Ellen Demos featuring Mike Nielsen "Osmosis", 2003
Think Jay Clayton plus Laurindo Almeida. Ellen Demos is a jazz vocalist whose soaring
voice is sweetly mellifluous one moment, a warbling or staccato scat the next, but
always impassioned. She's joined on "Osmosis" by guitarist Mike Nielsen, whose
impressive resumé boasts stints with David Liebman, Kenny Wheeler and Larry Coryell.
The intensity that Demos and Nielsen create is far more than the sum of each of their
talented contributions. I'm sure that Jimi Hendrix would even give an approving nod
to the energy generated by Demos and Nielsen's versions of "Little Wing" and "Angel",
which they render electric without the benefit of electricity.
©
Alan Fark
Dave Beegle "Beyond the Desert", 2003
Eclectic might not be quite broad enough a term for Dave Beegle's playing on his most
recent independent release "Beyond the Desert". A majority of the songs are in altered
tunings. He begins with "Breaking Through the Clouds" a Balkan fusion of steel string &
flamenco guitars and percussion. At times racing along, at times pausing for space,
this opening cut reveals a player who weaves musical motion. Flamenco is a strong element
in several tunes on the CD, including "Ecstatico", which has more pop elements like some
of Jesse Cook's tunes, or the Gypsy Kings. Very danceable. Beegle also serves up a sweet
version of Stevie Wonder's "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" on nylon string guitar.
"Something Shared" is a duet with guitar wiz Phil Keaggy, and on two James Olson SJ's,
it has a classic Keaggy sound. "Sandy's Painting" is a lovely solo steel string melody,
full of openness. The heater of the CD, though, is the final cut, the raucous "Kara Kum"
in 3 movements. Beegle's electric background is clear in his playing here, again drawing
Bulgarian melodies into sometimes dizzying whirlwinds of sound. The music has modal
elements, as well as transfixing non-western scales, all creating a very eastern European
vibe. Dave is a fine player, and the production elements are first-rate.
With such diverse offerings on one disk, it may never find a solid commercial market,
but it's good listening.
©
Kirk Albrecht
John Lester "Big Dreams and the Bottom Line" 2003
I doubt Leo Fender ever imagined the bass guitar could go this far when he bridged the
gap between acoustic and electric music a half century ago. Using acoustic and electric
bass guitars, and an occasional upright, singer-songwriter John Lester evokes comparison
to such modern minded contemporaries as Seal ("On My Own"), Ben Harper ("The Happy Man")
and Sting ("Broken") with his strong melodies and deep harmonies accented by the bassist's
bright overtones and jazz inspired counterpoint. Guitarists David Juriansz and Jean-Michel
Hure support Lester, affording plenty of space with tempered rhythms and long sustained
notes while percussionist Celso Alberti keeps time and accentuates both camps. "Reach Out"
waxes political atop a fat, resonant fretless foundation, and "I Saw You" is vaguely
reminiscent of Marty Balin's greatest ballad "Coming Back To Me". "Big Dreams and the
Bottom Line" shows you can do a lot with a small ensemble. This disc is an intriguing
listen and provides an effective template for players looking to spice up intimate gigs
in small venues.
©
Tom Semioli
Stacie Rose "This is Mine", 2003
As an artist releasing her debut CD, Stacie Rose has already hit the holy grail of singer-songwriters everywhere. She has four songs licensed to MTV for two of their reality shows, and has placed "Shine," one of the standout tracks on this CD, in the indie film, "Closing Time."
The success is well-earned. On "This Is Mine" she comes across as a gifted lyrical singer who shines in the context of these elegant folk-pop arrangements. The album production for too many young female singers sounds like something that was done to them. But on this record, the production by Robert L. Smith beautifully complements her style, and the session players deliver finely nuanced performances. In a perfect world with unlimited budgets she'd take this crew on the road.
Memorable cuts include "Checking Out," "Shine," with its stand-out chorus and vocal overdubs, and the hypnotic, drum-juiced "Promised Land." Her voice is a bit reminiscent of Catie Curtis. As a writer, she has the knack for chorus hooks -- the money shot of contemporary songwriting. Definitely one to watch.
©
Steve Klingaman
Scotty Burton "The Bridges of Edinburgh" 2003
Scotty Burton lays down seven tracks featuring a fingerstyle technique that can only be
described as exuberant on "The Bridges of Edinburgh." Think power-acoustic classical.
Story goes that Kansas City-based Burton had a dream of Scotland that inspired the CD,
then wrote the seven acoustic solo tracks the very next day. If that's not intriguing
enough, the first track, the wondrous gallop of "A Country Lad" should hook you as if
first prompts curiosity, then disbelief, then wonder. It sounds as if two, or even three
players are performing, but no, it's just Burton, cranking feverishly away. The other
tunes offer a not-quite-as-breathless range, from the lilting "Kite in Flight"
to the rolling gentleness of "Lullaby" to the reverent "Scottish Prayer." Born in 1955,
Burton grew up in a house of music lovers, and he's been trying out different styles and
techniques ever since -- but I'm guessing he's a rocker at heart.
©
Fred Kraus
Darren Curtis Skanson (with Andrew Thomas Harling and Russel Donnellon) "A Quiet Moment", 2003
Many classical guitarists are exploring the more accessible
sections of the repertoire to find the melodic gems that have mass
appeal. "A Quiet Moment" is a collection of these accessible easy
listening classics. The performances include solo guitar works as
well as arranged works for guitars and strings. Notable tracks
include a beautiful rendition of Andrew York's "Reflections" performed
by Andrew Harling as well as a charming original work entitled "Without
You" composed and performed by Darren Curtis Skanson . The closing
track, an arrangement of "Scarborough Faire" also performed by Harling,
is also a musical highlight of this disc.
The recording quality is adequate. The guitars are recorded a
little closely which lends to some distraction from the music. Overall
the performances are quite good and the goal of a relaxing musical
experience is achieved.
©
Philip Hemmo
Zydeco Hounds "Repeat Offender", 2003
It rocks! It's fun! This CD screams "Buy Me!" Rarely does a "genre record" project such freshness and immediacy. Multi-instrumentalist Chris Belleau has the perfect road house voice for this romp. The band is spot-on and mixes up a Zydeco roux that begs you to come on down to Baton Rouge. These guys are headliners, and they do it effortlessly.
"Bourre," "Get My Money" and "Walking Back to Texas" are several must-hears. And check out the blues harp on "Walking…" The horn section is, again, fun, fun, fun, and Belleau's accordion is the real zydeco deal. He also blows a thrilling trombone solo on "Funky on the Bayou." This reviewer particularly appreciates the R&B undertones in the mix. Speaking of the mix, it's fab.
Pure dancing-at-the-festival magic.
© Steve Klingaman
Jonah Burstein "Rough Demos", 2003
Okay, so the title is "Rough Cuts." Jonah Burnstein's four-song demo aims for Rufus
Wainwright terrain, only harder-edged, more rock. He misses the mark, but then demos
are a tricky business. First, the mix. The vocal performance is ragged and not quite
right. On "Reason," the lead guitar nearly bites your speakers' heads off. Do the
songs shine through? Not really. But he's got something going on; a certain affecting
angst, as heard in the verse to "Melody," the strongest cut on the disc. He's a band
leader-in-waiting, and with the right treatment, his musical vision for this batch of
songs could emerge. But expectations are everything, and industry listeners are a
merciless bunch.
©
Steve Klingaman
"Without publicity, a terrible thing happens... nothing!"