Southpacific Constance (Turnbuckle/No)
Apollo Four Forty Gettin' High on Your Own Supply (Epic/Sony)
Atomic Babies Target Android (Platinum/Brooklyn Music) This entire CD was produced and recorded straight to DAT somewhere in Brooklyn, "at a small gathering with people sharing the same vibe." Although inspired by the greats of the Brooklyn hardcore scene, like Frankie Bones and Adam X, Target Android, like the Babies' previous album Breuklen Heightz, just doesn't quite live up to the legend of New York hahd-coah. They may have the 303 and the 909, but they don't have the soul. 6.5/10 (Krista) Miguel Graca "Pineapple" b/w "Don't Hold Back" 12" (Bombay/Koch) If this latest release from veteran Montreal producer Miguel Graca is any indication of what to expect from his forthcoming album (due out in early March), then I'd say Graca's ready for another Juno (or perhaps even something bigger). The aptly named "Pineapple" track is a dreamy dancefloor masterpiece, incorporating lush keys and guitar riffs (all recorded live at Graca's studio) over afro-inspired drum patterns, evoking images of an island paradise. "Don't Hold Back" is an easy house number with a deep, disco-inspired bassline and vocal to match. 9/10 (Krista) The Wang Brothers The Future Vibes Vol. One (WB Records/Nice)
The Turner Brothers Act 1 (Luv N' Haight/Fusion III) Melvin, Calvin, Allison, Rudy, Charles, Harrison and Paul formed a band in 1963 made up strictly of members from their own family. Somebody down at Luv N' Haight must be patting themselves on the back right now having dug up and reissued this 100 per cent unknown band of funky soulsters. The Turner Bros. had a fruitful career with releases both on Chess Records and Atlantic in the early '60s, as well as opening for such names as the Chi-Lites, Ohio Players, Otis Redding and Rufus Thomas. The tracks on Act 1 range from the poppy, Jacksons-like sounds of "Cause I Love You" to the ka-blaap drum snaps of "Sound of the Taurus." It boggles my mind that there are thousands of great unknown groups like this just waiting to be discovered 40 or 50 years later. 8/10 (Scott C) Marvin Sapp Nothing Else Matters (Myrrh/Sony) Holy noisemaker Marvin Sapp brings funky sensibility to his latest set, with the help of some heavy-hitting producers (Fred Hammond, Cedric Caldwell, etc.). He successfully delivers music that's accessible to listeners well beyond his gospel base. Lead single "Give Thanks" combines the best of contemporary and traditional gospel, while tracks like "I Wanna Give You More" and "Power" build strong messages on top of solid urban grooves. Stellar. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)
Shelby Lynne I Am Shelby Lynne (Mercury/Universal)
Ike Quebec Swing Hi Swing Lo (Definitive/Fusion III) Twenty-two tracks recorded between 1944 and 1946 by a marvelous tenorman who died in January '63 at the age of 44. He's joined here by the likes of Ram Ramirez, Tiny Grimes, Milt Hinton, Buck Clayton and Oscar Pettiford, on the cream of the sides Quebec recorded for the Savoy and Blue Note labels. Underappreciated in his lifetime, Quebec is well worth checking out--warm tenor playing, perfect for a cold winter night. 9/10 (Len Dobbin) )
Van Morrison with Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber / Craig Morrison and The Momentz The Skiffle Sessions (Virgin) / Rocket Radio (7 Nights Music)
Woo-wee, toss me dat moonshine, chillun! All you roots-rockin', Okie-dokey, yodelay-hooin', swamp-walkin' goo-goo mucks gots reason to rejoice. First off, notorious crab Van Morrison has rounded up some of the biggest names in skiffle history (Skiffle=pre-Beat U.K. interpretations of American blues) to release this technically impeccable, but somewhat soulless, trip down memory lane. But wait a Momentz! Van's long lost nephew, Montreal-based ethnomusicologist Craig (who teaches history of rock 'n' roll classes at McGill and Concordia), has finally unleashed his tasteful blend of rockabilly, R&B and folk with Rocket Radio. Praise da lord! Van 6/10, Craig 8/10 (Adam Gollner)
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I raise my Mai-tai to the three guys from Ottawa, because they've dished out a disc that sounds like what would happen if composer Steve Reich started a garage band. This is the sort of disc that makes us musi-crits cough up drivel like "diaphanous sheets of crystalline sonic fabric." Gorgeous guitar textures spilling all over spare, straightarrow drumming and judiciously applied samples; Constance isn't just satisfactory, it's satisfying. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
As we've come to expect, these kidnoise commandos triangulate rap, rock and rave, stripping all three down to their lowest common denominator, the arena (and they know it--check "Stadium Parking Lot"). The results, appropriately, are so cartoonishly simple one can make them out clearly from across a football field. Bomb squad breakbeats meet rockpig riffage and cosmetic scratching while robovoiced MCs spew loops of headshop T-shirt slogans. Holy sweet bleeding Jesus, this is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard--and equally fun. Saturday night in the suburbs, seven days a week. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Can't tell you too much about the Wang brothers except that as the guys who put together this compilation of rare jazz, funk and soul, these boys got their hands dirty unearthing these musical gems. There's the clever "Figuree Funk" by Anthony King that introduces a fat, vibe-filled track to make way for a soulful Japanese vocal. There's the completely insane drums and bass on the chunky "Dancer" by the band Spacey, and nine other tracks both touched and untouched by the sample junkies out there. Prime cuts for the discerning listener. 8.5/10 (Scott C)
The comparisons to Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis have already begun, and they carry weight--both platters were instances of damaged white chicks doing Memphis soul and not making complete fools of themselves. True, Lynne's take is an update, slick despite its injection of roadhouse twang and backwoods Baptist angst. What saves Lynne from an ignoble spot between Alannah Myles and Sass Jordan is the authenticity of the pain and sadness that her voice, as unspectacular as it is, carries. 6.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)