Steve Reich - You Are (Variations)

Nonesuch

Steve Reich deserves attention as an improviser and percussionist not really fitting into either a traditional jazz or a classical vein. He formed his own ensemble in 1966 and immersed himself in African drumming in 1970 by living in Ghana. He is also well recognized in the minimalist school for his repetitive compositions and chords changing one note at a time. "You Are (Variations)" fits right into his minimalist compositions. Most tracks on the album are piano with choir, the piano repetitively repeating the same bar for most of the compositions while the choir adds/ changes chords one note at a time. The last track however breaks ranks from the rest of the release with "Cello Counterpoint", where in Reich uses a very similar composition but puts it on cellos. The composition is also minimalist in its repetition and chord changes.

Bril - Airless Alarm

Kirtland

Bril is the case of a group of talented musicians who sound good together, write good songs but sound like a band who came before. It is impossible to listen to Bril's "Airless Alarm" and not here the emotional voice, light airy guitars and mellow feel that is Coldplay. Bril is not exactly like Coldplay; they do have their own songs. However, they have the same feeling that Coldplay created on their debut album "Parachutes". Now, with that said, Bril is not a bad band, and "Airless Alarm" is actually a good album. Tracks such as "Masquerade Parade" hypnotizes you with its fluctuating tempo, screeching and delicate guitar parts and the duality that is expressed through the lyrics as well as the music. Bril comes out of this album proving their talent and abilities, but also come across as unoriginal.

Ginuwine - Back II Da Basics

Epic/ Sony BMG

What can I say, Ginuwine has made his best release to date. Every track comes across with stunning harmonizing vocals and matured insightful lyrics. Ginuwine has come a long way from his early hormone driven releases. As a husband and family man, Ginuwine takes a step forward by doing songs that focus more on meaningful relationships and love for the people in his life. However, he does slip into his past style, without grace, on "The Club". In "The Club" Ginuwine falls back on simplistic beats and lyrics about checkin' out girls while clubbing. Other than that, his music reflects his matured attitude towards life and the people that are a part of that life. "Back II Da Basics" is more emotionally complicated than it lets on, it's Ginuwine at his best.

Mel Martin and Bebop & Beyond - Friends And Mentors

Quixotic

Bebop & Beyond (B&B) has been best known for their tributes to Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Carter. However, Martin has been all around the jazz scene, doing studio work with the likes of Boz Scaggs and Azteca. "Friends And Mentors" is a intricate mix of tracks devoted to jazz greats (mentors), and tracks that B&B have created themselves. Mel Martin by himself is an amazing sax player but he is backed by his talented band including drummer Eddie Marshall and Ray Drummond on bass. The album is a dreamy, oddly timed bebop creation that explores the fundamental rudiments of jazz and the bebop style that emerged out of jazz.

Various Artists - Music Fantasy Vol. 1

Bolero

Bolero Records supports many musicians who span an impressive array of genres: from Latin to jazz, from new age to world. "Music Fantasy Vol. 1" is a collection of those artists and the tracks that the folks at Bolero were particularly pleased with. Some of the better artists on this compilation include Armik, Mosaico and Hector Cuevas. Armik is especially impressive with the incredible Latin styled guitar solos that saturate their music. "Music Fantasy Vol. 1" is an impressive array of artists that are truly impressive in their respective styles.

Mozella - Mozella

Maverick/ Warner Bros

Mozella has just released her debut self titled album after years of making demos and playing around Detroit. Mozella learned at an early age to play guitar and backed herself on her demos. Her debut release on Maverick is very much a soul/ hip-hop album and she now has a band backing her. Her voice is strikingly familiar of Macy Gray but she looks more like Nicole Kidman. While the album begins with "You Wanted It", a hip hop song that has stylings similar to Lauren Hill, yet other tracks on the album like "Can't Stop" turn around and are more similar to the works of Norah Jones. While I can make all of these comparisons, Mozella has her own style which is most definitely her own.

Donald Glaude - This Is Me

(2 CD Set) Moist

Donald Glaude is electronica in the most basic sense of the word. He takes samples and beats, then puts the two together to make the best music you have ever heard, that is, if your on E. There comes a point in everyone's life, when they hear some electronica artist and think to them selves, "I have heard this before." For me, it was this album.

Emma Roberts - Unfabulous and More

Nick/Columbia

So here's how it went down... I received this CD, at first glance it looked like cheesy, corporate, teenybopper pop crap. Then I thought to myself, "Well, who knows, maybe I will be pleasantly surprised." Armed with this optimism I pushed the CD into my computer. What my ears received was 35 minutes of excruciatingly cheesy, corporate, teenybopper pop crap. With songs entitled "Say Goodbye To Jr. High", "We R Gonna Happen" and "New Shoes", Roberts fits perfectly into the mold that I had so successfully smashed before listening to this garbage.

