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REVIEWS

CD: "Cool Cats, Hot Chicks" - KBC Records

THOSE WERE THE DAYS, AND SO ARE THESE

This CD is a delightful trip back to the age of the swing-era girl groups. The mother-and-daughters team of Becky, Corrie and Kathy Duncan supply the golden harmonies and wrote many of the songs. Two arrangers - Denis Solee and bandleader Tony Migliore - provide wonderful, full-bodied, sophisticated settings.

Just as the old orchestras did, the Duncans draw on many influences, from classic swing ("King of Swing", "Cross Over the Bridge") to boogie-woogie (the title track) to Latin-flavored ("Margarita Marquita") to straight ballad ("Old Cape Cod" with its beautiful harmonies). They even have their own crackerjack arrangement of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." (The only lame track on the CD is a forgettable venture into 60s-style pop called "American Girl.")

The Duncans' original lyrics aren't exactly Ira Gershwin, and individually they don't have awesome voices. But together - and almost all of this record is sung in three-part harmony - these "hot chicks" are much more than the sum of their parts. With their sophisticated, bouncy songwriting, flowery harmonies and great feel for swing, the D's 3 have dipped into the past and come up with a wonderful original creation for today.

Artist website: theds3.com

CD: "Long Sleeve Story" - Three Word Records

YOUTH ATTACK

Devon released her first album in 1999 at the ripe old age of 16. On this, her second, she adds an excellent band and starts out with a couple of high energy tunes, "25mph" and "Sleep Satisfied," which are among my favorites.

But on most of the tracks the band is primarily used to create coolly crafted - and mostly pretty quiet - soundscapes. The fundamental appeal of Devon's music is in her Paul Simon-style acoustic guitar playing (check out the uncredited instrumental track at the end) and, above all, her voice: listen to "What I'm Used To" and "Bird Feeder" and tell me this woman couldn't break your heart with a note. I could listen to Devon's sighing, wailing, artful alto all day.

Often, though, the vocals and the soundscape are so interesting and/or pretty that they lead you to expect more from the song itself, and most of the songs don't really go anywhere. Devon is quoted in her bio as saying, "There is not a vast difference between what I write in my journal and what comes out onstage." That's precisely the main problem with this album. Not that Devon is wordy - in fact her lyrics are spare, and quite poetic. Devon sings them as if she's drunk with art, and that's part of her appeal. She just needs more craft to balance the art.

Such a flaw is forgiveable in very young artists, and it didn't prevent me from enjoying the CD. But the album's best parts sound like a soundtrack to a really great movie, which I suspect is not what the artist was going for.

Devon has toured with Dave Matthews (another artist whose songs, in my opinion, don't really go anywhere), and she herself seems to be going somewhere indeed: towards greater success, which I believe she will have. Her songwriting should mature. Unlike her predecessor Fiona Apple, Devon isn't burdened with the curse of a premature breakout hit. In spite of the reservations noted above, expect great things from Devon.

Artist website: devonmusic.com

CD: "Onion Dream" - AngelBear Records

JUST PLAIN GOOD STUFF

Years ago I played bass with a band led by a singer-songwriter whose main inspiration and influence was Natalie Merchant. As I wasn't familiar with 10,000 Maniacs when I joined this band, I didn't realize how closely our singer had copied her idol's style. But as we performed more and more, people kept pointing it out. It was so noticeable that it actually became an impediment to the band's success.

Fortunately, my old bandmate has developed a maturer style of her own since then, and although she hasn't become a star, the story seems to have a happy ending.

I mention this because the first things I noticed about Meghan Cary were certain vocal qualities and mannerisms that bring to mind the aforementioned, long-shadowed former Maniac. But in spite of these similarities, Cary is no imitator, and "Onion Dream" is a damn good album.

Cary's organ-infused tracks tug at the heartstrings without sentimentality. I could say that these rootsy, country-tinged songs bear echoes of Springsteen, Lone Justice, Stevie Nicks, Deana Carter's "Strawberry Wine," and even Blind Faith. But why not just say it simply? Meghan Cary writes great songs and puts them across with integrity, beauty and class. And that is equally true of her ballads and her high-energy numbers.

Though lacking a powerhouse voice, Cary has a vigorous musical personality that comes through loud and clear in every song. Her forceful lyricism is exemplified by these lines from the title song:

     Peeling the layers and finding the core,
     wondering if there's me in there anymore...
     Sometime ago I met the devil it seems;
     and I sold him my soul for this damned onion dream.

and these from "You Don't Know Me":

     You don't know me but I have been watching for you.
     You don't know me but I know everything that you'll do.
     You don't know me but I surely know you...
     You're the one who will dance in my arms
     You're the one who'll succumb to all my charms...

You get the picture: this is no little girl, and no little-girl voice.

Cary can infuse with pathos and energy even lines that read on paper as hackneyed, like "This angel wants to fly" and "To laugh, to love, to cry: this is the cycle that we call life." Anyway, enough said. Of the many independent releases that I've received for review, this is one of the very few that I expect to listen to many times for pleasure.

Artist website: meghancary.com