Summer Ear Candy
Some More Dodgy Album Reviews
I've had top be a good boy lately and not buy too much, but here is a quick round-up of some of the new seedees that have been added to the collection.
Journey - Revelation
Right then, this was always going to be a thorny one for me. The issue of the band's singer problems was a dodgy one and all the hoo-hah about the new bloke being found on YouTube singing in his Philippines-based covers band was just such a drag. I think it's taken as written that Schon and Co would be looking for someone, let's say, pliable and not-too-much-trouble to use as they see fit was always going to be on the cards. Augeri was a great replacement for Perry the first time around and it's a real shame that his voice gave out, or whatever eventually happened. Soto was an amazing frontman and I loved the show I saw with him fronting the band, but I think that he was always going to be too strong a personality for the band to cope with and this seemed to be true when (as is reported in a recent interview with Schon) in the recording process for the new album, he didn't sound right and got a bit bullish about it when it became an issue. So, finding this new bloke, who to his credit, does sound like a Perry clone (but not as much as the band's drummer Deen Castronovo... oh, the irony) does enable the band to continue, but it's going to sound like Journey and not really stray from the template. I suppose that this will help to sell records, but may make future albums a bit of a bore.
But to this new album... Thankfully, due to (cough) "previewing" this album on a download, I was compelled to buy the CD as the material is generally very good and has the Journey stamp of quality on it for good song-writing, performance and production. You pop the album on and it's unmistakably Journey; Big choruses, hooks out of it's arse, tight harmony singing, great performances and a sheen that will blind you from about four miles away. There is a good balance of ballads and rockers, which is a relief, although it is the ballads that do tend to shine, especially towards the end of the album.
The bonus track at the end of the CD (UK version) does jar rather after the instrumental "final track" on the album. They could have done with putting the bonus, which is a bit of a rocker, earlier in the running order to break up a couple of slowies in the middle of the album, but this is not a major problem in the days of programmable playlists. I'm also a bit dubious about the re-recording of "Faith in the Heartland", which was a highlight of the previous album, being on here. What's the real point of that? If the song was from 1983, then maybe, but we've bought this tune recently as it is? Why not put this on the second CD? (More about that in a moment.)
I'm on the fence about the second CD with this package. I'm not really THAT bothered about hearing re-recordings of the old numbers. I can kind of see the justification of including it for younger possible fans that may not have the old numbers, but for a couple of quid, you can get all those songs in their definitive Steve Perry led glory on the greatest hits CDs that are out there.
So, basically, it's a good album with strong material and great performances. It's all very much to the Journey formula, but it does work well for them and does tick all the correct boxes, so that's OK. I hope that the band stays together long enough for the new bloke to get properly settled in and possibly contribute to the songwriting. Who knows where the band will end up now. I guess they will just continue and as long as they are producing decent material like this, then they'll be as sound as a pound for years to come.
Alice Cooper - Along Came A Spider
Da Coop returns with a good old style concept album about a serial killer who (in a very Silence of the Lambs way) is killing women and collecting limbs to create a spider... or something like that. Alice's garage sound that has been the feature of the last few albums is very much happening here and suits the delivery of the album a lot. I much prefer this approach to the "Brutal Planet" nu-metal sound, so all power to the man for giving this style a go.
The story of the album is suitably daft, but the things works as a whole. This is mainly down to Alice's delivery and his skill in working with this kind of material. He sounds right nasty and gives it a lot of sneer and I suppose in that, this is very much an album that can stand with the Alice Cooper band era of Alice Cooper (if you catch my drift).
It's always good to hear new stuff from Alice and this album is no disappointment. As a concept album, I prefer "The Last Temptation", but this one is just fine and rocks as hard as you'd expect from the man himself. I hope he continues with his current trend of producing great stuff.
Seth Lakeman - Poor Man's Heaven
Album number four sees the man Seth and friends bash out another set of great songs played in the modern folk way. To be fair, it's business as usual, but business is good. Lakeman has presented another selection of songs based on stories and places from around his home county of Cornwall and as a collection sits happily within the body of his work so far. There's a good balance of stomping tunes and ballads on here. I think my favourite tune of the moment is "Solomon Browne" which is a slower number.
to be honest, I was a bit non-committal about it on the first play. But after a few spins and hearing the material live at Arley Hall, the songs sunk in and I found myself playing it more and more. I think that the fact that the music features some really stomping drums may have something to do with it as I like the low-fi approach of "Kitty Jay" and "Freedom Fields" and didn't miss the drums on those records. Still, as a development on the sound, the use of the kit beefs up the rhythm section even more and gives the music a good kick and groove, so it's not all bad!
So it's not as instant a hit as "Freedom Fields" for me, but compared to work by his peers that I've heard, this stands up tall amongst them.
Sarah McLachlan - Mirrorball: The Complete Concert
Ahhh, an expanded version of another excellent oldie which has been sat on my shelves for years and has had more than it's fair share of attention. This edition of the Mirrorball set which is still available on CD and DVD features the entire set recorded near the end of the Surfacing tour and has all the gems from the original album plus the others that didn't make it on there. It's a good set and has a good smattering of everything you'd like to hear, although the first two records only get a number or two each.
