Nothing beats live music. Hands down, the live experience trumps any audio or video recording I’ve ever seen of an artist performing. That said, the next best thing is a concert recording, preferably video so you can see the actual performance instead of simply listening to it.
I have never seen Heart live other than the occasional performance I’ve seen on television. It’s on my list of things to do. But their album Red Velvet Car is probably more intimate than I could possibly be, even if I was sitting in the front row. From beginning to end, I felt with each track like it was recorded in my living room. It might have been a LOUD living room at times where the windows rattled, but you know what I mean…
The sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have been queens of rock and roll since Dreamboat Annie hit radio waves in 1975, but Red Velvet Car is their first release in six years. This album manages to not only capture the classic Heart sound – from the style of “Barracuda” to that of “Dog and Butterfly” – while adding the new dimension that only age and experience can provide. From the duo’s voices that sound as good as 35 years ago to the guitars, songwriting, and harmonies that only they can create, it’s damn good to hear them rocking out again with some new tunes.
And with ten new tracks, we got a lot of new music to enjoy. I don’t know whether it’s the quieter tunes like “Hey You” and “Sand” or the rocking tunes like “There You Go,” “Wheels,” and “Death Valley” that echo in my mind long after listening… But whether you enjoy the fierce energy of electric guitars or the solace of getting lost in acoustic guitars and voices emotionally telling what can only be personal tales, there’s something for anybody who enjoys good music on this album.
The opening track – “There You Go” – tells a cautionary tale about losing control and being burned. With guitar melodies and rhythms sounding barely under control, you feel like the train is rushing forward only to crash in a ball of flame… “There you go again / Walking straight into the freezing flame / There you go again / There you go in the media insane…” The band is telling some poor innocent soul to be wary of the whirlwind of fame, to watch out for herself.
“Wheels” is another song that just drives along like a freight train in the dark… Again, the guitars and bass lines simply pound the song forward to some unknown destination. As they sing “Just close your eyes now / And breath a sigh now / Out of here” – like some great escape on the rails or open road. It’s impossible not to tap your toes as it drives on. (Note to self – don’t listen to this song while in the car with a known speed trap… )
But it’s “Sand” that sticks with me the longest. The last song on the album, it’s a story of endings or loss. The acoustic guitars set the stage and Ann’s expressive voice felt like I was listening to a song played at a funeral. Something private shared with a crowd to let them know whomever it was that left them is still with them, like sand in the wind. “I asked a distant star / I wonder where you are / the shadow at my door / the friend who is no more…” I couldn’t help but think of a friend I’d lost years ago… “Surely this sweet sand will run out by and by / and while the days come down to you / you are just a traveler passing through…”
It’s the intimacy that just floors me each time I listen to the album. I truly felt as though I had somehow slipped into a jam session as a fly on the wall… soaking up the music and the tales.
Red Velvet Car will be released on August 31, 2010 and I would encourage anyone who’s heard Heart in the past to pick up a copy. It’s another great album from Anne, Nancy, and the band to listen to over and over again.
This article first appeared at BlogCritics.org here.
–Fitz
p.s. Pick up this and other great Heart albums below!
Once upon a time, I was more aware of up and coming bands. While living around Denver, CO, I regularly listened to KBCO on the radio – a station famous for a mix of both new and old tracks. Through KBCO I was introduced to bands and performers like Peter Mulvey, Snow Patrol, Jason Mraz, Brandi Carlile, and many many others. Unfortunately I don’t get to Denver much to take advantage of that influx of new artists and music. So I’d never heard of the band White Apple Tree before…
White Apple Tree (WAT) consists of brothers Ryan and Taylor Lawhon, and drummer Stefan Mac. Though founded in 2007 by Ryan as a solo project, his brother Taylor and Stefan joined pretty quickly after he recorded a solo five song EP – Taste the Celebration. In 2008, they released a single – “Snowflakes” – that was picked up by the hit TV show Gossip Girl, which gave them worldwide exposure far beyond their Southern California haunts as they toured across America and did numerous local shows. Fans clamored soon after for more songs from the group, resulting in Velvet Mustache – their debut album.
