OK, I can name all the country artists I respect on my nose. I fully understand that it’s a flaw in my personality, I mean all those guys wearing cowboy hats and shiny buckles on their belts must be doing something right. Right?Anyway, the new Keith Urban album, Defying Gravity (Capitol), is out and, like its predecessor of three years ago, it’s an album that unfairly gets earmarked as a country record, which scares away a chunk of audience that would otherwise appreciate his work.
Sadly, too many recognize him solely for his marriage to Nicole Kidman or his publicized rehab stint because the guy can write, sing, produce and is a pretty dammed good guitar player.
Standouts include “Kiss A Girl,” “Sweet Thing,” “Only You Can Love Me This Way,” “I’m In” and “If Ever I Could Love.” Too many times the public is too quick to judge a book by its cover, as is the case with Keith Urban. One good listen, though, to Defying Gravity and it’s obvious that he’s much more than someone’s preconceived opinion.
The new Tower of Power Great American Soulbook (TOP) is the perfect spring-into-summer album. Playing off the title of the popular Great American Songbook albums, this San Francisco powerhouse delivers a killer cruise-down-the-avenue-with-the-window-open album.
Here are 12 soul classics, obviously heavy on the horn charts, that remind us that no matter when it was written, a great song is always a great song. Still led by band founder and saxophonist Emilio Castillo, TOP has been going strong ever since its 1970 indie album East Bay Grease. Here Castillo produced the core of the album, keeping true to the materials’ original arrangements.
Four tracks, though, were produced by jazz great George Duke who gave his songs new arrangements. This breaks it up a bit and gives the album its legs. The listener never gets complacent.
Four guests join in on vocals: Tom Jones on the Sam and Dave classic “I Thank You,” Joss Stone on both “It Takes Two” and Your Precious Love” and Huey Lewis covers the Wilson Pickett classic “634-5789.”
Tower of Power is still a kick-butt band, and has there ever been a better horn section than these guys? This year, celebrating 40 years together, Great American Soulbook is a thankful reminder that sometimes you need not change a thing to be relevant.
Joe Jackson doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Here’s a guy that introduced “new wave pop” to American airwaves from his native Britain with hits like “I’m the Man” and “Is She Really Going out With Him.” He then went on to cross many genres including reggae, big band jazz, classical and ’40s swing before ultimately returning to pop.
While a good many detailed, greatest-hits packages have been offered, a better look at his catalog might be his latest Joe Jackson At The BBC (Universal International). Pretty much featuring his first three albums, the tracks compiled here are from an early studio session and three live shows captured at arguably the peak of Jackson’s popularity.
The studio stuff was recorded specifically for the John Peel Radio Show in 1979 and features “Fools in Love” and “One More Time,” while the live stuff includes everything from “Look Sharp” to “Another World.”
These are not dead-dog tracks, they are lively, energetic readings on material that Jackson was dedicated to at the time of their recordings. Still a working artist releasing last year’s superb Rain and constantly touring, At The BBC is a refreshingly different approach.
One moment you can have it all in the palm of your hand and the very next have it slip away. That’s pretty much the case with Gavin DeGraw. Here’s a guy that gained a ton of momentum playing shows in New York and continued it with his debut album Chariot, and then watched it fade away with a self-titled follow up.
He’s trying to rebuild that momentum with the stripped down Free (J Records).
His problem, if there was one to begin with, is that he’s a talented singer/songwriter but has absolutely no style whatsoever. That’s not a contradiction, the guy can write, but the songs need a personality – a personality DeGraw doesn’t possess.
His latest tries, but only from a musical standpoint. The nine songs here were recorded with minimal musical accompaniment, simple piano, guitar, bass and drums with little if any overdubs. Actually, it’s only seven original songs, being that he re-recorded his own “Waterfall” and covers Chris Whitley’s ” Indian Summer.”
You know what? It’s only OK at best. It’s cool that he’s attempting something different, but it’s no great shakes – no great vocals, no great musical arrangements. It’s about as vanilla as one can get.
The slide into oblivion continues.
For me, Neil Young has become more of a politician than a musician. That’s cool because I realize that with most politicians they really don’t know what’s best for me, and I shut those guys out when they no longer relate to me. That’s why most of Young’s latest work goes in one ear and out the other.
His latest, Fork in the Road (Reprise), is halfway through – its hesitation to the other side is simply for me to get through this review. Look at the CD cover. Are you going to listen to what this guy tells you to do?
No question, Young can play that guitar. That’s why guys like Pearl Jam want to side up to him and watch him wail. That’s about it though, he believes his sky is falling and is adamant in telling the world so.
It’s not that we don’t believe him; it’s more like you want to tell me something new.
Oops! It just went out the other ear.
