Tag: Headlines (Page 5 of 76)

Red: Until We Have Faces

February 1, 2011 /


RIYL: Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace

Twice-nominated for Grammys and one of mainstream rock’s most successful acts, Red are back with their third studio release, Until We Have Faces. Revolving around the theme of seeking one’s identity (and at least partially-inspired by the C.S. Lewis book, “Till We Have Faces”), this new offering may be the record that Red’s detractors have been foaming at the mouth for. It’s a pretty safe, mainstream offering that sees the band doing what they do best, and not much more. Guess what? It still rocks.

Kicking off with its heaviest track, “Feed the Machine,” Red attack the sound system with a simply epic sound. Featuring heavily down-tuned guitars punctuated with string arrangements and soaring choruses Red’s music personifies “brutal but beautiful.” The single, “Faceless,” is one of the stronger tracks and a very safe radio play. “Let it Burn” and “Not Alone,” in the same vein as previous tracks “Let Go” and “Start Again,” display the band’s penchant for ballads and layered melodies. The closing track, the piano-driven “Hymn for the Missing,” takes on a mythic beauty that holds long after the album is finished.

Red is anchored by vocalist Michael Barnes, whose emotional delivery and at-times wicked scream continues to lift what would otherwise be standard issue rock songs. He’s the perfect fit for what are mainly hopeful, positive lyrics (Red is, after all, a Christian band). The rest of the band is tight, and guitarist Anthony Armstrong carries a one-man army of a tone. Producer Rob Graves, who also produced Red’s previous efforts, knows these guys have a good thing going.

Red are really one of the last truly mainstream rock acts around. They’re heavy enough to bring in fans of more aggressive music, but friendly and catchy enough to cross over to contemporary rock fans. The sensational vocals of Barnes and the beautiful orchestral arrangements really help them separate from the competition. Those expecting progression from a technical standpoint will be disappointed, but savvy veterans content with Red’s place in the musical landscape are going to find a whole new batch of songs to love. (Red Ink/Sony 2011)

Red MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Christian, Rock

Wooden Wand: Death Seat

February 1, 2011 /


RIYL: Acoustic Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits

Wooden Wand’s latest, Death Seat, is a collection of acoustic dirges that recall long nights sitting around drinking, maybe on the front porch with the fireflies flickering up the night, or maybe in a dank bar somewhere in the sticks, where the beer is a little flat and the whiskey has a cheap bite.

Singer, songwriter James Jackson Toth, aka Wooden Wand, has a voice reminiscent of a young Mick Jagger. It has that darkness and snarl we all fell in love with the first time we heard the Stones. The songs Toth has written for Death Seat are soaked in folk and the blues, giving the album the feeling of something recorded 40 years ago, not 2010.

The highlight of the album is “Bobby,” a pained ballad that reflects on a friend who’s left this world too soon. It’s a haunting song that will stir up remorse for anyone who has lost a friend this way.  Songs like “I Made You” and “Servant to Blues” are spooky numbers, while “I Wanna Make a Difference” is a soulful confession between the protagonist and a lover or a family member.

If you’re a fan of Springsteen’s Nebraska or Johnny Cash’s American recordings, sparse albums full of dark storytelling, Death Seat falls in that same territory. It’s not the kind of album you throw on in the middle of a house party. However, once the guests have left and everyone is winding down, Death Seat has the kind of late night coolness that feels just right. (Young God 2010)

Wooden Wand MySpace page

CD Reviews, Folk

Cara Jean Wahlers and Grover Parido: Goodnight Charlotte

January 31, 2011 /


RIYL: Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin, Joni Mitchell

Goodnight Charlotte is the debut album from Cara Jean Wahlers and Grover Parido. It’s an intimate collection of songs that feature the primary instruments of Wahlers’ wonderful singing voice and Parido’s cello playing. This unique paring of singer/songwriter and cellist working together for an entire CD may not be new, however, on Goodnight Charlotte, the music is fresh and vibrant and the lyrics are thoughtful, creating a unique experience.

Wahlers’ songwriting is very visual, creating a sense of place and time. As a storyteller, she’s reminiscent of Lucinda Williams or Joni Mitchell, two names her publicist has included as influences. The singer’s voice recalls the elegance and naturalness of Mary Chapin Carpenter, another great singer/songwriter who can put you at ease, even though she’s breaking your heart.

Parido’s cello playing adds another layer of poignancy to Goodnight Charlotte. The instrument is such a melancholy instrument to begin with that no matter how hard Parido may try, his performances tinge the songs with sadness. Take a listen to “Black Dog,” a beautiful tale about a long lost love, and you’ll understand. Parido takes a solo on every single song and his presence fills in the empty spaces of Wahlers’ sparse guitar playing. This partnership between Wahlers and Parido is effective and lifts the material above the usual coffeehouse fare.

