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Shakespears Sister: Songs from the Red Room

November 18, 2010 /


RIYL: early Roxy Music, Blondie, Goldfrapp

It had to sting Siobhan Fahey a little that the band that she began as a solo project only saw commercial success when someone else was singing lead. She was Dave Stewart’s wife. She was in Bananarama, goddamnit. Why was it that the world only paid attention to her when some high-pitched American was on the mic?

Because that high-pitched American (Marcella Detroit, for those keeping score at home) had a dynamic voice, and when it crawled out of the speakers begging listeners to staaaaaaaay wiiiiiiith her, you stayed. Fahey, on the other hand, had to settle for playing the supporting role once again, even though it was her own band, and she was the lead singer. Ow.

Having said that, Fahey kind of forced the label’s hand in some regards. After playing the role of tarted-up hottie for years, Fahey was understandably bored with being a slice of cheesecake and adopted a look that resembled thrift store Gothic. Combine that with the fact that she had the second-best voice in her own band – or at least the second most striking voice – and it’s easy to see why the label chose to promote them as a duo, rather than as a Fahey solo project. You can imagine the label’s horror when Detroit left the band in 1993; now we just have the low-voiced Goth girl? What the hell do we do with her?

Bury her, it appears. Fahey made one more album in 1996 under the Shakespears Sister name, but it took eight years and some nasty dealings with her label to get it released. Plans for a Fahey solo album were scrapped…twice. So Fahey resurrects Shakespears Sister for the sake of artistic collateral in order to get her solo material out, 18 years removed from her biggest (and in the US, only) hit. How has time treated her?

Pretty well, actually. Songs from the Red Room is an odd blend of glam, dance beats and sass. There isn’t anything here that will tear up the charts, but the whole album is strangely compelling, begging repeat spins despite the lack of a killer hook. She ropes in Terry Hall to duet with her again (the two sang “It Ain’t What You Do” together with Bananarama and Fun Boy Three in 1982) on “Was It Worth It?,” and taunts Marc Bolan on opening track “Pulsatron,” a song that Bolan would have killed for solely for the title. It will shock the daylights out of anyone who’s only familiar with the the band’s chart successes, but that appears to be the point. At long last, Fahey sounds like she’s making the music she meant to make all along. Better late than never, we suppose. (SF Records 2010)

Shakespears Sister MySpace page
Click to buy Songs from the Red Room from Amazon

Artists, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica, Pop

Sarah Sample: Someday, Someday

November 17, 2010 /


RIYL: Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, Ray LaMontagne

Sarah Sample rises above the typical “Grey’s Anatomy” genre of female singer/songwriting-heart-on-my-sleeve-because-the-whole-world-hurts music with her distinct voice and country-tinged songwriting. It’s the kind of voice that gets under your skin and can lift you up. Her voice can also lift up the material she’s singing, as it does on her album, Someday, Someday.

This album of adult alternative music is full of intimate songs about love and relationships. The lyrics are straightforward and effective, coupled with Sample’s gift for beautiful melodies. Upon first listen, you’ll be immediately taken by Sample’s upbeat delivery, even on the gentle ballads she’s written. Someday, Someday grows on you after repeated listens and soon you’ll find yourself with songs like “I’m Ready,” “One Mistake,” and the soulful rocker “Staying Behind” stuck in your head for days on end. You’ll also feel your heartstrings being tugged.

Sample’s voice can really stir up the emotions, making her much better than so many of her contemporaries. Since radio is dead and TV and film soundtracks are where new artists get most of their exposure, let’s hope some music supervisor comes across this fine album and helps Sample get the exposure she deserves. Until then, it’s up to word of mouth to spread the word about an artist like her. We’ve done our part; now it’s up to you. (Groundloop Records 2010)

Sarah Sample’s website

Purchase Someday, Someday through Amazon

Americana, CD Reviews, Folk

Laura Cortese: Acoustic Project

November 17, 2010 /


RIYL: Uncle Earl, Pete Seeger

Laura Cortese is a well known side musician whose skill on the fiddle, vocals and bass have made her a favorite with artists as diverse as Uncle Earl and Band of Horses. She’s released two solo LPs and two EPs before the release of Acoustic Project, a seven-song set of music featuring just fiddles and cello, with Coreste handling vocal duties on five of the songs (the other two are instrumentals).

Acoustic Project is short and sweet. All of the songs have their own unique sound and feel as if they were drawn from some time long ago when folk songs were passed down from the mountains to Greenwich Village. However, most of these compositions were recent compositions, so their timeless quality is a tribute to the songwriting talent of Cortese and the few collaborators who helped her out.

“Perfect Tuesdays” is a rollicking, Cajun-influenced song, while “5 Tune” has the charm and spirit of an old pioneer jig.  The highlight of the Acoustic Project is “Women of the Ages,” a haunting, beautiful song that features plucking violins, a cello and Cortese’s gorgeous voice. It has the stature of an old Irish folk song and will stay with you for weeks. That song alone you should give you reason seek out Acoustic Project. However there is enough great music on this EP to make it well worth your while the next time you’re looking for something unique and adventurous. (Laura Cortese 2010)

Laura Cortese website
Purchase Acoustic Project through Amazon

Americana, CD Reviews, Instrumental

Norah Jones: …Featuring Norah Jones

November 16, 2010 /


RIYL: Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, Bonnie Raitt

Since beginning with the smash hit Come Away With Me in 2002, Norah Jones’ recording career has been a study in slow, carefully measured decline. Clearly not willing to pigeonhole herself as a crooner of piano ballads, Jones has tugged away from the dulcet tones of her debut – but because she has label bosses to answer to (or maybe just because she’s smart enough to stay the course), she hasn’t totally broken with the sound that made her famous, and the result has been a string of lukewarm records that hint at the artist Jones wishes she could be, if only the stakes weren’t so high.

The shame of it all is that Jones’ kitten’s purr of a voice, while perfect for selling lattes, sounds just as fine – if not finer – out of its established context. Over the years, Jones has built a reputation for herself as a terrific guest vocalist with a wonderful sense of humor, popping up on recordings by everyone from Outkast to Ray Charles, and singing about everything from Chex Mix (on the Lonely Island song “Dreamgirl”) to motherfuckers (Peeping Tom’s “Sucker”). Sadly, neither of those songs made the cut for this collection, but you get the idea: …Featuring Norah Jones might bear the unmistakable stink of a contract-fulfillment release, but by bundling up 18 noteworthy collaborations, it does an arguably better job of highlighting her strengths than anything since Come Away With Me.

If there’s a real quibble here, it’s that the really left-field stuff (like the Lonely Island and Peeping Tom songs) was left off, and while you do get to hear Jones doing stuff she can’t do as a solo artist (like playing hook girl for Q-Tip and Talib Kweli on “Life Is Better” and “Soon the New Day,” respectively), much of …Featuring‘s charms are more subtle, like hearing her slip inside Joni Mitchell’s “Court & Spark” alongside Herbie Hancock, or her lovely vocals for Charlie Hunter’s “More Than This” cover. Taken as a whole, it doesn’t reinvent Jones’ sound the way she often seems halfway inclined to do, but it’s a damn sight more interesting than, say, 2009’s The Fall. Here’s hoping she listens to this compilation often while composing her next full-length set. (Blue Note 2010)

Norah Jones MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

Rihanna: Loud

November 16, 2010 /


RIYL: Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera

Like any pop princess, Rihanna is only as good as the songs she’s given – which inevitably becomes a problem once sales drop and the label stops paying for top-shelf stuff (just ask Brandy, Monica, etc.) But on the occasion of her fifth album, Loud, she’s shining as brightly as any star in the music business, and the result is a singles-stuffed collection that, while certainly uneven, reestablishes Rihanna as a capable, charismatic vocalist.

As the title indicates, this isn’t exactly an introspective disc; even by the rather limited standards of modern R&B, the lyrics are a noticeable weak point. Fortunately, it usually doesn’t matter; for instance, although it’s redeemed by its earworm chorus and a goofy Drake cameo, “What’s My Name” is about as annoyingly basic as it sounds, while “Cheers (Drink to That)” is an average club anthem enlivened by strong production (including a nifty, unexpected a cappella interlude) and “Only Girl (In the World)” is a stone dumb club banger that perseveres by sheer virtue of insistence. Meanwhile, “S&M” and “Skin” are your average boudoir tracks, set apart only because Rihanna’s one of the better singers working in the genre.

Production and vocal power can’t save everything – power ballad “California King Bed” is a lumpy disaster that sounds like something Diane Warren found stuck to her shoe (“In this California king bed / We’re 10,000 miles apart”), and “Complicated” is the kind of love-to-hate-you number that Rihanna’s done better before (like on, say, “Hate That I Love You”). On the whole, though, the wheat-to-chaff ratio is admirably high; in such a singles-driven genre, it’s rare that you hear an album this light on filler, and given Rihanna’s hectic recording schedule, it’s easy to imagine a radio-worthy track missing single release. The gently stuttering “Fading” is the best kiss-off ballad she’s ever done, while the aggressive, reggae-tinged “Man Down” and the stomping “Man Down” (featuring Nicki Minaj, as required by law) find Rihanna dabbling, ever so slightly, in new directions. None of it feels as heavy as last year’s Rated R, but that’s obviously the point – this is the sound of a talented young singer getting dumb, and doing it in style. (Def Jam 2010)

Rihanna MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, R&B

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