The Run-Off Groove

The Run-Off Groove #226

2008-12-31T18:17:00.000-08:00

(NOTE: This will be the last Run-Off Groove that I'll post here at Blogspot. From this point on, please head to ThisIsBooksMusic.com for further installments. This blogspot will remain here as an archive.)

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #226. I am John Book, and when I say read, I mean the column as well as other things in this world. Educate and allow your mind to consume the information. Now that I've confused some of you...

It's been somewhat of a busy month, which is why the amount of columns this month was limited. I was going to wait since I have a lot more music to review but it can't wait. This is the last Run-Off Groove of 2008, with more to come in the new year.

BTW - if you like the column, please consider clicking the banner below for eMusic. You are able to subscribe and download albums in a way that I feel is more effective than iTunes, and there's a lot of incredible music here. You will not be disappointed.

Also, each review features links to the artist's home page or MySpace page, so if you want to hear them, you can do so easily. Links are also provided to make a vinyl, CD, or digital purchase, since your local mall probably doesn't have most of these titles. If you would like to buy the compact disc, click the icon that looks like this:

If you wish to make a digital MP3 purchase, you can click the digital player icon that looks like this:

If a particular release does come out on vinyl, I of course will make a vinyl icon.

Now, the column.

I'll be honest, I haven't been what one would call a Brandy fan. Sure, I liked "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby" but I haven't followed her career. I do, however, know a little about the path she has been on over the years, and she has reached a point in her life where she is looking for much more as an artist. That more is explored on her new album, Human (Epic), but it begins in an odd way where she talks about the benefits of being human. I question this only because would she be able to talk about her life as a puppy, an elephant, a tomato, or mold on cheese? She's proud to be a human at this stage in her life, but... let's just say the spoken introduction is unnecessary and should have never been placed on this album.

The rest of the album takes off in typical Brandy fashion, and the pop artist that Beyonce isn't, Brandy is. I say that with the utmost respect, Brandy is a pop artist. She hasn't done the R&B thing in awhile but her vocals are perfect for pop, and most of the songs stay away from the usual cliches that are often overwhelming in current pop and much of today's R&B. While I generally hate when an artist tries to conceptualize their life as current events, her recent divorce plays a role on this album in songs that range from heartbroken to heart warming, and feels a bit more authentic than the equivalent in today's marketplace. Brandy is 29, no longer the young teen with the curious eyes who told the world she wanted to be down. She's grown, she's mature, but she's not afraid to reveal a vulnerable side, nor is she tempted to cash in on what's hot to remain hot. Some artists try to show their maturity at 18 or 21, but Brandy is just around the corner from turning 30. Her voice, which has always had a lot of character, is put to good use here, and even in uptempo tracks she shows that she is the one in charge, not a particular producer. Even when she is in charge, as she is in "Torn" and "Shattered Heart", she allows the song to be the reason you want to hear these songs. A song I hope she considers to release as a single is "A Capella (Something's Missing)", where it's just her speaking and singing to herself through the magic of multi-track recording. It's a bold move that one generally doesn't expect from Brandy, but she has taken the opportunity to try something out with great success.

I'm surprised I liked this as much as I did. In a small way, Brandy has found a need to prove herself in an everchanging market when the old becomes outdated and if you're out of sight, you're definitely out of mind. While Miss Norward has never been out of the public eye for too long, it seems if you're not on a reality show or a guest judge on something just as bizarre, you're not relevant. Human is very much a human album, without the extra stimuli that we tend to get lured by. I'm not sure if it's her way of getting back to the core of who she is, or a way to let people know they need to check themselves too, but it holds up as an album that lets fan knows that yes, she is human, her feelings have been hurt, but when life brings you down, you can only look forward for a better tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how Brandy carries herself as an artist in her 30's.

Danny Green is a San Diego-based pianist whose love of Latin sounds has been an important part of his development. Some may be aware of the Past Due album by the Caballero-Verde Quintet, with Green of course being the "Verde" of the equasion. Now he's about to get more caliente (yes, I'll stop) with the release of his first album under his own name, With You In Mind (Alante Recordings).

The album shows that he will no doubt become one of the more important musicians and names in jazz, perhaps becoming this generation's equivalent of Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Dave Brubeck for this guy not only plays with elegance, but knows how to edge the listener on with his spacing, allowing the arrangements to lure people in to hear not only him, but the musicians (including Dylan Savage on drums, Allan Phillips on percussion, Justin Grinnell on bass, and Tripp Sprague on sax) to get into the precision Green is establishing with each song. There are elements of "Para Chano" that sound like Ram-era Paul McCartney, and just when the song feels like it will end comfortably, Green plays a repetitive chord structure and lets Savage and percussion enhance the flavors of the stew brewing with the kind of drive that will make people dance and perhaps get extra randy. "Doctor Pasta", "Panic Nap", and "Lullaby For A Poet" manages to take things as far as they can without ever going overboard, it's very polished and sustained and Green knows how to create his own style. That might sound silly, but I say this to suggest that sometimes a lot of musicians simply play and emulate. Green and the other musicians are obviously influenced by other great musicians but they're trying to make an effort to make it feel like them, so that you'll know this is the music of Danny Green. It is, and I hope he and the other musicians will continue to record and perform for years to come, as this is a continutation of the greatness that is jazz.

Sometimes I see another vocal jazz album and I just want to run away, for me it can get real old real fast, but it takes a quality singer for me to take interest.

Dennis Day is someone who is interesting because his voice has a lot of energy and sounds welcoming, like a friend you hadn't seen in decades even though that person may be a perfect stranger. All Things In Time (D-Day Media Group) is by a singer who knows how to carry himself and the music with class, partly because he picks a great selection of songs to interpret, including Ray Charles' "Hallelujah, I Love Her So!", and the Duke Ellington standard "Caravan". Upon listening to this, one tends to think that this guy has been making music for generations, but the biggest shock (for me at least) is the fact that this is his first jazz album. Not only does he pull off the standards with styles, bue he contributes some fantastic new songs that I hope will become a major part of jazz's landscape, including "African Musing", touching on the African diaspora and the link many have between the heart and one's ancestral home. It's a song that would have been perfect for people like Miriam Makeba, Lou Rawls, Al Jarreau and Harry Belafonte to sing, and I could easily see Bobb McFerrin take this to make it his own, if not used tastefully in animated features. The song becomes the album's centerpiece even though it's only the second song in the 12-track program but listen to it and find out why it will become an important piece. When he reaches the last words and creates a sweet falsetto as he sings about the Afircan rainbow, it brings a tear to the eye.

The album then moves back into a jazz motif with tough and rugged tracks such as "Sister Sadie", "You Are Too Beautiful", and "Desifinado" (the Antonio Carlos Jobim song), and it's obvious this guy has a love for jazz and music as a whole. I hope Day will continue to make albums as moving as this, and if he continues to write and release songs as powerful as "African Musing", he will become one of the most powerful songwriters of all time.

Not sure if she specifically did it this way intentionally, but vocalist Jessie Kilguss begins Nocturnal Drifter (Exotic Bird) with "Gristmill", an album that may or may not have sound kind of connection with her ethnic roots, whatever it may be. But to my ears it sounds like the comforts of home, creating a vocal and musical style that sounds like the starting line. It is welcoming, and you want to enter barefoot, but once she begins "Americana", we realize we are very far from home as it sounds like pop, rock, and that ethereal-ness which sounds as if Kilguss is ready to share with us her travelogue.

If you listen to what passes off as pop these days, it's an embarrassment. Kilguss has the kind of material that used to be a major part of what I heard on the radio growing up, strong and aggressive songs by a woman who is not afraid to share her strength, hopes, dreams, and fears in a way that isn't apologetic. One would find it easy to compare to a list of strong artists, be it Joni Mitchell, Luscious Jackson, Maxwell, or anyone else, but if there's a common glue between all of them, it's a knack to write songs that allow people to get into them lyrically and try to pull out the best and worst of the internal in order for the resulting song to be therapeutic. Kilguss's voice may sound melodic and delicate, but in "A Little Place Behind My Eyes" you have British-pop mixed in with Muscle Shoals horns mixed in with some leftover sounds from Roni Size's database, and one can visualize the colors and the painting that will be created by the song's conclusion.

While I'm a huge fan of soul music and the Northern Soul sound that artists are tapping into, Kilguss resists the temptation to be like everyone else and makes a successful effort in beind herself. That's hard to find in the marketplace, the kind of material where someone is exposed like an open wound or a freshly dug Q-tip and is really to reveal the yellow of it all. It reminds me of those secret albums you wish to share with the world, only to know the reality that most people would not care. This my friends is their loss, because Jessie Kilguss is the kind of artists you'd like to meet on the street and simply say "thank you".

(Nocturnal Drifter will be released on January 6, 2009).

Bands that make me bleed are the kind of bands I want to listen to for life, and Cactus's are just that band. Let's get these two words out of the way before I get deep into this review: power trio. Okay.

Put together elements of Mudhoney, Helmet, Unsane, Rapeman, The Cure and Grand Funk and you have the unpredictable energetic force that is Cactus's, consisting of Jru Frazier (drummist, vocals), Asher Rogers (guitarra, vox), and Sam Rogers (bassims, vogala), and these guys play with a passion not only to play and play with each other, but to create a euphoria that sounds like that millisecond before a boil bursts. Their lyrics can be very abstract but that's the beauty of it, things don't have to really make that much sense to get into, only to realize that it does make sense:

I refuse to bare the burden of a thousand child molesters
I refuse to fix my speechI will not fear my mouth
I refuse to wash my claws until I feel pure
I refuse to let you vomit into my ear, now I see you serve the serpent

Cactus's play the perfect "fuck you" music for a fuck you world, and they'll hurl into you if you're not careful. Then again, you're not careful and that's why these guys are demons. There's been a void in music in the last few years, and the 6 songs on this EP will hopefully start up a long awaited revolution. These guys are the Satan I need.

Need the kind of jazz that may bring to mind the best of The Modern Jazz Quartet? May I welcome Roger Kellaway into the mix, and his new double CD Live At The Jazz Standard (Ipo). The double CD features him with Jay Leonhart on bass, Stefon Harris on vibes, Russell Malone on guitar, and Boris Strulev on cello and together they play a number of great standards, including "C Jam Blues", "Cottontail", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds", along with a Kellaway original, "All My Life".

Anyone who misses the feel of the MJQ will fall in love (be it with the music or a significant other) with the help of the 13 songs here, especially after hearing the 15 minute take on "Cherry". The thing about Kellaway is that he will play a beautiful melody when the emphasis is on him, or he'll duet in a solo and compliment them or take things on a different route as he makes his way towards the common goal. He's a unique player that I could listen to all day, and I will (heh heh). One of the solos he does in "C Jam Blues", where the band is playing an obvious 4/4 blues while he sounds as if he's behind and ahead of himself at the same time, only for him to get to where he needed to go without effort. It's an amazing moment.

Carol Fredette has released a number of albums over the years, and she returns with Everything In Time (Soundbrush), continuing with her grace and elegance on a selection of tracks that are quite good/

For this album she teams up with Lenoardo Amuedo (guitar), Adriano Santos (drums), Victor Lewis (drums), Mauro Refosco (percussion) David Finck (bass), Aaron heicke (sax), Bob Malach (sax), Barry Danielian (trumpet), Helio Alves (piano), Andy Ezrin (piano), and Dario Eskenazi (piano), and together they create a jazz album with a primary influence. Imagine a female version of Bob Dorough and you come close to what Fredette sounds like here. The album is beautifully produced, and her performances for the most part are done without flaws or error.

(Everything In Time will be released on February 10, 2009.)

Now this is vocal jazz I enjoy listening to.

Her CDBaby pages says Leslie Lewis "A jazz singer with an instrument that can deliver whether it's Monk, Ellington, or Jobim. She always makes a statement with her own point of view" and that is clearly obvious on Of Two Minds (Surf Cove Jazz), an album that features the Gerard Hagen Trio along with Larry Koonse, Gary Foster, Ron Stout, and Rob Lockart playing the kind of jazz you hope to be able to hear and understand on your death bed.

Lewis has the kind of spunk and classiness that comes from years of listening and singing this style of music, and if Hoda Kotb was a jazz singer, I'd imagine she would sing like this. Lewis sings with a fervor that makes you itch in all the right places, and is the ointment towards the spots that aren't, listen to "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" and it becomes perfectly clear that this one knows the blues because she's probably been there, but also knows the goods because she's been good and bad at the same time. "'Round Midnight" and "But Beautiful" deserves massive airplay if the United States cared about their jazz origins, but it doesn't so sadly she may be limited to NPR airplay. It makes me wish more people would be able to hear someone like her, because Leslie Lewis is just a personification of what jazz vocals is about, even when she jiggles her vocal chords in "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good". She sometimes reaches for that hapa raspiness and I wish I could've heard more of that, but perhaps she'll enhance that on the next one. Kathie Lee Gifford, step off. She would be capable of doing some soul music too, maybe next time. Uh, stroke it Lewis, stroke it! Of Two Minds is the album that will make having affairs worth it. Special recognition to Foster's flute work in "Nature Boy", the eden ahbez classic.

Lets... (AHP).

Let's... what?

That's the point.

Roger Cairns is the kind of jazz singer that has the old style vibe going for him, and you sometimes don't hear that outside of Jerry Lewis telethons. He finishes the Let's... equation by bringing in the listener to listen to this 16-track album of jazz standards, ranging in "Let's Fall In Love", "Daydream", "Stormy Monday", "Things Are Swinging", and "Gravy Waltz". I like the titles but I don't like the singing, and the reinterpretation of the "Peter Gunn Theme", refocused as "Bye, Bye" was a bit too much for me.

I'll stop here and say that his voice is not to my liking, but I found the music (performed by guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Darek Oles, and drummer Roy McCurdy to be incredible. If Cairns was moved to just release this album as an instrumental, I would rave over that.

Isaac Evans takes it easy on My Journey (self-released) with an album that will please fans of smooth jazz.

I'll be honest, sometimes smooth jazz gets on my nerds because it seems pointless to hear fantastic musicians blow it on wasteful music for coffeehouses only meant to make the unhip feel that they're cool in an atmosphere that has absolutely nothing to do with the music. What makes this album decent for me is that, while it arguably would fit those same smooth jazz stereotypes, the musicianship on it makes me feel as if they're making a legitimate effort to make good music outside of the smooth jazz tag. It reminds me a bit of the laid back funky jazz that was popular in the late 70's/early 80's, and perhaps the reason I like it is because it takes me back to a time when that jazz felt and sounded good, without the filter of knowledge. Think of Pat Metheny with a pinch of George Benson, Seawind, and Marathon-era Carlos Santana and you got something that might make most smooth jazz fans tingly with uncertainty. In other words, this is music that moves you to interact, not sit there and sip a tall Caramel Macciato breve laka doohickey. Evans is truly a gifted musician on the piano and keyboards, with the piano being the main reason you'd want to hear him. But he is also credit as the album's bassist and drum and bass programming, so not only can he do things electronically, he takes his knowledge to the real instruments and makes it happen.

I would not mind hearing him with more established vocalists, just to see where he would be able to take them.

In other words, this isn't your stereotypical smooth jazz album, but more like that laid back quiet storm funk before it got stale and java-fied.

Michael Jefry Stevens is not a madman, but when you look at his extensive track record, I'm not sure what's keeping him from resting. I guess when you love good music and have a passion for it, why rest when you can do that when you're read? Fortunately Stevens is very much alive and a part of us, and with the release of For Andrew (Konnex) he continues on with the dialogue he has created over the years, this time making an album in honor of pianist Andrew Hill.

The recordings on this CD were done in 1996 with a trio that includes Jeff Siegel on drums and Peter Herbert on bass, and hearing original Stevens compositions such as "The Lockout", "The River Po", "Specific Gravity", and "Spirit Song" will make the hairs on the back of your neck spine as you are blown away by his capabilities. Stevens is brilliant on the piano, and Siegel and Herbert egg on each other as if this was their last mission ever. Put that together with a recording that was done beautifully by engineer Chris White and this is definitely jazz music of a higher order. One can tell that the spirit of Andrew Hill was in the air, or at least he was on their minds when they were playing this, and Hill fans will appreciate the honor. Jazz fans will appreciate the fact that musicians like this are that passionate about their art.

Zen Zadravec is a musician some consider a virtuoso, and that usually is a lure to bring in readers for a review. I will say that the man is known to play a few instruments very well, but for Coming Of Age (self-released) he plays the piano along with his quartet (Chris Brown on drums, Alex Hernandez on bass, and Todd Bashore on saxophones).

Big deal? It is a big deal when you can make music that surpasses the expectations, especially someone who has won a lot of accolades and is known for studying under the greats of jazz, but now he knows it's his time to shine. Throughout this album he goes from the cool to the hard bop, from songs that would've been comfortable in a Miles Davis Quintet setting to something that would fit in on ECM, Zadravec has a style that feels welcoming, he commands when it's his time and even when he has Bashore doing a solo you can hear how he compliments him and the others into creating an aura that is undeniably rich. One can hear this in the gorgeous title track, along with "Have You Met Miss Jones", "We Miss You Mr. Kirkland", "Have You Meet Miss Jones", and teh two part "In Memoriam", written in honor of Zadravec's mother who passed away. It's great jazz, one that shows his love of the art and craft of the music, and one which features a lot of compassion through the communication of the musicians involved. All of this is captured beautifully engineered by Dave Kowalski at Bennett Studios in Englewood, New Jersey and while it may not have the classic RVG sound of neighboring Englewood Cliffs, it shows Kowalski has an ear to make his projects sound great. This is no exception.

Fine jazz never sounded any better, and time will show why Coming Of Age will be a necessary addition to any music collection.

Burr Johnson is a guitar wizard of the Al DiMeola variety, and he and his band get up in it and deep with What It Is (Lexicon). These guys mix up jazz with rock to create a fierce brew that doesn't let up, while it is a guitar-based album, you will enjoy hearing the musicianship of Thierry Arpino (drums) and Al Payson (bass), and together they are a trio that know each other's musical ways and quirks inside and out, as if they know the hairs on the backs of their hands, yes. In a song such as "Winter" they get smooth and laid back as they help create the scenario described in the title, while in "It Figures" it's a blitzkreig of sound that one finds hard to resist.

Don't resist. Each of them is mindblowing, with Johnson of course paving the way towards axe excellence. I didn't like it when a vocal showed up, but it's only a minor distraction. For solid jazz, rock, and a pinch of funk ("Slinky"), this is going to be hard to beat.

(What It Is is scheduled for release on February 5, 2009.)

That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove. If you have any new music, DVD's, books, or hot sauce, please contact me through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact address. In the past I have generally frowned over receiving digital files, but I will accept them on a case by case basic. I still prefer hard copy as I want to hear the quality of the recording (which is important to me), but digital files are fine.

I would like to say "mahalo nui loa" (thank you very much) for the support all of you have given me and the column this past year, especially with awkward schedules and the move to a new home. In turn, I wish all of you a Hau'oli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year) and may 2009 be a much better year for you and yours, and all of us as a whole. To my fellow kama'aina, I still hope to make it home next year. Eight years is way too long.

Take care, and I will return very soon with #227.

The Run-Off Groove #225

2008-12-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #225. I am John Book and things are fresh.

BTW - if you like the column, please consider clicking the banner below for eMusic. You are able to subscribe and download albums in a way that I feel is more effective than iTunes, and there's a lot of incredible music here. You will not be disappointed.

Also, each review features links to the artist's home page or MySpace page, so if you want to hear them, you can do so easily. Links are also provided to make a vinyl, CD, or digital purchase, since your local mall probably doesn't have most of these titles. If you would like to buy the compact disc, click the icon that looks like this:

If you wish to make a digital MP3 purchase, you can click the digital player icon that looks like this:

If a particular release does come out on vinyl, I of course will make a vinyl icon.

Also, this column now finds its home over at my website, thisisbooksmusic.com. This blogspot will remain here as an archive for older columns, but after December 31, 2008, this blogspot page will no longer be updated. Bookmark now.

Now, the column.

Common has released album #8, and obviously he has been around for a long time to where I can say that this is not your mom's Common.

I say this because Universal Mind Control (Geffen) is a very different album from the man who gave us such classic hip-hop songs as "I Used To Love H.E.R.", "Resurrection", "Retrospect For Life", "The Corner", "Testify", "The Light", "The Question", and the countless cameos he has made on other albums. Fans have relied on him to be different from the norm during times when hip-hop had become an overwhelming mass of something undesirable. Some called him the boho poet, while some looked to him with class and style, the ladies dug his steez while guys were always blown away by his flows and rhymes. Much of that is still on this new album, but he has (at least for the moment) entered the place that most diehards usually resist going into: the club. Yes, Common is going for the club vibe by creating songs that would fit in the club. One generally associates Common with headnodder music, not something you would see with a lot of bling and choreographed dancing but this is a man who has gone Hollywood and appeared in a number of popular movies. What in the world is Common doing?

Well, it is a stretch but the one thing you can't deny is that Common has the style to rock any track that is given to him, and let's be honest, had he existed as an artist in the 80's, he would be doing tracks with The Jonzun Crew, Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force, and be considered the king of electro. Many of the songs on the album are produced by The Neptunes, so Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo offer Common a chance to be more accessible in a marketplace where it seems there's not much room to "have style" and "be original" in a KRS-One fashion. Even though it's odd to hear Common rhyme over club bangers, in an odd way it does work. Perhaps the reality of hip-hop being truly universal comes through in a rapper who is comfortable in making an album that is different from his past work. If Williams and Hugo offered Common a chance to do something in a N*E*R*D context, that would work too. Kanye West, ever the arrogant one, immediately states that he is the fly oen in "Punch Drunk Love", but then Common comes up with
my uh is in your body
my uh is in your mind
check my dictionary
that ass is so divine
it's slippery when it's wet, girl
I can read your signs
I knock and I knock, uh
Can I come inside?
I knock and I knock, girl
Can I come inside?
I feel like it's on when I'm in between your thighs

Yes, these are the words from Common himself, someone who always came off as a poetic gentleman only to reduce himself to being "like everyone else". Of course he's human so in truth he is very much amongst all of us but one reason why people felt so strongly about Common is because he did present himself as someone who was intelligent, wise, and with a gift. The voice and flows are very much on this album, but the lyrics are simply, well, common. Not Common, but common, as in "everyone has done this before". Maybe it's Common playing the role, wanting to know what it feels like on the other side and decides to put on a new jacket to see if it's comfortable. The issue for me is can he return to what he has been known for. Fortunately in this day and age, rappers from the early 1990's are a lot more successful in their careers than those who had their spotlight in the 80's, but as someone who was a fan of his from the beginning, moreso with his second album, I'm not sure if those who have supported him will support this. I'm also not sure if those fans who will now depart will find a reason to want to hear him if they now feel he can be fickle.

It's a different album, but maybe Universal Mind Control is a bit of a metaphor, a way to say "this is the album my label has wanted me to do for years, this is what some expect of me". I hope that in 2009, the final year of the first decade of the 21st century, he and many others will come off strong with something that is a statement of who Common is as an artist. Think about it, if Common were to pass on, how would it feel knowing that this was his last statement? This seems to be an album made for Hollywood, and he seems to be participating in the scenario he once talked about in "I Used To Love H.E.R." where he's now the one moving to L.A. I agree that black music is black music, and it's all good, but he's now treating the music, his music, in a way that seems a bit foul. Like the "woman" in that song, maybe she needs to make the rounds to realize what she is missing, but in a small way this might be a sign of what we could be missing from him. I just hope he'll be able to take back to make this shit stop, and whom I talk about is Common.

After releasing three albums, one of which was not released in her own home country, Amerie Rogers is saying goodbye to one label as moves forward to another. Her former label, Epic/Sony, is quick to mark this occasion by releasing a compilation of Amerie's greatest hits. Wait, greatest hits?

Generally someone gets a greatest hits package when they've actually had an album of hits, but this is not being called a greatest hits package per se. Instead, this is the iPod generation's idea of a compilation, and it's appropriately called Playlist: The Very Best Of Amerie (Legacy). In terms of actual hits, we do have them in the four songs people will generally associate with her: "Why Don't We Fall In Love", "Talkin' To Me", "1 Thing", and "Touch", but the rest of the album is filled with minor hits and album tracks. I think if this is a chance for people to listen to her as an artist at a time when things are increasingly becoming catered to the single, this will work. The CD is bargain priced and you do get the hits that will no doubt receive a lot of airplay. But perhaps it would have been better to release a 5 song EP/CD5 and leave it at that. If a jump to Def Jam will prove to be a good one for her as an artist, then this CD in Legacy's Playlist series will hopefully be the seeds of what will come to fruition.

He has been called "the Godfather of Gypsy Zen", but Aranos is definitely one of the more creative artists in the experimental/avant-garde field. His last few albums have been complete mindtrips, and that happens once again as the mind shifts into new realms with Alone Vimalakirti Blinks (self-released).

This one features six songs, and you have to listen to each track in full to get a grasp of what he's doing, which is to have various abstract sounds develop slowly but surely to become more durable sounds. "Rocket Sandals" sounds like someone striking a violin with a bow continuously for ten minutes as other sounds are mixed and filtered into it to where it may represent a crowded marketplace or a crowded mind. It then moves into a formal rhythm where you're not sure where it will lead you (or how or why) but it does. The other pieces continue on the adventure, with "This Job Is So Boring" sounding like the mundane songs we sing in our heads as we deal with the daily grind, while "Better Universe No. 2" is the evolution of what we hope to seek even if it seems it takes forever to find (which is perhaps why it sounds the way it does). It's a mixture of electronics, found sound, and real instrumentation, and Aranos does such a good job that you can't tell which is which. He takes you into his audio world and either you go exploring with him as filtered stringed instruments dance back and forth with the sound of heavy traffic, planes, ships, and boats, or move away. I suggest moving in and perhaps becoming a part of his voyage.

The title of Saltman-Knowles new CD, Return Of The Composer (Pacific Coast Jazz is meant to be a play of words on the Star Wars film, Return Of The Jedi, and it's meant to say that the world of jazz, if not music in general, needs to return to the strength of original compositions and new and innovating composers. The entire album features original compositions, either by double bassist Mark Saltman or pianist William Knowles, and along with vocalist Lori Williams Chisholm they show and prove that jazz music is very much alive and well in 2008 and beyond, that it doesn't always have to rely on the same old songs to be good. In songs like "Homeland", "Shalom And Salaam", and "Creepin' Up" they, along with drummer Jimmy "Junebug" Jackson, Alvin Trask on trumpet, and Robert Landham on sax, are able to make quality jazz that could easily influence future jazz musicians and vocalists. Landham's solo in "Bellport" comes in unexpectedly, since Saltman, Knowles, and Jackson work like an incredible jazz trio and it feels that way until Landham slips in and steals the show. Chisholm sings back and forth in a direct manner, and doing a bit of scat throughout. Her voice is the kind of jazz singing I enjoy listening to, and the silkiness makes me want to hear that all day and night. I hope she releases a full length under her own name, and as for the rest of the musicians, these guys are tight. It may be a return, but those in the know will say it's always been here, one just had to dust off the cobwebs

(Return Of The Composer will be released on January 26, 2009.)

Please, can someone answer me this question: who buys this bullshit? I'm talking about Akon and his new album, Freedom (Universal Motown).

Two years ago I reviewed his Konvicted album and it was pure crap. In 2008... more of the same. Well okay, he does have the usual suspects: Wyclef Jean, T-Pain, Lil' Wayne, and Kardinal Offishall, but sometimes the guests outshine the star, and perhaps that was the goal. Akon still can't sing, the lyrics are wasteful, and if you buy an Akon album how many times do you have to say "Akon... uh huh"? How many times does one have to tolerate it?

Akon makes silly ass music that makes me wonder why anyone cares for him as an artist, and do people think he has talent? Who said that voice of his is good? Mediocre at best. Pure crap.

Vocalist Joani Taylor swings in a fashion that I want to hear, as she is comfortable being backed by a band with a mean ass Hammond B-3 player (Bob Murphy) and musicians who know how to make the joint jump. While she calls her album In My Own Voice, I had to look at the CD a few times because Taylor reminded me a lot of Monday Michiru, both in style and tone. In other words, this lady rips and anyone who wants to hear a great, powerful female jazz singer will have to buy this album immediately.

Taylor has released many albums over the years, but this is my first listen to her voice and music. She is often billed as "Canada's first lady of the jazz ballad", but on this album she shows she is much more than a balladeer, there's even a bit of hip-hop flavor in her version of Paul Desmond's "Take Five", with a rap done in 5/4 from Jay Kin). It was unexpected, but it was definitely welcome on an album that ranges from the acid jazz vibe of the late 60's and early 70's to bebop. Taylor shows her experience throughout this album, able to wrap herself around the music and making it her own, and the majority of this album features original Taylor/Murphy compositions and whether it's a passionate love song or one with a hint of the blues, you listen to her and believe in it because she most likely has felt these things, you can hear the joy, fear, pain, and pleasure with every word, line, and verse.

In My Own Voice was recorded live in the studio with everyone in the same room at one time, and it's a probably good indication of what her live shows are like. Let's hope she'll perform at jazz festivals next year, showing her old fans what they've come to see and hear and showing new fans that all one needs to find is a powerful jazz singer who knows their craft. Taylor is someone who knows and honors the craft of jazz.

When a new album comes across my way by an artist I hadn't heard before, I get semi-upset (not really) that I hadn't heard of them before. Fortunately if I really like them, I'll want to hunt down their previous work, and I can say that about Stephen Wilkinson, a British bloke who goes by the simple one-word moniker Bibio, and he makes one-man music.

His new, third album is called Vignetting The Compost, has him creating all of the sounds heard and what hit me at first was how lo-fi and raw it sounded. It immediately reminded me of some of the surf movie soundtracks I've heard over the years, a bit of rock and pop with a love for folk sensibilities. In Bibio's case it probably comes from his upbringing, but it's the kind of music that brings to mind a sense of freedom that was once heard in those songs, representing that era very well. The lo-fi quality comes from the fact that, according to his bio, he uses cassette decks, a half-broken sampler, dictaphones, and experimental ways of affecting sounds, so the end result is different audio textures that is nice to hear in a time when twisting sounds is often done in an artificial/computerized way. "Flesh Rots, Pip Sown" opens the album as water cascades downs the falls and makes ready for the sun to come up and greet the day, at least that's how I hear it. The entire album has that earthy quality where you can imagine dirt and dust collecting on the instruments, but what you hear within your assumed muck is well-written music done by someone who attempts and succeeds at capturing a dated sound without him sounding dated. That can be a challenge for some artists who don't seem to grasp the power of a certain style, but he does. Each layer of his music pulls you in and never wants to let you go, and you never want to lose its grasp as you hear his guitar work in "The Ephemeral Bluebell", "Over The Far And Hills Away", or "The Garden Shelter", nor do you want these songs to become too electrified (although it would work perfectly in the hands of other artists).

Bibio, at least with this album, is folksy, wholesome, surfy, melancholy, and colorful. It's the sound of someone who makes music with cassette players. In the past those tapes would go into a shoebox and perhaps never heard of again. It has a personal feel, perhaps I'm applying my sensibility to the cassettes of yesteryears, but it's a welcome change from the too-clean sounds of today.

(Vignetting The Compost will be released on February 3, 2009.)

Fuck, why do people torture other humans with this excrement? FALAKA!!!

Circus is far from sounding anything like Lenny Kravitz's Circus, which is a far better album than this leftover bowl of tripe stew. It's warmed over dookie and no amount of sugar sprinkles will make this shit sound sweet (thank you Jemini The Gifted One.) So what's on it? Well, Britney Spears sings, again in a higher pitch so that her music sounds less womanly and more girly, even the ballads sound like a pre-teen who is ready to grow up. But is she? Through the crap, it seems obvious that she wants to reveal that she is a woman with heart and someone who cares, but is afraid that being stuck in the spotlight has and will hold her back. The liner notes claim she had a hand in five of the tracks, but I'm not sure what input she actually had in them, but most of the album is done from an autobigraphical point of view, as if she's telling her family, friends, and world that she lives in a circus, and someone forgot to clean up the elephant shit. To be honest, it works in that sense but the music isn't adventurous, risky, or mindblowing, it's all been done before by everyone from Pink to Kelly Clarkson, it sounds more American Idol-influenced than the music of someone who eventually influenced others to follow her "lead". She has worked with the best, but this album features names that, outside of Danja, don't really stand out. It's a risk for her to be releasing music like this at this stage in her career with people who simply want to add Spears to their growing resumes, and that's fine, we all network.

But... for someone who is pushing herself to be better than best, and as someone who people feel is this generation's Madonna, she really doesn't have the voice, material, or producers to deserve that status. It sounds like everyone else who is out there, and yet people still view her as one of the best. Maybe she is one of the best, but it's certainly not as a musical artist.

The duo of Darunam/Milan have made music together for a few years, and with The Last Angel On Earth (64-56 Media) they feel that the power of the world can be found through spirituality. They do this by combining elements of pop, electronic music, and various worldly sounds to create a fusion that will please fans of Trilok Gurtu and the more recent works of Peter Gabriel. The album goes through different movements, the path of which is indicated in the track titles:

"Sarasvati (Amma)"
"Karl (Move)"
"Mahatma (Truth)"
"Therese (Night)"
"Raphael (Sunshine)"

Lyrically they get into the temptations that exist within the world, and the lure of the entities that create ones sense of spirituality. It's an adventurous road that will take the listener through a lot of emotions, as if you're traveling throughout the countries gathering the elements and information towards your final place. It requires a deep listen, and will suit fans who may feel that today's music is missing a little extra something.

Chuck Bernstein is a member of the group Monk's Bones (whom I reviewed awhile back) but is also a musician and songwriter who gets into his muse and comes up with some incredible and often very interesting music. For Delta Berimbau Blues (CMB) his instrument of choice is the Brazilian Berimbau, but he has tweaked it to where it becomes similar to a Diddley Bow, and it has a built-in wah-wah! Can a one-string instrument pull off a full blues album? It can when you're accompanied by some powerful musicians, including Greg Douglass, Sister Debbie Sipes, Sam Bevan, Roswell Rudd, and Lisa Kindred among many others.

The songs are either duets or trio situations where Bernstein's playing, often coming off like Indian drones, backs up a guitarist or bassist. It gets more interesting when two berimbau players are playing with each other, as is the case with "Viola Foot Stompin' Blues". It feels more rural and arguably more backwoods, but you can imagine the crickets and the creek in the back as you hear these. Delta Berimbau Blues is not your typical blues album, but it's that reason alone that makes this a worthwhile listen, as it takes the blues out of its normal home, takes it to Brazil and brings it back, showing that any sound can be turned into the blues with the right knowledge and appreciation from the best musicians.

(Delta Berimbau Blues will be released on January 27, 2009.)

Leonisa Ardizzone, depending on the song, tends to sound like across between Sade Adu and Carole King, with a touch of Michael Franks. While she is being promoted as a jazz artist, she could easily be a pop or folk artist if she wanted to, as her vocals are quite versatile. On The Scent Of Bitter Almonds (self-released) she performs with her quintet through a nice range of material, including "Take The A Train", ""Well You Needn't", "Scary Face" (written by her drummer, Justin Hines, "On The Ropes" (written by her guitarist, Chris Jennings, and her own "The Architect's Lament". Her voice is very lively, able to create an instant mood without any vocal theatics that often make some jazz singers go beyond overboard. She is subtle yet effective, and with a quintet that includes Hines, Jennings, Bob Bowen (bass), Bob Sabin (bass), and Jess Jurkovic (piano), they allow each other to challenge and take each other into places often unexpected. "Midnight Sun" is a song that one could easily find Steely Dan pulling off. I was at first put off by the drum solo in the song, which is odd for me since I'm a huge fan of them (drum solos that is), but it made me think of the song in a rock fashion where it's thrown in as a way to create an unexpected sense of momentum. Hines does that before the quintet goes right back into the theme of the song again before it feels as if they pulled the plug unexpectedly, Ellington-style.

The Leonisa Ardizzone Quintet sound like a group I would enjoy in a live setting, and it would have been a nice bit of extra if she had added a live recording as a bonus track (maybe next time). The Scent Of Bitter Almonds is a vocal jazz album that doesn't get stale during its duration, which for me is a very good thing.

Jazz pianist Pamela Hines has impressed me with her last two albums with the kind of playing that I feel should put her up there with some of the greats, as she's already up there. For her new album she takes the Christmas route and eases up a bit in her approach, but it allows the listener to hear the subtleties in her playing with an applied, delicate touch.

New Christmas (Spice Rack) may sound short with a 9-song line-up, but five of the songs clock in at over five minutes, one that comes close to reaching the seven minute mark ("Custom Santa"). The playing that I found on previous albums is still here, hearing her solo in "What Chance Have I?" makes one hope this will be the kind of Christmas music that will be on mainstream airwaves for the next forty years. For this album she brings in a group of three ladies who alternate with eack track, and then coming together for two tracks. Patricia Williamson, April Hill, and Monica Hatch have all had their share of awards and accolates, and in these songs they show why they've made an impression on thousands of jazz fans. I was most impressed by Williamson's voice, who can do a bit of jazz scat with ease (as she does in "Gift Of Giving") and then caress the mic ever so nicely in "Custom Santa". Add to this the great rhythm section of bassist Dave Landoni and drummer Miki Matsuki, and Hines was definitely with good company during these sessions, and that strength only helps make Hines play like the professional she is. Regardless of the holiday, Hines is the kind of player that should be heard year round, and in a better world she would be world famous.

Rebecca Cline & Hilary Noble are a duo that like their jazz to be played with funk and strengf (yes, that's spelt "s-t-r-e-n-g-f"). Cline (piano) and Noble (saxophone) are a part of the group Enclave, and in fact this is is a new Enclave album but perhaps by placing actual names and faces on the cover, people may be able to identify with them and their music a bit more. The album is called Enclave Diaspora (self-released), and it is an energetic album that is pretty much Latin jazz at its best, showing its heavy influence from New Orleans and its connection to the Caribbean. It seems that Hurricane Katrina has allowed many musicians to go back and strengthen their love of jazz and one of the cities that it calls home, and this album is full of the richness that makes this music great. What moves me the most is the fact that most of these songs are original compositions, so in many ways this is Cline's and Noble's way of thanking the places and cultures that offered this music, while adding their little bit to the push for continuity for more. "Chorinho pre lemãnjá", "Iyá Modupué", and "Nameless" sound like the kind of wicked hybrids that would've fit perfectly on albums by Herbie Mann, Ramsey Lewis (Cline's Fender Rhodes solo in "Rue de Buci" is reminscent of Lewis' work from the early to mid 70's), and Herbie Hancock (think "Sly" from Head Hunters if it was lead by Gato Barbieri or The Fania All-Stars). It's non-stop energy from start to finish, and the only think that holds this back from being perfect is the elementary looking CD cover that gives it a slightly cheap look, far from what the music itself suggests. In truth the cover is secondary, and yet it might hold people back from wanting to buy this. Look past the cover and find out why I like the music so much. Then make your own cover.

It would be a bit foolish to say that in the vast world of recorded jazz, you still have to look for music of substance. Considering how much jazz is released on a regular basis, there's more than enough music to go around, but sometimes they end up bring nothing but sonic clutter. Gene Ess is not clutter, in fact for some it may be the jazz album you've been seeking for for most of your life.

He was born Gene Shimosato, a cool enougn name right there but that's besides the point. For now he is known as Gene Ess, which in a way is cool in itself but that will leave potential listeners and fans to question "what's Ess?" Now you know. He could've been Gene @, and people would've asked "at what?" At his music, that's what, and his music is incredibly played and recorded on his brand new album, Modes Of Limited Transcendence (Simp). Ess produced this alongside engineer Randy Crafton and mix engineer Sal Mormando, and on top of that, Ess mastered this disc himself. The Japanese tend to have a keen ear, and as I'm currently listening to the audiobook of Olver Sacks Musicophilia I learned that there is a strong belief that some ethnicities do have a better sense of listening and comprehension, although it is uncertain still as to how this happened. Is it with the ear canal, or the hairs within the ear? That's besides the point, for we are talking about Gene Ess.

Ess plays the guitar in a Pat Martino-style occasionally offering a few Pat Metheny touches, or at least this is what I hear. Whether it's a luxurious solo or something that plays along the piano melody (courtesy of Tigran Hamasyan, he plays with such elegance and grace that you wished he would record more so you could buy his entire discography, or hopes he performs at a nearby jazz venue for two weeks so you could skip meals and check out whatever they play. Then there's the incredible rhythm section of Tyshawn Sorey drums and Harvie S. (no relation to Ess, on bass), and these guys play with the kind of finesse reminiscent of some of the best jazz albums of the 1970's, when freeform could weave itself into bebop or bop while mellowing out in the ECM range. "Messiaen Shuffle" is a track that combines all of these elements into an energetic song where you can visualize the walk and strut created by Ess while the traffic and disgrunted faces (created beautifully by Hamasyan, S, and Sorey) are put in view. The tone that Ess has is most welcome, not distorted nor complex, not unlike Larry Coryell. The contrasts and coloring of these musicians are not so much precise, but... how do I say this, it's an exciting listen to not only hear musicians play like this, but to hear it recorded and mixed so well.

Keen musicianships, keen ears, keen love of jazz and music, and creativity in general. If you welcome these things, welcome Gene Ess into your mental vicinity. One of the best jazz albums of 2008.

While some people don't enjoy cover version, I enjoy them if they are creative and the artist makes an attempt in trying something different. It doesn't have to be that way, because a good song is a good song, but when given a new hat, give it a new twist. Wave Mechanics Union are a trio consisting of Ryan Fraley, Ralph Johnson and vocalist Lydia McAdams, and for their debut album they decide to tackle progressive and classic rock and give it a jazz motif. Second Season (HX Music), the title of which is taken from Led Zeppelin's "The Rain Song" (covered here in an excellent arrangement), gives these classic songs a fresh set of clothes to change into, not only showing their love of the material but also how fine these musicians are. Wave Mechanics Union are a trio that collaborate with a wide range of musicians, including horn players and a string quartet so their sound is full and rich to the point of no return. A lot of these songs are often thought of with a penis attached, so to have them performed with a woman singing them is a welcome chance, especially upon hearing the war chestnut "Won't Get Fooled Again" (The Who) or "Killer Queen" (Queen). They even get into Rush's "Available Night" to where you might not even recognize it as a Rush song. For those who were raised on these songs, the jazzy approach may sound like something Norah Jones would be comfortable in doing, but McAdams voice' is stronger and perhaps more comforting. One of the song's defining moments has to be their cover of Yes' "Heart Of The Sunrise", which truly sounds like something you'd hear on a high school band album if high school bands were this cool and skilled. Screw the Airmen Of Note, this is Wave Mechanics Union!

Some songs are given the instrumental treatment. The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" features an arrangement that makes it sound like something you'd hear on a Stan Kenton (who is referred to in the liner notes) or Johnny Harris album, while Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig In The Sky" could have been destroyed if the upbeat (!!!) arrangement featured vocals and fortunately it doesn't.

It's a jazz album with a twist, one that is actually good without it being predictable. Curious to know where this group will lead us next.

That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove. If you have any new music, DVD's, books, or hot sauce, please contact me through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact address. In the past I have generally frowned over receiving digital files, but I will accept them on a case by case basic. I still prefer hard copy as I want to hear the quality of the recording (which is important to me), but digital files are fine.

I still have a few more CD's to go and because of that, I may have yet another column by the weekend, but we'll see.

Thank you, and come back next week for #226.

The Run-Off Groove #224

2008-12-03T11:49:00.001-08:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #224. I am John Book and ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra. La la how the life goes on.

The Zang Tuum Tumb 25th Anniversary tribute podcast I did for Book's Music had taken up my time two weeks ago, and I decided to take a makeshift Thanksgiving break last week, thus the reason for the gap between this column and the last. I am back, and now I'm a bit backed up so for this week the column will be brief.

BTW - if you like the column, please consider clicking the banner below for eMusic. You are able to subscribe and download albums in a way that I feel is more effective than iTunes, and there's a lot of incredible music here. You will not be disappointed.

Also, each review features links to the artist's home page or MySpace page, so if you want to hear them, you can do so easily. Links are also provided to make a vinyl, CD, or digital purchase, since your local mall probably doesn't have most of these titles. If you would like to buy the compact disc, click the icon that looks like this:

If you wish to make a digital MP3 purchase, you can click the digital player icon that looks like this:

If a particular release does come out on vinyl, I of course will make a vinyl icon.

Now, the column.

A Block Of Yellow are very pop friendly, and their bio asks "tired of faux emo? Gloomy retros down you down?", to suggest that they are a slight throwback to the eclectic pop sounds of yesteryear. I think they are very modern, and Do I Do (Around Sounds) shows they know how to be very much in the vein of The Violent Femmes or Let's Active but most of the time they get stuck in that cutesy retroness and fail to challenge themselves and escape for a breather.

If anything, one of the guys in the band looks like Sean Lennon with meat on his face. If you have ever wanted a band to salute the theme to The Courtship Of Eddie's Father, A Block Of Yellow are you gentlemen, but they're just too gentle for me. That could be a good or bad thing, I'll leave it to your interpretation.

The Secret History is a group created by former My Favorite member Michael Grace Jr., but the heart of the songs on the Desolation Town EP (Le Grand Magistery) belong to its primary vocalist, Lisa Ronson. The group play the kind of aggressive pop that pulls your heartstrings when it matters without dipping into the sappiness of most pop music. It's aggressive for a reason but does so with a spirit I know I haven't heard in awhile. Either pop music has become a bland Disney nightmare or more American Idol crap and The Secret History is neither. Comparisons to The Smiths, Roxy Music, and The Patti Smith Group. have been made, but one could also feel free to add Concrete Blonde, The Smithereens, and The Replacements to that list.

Favorite songs include "Our Lady Of Pompeii", "Mark & John (Bring On The Glitter Kids)", and "Our Lady Of Palermo".

My Dear Disco seems like a cool enough name with a possible decent concept, that is until I hear the great voice of vocalist Michelle Chamuel ruined with Auto-Tune. That kept me from wanting to listen to this CD seriously, and all I could do was cringe in disgust. Their cover of Stevie Wonder's "All I Do" will bring them a small bit of attention, and Chamuel pulls it off with a great vocal performance with limited Auto-Tune use. If the entire album sounded like this, I'd be alright with it.

Maybe it's best if she just went solo so we could hear her voice without anyone else's idea of what she sould sound like.

Oh yeah, the album is called Dancethink, but you'd be better off just buying one track.

Knitting By Twilight have been around for years, and each releases always reveals something new, interesting, and unique. An Evening Out Of Town (it's Twilight Time) is a mixture of different styles and genres, where you'd not sure where you'll be headed but you're always pleased to reach each song's destination. The core of Knitting By Twilight has always been multi-instrumentalist John Orsi, and he goes at it by creating mostly-instrumental pieces that could be anything and everything from jazz to new age, light electronic music, folk, to sounds that show a possible classical influence. "Soothing Stars" is Orsi and Orsi only, and the backdrop sounds like something you might find on a Tangerine Dream album. The percussion on "Evelyn's Glen" could easily fit on any world music playlist, but the interesting about Knitting By Twilight is that it's hard to say which world or territory they're rooted in. In other words, the territories they represent as a collective may be as different as their backgrounds and influences. While those cores are somewhat represented, it seems once again that this group iare more about the creation of a new borderless territory where there is no final resting place, kind of like how Duke Ellington always ended his music without a proper ending. Each piece sounds like it could continue into the next phase, with Mike Marando's guitar work becoming a call for an answer that never comes to fruition, or Manny Silva's ebow guitar in "Oblivion's Poppied Slope" that helps the listener get locked into an alternate universe that the listener wishes they could explore.

It's simple in its complexity, and it's complex in its simplicity, which means they pull their music in every direction in order to find new things in their creative minds. Even when a discovery is made, they set off on the next journey, and that is what makes listening to Knitting By Twilight an enjoyable experience.

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That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove. If you have any new music, DVD's, books, or hot sauce, please contact me through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact address. In the past I have generally frowned over receiving digital files, but I will accept them on a case by case basic. I still prefer hard copy as I want to hear the quality of the recording (which is important to me), but digital files are fine.

Thank you, and come back next week for #225.

The Run-Off Groove #223

2008-11-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #223. I am John Book and ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra. La la how the life goes on.

BTW - if you like the column, please consider clicking the banner below for eMusic. You are able to subscribe and download albums in a way that I feel is more effective than iTunes, and there's a lot of incredible music here. You will not be disappointed.

Also, each review features links to the artist's home page or MySpace page, so if you want to hear them, you can do so easily. Links are also provided to make a vinyl, CD, or digital purchase, since your local mall probably doesn't have most of these titles.

Now, the column.

People may have heard the name 88 Keys for awhile, and the release of The Death Of Adam (Decon) has pushed him into the forefront in the world of hip-hop. It also doesn't hurt to have an album executive produced by Kanye West, so it might have its share of expectations.

So what does it sound like? The album is rooted in hip-hop, and it's partly a hip-hop album but he's not just about the boom bap. There are some tracks that sound like Kanye outtakes, and with the type of sped up samples he uses, it also has a bit of crossover appeal. It could be pop, it could be R&B, and some of it could be soul too, especially with contributions from Bilal and J*DaVey. In fact, J*DaVey's appearance in "Dirty Peaches" is one of the highlights of the album, and trust me there are many. Phonte's lines in "Close Call" is a continuation of this man's excellence as he talks about "until one night you let a nigga put the head in/and we ain't never use the motherfuckers no more/started going in and out with the raw sex, pull it out/seeded on your chest, like bring your ass herre/playing Justice Leia to your Jazmine Cashmere/so one night you said, baby leave it right there", and when Redman drops his in something called "The Burning Bush", you know you're asking for trouble.

The album is about the sins of the world, why they are sins, why we commit them, and why no one is ever completely pure. It's not a concept in the true sense but rather has a running theme about the lure of the apple from the tree that is too irresistible to ignore. 88 Keys' main role is that of a producer, but you do hear him rap and sing, so he continues to show the diversity he's had throughout his career. The album begins on a somewhat poppy note but fortunately it doesn't stay that way. It's hip-hop with a touch of soul, and perhaps it's that touch that hip-hop sorely needs today. Some of the poppier touches are disposable, so hopefully he'll ignore them in the future. Nonetheless, the apple is here, I dare you to not bite.

(The Death Of Adam is available from CD Universe.)

Spoken Nerd is about the spoken word, and the word that is involved in hip-hop. His flows sound like a cross between Mike Shinoda and Jesse Dangerously, and he likes to play around with sampled hip-hop and real instrumentation. On 24 Carrot Dreams he tends to want to push his sense of humor, which is great, but this is someone who is far from a joke as his rhymes are on the money and worth listening to.

There are moments on this album where Spoken Nerd will enter that type of abstract world that will please Anticon fans immensely, but then he'll move out of it as fast as he went in and he's doing something that's more traditional. "Running Man" is the former while "This Is Hip-Hop" is the latter, and what I like is that he does this while sounding as raw as possible. Some of these songs sound a lot like rough demos, but it's well produced and mixed. If this guy had a bigger budget, I could only imagine how much better this album would be.

(24 Carrot Dreams is available from CDBaby.)

It may be a little over a week after Senator Barack Obama was elected to be the next president of the United States, but when this mix CD by DJ Noodles was made, that reality was nothing but a big dream. It wasn't too far from reality, but it had to be made official. What DJ Noodles does is puts together a number of songs that touched on the idea of a black president, and throughout PSA (The Closing Argument) (self-released) you can hear what people had been hoping for for years. That hope is now reality, but it doesn't take away from the power these tracks originally had. Listen to Nas' "Black President", Jay-Z's "Enough", Mims' "Barack Star", or Young Jeezy's "My President" and it felt good to know that these songs were providing the energy to make true change. After the fact, this mix CD holds up as a document of a historic moment, and no doubt a document hinting of the changes to come.

(PSA (The Closing Argument) is available as a free download directly from DJNoodles.com, where you will find many other of his mixtapes/CD's for free.)

Elizabeth Willis was a musical prodigy whose love of creating had been something she wanted to now and forever. She received classical training and learned from the best, leading many to believe that she could become an important part of the classical world. Instead she had other, more personal ambitions, and proceeded to move into creating incredible pop but without sacrificing her classical influences. The end result is her self-titled debut (Little Blackbird Music), and she is very much of the Joan Armatrading, Tracy Chapman, and Melissa Etheridge traditions in terms of recording raw and honest songs that are gutsy and edgy. If anything, she easily could reach into the corners Tori Amos often finds herself in, and with Willis she is able to create these arrangements that go a little further than the average pop song. That's a good thing.