When Velvet Mustache appeared one day and I started to listen, I found myself immersed in a landscape of drums, synthesizers, and the occasional guitar and loving every minute of it. And as I started listening to the words behind the lush electronic landscape, I began to see a very unique point of view start to emerge.
What I immediately heard in the music itself were similarities to groups like Dishwalla and Snow Patrol – the layered electronic sounds mostly based around a synthesizer built upon with drums and voices singing about growing up in Southern California, the trials found in relationships of all kinds, and the swelling numbness all too common in the madness of the everyday.
“Youth” provides driving melodies and drums while its lyrics describing the seeming apathy of today’s kids. “We stick around because we don’t care / None of us have had to work for nothing / Let’s go to Tyler’s house and waste some air…” It’s tragic and yet telling of many of this new generation growing up without a direction. The music injects an urgency lost in the words.
“Clarity” is my favorite song on the album. There’s a beauty to the almost haunting synthesizer melodies and voices that reminds me of the hopeful nature of music I listened to in the ’80s. But again the lyrics call out a moment of clarity in the darkness – “Cover up my eyes / The tint is dark / So no one sees their shit fall apart…”
And “As Seen On TV” compares life to what’s on television and wondering if we’ve become jaded by all the violence. “Not death, life, birth, or pain / Can shock us now, we’re all the same / And now, or then, we’re jaded” they sing “It’s the man with the gun pointed at my chest / A whispered threat under his breath and I know / It’s just as seen on TV…” With another generation raised in front of the tube, can any of us be surprised or affected by the violence in the world? If it happens to us, do we see it as real or break it down mentally as though “this doesn’t happen in real life, just on TV”…
White Apple Tree not only creates great electronic-based music, but lyrics that make you think. Social commentary and music have always gone hand in hand. Is it enough that young bands like WAT try to inject their passion and observations of the world around them into their music? Velvet Mustache is an awesome mix of music and introspection I hope to hear again soon.
For lyrics and more details about the band, be sure to check out their website at WhiteAppleTree.com.
This article first appeared at BlogCritics.org here.
Howard Jones has been a part of the soundtrack in my head since the 1980s. With such an amazing career with tracks such as “Things Can Only Get Better,” “What Is Love?”, “No One Is to Blame,” and “Everlasting Love,” his synthesizer pop sound seemed to do no wrong as New Wave album after awesome album appeared on the pop charts. Even today, it’s impossible for me to hear “No One Is to Blame” and not sing along in the car.
Even in his mid-50s, Jones is still touring and playing music for his worldwide fans. His songs have appeared in several movies and video games over the last 30 years and there’s just some endearing quality about his talent and personality that keeps him and his music in the limelight.
1984 seems forever ago, but “Like to Get to Know You Well” was a worldwide hit on The 12″ Album. He followed it up with “No One Is to Blame” in 1985 on Dream into Action, the Action Replay EP in 1986, and my favorite album – Cross That Line in 1989 with “The Prisoner” and “Everlasting Love.” Back then, MTV was actually a place to watch amazing music videos such as Jones’ video for “Everlasting Love” featuring a pair of mummies seeking the perfect relationship.
Now he’s releasing a new album – Ordinary Heroes – which provides the same Howard Jones we know and love but with a bit older, wiser, and more introspective flair. He still loves to write about love (“Even if I Don’t Say”, “Love Never Wasted”, and “Someone You Need”), but now he is mixing in songs about children growing up and going out on their own (“Soon You’ll go”), the unrecognized heroes all around us (“Ordinary Heroes”), and the lives of ordinary people (“Straight Ahead”). All ten tracks on the album are wonderful, providing glimpses of an aging Jones who seemingly hasn’t lost a single step since I heard him in high school.
