John Mellencamp - Freedom's Road

Universal

If Rock'n'Roll is a matter of attitude, it is little wonder why John Mellencamp is a star. With his pedestrian music, his understanding of pop mythology and ability to play off those myths is phenomenal. He is a great rocker because we put tremendous stock into touchstones such as classic life, small-town living a›nd the American dream: Mellencamp's albums expect his listener's to believe in these things as fervently as he does.
This is the newest release from the purveyor of the peoples rights. It happens to be John's first release in three years, following some bad mojo with his former label. And this is the first release with all new material in over five very long years.
These Roots-Rock songs are loaded with his usual--strong messages trying to convict the hearts of those who chose to view the Heartland as that chunk of land just taking up space between the East and West Coast.
Freedom's Road includes the wonderful folk sensation, Joan Baez, singing an eerie duet with Mellencamp on "Jim Crow," and let me tell you, Joan really makes this song a winner. On his song "Rural Route," those who listen are shocked with the nasty, all-too-true end of many young children.
John Mellencamp is the co-founder, along with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, of Farm Aid, a family farmer support organization. He has recently written a play, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County with the acclaimed novelist, Stephen King, which is sure to be an eye opener. Mellencamp does receive a slap on the wrist for his letting Chevy use his song "Our Country." Do you really think Chevrolet and GM is helping Our Country more than hindering?

The Leonisa Ardizzone Quartet - Afraid of the Heights

Ardijenn

The lovely Leonisa Ardizzone, a beautiful lady with a classic jazz flair, is the front woman. Her band, Chris Jennings (Guitar), Bob Sabin (Bass) and Justin Hines (Drums) are the perfect support line for her fast pace, jumping vocals that are reminiscent of the Big Band Era.
Humor drives her satyrical commentary about New York City, and all the characters that take the stage in its day to day barrage of snobs, vagabonds and passerby's. It is only a {shame that The Leonisa Ardizzone Quartet hasn't yet made an appearance in Santa Cruz.
Editor's Note: I was born in Harlem and raised in Washington Heights in New York City. I love the neighborhood very much and as much as the City has to offer, I hardly ever left it, that is what the Height's does to you. Leonisa captures the Height's so beautifully and completely in the second cut of her album, Afraid of the Heights. Her album cover features the "heart" of the Heights, the George Washington Bridge.

K-os - Atlantis-Hymns for Disco

Virgin/EMI

This is the third album from the hottest of hot in Canada's music scene. K-os, who's that you say? Let me bring you up to date. Born Kheaven Brereton, he is already a platinum selling artist in his home, he has arrived and is taking over the US alt-pop radio waves!
Atlantis-Hymns for Disco is the album that will secure K-os' place amongst the ranks of artists like Beck, Outkast and Kanye West--all of whom have found individual styles, all blending the intricate flavors of soul, rock and hip-hop. These are the visionaries, the artists who will not be confined to a single genre. K-os comes on strong, breaking all the rules and defying the boundaries for an exciting album that is a disco for your ears.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg, with much left to offer! What with three Juno Awards, four MuchMusic Video Awards, six Canadian Urban Music Awards and a Source Award under his belt, K-os will be the name to look for in the days coming up.
Love's Song of the Week: "The Ballad of Noah".
This is one of the best modern ballads of our day. This is the story of Noah and his ark, but most of us overlook - the story of Noah's perseverance. He was ridiculed for believing in his god, until it was pourin' down. This song reminds me that I need to stand up for what I believe in, and never mind what the onlookers may say.

Paul Gilbert - Get Out of My Yard

Shrapnel

One of the most outstanding facts about Paul Gilbert is that he has written a short bio for each song on this album. In his review of the songs, he gives truthful, intimate and humorous accounts of why he wrote and chose to use these songs. I appreciate seeing that kind of detail from an artist.
Being signed to Shrapnel Records, it is a no-brainer that Paul Gilbert is an exceptional guitarist. And his skill is highlighted in Get Out of My Yard. Classical-esque speed ballads, and intricate picking patterns set Paul aside from other electric guitarists. This is one dude who is as impressive playing air guitar as he is on the real thing!

Various Artists - Om:Chilled

OM

Chilled is an eclectic collection of mellow, funky and seductive songs, that are too sensual and racy for Delilah. A colorful blend of beats, woodwinds and ambiance, this album is like a vacation for your senses. Unwind and de-stress as you listen to the talented artists featured here. Artists like the inspiring Crystal Stafford ("Breathe"), Headphonism featuring the lovely Anna Meta ("Guidance") and Bassnectar (So Butterfly).
Many of the tracks are exclusive to this album. This is the albu�m that will warm you through the rest of winter's chilly nights. This is "musical valium" with one exception, it will leave you uplifted, as all of OM's music does. Here's to OM Records and the people who are always bringing us happening, positive music!

Eddie Money - Wanna Go Back

Big Deal/Warrior/Universal

For straight-ahead, shot-and-a-beer barroom Rock'n'Roll, it's hard to do better than Eddie Money's 1982 debut album. The son of a police officer, Money attended the New York Police Academy himself but was more interested in the rock that he was playing at night. He dropped out of Cop School and headed to the Bay Area where, with help from promoter Bill Graham, Money began his music career as an affable palooka with a knack for irresistible hits such as "Two Tickets to Paradise," and "Baby Hold On." Since then he has played solid rocking efforts whose key songs still hold on.
Eddie's newest album, Wanna Go Back will be available March 13. This release ia an homage to the 1960's. This is what Eddie knows way down, having played these songs when he was a 15 yr. old rocker with his band, The Grapes of Wrath.
Featured in this collection are all-time favorites like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and "Build Me Up Buttercup." The album is chock full of nostalgic appeal. The perfect tribute to the attitude of the time when Money was first forming his unforgettable identity.

Naked Rhythm - Frequency

CD/DVD Caravan

This is the reality of today: global distrust, enmity, holy rampages of discrimination; postwar reconstruction barely finished before new world trauma. Injustice for the classes and reneged equality all-round.
Now arises the most unlikely of warriors, people who fight not with bated ax or blade but with the primal magic of dance and music.
Naked Rhythm, originally conceived by two individuals--Alex Spurkel, a native German, Avi Sills, himself Jewish-American--and has been joined by the talents of, amongst others, Tony Khalife, a Lebanese performer, who has studied music in India after escaping Beruit in the 80's. And, Woroud Antabil, a Muslim female performer, who had never performed nontraditional music prior to Naked Rhythm.
Peace through rhythmic intoxication. They dual hit audiences at live performances with the sacred belly dance and positive ambiance. Frequency is a representation of the spirit of the performance. It brings the healing energy to you where ever you are. Inspired by the love of the world, love of music and the love of a world full of music.
Naked Rhythm is branching out to the corporate world, spreading awareness to those who otherwise may have been apt to overlook the fact that the global effort includes them, too.
They share the peace message through various progressive causes, such as tangible social change. Partnering with Conscious Alliance they have played a benefit for Native American communities. Between appearances at the Levantine Center (promoting peace between Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities in the Middle East), performing at Earthdance and at an Amazon Watch benefit they maintain the attitude of "if you want it, you will work for it."

Derek Lee Bronston - Empty River

Paved Earth

If you haven't had the chance to experience Derek Lee Bronston and his band then let me tell you that you've been missing the goods. Those who are familiar will agree that Bronston is a well of tremendous talent. He is a gifted guitarist, a lovely vocalist and a well versed lyricist.
Empty River is a collection of 9 original tracks that were written and arranged by Bronston. Derek partnered with producer Dennis Martin to create a soulful folksy roots-rock sound. The only cover on the album is "No Place To Fall," by Townes Van Zandt. The harmonica cries and blues electric guitar all compliment Bronston's earthen voice. Empüty River is the album about life's dry spells, and the emotional droughts that we all have been through.

Amethystium - Emblem (selected pieces)

Nuerodisc

Emblem is a mystical collection of the best selections from Oystein Ramfjord's "Dragonfly Trilogy." Beautiful pieces are skillfully threaded together, forming an ethereal realm of fantasy and music.
The songs that you hear are from the most inspired sessions of Ramfjord's project. The ambiance is a ever flowing river of silky compositions. Welcome to the mind of Oystein. Be still and accept your heart's musings.

Steve Bedunah - Plug It In and Play

Dogtrot

As we all know, everything is BIG in Texas. Why wouldn't you expect the best in Roots-Country to be a big success? Steve Bedunah is receiving a lot of positive attention, and it is little wonder. His graven voice seems to shoulder the burden of the world. His songs are musical literature--he is a great storyteller and uses this ability to make his twangy Country downright infectious. This albumƒ and Steve have a lot to offer, whether it be foot stomping bluegrass or inspirational Traditional Country, or the Whiskey Blues.

Harry Connick, Jr. - Oh, My Nola

Columbia/Sony BMG

For a time Harry Connick, Jr. was praised for helping popularize standards among younger fans, and then he caught on so well with the media that his mainstream appeal became obvious. Connick studied music at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts with Ellis Marsalis and played piano in New Orleans before signing with Columbia.
Armed with his sincere approach toward playing Swing and New Orleans Standards, Connick evolved quickly into a major success--an artist who built his style to resemble Frank Sinatra.
On Oh, My Nola, Harry saunters in with the jazzed up piano, blasting horns, buzzing bass and bombast percussion, carrying his New Orleans soul from pen to voice with ease. Bayou blues to Southern rhapsodies. Harry Connick, Jr.--this is where he truly belongs.

Gary Lucas and Gods & Monsters - Coming Clean

Mighty Quinn

Gary Lucas' music is hard to categorize as any particular genre, with his countrified vocals, sporadic jibber-jabber, punk-salsa percussion, and blues-soul electric guitar solos, he has thoroughly won the award for musical diversity.
You could spend a lifetime trying to decipher the many layers of Lucas' psychedelic rock. Coming Clean showcases his musical demure. His songs are eerie knockouts. He plays the guitar like no one else-- a rare find, and one of the most creative minds in modern rock today.

The Clash - From Here to Eternity Live

Epic/Sony BMG

The Clash are The Romantics of the London 1977 punk scene. They were the ones who took the noise to heart, who pushed hardest to see how far their new found freedom could go. They were also the ones who wrote the‚ best songs, the songs burning with political rage and mean guitars.
Joe Strummer ranted in his gutter-snipe-slobber while guitarist Mick Jones shaped the noise into high speed anthems. Bassist, Paul Simonon was the pounding heartbeat and drummer, Topper Headon, gave the music the grr that they needed with his maddening drum solos. They sounded friendly and frightening all at the same time. Combining the punk fueling anger of complete control, the street aggression of "London's Burning," the urban loneliness of "Up In Heaven (Not Only Here)," and the jolly laughs of "Safe European Home."
They drew inspiration from Nicaragua's Sandinista revolutionaries, but they weren't above a little art-for-arts-sake--after all, Sandino himself was a Wordsworth man, and The Clash made dramatic music out of their garage land politics.
The raw "U.K." debut is still the grittiest punk album ever! So full of fury, passion and humor, it sounds like it's going to burst into flames every time Mick lights up the Coda to remote control, every time Joe rasps "I hate all the brightness/I hate all the cops" at the end of "Hate and War,"
From Here to Eternity is a righteous selection of live performances from 1978 to 1982. Performances from the legends playing at legendary venues--The Lyceum, The Orpheum, Shea Stadium and others.
Although this may be a complete summary of the bands music, it cannot capture the fury of the emotions that drove, and still drives, political punk.
The live atmosphere of From Here to Eternity encapsulates that raw energy, the manic outrage and the determination to make a change, that caused The Clash to be the trailblazers of a generation who was searching for a purpose to this life. This is the music that shook the very foundations of all music, and became the cornerstone of political-music today.

Trilobite - Trilobite

self released

This is the first release from a band that started in the musically diverse and culturally rich community of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Songwriter Mark Ray Lewis comes from a long line of irrepressible music-makers. His father was a country preacher who could pick out any melody on the piano by ear, his mother had a voice that could almost break glass.
Trilobite formed in the summer of 2005. Since then they have independently recorded and released an album that is truly a rare find. Trilobite, just the name suggests something primordial, ancient. After listening to the first few songs you tap into the well of inspiration. This band is one of the few that have the gift of enchanting audiences with their folk guitar and whispering vocals. They've been able to rejuvenate the sound of vintage bluegrass music.

TACK - Porn

Tarpit

Six musicians is an awful lot of musicianÂs for one band, it rarely works as well as planned. But this is not the case for the exceptional talents that have come together to form TACK.
Let me introduce you to the masterminds behind the music: Colin Edwards, he is the founder of Bay of Pigs, and is also a highland bagpiper; Rick Cox, he is known through the music industry as the creator of film scores such as Finding Nemo, Pay It Forward, Erin Brockovich and American Beauty; Chas Smith, has won an Academy Award, worked with Joe Strummer--The Clash, and has the film scores of K-Pax, Red Corner and The Lost Boys; Gary Furguson has performed with John Hiatt, Cher, Etta James, Stevie Nicks and so many more; Eric Havirlesk "struggles to superimpose yet another vector on an already chaotic gestalt; and Andy Rehfeldt, the musical composer for film and the tele at Endless Noise in Santa Monica.
How is that for too many cooks in the kitchen? Well it miraculously works in their favor, as Tack and Porn is the most exciting find in experimental rock. With all their individual influences, and all their previous projects, they have come together to melt their individual skills into a simple opus. They have come to turn around the music realm with pulsating rhythms, haunting vocals, captivating lyrics and primal energy. Get hot with Tack, and experience Porn.
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

Ghostface Trife the God - FishiNchips

Sirius/AOL/Def Jam

Listen up all you Wu Tang fans, The Commissioner himself was commissioned by Def Jam Records to pull together this killer mix tape. This is a great way to get to know the artist behind the music, and the guys at Def Jam know how to give us a winner. FishNchips is the prequel to Ghostface Killah's More Fish. Hosted by Mick Boogie himself, Trife the God, Jay Z and Ghostface. It features songs by Beyonce, Ludacris, Theodore Unit, Kanye, Sun God and many more.

Ben Bowen King - Sidewalk Saints

Talking Taco

It's a hot summer afternoon on the downtown streets of a Texas city in the hard scrabble years of the Great Depression. In a patch of shade on the sidewalk sits a blues musician, busking for some change with a guitar and a slide. He sits with a friend, the rhythm section, playing an old suitcase, a rub board and a bottle.
You may catch a few bars of a risque blues song, only to hear him switch mid-tune to a devout hymn as a pious storeowner or policeman strolls by. Or he may be one of the many sidewalk preachers ministering to passersby with an unique mix inspired by Delta blues guitar, Appalachian banjo, and early jazz rhythms. You've just walked by a Sidewalk Saint.
Fifth-generation Texan, and living musical legacy, Ben Bowen King has recorded a series of traditional songs reflecting various aspects of Americana music and culture during the Depression Era. Along with the assistance of his talented percussionist, Covita Moroney, he recreates this long lost art in the most touching collection of Traditional Baptist hymns. This album has become a smash with blues fans and gospel fans alike.

Madina Lake - From them, through us, to you

Roadrunner

How many bands do you know that say that they would suffer for their art. Now how many of them would, when put to the challenge, really go the distance? The twin brothers, Nathan and Mathew Leone, went the extra mile. Up against all odds they crawled through trenches, chewed up cow parts, ingesting maggots and ending up hospitalized, all in the name of music.
Prior to these adventurous mishaps, the twins along with Mateo Camargo and Daniel Torelli, were inspired to create music with a vision. Taking the name Madina Lake from a fictional 1950's town, from a story Mathew had written about a town turned upside down when it's famous socialite, Adalia, disappears mysteriously.
The band has intended to tackle the consequences of society's fixation with pop culture and materialism. This is not the aspiration of every rock band, especially with the whole sex, drugs and Rock'n'Roll spiel. Yet they approach society's malfunctions with hook-laden songs that are backed with rock solid musicianship.
And the world is responding well to this new brand of music. To date Medina Lake has played over 120 shows in 10 short months. Though they are only beginning to hike their mountain, the have already set forth a detailed plan to lead their listeners to the new horizon in Rock.

Dolly Varden - The Panic Bell

Undertow

Dolly Varden continues to blaze their own path. Fronted by the husband/wife song writing team of Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen, these new songs explore the struggle to hold onto the beauties of life while the world seems to be destroying itself in front of our eyes.
Their two part harmonies lift the listener higher and demand your attention. The songs are more complex than previous works, ranging from country fÿried rock to dreamscape and atmospheric pop. This new album has a livelier sound than past releases. The music has progressed and it is evident that Dolly Varden has put all their heart into their music.

Timz - Open for Business

V.I.G.

On his fiery and autobiographical debut, Timz (Tommy Hanna), the American born rapper of Chaldean and Iraqi descent, gets all up in our faces, bringing explosive Middle Eastern tinted beats with incendiary rhymes in an effort to abolish fear-based, hate-bred stereotypes that have plagued people who look like him since the worldwide loss of 9/11 and the start of Georgie's War.
Propelled by gripping imagery and heavy grooves, Timz is on an intense mission to help American's understand that Chaldeans, who are Catholic by faith, were the true native people of Iraq dating back to the Babylonian times before Arabs and Muslims became the dominant people of the region. More than a brilliant rapper, composer, or studio talent Timz is here to stay.
Shelton's Single of the Week: Iraq

Joe Zawinul - Brown Street

BirdJAM/ WDR/ GmbH/ Heads Up/ Telarc 2 Disc

No one has ever been able to get a more human, funky sound out of electric keyboards and synthesizers than Joe, Vienna's gift to the improvisional world. He has played with the likes of Maynard Furgeson, Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis. With Davis he moved away from acoustic music and concentrated on electric instruments.
He co-founded Weather Report in 1971 with Wayne Shorter, and through the 70's and 80's created many influential recordings. Weather Report was a true jazz-rock band, able to make appealing seminal work that had loose, adventurous solos. Zawinul's synthesizer solos were never dry or dependent on gimmicks, but showed it was possible to play with individuality and distinction on what many regarded as simply a technological tool.
He and Shorter went their separate ways in 1986; since then Zawinul has worked with his own bands. Composer of such tunes as "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Rumplestiltskin," "Birdland," and "In a Silent Way." The masterful keyboardist has lead groups such as Weather Update, Zawinul Syndicate and on this album the WDR Band.
Nearly all of the music on Brown Street was adapted for and orchestrated for the big band setting by Vince Mendoza. The trip down Brown Street is a look backwards into Zawinul's musical past with the help of a very forward-moving orchestra. It is a listening pleasure for fans and first-timers alike.

We got preachers dealing in politics and diamond mines
and their speech is growing increasingly unkind
They say they are Christ's disciples
but they don't look like Jesus to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We got politicians running races on corporate cash
Now don't tell me they don't turn around and kiss them peoples' ass
You may call me old-fashioned
but that don't fit my picture of a true democracy
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We got CEO's making two hundred times the workers' pay
but they'll fight like hell against raising the minimum wage
and If you don't like it, mister, they'll ship your job
to some third-world country 'cross the sea
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

Living in the wasteland of the free
where the poor have now become the enemy
Let's blame our troubles on the weak ones
Sounds like some kind of Hitler remedy
Living in the wasteland of the free

We got little kids with guns fighting inner city wars
So what do we do, we put these little kids behind prison doors
and we call ourselves the advanced civilization
that sounds like crap to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We got high-school kids running 'round in Calvin Klein and Guess
who cannot pass a sixth-grade reading test
but if you ask them, they can tell you
the name of every crotch on mTV
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

We kill ftor oil, then we throw a party when we win
Some guy refuses to fight, and we call that the sin
but he's standing up for what he believes in
and that seems pretty damned American to me
and it feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free

Living in the wasteland of the free
where the poor have now become the enemy
Let's blame our troubles on the weak ones
Sounds like some kind of Hitler remedy
Living in the wasteland of the free

While we sit gloating in our greatness
justice is sinking to the bottom of the sea
Living in the wasteland of the free
Living in the wasteland of the free
Living in the wasteland of the free

Political Article: Dump 'Free World' in Sea of Dated Words By: Walter S. Minot Back To Top Along with our great literary writers, journalists should be the guardians of our language, especially our political language. But are journalists really performing their duty when they either refer to President Bush as "the leader of the Free World" or allow White House representatives to do so with impunity? In examining and criticizing political language, journalists would do well to read George Orwell's analytical essay, "Politics and the English Language," in which Orwell defines and illustrates a number of abuses of political language. Imagine what Orwell would say about George Bush's phrase "the axis of evil." The phrase doesn't really make sense in describing the relationship existing among Iraq, Iran and North Korea. If we use a definition from "The American Heritage Dictionary," those countries do not fit the metaphorical political definition of an "axis," that is "an alliance of powers ... to promote mutual interests and policies." Iraq and Iran were, not so long aÒgo, enemies in a protracted war, and North Korea has remained politically isolated, without a strong alliance with any other nation. The phrase "axis of evil" is what Orwell in his essay would have called "meaningless words," words that don't make any logical sense, though they may have emotional power. He also illustrated such manipulations of language in his best known and most widely read works, "1984" and "Animal Farm." In "1984," for example, Big Brother uses slogans such as "Freedom is slavery" and "War is peace." And in "Animal Farm" one of the "Seven Commandments," the governing document of the animals, states, "All animals are equal," until the pigs, who seize power, add the qualification, "but some animals are more equal than others." While it has become common for modern political leaders to attempt to manipulate and even deceive their people with meaningless language (as has been done so openly and blatantly by the Bush administration), the press s hould not become complicit in such deceit. Yet that happens quite regularly. Not only administration representatives, but also TV networks and mainstream newspapers frequently refer to Bush as "the leader of the Free World." The phrase "Free World" is a product of the Cold War, when the United States and its allies were aligned against the Soviet Union and its allies, other Communist nations. Since the disbanding of the Soviet Union, the phrase "Free World" no longer fits the situation. Secondly, even in its day, when "Free World" clearly pointed to non-Communist nations, it was close to meaningless, since "the Free World" included the Union of South Africa (with its apartheid), Cuba (under Batista), Greece (with its military dictatorship) and numerous other countries¹ in which citizens were hardly "free" by any objective political standard. What, then, does the phrase "Free World" refer to now? Does it refer to non-Muslim countries, countries that have democratically elected governments, countries that specifically ally themselves with American policy, or something else? How does such a definition fit such countries as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Pakistan and Tajikistan? "Free World" is largely meaningless. The phrase doesn't refer specifically and objectively to anything, unless it's "The Coalition of the Willing," the administration's appellation for the alliance the United States heads in Iraq. The so-called "leader of the Free World" is not leading a very large contingent. The most powerful nations in Europe and elsewhere don't seem to be following Bush. Indeed, America's traditional allies such as France, Germany, Canada and many others have specifically opposed the policies of Bush on such imp®ortant issues as the war in Iraq, the Palestinian situation, global warming and a host of other issues. The Cold War has been over for 15 years. Isn't it about time that journalists stop using a phrase that is outdated, inaccurate, meaningless and politically deceptive? Walter S. Minot is a professor emeritus of English, Gannon University in Erie, Pa. He now lives in Mobile.

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