SOUND CHECK.RYAN ADAMS David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is a prolific American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Raised by his mother and grandmother, Adams dropped out of school at age 16 and performed with several local bands before moving to Raleigh and : ``Love Is Hell, Parts I & II'' (Lost Highway) - ``Part I'': Three stars - ``Part II'': Four stars These are the albums irrepressible singer-songwriter Adams' label didn't want to release because they were supposedly ``too dark.'' Maybe they had a point regarding the first of these two EPs, a gloomy and not overly tuneful eight-song manifesto against social and interpersonal decay. But the seven-track ``Part II'' is Adams at his rootsy pop-crafting best. The lyrics are just as acerbic as the previous volume, and the overall motif is wintry win·try also win·ter·y adj. win·tri·er also win·ter·i·er, win·tri·est also win·ter·i·est 1. Belonging to or characteristic of winter; cold. 2. , but the catchy energy of the compositions just makes you want to dance your blues away - or, at least, dance with them. Anyway, both of these short albums boast much smarter music than ``Rock N Roll,'' the one the label deemed more commercial. - Bob Strauss TONY O'MALLEY Tony O'Malley (1913-2003) was a self-taught Irish painter. He was born in Callan, County Kilkenny and, while he drew and painted for private pleasure from childhood, he worked as a bank officìal until a long battle with tuberculosis in the 1940s knocked him off the normal course of : ``Oh!'' (Delicious) - Three stars This is the sort of adult pop that could make smooth-jazz radio palatable. Brit keyboardist-singer O'Malley's stylish new effort sums up all that's appealing about this distinctive blue-eyed soul Blue-eyed soul (also known as white soul) is a term used to describe R&B or soul music performed by white artists. The term is a misnomer, in that the artists don't all have blue eyes. man. The punchy punch·y adj. punch·i·er, punch·i·est 1. Characterized by vigor or drive: "He speaks in short, punchy sentences, using plain, populist words that excite" title track, which brings to mind O'Malley's years with the '70s funk-soul revue Kokomo, is an instant standout, while a sophisticated ``Nathalie'' recalls Steely Dan. The pretty ballad ``Just Because'' is lifted by a starry solo from saxist and Kokomo alum Mel Collins, and the syncopated syn·co·pate tr.v. syn·co·pat·ed, syn·co·pat·ing, syn·co·pates 1. Grammar To shorten (a word) by syncope. 2. Music To modify (rhythm) by syncopation. ``Your Smile'' is a fine r&b number. O'Malley has long deserved attention on this side of the Atlantic and with the import-only ``Oh!'' - or perhaps the standards set to follow - programmers would be wise to take notice. SAINKHO NAMTCHYLAK: ``Stepmother City'' (Enisai) - Three and one half stars This ``Stepmother'' is wicked. A 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 multioctave Tuvan throat singing, Namtchylak splices experimental jazz, Buddhism and electronica into a cohesive landscape. Tracks ``Let the Sunshine'' and ``Tuva Blues'' reinforce the bond between music and spirituality, while ``Born to Discover'' and ``Your Inner Eyes'' chart a place somewhere between heart and mind. At times recalling Yoko Ono and Bjork, Namtchylak's soulful vocals at once evoke opera, bird song and even a child's pleas. - Phillip Zonkel CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Ryan Adams) Ken Mazur/WireImage.com (2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers) |
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