My favorite song on the album by far is “Soon You’ll Go.” There’s something about the concept of watching your children grow, change, and leave the nest that’s one of those amazingly consistent themes of life. Even the recent Toy Story 3 release deals with it in an emotional, yet inevitable way.
“Tiny fingers clutching round the edge of the bed / Wouldn’t listen to a single word your mother said… These things I will hold on to / when I can’t hold on to you…” Howard’s lyrics bely simple sentiments, based in the memories each parent has of their children from birth to the time they move on with their lives. And the piano, Jones’ voice – backed by a choir – and the obvious emotion just emphasizes the story of the lyrics.
“Ordinary Heroes” – the title track – is my other favorite. “Ordinary heroes / There’s one one on every street / You might not recognize them / ‘Cause they’re just like you and me…” Jones focuses on the people behind us, making us strong and safe. The mothers and fathers, wives, and family that make us who we are. Jones’ voice, piano, and a nice acoustic guitar melody woven through the composition reinforce that none of us are truly alone if we look hard enough.
Thoughout the album, Jones’ piano skills lend themselves from the upbeat tunes to the slow songs and his voice sounds just as good now as it ever did. Howard Jones continues the legacy of the ’80s and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down or losing his touch.
If you’re a Howard Jones fan or are simply looking for something more hopeful and upbeat than the current songs beating the airwaves senseless, I’d encourage you to give Jones’ Ordinary Heroes a listen!
For more details about Howard Jones, his albums, songs, or tour dates, be sure to check out HowardJones.com.
New to U.S. shores, South African singer/songwriter Ashton Nyte’s baritone voice seems poised to be ready to make an impression. Often compared to David Bowie or Johnny Cash, voices this deep are not heard often in our current Top 40 landscape.
The Valley is Nyte’s fifth solo album and has been quite active in South African music circles for more than a decade – first as the front man, writer, and producer for the band The Awakening and later as a solo act. Mixing genres from across the board, his musical skills combine acoustic sensibilities, a gift for ballads, and a talent for the dramatic.
He’s definitely a prolific artist, with a catalog of more than 180 original songs, dozens of top ten national singles, and videos played on MTV Europe. Ashton headlined several festivals of 30,000+ fans, so hopefully now that he’s in the USA he won’t forget them as he gains a few in our country!
Here’s a video for a single off The Valley for a taste of his style and sound. I definitely hear the David Bowie influences in this one.
For more information and to hear more of his music, check out his website at AshtonNyte.com.
Here are a few of his upcoming tour dates if you want to catch him live in your neck of the woods:
Somewhere between the 1980s and today, the use of a horn section in a rock band fell out of favor. I’m not sure how or when, but we went from awesome sax solos and trumpets in songs like “Urgent” from Foreigner, “Who Can It Be Now?” from Men at Work, and Huey Lewis and the News when they toured with the horns of the Tower of Power. Sure there are a few groups like the Dave Matthews Band who still use a trumpet or sax now and then, but it’s not quite as integrated into the whole rock experience as it used to be.
Now bring in Frank Viele and the Manhattan Project (from where else, but the New York City metropolitan area) – a six piece group featuring Viele on vocals as well as acoustic and electric guitars, Mario Capdiferro on drums, Rob Liptrot on bass and backing vocals, Eddie Arjun Peters on lead guitar, Pasquale Ianelli playing tenor, soprano, and baritone saxophones, and Andrew Mericle on trumpet. Add to that mix Richie Cannata playing sax (from Billy Joel’s band) on “Turn Around,” Jason Hirth on keyboards on six tracks, and Ben Golder-Novick helping on the alto sax on six tracks… and where having a strong horn sound can sometimes overwhelms a band, these guys sound amazingly well together.
They’ve been touring together for a few years now and Neon Lights is their first full-length album. It doesn’t disappoint, crossing multiple genres (funk, rock, pop, jazz, blues, and swing) on nine great tracks.
What blew me away was the title track – “Neon Lights”. It opens with a bass line that has stuck with me like few recent songs, reminding me of the way the bass line in “Running Down a Dream” from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers wormed its way into my head to the point where I can’t help but sing along. Layer that with Viele’s rough voice, the backing horns, and some sweet lead guitar and it is tough to get me to stop listening to it over and over again…
Like most great bands who write their own songs, the lyrics for “Neon Lights” tell a story as well. A modern tale of wanting the best for an ex- with drug and alcohol problems… “Then my hip starts buzzing, you’re on the telephone / But Honey you know they’re wrong and that you don’t want to stay…” It’s not quite a plea for her to come back (after all, in the first verse they say she “ain’t coming home”), but you can tell he’s worried.
Another great track is “Portland Rain” which has some awesome horn riffs that remind me of some of the great R&B groups of the ’60s and ’70s. It’s a throwback to an earlier time with a guitar solo tearing up a chunk of the song as well.
And so you don’t think it’s all R&B and rock, their song “Try” sounds very much like something you might hear from Dave Matthews. The syncopated rhythms on an acoustic guitar mixed with Viele’s voice talking straight to a girl he wants to get to know better… “Yeah but Baby, there ain’t enough wine in me to tell you that God is on your side / And there ain’t no holy roller that’s gonna bring you peace tonight / … / But if you leet me be your lover, I will bring you peace tonight…” It’s a heck of a pick-up line to play from the stage, but it just might work!
My only complaint with this album isn’t with the musicians, but with Viele’s voice at times. Every now and then it was so gravelly or growly that it was nearly impossible to tell what he was singing. But most of the time when he wasn’t going that far, he sounded great and was backed up by his amazing guitars and horn players.
If you’re looking for something different with some sensational horns and guitars and a funky modern feel, give Frank and the boys a listen. Look for Neon Lights at your favorite music online or brick-and-mortar retailer when it’s available July 13, 2010. And check out their website at FrankVieleMusic.com for a list of tour dates and more information about the band!
This article first appeared at BlogCritics.org here.
Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I discovered the world of a cappella. A group of us from high school (and then into college) started listening to The Nylons, a doo-wop a cappella group that sang such classics as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” the “Duke of Earl,” “Poison Ivy,” and “(All I Have To Do Is) Dream.” In those few years I think we saw them at least once a year, sometimes twice as they’d tour the Front Range of Colorado. A group singing “a cappella” means that they sing without instrumental accompaniment. No drums, no backing band, just raw, naked vocal talent. It takes more than simply having a great voice – you must also be able to hear the harmonies around you and keep to your part while those around you are singing sometimes wildly different melodies or sounds.
So when I first heard Bobby McFerrin, I was already familiar with the concepts of a cappella. Yes, this is the man who sings “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” – but don’t let that throw you off. “Don’t Worry” was a big hit back in the late ’80s and inspired many to take the time to stop, slow down, and enjoy life for a while. When I bought the album Simple Pleasures on tape (yes, it was that long ago), I was stunned to discover that the man who sang the slacker anthem of my high school was one heck of a talented vocalist with a range that stuns me even today and the gift to create sounds that I still have no idea how the human vocal cords can make.
Like I tend to be with many artists, I visited McFerrin’s realm several times over the next few years, enjoying his albums Medicine Music and Bang! Zoom before his career faded a bit.
In late 2009, I watched The Sing-Off with my family on NBC, which was a competition for amateur a cappella groups from around the world that lasted about a week. Though I’d listened to a few podcasts featuring some of the amazing college a cappella groups around the United States and beyond, it was great to see groups like Nota and the Beelzebubs sing their hearts out for a recording contract. And in the season finale, Bobby McFerrin walked on stage and sang “Drive” with the finalists. The chance to see him perform live with these younger artists, even on television, was enough to remind me of all of his amazing work I’d enjoyed 15-20 years ago.
Now in 2010, McFerrin has released his latest project – VOCAbuLarieS. Only a master of his own voice and singing with others would consider taking more than 1,400 vocal tracks from members of Voicestra, his singing ensemble, and fine vocalists from the worlds of jazz, opera, performance art, early music, cabaret, and rock and roll including Grammy-winning recording artists like R&B singer Lisa Fischer, Brazilian jazz innovator Luciana Souza, Janis Siegel of the Manhattan Transfer, and the stellar ensemble singers of New York Voices. This is truly a magnificent achievement.
The album starts off with the song “Baby,” which first appeared on Medicine Music in 1990. But this version definitely isn’t stuck in the 1990s. Somehow the layers and layers of voices and whistling not only add to the already rich melodies, but give a depth to the song that wasn’t in the original. It provides a good bridge to the past and to what McFerrin and his singing companions will do throughout the rest of the album.
“Wailers,” “The Garden,” and “He Ran for the Train” all seem to have a tribal African feel to them. But “Messages” had a vaguely Indian or Asian feel with the tiny cymbals in the background. And “Brief Eternity” feels like a Gregorian Chant at times in its intricately woven harmonies. So you can tell McFerrin continues to defy categorization. You can’t pin him to one musical style any more than you can trap the wind. And that remains yet another of his gifts.
Though I enjoyed the world-wide musical journey of VOCAbuLarieS, I almost feel that he’s lost his connection to the kidlike wonder that made his early albums more accessible. Simple Pleasures with its incredible energy will always be in the back of my mind when I hear McFerrin’s name. As Jon Bream said at the Star Tribune – “If Glee represents high school, the amazing vocalizing on this CD is a post-doctoral adventure.” I’m not typically one to go to the library to read someone’s doctorate, but if this is to be Bobby McFerrin’s magnum opus, it’s easy on the ears.
I hope to see him appear more often on the national stage in shows like The Sing-Off to inspire new generations of singers in person and through the infinite reach of television. And I hope that he continues to release albums – but I wish he’d visit the past to gain back some of that energy.
This article first appeared at BlogCritics.org here.
Who would have thought that bluegrass music would become a guilty pleasure for me? In the last year, I’ve been learning to love bluegrass and Americana, with that unique combination of strings, hope, and passion among those fiddles, banjos, and harmonies strummed, picked, and sung to express life’s loves and losses and the road between. Some Strange Country is my first exposure to the band Crooked Still, but they’ve been around since the early 2000′s.
Aoife O’Donovan’s expressive vocals are but a part of the composite that forms when this quintet purrs along on all cylinders. Joined by bassist Corey DiMario, banjo player Greg Liszt, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas, the finger-picking and bow-playing layers add depth and balance that makes even the saddest moments full and emotive. To put it bluntly, these people are amazing.
Some Strange Country features a mix of traditional songs, original works, and a surprising version of the Rolling Stones‘ “You Got the Silver.” Nowhere along the album’s path did the group stray from the classical roots of bluegrass or the skills that brought them where they are today – touring to support the album to be released June 1st, 2010.
I knew I was hooked from the first song “Sometimes in this Country.” As O’Donovan sings… “Sometimes I’m in this country / sometimes I’m in this town / sometimes a thought goes through my mind / that I myself will drown…” accompanied by a gentle banjo melody and string bass that drives this song from beginning to end. Through the song you can hear the other band members playing with the rhythm and melody combinations to add almost a jazz-like playfulness between fiddle, cello, the banjo, and vocal harmonies.
Contrast that with the slow, emotional vocal and instrumental melodies of “Distress,” which evokes a feeling of loss. As a lover of traditional Celtic-sounding songs, this one seems to blend an Irish lilt with the bluegrass to create something not entirely new, but sharing a familiar and comfortable sadness that goes beyond ethnic background or musical style.
My second favorite “Half of What We Know” again merges a steady beat with a melody that rises and falls with a Corrs-style chorus above Liszst’s incredible fingers picking the banjo. With poetic verses like “Your lonesomeness I see / but I know it’s not for me / the mountains all have crumbled to the sea…” I lost myself finding meaning in each poetic line. Each turn of phrase might be interpreted any number of ways, as with much of art – a quality missing from far too much of the music heard on the radio today.
And though I’m not a religious person, there’s a passion and energy to “Calvary” that can’t be denied. From the cello and banjo solos and the vocal harmonies, this song simply rocks and tells the story of Jesus’ final day. Who knew a song about events in the Bible could be so well written and entertaining? “Behold faint on the road ‘neath the worlds heavy load / comes a thorn crowned man on the way / with the cross he is bowed but still on through the crowd / he’s ascending to the hill on the grey…” This is the first song in quite a while (since Matt Duke’s acoustic “Kingdom Underground”) where I’ve felt my spirit moved in ways it rarely goes.
Even if you’re not a bluegrass fan and simply like to hear great words, musical skills and performances, I’d recommend you take a listen to what Crooked Still has to offer. This isn’t Hee-Haw bluegrass, but instead a blending of musical styles and sensibilities around the bluegrass feel. Some Strange Country will remain in my listening queue for quite a while.
Be sure to take a look at the Crooked Still website for information about their tour schedule and previous albums.
–Fitz
p.s. Please check out this album and others from Crooked Still below!
Keane is one of those bands I would sometimes hear on the radio that simply became part of the background. Songs like “Somewhere Only We Know” gained so much air play locally that I just changed the station without really listening. Little did I know what depth was there beneath the surface…
Keane’s three members – Tom Chaplin (lead vocals), Tim Rice-Oxley (piano, backing vocals), and Richard Hughes (drums, percussion) – have been making music together since the late 1990s. With only limited success up to then an early bandmate – Dominic Scott – left in 2001, but the band pressed on. When their single “This is the Last Time” was released in 2003, they started to gain some traction, which paid off handsomely with the success of Hopes and Fears a year later.
After Hopes and Fears, the band released Under the Iron Sea (in 2006) and Perfect Symmetry (in 2008), both receiving immense praise and encouraging throngs of fans worldwide to attend their live shows. For the Perfect Symmetry tour, they visited 28 countries’ worth of packed venues – Russia to Australia, Columbia to South Korea, Lebanon to Switzerland… And somehow they had time between dates to slip into the studio to record a few tracks.
It’s those tracks you’ll find on their new album – Night Train. And I have to say that I don’t know why I didn’t latch on to Keane’s rich melodies and deep lyrical meaning in the last 6 years. I doubt that they’ll continue to fade into the background when they’re on my radio.
With only eight tracks, Night Train doesn’t have a lot of time to grab your attention, so it doesn’t waste any. From the opening beats of “Back in Time” to the amazing “My Shadow”, the album rises and falls effortlessly across a varied musical landscape. And while I may not personally appreciate all of their genre-defying collaborations with fast-rising Somali/Canadian rapper K’Naan or Japanese baile funk MC Tigarah, I applaud the band taking chances to broaden their already impressive appeal.
Among my favorites on the album are “Back in Time,” which to me sounds like a plea to stop the world… “Time, I wait for you / Hibernating hoping life will start again” evokes an image most of us have struggled with in life from time to time. The feelings of loss and sadness after a particular loss forcing someone to hide away for a while while the pain fades. The driving synthesizer and drum beats, like a heartbeat, keep the song pumping as Chaplin’s vocals evoke that painful plead.
As a band that I always associated with synthesizers and rock guitars, the acoustic guitar and percussive claps that open “Clear Skies” caught me a bit off guard. The almost upbeat music almost hides the sadness of the lyrics – wanting to feel the certainty of those who survived. “And I wish that I could be / Everything you are, everything you are / And I wish that I could state / My faith the way you do, as certainly as you…” Like the passing of a storm, “Clear skies gonna fall on you…” This definitely evoked television news memories of the Katrina aftermath for me.
“Your Love” sounds like it came right out of the 1980s with its drum machine-sounding beats and background keyboards, with a dash of today’s darker romantic vibe. As the singer lay on the floor, fallen to floor under the influence of the drug that is love… “The chemicals react, the molecules collide / The poison works its way somewhere down inside…” – what a dark, almost technical description of the effect of love’s drug set to the innocuous, happy beats of an earlier age.
But by far my favorite is “My Shadow,” with it’s haunting message of love and new beginnings. Like an exploding universe, “And you will see my shadow on every wall / And you’ll see my footprint on every floor…” as the spark of lust and love that kick off the start of new possibilities. “It only takes a spark / to tear the world apart / these tiny little things / that make it all begin.” And beneath it all, the driving keyboards and harmonies to drive the point home.
Keane’s new album Night Train takes no prisoners as the band experiments with ideas, styles, and collaborations that will find their way onto the radio once again to become more than simply notes in the background. Even if you’ve not heard Keane before, give this album a listen.
–Fitz
p.s. Check out this and other Keane albums at Barnes & Noble below!
The Barenaked Ladies (BNL) have always had a strange appeal for me. Ever since I heard my father do a rendition of “If I Had A Million Dollars” on an 12-string acoustic guitar in the 1990s, I knew there was something there. And ever since 2003′s Everything to Everyone and their song “Another Postcard” (with chimpanzees…), their crazy view on the world managed to bury itself in my brain. Plus, as my daughters say, the band name alone is worth a listen because “they’re not ladies and why would they be bare naked?”
So when I heard that Steve Page was leaving the band in 2009, I wondered what it would mean for the rest of the group and the band’s sound. Page was arrested on drug charges, which were eventually dismissed. And, to add insult to injury, Ed Robertson‘s mother passed away in December 2008. It wasn’t a good year for BNL. So when Page left the group in February ’09 “by mutual agreement”, what effect would have on this group that had survived nearly 20 years and 10 studio albums?
Without Page, the band now consists of Robertson (guitar/vocals), Jim Creeggan (bass/vocals), Kevin Hearn (keyboard/guitar/vocals), and Tyler Stewart (drums/vocals). There is an amazing array of talents here, from multi-instrumental band members to having four vocalists able to help out and offer very different sounds and styles to their music.
Unfortunately, I’m sad to say I was disappointed by All In Good Time. There are few echoes of that quirky approach to life left on this record. Perhaps Page represented the bizarre humor that came through in their lyrics and music? I don’t honestly know. But that doesn’t seem to have stopped the band from recording an interesting mix of tunes. Even so, I’m not sure I like the slower, more introspective songs like “Jerome,” “How Long,” and “I Saw It…” It was always the more upbeat, off-beat songs from the group that attracted me, not these philosophical, slow songs.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some fun songs here too, including “Four Seconds” which somehow manages to rhyme the word orange! “Oh Flip, The light is turning Orange / Coat ripped, when I caught in in the door hinge…” It’s one of the shortest songs on the album and definitely my favorite. The insane pace of the lyrics and the zydeco-style instrumentals brings to mind songs like “One Week” on Stunt, which made it fun…
And the anger with Page comes through loud and clear in songs like “I Have Learned” – “I have learned to live with living with / Every choice we made / But I would love to live with giving this / Shaky voice some shade… Same sun / Same Fun / Whole new world…” This song comes out and says we’re ready to move on and has some fun electric guitar to back it up. This may be 4/5 of the original group, but there’s definitely a new feel and they’re not holding back on letting the world in on their new sound.
