Category: CD QuickTakes (Page 89 of 149)

Jeremy Jay: Slow Dance

March 20, 2009 /

Any album whose press release describes the artist in question as “a mixture of a storyteller, artist and singer” is basically promising to deliver at least a handful of unintentionally funny moments, and Jeremy Jay’s second full-length release, Slow Dance, does not disappoint. Offering New Romantic synth-pop for the hipster crowd, Jay sounds like nothing so much as a socially stunted teenager with an eight-track recorder and far too many Cure records – except where Robert Smith’s self-flagellating occasionally results in real pop poetry, Jay is chock full of lines like ”I was walking around / In this lonely town / Yeah, I headed to the pier / What did I see there? / A fish in the water.” With an overabundance of analog synths and theatrically unemotional vocals, Slow Dance doesn’t sound terribly dissimilar from Andy Samberg’s Lonely Island singing “Jizz in My Pants” – except Samberg is, you know, joking, and Jay appears to be 100 percent serious, although it’s awfully hard not to laugh when he sings stuff like ”We’re walking down the streets / For chocolate chocolate / We’re walking down streets / We’re breaking the ice / Cold cold, yeah.” It’ll be heralded as a stunning sophomore effort by the cutting-edge corners of the blogosphere, but if you don’t get it, don’t worry – the problem doesn’t lie with you. (K Records 2009)

Jeremy Jay MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears: Tell ‘em What Your Name Is!

March 13, 2009 /

Okay, here’s a quick question for anyone who may still be left unawares: which recent event helped to significantly narrow the racial divide? That is, what event other than the election of America’s first Black president? Give up? How about the first release by an African American artist on that esteemed Americana label, Lost Highway? It may not seem so significant at first glance, but with first listen, this debut disc by Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears confirms the suspicions most folks knew along – that pure, unfettered, classic R&B is as much a part of American roots music as any other style borne from the heartland. And while prefacing his moniker with “Black” may seem like he’s expressing the obvious, Lewis’ ability to summon the spirit of classic R&B by invoking the power and passion of James Brown, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding is awesome and impressive in itself. These ten tracks echo the sound of pure ‘60s soul, from the full-on funk of “Gunpower” and “I’m Broke” to the rock-steady shuffle underpinning “Master Sold My Baby” and the cool groove steering that “Sugarfoot.” With his band of twenty-somethings holding sway – think Booker T & the MGs and the sound of Stax Records – Lewis’ impassioned howl offers a sure sign he’s learned his lessons well. And if some of the songs reinforce certain stereotypes – “Big Booty Woman, “Get Yo Shit” and “Humpin’” being among them – suffice it to so that like his influences, Lewis isn’t timid when it comes to expressing raunchiness or wickedness. This Papa may not have a brand new bag, but he’s getting a lot of use out of it all the same. Lost Highway

Black Joe Lewis MySpace page

Blues, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, R&B, Soul

Steve Kilbey: Painkiller

March 13, 2009 /

Aussie alternative rock band the Church began making music almost a quarter century ago, and while that band perfected the art of lo-fi before lo-fi was even a term anyone used, it was singer, songwriter and front man Steve Kilbey who mostly dominated the creative aspect of the Church. Kilbey’s first solo effort in eight years, Painkiller, was released in Australia in 2008 and just recently in the U.S. on Second Motion Records. But Church fans should be hesitant at best to grab this or any of Kilbey’s solo work – not because he isn’t talented or that his hypnotic vocals aren’t as spot on as they were in the ‘80s, but because it sounds like Kilbey puts his these songs together in a musical lab. There’s just a lot of weird experimentation going on, with melody and cohesion being after-thoughts. Kilbey’s poetry background is evident in some of these tracks, in particular the opener “Outbound,” which sounds like a spoken-word piece with musical backing. “Celestial” and “Crystalline Rush” are dark and somewhat palatable, as is the catchiest track, “Oenone.” But when Kilbey breaks out the test tubes and beakers, as he does on the 12-minute instrumental track, “File Under Travel,” or on the (gasp) 31-minute long “Not What You Say,” you just might fall asleep before you realize what’s happening. (Second Motion)

Steve Kilbey MySpace Page

Alternative, Ambient, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Indie Labels, Instrumental, Pop, Rock

Dexter Freebish: The Best of (The Other Side)

March 13, 2009 /

Dexter Freebish was one of those dot com-era bands that bridged a gap between alt-pop powerhouses that were slowly fading (think Toad the Wet Sprocket or Hootie) and those that were embracing their independence like never before (The Clarks, Better Than Ezra). There simply isn’t ever a place on any musical timeline where good, melodic pop/rock doesn’t have a place, and this five-piece Texas band is proof of that. Dexter Freebish released two albums beginning with 2000’s A Life of Saturdays, which included their John Lennon Songwriting Contest entry, “Leaving Town.” But after breaking up in 2005, lead singer Kyle (who mysteriously has no last name) and the rest of the band got back together for some shows, and found out there is still a market for their catchy fare. EA Sports, along with a publishing arm of Nettwerk Music, decided to release this greatest hits collection, The Best Of (The Other Side), including four new tracks, and history is being made before your very eyes, or something. The big “hits” are all here, including “Leaving Town,” “Prozak” (which actually WON the John Lennon contest) and “Higher,” and some of the newer stuff is pretty decent, in particular the stunning piano ballad “Walk on Water.” For the most part, Dexter Freebish is a decent band with nice, hooky songs, but they aren’t going to keep tastemakers up at night figuring out who heard them first. (LABEL: Electronic Arts)

Dexter Freebish MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Power Pop, Rock

K’Naan: Troubadour

March 6, 2009 /

Talk about an album arriving at the right time: Troubadour’s leadoff single, “If Rap Gets Jealous,” has used a stomping beat, a Kirk Hammett cameo, and K’Naan’s wicked flow to create an iTunes phenomenon – just a few months after Kanye dipped his toe into synth-pop with 808s and Heartbreak, and a few weeks after Lil Wayne announced his Rebirth as a rock artist. But Troubadour really isn’t about trendy hybrids and gimmicky cameos, despite what the presence of the loathsome Adam Levine on “Bang Bang” would lead you to believe; it’s really a thrillingly eclectic, smartly arranged, finely layered collection of socially aware hip-hop whose influences are as diverse as its guest stars (Chubb Rock, Mos Def, and Chali 2na also make appearances). The songs are undeniably informed by K’Naan’s uncommonly peripatetic existence – he was raised in Somalia, fled to New York with his family, and is now based in Toronto – but his messages are as universal as they are uplifting, particularly on tracks like the Lennon-jacking “Dreamer” and brilliant “Wavin’ Flag.” Our current fascination with all things pan-cultural (M.I.A., “Slumdog Millionaire”) will surely fade in time – and it’s already brought us some horrible crap (the Pussycat Dolls’ cover of “Jai Ho”) – but any trend that boosts the fortunes of an artist this talented is one worth being thankful for. In what’s shaping up to be a renaissance year for hip-hop, Troubadour will likely go down as one of the genre’s best releases. (A&M/Octone 2009)

K’Naan MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Hip Hop

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