Author: Jeff Giles (Page 29 of 41)

Ten out of Tenn: Christmas

December 5, 2008 /

Even in the low-key, relatively low-ego world of singer/songwriters, artistic alliances tend to implode as quickly as they come together – just ask fans of the Thorns and Little Village – which is just one of the refreshing elements of Ten out of Tenn, the loose collective started by Trent and Kristen Dabbs in 2004. Over the last four years – plenty of time for egos to flare and fragile artistic pride to bruise – the Ten have toured steadily, released a pair of compilations, and now introduce Christmas, a disc that is exactly what it sounds like: 10 seasonal tracks from Ten out of Tenn members. Six of the 10 are originals, and they’re all surprisingly strong; the best of the bunch might be Andy Davis’ “Christmas Time,” but really, there isn’t a bum note on the disc, and even the traditional numbers are handled with aplomb – you may have already heard “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night” more times than you care to count, but they’re delivered here with just the right combination of reverence and flair, by Griffin House and Katie Herzig, respectively. If your tastes run to the sensitive acoustic end of the spectrum, and you’re looking to beef up your holiday playlist, purchase Ten out of Tenn Christmas without delay – it’ll be a disc worth pulling out the day after every Thanksgiving and enjoying until the final strains of “Auld Lang Syne” fade in Times Square. Listening to it during the other 11 months of the year is another story, but that’s par for the course with these albums, isn’t it? (Ten out of Tenn 2008)

Ten out of Tenn MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk

Aaron Beaumont: Nothing’s Forever (Not Even Goodbye)

December 5, 2008 /

Maybe, as Aaron Beaumont suggests in the title of his recently reissued debut album, nothing is forever – no, not even goodbye – but some things do come awfully close, and on that list, tastefully ragtime-drenched piano playing and the smooth croon of a natural pop vocalist must rank awfully high. That’s good news for Beaumont, whose Nothing’s Forever (Not Even Goodbye) is filled with impeccably crafted, pleasantly retro songs that rescue piano pop from the arch snarkiness of late-period practitioners like Ben Folds – while avoiding the occasionally nauseating heights of seriousness attained by, say, Jack’s Mannequin. While Nothing’s Forever isn’t as consistent as it could be – obvious singles like the instantly charming “Julia” are offset by a handful of tracks that fade quickly into the background – it’s simply too smart and well-written to dislike, and since Beaumont had the extreme good sense to limit the track listing to 10 songs and just under 45 minutes, it’s too breezy to wear out its welcome. Matter of fact, this is that rarest of 21st-century beasts: an album that warms to the ear with repeated listens, rather than breeding contempt. In lesser hands, Beaumont’s extremely retro vibe would be nothing but a flimsy gimmick, but he’s clearly a songwriter who understands the difference between the strongly nostalgic and the simply timeless. Here’s hoping he gets the opportunity to grow into his aspirations. (Milan 2008)

Aaron Beaumont MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

Paul Simon: Live from Philadelphia

December 1, 2008 /

If you’ve already purchased the Paul Simon “Live at the Tower Theatre” DVD that was released in 2003, then there’s no need to bother with “Live from Philadelphia,” because it’s exactly the same concert, transferred from grainy video footage to present the same truncated 10/7/80 show – something Eagle really should have done a better job of making clear on this “new” title’s packaging. If, however, you don’t own “Tower Theatre,” and don’t mind suffering through the vagaries of the poorly aged footage, then “Live from Philadelphia” isn’t a bad way to spend $10. For one thing, Simon was touring with a terrific band: Steve Gadd on drums, Tony Levin on bass, Richard Tee on keyboards, and Eric Gale on guitar, offering the same New York-spun mellow urban vibe that typified Simon’s recordings of the era. For another thing, Simon – usually not the most scintillating live performer – was in high spirits during this show, stopping to interact with the audience a time or two (at one point, he even tells someone whose view he suspects may be obstructed to just come down and stand in front of the stage, joking that he isn’t sure whether it’s against the rules, but “it’s okay with me”). The set list might dwell a little too heavily on One Trick Pony for some, and it certainly doesn’t include any must-hear versions of the 11 songs presented here, but it does provide a glimpse of Simon during a time when he was beginning what was to become a decades-long struggle to redefine himself, the performances are uniformly tight, and the price is right. Just make sure you don’t already own it.

Click to buy “Paul Simon: Live from Philadelphia”

Concert DVDs, DVD Quicktakes, External Music, Pop

Great Big Sea: Fortune’s Favour

November 24, 2008 /

Newfoundland’s finest return for their 10th album, this time with producer Hawksley Workman in tow, and though nothing on Fortune’s Favour is unexpected – the band long ago got its act down to a science, if not an art – none of it disappoints, either. Since making its American “breakthrough” in the mid-to-late ‘90s, Great Big Sea has occasionally seemed unsure of which direction to follow – some sets found them tilting a little too heavily toward the pop end of the spectrum at the expense of the trad-folk elements of their sound that make them so unique – but as their U.S. sales have dwindled over the last five or six years, their focus has improved, and this album is as sure-footed as anything they’ve released since Turn. It does present a somewhat mellower picture of the band than some longtime fans may be comfortable with, but that’s appropriate; Great Big Sea’s music has always played on the tension between love of home and love of the road, and if their songs get sweeter and softer with age, it’s probably only par for the course. The album is bookended with a pair of killer cuts (“Love Me Tonight,” “Straight to Hell”), and manages to get through 14 tracks without ever really sagging in between. A no-frills DVD of studio footage is thrown in as a value-added bonus, but unless your idea of fun is watching the band fart around between takes, there’s no reason to buy this other than the music – and thankfully, it’s more than strong enough to stand on its own. (Great Big Sea 2008)

Great Big Sea MySpace page

CD Reviews, Folk, Pop, Rock

Travis: Ode to J. Smith

November 7, 2008 /

In advance of their sixth studio album’s release, Travis promised it would be their “loudest and edgiest yet,” which was both intriguing and laughable; given that the band’s recent efforts had seen them slipping into increasingly beige, tempo-hostile territory – and given that they’ve never exactly been rockers – Fran Healy and co. could have cut the most moderately “edgy” album in history and still lived up to their prediction. Surprise, surprise – Ode to J. Smith actually does rock, sort of. This is still Travis we’re talking about, so don’t go in expecting Motörhead levels of noise, but these 11 tracks are certainly among the sweatiest Travis has ever recorded – and what’s more, they are, by and large, quite a lot of fun to listen to. Opener “Chinese Blues” finds them bridging the gap between Coldplay and Oasis (and pulling it off), “Broken Mirror” is Nirvana by way of early Radiohead, and “Last Words” blends discreet strings, buzzsaw guitars, a banjo, and a niftily understated rhythm track to build a case for a new golden era of alt. rock in the 21st century. Hell, Healy even lets out a scream at one point during “Long Way Down.” It isn’t likely to win them many new American converts, but as an unexpectedly sprightly mid-career entry from an act that seemed to have fallen in a deep rut, it’s one of the nicest surprises of the fourth quarter. Britpop fans, order your copies at once. (Red Telephone Box 2008)

Travis MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

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