igofast
08-02-2005, 06:57 PM
ARTIST: ALICE COOPER
ALBUM: DIRTY DIAMONDS
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Alice Cooper has got lots of ladies on his mind. Troublemakers ("Woman of Mass Distraction"), wannabe stars ("Perfect") and haughty brats ("Sunset Babies ") all occupy "Dirty Diamonds," their tales set against rock backdrops that pay homage to the British Invasion. This style infuses most of the album, but it wouldn't be a Cooper record if he didn't take bizarre detours like the cover of the Left Banke's psychedelic ballad "Pretty Ballerina." "The Saga of Jesse Jane" is the hysterical story of a cross-dressing truck driver that references bridal gowns, Judy Garland and Happy Meals, and his Johnny Cash imitation kicks the strolling country tune over the top. Cooper's humor is in top form, but the words to "Steal That Car" are juvenile, and the rap-fringed "Stand" is out of place.
ARTIST: BRIAN SETZER
ALBUM: ROCKABILLY RIOT: A TRIBUTE TO SUN RECORDS
"Tribute" is much too formal a word to describe the raucous party Setzer throws here in honor of his beloved rockabilly. The Stray Cats co-founder picked 23 songs from the Sun Records catalog from the thrillbilly years 1954-1957, and lined up musicians who could play these tunes note-for-note yet still express spontaneity. Though Bernie Dresel charted the drum parts to replicate the originals, there is little of the musty wax museum scent that often accompanies such attempts. The song selection is inspired: only "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Get Rhythm" falter, since the definitive versions by Elvis (or Carl Perkins) and Johnny Cash, respectively, are so indelible. The brightest highlights are lesser-known tunes: "Flatfoot Sam," "Tennessee Zip" and "Rakin' and Scrapin."' On "Put Your Cat Clothes On," Setzer plays one of the most concise, defining solos of his life, while the seductive "Rockhouse" offers an invitation to ecstasy as pure as a haiku.
ARTIST: LEE WILLIAMS & THE SPIRITUAL QC'S
ALBUM: TELL THE ANGELS
Riding high from a 2004 Stellar Award sweep for their smash "Right on Time," Williams & the QC's deliver the album of a lifetime. This 14-song set -- all but one a Williams original or co-write -- is their most diverse and consistent. The group casts off any bogus stereotypes of cherubic, crooning gospel quartets as they rock with relentless, high-voltage energy. "Whom Shall I Fear" tears out of the gate atop a relentless backbeat, with Williams singing like his very life was in the balance. "He's Coming" is cool, jazzy swing, and the title song a letter-perfect lesson in classic R&B. Without so much as a pause for breath, Lee Williams & the Spiritual QC's have cemented their place as one of the truly vital acts of modern gospel.
ARTIST: BRAVE OLD WORLD
ALBUM: DUS GESANG FIN GETO LODZH (SONG OF THE LODZ GHETTO)
This amazing and beautiful album rekindles the passionate Yiddish songs performed by street musicians during the 1940s in the Jewish ghetto of Lodz, Poland. Facing the nightmare of Nazi occupation and ultimate extermination, these musicians penned and performed a host of defiant tunes. Brave Old World (Alan Bern, Stuart Brotman, Kurt Bjorling and Michael Alpert) has accomplished a marvelous bit of musicianship in re-creating these stirring songs. (There are English translations in the liner notes.) While it evokes the darkest years in the history of the Jewish people, it does so via tunes that are wry, poignant and life-affirming. BOW's musical arrangements are exciting and vibrant, imparting a wholly appropriate period feel to lyrics gathered from the memories of survivors. History rarely sounds this marvelous.
ARTIST: GREG OSBY
ALBUM: CHANNEL THREE
Sax man Greg Osby tracked 15 albums for Blue Note without ever recording in a trio setting. "Channel Three" ends that streak, as Osby cut this disc with bassist Matthew Brewer and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. Osby works soprano and alto saxophones on nine songs, seven of which are original compositions. The record opens with a righteous cover of Ornette Coleman's bluesy "Mob Job" and closes with an equally swinging take on Eric Dolphy's "Miss Ann." The ruling feel of "Channel Three" is improvisation within rhythmic structures. Osby is the thinking person's jazz composer/ player, and there have been times in his career when critics have suggested that his approach may be too cerebral. "Channel Three," however, is an ideal meeting of spirit and mind; the tunes are challenging, yet the vibe is intimate.
ARTIST: THE WARREN BROTHERS
ALBUM: BARELY FAMOUS HITS
Given their limited success at radio, a "greatest hits" set from the Warren Brothers would be a limited collection at best. But this release's real title, which also ties in to the brothers' CMT reality show, gives Brad and Brett Warren the opportunity to showcase fine cuts from two BNA albums as well as previously unreleased songs. Among the highlights are the powerfully downbeat "King of Nothing"; built-for-radio tunes like "Guilty" and "Waiting for the Light to Change"; and the fearless country weeper "Where Does It Hurt." The brothers are highly skilled songwriters with no delusions of grandeur: Check out the bodacious roadhouse rocker "Sell a Lot of Beer." But they also know how to pick a winner from another's pen, as on one of only two covers here, the plainspoken "Hey Mr. President." They may be barely famous, but they're plenty good.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050802/music_nm/review_music_albums_dc;_ylt=ApGTloINgthF71pMd2rN6k 5xFb8C;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
ALBUM: DIRTY DIAMONDS
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Alice Cooper has got lots of ladies on his mind. Troublemakers ("Woman of Mass Distraction"), wannabe stars ("Perfect") and haughty brats ("Sunset Babies ") all occupy "Dirty Diamonds," their tales set against rock backdrops that pay homage to the British Invasion. This style infuses most of the album, but it wouldn't be a Cooper record if he didn't take bizarre detours like the cover of the Left Banke's psychedelic ballad "Pretty Ballerina." "The Saga of Jesse Jane" is the hysterical story of a cross-dressing truck driver that references bridal gowns, Judy Garland and Happy Meals, and his Johnny Cash imitation kicks the strolling country tune over the top. Cooper's humor is in top form, but the words to "Steal That Car" are juvenile, and the rap-fringed "Stand" is out of place.