The Looking - Tin Can Head

Astraea

The Looking are a new band on the NYC scene and now, Nationally. Their music is a mix of new wave brit rock and American folk rock over-layered with poetic "love songs". The group can hold their own without any comparisons to other groups who have come before. Their style is mellow yet energetic. "Lele" is a song about finding a dead kitten on the side of the highway in Hawaii. The kitten's name was ironically, ascension. Lead singer and songwriter, Todd Carter, was fascinated by this and wrote this song that is the perfect mix of brit rock and old school goth rock. The Looking are a talented group of cross genre artists and they have made a great cross genre album.

Go Go Go Airheart - Rats! Sing! Sing!

Golden Standard Labs

Go Go Go Airheart is a band that is captivatingly unique, yet still sucks. Their music and singer sounds like Franz Ferdinand but more avant-garde. The title track "Rats" makes me want to run away; it is as though they tried, and failed, to imitate Tom Waits. The rest of the album gets better, but not so much as to redeem the first song. Throughout the album their music is constantly reminding me of other bands. "The Big Girl Of Beauty" could have been written by the Clash, "Dub Two" is a dumbed down version of The Skatalites, and so on.

Ronnie Bowman - It's Gettin' Better All The Time

Koch Nashville

It's good to hear a country/ bluegrass musician who can play music without resorting to gimmicks and clichŽs. Ronnie Bowman is that sort of musician. Bowman has begun to build a small reputation for himself, he has won numerous awards for male vocals and gospel albums. On "It's Gettin' Better All The Time" Bowman writes most of his songs, sings and plays guitar with his band, The Committee, backing him up. Tracks such as "Crazy Train" (not the Ozzy version) remind one of how bluegrass is supposed to be: even, steady and yes, full of soul.

Hockey Night - Keep Guessin'

Lookout

From now on, when you think Hockey Night, you won't think of large, brutish men hitting each other with sticks and losing teeth. No, you will think of the four guys on Lookout records kickin' ass on their instruments. Well, maybe not. But, you should check these guys out, they don't follow conventional rules for making an album. It sounds like if they have an idea they go with it. The result is an indie sounding album that from one song to the next you don't know what your gonna hear. The track "Saturday Night Gallop" is an almost ragtime sounding song with "galloping" drums, carnival guitars and creative vocals. The members of Hockey Night don't look like hockey players (they still have all their teeth) but they know how to rock out!

Tracy Chapman - New Beginning

Elektra

So, right about now you might be thinking, "What are these assholes doing? Isn't that album like 11 years old?" But, much to your surprise, we are a bunch of assholes, and this album was released 11 years ago. So, get over it, but if you haven't heard this album, then do yourself a favor and read the review. Chapman is one of the best female folk artists of the '90s and created a sensation with "New Beginning" and its hit single "Give Me One Reason". Now, this is the political album of the week... right? Right. "So, what's so political about Tracy Chapman?" your asking me. Well here it goes... "The Rape Of The World". "The Rape Of The World" has lyrics accurately depicting the destruction and manipulation of Earth's resources and the mindless brutality of corporate interest, "We all are witness to the rape of the world/ You've seen her stripped mined/ You've heard of bombs exploded underground/ You know the sun shines hotter than ever before/ Mother of us all/ Place of our birth/ We all are witness to the rape of the world." Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Rick Wakeman - Out There

AAO/ Reality

Rick Wakeman released his new solo album by paying homage to the crew of the Columbia space shuttle, which perished upon re-entry. Wakeman, keyboardist for Yes, cites his primary inspiration for writing music to NASA space exploration. His solo music seems to be, unsurprisingly, very similar to the music of Yes: loud, intricate coliseum style rock. Despite exploratory song titles such as "Out There", "The Mission", "Universe of Sound" and "Cathedral of the Sky", Wakeman is decidedly un-exploratory with his musical stylings. Yes enjoys a steadfast fan base from their early days with "The Yes Album". Wakeman fails to bring anything new or interesting to his solo career despite his fiery passion for space exploration.

