SOUND CHECK.Cardigans/``Gran Turismo'' (Mercury) The title of this melancholy Swedish quintet's fourth album is borrowed from a video game the musicians played during breaks in recording sessions. But there's nothing artificial about much of this heartfelt music that owes something to the trip-hop musings of Tricky and Portishead. Folks who only know the Cardigans and its pop diva Nina Persson (born Nina Elisabet Persson September 6, 1974 in Örebro, Sweden) is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group The Cardigans. from last year's smash ``Lovefool'' will especially appreciate tuneful standouts such as ``My Favorite My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. Game,'' ``Marvel Hill'' and the glimmering ``Higher.'' Three stars - Fred Shuster B.B. King/``Blues on the Bayou'' (MCA MCA in full Music Corporation of America Entertainment conglomerate. It was founded in Chicago in 1924 by Jules Stein as a talent agency. In the 1960s it bought Decca Records and Universal Pictures, and today it produces films, music, and television shows. ) One of B.B.'s better recent efforts - thank goodness there are no duets here - the new disc finds the blues king writing many of these choice cuts and playing with a fire we haven't witnessed in many a moon. The swampy feel, down-home production and top-notch instrumentation places ``Blues on the Bayou'' among B.B.'s best of the decade. Three stars - Fred Shuster Gang of Four/``100 Flowers Bloom'' (Rhino) It's been said the late, great Gang of Four finished the job the Sex Pistols started. Formed in 1977 in Leeds, England, the university-educated Gang melded the abrasive urgency of punk rock with the raw emotion of dub reggae along with post-Marxist lyrical concerns such as ``the problem of leisure.'' The influential quartet's rhythms were stripped-down and jagged, while song titles sounded like political manifestos: ``At Home He's a Tourist,'' ``Damaged Goods DAMAGED GOODS. In the language of the customs, are goods subject to duties, which have received some injury either in the voyage home, or while bonded in warehouses. See Abatement, merc. law. ,'' ``It's Her Factory,'' ``To Hell With Poverty'' and ``Love Like Anthrax anthrax (ăn`thrăks), acute infectious disease of animals that can be secondarily transmitted to humans. It is caused by a bacterium (Bacillus anthracis .'' Meanwhile, catchy choruses such as ``please send me evenings and weekends'' channeled the desires and fears of the faceless laborer. This recommended two-CD package collects some of Go4's best work along with 12-inch mixes and alternate takes. Two decades on and this stuff still has the power to change lives. Four stars - Fred Shuster Famous Monsters/``In the Night'' (Bong Load) Sean Yseult Sean Yseult (real name Shauna Reynolds) is an American rock musician born on June 6, 1966 in North Carolina. She has played various instruments with different bands over the years, most notably her bass work with the band White Zombie. Her father, Michael S. , former bassist with the now-defunct White Zombie A computer that has been covertly taken over in order to perform some nefarious task. It is estimated that millions of PCs around the world have been compromised and, under the control of a third party, routinely transmit messages unbeknownst to the user. , fronts this fully costumed female surf band as lead guitarist. The trio, which appears Dec. 2 at the Viper Room Coordinates: The Viper Room is a nightclub located along the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. It was opened in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp until 2004. , proves Halloween can stick around all year if you have the right attitude. Yseult and her garish pals definitely do. Noisy trash-rock at its most pungent. Two and one half stars - Fred Shuster Portishead/ (Go Beat/London) With just two albums under their belt, you might argue it's too soon for a live album, but this pioneering trip-hop outfit is obviously hitting while the iron's hot. Taped over the summer mostly in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , the welcome ``Roseland NYC NYC abbr. New York City NYC New York City Live'' finds sultry songstress song·stress n. 1. A woman who performs songs, especially ballads or popular songs. 2. A woman who writes songs. See Usage Note at -ess. Beth Gibbons Beth Gibbons (born 4 January 1965, in Exeter, Devon) is the vocalist for the English trip-hop band Portishead. Career She met bandmate Geoff Barrow in a government business start-up scheme. and predictably gloomy company stretching out on such familiar mood pieces as ``Sour Times'' and ``Glory Box'' from the debut album and ``Half Day Closing'' and ``Only You'' from the second. Great, atmospheric stuff. Three and one half stars - Fred Shuster Sphere/``Sphere'' (Verve) Formed in 1979 to honor the memory of Thelonious Monk, Sphere has grown to include self-penned tunes in its set. On this eponymous new album, the quartet - saxophonist Gary Bartz, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams and ex-Monk group drummer drummer Ben Riley - covers Strayhorn and Rodgers & Hammerstein while serving up a nice portion of original post-bop material. A top-notch straight-ahead blowing session. Three stars - Fred Shuster Herbie Hancock/``Gershwin's World'' (Verve) Another week, another nod to George Gershwin on the centenary of his birth. Hancock's album, though, is a worthwhile addition and one of the more ambitious tributes offered to the legendary composer. The celebrated pianist enlists a varied supporting cast - contributors include Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and Kathleen Battle as well as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a world-renowned, Grammy Award-winning classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City which is known for a unique style collaborative leadership in which the musicians interpret the score, not a conductor. and jazz greats Wayne Shorter, Kenny Garrett and Eddie Henderson - who give inspired readings to the music of Gershwin and the artists who inspired him. Thus, along with lovely readings of standards like ``Summertime'' and ``The Man I Love,'' you can hear songs by W.C. Handy, Duke Ellington and Ravel's G Major Concerto. While the unifying themes don't always hold together during the album's 14 cuts, the playing is always adventuresome and creative. Three stars - Glenn Whipp Stan Getz/``What the World Needs Now - Stan Getz Plays Bacharach and David'' (Verve) Two stars Astrud Gilberto and Walter Wanderley/``A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness'' (Verve) Three stars These two low-priced albums are part of Verve's ``By Request'' series, which resuscitates titles that have been long out of print. Both albums bear the distinct imprint of the '60s heydey when bossa nova and Burt Bacharach were wafting out of hi-fi stereos across the nation. The pairing of wispy wisp n. 1. A small bunch or bundle, as of straw, hair, or grass. 2. a. One that is thin, frail, or slight. b. A thin or faint streak or fragment, as of smoke or clouds. 3. vocalist Gilberto with Wanderley's rich, harmonic keyboards hits all the right notes in a program that combines Brazilian favorites with pop tunes. Saxophonist Getz, of course, made several famous Brazilian albums with Gilberto, works that are counted among the greatest in jazz history. He doesn't have the same luck with the Bacharach sound, mostly because of the tepid orchestral arrangements that overwhelm his playing. Still, there are moments like during the sultry ``The Look of Love'' when Getz's skill prevails and you're inspired to hook up the lava lamp and sway across the room with a loved one. - Glenn Whipp CAPTION(S): 8 Photos Photo: (1) Gang of Four (2--8) no caption (CD covers) |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion