SOUND CHECK.Various/``Golden Age Gospel Quartets: Vol 1. (1947-54)'' In gospel's time line, the late '40s ushered in a golden age of quartet singing in which the earlier jubilee sound gave way to a harder-edged, more extroverted ex·tro·vert·ed also ex·tra·vert·ed adj. Marked by interest in and behavior directed toward others or the environment as opposed to or to the exclusion of self; gregarious or outgoing: approach. An innovation that influenced scores of postwar quartets was the use of two lead singers instead of one. This collection (the first of two volumes) draws on material from the archives of Hollywood-based Specialty Records Specialty Records was an American record label. It was originally launched as Juke Box Records in 1946, but later renamed by its owner Art Rupe. Specialty is noted for the rhythm & blues, blues, gospel and early rock & roll music recorded by the label. , a prime purveyor (World-Wide Web) Purveyor - A World-Wide Web server for Windows NT and Windows 95 (when available). http://process.com/. E-mail: <info@process.com>. of gospel during the genre's glory years. The 26 tracks here show the development of gospel from a cappella a cap·pel·la adv. Music Without instrumental accompaniment. [Italian : a, in the manner of + cappella, chapel, choir.] Adj. 1. singing to the use of full rhythm sections in the mid-'50s. This is joyous, uplifting stuff with many of the greats accounted for - the Swan Silvertones The Swan Silvertones were a gospel group that achieved great popularity in the 1940s and 1950s while led by Claude Jeter, who formed the group in 1938 as the "Four Harmony Kings" while working as a coal miner in West Virginia. (with the wonderful soloist Claude Jeter, a West Virginia West Virginia, E central state of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland (N), Virginia (E and S), and Kentucky and, across the Ohio R., Ohio (W). Facts and Figures Area, 24,181 sq mi (62,629 sq km). Pop. coal miner), the Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama and the Soul Stirrers (with soul greats Sam Cooke and Johnnie Taylor). Three Stars - Fred Shuster Rigo Star/``Attention!'' The groove-rich sound of dazzling Congolese guitarist-composer Star was a foundation of such premier '80s Afro-Parisian soukous/rumba bands as Papa Wemba, Mbilia Bel, Diblo Dibala and Kanda Bongo Man. Star was known as one of the most creative mi-solo players (the mi-soloist fills in between the lead and rhythm guitars, often contributing additional lead or rhythm lines). On his latest solo effort, Star utilizes the classic soukous sou·kous n. A rumbalike West African dance music originating in Congo (formerly Zaire). [Perhaps (via Lingala) from French secouer, to shake, from Old French secourre lineup - three guitars, horns, synths, bass, drums, percussion and harmony singers. The great Congolese singer Sam Mangwana appears on four cuts; Star handles vocals on the rest. Stylish, gorgeous dance music. Three Stars - Fred Shuster Mono/``Formica Blues'' If the bride of Frankenstein hosted a radio show, Mono's debut would get plenty of airplay air·play n. The broadcasting of an audio or audiovisual recording on the air over radio or television. airplay Noun the broadcast performances of a record on radio . The moody, trip-hop soundscapes devised by this British duo owe a debt to Portishead and other members of Bristol's eerie atmospherics at·mos·pher·ics n. 1. (used with a sing. verb) a. Electromagnetic radiation produced by natural phenomena such as lightning. b. Radio interference produced by electromagnetic radiation. school, but ``Formica Blues'' also ventures into French pop, Dusty Springfield and Burt Bacharach territory. Blending doses of dub, hip-hop rhythms, acid-jazz, lounge and pure pop, Mono's Martin Virgo and Siobhan DeMare have devised a darkly elegant collision of styles. Chanteuse chan·teuse n. A woman singer, especially a nightclub singer. [French, feminine of chanteur, singer, from chanter, to sing; see chant.] DeMare boasts an effective noir delivery that deftly puts across feelings both bruised and cheerful. Mono's music, incidentally, appears over the end credits of the film ``Great Expectations'' and on the accompanying soundtrack album. Three Stars - Fred Shuster The Din Pedals/``The Din Pedals'' As awful as so much contemporary guitar-rock is today, a few memorable groups manage to crawl under the wire. Local quartet the Din Pedals, together since 1990, are one of the good ones. The band's self-titled major label debut offers sturdy, heartfelt material that seems destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. for radio play. Among the strongest of the album's 11 melodic and well-played tracks are ``Ashtray,'' ``Plastic,'' ``Porn Star'' and ``Waterfall.'' The latter cut was included on the soundtrack for ``I Know What You Did Last Summer.'' Two and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster James Iha/``Let It Come Down'' If he wasn't the guitarist for the perennially overrated Overrated was a Horde World of Warcraft guild, based on the US Black Dragonflight Realm. On November 2 2006, the majority of the guild