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Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: How Big Can You Get? A Tribute to Cab Calloway

May 29, 2009 /

You’ve got to give Big Bad Voodoo Daddy credit for having enough chutzpah to dedicate an entire album to the repertoire of a legend like Cab Calloway – and for tracking the whole thing live on vintage gear – but it’s a well-known musical maxim that you needn’t bother cutting a cover unless you’ve got something new to add, and that goes double for someone whose songs have been bought, sold, covered, and compiled as often as Calloway’s. As a result, How Big Can You Get? is about as thoroughly inessential as you can get – it’s impeccably performed, and adds a dash of modern production sparkle to a stack of well-worn tunes that includes “Jumpin’ Jive” and “Minnie the Moocher,” but it lacks the heat and spice of the original recordings, and anyway, there’s no reason to spend money on relatively faithful interpretations of Calloway’s songs when plenty of compilations and reissues are available for a minimal investment. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy remains as likable as ever on these recordings, even if lead singer Scotty Morris doesn’t do himself any favors by encouraging comparisons to Calloway, and fans of the band should be consistently entertained. As a gateway to Calloway’s world, however, it’s not worth opening. (Vanguard 2009)

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy MySpace page

Big Band, CD QuickTakes

Greycoats: Setting Fire to the Great Unknown

May 29, 2009 /

We love to see publicists promote records released in the previous year because they believe in them, mainly because it takes us back to a time when record labels had more patience with their artists, and would take the time to groom them, drum up some geniune buzz for a band rather than fabricate fake buzz, etc. (We’re well aware that those days weren’t as innocent as we might think, but they’re our memories, and we’re sticking to ’em.) We’ll see how this old-school approach works for Setting Fire to the Great Unknown, the debut album by Minneapolis quartet Greycoats. Their bio boasts comparisons to Arcade Fire, Radiohead and Sigur Ros, but a better point of entry might be a more guitar-oriented Keane. “Goodbye, Sweet Youth, Goodbye” sports a soaring chorus that the boys from Battle would kill for, and singer Jon Reine has nicked a few tricks from Tom Chaplin’s playbook in terms of vocal phrasing. It’s gorgeous stuff – Thom Yorke will surely mutter obscenities under his breath when he hears “An Echo in the Dark” – and, in an ideal world, the band is only a soundtrack or “Grey’s Anatomy” moment away from vaulting to the next level. (Greycoats 2008)

Greycoats MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Melodramatic, Pop, Rock

A Fine Mess makes for enjoyable pop.

May 25, 2009 /

Kate Voegele, A Fine Mess

Kate Voegeles’s sophomore record, A Fine Mess is a direct reflection of the emotional roller coaster the 22-year-old singer-songwriter has been through in the last year. Thanks to producer Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Rilo Kiley), Voegele’s second record trades a more feminine, piano pop for a grittier guitar-driven sound that acts as a perfect counterpoint to her delicate vocals. A Fine Mess comes complete with the usual relationship-inspired anthems, but is reinforced by tracks like, “Sweet Silver Lining” where the singer finds hope in the darkest of misfortunes, and “Angel” where Voegele attempts to dispel any “good girl” notions listeners may have about her.

Luckily for Vogele, A Fine Mess is a lot more put together than its title would imply. Entertainment Weekly gave Voegele’s second attempt at pop-stardom a B- suggesting listener’s check out her first single, “99 Times,” where she verbally attacks a friend who is full of lies and excuses. Amazon.com also praised Voegele saying, A Fine Mess is,

“brimming with optimism, first time independence and the wisdom that comes from one too many broken hearts. [Its] the continuation of a road Voegele was destined to travel, and, like every milestone in her career thus far, she navigates it with gusto.”

Unfortunately, not everyone is a fan of A Fine Mess. People.com gave Mess two stars, claiming, there’s too much competition in today’s pop market for Voegele to stand out. Ranking her behind Katy Perry, KT Tunstall, Kate Nash and Kate Walsh, People.com wrote, “while there’s little to distinguish [Voegele’s] brand of chick pop, the One Tree Hill actress at least plays well to the CW crowd” (Kate also doubles as Mia on the CW’s One Tree Hill). It’s true, in comparison Voegele falls short of major players like Perry, but in her defense, A Fine Mess is exactly what it’s supposed to be: sugary pop virtually void of complexity that is easy to relate to, and fun to listen to. It may not be a number one record, but there’s nothing disappointing about it. So, if you were a fan of Voegele’s debut, Don’t Look Away or your iPod is chocked full of Marie Digby, Michelle Branch, or Vanessa Carlton-esque pop give A Fine Mess a listen.

Adult Contemporary, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

White Rabbits: It’s Frightening

May 22, 2009 /

It is increasingly difficult to stand out in the overcrowded pop scene these days, but leave it to Missouri transplants White Rabbits (they’ve since relocated to Brooklyn, much like fellow Midesterners Locksley) to take a trick from .38 Special’s playbook and turn it on its ear: two drummers! The similarities end there, though; It’s Frightening, the second long-player from the White Rabbits, takes those two drummers – think Adam and the Ants, not the Doobie Brothers – and frames them with singer Stephen Patterson’s barroom piano and some sparse guitar work to create the kind of angular pop that you’d expect from the bands on the other side of the pond. Britt Daniel’s presence here as producer is no surprise, as the band’s “They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong” sounds like a lost Spoon track, and Single of the Year candidate “Percussion Gun,” armed to the teeth with handclaps and double-decker harmonies, is delightfully quirky and insanely catchy. That unusual approach to their drum tracks could prove to be an albatross – ask Guster about that one – but for the moment, all is quite well with the White Rabbits. (TBD 2009)

White Rabbits MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

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