Frenchy’s Fracas

General Description
Artist/Band: José González || ||
Album Title: In Our Nature
Year: 2007

Talented singer..

How I Got Into This Music
Funny thing, I’ve ignored this album for almost a year. I didn’t mind his vocals on the Zero 7 album The Garden, but it wasn’t something that got me all enthousiastic to go listen to other stuff from this guy. Hey, that’s how things work sometimes in my head!
Anyway, coupla months back I heard a small part of his cover of Massive Attack’s Teardrop and that triggered quite a lot of interest on my part. So, I had a listen.

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Tracks that got my attention:
How Low
Love this opening track: a single guitar and those deep, dubbed vocals give a great threatening/sad mood to this song. Walking happily drunk through a minefield.

Killing For Love
Love the guitar, annoying repeating bit at the end.
Great lines:
You’ve got a heart filled with passion.
Will you let it burn for hate or compassion.

In Our Nature
Sweet title track. Another simple anti-violence song.

Teardrop
Just listen to it (the vid’s a bit crappy, but still..)
Here’s the Teardrop video at youtube:

It’s brilliant because Gonzalez doesn’t try to better Elizabeth Fraser’s vocals, he makes the song his own..

The Nest
Beautiful vocals, mellow track.

Cycling Trivialities
Beautiful vocals, mellow track.
(No, not a copy/paste error..)

Conclusion
It was fun (re-)discovering this version of Teardrop. I mailed friends of mine about it as if it was one of my greatest achievements in finding this song and telling them about it. But.. They already knew the song and had the album.. An ego is such a silly, fragile thing, heheh..
Back to the album. I played it for a month without getting bored by all the syruppy sweetness and that’s something in my book. For this review I played it all again and still find it enjoyable, something I really didn’t expect.
Like the album and the artist!

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General Description
Artist/Band: Duffy || ||
Album Title: Rockferry
Year: 2008

Mixed bag, lacking substance yet committed

How I Got Into This Music
Not really, just curious about the vibe and hype after seeing the clip of the Mercy track on television.

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Tracks that got my attention:
Rockferry
Hmm.. Trouble brewing, right off the bat.
Listen, this girl’s voice is incredible, so that’s not something to disrespect. But the catch is in how she uses the retro vibe on this track. Reminds me of other stuff I’d rather go listen, like Gerry & the Pacemakers, or something.
And, of course, Dusty Springfield.

Warwick Avenue
Ouch, don’t use the My Girl intro and guitars so blatantly obvious, please?

Stepping Stone
For me, the right kind of Retro: giving me a sense of Things from the Past without Looking Back - this song and its performance stand on their own two feet (or, so to speak: messy metaphores make my mind meander mysteriously.. )

Syrup & Honey
Lulu anyone? And all the bluesrock dames of yesteryears too.

Mercy
Ah, the current hit single. Snappy video, nice work, nice track. Of course there’s a “But”..
But, can we start give credit where credit’s due? Go back in time, say around 1984 and look up songs from the excellent Carmel.
The song’s been nicely modernised, and it’s catchy and everything, have fun. I’ll be going back to the record shop to get me some The Drum Is Everything from Carmel, okay? Right..

Delayed Devotion
Man, this makes me run to some Al Green.

Conclusion
First things first: Duffy is a great singer, no doubt, end of discussion.
Using Retro is a tricky endeavour: an obvious copy shows too much lack of imagination, even if you call it a tribute. A subtle reference, a tip of the hat with some personal touches helps to keep it interesting.
Duffy’s work is a bit of both in the worst way: you get Retro that reminds you of other stuff, easily ignoring her own tracks.
She’s the John Legend of whatever her pop genre is: her music will sell, she will be successful, but it’s empty of any added sentiment. That wackjob Winehouse somehow does the job a bit better (the lyrics for example), making it much more interesting to listen and remember.
So, Duffy will sell and become a Big Star and old farts like me will go listen to the artists she reminds us of. Sounds like a good deal.

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General Description
Artist/Band: Erykah Badu || ||
Album Title: New Amerykah
Year: 2008

Strong individual

How I Got Into This Music
Fell in love with this dame way back in the beginning. Not with the studio album but with the live recording: Baduizm Live.
This lady is an intelligent and socially committed musician in the first place; the Eyes come second . Saw here in Paradiso last year, didn’t review it, but believe me: she’s incredible!
Now the new album’s dropped, so.. Let’s have a review, shall we?

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Tracks that got my attention:
Amerykahn Promise
Hey, starting the first track with some blaxploitation movie score really helps setting the mood for this album. The song’s a great tribute to those 70’s grooves, but it doesn’t really work for me.

The Healer
Great song and tribute to the Real Hip-Hop, not the sell-out, cola-light endorsing, MTV Cribs type of rappers (though I did enjoy RedMan’s first appearance in that show, heheh..).

Me
The best song on the album, even though I don’t like who she’s saluting at the end of the track.
Great lyrics:
This year I turned 36
damn it seems it came so quick
My ass and legs have gotten thick yea
Its all me

Soldier
Excellent lyrics and solid production value.

The Cell
Social commentary at its best.
And a very funky bass indeed!

Twinkle
Love me them Old School beats.

Master Teacher
A very poignant question. This line keeps haunting my mind on a daily basis, well written indeed!
And the tempo slowdown halfway the track is pure brilliance. Powerful song.
What if it were no niggas
Only master teachers?

