens with with one of the DeLeo brothers’ best grooves, power trio riff rock at its finest. Robert’s dynamic bass line makes the groove really stand out and Weiland’s vocals surf effortlessly on top for an instant STP classic. Then there’s “First Kiss on Mars,” a melodic gem with a laid back vibe and Bowie-esque vocal. The song highlights the unique range of both Weiland’s voice and the band’s overall sonic character, both of which make STP far more than just another hard rock band. “Maver” is another unique tune, with an R&B vibe that shows a band willing to stretch out and not rest on its laurels. “Bagman” is another great rocker, with a fat groove and a restrained but tasty guitar solo, while “Peacoat” digs into some funky, bluesy riffage and features a guitar solo that sizzles. “Fast As I Can” is an appropriately titled up-tempo flyer with a down and dirty vibe that recalls Guns ‘n’ Roses, and a deliciously twangy solo from Dean.

Critics have long slammed the band for being derivative of the grunge peers that preceded them (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains), and some still do. A friend used to kid me that the band should be called Stone Pearl Garden. But the fact that STP blew up on the heels of those bands’ success doesn’t diminish the fact that this was and is a kick ass rock ‘n’ roll band. If they weren’t, legends like the Doors’ Robbie Krieger wouldn’t be sitting in with them (as he did for a smoking “Roadhouse Blues” at SXSW.) This album is a triumphant comeback for STP and almost surely one of the top 10 rock albums of 2010. If Weiland can stay clean, it should herald a new peak era for the band. (Atlantic 2010)

Stone Temple Pilots MySpace page

Alternative, CD Reviews, Power Pop, Psychedelic, Rock

Headlines Scott Weiland Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots CD review STP