GoodSound! "Music" Archives Published September 1, 2001 |
Joe Strummer
& The Mescaleros: Global A-Go Go
Hellcat Records 80440-2
Musical Performance |
|
Recording Quality |
|
Overall Enjoyment |
|
Joe Strummer may be nearing 50, but the former The Clash frontman
and punk-rock icon certainly isnt ready to start using his vocal cords to yell
"bingo" in the old-rockers' home. In fact, Global A-Go Go is so good that
it may signal a new career start and bring him a new legion of fans (and wont young
Green Day fans be shocked when they find out their favorite band is simply ripping off a
25-year-old sound!). The opening track "Johnny Appleseed" will appease diehard
Clash fans with a delivery that would fit right into any of the bands first three
albums. But this isnt a middle-aged man sitting on his Twin Reverb trying to make
money from his past accomplishments. Strummer and his band deliver an 11-song CD
thats a diverse blend of musical styles including rock, pop, reggae, and even a
touch of western. Recording quality is precise and detailed. Sprawling, ambitious, and
surprisingly fresh. Who says you cant teach old dogs?
Sarah Slean: Sarah Slean
Wea/Atlantic 2 83502
Musical Performance |
|
Recording Quality |
|
Overall Enjoyment |
|
On her self-titled
big-label release, the Canadian-born, classically trained pianist Sarah Slean delivers a
tight, refreshing seven-song pop/rock CD that signals the emergence of a bright new
talent. Shes already had some underground success, and four of the tracks here are
from her previous independent CD releases, Universe and Blue Parade. The
three others are new. Given her piano-out-front style and unique vocals, some listeners
have compared her to Tori Amos. If anything, the expansive pop arrangements on four of the
tracks -- "Eliot," "Book Smart, Street Stupid," "Sweet
Ones," and "Me & Jerome" -- remind me of Aimee Manns work on the Magnolia
soundtrack. Nevertheless, this isnt a me-too artist -- her songs possess a distinct
sound all her own. Recording quality varies, and there's a large amount of tape hiss, but
overall, it's still quite good. This is a must-have release for those, like me, who love
eccentric piano-playing female vocalists.
Chopin Sonata
No.3, Op.58 in B Minor; Liszt Piano Sonata in B Minor
Mapleshade 07382
Musical Performance |
|
Recording Quality |
|
Overall Enjoyment |
|
Mapleshade's first classical recording is special. It features a prize-winning
performer, Alan Gampel (Naumburg International Piano Competition, 1991; Arthur Rubinstein
International Piano Competition Chopin Prize, 1995), playing music by two of the world's
greatest romantic piano composers on a unique Fazioli Model 278 concert grand. By
eschewing overdubs, compression limiters and multi-miking, Mapleshade has created an
uncompromised musical experience. Add interpretations that prompted Max Wilcox, Arthur
Rubinstein's producer (and a man who should know) to call Gampel's Liszt one of the three
or four best performances on record -- and you have a must-own for everyone's solo piano
collection.
Vassilis Saleas: Orama
Vassilis Saleas plays Vangelis
FM 390
Musical Performance |
|
Recording Quality |
|
Overall Enjoyment |
|
Vassilis Saleas is one of contemporary Greece's most famous
clarinetists. Vangelis Papathanassiou is the celebrated composer of many film soundtracks
-- including Blade Runner, Antarctica, Opera Sauvage and The Bounty -- and a
major, although reclusive, star of the New Age/Adult Contemporary scene. On Orama, Saleas
revisits some of Vangelis' most popular melodies in new arrangements which replace
synthesizers with acoustic instruments. Saleas' majestic melodic explorations, not to
mention his breathy, heavily vibrato'ed timbre, inject new depth, passion and mystery into
these pieces. Some collaborations work, others don't -- this one succeeds precisely
because the performer's idiomatic style melds perfectly with the brooding East/West
flavors that imbue Vangelis' work.
Shafqat Ali Khan: Shafqat Ali Khan
WorldClass 11310-2
Musical Performance |
|
Recording Quality |
|
Overall Enjoyment |
|
This young singer's
musical heritage traces back to the Mogul courts of 16th century India. His
father and uncle, Salamat and Nazakat Ali Kahn, were two of the most famous classical
Indian singers of this century. On his self-titled US debut, Shafqat combines elements of
electronica and trance with the sinuous and serpentine melodies of his Punjabi homeland.
Stylistically very different from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's high-energy scatting and
call-and-response ensemble trading, this music is more meditative and contemporary in
character. It exploits far-Eastern melodic progressions in a westernized context of
chordal arrangements -- which are utterly alien to traditional Indian music, which is
focused on melody and rhythm to the exclusion of harmonies. In its spirit of
experimentation, the album mirrors Ali Akbar Khan's crossover efforts. It's accomplished
and beautifully crafted -- a stunning first album by a very promising new artist.
|
All Contents
Copyright © 2001
Schneider Publishing Inc., All Rights Reserved
Any reproduction of content on
this site without permission is strictly forbidden. |
|