CD Music
Bill Toms: "Memphis"
September 2011
Energetic Big-Band Blues
Terraplane Records 1001
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Television executives have discovered the value of airing new shows during the hot months, so we've seen a proliferation of first-rate shows with seasons starting in the summer instead of the fall. One such show is Memphis Beat. I record it with my DVR so I won't miss an episode, and though I watch it for the fine ensemble cast that includes Jason Lee, Sam Hennings, and Alfre Woodard, I tune in just as much for the music. Lee portrays a police officer who plays blues in Memphis bars and clubs at night, and every show closes with him doing a song (actually sung by Mark Arnell). There's also terrific source music along the way, with Keb' Mo' and A. Patrick Rose providing guidance and original music. Just a partial list of performers represented includes Elvis Presley (Memphis was home to Sun Records), Junior Wells, Waylon Jennings, Freddie King, The Allman Brothers Band, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Blind Boys of Alabama, Mississippi John Hurt, and Johnny Cash.
The point is that music from Memphis may range across many particular styles, but those styles all have two things in common: commitment and energy. Look at that list, and you'll easily see those common elements.
That brings me to Bill Toms and Memphis. I was stoked for this album, which arrived around the same time as the last Memphis Beat episode, and I wasn't at all disappointed. Though he's Pittsburgh based, Tom's gravelly voice sings of rebellion, love, hurt, and the down and out just like he's lived in Memphis all his life. The styles might vary a bit, just as they do on Memphis Beat, but he has commitment in spades and enough energy to power a small city. The singer-songwriter sweeps into your life like a tornado; if he's singing, you'd better pay attention. But, heck, you won't mind doing that at all.
The opening "I Won't Go to Memphis No More" makes that surrender sweet. This is a big, bold blues tune in which Toms fronts a large Memphis-style band, complete with wailing sax (Phil Brontz) and Jerry Lee Lewis-style piano (Steve Binsberger). The song grabs you and won't let go, not that you'd want it to. "Misery" is slower but no less pungent, and Toms's broken and frayed voice fully conveys the message in "On the Road of Freedom." There's some good harmonica, too, from Will Kimbrough, who's also the album's producer. Throughout the album, Toms sings with constant conviction; if you aren't a believer by the third cut of this CD, you just aren't listening.
The recorded sound is big and bold, perhaps slightly at the expense of clarity and presence. Between Memphis Beat and Memphis, my ears get the impression of a music scene that I'd really like to hear in person. When I first played Memphis, I had to play it again right away. I dare you to stop at one listen.
Be sure to listen to: There are delightful riffs shot through this entire album, but the organ, sax, and guitar spots on "Waiting on the Pain" really got my attention.
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstagenetwork.com
The SSJ All-Stars: "From California With Love"
September 2011
Jazz Artists Perform for Japanese Earthquake-Tsunami Relief
SSJ-USA 002
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Until this disc arrived two days ago, I was going to write about a Memphis blues album today, but From California With Love was so professionally accomplished and made such an impression that I need to tell you about it first. It's a compilation disc, which would normally brand it as uneven, both in performance and recorded sound, but that's not the case here. Each song is delivered with the utmost artistry, and each is recorded in intimate, detailed sound with a huge amount of warmth. There's a notable absence of heavy percussion and histrionics. Most of the songs are accompanied only by piano, with the addition of acoustic bass here and there. Some might call it "soft jazz," which certainly has its place when done so well.
Things get off to a splendid start as Sue Raney, with Alan Broadbent on piano, sings a medley of "Blue Skies" and "On a Clear Day." Raney has a voice that immediately conjures up feelings of warmth and sunlight. I really think this is the best version of "Blue Skies" I've ever heard. Raney sings "On a Clear Day" with equal expertise and feeling, but let’s face it -- the song belongs to Barbra. Pianist Broadbent encores with a sly and ingenious version of "Sweet and Lovely."
Getting back to vocals, Johnny Holiday offers an uptempo, radiant version of "Strike up the Band," which is followed by one of the most beautiful and moving tracks on the disc, Leslie Lewis's wistful version of "Skylark." Since that song is liable to make you glad to be alive, you'll find it appropriate that it precedes "Here's to Life," crooned to perfection by Kurt Reichenbach. Skipping a few that I'll let you discover for yourself, we come to Tierney Sutton and "Beautiful Love." Sutton has often seemed overly wrought and hard-sell to me, but here she applies just the right amount of drama to a lyrical and intense performance.
