Reviews

Weekly Reviews For May 7, 2006

Review Index

I am Managing Editor at Metal4Life

I also contribute reviews to getreadytorock

I am also featured reviewer at spacerock.co.uk

I was Editor & reviewer at MetalUK.

New Reviews

Karen Monte - Close Your Eyes

Maybe this just caught me in the right place and time. A chill, spring morning wandering through half-lit streets, with a heavy heart. then I slipped this album into the walkman. Nine songs later my heart was still heavy but temporary relief is better than no relief.

I'm always vaguely insulted by the term smooth jazz, suggestive as it is of something lacking, when it can be so much more. Especially, when there is a voice as pure and soothing as the one possessed by Karen Monte. There's no sloppy diction here, as each word is carefully measured for maximum impact.

A mixture of covers and originals, much kudos goes to songwriter, keyboard player and co-producer John Mackay whose songs hold themselves proudly in some heady company. Although the overall winner is the eternally hopeful "You Show Me" which even warms the cockles of this jaded reviewer. A divine album and my new best friend.

Johnny Cash - The Unauthorised Biography


Well we all know what unauthorised means - couldn't afford to buy the expensive clips or pay for music rights so we'll bung a pile of public domain rubbish on a disc full of talking heads. However, this one is considerably better than most.

As we all know, Johnny Cash ended up an American music icon, especially after the Rick Rubin produced material in the decade prior to his death. Hence why he is one of the few people inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

However, he was also a man of many contradictions and this DVD doesn't shy away from his black side, with the two main interviewees, drummer W.C. (Fluke) Holland and brother Tommy Cash content to relate tales which show both sides to the legend. Naturally, there aren't any full songs, but the story is told well, and it does exactly what it says on the tin.

The DVD also contains several bonus features including: tours of Johnny and June’s home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and of Johnny’s private recording studio, which while not essential are reasonable enough.

With interest in Cash at an all time high after the one dimensional "Walk The Line", this is a good way into the rest of his life, for those new to the story.

Soular - Waiting For Tomorrow

Normally the notion of indie rock leaves me cold. It's usually a bunch of whey faced fey boys, too scared of real rawk, desperately hoping that being in a band will rid them of their virginity. It usually does but that doesn't prevent them being the spawn of Satan. Add in the word anthemic and I'm reaching for my crucifix and a shotgun.

So you will have some idea of the pain it causes me to proclaim that "Take Me Away", the second track on this CD is the best song I have heard this year. And (whisper it), it's anthemic indie rock. Of course, I will now spend the next couple of paragraphs trying to dig myself out of that hole by making statements like 'transcending genres', 'remarkable use of space' and 'Mercury Rev'. All in a vain attempt to salve my weary conscience. So, here goes.

Soular have treated music as the spiritual gift it really is, and by doing so havemanaged to transcend the notion of genre. In between the accomplished melodies they're not scared to leave spaces, lesser bands would rush to fill with unnecessary instrumentation. ALthough they're not afraid to try and mix it up with the odd layer of electronic texturing now and then, in finest kitchen sink stylee.

This album has been pretty much welded to the ceedee player since its arrival with "You taste You Feel" and "So, This Is The Way It Feels" almost matching "Take Me Away" in yearning intensity. And now I must go and lift something heavy and carry it around for a wee while.

Tim Tibbitts - Portraits

I would like to point out that the line, "the streets are a candy store for every lonely guy" is very, very wrong and does not reflect the official views of the management. I mean, it's right, we just don't want the ladies to find out how we really think.

I had been told in advance that the killer track on this ceedee was "You Got Me", and there it was, track 2, one of the finest heartbreak songs I've heard in a long while. TIm has a directness about his music that is very refreshing and his modern take on classic American rock is big of melody and chorus in a way that only wide open spaces seems to generate.

If you like your music to have shades of Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls and Barenaked Ladies then you're going to enjoy this. The songs are well crafted, each worthy of your attention with Tims manly voice icing on the cake. No fey, girlboy voices here, thank you very much.

Sarah Kelly - Take Me Away

I needed this quite badly. Fabulous melodies, glorious vocals, tremendous songs, and a hefty dose of spirituality.

Now I may inhabit a world beset with personal demons but that only makes me admire the people who've found a way out all the more. And if they happen to write great, adult pop songs, then so much the better.

Sarah is blessed with a voice that whispers, swoops, soars and roars, as required, and is capable of taking you along with her on the journey. A very special gift, indeed. Some of the songs are quite incredible, immediately sounding like long lost friends with the title track, "Take Me Away", one of the finest songs of any genre I've heard all year. Elsewhere, the sprightly "Forever and the southern soul tinged "Please Forgive Me" are almost as good. A delight from beginning to end.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion


Sorry, I just don't get it. Ramshackle indie instrumentation straight out of 1986. Screechy unmelodic vocals only a rutting walrus could love, a drum beat Meg White would reject out of hand as too pedestrian. And this is supposed to be good, how?

Now, if it had been some kind of April Fools joke that got out of hand, then that would be worth admiring. Oh, and be warned, the other tracks are even worse. Nurse!