Record Reviews
📝 2096 reviews| Artist | Title | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Johnny Cash | American IV: The Man Comes Around | <p>The Man in Black's vision of the American west is one of a rugged, mournful land, where outlaws carry bibles over their hearts, and where sometimes, the good book even stops a bullet. The Man Comes Around is poised as the next chapter in Cash's darkling fairy tale, the fourth in an ongoing series of mostly-covers albums on which he gives material by some of today's most talented (or alternately, best-selling) artists his own aged slant. Now, time was, Johnny Cash covering a song like Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage" was a clever novelty made impressive by his ability to infuse these modern-day rockers with overwhelming emotion. Cash's renditions of songs like Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat" and Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" weren't so surprising, but far more powerful, as the spirit of those songs was so close to his own. The simple truth, of course, is that Cash's talent is such that he can elevate nearly any song to which he turns his ear. But on this, his fourth go-round on the same theme, it hardly seems necessary anymore; the songs of this record are taken from the most disparate ends of the musical spectrum, to no apparent end but show that he can do it. The first tragic subject of this case study is, almost predictably, Trent Reznor. (We knew it was just a matter of time, didn't we? I give it one more album before he gets around to Tool's "Schism.") The curriculum: "Hurt". Now, I'm not a big advocator of the NIN sound, but I'll give "Hurt" that it's got a fine melody, and its arrangement here is fantastic. Cash treats the song with such sincerity and honesty that it takes on a power that it never held in Reznor's hands, infusing it with genuine heart to accompany the bitterness. But that's just it-- could Cash really fail to bring something to this desolate ballad? It's like taking target practice at the Empire State Building. There's no challenge here-- it's just driving home a point. (And incidentally, those of you anticipating the line, "I wear this crown of shit," will be sorely disappointed.) Still, from the slithering blues groove of "Personal Jesus" to a surprisingly subtle duet with Fiona Apple on "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Cash never falters. Gorgeous, minimal arrangements highlight his emotive baritone and distill each track to its finest essentials. However, when an album consists of twelve covers and only three originals, something more than pretty arrangements is necessary, and it's called cohesion. Cash's renditions are often breathtaking in their simplicity, but rarely do they justify their presence among a dozen other similarly afflicted songs. A few exceptions are able to rise above, of course. "Hung My Head" is, and always has been, more Johnny Cash's than Sting's, and there's no disputing it now. And Cash and his understudy Nick Cave do justice to fellow Country hall-of-famer Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". In these tracks, Cash finds something more than excellent composition and heartfelt regret-- he taps into the essence of each song and truly makes it his own. If he could have done this more often, and with a better selection of songs, the bulk of this record wouldn't be overshadowed by the cataclysmic magnitude of its original title track. And the weaknesses of the covers wouldn't be half as apparent if they weren't thrown into such stark contrast with an original that could stand proudly alongside "Folsom Prison Blues" or "I Walk the Line". The Cash-penned "The Man Comes Around" is an epic tale of apocalypse, interpreting Revelations with uplifting exuberance. Restraint, resignation, and a hope of peace pervade the prophetic imagery. Truly, the subdued fury and beauty of this track reduces everything that follows. The immediate question posed is: if this man can still write and perform works of this caliber, why is he resorting to the words and music of others? Ideally, the covers should speak this answer for themselves. Unfortunately, Cash fails to give them voice to do so, and as such, they remain unfortunately silent.</p><p>— <strong>Eric Carr, Pitchfork</strong></p> |
| Cate Brothers Band | Fire On The Tracks | |
| Nick Cave | Nocturama | <p>It is truly sad when artists with great vision and imagination, whose work is filled with power and beauty, just kind of lose it all at once. This could be the first record Nick Cave has made that feels like he is just doing it because it is his job to make records and be Nick Cave. Everything is predictable and sounds like something Cave has done before. The Bad Seeds' edges are smoothed over by the too-slick production; Cave's lyrics are not provocative or funny or much of anything worth hearing. "He Wants You" is a smooth and tired-sounding love song, "Still in Love" is a gothic love song with cheesy lyrics and some sickly singing, and "Wonderful Life" has a nice, slinky beat and a memorable melody that is ruined by generic lyrics. There are also a few surprises of an unpleasant nature on Nocturama: "Bring It On" sounds like alternative rock by-the-numbers; without Cave's vocals it could be the Wallflowers.</p> <p>This could be the first Bad Seeds track to sport a depressingly standard guitar solo over the fade. Longtime Cave fans may need to reach for the smelling salts after hearing it. There are also a couple of songs that revisit the old storm-and-bang days of the Birthday Party and early Bad Seeds. One might say these forays into noisy, aggressive post-punk are commendable or one could say he is treading water he puked out 20 years ago. Add to that the fact that the racing tempos, jagged guitars, and shouted vocals of "Dead Man in My Bed" and the seemingly endless "Babe, I'm on Fire" break up the somnambulant mood of the rest of the record. Actually, while it may be derivative of his glorious past, "Babe, I'm on Fire" is a welcome blast of energy; he should have made it 30 minutes long instead of ten and called it his new record. Apart from that track, Cave sounds like a writer on his 15th book with nothing much left to say, nothing left to do but go through the motions, phoning his performance in with a yawn. His fans should send him a message by leaving Nocturama (his worst record title ever) to gather dust on record store and warehouse shelves. His laziness and weak effort should not be rewarded with your hard-earned cash.</p>— <b>Tim Sendra</b> |
