Chamillionaire - The Sound Of Revenge

Motown/Universal

Well, this album is decidedly a mixed bag, when Chamillionaire is not talking about thugging and turf wars his rhymes and lyrics can be alluring and captivating. His songs focusing and hateful revenge get old and hard to listen to. Chamillionaire's talents really shine on tracks like "Think I'm Crazy," "Rain" and "Void in My Life." "Think I'm Crazy" is particularly entrancing, the track is a story about Chamillionaire talking to a lady in a club, the conversation focuses the woman who seems innocent but has a hidden dark side. However songs like "In The Trunk," "No Snitchin'" and "Frontin" fall short of what Chamillionaire is obviously capable of. Overall the album is worth listening to just for the sake of a few excellent songs.

Katy Moffatt - Up Close And Personal

Fuel 2000/ Varese Sarabande

Katy Moffatt is more than just a pretty voice and face. Moffatt has proved herself time and time again as a serious country/folk musician, even venturing to rockabilly and pop. Her writing and singing is beautiful and poetic. "Up Close And Personal" is a live show recorded in Albequerque, New Mexico on October 12 2002; and from beginning to end, she pleases the crowd with her music (without any flashy gimmicks).
Moffatt has never broken into the mainstream country seen, but her style works better, and sounds better, in smaller intimate venues. The track list for this performance includes mostly her work but also features songs written by Jimmie Rogers, Hugh Moffatt (her brother), Chris Smither as well as Moffatt's cowritten work with folk hero Tom Russell. The performance is a flawless and candid performance that pulls on the heart strings and pacifies with her enchanting voice and Martin guitar.

Ibrahim Ferrer - Toda Una Vida

Locamotive/Dynamo

Ibrahim Ferrer when discovered by Ry Cooder for the Buena Vista Social Club, was a shoe shiner and well retired from his musical career. But soon after Ry Cooder's release, Ferrer gained enormous popularity (arguably more so than any other member). At the ripe young age of '98, his career seriously picked up. However, Ferrer was not aloud to enter the United States due to "President" Bush's (that god damn, motherfucking, cock sucking, stupid, shit-eating bastard) ongoing ban on all Cuban athletes, artists and writers earning money in the United States. Bigoted discrimination? I would say so.
"Toda Una Vida" is an excellent collection of rare and previously unreleased tracks of Ferrer's career during 1960 to 1988. These tracks show off his unrelenting genius for Cuban styled synthesis of latin beats and and western styled jazz. Ferrer's Social Club performances were just as riveting and masterly executed as his recordings from his previous career. In Ibrahim's memory, "Toda Una Vida" was released. It is a small honor, but let's everyone enjoy his talent.
(Editor's Note: Listening to this extraordinary album makes me fantasize that I am smoking a cigar somewhere in Cuba with Fidel. We are surrounded by peasants, workers and doctors (for every six people in cuba, there is one doctor!). Sure, it's still a poor country, and the struggle continues, Cuba doesn't have the oil wealth that Venezuela has; but, they take care of their people. And Fidel and I laugh about the beauty of independent Cuba, which used to be our banana republic. That is the great victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The country belongs to the people who live their, not to the gringos, who succeeded in owning the land. Cuba si. Yanqui no.)

Kelley Hunt - New Shade Of Blue

Coda Terra/ Ryko

Kelley Hunt has a very down to earth and traditional blues rock style reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt. Her songs such as "Waking Up Slow," "Long Way Home" and "New Shade Of Blue" all seem to speak to all too familiar subjects. Delbert McClinton, the man who taught John Lennon harmonica, sings with Hunt on "Deal With It," a fun and upbeat duo that speaks about movin' on. "That's What Makes You Strong" is the follow up track to "Deal With It" which takes on a down tempo blues ballad style. Kelley Hunt has a good voice, but nothing to rave about... Kind of like the rest of the album.

Dean Evenson & Walter Makichen - Golden Spa Tones

Soundings Of The Planet

On "Golden Spa Tones," Dean Evenson plays alto and silver flutes that counter balance the singing bowls, bells and gongs played by Walter Makichen. In the background, throughout the entire album, is the unceasing calm ocean sound motif that fluidly brings one track to the next. The sounds and feelings transmitted through this album sooth and relax my mind which matches up perfectly to the description given by Makichen, "I like to think of it as a massage for the soul."

Kobayashi - Strange Lights And Resolution

Bongo Beat

Kobayashi is electronica with real instruments. No, wait. Kobayashi is jazz with electronics. Or, maybe they're funk that's been mellowed out. Whatever genre crossing Kobayashi is doing, it's working. Their sound is something that I can say, without any hesitation, is truly unique. Every track finds a new way to mix a saxophone and turntable, an upright bass and a Korg, a flute and a Roland RE-201 Space Echo. Hadiya Roderique, vocals, does a terrific job on "Road Less Traveled," seductively and sexy jazz styles fused seamlessly with dub reggae flow. The group is a tight formed, seven member group that is constantly experimenting and coming up with revolutionary ideas. The members of Kobayashi can be deceptive in the seeming simplicity of some tracks, then turn around and let their virtuoso shine. Particularly Radu Falcon, bass, when he switches from electric to standup, you would think it was a completely different musician. Kobayashi is one of the few bands that are truly experimental while being truly awesome.

Ashlee Simpson - I Am Me

Papa Joe/Geffen/ Universal

I have to of course mention the SNL disaster which solidified Ashlee Simpson as a fraud in the eyes of America. This album is the album which will either break or make that view for fans and critics alike. "I Am Me" has already received mixed reviews. Some insist that nothing can redeem her making her out to be Milli Vanilli or worse; others insisting that she has proved herself again.
So what does this reviewer say? I say that, even though lip syncing is pretty low, everyone makes mistakes and there are way bigger things to worry about, so what the fuck? Putting any transgressions aside, "I Am Me" is a listenable album that has some great music. Ashlee's backing band deserves due respect for adding soul and life to the music and Ashlee deserves much credit for getting on her feet again and making music despite criticism. The opening track, "Boyfriend," shows off her catchy rock style that seeps into your head and threatens not to leave. "Beautifully Broken" and "Coming Back For More" show the same flare with different strokes and themes. Of course, there are a couple flops such as "L.O.V.E.". The long and short of the story is that Ashlee Simpson deserves another chance.

Various Artists - Green Day Blue Grass: Pickin' On Green Day

CMH

JLead guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong must have really stomped on that sustain pedal, because Green Day have staying power plus. The punk-pop trio from Berkeley crashed the charts with their hooky singles, sold a zillion records and took home one of those funny, funky looking mantel warmers called a Grammy. Then they shed their boys-will-be-boys adolescence and emerged with "American Idiot," a rock opera/political manifesto that mixes angst with ambition, and polemics with pop.
Green Day goes Blue Grass? Hell, yes! These acoustic covers of the Bay Area boys' precocious hits are a perfect blend of punk and pickin'. If you haven't walked the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" to the soundtrack of banjo, fiddle and mandolin, you haven't heard what the streets are sayin'. And when these hotshot pickers sink their teeth into radio candy like "Welcome to Paradise" and "When I Come Around," you'll be in blue-green heaven. Pickin' On Green Day- music only an American idiot could resist.

Il Divo - Ancora

Syco/Columbia/Sony BMG

Before you send me hate mail, read this knowing that I absolutely abhor Opera and sappy pop music (you can see where this is heading). Why... oh why did anyone think that an opera/pop crossover was a good idea in the first place. Not to say that the singers involved in Il Divo are bad, they're not, they are very good singers. However, they should be shunned from society for this atrocious abuse of music, letting all of their precious talents go to waste and ruin. I can't believe that someone would buy this album. Well, actually, I do believe that people would buy this album, and that makes me very sad.

Alvin Jett and The Phat Noiz Blues Band - Wet My Beak

Phat Noiz

This quartet definitely plays the blues and the sound is very full (phat even). The opening song, "What Must a Player Do," is a funny, upbeat song about a subject that every touring musician faces: the open road with gigs (i.e. making a living) or being at home with the woman (or man). Alvin Jett, singer and guitarist, has a rich voice that permeates the music and gives it a full, vibrant and colorful edge. Jett's guitar solos are also right in tune with the group and complements the music and lends spice to all of his compositions. The Sax player, Frank Bauer, has the same rich sound that he gets by using his sax strategically and sparingly, but when he goes for it he wails. The whole group is harmonically and synchronistically together like most bands wish they could be.

Janelle - Glorious Sexual Cool

Exploited

Janelle Boretta's style seems familiar yet fleetingly unattainable. Her voice has a resonance that she harnesses to it's full potential. The cd starts out strong with "The Call": a strong rhythm guitar breaks up into a spacey strum overlaid with a bold bass line and her beautifully strong voice singing lovely to complete the track. Every so often in the album one cannot help but think, "wow... she's such a hippy," ("The 16th Floor) and I mean that in the most positive of terms: hippy chicks rock. The album ends well with a staggeringly different version of "As Tears Go By" (originally by the Rolling Stones). Janelle has her own take on how to mix an album which accentuates her own style, sometimes dissonant, sometimes hauntingly beautiful.

George Carlin - Jammin' In New York

Atlantic

George Carlin is a cynical genius. His wit is not limited to one topic or to juvenile topics (i.e. dating, what someone said to him the other day). He aggressively attacks important topics with shocking and intelligent arguments that will make you laugh for hours (with excellent replay value). Carlin's first topic is "Rockets and Penises In The Persian Gulf", goes on to talk about Poverty with "Golf Courses For The Homeless" and finishes with the environment with "The Planet Is Fine." Any and all of these topics are going to be offensive to someone (myself included, a self-proclaimed environmentalist), but when you hear him out... the fucker makes a lot of sense. He backs himself up with appropriate euphemisms and surprisingly accurate statistics. Carlin's talk about anorexia and Bolemia I can't agree more with, "Somehow I can't feel sorry for an anorexic. Rich cunt doesn't want to eat? Fuck her... Why don't you lie down in front of a railroad train right after you don't eat." Point being, a sizable population of the world is poverty stricken and starving to death and someone who can afford to eat won't eat because she's "sick." Yea fuckin' right. Carlin goes on to talk about American's domestic wars on "drugs," "crime" and "pollution," but then goes on to point out that there is no war on homelessness, "There's no money in that problem... If you can find a solution where corporate swine and the politicians can steal a few million dollars each, you'd see the streets clear up pretty damn quick, I can guarantee you that!" George Carlin is the most on topic, intelligent and funny comedian today. I love it.
***Sean's Single of The Week: "Golf Courses For The Homeless"***

The Jim Seeley/Arturo O'Farrill Quintet - The Jim Seeley/Arturo O'Farrill Quintet

Zoho

This quintet represents some of the finest musicians in contemporary jazz today: Jim Seeley and Arturo O'Farrill, of course, but also Andy Gonzalez (acoustic bass), Jed Levy (sax & flute) and Phoenix Rivera (drums). Zoho has a talent for attracting the true talent of today's jazz scene, not the smooth 'jazz' muzak musicians. The album has eight cuts and hosts a myriad of influences; you can hear the latin styles of Rivera and O'Farrill creep into almost every track, you can hear Adderly in the trumpet and you can hear the rich history of the genre in all of the improvization sessions. O'Farrill and Seeley have true talent and skill that is getting harder and harder to find in jazz, just like many of the other Zoho artists.

Lilys - Everything Wrong Is Imaginary

Manifesto

I can't believe I haven't heard this group before. Track after track is an amazing creative explosion of genius. Lilys' sound is a culmination of enticing lyrics and melodies mixed with the enchanting sloppiness of The Velvet underground or the Kinks. Although some songs border on Avant Guard, it only shaves the border with unique styles and tastes in samples and mixing. "The Night Sun Over San Juan" is a track driven by a constant bass drum and has the nonchalant dramatic effect of Blur, but isn't afraid to branch out on its own. "Everything Wrong Is Imaginary" remains solipsistic throughout, but leaving mental states of mind out of it, the album is golden.
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

Johnny Horton - Country Legend

Varese Sarabande/ Universal

Horton's country style is the definitive classic country blue print. Taking cues from Hank Williams (but much cleaner) and Hawaiian slide guitar, Horton made himself a legend in the 50's before his fatal car crash in 1960. "Country Legend" focuses on his earlier works, before he released story based singles, that came out of '51 and '52. These songs are quintessential '50s country music with tracks such as "Smokey Joe's Barbecue," "Mean, Mean Son Of A Gun" and "It's A Long Rocky Road." Despite reminding (to a certain extent) me of a mix between Mr. Rogers and The Chipmunks, his songs are representative of an era and a time gone by.

Chloe Day - The Return Of...

Independent

Day's latest independently released album, "The Return Of..." brings various different styles of music and lyrical content from folk to bossa nova /electronica/rock (you better believe it). Through these styles very distinct personalities show themselves from track to track. Chloe Day can sound and feel like Portishead or Jewel depending on what track you are listening to. "Finger-Painted Smile" shows off Day's talent for poetry and folk finger picking guitar with lyrics such as, "hope your search through neon brights and/ pastel suits will justify/ the colors you have stolen from my mind." "42nd Song" is another excellent folk song on the album which portrays Day's more upbeat strumming style and her incredible, yet soft voice. "The Return Of..." is a rare gem among the copper pennies of the indie scene.

Trick-Trick - The People vs.

Motown/ Universal

Don't be tricked into buying this album. I mean, would you really trust someone named Trick-Trick? The selling point for this album is focused on the charge of 1st degree murder that put Trick-Trick behind bars for several months during his trial. The intro and first track, "M-1," are focused on the trial and the faulty evidence and biased court and jury. "M-1" is, without a shadow of a doubt the best track on the album, which is sad considering it is only a mildly entertaining song at best. The rest of the album is just downhill from there.

David Lanz & Gary Stroutsos - Spirit Romance

Narada/ Virgin/ EMI

"Spirit Romance" is a New Age piano and flute recording which from beginning to end is aimed at calming and relaxation. One or two tracks at a time is a tolerable limit, any more than that and it will put you to sleep or become tedious. David Lanz and Gary Strous are not bad musicians per say, just a little misguided. This is one of those albums that would be perfect in a chiropractic office or meditation center, but not in your car or home stereo.

South Austin Jug Band - Dark And Weary World

Blue Corn/ ADA

The South Austin Jug Band is a refreshing dose of old fashioned bluegrass, folk, country and a healthy dash of contemporary songwriting styles incorporated as well. Songs such as "Karma," "Coon Ass" and "Raleigh and Spencer" all are hilarious, incredibly fast paced tunes about retribution, druggies and prohibition. Not knowing any better, I would say that the average age of the group is 40 or so. But none of the band members have hit 30, and that dynamic does show up in their music. The South Austin Jug band is silly and witty but most of their songs are serious songs ranging a variety of subjects including the (obligatory) heart-break song: "She Don't Care About Me" which features the lyric, "Lord I tried but I can't never/ let nobody take her place/ and I can't go on much longer dreaming in misery/ I'd like to be her honey, but she don't care about me. For the blues or the bluegrass turn to the South Austin Jug Band, the best bluegrass group to reach my ears in years.
***Shelton's Single of The Week: "She Don't Care About Me"***

Buzzcocks - Flat-Pack Philosophy

Cooking Vinyl

Being a fan of the Buzzcocks, I was excited to listen to their latest release. In the peak of their career, they were the quintiscental punk band: loud, fun and offensive. I love to listen to listen to their late seventies recordings where no one harmonizes and their energy could be heard clearly through the recordings. Their latest release, while good in other respects, is not a Buzzcocks album as people know the Buzzcocks. It isn't rowdy, it isn't offensive and it does not have the energy of the early albums. The best track on the album is "Credit" for the way the music is mixed with the sample of an automated cashier. "Flat-Pack Philosophy" is more electronic, more pop and less Buzzcocks.

Chet Baker - Plays For Lovers

Riverside/ Concord

The "Plays For Lovers" series has released compilations of some excellent musicians such as Miles Davis, Bill Evans and John Coltrane. Chet Baker's compilation is, of course, a collection of his romantically inclined tracks: "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To," "My Heart Stood Still" and "My Funny Valentine." Compilations are hard to screw up when the featured artist is a legendary, accomplished jazz musician such as Chet Baker. Baker's own life was not nearly as romantic as this album makes him out to be. His life was plagued with heroin, jail time and a tragic death shrouded in mystery (suicide or foul play?). However, Baker's music will live for a long, long time to come and the "Plays For Lovers" compilation is a fantastic accumulation of Baker's work throughout his career with his always soft and cool trumpet style.