All the proceeds from this album go to Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief. The last two songs on the disc seem especially tailored to the cause -- Frankie Randall's "The Wave" precedes Rodgers and Hammerstein's "You’ll Never Walk Alone," sung with genuine emotion by Pinky Winters, with Jim Cox at the piano and Tom Warrington on bass.
The overall tone of this disc is romantic and lush, but the performers never cross the line into grandstanding. They just sing, as only they can, and that's more than enough. Treat yourself to this fireside, lamplight collection and help someone in need as well. That's a real win-win situation.
Be sure to listen to: Jim Cox, who so effectively accompanies Pinky Winters and Kurt Reichenbach, contributes a solo piano version of the Lennon-McCartney tune "We Can Work It Out." I'd never thought of this song without the vocals, but in Cox's jazzy arrangement it works just fine.
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstagenetwork.com
Dale Ann Bradley: "Somewhere South of Crazy"
August 2011
Dale Ann Bradley Sings From and To the Heart
Compass 2-4564 2
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I first heard Dale Ann Bradley at a music festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, when she performed with the New Coon Creek Girls. Bradley was a member of that skilled and vivacious all-female band for several years. On returning to West Virginia, I ordered all of the band's albums I could find as well as Bradley's solo efforts. What had impressed me so much showed up on all the CDs -- Bradley’s honest, no-gimmicks delivery of heartland lyrics. Couple that with one of the most beautiful, pure voices in bluegrass, or any genre for that matter, and you have one very special performer. I'm clearly not alone in this appraisal, as Bradley received the International Bluegrass Music Association award for Best Female Vocalist of the Year (2007-2009).
Bradley used to record for the Pinecastle label, and I'd lost track of her in the last decade. Recently, however, she popped up in an online mailing from Naxos, with a new album on the Compass label. I've now listened to it a half-dozen times and can gladly say that Bradley has mellowed in the best possible way, and time hasn't ravished her golden voice one bit. The only difference is that she now has more maturity and insight, the sort that just comes with living. Her manner is still direct and true, absent of any histrionics or distractions. She sings straight to and from the heart.
On Somewhere South of Crazy, set to be released August 30, 2011, Bradley sings 11 classics, including the title song, which she co-authored with country music legend Pam Tillis. There are a few surprises, like a version of the Seals and Crofts hit "Summer Breeze" that makes the song sound like it was always intended to be a bluegrass tune. More often, Bradley sticks with bluegrass songs like Sarah Pirkle's poignant "Come Home Good Boy" and the upbeat "In Despair," written by Joe Ahr and Juanita Pennington and made famous by Bill Monroe.
Alison Brown, co-founder of Compass Records and banjo player extraordinaire, produced Somewhere South of Crazy, and she kept the production simple to suit Bradley's style. Reading the fine print reveals that Brown spent three years with another Alison, Alison Krauss. Brown also contributes buoyant-yet-subtle banjo playing on most of the tracks. Other bluegrass artists that make appearances on Somewhere South of Crazy include Stuart Duncan, Steve Gulley, Andy Hall, and Sierra Hull. All of the instruments are recorded with detail and space, and all are in perfect balance with each other and with Bradley. The sound here is a successful case of less being more.
Be sure to listen to: At the beginning of the second track, "Round and Round," the interplay of Alison Brown's banjo, Sierra Hull's mandolin, and Steve Duncan's fiddle makes for a special, intimate sound.
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstagenetwork.com
Duda Lucena Quartet: "Live"
July 2011
Gentle South American Rhythms and Intimate Vocals Prove Perfect for Summer
Self released
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Hearing Duda Lucena and his well meshed quartet is like eating at that restaurant we all go to when we want something reliable. We might not be moved to ask for the recipe, but we'll be completely satisfied. Lucena sings in such an intimate manner that it's almost like he's singing to each individual listener. There were no fireworks on the album, but I came away from it happy and content as can be. Essential to the relaxed, low-key mood of the music are its gently swaying samba and maracatu influences, with a sprinkling of bossa nova. The gentle sounds depend on subtle, solid delivery; vocal histrionics would ruin them. Another key factor in the warmth and coziness is the Portuguese language, which is seldom harsh or biting.
