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07 June 2006
Dion, Bronx in Blue (Razor & Tie)
If you're gonna play the blues, keep it simple and have fun. Don't worry about getting every detail right or else you're gonna sound like some vapid clone (re: Eric Clapton). Who'da thunk the boy from the Bronx knew this? The former '50s rocker gets back to basics here with an acoustic guitar, a single drummer, and a dozen classic tunes by the likes of Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed, Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf and others (not to mention two self-penned songs). Dion keeps things loose but plays 'em hard and gives his fingers a serious work out. He's also smart enough to not let the vocals get in the way and understates the moanin'. The Wanderer isn't out to recreate the original masters, but instead he's out to recreate the feeling behind the old records. This urban New York City child does a great job, even on the country blues of Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues". This disc is an unexpected blues pleasure by a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
[Insound]
— Steve Horowitz
"Walkin' Blues": [real]
blues / rock 
Various Artists, David Waxman Presents Ultra Electro (Ultra)
Ultra Electro, the new two-CD compilation from ubiquitous commercial dance comp label Ultra, comes out of the block strong: Soulwax's remix of Gorillaz blips and bops its way around the famous song, telling you it's OK, commercial dance music isn't all bad. In fact, the entire first disc is a confident, consistently engaging mix -– possibly the most enjoyable commercial mix I've heard yet this year. From Trentemoller's remix of the Roysopp spring anthem, to Ladytron, to Tiefschwarz's "Warning Siren", the lineup runs as a list of bands you should know if you want to know the first things about the electro sound. And we'll forgive the World Cup Anthem-esque middle section of Tommie Sunshine's retouch of Shiny Toy Guns "Le Disko", because Tiefschwartz gives us a stunning remix of Goldfrapp that is glamorous, dark and banging all at once, and local indie favorites DFA weigh in with the classic electro reimagination of a N.E.R.D's "She Wants to Move". The second disc also has some highlights but the mood is more downbeat, coiled, and less accessible. MANDY vs Booka Shade's "Body Language" is already a hit, and we could do without another remix of Tom Novy's "Your Body", but Alter Ego's "Rocker", though familiar from dancefloors throughout the world at this point, still tingles the senses with that needling melody New York's David Waxman's done a great job of showcasing the sound his city's progressive already listeners have already left behind, but it's a great ride.
[Insound]
— Dan Raper
electronic 
Bill Sheffield, Journal on a Shelf (American Roots)
Bill Sheffield's a considerable guitarist, and vocalist. Having seen this set called "blues", my first thought on listening was that maybe he was out to revive something of the too easily forgotten East Coast blues and song tradition healthily recorded in the 1920s and 1930s, and again when Gary Davis, Buddy Moss and others were caught on tape by field researchers. But there's too much parrot in the performances. At least Sheffied doesn't imitate the Tom Waits method of creating an individual style by means which ruin the voice, but he does echo Waits in the Waits song he sings, and he has too much going for himself vocally to play around, putting on different voices. He's a really talented guitarist and singer, with a good voice, the music's by and large fine, with the exception of "The Ballad of Brer Rabbit", amplified, buzzy, shouted in old-time rock and roll style with blues harp. The drug-taking implications are expressed knowingly, clever in a bad sense and mistaking ingenuity for musical purpose. If the singing had been more unified, less ventriloquial, some of the deficiencies of the words might have been overlooked. I won't overlook the guitar work. If this guitar wizard had better vocal material or relied less on lyrics I fear I've made seem poorer than they are, he might make many people happy. Quite a bit of this set, which also has a few well-filled guest spots by able unknowns, is not bad.
[Insound]
— Robert R. Calder
multiple songs: [MP3 and streaming]
blues 
Blend, Deadlines (self-released)
Deadlines, the debut release from the young band Blend, contains quite a few dead lines. The band straddles (no, wait: blends) a hint of jam-band aesthetic with that of a genuine pop group, and get too caught up in the middle ground. When push comes to shove, it's the more jammy tracks that fall flat -- the pop songs containing soaring and surprisingly mature choruses. If you can survive "Say Your Lines" and "Second Guessing," then you'll be rewarded with the likes of "Far Enough," "Inside Out," and the surprisingly modest and beautiful ballad "Hamilton Street." Still young and trying to find their own sound, it seems Blend will have a better chance of Top 40 success when they begin gearing their songs towards it.
[Insound]
— Evan Sawdey
"Far Enough": [MP3]
"Say Your Lines": [MP3]
"She Likes Me": [MP3]
Indie / Rock
.: posted by Editor 7:31 AM
