Norah Jones – The Fall

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Norah Jones has thirteen new songs to offer on her latest release The Fall, which marks a change in direction for her and features a different sound as she works with a new cast of musicians. Norah plays more guitar on her fourth album and less piano, but fear not, her vocals remain as beautiful and sexy smooth as ever. One more change is that Miss Jones’ hair is now short, but again she remains stunning, which goes to show that new looks, sound, and musicians can’t take away from true brilliance.

“Chasing Pirates” opens with synth vamps, mellow bass and guitar, a steady drum snap, other percussion, and the Wurlitzer swirling in the background. The mix of instruments with Norah’s sublime vocals and lyrics has me reeling and lost instantly in the eerie, dreamlike darkness. The lyrics are great and illustrate how one text message can send the mind spinning: “In your message you said/ You were going to bed/ But I’m not done with the night/ So I stayed up and read/ But your words in my head/ Got me mixed up so I turned out the light/And don’t know how to slow it down/ My mind’s racing from chasing pirates.” The lyrics move on and there’s “an ambulance scream,” “impossible schemes,” and drowning insanity, back to mind racing, chasing pirates, a line which is delivered masterfully by Norah. There’s also the slightest Caribbean feel, like Blondie’s “The Tide Is High,” slowed to a crawl and buried in the sand so its barley audible.

“Even Though,” “Light As A Feather,” and “Young Blood” continue down the road of darkness set up by “Chasing Pirates.” The bass lines and drums remain a steady, driving factor and can be related to certain gothic, new wave sounds of the early- to mid-1980s. Norah’s lyrics shine and along with the music remain a bit heavy even as she has some writing help from Jesse Harris (“Even Though”), Ryan Adams (“Light As A Feather”), and Mike Martin (“Young Blood”). “Young Blood” contains great lyrics about gunning down werewolves, “Our fears are only what we tell them to be,” and “Young blood/Young bones/Old ghost,” not in that exact order but strung together well and in a way that makes them work wonders.

“I Wouldn’t Need You,” “Waiting,” “You’ve Ruined Me,” “Stuck,” and “Tell Yer Mama” break things up a bit. They have that country vibe Norah has displayed here and there on her past recordings. “Wouldn’t Need You” finds Norah’s piano work brought to the front and tells of how if she could do certain things on her own and feel a certain way on her own she “wouldn’t need you.”

“Waiting” finds her doing just that, wondering why and will she ever learn and will waiting at all ever get “you” to return. “Stuck” brings in some scratchy, heavy electric guitar and the play of the bass, piano, and string synth remind me, in a slight way, of the chorus to Lou Reed's “Satellite Of Love.” Call me "crazy," but I hear it.

“Tell Yer Mama” finds Jesse Harris and old friend Richard Julian helping with the songcraft on this mid-tempo country romp. The bass thumps out solid plunks as the drums pound an Indian bop hop beat. The clavinet provides an interesting sound twist to this tale of someone who just can’t see that the girl is waiting for him to come around.

“It’s Gonna Be” is the thunder-and-lighting track as its three minutes of heavy, rumble drums; thick bass grooves; mean guitar; and a “tuff” sounding Wurlitzer set the stage for Norah’s assertive vocals. She pushes you back telling how its gonna be: “Aim at the ones who’ve really hurt us/ They should be arrested for murders.”

“Back To Manhattan” and “December” are the jazzy/country tunes that could have been pulled from her previous recordings. “Manhattan” is a quiet piece about going back to something or someone you’d thought you could simply ride away from. “December” scales things back more as this one is only played with acoustic guitar, some light programming and synth, and of course Norah’s piano and sublime vocals.

“Man Of The Hour” is the album closer and finds Norah alone at the piano telling of her “man” of the hour: a dog. After listening to this witty little ditty, it makes you wonder and rethink the focus of some of the others songs' lyrics. Then there is the album cover with her in a furry-looking wedding gown with a top hat and a Saint Bernard at her feet while the CD insert has her in the same dress surrounded by dogs.

Norah Jones’ The Fall is mostly set to a different pace for her. Some fans may be a bit taken back at first, but Norah is the same talent overall and can still make you think and sing along with her poetry and wit set to wonderful music.