| Kate Cebrano | The Best Of Kate Cebrano | |
| Chain | Toward The Blues | <p>Phil Manning's guitar work dominates this blues rock album and Taylor's vocals and harp playing provides the icing on the cake. Boogie is an epic with great dynamics, entering a hard rocking blues riff after an eastern inspired intro. Great album.</p><p> — <strong>Oparin Oleg</strong></p> |
| Chain | Toward The Blues | <p>Phil Manning's guitar work dominates this blues rock album and Taylor's vocals and harp playing provides the icing on the cake. Boogie is an epic with great dynamics, entering a hard rocking blues riff after an eastern inspired intro. Great album.</p><p> — <strong>Oparin Oleg</strong></p> |
| Chain | Two Of A Kind | |
| Mary Chapin Carpenter | Stones In The Road | |
| Blondie Chaplin | Rock And Roll | |
| Michael Chapman | Savage Amusement | |
| Ray Charles | Genius Love Company | <p>The fact that Genius Loves Company will be Ray Charles's final new album inspires an unavoidable blue feeling. But it's also a happy reminder that the man spent the last months of his life at work. The overall effect of these dozen duets is not only autumnal, but smooth; Brother Ray is on point and cruising here. Fine moments abound--you can hear his delight even in the rather stiff company of Diana Krall and Natalie Cole. His voice sounds a bit frayed by ill health at times, but it also allows for great performances (the slyness behind the ache in his version of the old soul hit "Hey Girl" with Michael McDonald; a grand "Crazy Love" with Van Morrison). Potently, he and Gladys Knight also remind us of the continued timeliness of Stevie Wonder's "Heaven Help Us All." Its best moments make Company one more essential purchase for Ray Charles fans.</p>— Rickey Wright |
| Charlie Hunter Quartet | Natty Dread | |
| Fredrick Chopin | Piano Classics | |
| Charlie Christian | Solo Flight | |
| Eric Clapton | For Your Love | |
| Eric Clapton | Clapton Is God | <p>The whole Clapton Is God thing back in the 1960s was a bit ridiculous and no doubt a source of embarrassment for Eric Clapton, but the fact remains that he was a dedicated blues enthusiast and a passionate guitar session player early in his career, as this handy two-disc set shows. Including a variety of early sides Clapton did with the likes of the Yardbirds, Sonny Boy Williamson, Otis Spann, Champion Jack Dupree, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Jimmy Page, Martha Velez, and Viv Stanshall, among others, this selection makes a nice way to see and hear Clapton's early guitar work before Cream and rock superstardom took over and changed everything.</p><p>— <strong>Steve Leggett</strong></p> |
| Eric Clapton | Eric Clapton | |
| Eric Clapton | 461 Ocean Boulevard | <p>461 Ocean Boulevard is Eric Clapton's second studio solo album, arriving after his side project of Derek and the Dominos and a long struggle with heroin addiction. Although there are some new reggae influences, the album doesn't sound all that different from the rock, pop, blues, country, and R&B amalgam of Eric Clapton. However, 461 Ocean Boulevard is a tighter, more focused outing that enables Clapton to stretch out instrumentally. Furthermore, the pop concessions on the album — the sleek production, the concise running times — don't detract from the rootsy origins of the material, whether it's Johnny Otis' "Willie and the Hand Jive," the traditional blues "Motherless Children," Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff," or Clapton's emotional original "Let It Grow." With its relaxed, friendly atmosphere and strong bluesy roots, 461 Ocean Boulevard set the template for Clapton's '70s albums. Though he tried hard to make an album exactly like it, he never quite managed to replicate its charms.</p><p>— <strong>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</strong></p> |
| Eric Clapton | There's One In Every Crowd | <p>Having stayed out of the recording studio for four years prior to making his comeback album, 461 Ocean Boulevard, Eric Clapton returned to recording only a few months later to make its follow-up, There's One in Every Crowd. Perhaps be hadn't had time to write or gather sufficient material to make a similarly effective album, since the result is a scatter-shot mixture of styles, leading off with two gospel tunes, one a reggae version of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Clapton and his second guitarist, George Terry, had written a sequel to "I Shot The Sheriff," "Don't Blame Me," which Clapton sang in his best impersonation of Bob Marley's voice. The other originals included "Opposites," whose lyrics were just that — day, night, life, death, etc. The album's best track, naturally, was the blues cover, Clapton's take on Elmore James's "The Sky Is Crying." But There's One in Every Crowd was a disappointing follow-up to 461 Ocean Boulevard, and fans let Clapton know it: While the former album had topped the charts and gone gold, the latter didn't even make the Top 10.</p><p>— <strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p> |
| Eric Clapton | E.C. Was Here |
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