But there’s also a song – “Golden Boy” – that almost sounds like they’re applauding Page’s departure… “No, no, no, you’re not a quitter / So don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t you be bitter / Go, go, go where you glitter away…” Page has gone off to pursue his solo career, which though the rest of the band hit a rough patch for a while, they’re ready to move on. As bassist Creeggan says – “We came to the conclusion that the band was only worth saving if we supported one another and strove for a healthy dynamic between us. So far it’s been amazing and the most creative time I can remember having with the group.”
It’s my hope that BNL continues to enjoy success in this new incarnation. I just hope that they get a bit more cheerful and back to those off-beat humorous songs that attracted me to them in the first place. Be sure to check out All In Good Time at your favorite music retailers and keep an eye out for tour dates near you starting May 10th.
–Fitz
p.s. Pick up All In Good Time and other BNL albums below!
Who knew it was possible to sing cheerfully about heartache? James Maddock has certainly had his share. He had a taste of stardom in 2000 and then hit bottom as he adjusted to life in the States, saw his marriage fail, and had his record label decide to drop him and not release his follow-up album to Songs from Stamford Hill with his band Wood. After that round of bad luck, Maddock disappeared from the limelight. But he didn’t give up during the last 10 years.
In 2009, Maddock came back and is telling stories through the tracks of Sunrise on Avenue C. Each of the twelve songs tells a bit of the story about a relationship beginning, waning, and possibly ending. It’s a rare thing to find an album crafted to be listened to beginning to end. But when you find such an album, I feel you should enjoy it the way it was meant to be heard instead of picking and choosing individual songs.
These songs have a little of everything – strings, guitar, piano – and beautifully constructed melodies and lyrics. It’s obvious he took his time getting this effort “just right” before releasing it to the public.
Among my favorites is the title song “Sunrise on Avenue C” which expresses the doubts in all relationships and the little restarts we go through now and then to keep love alive. Maddock’s breathless voice sings… “We came to make this place our home / you say you’ve had enough you’re movin’ on / … / you say nothing’s quite the way it seems / forget the past, we’ll start our lives again / don’t shake your head ’cause baby I know we can…” I think all lasting relationships have those moments and the rise and fall of the song captures those rises and falls in relationships nicely.
“When You Go Quiet” is another of my favorites. “There’s one thing that you do when you’re not ok / you don’t bang on the walls / you don’t return my calls / when you go quiet… it’s when I know you need to talk… ” Again, Maddock’s captured one of those universal truths in most relationships – those little things we keep an eye out for that indicate something’s not right. And it’s then we need to listen and find out what’s wrong. Tough to pass up a little relationship advice in a song.
All through the album, the music is consistently excellent. From the upbeat piano of “Chance” to the amazing guitar and strings rhythms of “Hollow Love” and the rock/blues guitar of “Straight Lines,” Maddock has put together a relationship album weaving together a tapestry of stories and tunes from beginning to end.
So if you’ve been wondering what happened James Maddock since he hit the airwaves in 2000 and toured with the likes of Paula Cole and Train, look no further… James Maddock is back and in rare form with Sunrise on Avenue C.
Be sure to check out his website for album and tour details at JamesMaddock.net.
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I have never seen Heart live other than the occasional performance I’ve seen on television. It’s on my list of things to do. But their album Red Velvet Car is probably more intimate than I could possibly be, even if I was sitting in the front row. From beginning to end, I felt with each track like it was recorded in my living room. It might have been a LOUD living room at times where the windows rattled, but you know what I mean…
But it’s “Sand” that sticks with me the longest. The last song on the album, it’s a story of endings or loss. The acoustic guitars set the stage and Ann’s expressive voice felt like I was listening to a song played at a funeral. Something private shared with a crowd to let them know whomever it was that left them is still with them, like sand in the wind. “I asked a distant star / I wonder where you are / the shadow at my door / the friend who is no more…” I couldn’t help but think of a friend I’d lost years ago… “Surely this sweet sand will run out by and by / and while the days come down to you / you are just a traveler passing through…”
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