Gnarls Barkley
St. Elsewhere (Downtown/Warner)
Renegade producer Danger Mouse, one half of GB with Goodie Mobb crooner Cee-Lo Green, recently told the U.K.’s Guardian, “Music was better when we were kids.” The duo’s brilliant debut, out Tuesday, validates that remark, bursting as it is not only with a delicious, unshakable soul-music classicism—tell me the momentous lead single “Crazy” isn’t the sweetest of the sweet, or that “Smiley Faces” isn’t pure po-mo Motown—but also with a giddy goofiness that betrays a vestigial devotion to Saturday morning cartoons (dig the hyperactive “Transformer” and the Halloween popcorn track “The Boogie Monster”). Dull moments are few and far between in this rich soup of rap, neo/paleo-soul, mash-up and monkey business (“Feng Shui,” “Necromancing”), though some tweaks and twists might not have hurt the eerily faithful cover of Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone.” 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Bruce Springsteen
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Columbia/Sony BMG)
The Black Keys
Chulahoma (Fat Possum)
The hastily recorded document of three days at Springsteen’s farm, from 1997, has finally been unearthed with an accompanying DVD, and is one of the Boss’s best since Nebraska. He draws mainly from the Pete Seeger songbook, and the energy and enthusiasm he brings to folk classics like “John Henry,” “Erie Canal” and “Shenandoah” are hair-raising. The Black Keys, meanwhile, pluck six songs from bluesman Junior Kimbrough’s catalogue. Whereas Seeger’s work is ripe for interpretation, Kimbrough’s is hard to add anything to, and the Black Keys seem respectful, though they manage to beat his songs into submission with too many longwinded jams. Keep on waiting for that new record of Black Keys originals, and if you want to hear Kimbrough’s classic swampy blues, get it from the source. Overcome 8/10, Chulahoma 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Pipo Fiasco
Parade (independent)
Strip country, jazz and blues to their essence, stir in lowdown vocals and a dab of distortion, and you’ve got the devil’s lounge music. “Where you from, sir?” Marc Gagnon might ask. “Uh, Montreal,” a spectator replies. “Well, you gotta like the weather down here. This one’s for you—‘Syphilis.’” Local fellas Gagnon, Sylvain Côté (guitar), Alex MacSween (drums), Fred Thériault (bass), with guests including Angela Desveaux, sweeten the pot with a little raunch, a little soul, some old-country kick and a handful of rock ’n’ roll. At least Hades ain’t dull. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) At la Sala Rossa, Sun., May 7, 8:30 p.m., $4 ($10 with CD)
Guillemots
From the Cliffs (Fantastic Plastic/Universal)
Fyfe Dangerfield, Rican Caol, MC Lord Magrão and Aristazabal Hawkes are English, Scottish, Brazilian and Canadian, respectively, and they’re trained and experienced in everything from classical to jazz to metal. With a line-up like that, you’re damn right this is no ordinary rock ’n’ roll. Their eight-song EP features splendiferous horns and woodwinds, simmering strings, piano, guitars and drums, not to mention Dangerfield’s edgy croon (and occasional off-the-rails falsetto). Unfortunately, the disc’s major and minor moments of brilliance, its glitzy Motown, careening chamber pop and gorgeous ballads, all happen in the first half. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Raising the Fawn and In-Flight Safety at Main Hall on Sat., May 6, 9 p.m.
The Knights of the New Crusade
A Challenge to the Cowards of Christendom (Alternative Tentacles)
Alternative Tentacles wouldn’t want you to know this, but the Knights of the New Crusade is actually the same people who brought us the trashy lo-fi punk rock of the Mummies. These punk rawkers would like you to think they’re Bible-thumping zealots, with songs like “Lipstick Lesbian,” “Why Do You Want to Go to Hell?” and “E is Still Evil,” but they pour it on so thick that they of course exhaust the joke before the half-hour is over. Thankfully, their Pebbles-style stomp-down, mixed with late-’70s punk, is top shelf. Trashy, sloppy, sanctified punk rock never sounded so good. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Zombi
Surface to Air (Relapse/Koch)
If they ever revive that old ’70s show In Search Of…, and send Leonard Nimoy on a quest for the longhaired synth-rock of yore, the path will lead him through Tangerine Dream and those Italian giallo soundtracks to the doorstep of Pittsburgh pair Steve Moore and AE Paterra. The duo’s sleek, muscular strain of prolonged, precision-machined mecha-mantras, mesmerizing as it may be, rides an undercurrent of paranoid creep-out right out to some edge-of-darkness vanishing point in time and space, where it’s just them, their gear (bass, drums and analog keys galore), maybe some pyramids and probably Leonard Nimoy. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Tool
10,000 Days (Volcano/Sony BMG)
Tool’s evolution is a fun listen—from ultraviolent tales of the soul to enlightenment and barrier-smashing to this, the adult contemporary phase of Tool. With most bands, this stage of maturity is frightening. They either go completely soft and pointless (Incubus) or just stay angry 20-year-olds (Korn, perhaps?). Tablas permeate 10,000 Days in more introspective moments, and there’s even some insect-twitching-on-a-cymbal drum & bass on the trippy “Intension.” Where in their youth, Tool kept you at a distance to showcase their intensity, they have lately brought you inside to feel the inner workings of their musical journey. Besides, loud and fast all the time gets boring after a while. Oh, and again, the artwork kicks all sorts of ass. 8/10 (Lateef Martin)
