SOUND CHECK SPOTLIGHT ON ...Coldplay/``Parachutes'' (Nettwerk) This year's UK buzz band lives up to the hype. Coldplay singer-songwriter Chris Martin's nostalgia-tinged songs, soaring melodies and heartfelt vocals deliver every classic element missing from Radiohead's latest work. ``Parachutes'' (in stores Tuesday) is a glorious combination of things. There's some Thom Yorke moodiness and Jeff Buckley Jeff Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), born Jeffrey Scott Buckley and raised as Scotty Moorhead,[1] was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. falsetto falsetto (fôlsĕt`tō) [Ital.,=diminutive of false], high-pitched, unnatural tones above the normal register of the male voice, produced, according to some theories, by the vibration of only the edges of the larynx. in Martin's singing. The silvery guitar work sometimes recalls the Sundays. But the songs, delirious de·lir·i·ous adj. Of, suffering from, or characteristic of delirium. , hook-strewn gems like ``Yellow,'' ``Spies'' and ``Shiver,'' are all Coldplay's. It's no wonder ``Morning Becomes Eclectic'' has been spinning the grooves off this album for weeks. There's nothing hard to grasp about it. Just eloquent, beautifully crafted songs that you'll want to hear over and over. ``Parachutes'' is easily the debut of the year. Four stars - Fred Shuster Bob Dorough Bob Dorough (born 12 December 1923) is an American bebop and cool jazz pianist, composer and vocalese singer. He worked with Miles Davis and Allen Ginsberg, and his adventurous style was an influence on Mose Allison, among other singers. & Dave Frishberg/ ``Who's on First?'' (Blue Note) Don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. Dorough and Frishberg, you say? Sure you do. Dorough served as musical director for ABC's Saturday morning series ``Schoolhouse Rock,'' writing jaunty jaun·ty adj. jaun·ti·er, jaun·ti·est 1. Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk. 2. Crisp and dapper in appearance; natty. 3. Archaic a. Stylish. b. Genteel. academic anthems like ``Conjunction Junction'' and ``Three Is a Magic Number.'' Frishberg did some ``Schoolhouse'' duty, too (``I'm Just a Bill''), and has written dozens of witty standards like ``Peel Me a Grape.'' The two long-time friends had never recorded an album together until the tape rolled during a series of concerts last year at that gem of a nightspot, the Jazz Bakery. The results are every bit as fun as you'd imagine, with Dorough, 67, and Frishberg, 77, matching wits behind dueling grand pianos, playing songs both comical (``Health Food Nut'') and poignant (``You Are There''). And anyone who has been stuck on the 405 freeway will appreciate Frishberg's ``Too Long in L.A.'' and its over-caffeinated weariness. (``Should have gone Cahuenga Pass, could have stopped and got some gas.'') A charmer charm·er n. 1. One that charms, especially a disarmingly attractive person. 2. One who casts spells; an enchanter or magician. Noun 1. . Three stars - Glenn Whipp Tish Hinojosa/``Sign of Truth'' (Rounder) Hinojosa's reputation as an earnest folkie folk·ie also folk·y n. pl. folk·ies 1. A folk singer or musician. 2. One who is an enthusiast of folk music. adj. has often overshadowed her Tex-Mex flair. But all that gets a welcome, sophisticated makeover on her first album of new material in four years. Working several bouncy pop idioms, both American and Latin, into various songs helps to minimize the naivete na·ive·té or na·ïve·té n. 1. The state or quality of being inexperienced or unsophisticated, especially in being artless, credulous, or uncritical. 2. An artless, credulous, or uncritical statement or act. that was prominent in her earlier work while still leaving room for the singer-songwriter's evocative and socially perceptive poetry, delicate emotional insightfulness and lovely, Ronstadt-quality voice. Things get a little simplistically sensitive by the end, but only by comparison to such sexy, strongly crafted upfront tunes as ``Fire in Winter'' and ``Mona Lisa by the Rio Grande.'' Hinojosa appears Saturday at McCabe's. Three and one half stars - Bob Strauss Doves/``Lost Souls'' (Astralwerks/Heavenly) Badly Drawn Boy/``The Hour of Bewilderbeast'' (XL/Beggars Group) Technophiles beware. The Doves and Badly Drawn Boy Damon Gough (nicknamed Badly Drawn Boy), was born 2 October 1969, in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. He grew up in the Breightmet area of Bolton, Lancashire, England. He is a Mercury Prize-winning indie singer/songwriter. (alter ego A doctrine used by the courts to ignore the corporate status of a group of stockholders, officers, and directors of a corporation in reference to their limited liability so that they may be held personally liable for their actions when they have acted fraudulently or unjustly or when of singer-songwriter Damon Gough) are two more tuneful, restrained guitar acts from across the pond that will be especially welcome by Travis fans. From the ethereal instrumental ``Firesuite'' that opens ``Lost Souls'' to the New Order-like rocker ``Catch the Sun,'' the Doves perfectly blend electric and acoustic guitars, managing to sustain a balmy, hypnotic mood through all 15 tracks. Badly Drawn Boy's ``The Hour of Bewilderbeast'' won the UK's Mercury Music Prize this year, and it's easy to see why the album is a European hit. Gough's futuristic folk, which radiates with original melodies and surprising instrumental touches, is a grabber. Although his voice may remind some of Elliott Smith, and the arrangements can bring Nick Drake or Flaming Lips to mind, Gough has a sly way with lyrics, particularly on the disc's standout tracks, ``Everybody's Stalking'' and ``Bewilder.'' It's a must-hear. Three and one half stars - F.S. PJ Harvey/``Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea'' (Island) Harvey's intriguing sixth album is drawn from her experiences in various cities and the disc pulsates with raw energy. There's a Patti Smith-like quality to impressive cuts like ``Horses in My Dreams'' and ``Big Exit'' that recalls Harvey's jaw-dropping 1991 debut, ``Dry.'' Meanwhile, Radiohead's Thom Yorke duets on ``This Mess We're In,'' and for once you can actually make out what he's singing. Three stars - F.S. Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics/``Rhythm, Rhyme and Truth'' (HMG/HighTone) As pop genres go, rockabilly has more limitations than most. But on their third album, twin-neck guitar god Deke Dickerson and his deceptively scruffy, impressively expert band the Ecco-Fonics mix it up with as much variation as they can muster. The high-spirited format's usual obsessions - cars, mean women and tomcat braggadocio brag·ga·do·ci·o n. pl. brag·ga·do·ci·os 1. A braggart. 2. a. Empty or pretentious bragging. b. A swaggering, cocky manner. - get lively infusions of jump, Western swing, California surf and country depression here. And with the epic closing song ``Where Am I Goin'?'' Dickerson and company achieve a kind of working-man existentialism existentialism (ĕgzĭstĕn`shəlĭzəm, ĕksĭ–), any of several philosophic systems, all centered on the individual and his relationship to the universe or to God. that still rocks the garage door off. Three stars - B.S. CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Coldplay) (2 -- 6) no caption (CD covers) |
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