Lucena, born in Pernambuco, Brazil, seems to have the language and music in his blood. He's upfront as singer and guitarist, and his backing musicians, Quentin Baxter on drums, Kevin Hamilton on acoustic bass, and Gerald Gregory on piano, all play impeccably to complete Lucena's lead. Each of these supporting partners is given a solo riff somewhere during the disc's seven cuts, and each aces his opportunity to shine. The album contains one original by Lucena ("Sol") and a half-dozen songs by genre giants such as Antonio Carlos Jobim ("Corcovado"), Gilberto Gil ("Drào"), and Caetano Veloso ("Odara" and "Trilhos Urbanos").
All the songs were recorded live, but the audience is either very polite or cut out by a discrete sound design, as you can hear them only during the applause at the end of each number. The balance among the four players is perfect, and I never felt that anyone should be brought forward or softened. They're just right as they are.
This live album is a perfect summertime recording to soothe flaring tempers set loose by extreme heat. Lucena now makes his home in the Charleston area, where lucky South Carolinians (and tourists) get to hear him every Wednesday from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Charleston Grill at Charleston Place. He also plays other locations in the Charleston area and a few in Rio. In the meantime, everyone can sample Lucena's art through this self-released disc, which is for sale at Amazon.com.
Be sure to listen to: In the opening of the last cut, "Odara," Lucena's four low notes are almost breathed rather than sung, with perfect pitch and intimacy.
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstagenetwork.com
Stevie Nicks: "In Your Dreams"
May 2011
Stevie Nicks Offers a Varied, Successful New Album
Reprise 5272472
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In Your Dreams, Stevie Nicks's first new solo album in a decade, is part memory, part mystical, and part contemporary, with the parts adding up to a very successful whole. The veteran queen of rock has been performing for over 40 years, yet her voice sounds just as it always has, with that immediately recognizable rasp adding character to every note. Nicks knows her voice, both its strengths and weaknesses, so she knows how to use it without making any missteps. Though she can often seem aloof and detached onstage, Nicks seems fully involved in every song on this CD.
The songs are varied, most featuring lyrics Nicks wrote, or as in the case of "Annabel Lee," lyrics she adapted. Nicks also wrote most of the music, with some tracks penned by the album's producer, Dave Stewart, who sings a duet with Nicks on the last cut, "Cheaper Than Free." I liked "New Orleans" best, in which Nicks sings of hope for a city all but destroyed by Hurricane Katrina while giving a nod to the types of outfits fans have come to expect of her: "I wanna dress up, I wanna wear beads, I wanna wear feathers and lace, I wanna brush by the vampires." Next for me would be the hollow and empty-sounding "Soldier's Angel," which makes a statement about war and alludes to Nicks's work in veteran's hospitals, where she has provided wounded military men with autographed MP3 players loaded with her favorite music. I also liked the conciliatory title song.
Scattered in and among these three are the supernatural and evocative "Annabel Lee," from Edgar Allen Poe, and "Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream)" inspired by the Twilight series of novels and films. In a world where music is mostly being downloaded a song at a time, the album has all but disappeared. This disc, however, has a carefully thought-out order and pacing that makes it a satisfying program as an album concept. The production is clean and clear for the most part, though once in a while, as in the title song, the sound becomes thick and overproduced. There's a long list of supporting musicians, which indicates recordings done over a period of time, but the smooth production makes it seem like they were all put together in the same afternoon.
Be sure to listen to: "Soldier's Angel," with its sparse scoring, is the best place to hear Nicks's voice. After a guitar intro, Nicks enters, and effective drumbeats carry you up to the chorus, when the backup singers join in for emphasis. It's what the folks over at Linn Records in Scotland like to call acid folk. A-plus acid folk, I'd add.
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstagenetwork.com
Megan Slankard: "A Token of the Wreckage"
February 2011
Megan Slankard's First New Album in Three Years Is a Winner
Daily Acts 39216
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In the video for the title song, Megan Slankard walks past a group of bored slacker musicians sitting on the curb outside a bar. She goes in, finds a location, unpacks her instrument, and starts to play and sing. The musicians from outside find their way inside and provide her with instrumental backing. The footage up to this point is black and white, but it gradually changes to full color as she finishes and leaves the bar. I admit it sounds hokey when put into words, but the simplicity and sincerity of the whole event makes it tremendously effective and uplifting. Slankard’s music is like that, positive and honest to a fault. You won’t regret hearing it, and your life might even be a little better for the effort.