DJ Muggs/GZA the Genius
Grandmasters (Angeles/Fontana)
As one of my favorite Wu-Tang MCs, GZA has remained relatively quiet for some time, but resurfaces here for a team-up with former Cypress Hill mastermind DJ Muggs. Unlike some of Muggs’s recent projects, GZA brings an earnest legitimacy to what seem to be some of Muggs’s best productions since Soul Assassins Vol. 1. GZA is not Ghostface, but still has his own hypnotic way of telling a story, as demonstrated on “Unstoppable Threats” featuring Masta Killa and Prodigal Sunn. Muggs opts for mostly soulful samples, with a few synth-laden exceptions, a combo that sits very well with the cadence-driven flow of GZA. Guests also include RZA, Raekwon and Sen Dog, but I was surprised to find that GZA and Muggs seem to have tapped into a chemistry that they will hopefully continue to explore with further collaboration. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
Rihanna
A Girl Like Me (Def Jam/Universal)
Shove over, Christina Milian! The Bajan would-be Beyonce has done it again. Eight months after her first album, here’s 14 more equally bland yet inoffensive tunes. Apart from the danceable “SOS” (“Tainted Love” + Destiny’s Child = “SOS”) and a passable duet with Sean Paul, the balance consists of forgettable reggae and a range of R&B slow jams. To her credit, the girl can sing, but from the huge hair to the trills, it’s far too obvious who she’s meant to emulate. But summer is starting, her video is in heavy rotation, she’s visiting TRL—A Girl Like Me is gonna sell like hotcakes. 6/10 (Erin MacLeod)
Various
Defected in the House: Miami 06 (Defected)
For those who are not privy to the Winter Music Conference experience in Miami, this package brings one front and centre to this annual phenomenon and the “you heard it here first” excitement it harbours. Defected founder Simon Dunmore spreads the love over three discs with a raft of tracks from the who’s-who of soulful, uplifting club music, including Quentin Harris, Blaze, Ashley Beedle and Julien Jabre. Funk, disco, Latin, Afro and jazz are the permutations represented in this slew of anthemic romps, including Peven Everett’s “Stuck.” Out of the loop, house-music-wise? Defect! 9/10 (Peter Lightburn)
Prince
Ultimate (Warner)
Although Prince reestablished his place in contemporary music with his recent 3121 set, this hits package is a reminder of just how long he’s been in the game. But while his back catalogue is spectacular, this album doesn’t do it justice. True, no two-disc set could effectively capture all the highlights of his 25-year-plus career, but the short shrift given many of the songs on disc one (with the gratifying exception of the full album version of “Controversy”) is disappointing. Disc two, which features extended remixes of Prince favorites like “Pop Life” and “Raspberry Beret,” is more satisfying, but not enough to save this package from being strictly average. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
John Stetch
Bruxin’ (Justin Time/Fusion III)
Chris Wiesendanger
We Concentrate (hatOLOGY/Fusion III)
Two very different piano trios—the former hooks up Sean Smith and Rodney Green for an 11-track program of Canadian Stetch’s own compositions, many of which he has recorded earlier (his recording career has been prolific), quirky, swinging and ever-evolving. The latter came as a wonderful introduction to Wiesendanger, a Swiss musician of great originality, also known for his organ playing. His trio, with Christian Weber and Dieter Ulrich, breathes new life into standards by Porter, Gershwin and Victor Young, and near jazz standards by two of Paul Bley’s exes, Carla (“Jesus Maria,” “Batterie” and “King Korn”) and Annette Peacock (“Touching”), and there’s also “Folk Song” an original by the leader. Warning: This is not background music. Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin) John Stetch trio at Upstairs, Fri.–Sat., May 5–6
Mini CD Reviews
The Katzenjammers “Cars” 7” (Red Hook) Got dang! Gary Numan’s new-wave hit gets reworked with big, funky drums and a full steel band at the helm. You need to hear this to believe it! 10 (SC)
Marian McPartland Piano Jazz: Shirley Horn (Jazz Alliance/Universal) Superb is the word for this 1984 edition of Ms. McPartland’s long-running (25 years!) PBS radio show, made even more valuable due to the loss of Ms. Horn, a talent of the first rank! 10 (LD) Marian McPartland Trio at Flynn Center (Burlington, Vermont), Wed., May 10
Face Down in Shit Nothing Positive, Only Negative (Relapse/Koch) Sometimes doomy, but always served up with punk-rock know-how. 8 (JC)
Field Music Write Your Own History (Memphis Industries/Fusion III) This highbrow pop band’s B-sides comp stands on its own, but it should also be a reminder to pick up their under-the-radar 2005 debut. 8 (LC)
Macka Diamond Money-O (Greensleeves/Fusion III) Showstopper Macka Diamond will give the boys a run for their money with smart, funny lyrics on fun fun fun riddims. 8 (EM)
Swing Rosie Sing Cool Swing Hot (independent) These Toronto gals get points for cool content (swing standards and an original or two), but their style could use more heat. 7 (LC)
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