members were indefinitely banned from the game for use of (or directly benefiting from) a third-party "wall-hack", used to bypass content Smashing Pumpkins, Iha's dull solo effort would never be issued by a major label. It's a feeble little record, full of bland material lacking even the hint of an original melody or clever arrangement. Despite an ensemble that includes outstanding musicians - lap steel guitarist Greg Leisz, pianist Adam Schlesinger, drummer Matt Walker - ``Let It Come Down'' comes off as pretentious and privileged. To make matters worse still, Iha boasts a nondescript non·de·script adj. Lacking distinctive qualities; having no individual character or form: "This expression gave temporary meaning to a set of features otherwise nondescript" voice topping off a weak collection that will undoubtedly be clogging the used CD racks within days. One Star - Fred Shuster Eddie Floyd/``Soul Street'' This disc collects all 20 tracks from soul great Floyd's final two albums for Stax. Known initially as a songwriter (he co-penned classics for Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas and Otis Redding), Floyd scored with ``Raise Your Hand'' and ``Knock on Wood.'' These tunes are perfect examples of that wonderfully gritty Memphis sound, with all the usual suspects lurking in the studio - keyboardist Barry Beckett, lead guitarist Eddie Hinton, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Johnson, bassist Duck Dunn and the great Memphis Horns. One of the best tracks here is ``Baby, Lay Your Head Down,'' cut in Jamaica in 1972. Other standouts include ``Something to Write Home About,'' ``I Hear Footsteps (Coming Closer)'' and ``Check Me Out.'' Three Stars - Fred Shuster Various/``Chess Blues Piano Greats'' The first instrument that comes to mind when you think of Chess Records isn't piano but guitar. However, towering ivory-ticklers like Otis Spann, Eddie Boyd and Willie Mabon tinkled the 88s for the blues label. This terrific two-CD set collects 45 tracks, many of them rare, by the label's two best-selling piano men and main session stalwarts - Boyd and Mabon. The pair were early bridges between an urbane variety of urban blues and the Delta-bred sound that became Chess' enduring legacy. Mabon is good, but Boyd is the discovery here. A heartfelt vocalist, his specialty was the grinding low-lights blues with ultra-witty lyrics. The best examples are ``24 Hours,'' ``Got Me Seein' Double'' and the marvelous ``Third Degree,'' covered by Eric Clapton on his ``From the Cradle'' album. Three and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster The Woodys/``The Woodys'' Comparisons with the Everly Brothers are way premature, but on this debut release, the wife-husband tandem of Dyann and Michael Woody gives evidence of a rare harmonic alchemy. Plaintive plain·tive adj. Expressing sorrow; mournful or melancholy. [Middle English plaintif, from Old French, aggrieved, lamenting, from plaint, complaint; see plaint. , unpretentious country-rock results from the intertwining of Michael's high lonesome lone·some adj. 1. a. Dejected because of a lack of companionship. See Synonyms at alone. b. Producing such dejection: a lonesome hour at the bar. 2. twang and Dyann's cool, keening tones. And they can write, too. From trailer-park anthems like ``Mama and Them'' to the sparse, quasi-biblical poetry of ``The Rain Came Down'' (co-written by Michael Woody and Steve Earle), the Woodys compose songs with real emotional grit, far from the current Nashville pulp mills. Two and One Half Stars - Reed Johnson Charlie Haden/``The Montreal Tapes With Geri Allen and Paul Motian'' and ``The Montreal Tapes With Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Paul Motian'' These albums are the third and fourth from bassist Haden's renowned series of concerts he performed with various groups at the Montreal International Jazz Festival The Montreal International Jazz Festival (MIJF, also called the Jazz Fest, the official name in French Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (FIJM)) is the largest jazz festival in the world. in July 1989. Like the previous efforts (with Paul Bley and Don Cherry), these recordings reveal top jazz players working together in practical telepathic te·lep·a·thy n. Communication through means other than the senses, as by the exercise of an occult power. tel communication. The album with pianist Allen and drummer Motian is eclectic and exciting with imaginative performances throughout. One of many highlights is the Haden standard, ``First Song.'' Rubalcaba's piano technique often goes in too many directions at once, but you can't deny its virtuosity. His performances with Haden and Motian cover a wide range of territory, from Miles Davis to Ornette Coleman to Gary Peacock to four Haden originals. The one constant: passion. Three Stars - Glenn Whipp CAPTION(S): 9 Photos Photo: (1) Siobhan DeMare and Martin Virgo of Mono add a bunch of styles to their trip-hop base in ``Formica Blues.'' The duo also appears on the ``Great Expectations'' soundtrack. (2--9) no caption (CD covers) |
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