The young singer, still in her 20s, hails from San Francisco. She’s been compared to Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell, Ani DiFranco, and other female singer-songwriters, and her style embodies country, folk, acoustic, and folk rock, yet doesn’t seem derivative. Slankard’s music supports lyrics that are down-to-earth intelligent and often deliberately ambiguous, letting the listener participate in the creative process through interpretation.
A Token of the Wreckage has been three years in the writing and contains songs that are mostly about coming of age and entering adulthood. The title song speaks of the many pitfalls in growing older, but it suggests we can always find a bright spot along the way. "The Happy Birthday" and "The Pain of Growing Up" are most obviously about the passage into adulthood, but that theme also underlies most of the music. I was especially taken with a song called "Beautiful Makeshift," which indicates that even though two sides of a relationship might seem at odds, the overall picture can become an ideal and satisfying compromise.
David Bryson of Counting Crows mixed the album, and it's largely clean as a whistle without losing any warmth. He introduces meaningful distortion on a few of the bigger tunes. I don’t care for it much, even if it does have purpose, but only ten percent of the album wallows in that excess. The rest is as refreshing as a mountain brook during spring thaw.
I wondered what will happen to Megan Slankard as I thought of Lawrence Lebo, another great female talent I’ve written about recently. I thought about them both as I was watching many sub-standard performers during the dismal Grammy Awards. How is it that talent gets swallowed up in a maelstrom of mediocrity? I want to blame American Idol for setting low standards, but perhaps that isn’t the whole story. After all, the immensely talented and original Esmeralda Spaulding got recognition. You can’t buy A Token of the Wreckage until March 8, but you can watch the
Be sure to listen to: The acoustic guitar, bass, and drums make a beguiling background for Slankard’s vocal. It’s a lovely, complete, wouldn’t-want-to-change-a-thing-about-it sound.
. . . Rad Bennettradb@soundstagexperience.com
Take 6: "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
November 2010
Hearthside Holiday Music That’s Smooth as Silk
Heads Up HUCD3158
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The a cappella group Take 6 has wowed audiences around the world with its virtuoso vocal style, earning them ten Grammy Awards. This is their third holiday album, and except for “I Saw Three Ships” and “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” it’s composed of secular holiday chestnuts that conjure up images of snowfall as seen from a cozy cabin heated by a roaring fire. Things get off to a rousing start with “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” which, like most of Take 6’s repertory, is mellow but has a lot of bounce and life.
A calypso-like version of “White Christmas” follows, and I must say that it’s refreshing to hear this new twist on an almost too-often-sung favorite. Up next is a humorous version of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” A bouncy take on Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” follows, leading to a jazzy version of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” “Jingle Bells” receives a surprisingly languid and laid-back interpretation, which perhaps sheds new light on it. The final track finds guest pianist and singer Shelea Frazier joining the group for Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here."
The sound is lush, smooth and homogenized. I would have liked a little bit more clarity and less overt mixing, but the somewhat breathy (bordering on overly reverberant) sonics actually fit the singing well. If you’re looking for a new “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” type of holiday set, you’ll like this one.
Be sure to listen to: Track 7 is a vocals-but-no-words version of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. With its finger snapping and vocal scoops, it sounds like the singers might have had too much hot-buttered rum. I can’t decide if I like it or not, but it certainly got my full attention.
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstagenetwork.com
"Christmas with The Washington Chorus"
November 2010
Vivid Voices and Blazing Brass Combine for a Thrilling Holiday Recording
Dorian Sono Luminus DSL-92117
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This is one of the most exciting big-chorus holiday recordings I’ve heard in a long time, and it’s not from the UK or Germany; it’s from this side of the pond. The performers are the Washington Chorus, the Whitman Choir, the National Capital Brass and Percussion, and organist John Bohl, all conducted by Julian Wachner, the director of the Washington Chorus. This is a downright thrilling disc, full of energy, drive, and astounding virtuosity. There are readers everywhere who find the sound of a large chorus with instrumental accompaniment the most exciting thing in music. They won’t be disappointed with this disc, and it might even create some new converts to the genre.
