Author: Jeff Giles (Page 26 of 41)

Andy Scott: Don’t Tempt Fate

February 2, 2009 /

Andy Rosen received his first major label deal in the late ‘90s as a one-man band called Goat, whose sample-heavy sound offered a mildly sunnier, dancier take on the Soul Coughing aesthetic. Although his 1998 Epic release, Great Life, disappeared with a whimper, the title track resurfaced a couple of years ago in a Kia commercial – and now Rosen himself has popped up again, this time as jazz guitarist/singer Andy Scott. It’s certainly one of the odder musical makeovers in recent memory, but his new incarnation’s debut, Don’t Tempt Fate, doesn’t suck; it’s actually an enjoyably understated collection of minimally arranged originals, performed with understated grace. If you remember “Great Life,” you know Scott isn’t anyone’s idea of a great singer, but he does a fine job of playing to his strengths here, recalling the charmingly weathered vocals of latter-day Bob Dorough, and the whole thing has a nice coffee-shop vibe, good for late nights and Sunday brunches. It’s obviously a passion project, with minimal financial backing, but it’s well worth seeking out for fans of low-key vocal jazz combos – and fans of Scott’s friend Madeleine Peyroux, who pops up here on guitar and ukulele, and delivers a typically sultry vocal cameo on the title track. (self-released 2009)

Andy Scott MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Jazz, Vocal

Ruthie Foster: The Truth According to Ruthie Foster

January 30, 2009 /

It takes stones the size of volleyballs to name an album by prefacing your own name with The Phenomenal, but that’s just what Ruthie Foster did with 2007’s The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster – and damn if she didn’t just about live up to her own advance billing. Now she’s back with The Truth According to Ruthie Foster, a set of songs just as authoritative as its title, and once again, Foster has given blues fans a hell of a feast. Truth was recorded at the legendary Ardent Studios, with Jim Dickinson behind the boards – and if that wasn’t enough, she cut the tracks with a backing band that included Robben Ford, Charles Hodges, and Dickinson himself. The end result is an album that comes as close to the old Memphis spirit as anything has this century, stacked with songs that run the gamut from fiery struts (“Stone Love”) to slow-burning strolls (“Nickel and a Nail”) – and makes room for a cover of Patty Griffin’s “When It Don’t Come Easy” in the bargain. None of these tracks will make you forget the classics they evoke, but they will make you feel like howling at the moon for awhile…or at least knocking back a few mint juleps. Sounds like honesty is still the best policy. (Blue Corn Music 2009)

Ruthie Foster MySpace page

Blues, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Soul

Dylan Connor: Breakaway Republic

January 30, 2009 /

A Latin teacher turned indie pop road dog, Dylan Connor sounds like a vocal cross between David Mead and Guster’s Ryan Miller, and fans of both acts should find something to love in Connor’s latest release, Breakaway Republic. Eleven tracks of tightly written pop-rock with a classic feel and a dash of postmodern humor, Republic isn’t going to win any awards for flashiness, but it’s still probably one of the sturdier collections you’re liable to hear from an unsigned singer/songwriter this year, and it’s to Connor’s extreme credit that he manages to avoid focusing on the tried-and-true boy/girl dynamic for at least part of the album, spreading his focus to less-trod subject matter like bomb shelters (“Blood Like Fire”) and mortality (“Had a Little Dream”). It’s to Republic’s extreme credit, too, because when Connor does focus on relationships, the results can be a little weak. Case in point: “I Want Everybody to Know,” which tells the story of the night Connor set aside front-row passes at one of his gigs for a girl, only to watch her making out with another guy, and makes all three of them seem pretty shallow and annoying. Still, on balance, Republic is an easy listen, and even at his worst, Connor displays a tighter grasp of songcraft than your average guitarslinger. A worthy diversion for fans of the genre. (self-released 2008)

Dylan Connor MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Power Pop

Lisa Hannigan: Sea Sew

January 30, 2009 /

She rose to prominence as a member of Damien Rice’s band and she’s out touring with Jason Mraz right now, but don’t hold either of those things against Lisa Hannigan – her solo debut, Sea Sew, is far better than her most high-profile associations might lead you to expect. To be certain, Rice fans will find a lot to love here; many of the songs are built on the same delicate acoustic framework that caused such a swoon over O and, to a lesser extent, 9. But where Rice rarely seems interested in much besides plumbing the emotional depths, Hannigan provides a gentler, more tuneful gateway into the world of Nick Drake fetishists – and has the good sense to surround her songs with warmer, more colorful arrangements. The music is fine, but the real star of the show is Hannigan’s voice, which purrs and flutters across Sea Sew’s 10 tracks, lending a coiled sensuality to what could easily have been just another collection of introspective ballads for moody twentysomethings. Hannigan’s presence even lends weight to trifles like “Splishy Splashy,” and keeps the dirge-y stuff (“Courting Blues”) from taking itself too seriously – and when she hits on all cylinders, as on the ethereal, gently driving “I Don’t Know,” it’s awfully difficult not to get caught up in all the hype that’s surrounded her for the last few years. There’s a glut of this type of stuff right now, but Sea Sew proves that, when it’s done right, it can still pack a punch. An extremely polite punch, but still. (ATO 2009)

Lisa Hannigan MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk

Dälek: Gutter Tactics

January 23, 2009 /

You can pretty much guarantee that any album whose back cover contains a painting of a lynching isn’t going to be a sunny listen – but even if you go into Dälek’s Gutter Tactics expecting to hear some strange fruit, it’ll still shock you with the brute force of its seething, brooding intensity. The album kicks off with the charmingly titled “Blessed are They Who Bash Your Children’s Heads Against a Rock,” built around a hot minute of an impassioned foreign policy sermon from the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and descends from there into a woozy, nightmarish world of droning guitars, ferocious beats, and lyrics buried beneath layer after sinister layer of cacophonous noise. It might seem odd for a hip-hop album to shove its MC to the back of the room, but Dälek isn’t like most hip-hop acts – even those who flirt with the post-rock fringes – and Gutter Tactics goes against the grain, demanding to be played front-to-back with rapt attention rather than diced into shuffle-sized bits on your iPod. Listening to it is like watching a pack of rabid dogs rip their dinner apart in a back alley at midnight, and songs like “Atypical Stereotype” and the title track are so dark they make the Roots sound like “Addams Family Groove”-era MC Hammer. It is, in other words, one of the least friendly rap albums you’re likely to hear all year – and also one of the hardest to turn away from. (Ipecac 2009)

Dälek Myspace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Hip Hop, Rap

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