Billy Idol - In Super Overdrive Live

Written by Pirata Hermosa

This Blu-ray is from a concert that aired on the TV series Soundstage and was filmed at the Congress Theater in Chicago. Starting off with the song “Super Overdrive” from his most recent album The Devil’s Playground, you immediately can tell something doesn’t sound right. Normally from a live concert you’d hear comments about poor sound quality, but during this performance it’s the exact opposite. The sound is way too good and sounds overly processed. Idol is known for being somewhat of a punk rocker with a bit of gravel to his voice, but right from the beginning the voice and music sound way too smooth. These songs need to sound a little dirty and feel a little bit rawer than the over-polished sound that comes through.

His guitarist, Steve Stevens, plays perfectly throughout, and after watching him play you’d think he was born with a guitar in his hand as he makes it look so effortless. The only thing negative about Stevens’ performance is that he doesn’t get to showcase his musical talents enough.

The show is pretty bare-boned. Billy Idol’s costume changes consist of him taking off one layer of clothing at a time. The lighting is pretty simple, and there isn’t a lot of banter with the crowd. It’s also strangely edited and it feels like large chunks are missing. It’s pretty noticeable when after performing “Eyes Without a Face” he comes back onstage wearing a jacket and shirt again.

Choosing “Kiss Me Deadly” by Generation X as the final song seems like a really odd choice to end the concert on, but if you continue to watch after the song when he is waving to the cheering audience, suddenly his clothes are changed back to what he was wearing during “Ready Steady Go” and it becomes obvious that this wasn’t really the last song he performed but just the order that they decided to put it on the Blu-Ray.

The concert is presented in 1080i High Definition Widescreen 16x9 with a 1.78.1 aspect ratio and is of exceptional quality. Unlike a normal concert, nothing is lost in the dark areas of the stage. You can see the drummer in the back as if he was up in the front, and you can even read some of the dials and settings on the amps and racks in the background.

Audio is in LPCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS HD Master Audio. This is one of the best concerts I’ve ever heard. The music comes at you from all directions. It has an excellent blend of all five musicians and allows you to be able to hear each one individually while not overpowering anyone else.

There are no special features or commentary on the disc.

The set list includes:

Super Overdrive
Dancing With Myself
Flesh For Fantasy
Touch My Love
White Wedding
Scream
Eyes Without a Face
Cry
Blue Highway
Ready Steady Go
Rebel Yell
Kiss Me Deadly

Thin Lizzy - Are You Ready?

Written by Pirata Hermosa

Thin Lizzy was a hard rock band formed in Ireland in 1969 and fronted by Phil Lynott, one of the few black lead singers/bass players/songwriters to succeed in that genre. The band recorded several albums before they broke out big in the United States with their album Jailbreak in 1976 that included two of their biggest songs, “Jailbreak” and “The Boys Are Back In Town”

The lineup changed several times during their career and for this particular concert performance in Loreley, Germany in 1981 and shown on the country’s Rockpalast television show, the lineup included: Lynott, Scott Gorham and Snowy White on guitars, Darren Wharton on keyboards, and drummer Brian Downey.

Unfortunately, like many other Thin Lizzy concert videos the recording quality is poor. It’s too bad, because they are all really good musicians. The dueling lead guitar sound is the trademark of the band and both guitarists play amazing solos in every song. Most of the songs are very bluesy and tend to be longer than average, giving each member of the band an opportunity to display their chops.

While the audio quality suffers, so does the video. One of the cameras gives you rippling lines that run horizontally up and down the picture, reminiscent of the bad signals that would constantly occur before cable television. The stage is also poorly lit and the lighting crew seems to have trouble moving the spotlights around.

You can also see in their performances and style that it’s right before the heavy metal explosion of the ‘80s. There’s a little bit of leather and choreographed movements, not a lot, but just enough to make you wonder what they would have become if Phil had not died in January of 1986 at the age of 36. It’s also interesting to see an audience that is so reserved and so calm.

While this may not be a DVD for someone who has never heard of them before, the sheer number of songs they perform and the lack of other material out in the marketplace make it worth getting your hands on.