ARTIST: BRIAN SETZER
ALBUM: ROCKABILLY RIOT: A TRIBUTE TO SUN RECORDS
"Tribute" is much too formal a word to describe the raucous party Setzer throws here in honor of his beloved rockabilly. The Stray Cats co-founder picked 23 songs from the Sun Records catalog from the thrillbilly years 1954-1957, and lined up musicians who could play these tunes note-for-note yet still express spontaneity. Though Bernie Dresel charted the drum parts to replicate the originals, there is little of the musty wax museum scent that often accompanies such attempts. The song selection is inspired: only "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Get Rhythm" falter, since the definitive versions by Elvis (or Carl Perkins) and Johnny Cash, respectively, are so indelible. The brightest highlights are lesser-known tunes: "Flatfoot Sam," "Tennessee Zip" and "Rakin' and Scrapin."' On "Put Your Cat Clothes On," Setzer plays one of the most concise, defining solos of his life, while the seductive "Rockhouse" offers an invitation to ecstasy as pure as a haiku.
ARTIST: LEE WILLIAMS & THE SPIRITUAL QC'S
ALBUM: TELL THE ANGELS
Riding high from a 2004 Stellar Award sweep for their smash "Right on Time," Williams & the QC's deliver the album of a lifetime. This 14-song set -- all but one a Williams original or co-write -- is their most diverse and consistent. The group casts off any bogus stereotypes of cherubic, crooning gospel quartets as they rock with relentless, high-voltage energy. "Whom Shall I Fear" tears out of the gate atop a relentless backbeat, with Williams singing like his very life was in the balance. "He's Coming" is cool, jazzy swing, and the title song a letter-perfect lesson in classic R&B. Without so much as a pause for breath, Lee Williams & the Spiritual QC's have cemented their place as one of the truly vital acts of modern gospel.
ARTIST: BRAVE OLD WORLD
ALBUM: DUS GESANG FIN GETO LODZH (SONG OF THE LODZ GHETTO)
This amazing and beautiful album rekindles the passionate Yiddish songs performed by street musicians during the 1940s in the Jewish ghetto of Lodz, Poland. Facing the nightmare of Nazi occupation and ultimate extermination, these musicians penned and performed a host of defiant tunes. Brave Old World (Alan Bern, Stuart Brotman, Kurt Bjorling and Michael Alpert) has accomplished a marvelous bit of musicianship in re-creating these stirring songs. (There are English translations in the liner notes.) While it evokes the darkest years in the history of the Jewish people, it does so via tunes that are wry, poignant and life-affirming. BOW's musical arrangements are exciting and vibrant, imparting a wholly appropriate period feel to lyrics gathered from the memories of survivors. History rarely sounds this marvelous.
ARTIST: GREG OSBY
ALBUM: CHANNEL THREE
Sax man Greg Osby tracked 15 albums for Blue Note without ever recording in a trio setting. "Channel Three" ends that streak, as Osby cut this disc with bassist Matthew Brewer and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. Osby works soprano and alto saxophones on nine songs, seven of which are original compositions. The record opens with a righteous cover of Ornette Coleman's bluesy "Mob Job" and closes with an equally swinging take on Eric Dolphy's "Miss Ann." The ruling feel of "Channel Three" is improvisation within rhythmic structures. Osby is the thinking person's jazz composer/ player, and there have been times in his career when critics have suggested that his approach may be too cerebral. "Channel Three," however, is an ideal meeting of spirit and mind; the tunes are challenging, yet the vibe is intimate.
ARTIST: THE WARREN BROTHERS
ALBUM: BARELY FAMOUS HITS
Given their limited success at radio, a "greatest hits" set from the Warren Brothers would be a limited collection at best. But this release's real title, which also ties in to the brothers' CMT reality show, gives Brad and Brett Warren the opportunity to showcase fine cuts from two BNA albums as well as previously unreleased songs. Among the highlights are the powerfully downbeat "King of Nothing"; built-for-radio tunes like "Guilty" and "Waiting for the Light to Change"; and the fearless country weeper "Where Does It Hurt." The brothers are highly skilled songwriters with no delusions of grandeur: Check out the bodacious roadhouse rocker "Sell a Lot of Beer." But they also know how to pick a winner from another's pen, as on one of only two covers here, the plainspoken "Hey Mr. President." They may be barely famous, but they're plenty good.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050802/music_nm/review_music_albums_dc;_ylt=ApGTloINgthF71pMd2rN6k 5xFb8C;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl