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FIRST, TWO NEW RELEASES OF NOTE: FRIEND OR FOE on Listen Here! Records is the first release from modern folkster Erica Smith that fully captures both her edgy sensibility and her gorgeous voice. And I'm not just saying that because I played on the album. Although that fact does prevent me from writing an actual review, I can wholeheartedly recommend Smith's spookily beautiful folk-inspired music. What she does with traditional folk songs must be heard to be believed. And the originals are captivating too. Hear some samples, then buy it. Really. I don't get a cut or anything, I swear. Another new release I feel somewhat connected to is the wonderful READY by Allison Tartalia. Allison's my friend, and I have played in her band occasionally, so I know the tunes too well to be objective about them. But her theatrical pop-jazz-soul sound and cunning, sultry alto are unusual and accessible. A quick listen will clue you in. If you're looking for something beyond standard singer-songwriter fare, this is for you. NOW ON TO THIS MONTH'S REVIEWS:
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| THERESA SAREO
ABBALICIOUS Theresa Sareo's musical heart is in the seventies, but this CD proves that it's the quality of the heart that matters, not how up-to-date the record sounds. Sareo's melodies, arrangements and impassioned straight-ahead vocals all evoke the endless hours of pop radio I absorbed in my mom's kitchen as a kid in those pre-Disco seventies.
I hear echoes of everything from Don McLean to Abba to Neil Young to Bobbie Gentry, all delivered with unabashed good spirits. And (if you're old enough) don't tell me "Sada's Song" doesn't make you think of Cher's "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," a song that never failed to send chills down my eight-year-old spine.
No affected breathiness for singer/songwriter/producer Theresa Sareo, and no trendy angst. This is good old-fashioned full-throated pop singing. (Oh, and if you play the CD in your computer, you even get a sexy video.)
The first five songs are all winners. If you've given up on pop music, any one of them might make you fall for it again. Then, after a few descents into treacle, the CD picks up again with the boppy if obvious "I'm Free" and the playful "If I." "Never Let It Rain" has a bright Southern-rock flair, and the dramatic title track is a strong closer, its minor-key intensity injecting serious soulfulness into lyrics that might look somewhat cliched on the page.
If you're a fan of little-girl wispiness, go elsewhere. And this is not for you if you seek the cutting edge. But if you're in the mood for some creative, unapologetically grown-up pop - and who above the age of 25 isn't? - or if you wish talented singers like Shania Twain and (shudder) today's Cher would cast off some of the overblown, lowest-common-denominator frippery of their song choices and arrangements - or, for that matter, if you've ever wondered how to use the triangle sound on your drum machine without sounding goofy - EMBRACE is precisely the ticket.
Artist website:
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| THE LUCKY DEVILS
MORE CHEEBA-CHEEBA THE LUCKY DEVILS is the latest project from Reverend Freakchild, New York City's undisputed king of stoner country blues. You'll have a tough time figuring out from the CD packaging and website who the Rev and his crew actually are, but who cares? It's all about the music.
Combining topnotch musicianship with soulful singing and a fundamental laid-backitude, the CD is more fleshed-out than the earlier "Reverend Freakchild" album even as it cleaves to the same spirit: part blues, part gospel, with a dollop of funk (notably a straight-ahead version of "Hey Pocky Away") and a little bluegrass. Highlights include a funky take on the traditional "Working On A Building," "Worried Mind Blues" (a different song than the blues classic I know by that name, but just as good in its way), and the novelty song "TV Junkie." Imagine, on the other hand, a collaboration between Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan and you might have something like The Lucky Devils' interpretation of John Lennon's "Imagine."
Deadheads, lovers of "authentic" rootsy music, and anyone who appreciates songs that just make you feel better will dig this album. It'll makes your toes tap, and it's unexpectedly heartwarming. Highly recommended.
Artist website: WWW.TREATEDANDRELEASEDRECORDS.COM
HOW COULD ONE LITTLE GIRL GET IN SO MUCH TROUBLE? And speaking of "Imagine": Imagine Taylor Dayne as a rocker. Or a more exotic, bilingual Joan Osborne. Now put all comparisons out of your mind - they're here just to give you an idea what a powerful singer Nicola is. Janis Joplin fans will definitely dig this.