There are no special features on the DVD

The set list is as follows:
A re You Ready?
Genocide
Waiting For An Alibi
Jailbreak
Trouble Boys
Don’t Believe A Word
Memory Pain
Got To Give It Up
Chinatown
Hollywood
Cowboy Song
The Boys Are Back In Town
Suicide
Black Rose
Sugar Blues
Baby Drives Me Crazy
Rosalie
Desaster
Emerald

John Denver - Around the World Live

Written by Hombre Divertido

On October 13th Eagle Records released what is being heralded as the definitive John Denver DVD Release. “Definitive” is one way to describe it. “Eclectic” is another, and “excessive” is also an option.

Consisting of four live concerts, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” live in Australia 1977, “Rocky Mountain High” live in Japan 1981, “Country Roads” live in England 1986, and “Solo Acoustic Show” live in Japan 1984 as well his Farm Aid performances from 1985, 1987, and 1990 and two documentaries, Earth Day 1990 and Day at Bighorn (1972), the collection has 592 minutes of material on five discs.

Around the World Live is definitive in that it spans more than ten years of live performances. It is eclectic in that it includes such things as the Earth Day documentary, which may have been one of Mr. Denver's passions, and is briefly hosted by him, but it really has little to do with him, and the material is outdated. It is excessive in its repetitiveness. The collection includes no less than six performances of “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and numerous performances of other Denver Classics as well.

Though it is interesting to watch how the technology to film a concert advanced over the years, eventually the footage becomes more enjoyable to listen to, rather than to sit and watch an incredibly talented man stand in front of a microphone and strum his guitar over and over. The concert from Australia in 1977 is awkward from the opening where it fails to properly capture Denver’s introduction, and remains awkwardly filmed throughout. As technology improved over the years, so does the footage of the concerts.

The documentary Day at the Bighorn lends the most insight into Denver, his personality, and his passion for animals and the great outdoors, but it is clumsily edited, and generally results in poor storytelling.

The gem in this release is the acoustic performance in Japan from 1984, as it truly displays the immense talent and vocal range of Denver.

The sound quality of all segments is excellent, and most of the footage looks great if you are so inclined to watch all of it.

Recommendation: Around the World Live seems thrown together, as the Earth Day documentary seems out of place. A documentary on John Denver’s life would have made for the perfect conclusion to the story attempted to be told here. Even the addition of the made-for-television movie Take Me Home: The John Denver Story from 2000 with Chad Lowe as Denver, would have made for a more well-rounded release. The true fan may enjoy sitting and watching all of this, but most will simply enjoy listening to some of it.

Squirrel Nut Zippers - Lost At Sea

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Squirrel Nut Zippers return with Lost At Sea, their first release since 2002’s best-of collection. Recorded live in Brooklyn, NY, on December 5th 2008, this is the Zippers’ first live album and contains seventeen tracks that span their clever career.

Going back to 1994, the Zippers have had a sound that is hard to classify, which is a good thing. Bringing together all the elements of 1930s music at its best (jazz, swing, jug band, country, and jump blues), the band blends them together well and creates a signature sound, living hot jazz with Harlem Renaissance-influence. With sizzling guitar, rolling thunder drums, at times aggressive vocals, and a dark sense of humor, the band truly cuts their own notch and stands above some others that got caught in the swing revival of the mid 1990s.

Lost At Sea finds key members of the Zippers, Jimbo Mathus (vocals, guitar, trombone) and Katharine Whalen (vocals, banjo) back in full force. They had put the band aside for a while to pursue solo work and new paths in life. The once-married founding members are now back to cooking and set to burn down more concert halls.

The album is a best-of collection with a live vibe, playing the hits while reaching back through all their albums. From ‘95s The Inevitable we get the rollicking fun of “Good Enough For Grandad” and the seductive “Danny Diamond.”

The majority of the 17 tunes hail from the band’s breakout album Hot. The seven slices of squirrel nuttiness include the big horns and rockin’ late night juke guitar of “Memphis Exorcism,” the hip-shaking “Prince Nez,” the toe-tapping ditty “Bad Businessman” and the sensual Whalen-sung numbers “It Ain’t You” and “Blue Angel.” Of course Lost At Sea wouldn’t be complete with out the punchy “Put A Lid On It” or the demon-driven hit song “Hell.”

Hot’s follow-up, Perennial Favorites, brings the jumpy, social satyr, jazz fun of “Fat Cat Keeps Getting Fatter” and “Suits Are Picking Up The Bill” along with the gypsy-flavored “My Drag.” The standout “Ghost Of Stephen Foster” is an eerie, fast-paced race with a ghostly chorus, spooky clarinet, crashing cymbals, and frenzied horns.

Rounding out Lost At Sea are two tracks from Bedlam Ballroom, the funky, soulful, Texas-guitar romp “Do What” and the Mardi Gras party “Missing Link Parade,” although we are only given an exciting sample on the latter.

Going all the way back to their earliest days, they bring us the quiet “You Are My Radio” with just a guitar and male/female duet. An amusing gem is the country-tinged “Happens All The Time,” which I can’t find on any of the band’s recordings and may be a hint of their rumored forthcoming studio album.

Flooded with the fun and frolic that made them the “hottest band in the hall,” the band is back in top form, ready to re-launch with hard-charging guitars, drums, horns, Mathus’ strong voice and Whalen’s Billie Holiday-inspired vocals. You’ll dance, you’ll sing, you’ll love being Lost At Sea with the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

The Definitive Vince Guaraldi

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Way back before he met the Peanuts gang pianist Vince Guaraldi was playing fine jazz either as a sideman or leading a trio. Cutting, digging, and jiving his way through the San Francisco scene, turning out platters on the Fantasy label for years. Here now is The Definitive two-disc collection of his finest works from those early days to his ‘60s hits, and of course, the tunes brought him to the masses.

Guaraldi began in the early 1950s as a sideman for vibraphonist Cal Tjader and then for clarinetist Woody Herman before forming his own trio around ’55. With years of side work under his cap and backed by hard-working kats who’d been gigging around like himself, he began his run at jazz stardom. From these years come jams like “Calling Dr. Funk,” which includes some good alto sax by Jerry Dodgion, and the flying “Fascinating Rhythm.” The latter is a fast-paced romp that has the ivories smokin’ while the guitar (Eddie Duran) and bass (Dean Reilly) are on fire as the trio race to the finish; listen to the last piano run, you can hear a bit of the future.

The trio can slow it down to a sleepy stroll with tunes like “Never Never Land” and “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing.” The boys can also swing a bit with the cool “Fenwyck’s Farfel” and the hep grooves laid down on “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise.”

“Samba De Orfeu” begins a new phase in Vince’s career as he picks up a Latin beat and incorporates samba and bossa nova rhythms into the mix (“Mr. Lucky,” “Corovada,” and “Work Song”). Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete plays on a few tunes that include “Star Song,” “The Days Of Wine And Roses,” “Ginza Samba,” and “The Girl From Ipanema”

Guaraldi scored his biggest hit with 1962’s “Cast Your Fate To The Wind,” the song producer Lee Mendelson heard and kept in mind as he worked with cartoonist Charles Schultz while bringing Schultz’s Peanuts comic strip to television. The connection becomes clear after one listen to songs like “Cast Your Fate” and “El Matador” that this will be the music of the Peanuts gang and become Guaraldi’s signature sound: cheerful piano; plucky bass; and steady, easy-going brush drumming with a slight Latin kick. Overall mellow and cool, yet very playful. Mendelson made the call to Guaraldi and the rest is history.

With all the pieces in place, Guaraldi, a Peanuts fan in his own right, put it all together and gave us the classics we know and love today: the bouncy “Linus And Lucy” and “Skating;” the mellow “Oh, Good Grief;” and the quirky “Charlie Brown Theme.” Let’s not forget the holiday titles that go hand in hand with those original specials, “Thanksgiving Theme,” “Christmas Is Coming,” “Christmas Is Here,” and “The Great Pumpkin Waltz.” The holidays wouldn’t be complete without seeing these specials or hearing these songs somewhere as you shop for gifts or pick up that last-minute can of yams.

So go grab The Definitive Vince Guaraldi because without him and his cheerful piano playing we wouldn’t have those jazzy memories of holidays gone by. And if not for his years of knocking around San Francisco soaking up the sounds, it wouldn’t have all come together and given him the fame he knew he would achieve. It’s too bad a heart attack claimed Guaraldi at 47 before he knew the lasting effect his music would have on the world.

Rosanne Cash - The List

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Rosanne Cash, daughter of the legendary Johnny Cash and a great songwriter herself, is back with her twelfth studio album. It is a treasure of twelve of country music’s most essential recordings given Rosanne’s special touch with her wonderful vocals. The idea for the album came to her while touring for her last album, 2006’s Black Cadillac. Rosanne remembered a key lesson her father taught her about her country roots and thus through Johnny’s wisdom shines The List.

Black Cadillac was Rosanne’s way of expressing the loss she felt over her father, mother Vivian, and stepmother June Carter Cash in the album’s reflective tunes. In concert she told the audience about a time when she was 18 and her father realized her knowledge of country standards was limited. A few hours later Johnny came back with a list of what he titled “100 Essential Country Songs.” Rosanne recalls the list covering a wide range of songs in the country spectrum (including some of his own) from early folk and blues to the more modern sounds of Hank Williams Sr. and rockabilly, right up to what at the time, 1973, was current. She learned them all and came to embrace those songs as a “standard of excellence.” It was a reminder of who she was and where she came from.

In past covers Rosanne has done, including the Beatles’ “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party,” she has always managed to make them her own and nothing has changed here. I have always been swept up in her beauty and her voice; she is the female voice of country I remember most from my youth. Her version of Johnny’s “Tennessee Flat Top Box” would have me smiling and singing along, and my mother would always call me to the television whenever the video came on. Rosanne was probably my first crush. I thought she was the prettiest girl (I loved her black hair and style of dress) with the most beautiful voice; I was smitten, and still am.

From the start, Rosanne’s voice takes center stage with the slow, country waltz of Jimmie Rogers’ classic “Miss The Mississippi And You.” Something in her smooth delivery, timing, and overall soothing voice captures me in a trance, as if I were a child again lost in her voice, and the story she tells is of simply missing someone and someplace. A sad story I can understand.

“Motherless Children” picks up the pace, and we get snapping, solid drum beats by Shawn Pelton, great string picking by John Leventhal (producer and Rosanne’s husband) on guitar, bass, and mandolin while Larry Campbell strokes the fiddle. Rosanne puts more in her vocals here too, digging deeper, getting more soulful and powerful as the band stays steady behind her.

“Sea Of Heartbreak,” which her father covered on his acclaimed Unchained album on American records, finds the first of Rosanne’s friends turning up to help her out. We get The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, providing his ragged vocals that actually fit well with Rosanne’s, making this well-done little remake a classic itself. I love the fact that she went slow with the tune as opposed to Johnny’s jumpy, high-energy version. Perfect.

Other guests include Elvis Costello on the Harlan Howard tune “Heartaches By The Number,” Rufus Wainwright on Merle Haggard’s “Silver Wings” and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy on “Long Black Veil,” another tune done by Johnny at one time. These sad songs of loss never lack feeling and are done well as the men trade vocals and harmonize with Rosanne wonderfully.

Two songs I looked forward to most were the Hank Cochran/Patsy Cline song “She’s Got You” and a song her father and Bob Dylan did together, one of my all-time favorites “Girl From The North Country.” Rosanne carries both well and makes them new by putting her loving touch on them. On “Girl From The North Country” as well as “Long Black Veil” she doesn’t change the lyrics to reflect a women’s point of view. A bit odd, but she pulls it off as you can picture her singing these songs to herself somewhere like any other women who loves these songs would have done.

Rounding out the album are “500 Miles,” “Take These Chains From My Heart” (Hank Williams), “I’m Moving On” (Hank Snow) and “Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow” (The Carter Family). Rosanne works her magic on all wonderfully, leaving her heart and soul on the recordings she has adored since her youth.

The List is an album her fans will love and have waited for while fans of real country music can appreciate it for the love and care that Rosanne Cash has put into reworking these fine country staples, blending perfectly the traditional with the modern through her band and beautiful voice.