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NEW SOUNDS FOR FALL
By Scott Baker
The seasons have churned out a few musical gems so far here in 2005. Not an epic release year by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a handful worthy of discussion, if not worth the money to add to your CD catalog.
One of the first amazing releases in 2005
came via Ryan Adams with a return to his Whiskeytown alt-country
roots with his new band (The Cardinals) and not just one, but
three releases promised this year. Cold Roses (Lost Highway
Records) eclipses any thoughts that the bad-boy has gone wrong
(search up the Internet mixed views on Rock 'n Roll and Love Is Hell
Parts I & II). It's back to group dynamics and music from the
soul-drenched veins that Adams used to sweat out in his early years.
Acoustic and electric, steel guitars cry for the song. And then there
are his one-of-a-kind lyrics. A must have for the fans of
singer/songwriters and anyone with a taste for something down to earth
and real. Jacksonville City Nights was released as the second in
the series this year with The Cardinals just last week. One more
CD is due in December from the prolific artist.
This past summer saw the first studio
disc from The String Cheese Incident in almost two years,
covering more of their bluegrass-electric-jam groove. Rather than focus
on a theme production, the Incident have put forth a solid writing
effort on One Step Closer (SCI Fidelity Records),
producing cohesive tracks that cover elements from folk to electric
rock. The first song to radio, Sometimes A River, sums up the
great dynamic that the band has delivered since its debut in 1997.
Recorded at home in Colorado at a friend's house, String Cheese took
inspiration from The Band's Music From Big Pink, a landmark
homespun album cut in 1968.
U2 and Peter Gabriel's
trippy production buddy Daniel Lanois has poked his head out from
behind the board this year for another solo piece, Belladonna (Anti-Epitaph).
The pedal steel player and production genius has wound up 13 tracks of
subtle beauty. Belladonna could pass for a soundtrack as well - a true
blend of depth and beauty. As the biography with the disc suggests, the
disc is both timeless and futuristic, touching upon Lanois' own love of
blues, folk, country and gospel.
'The Guitar Monk' has returned with his
first studio solo album. Steve Kimock has pursued the Zen of arts
and crafts of guitar composition and his 2005 release Eudemonic (SCI-Fidelity)
has been worth the work and wait. Teamed up with 13-time Grammy Award
winning jazz drummer Rodney Holmes (together on tour since 2000),
the album is an instrumental masterpiece for the senses, touching on all
genres of music, leading with Kimock's sparkling guitar work. A pure
'listen' from beginning to end, Eudemonic pushes well beyond Kimock's
work with Zero and The Other Ones, putting him in the
stratosphere of Derek Trucks and the more of a jazz approach to
electric guitar. He takes the guitar where the sound and band combine
without ripping your head off to amass a great release.
Piano/keyboard legend Herbie Hancock
is perched to bring jazz and melody back to the radio. Pulling a
Santana of sorts (who also appears on the release), Hancock has
snapped up some of the most unique musical voices to help him hijack the
airwaves with some wonderful music on Possibilities (Hancock
Music/Vector). Rock journeyman John Mayer (who is on a ton
of albums this year), Paul Simon, Annie Lennox, Sting,
Christina Aguilera, Joss Stone & Jonny Lang, Damien Rice,
Trey Anastasio are but a few of who lend a hand to the legend. If
they don't utilize their voice over one of his great melodies, they are
jamming with him. It's great to see Hancock open up the door this decade
to newer ideas. The music excels due to the song being created and
collaborated at the session, rather than conceived and then shipped out
to the selected artist to put their touch on it, like many albums are
done in this age. There are plenty of ideas left in Hancock and
Possibilities is only the tip of the iceberg.
Eric Clapton has come Back Home
(Reprise). Not really the home that music fans have wanted him to
go back to (see Cream or Derek & The Dominos), but putting
family back in his record much like his self-titled solo debut in the
early '70s. A more electric guitar-based recording than his last
studio-based output (2001's Reptile), Back Home isn't over the
top in production like his '80s releases either. It's simply a heartfelt
album of tunes of recent life for the guitarist himself. Recorded with
many of the musicians he has toured with over the past twenty years (Nathan East, Billy Preston, Steve Gadd, etc.), Doyle
Bramhall II (who has worked with Clapton since the BB King 'Riding
With The King' collaboration) helping on the guitar, and even Steve
Winwood reunites to play keys on the George Harrison song
Love Comes To Everyone (first collaboration since 1969's Blind
Faith). While this may not be your Dad's Eric Clapton, its one your
Dad will relate to and you might even find some solace in the roots of
it all as well.
Trance DJ Armin Van Buuren has
extended his welcome all over the world on his second solo CD,
Shivers (Ultra Records). Rather than concentrate on the dance
groove, Van Buuren has jumped into songwriting, collaborating with
specific vocalists to add a lush element to his sonic tapestries.
Vocalists Justine Suissa, Nadia Ali, Mic Burns and one time
Genesis front man Ray Wilson (post Phil Collins) add
their serene voices to the mix on his sophomore effort. While the music
can at times begin to turn the ear for real instruments (sans keyboards,
but that's what it's all about, isn't it?), it's the excellent lyrics
and voices that keep the CD in the player.
Chaos and Creation In The Backyard
(Capitol/EMI) is the title of Sir Paul McCartney's latest
solo album. Performed like his first few solo albums, created almost
entirely with his own hands from the bass, guitar, to the drums,
McCartney has updated his sound with a classic touch through producer
Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck). While Time Magazine has
stretched out to say it's the first CD "that matters since the Beatles
broke up", Chaos isn't for the timid. Its sound design is very modern
and less Beatles-esq than, say Flaming Pie (McCartney's last release). But it is a
workout stretch for the living legend, which also updates Blackbird
with a supposed Part II, the song Jenny Wren. Perhaps the best
part of the CD is that with multiple listens, it is distinct in
McCartney's catalog and not a cop of previous recipes (see The Beatles).
This is a McCartney many have longed for and most have probably
forgotten.
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