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Citizen Kane Deliverance (Treehouse/Page) These dudes are a perfect example of the tighter side of hip hop that is now standard in T.O. Citizen Kane may draw comparisons to Mobb Deep, but this record is all theirs, a solid flex with something for all kinds of heads. Moving nicely between the club jams, the grimy-crimey tales and some lyrical confidence, these two have delivered an album that may not get all kinds of promotion, but is definitely worth a listen. Check "Grafitti Knights" and "Gambler" for the songs that hit me with the gusto. My only complaint is the wack computer voice between songs and a couple of blatantly Swizz-inspired beats. 8/10 (Scott C)
Various Interior Horizons (Interchill/Outside) Two new ones from local label Interchill, and they're both winners. On Interior Horizons, Gordon Fields indulges his futon-focused feel for mellow-tronic ambient, choosing texture and colour over the dance directive. Hardly sleepy or cheesy, the selections are uniformly a cut above--as is the wicked cool CD booklet. And over here we have ex-Transglobal Undergounder Sparkes, coming correct whether he's playing easy dub off joyfully frenetic trance percussion or mumbling stoned soliloquies over smoky jazz vibes. Gotta say, both Sparkes and former T.U. bandmate Natacha Atlas seem better off on the solo route. Both discs 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Terry Dexter Self-titled (Warner)
Time Warp Plays the Music of Duke Ellington (Cornerstone/Festival) Great music by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn played by (arguably) the best combo in Canada--Al Henderson, Barry Elmes, Mike Murley and Kevin Turcotte. They're joined on half of this 10-track program by pianist Mark Eisenman. Among the lesser-known items heard here are "Flitibird" from Anatomy of a Murder and "Jubilee Stomp," once recorded as "Fast as a Bastard." Great music, lovingly played by masters! 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)
Jack Kerouac Reads on the Road (Ryko/Outside)
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Like with much of today's next-generation R&B, the real stars of Terry Dexter's debut disc are the producers. Jazza Pha, Bink Dog, Daryl "Day" Pearson et al. supply the familiar hook-laden, bass-driven grooves that we've heard from Brandy, Mya and the list goes on. If the aforementioned make you cringe, then stay away from this Barbie doll. But if you're feelin' them, then you'll definitely get off on tracks like "I Try" and the bump-and-grindish "I Love You." 7/10 (Gerard Dee)
The long-lost acetates of Kerouac singin', swingin' and oratin' resurface--this amounts to the Dead Sea Scrolls of atomic age counterculture. The centerpiece is Jack and just Jack, tearing with supreme confidence through a half-hour excerpt from his best-known work. The term "word jazz" defined--in 3D, almost. Supplementary musical numbers include Jack crooning the hits of the day, Jack ghost-rapping over music by John Medeski or David Amram (who scored The Manchurian Candidate--fact!) and Jack channeled through Tom Waits and Primus. The Beat lives on, I can safely say. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)