I'm generally of the opinion that, like her hero Peter Gabriel, she spends far too much time in the studio working on her albums thus can produce some of the life out of them, so hearing her songs live at a show or on an album like this brings the material alive and actually can come across better than the original album counterparts. Check out versions of "Fear" and "Sweet Surrender" which have much more kick and groove on this than on the original albums, so much better.
I personally waited until I could buy this at not-full-price and bought it for a fiver. For that, it's a steal. If you've got the DVD, then you've already heard the music, so don't rush to buy it if you have that already. Then again, as an introduction to the work of Sarah McLachlan, you do a lot worse than shell out for this set.
Danny Elfman - Batman OST
Very much an oldie-but-goodie, this one. It's a great soundtrack with some very recognisable themes that run through the album. There is some great stuff on it and this album brings back a lot of good memories of time spent hanging round at Johnny's back in the day. For soundtrack fans, this is definitive Elfman stuff and is a worthy addition to the racks. I also got the Batman Returns soundtrack at the same time as this. This is also pretty goo, but for a definitive work, buy the original.
Emmylou Harris - Luxury Liner
Wow, I didn't expect to like this one as much as I do! I found this in a charity shop (something you'll hear a few times on this page) and picked it up on the off-chance. I don't know much about Emmylou Harris apart from that I like her voice and she's done some decent tunes. So I took this home and found I'd bought a reet good jewel.
This is very much in the country rock genre, but the choice of songs and the performances on here make the music sound pretty much timeless, I reckon. There is variation in the music though and as an album, it doesn't overstay it's welcome by going on too long or sticking to one sound. The music rattles along with style and Harris' voice sounds just amazing. The band is great too and there's a light touch that really helps to skip the music along.
There were times when I was hearing this on the first play when I was thinking that I was listening to the same stuff that Maria McKee was taking in during her earlier days. I was loving it... and I still loved it a few plays later. I think that this one will continue to be a favourite, at least I hope so.
Thea Gilmore - Rules for Jokers
Another charity shop trawl CD. This is all good stuff that reminded me of the K.T. Tunstall or Kate Nash type of singer songwriter thing. It's OK, but I just don't remember a great deal about it. I think I need to play this one again to remind myself if I liked it or not!
Shit, that wasn't a great write-up, was it?! Sorry Thea, I must try harder...
Benji Kirkpatrick - Boomerang
A selection of folkie tunes by Lakeman cohort and folk superstar Kirkpatrick, which was the main reason the charity shop got my quid for this CD... and it's not bad at all. There is a good smattering of rollicking up-tempo numbers to get the blood pumping as well as some more laid-back numbers (especially the closing song "Drift") which are all beautifully performed and full of soul.
Badly Drawn Boy - Born in the UK
Again, this one was bought thanks to the charity shop having it in for a quid and it being the fancy limited edition with the free DVD and nice packaging. As for the music, we seem to be treated to some sort of concept album type thing about growing up in the UK all performed in the breezy Badly Drawn Boy style. I've only listened to it twice, but I can tell that, like I've found with the other records by Mr Gough, it's one that will bare repeat plays and will end up getting quite a bit of use from.
As the title suggests, there are many times when you feel that you may be listening to Bruce Springsteen if he were brought up in Bolton, especially when the piano kicks in on some of the song introductions. The general feel of some of the songs is pretty big and dense, recalling some of The Boss' tunes from over the years. It's a nice feel for the record. Actually, the piano passages are really good in this, especially during songs such as "Promises". Nice. The closing track "One Last Dance" is a heart-breaker and very lovely... Very nice.
So, it's a good 'un, I think. I've not watched the DVD yet though, but it seems packed with goodies too...
Diana Krall - When I Look In Your Eyes
Yet another find from the charity shop trawl that I thought I'd have a go at. I knew that I liked her voice, but didn't really know a great deal about the rest of her stuff, so why not have a go? Opening with a cover of "Let's Face the Music and Dance", Krall's voice slinks out of the speakers and sets the tone for the rest of the CD with her jazzy stylings. It's not an album that I'd put on to rock out to before rehearsal or going out on the town, but it's one to put on the morning after to sooth the inevitable aching head. Then again, I'd put on some Dusty before going with this, so this one may end up on the shelf more than being in the CD player...
Cathie Ryan - The Farthest Wave
More charity shop folk bought because I recognised John McKusker's name on the cover. I also recognised Phil Cunningham and Karine Polwart's name on there amongst some other notable names of people who have contributed to the album. I've not heard of her before, but a quick browse on Amazon shows that her career has been going on for quite a while and she's bit of a superstar. So, what of it? Is it any good?
Well, from the cover names and the photograph of Ryan standing looking all windswept in front of the sea, you can guess what the music is going to sound like on the album. It's actually pretty good and quite upbeat for the most part. The opening number rattles along nicely and has all the instrumentation you want to hear on an album like this. There's almost a country tinge to Ryan's voice and songs which adds nice touches to the slower tunes, especially "Rough and Rocky". It's generally all good stuff and will be subject to repeat playing, I can imagine over the next couple of months.
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© 2006 Graham T. Ebbrell