Category: CD QuickTakes (Page 92 of 149)

Company of Thieves: Ordinary Riches

February 20, 2009 / Jeff Giles

If Edie Brickell was a little more of a rocker – and had a strong literary fetish – she might sound like Genevieve Schatz, lead singer of Chicago’s Company of Thieves. By dint of steady touring and strong Windy City support, the band managed to turn its 2007 debut, Ordinary Riches, into a DIY success – one which Wind-Up is now seeking to take national with its licensing deal for the record, a deal that includes heavy promotion on iTunes and the talk show circuit, as well as a string of dates opening for labelmates Thriving Ivory. Whether the big push is a result of the label’s belief in the band or simply a function of a typically weak first-quarter release schedule, it’s still a remarkably lucky break for Company of Thieves; the band’s music is enjoyable enough, but nowhere near as colorful as you might expect, given their penchant for quoting Oscar Wilde. Ordinary Riches contains elements of rock, blues, and folk, but major chunks of the record sound like nothing so much as a band marking time until a musical identity drops in its lap. Given enough opportunities, they may actually find one – songs like the closer, “Under the Umbrella,” hint at a sound that could rebuild the bridge between old-school AOR and Top 40 – but in the meantime, this is a fairly Ordinary debut. (Wind-Up 2009)

Company of Thieves MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

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Ume: Sunshower EP

February 20, 2009 / James B. Eldred

Ume (pronounced…I have no clue) (Editor’s note: it’s pronounced Ooh-may) is an Austin-based alt-rock trio led by the impressive, alliteratively-named Lauren Langner Larson. She’s not full-on riot-grrl, but Larson has an edge to her voice, with a growling undertone constantly on the threat of bubbling over and taking control throughout their latest EP Sunshower. Her screams on the opening “East of Hercules” have echoes of Brody from the Distillers and Joan Jett; throaty, guttural and utterly powerful. What really makes her, and by extension Ume as a whole, stand out is Larson’s ability to go back and forth between her punk-rock growls and a more dominant melodic singing voice that wouldn’t be out of place on a Top 40 pop record. The music behind the bipolar vocals isn’t half bad either, and is equally manic in a Pixies loud-quiet-loud kind of way, but they do the loud parts better than the quiet ones. When they keep it mellow too long they suffer, and the full-on ballad title track sinks before it takes off because there’s no power or emotion to carry it. The other slow track on the album, “The Means,” works better because the restrained first half builds to an explosive second half where Larson is once again able to showcase her quality vocal chops. Ume released a full-length record back in 2005, and this far-too-short EP is evidence that they’re ready for another. (Hulga 2009)

Ume MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

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Various Artists: He’s Just Not That Into You: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

February 20, 2009 / Mike Farley

If a dude admits that he likes a chick flick, he might lose certain privileges, like, you know, the privilege to not be hassled by his buddies. But soundtracks are another story, because sometimes they surprise us with songs we actually like or even ones we have listened to and purchased on our own before. As for “He’s Just Not That Into You,” which is the chick flick of chick flick titles, there are some songs on its soundtrack that will let you guys keep your street cred and then some, such as My Morning Jacket’s “I’m Amazed,” the Black Crowes’ “By Your Side” and the Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait.” But even the estrogen-heavy stuff isn’t bad – Tristan Prettyman’s “Madly” and Erin McCarley’s “Love, Save The Empty” are catchy and worth a download, and make up for the sappy James Morrison tune (“You Make It Real”) or the over-played Human League hit, “Don’t You Want Me.” But the kicker? Scarlett Johansson’s “Last Goodbye” is the closer, and it is so not bad at all – there’s no surprise she has a sexy voice, but it’s her delivery and the beauty of the song itself that will surprise the most skeptical of you all. (Warner Bros.)

Movie Website

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock, Rock Babes

chick flick Erin McCarley He's Just Not That Into You Human League My Morning Jacket Scarlett Johansson soundtrack The Black Crowes The Replacements Tristan Prettyman Warner Bros.

Chick Corea & Hiromi: Duet

February 20, 2009 / Michael Fortes

Recorded live at Tokyo’s Blue Note Jazz Club, Duet continues Chick Corea’s streak of exceptional albums with unimaginative titles. Chick hasn’t released a piano duet album since his 1978 live double album with fellow Miles Davis alumnus Herbie Hancock, and while that record was a meeting of two peers, Chick’s partner on Duet, Japanese pianist Hiromi, was a year away from birth when Chick dueled with Herbie in ’78. As one might expect, Hiromi’s youthful exuberance matches – and sometimes surpasses – what was going down 30 years ago. Just one listen to the pair’s wildly playful take on Chick’s “Humpty Dumpty” and Monk’s “Bolivar Blues” may be enough to make it feel like this is the first and best time the dual piano format has been explored, not to mention the tension that Chick cleverly builds with his trademark percussive smacking of the keys during a neat take on the Beatles’ “The Fool on the Hill.” (Concord 2009)

Chick Corea MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Instrumental, Jazz

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Dion: Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock

February 20, 2009 / R. David Smola

Dion’s Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock is played and presented with such joy, authenticity and enthusiasm that it is one of the better cover records released since it became trendy some 10 years ago. Much like Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot Volume 1: A Tribute to Sun Records, this is a love letter to those who mapped out the first avenues of rock & roll. The difference between the two, other than the era covered, is that Dion captures the vibe and adds his own touches to each track while Setzer tried to reproduce each song as originally recorded. The material covered by Setzer is also not necessarily automatically recognizable as the material covered on Heroes. “Summertime Blues,” “Come On, Let’s Go,” “Bye Bye Love” and “Jailhouse Rock” are songs that are a part of our collective musical consciousness. Dion’s voice has great character and moxie, which perfectly suits these tracks. His band, which includes Robert “Crow” Richardson on guitar, plays these tracks with an energy and a reverence that they deserve. Dion has the credibility to cover songs like “Runaway” and “Rave On” because he was a contemporary of these folks, jammed with Buddy Holly and toured with many of these artists. The guitar work is really excellent here. No, there is no Van Halen tapping and shredding, but there are great solos with character and zip. Great songs, great guitar, what more can you ask? A bonus DVD of Dion relating stories about these songs, the original artists who recorded them and impromptu versions of a couple of them played in a studio with Richardson is also a treat. One-half star is removed from the total in that the only track that doesn’t measure up to the others is a cover of his own masterpiece, “The Wanderer.” (Saguard Road Records)

Dion’s Website

Blues, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country, Pop

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