Though her new CD opens with its two most radio-friendly tracks, it's one flowing river of grown-up passion. My favorite bend in that river is probably the Latin-flavored "Give Me That Something," but "Talk to Me" is also a contender, and "Anywhere" is a quiet gem that proves Nicola no slouch at acoustic ballads. The band's sound is consistent, but there's enough variety in Nicola's songwriting and vocalizing that you'll have your own favorites.
The opening lyrics of the first song, "Down," set the bittersweet tone that runs through the songs.
You said I was beautiful Making sweet music out of heartbreak is probably the world's third oldest profession, but in crafty hands it never gets tired. One of this act's finest qualities is its tight control, both vocal and instrumental, which makes all the more powerful the moments when Nicola lets loose. It was wise to close the album with a live version of "One Little Girl," a catchy rocker that gives a taste of what Nicola can do in concert, because although the studio tracks show off her vocal skills they only suggest the passion Nicola brings to her performances.
To be precise, "Nicola" is actually a band. Nicola Ganchegui (we forgive her for going by one name) is the singer, songwriter, guitarist and co-producer, but longtime bassist Jules Rosaly and drummer/co-producer Michael J. Carrasquillo bear full shares of responsbility for the timeless quality of the arrangements (a great skill to have when you're a self-producing indie) and of the honey-sweet grooves that run through these ten songs. Rob Williams is the current, and much more than capable, touring drummer.
Artist website: WWW.NICOLANICOLA.COM
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, BUT COMMERCIALLY OBSCURE I'm one of a small hardy band of humans who champion the music of this Welsh?Irish?Breton? siren (she seems to have multiple origins, but it doesn't really matter) here in America. Though Katell Keineg stays busy with various projects, she is not prolific in the recording studio with her own music. It's been a while since her last release and this one has just four songs, one a Nick Drake cover.
Anything from Keineg is important news at KOZMICBLUES.NET. And this EP delivers. It leaves us wanting more, but if this is all she really wanted to say right now, that's fine. She either has an unerring self-editor or is constitutionally incapable of writing inferior material. Maybe she's saving up for a new full-length release. We can only hope.
On this mature work, Keineg's otherworldly voice, incantatory delivery, exquisite melodic instincts and anthemic beats remain intact. The sound is richly textured yet comes across as less "produced" than her Elektra albums, which suits her voice and lyrics just fine. Keineg could sing the Albany phone book and make it sound important and intriguing. Even the hummable "Beautiful Day," my nominee for happiest song of the year, is given a ghostly quality by the fading in and out of several vocal tracks.
Unfortunately Keineg's New York shows this fall were cancelled because of visa problems. But here's a review of a recent concert in Ireland.
Artist website: WWW.KATELLKEINEG.COM
SEXY PIANO LOVE Though it owes a lot to Tori Amos by way of Kate Bush, singer/sonwriter/keyboardist Sarah Fimm's new CD stretches the well-primed faery-goddess canvas to make room for splashes of jazz, strokes of spoken word and bits of something like musique concrete. The CD has a wonderfully lush sound. "Lioness," notably, is one of the sexiest soundscapes you're likely to come across anywhere.
Songwise, "Be Like Water" is one of the strongest tracks, although as an album-opener it's just too too Tori to suggest the originality that's evident in some of the subsequent pieces. And, as Rock and Roll Confidential might remind Fimm, using the "F" word doesn't make you a badass.
The catchy (no pun intended) "Virus" is the true high point of the CD. It really is badass, and alas, what follows can't match it: "Alien Boys" lays down an intriguingly sweet melody but provides no payoff, and "Smoke" feels like a poem with music tacked on as an afterthought.
The energy picks up with the jazzy "Spit Track Ghetto," the aforementioned, ferociously pornographic "Lioness," and "In the Red," which sounds like what Sarah McLachlan might come up with if she ever tried to get down and dirty. The closing tracks are pretty forgettable, except for the "Hearts-of-Space"-worthy - but fading out all too soon - denouement of the obviously pun-intended "Salvia Path." (No need to mention the silly "hidden" track tacked on to the end after a long period of silence. OK, so I did mention it. But only because it's a tiresome trick that annoys me.)
Throughout the album, Fimm's fine, expressive voice hovers above rich and interesting arrangements. But those very factors made me wish for more memorable elements - a sticky melody, a startling lyric, more breaking free of the moodiness. There's much to like here and much talent. Some judicious editing would have produced a shorter, more satisfying album, but Sarah Fimm is a soundscaper to watch.
Artist website: WWW.SARAHFIMM.COM
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