Cross Canadian Ragweed - Garage

(CD/DVD) Universal South

Cross Canadian Ragweed has a contemporary country style without any dumb machismo bullshit. Their lyrics reflect an incredible maturity for their age, and a break from mainstream country music with lyrics such as, "I used to be crazy. Yeah. They called me a fool/ Guess I wasn't myself back when I wanted you/ Now you're comin' round again. That same old look in your eye/ Yea, I'd have to be crazy to fall again for your lies." "Garage" is CCR's first major label release, but they have already released four other records independently. CCR is some seriously hot shit: the owners of Universal South, Tim DuBois and Tony Brown personally contacted CCR. The CD portion of the album is nothing but hits, no filler material. The DVD section has six music videos that range from live performance, dramatic story telling to nostalgic hometown blues. Cross Canadian Ragweed is the best country act to have come out recently.
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

Chris McNulty - Dance Delicioso

Elefant

A self-professed jazz singer, McNulty does not stick solely to the jazz genre. "Dance Delicioso" also features a couple of Irish ballads such as "He Moved Through The Fair" and "Last Farewell". The rest of the songs are straight out of the classic American songbook with tracks such as "New Day", "All Of You" and "Star Eyes." However, despite her talents, "Dance Delicioso" is a mixed bag. The before mentioned songs are classic, and performed well. But there are other songs on the album that leaves something to be desired such as "Primitive", "Dance Delicioso" and "Only The Silence." McNulty has been creating great albums for years, "Dance Delicioso" does not match up to her best recordings like "A Time For Love."

Wildfire - Rattle Of The Chains

Emergent/Pinecastle/RED

Wildfire is traditional, straightforward cut and dry bluegrass. "Rattle Of The Chains" is a fun bluegrass album and surely deserving of the name "Wildfire." The star track on the album is "Straight To You" with its fast pickin' banjo, rhythmic strumming and harmonizing vocals, but to top it all off it has lyrics such as, "Every path I haven't chosen/ Every heart that wasn't true/ every door that wouldn't open/ led me straight to you." Wildfire has a wealth of excellent cuts on "Rattle Of The Chains" including the title track which is a sad song of the constant reminder of love lost, "I wouldn't mind the shackles/ If it wasn't for the rattle of the chains." Wildfire has set bluegrass ablaze in the studio and in my home, and I love it.

Kathy Valentine - Light Years

All For One/Red Eye

Valentine, Bassist for the Go-Gos, takes on a different style with her first solo album, "Light Years." She says it was a wonderful experience, she has never made a solo album before, and while she was pregnant there was no band to play with, so she went for it. With the backing and help of Craig Ross (Lenny Kravitz), Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses) and Ace Freshley (Kiss), Valentine follows her own style and comes out with something completely different from what she has done before. Different doesn't, however, always mean good. While I believe her solo album to be infinitely better than the Go-Gos, her solo work isn't particularly striking.

Various Artists - Lights Out 3

(2 CD Set) Global Underground

AHHHHHH!!! Make the bad electronica go away! Please... God... please make this go away. Why do people listen this? There are some electronica artists who are very good, why not listen to them? Steve Lawler mixes these various tracks from various artists, but doesn't do anything creative with it: one steady beat, and senseless samples. I don't care what the press release tells me, this is crap.

King Britt and Sister Gertrude Morgan - King Britt Presents Sister Gertrude Morgan

Ropeadope

Sister Gertrude Morgan was a lady who lived in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She would walk the streets everyday in her nurse's uniform and improvise hymns and spreading the word of God to the beat of her tambourine. She recorded an album during the 1960s in New Orleans, which has lived in relative obscurity until recently. Sister Morgan's folk painting have been discovered and put up in many museums including the Smithsonian. Not too long ago King Britt, during a period of musician's writer's block, received an invitation to rework Sister Gertrude Morgan's album in the context of the modern day. King Britt took Morgan's songs, preachings and hymns and added his own style with beats, steel lap guitar and various other instruments and samples. King Britt does an awe-inspiring job portraying Sister Morgan in a strong, mysterious and graceful light. King Britt and Sister Morgan have created a peculiar, insightful and glorious masterpiece.
***Shelton's Pick of The Week: "Power (Voodoo Version)"***
***Sean's Single of The Week: "Living Bread"***

Shawn Mullins - Ninth Ward Pickin' Parlor

Vanguard

Shawn Mullins will release his first Vanguard release in February 2006. "Ninth Ward Pickin' Parlor" was recorded in New Orleans before the Katrina disaster and even includes the apt "House Of The Rising Sun" which features an amazing grungy blues guitar solo that gives the classic song a new dimension. "Ninth Ward Pickin' Parlor" has a great collection of songs that are song by Mullins in his resonant baritone voice and subdued folk guitar. Tracks like "Alaska", "Find Love" and "Blue As You" create a sullen portrait of American folk. Mullins has a beautiful voice, guitar and album.