Telephone
Oooooooh.. Sweetness.. And sorrow..
Just fly away to heaven, brother
Make a place for me, brother
Fly away to heaven, brother
Save a place for me, brother
Fly away to heaven, brother
Put in a word for me..

Honey
Hmm, best track on the album to launch as a single. It’s catchy, it’s comfortable and easily recognizable. Should’ve launched it as a Summer track.
And it rocks!

Conclusion
Still prefer the previous album: Worldwide Underground. That one took me a bit to really enjoy, but it grew on me. Not sure if this album’s gonna have the same effect.
This artist is on top her game when she takes risks and she does that with every album. Only this time, it didn’t impress me as much as I expected and that, of course, is my own little fault
If she’s not making her music to please the charts and just to express herself in whatever manner she wants, great, than this album’s very successful.

Rating: (those eyes…)

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General Description
Artist/Band: José James || ||
Album Title: The Dreamer
Year: 2007

Hard work, just rewards

How I Got Into This Music
The evil man, Hieronymus Fox, all his fault
He took me to see the guy perform in Paradiso about a month ago. And I was seriously impressed!
So when his album was released I had to have a listen.

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Tracks that got my attention:
The Dreamer
Title track, takes you directly to the essence: jazzy trumpet, omnipresent piano and a lazy but sweet bass on the background. What? The vocals? Ooooooow, so sweet! It’s got this dreamy, lullaby softness mixed with booming vocal peaks, damn!
This song’s a classic Walk Along The Beach theme.

Velvet
The song’s strongest point is (how Zen) also its Achilles heel: the slow, repetative and grinding build up to this.. climax, I guess. And that climax isn’t that satisfactory.

blackeyedsusan
Damn, this track’s close to perfection. James’ smokey and brittle voice is great. Nice piano solo.

Park Bench People
Sample from A Tribe Called Quest’s Sucka Niggahs. Now I got to find me the original, heheh..
Interesting social commentary, soft and sharp edges at the same time.

Nola
Hauntingly beautiful song. Melancholy in a kind way.

Red
Another excellent track. Puts him in the true Jazz Vocalist category, forget Collum and those crooner types.

Winter Wind
This one’s a Walk In The Park On A Sunny Winter Day kind of track.

Desire
A bit too heavy on the drama.

Love
Nice up-tempo track; a pleasant change of style.

Conclusion
Go see this guy perform live.
This album’s a great product of hard work, devotion and soul. It’s just a bit too repetitive for my taste. It’s not James’ vocals, that’s diverse enough to take you to heaven and back. But the tracks all have the same setup, his vocals and the piano/keyboards are the main instruments. The other musicians are purely there for support, only the trumpet gets some minutes in front, that’s it.
Same thing occurred to me when I saw the band at Paradiso: how hard is it to let the drummer and the bassist join in? Again, it’s the one-sideness that caught my attention, everything else is bloody top notch.
It’s probably gonna be the same thing as with The Roots: I’m not very impressed with the albums but I’m 100 per cent sure that I’ll be seeing them play live again, the first chance that I get. I’m seriously hoping José James and band will perform during North Sea Jazz this year.
And as I said before, this guy is not of the J Collum class of easy listening crooner babies. Do not confuse crooning with jazz vocals: different disciplines and José James is of a greater quality.
Go see this guy perform live.

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General Description
Artist/Band: Ween || ||
Album Title: La Cucaracha
Year: 2007

Please don’t use too much pesticide?

How I Got Into This Music
Their Chocolate & Cheese album is one of my alltime favorites. These guys are masters of every genre in the music business, taking it all apart and putting it all back together without a single piece missing, but still.. They seem to add something to the form, mostly brainless comedy mixed with sharp satire and some totally ruthless political incorrectness. Ween is always a blessing and a curse served on one dish. La Cucaracha is their latest release.

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Tracks that got my attention:
Fiesta
Heheh.. Really, really funny intro track! Europe used to be plagued by this weird phenomenon called James Last. Well this track is James Last on every forbidden chemical and organic substance. Just keeps putting a smile on my face and that weird drum solo in the middle section, wow!

Blue Balloon
These guys do this every time. There’s always at least one track that makes me so incredibly mellow, relaxed and content; on this album it’s this track. Very mellow guitars and vocals, corny effects and weird lyrics, love it!

Friends
Ironic cardio-fitness music, in itself a moot point, but hey..

Object
[Insane grin] Go search the interwebs for the lyrics. Murderously funny..

Learnin’ To Love
This track’s got this catchy hillbilly thing going on. The first white man I see stomping his feet to this song will make me leave in 10 seconds flat, because before you know, more white men will join in. And before you know, there’s a “Yeeehah!” too many and people start looking at you funny like measuring you for a length of rope. Love it.

My Own Bare Hands
I will not support the lyrics of this track. It makes me smile for the right reasons, but I know for sure that people will start taking the words literally and miss out on all the flaming sarcasm.

Sweetheart In The Summer
Works for me, that’s it..

Woman And Man
Wow.. 10 minutes long tribute to the 70’s Epic Tracks, you know the ones that had the encredible large storylines and awesomely complex musical changes in styles and structures? No? Oh.. Okay.

Your Party
It’s just mellow.. The lyrics kept me waiting for the other shoe to drop, but the shoes were tucked away under the bed.

Conclusion
It’s Ween, meaning that it’s not always gonna be what you expect, musically or quality-wise. But there’s no denying the talents of this band, serious musicians making music sound simple. Not one of their best albums, but I know for sure that I’ll still be thinking of this album in a few years time. That’s what Ween is about, for me.

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