Category: CD QuickTakes (Page 129 of 149)

Douye: Journey

August 8, 2008 / Captain Capm

R&B artist Douye hs an impeccable sense of style here on Journey. Her singing is tasteful, and not over the top, unlike a lot of “divas” in the genre who are only out to show off their range with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. At times, on songs like “On for You,” she brings to mind vintage Anita Baker. The opening cut “Fly Away” is also pretty tasty, presenting Souye as an artist with true talent and serious crossover potential. Sometimes, though, things get a little repetitive and Douye will often stretch out a song a bit too long by repeating a certain phrase or chorus over and over. Still, there’s no denying the scintillating power of a track like “Wicked World” with its jazz leanings or “Waiting for My Man” that has slow jam hit written all over it. Douye definitely has the skills to have a successful music career. hopefully the right people are listening out there. (self-released)

Douye’s MySpace page.

Artists, CD QuickTakes, Pop

ism: Urgency

August 1, 2008 / David Medsker

The band’s name is a reference to the many ‘isms’ that they feel are tearing at the fabric of society (racism, terrorism, etc.), but we see the band’s name as an acronym: It’s Sub-par Muse. Lead singer and songwriter Andre Mistier is clearly a big fan of Matthew Bellamy & co – a quick glance at the band’s top friends on their MySpace page confirms this – and the band’s sophomore effort, Urgency, feels like one long mash note to the UK power trio. There is no questioning the band’s talents as musicians, and lead single “Sacred Cows,” with its Morello-esque octave-jumping guitar riff, could pass for a leftover track from the Black Holes and Revelations sessions. The problem is the band’s slavish devotion to replicating Muse’s style. The title track alone is three Muse songs rolled into one, combining the music from “Time Is Running Out” with the lyrics from “Apocalypse Please” and “Butterflies and Hurricanes” (“If you’re wondering what you’re made of, now’s the time to see / Bring on Apocalypse”). Oh, and their bass player uses a lot of effects pedals, just like a certain Muse bassist. These guys could be dangerous once they find their identity, but for now, they’re just a group of highly skilled copycats. (STM Records)

ism MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Rock

Shannon McArdle: Summer of the Whore

August 1, 2008 / Jeff Giles

The divorce album is a long, proud rock & roll tradition, and with the provocatively titled Summer of the Whore, former Mendoza Line singer Shannon McArdle adds her own dirty emotional laundry to the pile. If you’re a Mendoza fan, you’ll know the record was inspired by her split from former husband and bandmate Timothy Bracy – but even if you’ve never heard a lick of the band’s music, a cursory glance at the album’s lyric sheet will be enough to show you all the blood on these songs’ tracks. And the lyrics, by the way, are bracingly raw – McArdle pulls no punches here, either on her ex or herself, and lines like ”You’d like to wash my fresh mouth out / Shove in a big bar of soap / But you know that I always swallow / I let it slide down my throat” suggest an unforgettable album. Pity, then, that the music doesn’t reflect the emotion that went into it; musically, the album is one long snooze, stacking one meandering ballad after another and wasting loads of promise along the way. A song like “He Was Gone” – which laments a miscarriage with lines like ”He would have had blue eyes, I’m sure / He would have made you love me more” — should pack an unforgettable wallop, but here, it just fades into the cold gray haze. McArdle obviously needed to get this one off her chest, but she could at least have made the ride enjoyable for the rest of us. (Bar/None 2008)

Shannon McArdle MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Lou Reed: Playlist: The Very Best of Lou Reed

August 1, 2008 / Captain Capm

Once again it’s time to trot out a series of “best of” material by various artists on a particular label’s roster. RCA is up next and have created their “Playlist” series to get with the modern times and play to the mp3 player crowds who no longer want to sit around and listen to full albums. That’s fine and all, but Lou Reed has never been someone you can cover in 13 skimpy tracks, most of which are drawn from his early-to-mid ’70s heyday. This is almost a carbon copy of the original RCA Reed compilation Walk on the Wild Side released when Lou skipped over to Arista back in 1976. What’s here is good stuff (almost half of Transformer is thrown in), and somehow RCA managed to finagle the rights to “Street Hassle.” But there’s nothing here from The Blue Mask, Legendary Hearts, or Mistrial. And why the hell they still insisted on putting the crummy 2:54 version of “Sally Can’t Dance” on here when there was more than enough room for the full album cut is odd. This collection is okay for a casual fan who just wants to hear “Walk on the Wild Side” and not much else, but those seriously interested in Lou would do best to just explore his individual albums. (RCA/Legacy)

Lou Reed MySpace page

Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Lou Reed

Heart: Playlist: The Very Best of Heart

August 1, 2008 / Michael Fortes

Sony BMG’s Playlist series has almost all the marks of a well-thought-out and potentially trendy new product line. It’s environmentally friendly – the packaging is made of 100% recycled paperboard, and the CD booklet is accessible on your computer as a .pdf file to save paper – and the price is relatively low. Add a solid song selection, and it’s a sensible (if typically redundant) way to hawk the label’s back catalog. However, in the case of Heart, who hopped across at least four different labels over the years, the disc suffers from an ever-present problem that has plagued single-label compilations by multi-label bands for years. Granted, hearing a stripped-down, acoustic treatment of their ‘80s smash for Capitol, “Alone,” among Heart’s ‘70s Epic and Portrait classics is awfully refreshing, who on earth would prefer the 2002 Alive in Seattle versions of “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You” and “Dreamboat Annie” over the original hit records from ‘76? On the flip side, this otherwise decent collection rightfully fetes buried album tracks like the mandolin-laden acoustic folk of “Dream of the Archer” and the dramatic, slow-burning “Mistral Wind.” (Epic/Legacy 2008)

Heart MySpace page