Category: Pop (Page 27 of 216)

Maroon 5: Hands All Over

September 21, 2010 /


RIYL: Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, Train

Maroon-5-Hands-All-Over-album-cover-art[1] Just when you thought there wasn’t an errant molecule left to be polished off Maroon 5’s squeaky-clean pop-funk sound, along comes legendary producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange to add his layers of platinum gloss. Lange’s antiseptic stacks o’ tracks approach helped Def Leppard own the late ’80s (and made it acceptable for a snare drum to sound like a wet sack of potatoes being hit with a two-by-four in reverse), so when word got out that he was producing Hands All Over, eyebrows were raised in anticipation. What do you get when you cross Maroon 5 with the guy who produced world-beating hits for AC/DC, Bryan Adams, Shania Twain, and Nickelback?

The answer, as it turns out, isn’t appreciably different from previous Maroon 5 records – not in terms of sound, anyway. Hands All Over is a little more arid than the band’s earlier material, and the nipping and tucking applied to lead singer Adam Levine’s voice is more obvious than usual, but they’ve never been anyone’s idea of a gritty band; Lange’s production style is unmistakably slick, but he’s also smart enough to know there are only so many layers of gloss you can add before the underlying material disappears.

And it’s on that underlying material that Lange seems to have had the biggest influence. Though the band’s songwriting has never really been an issue, Hands All Over presents Maroon 5 at their most radio-ready; even the filler tracks, of which there are a few, sound as sleek and lean as obvious singles fodder like “Misery” and “Never Gonna Leave This Bed.” Much as he’s been guilty of fattening up the sounds of the bands he’s worked with, Lange is a remarkably savvy songwriter with a sharp ear for a song’s inessential bits, and it sounds like he took a judicious scalpel to each of Hands All Over‘s dozen cuts. The end result is as slick as it is hummable.

Of course, it’s also sheer product, but unapologetically so, and at least the product in question is one worth selling. If you’re the type of listener who looks for raw power in your music, Hands All Over is absolutely not for you, but if you’re just looking for a fresh batch of safe, hip-shaking pop to get you through your day – or if you have any kind of appreciation for that elusive sweet spot where airtight pop songcraft and unabashed commerce meet – this is one guilty pleasure you may not need to feel guilty about. (A&M/Octone 2010)

Maroon 5 MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

Chatelaine: Take a Line for a Walk

September 21, 2010 /


RIYL: Annie Lennox, Goldfrapp, Ghost vs Sanne

We’re not sure how this one slipped past us – actually, we do know how it slipped past us; it’s because there are over 30,000 albums released each year, so it’s easy to miss one when you’re not expecting it – but better late than never when it comes to former Curve singer Toni Halliday. Her new band Chatelaine is decidedly different than her former one, opting for string-kissed, mid-tempo meditations augmented with the occasional synth. “Oh Daddy” bears strong resemblance to Annie Lennox’s cover of “No More I Love You’s,” but the rest of the album is less passive, with Halliday singing softer than she did in Curve while maintaining a pointedness in her delivery. “Stripped Out” would have fit in perfectly on last year’s grossly overlooked album by Swedish blue-eyed soulsters Ghost vs. Sanne, and “Shifting Sands” injects a dark synth line as proof that Halliday hasn’t forgotten her roots. Hard-edged techno is a young man’s game, so it makes sense that Halliday would leave those days behind her. With Take a Line for a Walk, Halliday acts her age without caving to soft-focus melodrama, which is as win-win as it gets. (Chatelaine 2010)

Download Chatelaine’s “Stripped Out” here

Chatelaine MySpace page
Click to buy Take a Line for a Walk from Amazon

Adult Contemporary, Artists, CD Reviews, Electronica, Pop, Rock Babes

Mackintosh Braun: Where We Are

September 20, 2010 /


RIYL: Dissociatives, Air, E.L.O.

It’s good to see that there is someone at the major league level who remembers the importance of having a label with a personality, and that someone is Chop Shop Records’ Alexandra Patsavas. If Patsavas has your back, odds are you are a contemporary pop act with an offbeat approach and throwback sensibilities, i.e. you write songs like they were written before Rob Thomas fucked everything up, and this describes Patsavas’ latest signing, Mackintosh Braun, to a ‘T.’ The Portland duo’s debut album Where We Are is blissful synth pop song after blissful synth pop song, filled with breathy, manipulated vocals and washes of sound that envelop the listener like a wave from the oceans of Xanadu. The band could definitely use a second operating speed, but when they’re on, like the fab opening track “Could It Be” and the ringing “Line in the Sand,” it’s damn near irresistible. Most of the album, though, falls into the pleasant-but-slight category, and the robotic vocals leave the proceedings a little cold, but you can tell from the chord sequences that Mackintosh Braun have the right idea. With any luck, they’ll come up with more of those right ideas next time around. (Chop Shop/Atlantic 2010)

