PopMatters Music Short Takes

Glen Campbell, Meet Glen Campbell (Capitol Records)

Glen Campbell’s new album is titled Meet Glen Campbell, clearly a marketing move considering his four-decade career and this album’s emphasis on songs of a younger generation. But if young people are discovering Campbell through this recording, what they’re getting is at least not far in spirit or sound from the songs and albums which made him famous way back when. His singing voice is in fine form still. And the producers achieved a similar style to his hits of the past: elegant sentimentality driven by strings and smooth, straight-ahead singing. What’s most interesting about Meet Glen Campbell is seeing which of the chosen songs fit that style and which don’t. His take on the Replacements’ “Sadly Beautiful”, for example, demonstrates how much of the original song’s emotional power came from Paul Westerberg’s weathered singing. U2’s “All I Want Is You” also sounded more forceful with Bono’s epic persona than here. And Campbell can’t come close to saving Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”, trite in anyone’s possession. On the other hand, Campbell and Tom Petty’s “Walls” fit together quite naturally. The same is true for Jackson Browne’s “These Days”, not the most interesting song but very pleasant here. And one of the more daring song choices, the Velvet Underground’s “Jesus”, doesn’t sound daring at all, but a natural fit. Marketing endeavor or not, Meet Glen Campbell is part of a long tradition of older vocalists tackling a younger set of songs. Campbell doesn’t reinvent any of them, but he was never really an inventor. What he does is make a fine, if not spectacular, album that mostly plays to his strengths. [Amazon]

The Invizzibl Men, The Unveiling (Backwoodz Studioz)

The Invizzibl Men, made up of Karniege and MarQ Spekt, are the latest rappers looking to resurrect gritty ‘90s hardcore hip-hop. And to say they succeed would be a colossal understatement. From the grimy production to the mean-mugging raps, everything on their debut, The Unveiling, is executed almost perfectly. Typically, emcees like these grow tiresome. We get it: You’re tougher than nails and you spit fire that burns other rappers. But, somehow, the Invizzibl Men never become repetitive or grating.

Right from the start, you know this record is going to bang. Album-opener “Introcutlery (The Warm Up)” is dirty and dark, but damn does it bump. The drums and sample mix like a vicious cocktail as both emcees introduce themselves to the world. The muffled vocal effects on “Zookeeper”, which features like-minded rapper and Cannibal Ox member Vordul Mega, take the already grimy track to another level. As solid as those songs and others are, however, “T-Rex” stands head and shoulders above them all. It features some of the best drums heard in years from Khalid Salaam. And Karniege, MarQ Spekt, and guest C-Rayz Walz ride the stellar beat with ease. The only lacking track is the awkwardly sexual “Neon Mud”. Both rappers sound confident and the beat isn’t awful, but it just seems forced and tacked on.

Although this album’s futuristic boom-bap has been heard before, the Invizzibl Men give it a welcome makeover. It might not be at the level of the outstanding Cannibal Ox debut Cold Vein, but The Unveiling sure comes close. And if Karniege and MarQ Spekt can maintain this album’s flashes of brilliance for their next record, I fear for the future of other emcees. [Amazon]

Leon Ware, Moon Ride (Stax)

Leon Ware is one of those much-respected, behind-the-scenes guys whose solo careers don’t get much attention. He’s far removed from his days as a hit songwriter for Michael Jackson, Ike & Tina Turner, and Marvin Gaye, whose I Want You is his crowning achievement. However, he’s managed to stick around long enough to become an influence on a variety of modern R&B and hip hop stars, who have sampled his work. Now, after a string of self-released projects, Ware is back, on the reactivated Stax label with his highest-profile release in decades.

Moon Ride adheres closely to the ultra-romantic, dreamy, mildly jazzy R&B ballads and midtempo numbers with which he made his name. The soulfully atmospheric title track is a perfect example, bedroom music on an almost subliminal level. But Ware, at 68, can’t sustain the momentum for very long. The ballads are pretty and sparkling, but don’t stick. At best, most of the mid-tempo numbers sound like Steely Dan without the irony. Attempts at a more pop-oriented sound, such as “Blue Dress”, are hopelessly outdated. Fellow soul vet James Ingram provides some nice backing vocals, but the production is mostly thin and cut-rate sounding. It’s nice to see Ware still at it, but Moon Ride is for diehards only. Other curious parties will find Ware much better represented on his Musical Massage, from 1976. [Amazon]

Snow and Voices, What the Body Was Made For (Elastic Ruby)

“Come let the water cover me up,” Lauri Kranz sings early on Snow and Voices’ second album. Repeating that line, Kranz’s vocals (through the magic of multi-tracking) begin to envelop her, the cascading melody becoming a perfect representation of the covering she seeks. The moment is also a fitting symbol of the sounds offered by the ensemble, essentially a duo (Jebin Bruni acts as songwriting partner and multi-instrumentalist). Kranz and Bruni blanket the listener in warm, ethereal,ambient sound at every turn, their keyboard-driven tracks consistently lush and lilting. Sharing the same philosophy, other songs sparkle and stand out: “Something Good”, “Rainstorm” and the cello-led “Song 10”.

