Paolo Conte Reveries Nonesuch, 2003 Often described as Italy’s answer to Tom Waits, Paolo Conte, while similarly eccentric and oddly charismatic, bears nothing more than a passing tonal resemblance to the gruff bohemian icon. Conte’s weathered voice supplies plenty of broody mood, but his real charm lies in the way he can shift from style to style — cabaret; Neapolitan folk; jazz; French chanson, and tango — without sounding hackneyed. Whether you know Italian (or French,... [Read more...]
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson Summer of Fear Saddle Creek; 2009 He may have four names, but you only need to call him by this one: unforgettable. I drove past my destination because I was so wrapped up in this album — not once, but twice. Summer of Fear is an album of pain and sadness; it’s the work of a man who’s worn his heart on his sleeve for most his life. Remembering the past with a reverence one can only have when they’ve spent a lot of time in it, he takes us through... [Read more...]
By: Tobin Bennison
Article Category: CD Reviews
Bob Dylan Christmas In The Heart Sony; 2009 Is nothing sacred? The problem with Christmas In the Heart isn’t that it’s… a collection of Christmas tunes sung by Bob Dylan, for crying out loud, nor that it effectively kicks a doorstop under what should be a deadbolted portal into an exclusive, peppermint-scented room. (What’s next? Bono tackling Handel’s Messiah by his lonesome? Prince’s Christmas In My Pants?). No, the problem with this album is that despite its... [Read more...]
Mark Knopfler Get Lucky Warner Bros.; 2009 If ever there were an under-the-radar musician, it would have to be Mark Knopfler. Sure, there are plenty of other deserving artists who slog away in unfair obscurity, but few have the former Dire Straits frontman’s professional cachet; even fewer have produced as much consistently pleasing material. Since he set out on his own in 1995, Knopfler has enjoyed almost unanimous critical praise for inimitable songwriting that favors subtle insinuation over... [Read more...]
Imogen Heap Ellipse Megaphonic; 2009 Someone recently handed me a yellow Post-It with the words “bodies disengaged/our mouths are fleshing over” (from Imogen Heap’s “Last Train Home”) written out and told me to listen to Ellipse, her latest album. I’m here to pass the recommendation along — minus the Post-It. Ellipse is a fantastically magical exploration of what happens when you meld the organic and the inorganic. Heap’s voice and lyrics are of the... [Read more...]
This month’s CD reviews include: Heartless Bastards, Goldfish, Keziah Jones and Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli. Feel free to comment and let us know what you think… Heartless Bastards The Mountain Fat Possum; 2009 If The Heartless Bastards’ last album, All This Time was about defining home, this album, their third, is about what you do when you’ve lost it. Aptly titled “The Mountain,” the title track sets the tone for the next 10 songs: coping with and exploring... [Read more...]
This month’s CD reviews include: Wilco, Son Volt, Teenage Head and Grant Green. Feel free to comment and let us know what you think… Wilco Wilco (The Album) Nonesuch; 2009 Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy is feeling pretty good these days, and he wants everyone to know about it on Wilco (The Album). But it’s very title suggests less of a re-introduction to a band that’s kept the rock flame burning in the wake of upstart punk revivalists, disposable, auto-tuned dreck, and a dwindling group... [Read more...]
By: Various
Article Category: CD Reviews
Elvis Costello Sacred, Profane And Sugarcane Hear Music; 2009 The glaring issue with Elvis Costello isn’t so much what he can’t do, but what he can do well. Throughout a prolific (and profligate) career which has seen him tackle a number of different genres — jazz, classical, cabaret — and succeed at only a few, Costello has never shied away from a challenge, and the latter half of his discography has seen him cultivate a role as cerebral composer rather than straight-ahead... [Read more...]
This month’s CD reviews include: Bob Dylan, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Jayhawks and Dave Brubeck. Feel free to comment and let us know what you think… Bob Dylan Together Through Life Columbia, 2009 At this point in his career, Bob Dylan could record an album of ABBA covers and it still might be worth buying. Even if it weren’t, there’d still be legions of fans who’d uncover some buried strain of genius from it. Such is the nature of Dylan. He’s that rare kind of... [Read more...]
Ron Teixeira Still The One Self-Released; 2006 Local pianist Ron Teixeira was just 8 years old when he realized he wanted to play music. His father arranged an in-home piano demonstration in hopes of hooking Ron’s sister onto the the instrument, thereby increasing her chances of appearing on the “Lawrence Welk Show.” But once Ron heard the chugging of a boogie woogie rhythm played out on the keys, he knew the piano was for him. Though largely self-taught, Teixeira, a Space Coast... [Read more...]