Still, it would have been interesting if they’d included a couple of songs that were just Wahlers backed by her guitar, and maybe some other acoustic instruments. The singer has a strong enough voice ad her guitar playing is subtle enough that she could have survived without the cello. This would have given Goodnight Charlotte just enough variety to make the album a classic. That said, it’s still a fantastic debut and will keep me looking out for this duo when they release future albums. (CDBY 2010)

Cara Jean Wahlers MySpace page

CD Reviews, Folk

Audio Bullys: Higher Than the Eiffel

January 27, 2011 /


RIYL: Primal Scream, The Ting Tings, Basement Jaxx

Yet another lesson in why bands should choose their names carefully. The word ‘bully’ suggests someone aggressive and intimidating (and, conversely, someone insecure and a little scared). The Audio Bullys, however, are no such thing. They’re beat mongering rockers, like Hard-Fi pulling the late shift in an Ibiza club. (Singer Simon Franks and Hard-Fi’s Richard Archer should do a duet, just to mess with people’s head over who’s singing which line.) The band’s third album Higher Than the Eiffel has some good ideas – lead single “Only Man” is armed with one hell of a hook, and closing track “Goodbye” is a nifty modern-day take on the Specials – but is sorely lacking a filter, not to mention an editor. Two of the first three songs contain fragments of ideas stitched together, much like Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, but there is no flow. Why did “Daisy Chains” need to end with an a cappella bit? (Answer: it didn’t.) “Shotgun” is the only song here that takes advantage of melding two separate ideas into a whole, but it arrives a bit too late to care, thanks to the album’s 56-minute (!) run time. Take out some of the clutter, and this bully could have been a contender. (The End Records 2011)

Audio Bullys MySpace page
Click to buy Higher Than the Eiffel from Amazon

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica, Pop

George Michael: Faith (Special Edition)

January 27, 2011 /


RIYL: Madonna, Michael Jackson, ’80s-era CHR

The world will probably never see another album rule the world like George Michael’s Faith did from 1987 to 1989. Twenty million copies sold worldwide. Number One on the R&B charts, a first for a white artist. Six Top Five singles, four of which went to #1. As pop records go, it was a monster, and while Michael Jackson’s Bad, released two months earlier, notched one more #1 single than Faith did, Faith managed to outsell Bad by two million copies. It also, strangely, won the Grammy for Album of the Year two years after its release.

George Michael - Faith - COLOR5

Looking back at the album today, it’s easy to see why it was so popular; the songs have held up remarkably well (unlike, say, a good chunk of the songs on Bad), and Michael covers a lot of territory in the process, from contemporary dance pop (“I Want Your Sex,” “Hard Day,” “Monkey”) to mid-tempo ballads (“Father Figure”), while throwing in a Bo Diddley-style jam (the title track) and a jazz-fueled torch song (the underrated “Kissing a Fool”) for good measure. Michael’s voice has tremendous range and versatility, and his production is downright minimal in an era known for bombast. It’s a dead brilliant pop record, and the fact that Michael was a mere 23 when he made it is, well, sickening, really.

The bonus disc of Epic/Legacy’s re-release of Faith culls together B-sides and remixes from the era, which includes instrumental versions of “Faith” and “Kissing a Fool,” Michael’s covers of “I Believe When I Fall in Love” and “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” and, at long last, the full-length version of Shep Pettibone’s remix to “Hard Day” (the version that appeared on the Faith CD is a good two to three minutes shorter). Also included are Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’ mixes to “Monkey” (single edit, 12″ mix, a cappella). Very shrewd move on Michael’s part to get them involved, as the song would not have reached the top of the charts without them. Curiously, the track “Fantasy” is included as well, though it first appeared as a B-side to Listen Without Prejudice Vol. I track “Freedom ’90.” Tough to argue with its inclusion, as it’s a gem, but there are some UK-only and promo-only remixes to “Faith” and “Father Figure” that should probably be here instead.

The DVD contains all of the music videos from the period, as well as the MTV promo film “Music, Money, Love, Faith,” where Michael gears up for his first solo world tour (don’t blink, or you’ll miss his chreographer, a then-unknown Paula Abdul). The uncensored version of “I Want Your Sex” is included as well as the censored one, and both clips seem pretty tame by today’s standards. (Michael wearing nothing but a sheet, horrors!) The best bit is the 40-minute interview Michael did with British TV personality Jonathan Ross, where he delves deeply into Michael’s personal life, even asking him if he’s taken an AIDS test and whether or not he wears a condom. Fans of George Michael, or ’80s pop in general, will find much to love here. (Epic/Legacy 2011)

Candi and the Strangers MySpace page
Click to buy Faith from Amazon

Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

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