SOUND CHECK.LINKIN PARK: "Minutes to Midnight" (Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .) - Two stars For its third studio album, L.A.'s Linkin Park delivers more skate-park anthems that seem a bit stale compared to previous efforts. Here, singer Chester Bennington's leathery leath·er·y adj. Having the texture or appearance of leather: a leathery face. leath  er·i·ness n. wail leads the action,
with rapper Mike Shinoda Michael Kenji Shinoda (born February 11, 1977)[1][2] is an American musician, record producer, and artist from Agoura Hills, California. He is best known as the MC, Rapper and rhythm guitarist of Linkin Park, and his side project, Fort Minor. chiefly taking a seat next to Rick Rubin behind
the sound board. When Shinoda does hit the microphone, as on the
memorable "Bleed It Out," the band brings all the old fire.
It's the best track on an album that suffers from far too many
ballads ("Leave Out All the Rest," "Shadow of the
Day," "In Between"), tiresome hip-hop ("Hands Held
High") and dull arena-rock nonsense ("What I've
Done").
-- Fred Shuster PINK MARTINI Pink Martini is a 14-piece music band from Portland, Oregon. The band was formed by pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale in 1994. They blend such diverse genres of music as Latin, lounge, classical, and jazz. "Hey Eugene" (Heinz) - Four stars When it comes to quirky and fun, no one beats this ensemble from Portland, Ore. Led by pianist Thomas Lauderdale and vocalist China Forbes, the group's third effort is another richly diverse and entertaining trip with songs from all over the world, with Forbes smoothly handling numbers in Japanese ("Taya Tan") and Arabic ("Bukra wba'do"). There are trips to a ballroom in Havana and a cabaret in Paris. Originals include: the funky '70s-style title song, a funny tale of a sort of one-night stand one-night stand n. 1. a. A performance by a traveling musical or dramatic performer or group in one place on one night only. b. The place at which such a performance is given. 2. ; the sultry "City of Night"; the Italy-meets- Russia "Dosvedanya, Mio Bombino"; "Mar Desconocido," a beautiful Latin waltz from Peruvian percussionist Martin Zarzar; and bassist Phil Baker's lovely samba-esque "Cante e Dance." And as anyone who has heard the group's eerie version of "Que Sera Sera" from its first album, "Sympathique," knows, Pink Martini can take a standard and give it new meaning. This time, it's "Tea for Two" from the 1920s musical "No No Nanette," which is slowed down, as Forbes duets with 81-year-old year jazz legend Jimmy Scott Jimmy Scott (July 17, 1925 in Cleveland) is an American jazz vocalist. Scott has Kallmann's syndrome, a genetic condition which stunted his growth at five feet and prevented him reaching puberty, leaving him with a high, undeveloped soprano voice, hence his nickname "Little" . -- Rob Lowman JOE STRUMMER
John Graham Mellor (August 21, 1952 – December 22, 2002) better known as Joe Strummer : "The Future Is Unwritten" (Columbia Legacy) - Three and one half stars If Clash frontman front·man n. 1. also front man A man who serves as a nominal leader but who lacks real authority. 2. Music A leading singer with a group. Strummer's heart hadn't given out in 2002, he -- like Bob Dylan Noun 1. Bob Dylan - United States songwriter noted for his protest songs (born in 1941) Dylan -- would probably have hosted a satellite radio show. Strummer had an insatiable appetite for music of any kind, and his eclectic tastes are given free rein here in this 25-song soundtrack to Julien Temple's upcoming docu-biography. Strummer introduces several of the tracks - Tim Hardin's "Black Sheep black sheep n. 1. A sheep with black fleece. 2. A member of a family or other group who is considered undesirable or disreputable. Boy," U-Roy'-"Natty Rebel" (heard in a fabulous new version), Andres Landeros' "Martha Cecilia" - giving the disc a revealing intimacy. Superbly selected songs from Strummer's post-Clash career are also here, as well as three previously unissued Clash tracks, including the legendary, oft-bootlegged 1984 live cut "(In the) Pouring Rain." Temple's film won't arrive until October. This will more than whet your appetite. -- Glenn Whipp THE BAD PLUS: "Prog" (Heads Up) - Four stars The gimmick behind the Bad Plus -- a jazz trio riffing on rock classics -- fades quickly in the face of the group's passion and commitment. Out of the 10 tracks here, six are written by the band members, revealing creativity to spare from pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer David King, each of whom composes. To experience the sheer musical joy/mayhem of the Bad Plus, go directly to their renditions of David Bowie's "Life on Mars Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of life on Mars owing to the planet's proximity and similarity to Earth. It remains an open question whether life exists on Mars now, or existed there in the past. " and Rush's "Tom Sawyer." Iverson in particular brings the sensibilities of Keith Jarrett and Don Pullen to his playing, and King can go from hi-hat swing to floor-tom bombast in a single chorus. For music fans on either side of the jazz/jam-band divide, this could be the disc that gives them a feeling for what's happening on the other side. -- Steven Rosenberg ELIZABETH COOK: "Balls" (31 Tigers) - Three stars Cook namechecks Dolly and Loretta on her new album's go-girl anthem "Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman." And indeed, this genuine redneck woman (daddy was a convicted moonshiner) crosses Parton's tremulous tremulous /trem·u·lous/ (-u-lus) pertaining to or characterized by tremors. trem·u·lous adj. Characterized by tremor. sensitivity with Lynn's brash spunk. There are tougher, funnier songs than the not-as-raunchy-as-it-sounds main track, heartbreaking ballads and catchy honky-tonk shuffles on this Rodney Crowell-produced disc. Cook appears tonight at the Mint. -- Bob Strauss CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Linkin Park) (2 -- 6) no caption (CD covers) |
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