SOUND CHECK.RASCAL FLATTS Rascal Flatts (IPA: /ˈræskəl ˈflæts/) is an American country pop band formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2000. : "Me and my gang" (Lyric Street) - Three stars Nashville's country-pop supergroup Rascal Flatts hits a homer on their fourth set of heart-tugging ballads and rootsy, streamlined pop. The first single, "What Hurts the Most," sums up the trio's gold-spinning formula: a heart-rending ballad about lost love, sweetened sweet·en v. sweet·ened, sweet·en·ing, sweet·ens v.tr. 1. To make sweet or sweeter by adding sugar, honey, saccharin, or another sweet substance. 2. To make more pleasant or agreeable. by honeyed hon·eyed v. A past tense and a past participle of honey. adj. also hon·ied 1. Containing, full of, or sweetened with honey. 2. Ingratiating; sugary: honeyed words. harmonies and a soaring, instantly likeable like·a·ble adj. Variant of likable. Adj. 1. likeable - (of characters in literature or drama) evoking empathic or sympathetic feelings; "the sympathetic characters in the play" likable, appealing, sympathetic chorus. Following that lead is "Along the Broken Road," another standout with a swelling chorus, earnestly sung verse and a tight overall sound engineered for multiple radio formats. The secret of the Flatts' success is the lush, million-dollar vocal blend of singer Gary LeVox, guitarist Joe Don Rooney Joe Don Rooney (born September 13, 1975 in Baxter Springs, Kansas and raised in Picher, Oklahoma) his first band Unclethumbtack was formed in Miami Oklahoma 1992-1997. Joe Don is currently the lead guitarist and a harmony singer in the American country pop trio Rascal Flatts. and bassist Jay DeMarcus, and that strength is placed front and center throughout "Me and My Gang." Along with the immediate winners here are such offbeat off·beat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor. tunes as the hillbilly reggae workout "Yes I Do" and the funky title track, both of which help earn this CD return visits to the CD changer Changer The name given to a clearing member that is willing to assume the opposite position of a futures contract within a larger alternative exchange, of which it also is a clearing member. . - Fred Shuster THE MAMMALS: "Departure" (Signature Sounds) It's mellow rock meets folk/world music bona fides with strummer Tao Rodriguez-Seeger (Pete Seeger's grandson) singing the protest song "Solo le pido a Dios" in Spanish) on this latest album from the eclectic quintet. Michael Merenda sings the anti-war song "Alone on the Homestead" from a grieving woman's point of view, Ruth Unger sings the slightly anti-war, guyish who's-this-groupie? ditty dit·ty n. pl. dit·ties A simple song. [Middle English dite, a literary composition, from Old French dite, from Latin dict "Tryin' to Remember What City I Know You From," and somehow covers of Nirvana's "Come as You Are" and the country classic "A Satisfied Mind" fit comfortably into the literate, socially conscious and surprisingly upbeat mix. - Bob Strauss VARIOUS: "Gospel Music" (Hyena hyena (hī-ē`nə), carnivorous, chiefly nocturnal mammal of the Old World family Hyaenidae. Although doglike in appearance, hyenas are more closely related to civets (family Viverridae) and cats (family Felidae) than to dogs (family ) - Three and one half stars Longtime Atlantic jazz producer Joel Dorn's highly evolved Hyena label deserves as much attention as wonderful British archival imprints like Blood & Fire and Honest Jon's. In this highly recommended 18-track set, gospel aficionados Dorn and famed photographer Lee Friedlander bring together cornerstone artists and lesser-known, but equally amazing, acts such as the Staple Singers, the Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama, the Harmonizing Four, Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers, the Swan Silvertones and - our personal favorite - the always roof-raising Dorothy Love Coates Dorothy Love Coates (January 30, 1928 – April 9, 2002) was an influential American gospel singer who rose to stardom in the 1950s as a member of The Original Gospel Harmonettes. , for a CD that will leave you craving more of this rapturous rap·tur·ous adj. Filled with great joy or rapture; ecstatic. rap  tur·ous·ly adv. stuff from the '30s to the '60s. "Gospel Music" is the plain truth. - F.S. BASEMENT BOYS: "The Basement Boys Present Mudfoot Jones" (Savoy Jazz) - Three and one half stars Under the guise of a fictional Louisiana blues drummer, dance music producers Teddy Douglas and Jay Steinhour, aka The Basement Boys, have come up with a rousing, foot-stomping record that mixes old-time jazz, gospel, Latin rhythms and John Lee Hooker-style blues. This isn't sampled music; everything on this sound collage comes from the Boys' band, which includes a couple of veterans from George Clinton's P-Funk horn section. Given "Mudfoot's" instrument of choice, the emphasis is on the beat. And on numbers like the infectious "Everything's Gon' Be Alright," the band delivers and then some. Get ready to get down. - Glenn Whipp SHONEN KNIFE: "Genki Shock" (Glue Factory/Oglio) Three stars Shonen Knife-style really does mean something. Sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano celebrate 25 years of bringing Japanese sensibilities to American garage rock with "Genki Shock," featuring English versions of the songs heard on last year's Japanese import album of the same name. The Yamanos, who don't look a day over 30 - and who didn't start doing this when they were 5, by the way - hit for extra bases just the same. Who wouldn't love the sonics of the Ramones melded with lyrics about giant stuffed kitties, the annoyances of Internet spam, relocating pesky spiders, wearing blue jeans (for work and play!) and keeping lucky charms under a pillow to ward off bad dreams? - Steven Rosenberg CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Rascal Flatts) (2 -- 6) no capiton (CD covers) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion