Jun 15
AndrewMusic
Macy Gray’s upcoming release The Sellout is widely considered a return to form, but for me, it’s another great album by an artist that follows her own instincts more than playing to the mainstream. That attitude has made her music unpredictable and spicy at the same time. Radio success has been hit or miss for Gray over the last few albums, but for the record, I loved her last release Big. (Gray herself said in an interview with Billboard that her last album was overproduced, which she contributes to it lacking heart).
For me, The Sellout isn’t so much about a return to form as it is a continuation of the candy groove she found with Big. The new album is fun and frothy, sharp and tangy alternately through the tracks. Gray has always known how to use that raspy signature voice of hers and she loves to have fun on her tracks. From the smooth groove of the title track to the first single Beauty in the World, Gray has found some peace balancing her style with the pop world.
Word has it, several of the tracks are creating good buzz for the new album, available June 22. The sexy singalong Kissed It got picked up by Bravo for commercial segments. Beauty in the World found its way into the Killers movie (starring Ashton Kutcher) and more than one ABC show used it as well. It’s good news for Gray, whose last few albums were not considered mainstream successes, and only fuels the “comeback” theme.
The Sellout is a lot of familiar thematic ground for Gray, but that’s what we expect. The album is stays upbeat, mostly delivering a string of bouncy songs about love and affection. She hasn’t forgotten how to be tongue-in-cheek (the track Stalker) and she knows how to handle a ballad. The album starts strong and carries through right to the end. The album closer The Comeback, is gorgeous-powerful. But comeback or not, Gray delivers.
Jun 08
AndrewMusic
I only made it through five songs of Christina Aguilera’s new release, Bionic. It just got the point where I couldn’t listen anymore, even to make a proper review of it. First off, excepting Not Myself Tonight, the album’s first single, I couldn’t tell if Aguilera was even singing on these songs. I heard one of her trademark yodels during the Nicki Minaj-featured Woohoo but not any actual vocals. Elastic Love was worse. There was just no trace of Christina Aguilera anywhere. Whoever told her to stifle her gorgeous voice in favor of overdubs, bad mixes and shoddy melodies should be shot. I’m not saying she needs to record Back to Basics 2, but this is too little of what makes Aguilera shine. There was nothing sexy or fun about this album that I heard, and it’s obscenely long to suck that badly. I can’t even explain the track Desnudate, even how to pronounce it. The lack of melody, the lack pure vocals made this a stinker not even worth finishing.
Jun 08
AndrewMusic
Andy Bell’s new solo release (his second) is the dance party you expect from the extravagant lead singer of Erasure. His solo breaks from the pop group are interesting because while they don’t divert too far from the pop formula Erasure perfected decades ago, they still offer up something new. His first release, Electric Blue, was carefully crafted songwriting, playful and sexy, and intent to showcase his vocal talents. Non-Stop, released this week, is something else altogether. It’s faster, rougher, and seems to throw caution to the wind. Maybe Bell let his hair down in the recording studio (figuratively, of course) but whatever motivated him, Non-Stop is a blast.
Tracks from the new album have been leaking through iTunes and other outlets since the end of the last year. The funny thing is that I think I like the tracks I hadn’t heard before better than the ones that were released to radio. Call on Me, the album’s official single, is a good pop tune ratcheted up on bpms, although the album version has a weird spoken word interlude that I didn’t totally appreciate. Will You Be There? has an infectious groove. (It wouldn’t surprise me if some people thought the song was kind of grating; it’s electronica fashioned to the extreme.) Erasure rarely dips its feet too far into techno, so this is a chance for Bell to dive in to the deep end.
But deeper in the album is some of his best work. Say What You Want is more along lines of Electric Blue, giving a little more play to melody and vocals. But hands down, the best song is the slow groove of Slow Release. Is it bad that Bell succeeds the most when he’s singing a ballad? Not a bit, nor does it really detract from the rest of the songs. It’s just that a song like the Perry Farrell duet Honey if You Love Him (That’s All That Matters) seems less polished than the track Running Out which seems to be more melodic and accessible. As you listen through the album, that kind of schism seems to pop up often.
For all that, longtime fans won’t mind a bit. Non-Stop is a great listen, danceable (remix-able too) and a surefire treat. Andy Bell knows how to throw a party, and most of us are just glad to get the invite.
May 21
AndrewMusic
Stone Temple Pilots reformed and released a new self-titled album nine years after their last studio release. Famously, lead singer Scott Weiland spent the interim cleaning up and fronting Velvet Revolver, but the years, and the drug-free existence, have done nothing to blunt his edge. Although the band wrote and recorded the music separately from Weiland’s vocals, the result is a masterpiece that fits easily among their old glories.
The album is classic STP, from the playful throwback sound of Huckleberry Crumble to the blazing rock n’ roll of the album opener and lead single Between the Lines, with its spirited nod to the old days, “You were always my favorite drug, even when we used to take drugs.” What is striking about the album is just how good-humored it all is. This is STP having fun so by whatever formula they came to it, however long it took, it was worth the wait.
Blues influence and even a little Black Sabbath penetrate the 12-tracks (listen to Bagman and tell me you can’t hear Ozzy singing it too). First Kiss on Mars is a love letter to David Bowie. But STP are at their best just being STP. Peacoat could have fit in easily on the 1994 album Purple. Fans will be wholly satisfied with this release, and the promise of more STP in the pipeline.
Stone Temple Pilots will be released on May 25. A deluxe version includes live tracks from their 2009 show in Chicago and the music video for Between the Lines. The band has announced extensive tour plans through the end of 2011.
May 04
AndrewMusic
Toni Braxton’s new album, Pulse, melts me. She just has that effect. She declares her independence on the gorgeous opening track Yesterday and then slips comfortably into the pulsing hit Make My Heart -- both tapped as album singles. Every track works, with a deft mix of Braxton’s soulful ballads (the pleading Why Won’t You Love Me) and danceable tunes (the fiery beats of Lookin’ At Me which takes a generous vibe from Shakira). Braxton is easily one of the most underrated R&B singers of her generation and this album is fire. Just listen to Hands Tied and try not to melt.
Thankfully, Braxton avoids going full the dance-electronica route which seems to be all the rage on radio these days. She uses dance beats to make her point, but it’s applied with a light brush. The aching title track just shines in an album already overflowing with gems. Her last album was released half a decade ago. Pulse is a welcome return for which she reportedly recorded over 30 tracks (some were leaked before the album’s original February release date prompting Braxton to record additional tracks). The deluxe edition features six bonus tracks and music videos for the albums’ three singles.
May 04
AndrewMusic
Dixie Chicks Emily Robison and Martie Maguire recast themselves as the Court Yard Hounds to release a self-titled LP this week. The vibe isn’t a far stretch from a Dixie Chicks release, so fans should fine the duo’s stylings comfortable. If anything, Court Yard Hounds offers no surprises. Nor should it, as Robison herself admitted a lot of songs were written for the Dixie Chicks.
There’s something sleepy about the whole album. Despite a decidedly rock-bent to the music, it takes a few tracks to pick up the tempo. The country anthem Ain’t No Son soars, but then it dials back to mid-tempo. Not that there is a single defective song on the album. But after a long listen, all the mid-tempo numbers start to feel like a drowsy summer day in the 90′s, and there’s a lot of them. Jakob Dylan duets on See You in the Spring, a pining-for-romance with a soft touch. Delight Something New Under the Sun is a radio-friendly number, but it makes you wish there was something new to discover on this album.
Despite any suggestion to the contrary, it’s a good thing that lyrically and melodically this is the Dixie Chicks just the same. Taking the best of what made their music popular, Robison and Maguire wrote a consistent, enjoyable album. Signature harmonies are found everywhere, used like a reliable tool like on the chorus to I Miss You, “I miss you, I can’t wait to kiss you” and on the album’s lead single, The Coast. Closing track Fear of Wasted Time is a wistful way to end the album. You’re glad the Chicks are back, but you kind of wonder if there was something more to discover in their music without third Chick (and the band’s lead singer) Natalie Maines.
As if to drive the point home, the Dixie Chicks have already announced a reunion and tour supporting the Eagles this summer in anticipation of a greatest hits set to be released later this year. The Court Yard Hounds have only a few solo dates on tap as part of Lilith Fair.
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