Most of the big carols are here -- “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” “Joy to the World,” and “The First Nowell,” mixed in with lesser-known classics like “Un Flambeau,” “Sing We to the Merry Company,” and “Good King Wenceslas,” the latter in an electrifying arrangement with dizzying trumpet swirls that are played to perfection. The other carols are heard in stunning arrangements as well, most with brass, but some with chorus alone, or chorus and harp. I was very taken with Glenn Rudolph’s “The Dream Isaiah Saw,” which closes the concert and makes very effective use of the timpani. The recorded sound is resonant and spacious but not at the expense of detail. The sounds all ring true, from delicate harp accompaniment to full chorus, resounding brass, and thunderous organ. Pretty good for a live recording (yes, there is applause but not until the very end). If you’ve been waiting for a new choral album to add to your holiday collection, this is it!
Be sure to listen to: Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus,” the concert’s encore piece. It’s often played in a stately tempo bordering on the funereal, but here it’s vivid and fleet, the brass playing the instrumental parts so well that you can easily forgive the lack of strings. It times out at 3:59 with applause. “Hallelujah” indeed! If you hear nothing else new this holiday season, hear this!
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstagenetwork.com
Esperanza Spalding: "Chamber Music Society"
August 2010
Esperanza Spalding’s Music Successfully Channels Exciting New Crossover Directions
Heads Up HUI-31910-2
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Young Esperanza Spalding is a triple-threat artist. She’s an accomplished acoustic bass player, a virtuoso jazz singer, and an adept songwriter. And on this exciting and appealing CD, she often displays all three of her talents at once. The album’s basic idea was to combine a jazz trio (Spalding, pianist Leo Genovese, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington) with a string trio made up of violinist Entcho Todorov, violist Lois Martin, and cellist David Eggar. The six players are augmented from time to time with another percussionist, as well as guitar and backing vocals. The result is a new direction for jazz that should also please listeners who like classical, folk, or world music.
The music is kaleidoscopic -- essential and alive, lush and lean, sweet and sultry, and simple and complex. Spalding brings new life to “Wild Is the Wind” and “Inútil Paisagem” by going to the heart of each piece, separating the elements and reweaving them in her distinctive and seductive style. Her voice can be simple and sweet (“Little Fly”) or insistent and cutting (“Really Very Small”). It’s an instrument that seems to have no restrictions of range or timbre, and it does exactly what she wants it to do. Though every track exhibits emotion and warmth, there’s always a consummate intellectual guidance system calling the shots. Spalding’s backup musicians sound more like collaborators who complement and expand her verve rather than taking a back seat, and the rich, full, and singularly focused close-up recorded sound makes everything clear to the listener’s ear.
Spalding is not yet 30, and she’s already on a course to become one of the hallowed greats of jazz. Get the CD and hitch a ride.
Be sure to listen to: The introduction to “Winter Sun” is delicately layered for Spalding’s bass, the piano, the string trio, and wordless backing voices. Superb engineering gives full support to make this track a moment of beauty and musical magic.
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstagenetwork.com
John Escreet: "Don't Fight the Inevitable"
June 2010
Jazz Tone Poems of Searing Intensity Sizzle on John Escreet's Second CD
Mythology Records MR0007
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Escreet's music is inventive, powerful, and even frightening at times. Throw in his virtuoso playing and it seems that the overused adjective awesome has found a worthwhile use. His backup band, the John Escreet Project, comprises musicians (David Binney on alto saxophone/electronics, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Matt Brewer on double bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums) who keep up with him not as background but as co-conspirators, and the ensemble's hair-raising virtuosity is breathtaking.
There's a sixth voice in "Charlie in the Parker," as a recording of Parker's spoken voice has been woven into the track: "Music is basically harmony, melody, and rhythm; people can be descriptive in all kinds of ways." Parker was instrumental in changing the face of jazz, and his inclusion here is a tribute to innovation and an affirmation that Escreet will keep its torch burning. The recorded sound is full and appropriately reverberant without losing any detail, and that's no small accomplishment since there are a so many subtleties here that could easily get lost in the often cacophonous mix.
Be sure to listen to: The striding opening and chord progressions of the first cut, "Civilization on Trial," which might remind the astute listener a bit of John Carpenter's Halloween score. That reference is quickly banished by an insistent rhythmic motif but then reappears under a new guise. For once the opening track on an album really sounds like a curtain raiser.
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstagenetwork.com
