![]() |
|
It’s difficult to find anything that can live up to The Hype: that cleaning-the-bathroom-brand boredom of a Raconteurs album, your tax return, anything from George Lucas after 1983. But TV on the Radio’s second album (and major label debut), Return to Cookie Mountain, is so spot-on good that for once, Pitchfork’s review sounds intelligent rather than condescending. Does it sound like the product of an evening’s indiscretion betwixt David Bowie, Peter Murphy, and Peter Gabriel? So much so that, yes, that is David Bowie singing backup. Slick, grooving, and warm, lead singer Tunde Adebimpe isn’t above you, he’s probably the guy at his neighborhood’s version of Lux that everybody knows. This is the non-cringing, engaging type of sonicscape that made Pornography The Cure’s only listenable album. It’s a tight, consistent work that’ll have new shimmery moments well into your fifth listen. --- Tim Goodwin |
|
![]() |
|
Dave Wright spent his formative years in --- Ron Netsky
|
|
![]() |
|
It takes a two-step process to really enjoy and appreciate the talents of Tommy Emmanuel, the world-renowned “finger style” guitar player from The second step is to listen to his new CD, The Mystery. The beauty of the guitar is personified by his craftsmanship. “Lewis and --- Tony Trama |
|
![]() |
|
The quality of a jazz recording depends on so many factors --- mastery of an instrument, improvisational skill, originality and emotion --- that we often take for granted one of the most important components: sound. Some of the greatest jazz recordings ever made were recorded in the legendary In recent years Prestige has paid another visit to Van Gelder (now in Englewood Cliffs), asking the great engineer to digitally re-master the tapes of the original sessions. The results are, not surprisingly, brilliant. Among the re-releases are the great Walkin’ album by Miles Davis, Etta Jones’ wonderful Don’t Go To Strangers, and Jack McDuff’s bluesy masterpiece, The Honeydripper. But my favorite so far is John Coltrane’s Soultrane. This1958 session finds Coltrane with the stellar Red Garland Trio (Paul Chambers, bass, and Arthur Taylor, drums). Three up-tempo numbers (“Good Bait,” “You Say You Care,” and “Russian Lullaby”) are interspersed with two ballads (“I Want To Talk About You,” and “Theme For Ernie”). While --- Ron Netsky
|