Download Mackintosh Braun’s “Could It Be” here

Mackintosh Braun MySpace page
Click to buy Where We Are from Amazon

Artists, CD Reviews, Electronica, Pop

Michael Franti & Spearhead: The Sound of Sunshine

September 20, 2010 /


RIYL: String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, Ziggy Marley

This is an aptly titled album, as practically every track beams out a catchy upbeat vibe to the listener. Franti has long specialized in feel-good grooves with a message, while also dabbling in bluesier and hard rocking flavors. But his bread and butter has always been the melodic, uplifting stuff. This album maybe overdoes it a bit, and lacks in the diversity that made for such strong albums with 2001’s Stay Human and 2008’s All Rebel Rockers. The latter yielded the band’s first Top 20 hit with the catchy “Say Hey (I Love You)” though, so it’s not a shock to see Franti and company looking to mine that vein further. Franti has been speaking truth to power for years with little financial reward, so you can’t begrudge him a thing.

There’s no call-to-arms, revolution-oriented track like “Rock the Nation,” “Yell Fire” or or “A Little Bit of Riddim,” which may disappoint some listeners. But Franti is still wheeling and dealing with the cathartic rhymes and beats as an antidote to dark times, including his own death-defying bout with a ruptured appendix last year. There’s more of an emphasis on the acoustic guitars, as well as a continuation of the reggae vibe that was a strong flavor on the last album.

The title track kicks off the album and sets the catchy, uplifting tone for the album with lyrics like “they can take away my job but not my friends.” “Shake It” pumps up the energy with an upbeat romantic number that receives vocal assistance from the dynamic Cherine Anderson, a previous collaborator. “Hey Hey Hey” remains upbeat but also features some of the cathartic, reflective vibe that Franti is so good at. “Anytime You Need Me” emphasizes a cheery reggae vibe.

One of the best tracks is “I’ll Be Waiting,” which bites the guitar parts from U2’s “Bad” with great effect on a tune about loyalty. The most rocking track on the album is “The Thing That Helps Me Get Through,” a high-energy tune with a steady beat and lyrics about getting down with that special someone as a remedy to a crazy, mixed up world. “Headphones” dabbles in some sonic ambiance to create a laid-back atmospheric effect.

The album doesn’t have the musical diversity of Franti’s past work, but it’s got plenty of the feel-good grooves that are his trademark, and this chaotic world can certainly use more of that. (Capitol Records 2010)

Michael Franti & Spearhead MySpace page

CD Reviews, Funk, Hip Hop, Pop, Reggae, Rock, Soul

Matt White: It’s the Good Crazy

September 17, 2010 /


RIYL: John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Maroon 5

Thanks to the success of guys like John Mayer, a new crop of “sensitive” singer-songwriters has flourished in the music world. The dawn of the 21st century brought along the resurgence of musical guys with “feelings,” and Matt White is one of the latest artists to attempt to stake his claim in that crowded scene. In a perfect blend of an old archetype with new-school technology, White (who uses piano as his primary instrument but also plays guitar) was discovered by record execs after amassing over 50,000 friends and fans on MySpace.

Matt_White_01

It’s the Good Crazy, White’s second full-length album, is exactly what you’d expect a modern-day singer-songwriter album to be. Many songs on the album turn out to be reminiscent of songs or artists that have been omnipresent on Adult Top 40 radio these last few years. You hear echoes of Coldplay (right down to the falsetto) on the spare piano ballad “When I Fall,” a sound White might want to explore further, as it’s the best track on the album. The funky “On My Wall” conjures up Adam Levine’s many Prince impressions, and “Colorblind” (at least instrumentally) is reminiscent of Mayer’s “Your Body is a Wonderland.” They’re all pleasant enough, but the fact that they recall other artists makes one wonder if White will be able to carve out his own niche – it’s the only thing that’s going to make him stand out amongst the legions of young male songwriters.

I definitely dig the guy’s voice. While his normal range is relatively anonymous, White has a soaring falsetto that impresses even though he occasionally veers into screechy territory. Lyrically, there’s definitely a sense that he suffers from that borderline annoying smart-assery that plagues guys like Jason Mraz. Ultimately, It’s the Good Crazy turns out to be fairly standard singer-songwriter fare, but there’s enough promise shown to suggest that a really good album might be within his reach. (Rykodisc 2010)

Matt White on MySpace

CD Reviews, Pop

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