Snow and Voices only deviate from the subtle and soothing at one notable point—a wonderful cover of the Doors’ “Touch Me”. The song allows Kranz to spread her wings and show a sensuous side that is not aggressively seductive, but paints her as a quietly determined siren. It’s a welcome reprieve because as beautiful and tender as the album is, the consistently slow and soft dynamic gets wearying by album’s end. Overall, the sonic purity of Snow and Voices is a wonderful thing to be wrapped up in but emerging from even the warmest covering is necessary from time to time. [Amazon]

Freddie Foxxx, Crazy Like a Foxxx (Fat Beats)

Call him whatever you want, but one thing is for sure: Freddie Foxxx, a.k.a. Bumpy Knuckles, is one of New York’s most under-appreciated rappers. In the game since Eric B. was named president, Foxxx dropped his debut, Freddie Foxxx Is Here, in 1989. Since then, he rapped alongside the likes of KRS-One and Kool G Rap and planned on releasing Crazy Like a Foxxx, which was shelved for 14 years after labels refused to work with him. That is, of course, until now. This hardcore, gun-talk ridden album might sound dated, but considering its intended release date, you cannot help but be drawn to it. Straightforward anger-driven tracks like “Killa”, which features 2pac, and the ultra-violent “Can’t Break Away” are over-the-top but they share redeeming qualities that make them worth a listen. Foxxx also excels when he slows it down for “Meet Some Skins” and “Funk In Yo Brain”, both of which show his diversity on the mic. He might be at the top of his game as a pissed-off hood spitting heat, but he can craft some spells as a storyteller, too. While time will tell if this record reaches classic status, we can only hope it gives Foxxx the shine he so deserves, even if he does create most of his own problems. [Amazon]

Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, Full Tilt (Alligator)

There are a number of words repeatedly used to describe Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials: house-rocking, raucous, scorching, smoking, sizzling, and “slide-slinging”. None are ill fitted, it’s just that each captures the exuberance and energy of Lil’ Ed’s live performances rather than the profundity of his studio work, or lack thereof. His most recent release with the Blues Imperials, Full Tilt is another collection of foot-tapping songs spanning styles and steeped in the blues, but lacks any distinct flavor or theme other than “fun.”

The album opens with “Hold That Train”, a nice locomotive song, but its blues are nowhere near as precise, its guitar playing as stirring or its vocals as emotive as Buddy Guy’s “Midnight Train”—even after recognizing that Ed is catching and Buddy waiting for their respective trains. Most awkwardly, Lil’ Ed bemoans emails and faxes on “Don’t Call Me” which creates this uncomfortable chasm between the romantic ideal of yesteryear’s blues masters and today’s technology; the two simply don’t vibe. “Check my Baby’s Oil” is the obligatory allegorical car equals woman song and comes off as contrived while just sounding flat.

Highlights (there are several) include the relaxed “Life Got in the Way”—which breathes with a classic West Side Chicago sound: treble-y, distorted, galvanizing guitar—and “First I Look at the Purse”, which rings of SRV’s “Willie the Wimp”. Dissociating Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials from their thrilling live shows is impossible, so it’s comforting (if not selfish) that Full Tilt doesn’t stand on its own. [Amazon]

The Real McKenzies, Off the Leash (Fat Wreck)

Based solely on their live show, and some impressive compilation tracks over the years, the Real McKenzies should be considered alongside the more high-profile Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly—though they don’t quite ever match up to the latter—in the exclusive club of well-respected Celtic punks. Unfortunately, their full-lengths go a long way towards cutting away at that status, and Off the Leash is no exception.  There’s some solid moments, namely “Old Becomes New”, which is catchier than anything else on the album, and the breakneck joyride anthem “White Knuckle Ride”. Both show the band’s ability for giant guitar licks and muscle-twitch energy. But the rest of the album suffers from a painful lack of both. Even potential live show favorites like opener “Chip” feel like they’re played at half-speed. “The Maple Trees Remember”, which is a nice try at folk balladry, never quite works because the band seems to be yawning through the quieter track.  The band sounds crisp and tight on Off the Leash, but they also sound safe, like they’re trapped in the studio, incapable of exerting any real zeal. The Real McKenzies may be a band built for the stage, but their studio output doesn’t do much to inspire fans to head out to the show. [Amazon]

Dub Syndicate, Overdubbed (GROOVE ATTACK)

A remixed resonation and spaced-out overdubs of the Dub Syndicate comes forth from the formidable riddim labs of Rob Smith, one third of trip-dub trio Smith & Mighty. The 17 remixed songs (produced by Lincoln “Style” Scott) retool DS classics, transporting you to a parallel destination in dub music history, where the beats are broken down, relaxed, Rastafied and transformed into slow moving grooves filled with layers of sumptuous tempos and stacked textures. With tracks like “Togetherness” and “No Bed of Roses” it’s hard to resist the riddims as they wrap around your ears; and the thick undercurrent of the dub bounces from eardrum to eardrum and then down to your hips as the music consumes you. The remixed, stripped down Jahcentric tracks are a fine tribute to the core and essence of DS dub music, as they whittle their way towards the spiritual core of dub’s core of sonic simplicity, which has become a sound foundation for much of what we know when it comes to producing rock and roll and hip hop. [Amazon]