As I listened to the album, some of the ideas seem to repeat, and I'm not sure if it's just Willis looking for a way to find a comfortable place or a slight fear to get more adventurous, because I hear it in the way she sings and plays (here she handles piano, violin, and acoustic guitar). There's a slight shift in the song "4am", and it makes me wish the entire album changed up as it does in "4am", but when repetition sets in it gets to be tedious.

What I do hear is incredible potential, which is my way of saying I hear the greatness she wants to offer but it's not quite there just yet. I give her another album or two and I can see Willis becoming an artist who will overwhelm people with her talent. For now, these are the seeds towards something much greater.

Luke Jackson could become this generation's rock/pop superstar, and his album ...And Then Some (Popsicle) has him sounding like a cross between The Clash, Weezer, and Ben Folds with his energy, passionate vocals, and jingle-jangle spirit that makes this a very moving power-pop album.

Comparisons aside, Jackson is someone who is influenced by a wide range of artists and styles, sometimes he could fit into an Elton John-type mode but in a track like "Goodbye London" it sounds like he's been listening to a bit of Green Day or The Buzzcocks. The wide direction he is going for is not as scattered as one might think it is, and when you listen to the lyrics and hear his playing and arrangements, you know there's some sense of craft and activity, it's not just "okay, let's bring this guitar bit here and fit in in where the drums are". It sounds healthy and live, I would even use the word vibrant. His songs are personal and come off as those type of diary entries you wouldn't dare share with anyone. Unless you're an artist of course, when the release of those personal thoughts become someone of a catharsis, especially in the track "The Fear":
We've all got the disease but we've all got the cure
We've all got the fear but our hearts are all pure
So let go of the things you know you'll never control
We've gotta lose the fear, it'll save us all

There are lot of nice touches on here, brief accents that help move the songs to where they will become personal anthems for those who will listen. Luke Jackson is someone who deserves to be heard, for he may provide the audio mirror you've been searching for.

...And Then Some is available digitally from eMusic.)

Future Clouds & Radar are a group fronted by Robert Harrison, and upon first listen the music on Peoria (The Star Apple Kingdom) sounds like an eclectic pop version of Maroon 5 in that themes within each song sound like something that came before, but you're not quite sure where it came from. What makes these guys different are the vocals and lyrics of Harrison, who at least sounds like he makes an effort to write something of long lasting value.

It's very much quirky pop, where bells, chimes, and steel drums are filtered to where they're almost unrecognizable, along with some Mellotron-type samples (most likely plug-ins) that help give these songs a more contemporary edge unlike those who go for the actual sounds which helps make them sound more... I was going to say "authentic" but Future Clouds & Radar are real and very much authentic, the kind of pop band who would be very welcome on a Lenny Kravitz or Flaming Lips tour package. Harrison can hit those high emotional notes as he does in "Old Edmund Ruffin", where he tends to hit those sensitive John Lennon or Glenn Tilbrook areas that will make people want to hear them. The horns during the break are a very nice accent that would help push this on the charts if the charts dared to put anything like this on the top of the charts. These guys could be a huge band if they were pushed to the forefront, for they show an appreciation for British pop while showing slight nods to The Doobie Brothers and Fireball with enough of their own ingredients to make them a band that could pull in big audiences. I hope they take it as far as they can, for this is quite remarkable.

(The compact disc for Peoria is available from CD Universe, and can also be digitally downloaded from eMusicFuture Clouds and Radar.)

Previous to hearing this, I was unfamiliar with the music of pianist Larry McDonough, but his album Simple Gifts (self-released) made me wish I had heard of him before, and now I want to catch up.

The Larry McDonough Quartet play the kind of jazz that will be a delight for fans of Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, and Phil Woods in terms of the musicians involved (McDonough on piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and voice, plus Chas Draper on drums, Crag Materrese on bass and electric bass, and Richard Terrill on tenor and soprano saxes). They play in a very open fashion where all you want to do is kick back, relax, and let the music take you away to a place untraveled. "Tuscarora", a McDonough original, could easily find its way among the ECM discography, as Terrill's saxophone solo graces the soundscape as McDonough fills in the colors and eventually helps develop the picture. Their cover of Steely Dan's "Aja", done in a 5/4 time signature, will definitely keep you attentive throughout its close-to-eight-minute duration, and it's sure to be a Steely Dan cover worth telling everyone about. The 5/4 time signature returns at the end when they go into "My Favorite Things", and before the familiar melody is revived, it sounds a bit like the start of an Indian raga with the drones coming from Materrese's bass. Most listeners will probably familiar with the song in 3/4, so to hear it in 5/4 is a challenge but one that you'll want to take.

Simple Gifts may be a subtle way to describe the talents of McDonough and friends, but their arrangements are anything but simple or subtle. It's not too heady or avant-garde either, but for those who like their jazz with an unpredictable source of energy, McDonough is someone who is in full control of that power distribution, and he does so in a fashion that will make everyone beg for more.

(Simple Gifts is available from CDBaby.)

François Virot is the kind of guy you would pay to watch in concert at any decent venue, but would be welcome at any soup kitchen or VFW Hall. Anyone who picks up an acoustic guitar and makes the kind of music that would please people as much as it would irritate some deserves attention. Yes Or No (Frenetic) is along the lines of some of John Frusciante's solo material, especially the early stuff where Virot overdubs himself so it sounds like five Virot's singing and two of his clone brothers playing guitar. "Say Fiesta", ""Fish Boy", and "I Wish I Had You" (the latter made famous by Billie Holiday sound intensely rich with color and dynamics, as if he is a one-man Electric Light Orchestra but without that big hair. There are tracks with full instrumentation, or where it may be just drums and percussion, and... this is not the kind of music you would expect to hear at Carnegie Hall. Rather, it's the kind of music you would hear in the back of the teriyaki place off of of I-82, and that's a good thing. Sometimes the guitars are not tuned right, unless it's "alternate tuning".

It doesn't matter, this Virot guy is great and someone who enjoys the tortured soul who really isn't tortured, but enjoys being able to make music that will make people smile and laugh because of the spontaneity. Dig it.

(The CD for Yes Or No is available directly from Frenetic Records and digitally from eMusic.)

Dark Developments (Orange Twin) is the new album by Vic Chesnutt, who teams up on this one with Elf Power & The Amorphous Strums to record a rootsy, Americana-type album that feels a lot like some of The Band's best mixed in with a bit of post-modern Lou Reed-type ruggedness. With songs like "Little Fucker", they're not about to conquer Top 40 radio any time soon, but what they do is make some rip roaring music that mixes up the swagger of good rock'n'roll with the kind of jingle jangle unmockery that might bring to mind the music of Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. This is Chesnutt by the way, who has never been afraid to say his mind or bring forth the music he feels is pure and the best.

Recognition goes to Derek Almstead for some of the most incredible basslines I've heard on a rock album in awhile. Job well done.

(The CD for Dark Developments is available from CD Universe, and digitally from eMusic.)

Lowfish is the one-man electronic project of Toronto's Gregory De Rocher, whose style of music is a mixture of sound that's beat happy but also goes back to the days when analog was king. Frozen & Broken (Noise Factory) will please those who enjoy the inner workings of Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Jean Michel-Jarre, and some of Prince's and Arthur Baker's work from the early 1980's, even Moby's most intense moments throughout his career.

Of course with that many comparisons, one might ask "how about the originality?" It's very much in there, from the pulsating rhythms to the type of sounds he creates in his songs, with melodies and counter melodies to please those who want their electronic music to be a bit more musical. He doesn't shy away from just making electronic noise, he does this throughout the album within breaks and the most unexpected moments. However, his gift of composition makes it possible for his music to be used for television, movies, or even video games without sounding cheesy, because cheesy this isn't. Every song in here will make you want to dance, twitch, or the wave which you can pass to your friend, which he'll pass on to his, which she will pass... etc.

(Frozen & Broken will be released on December 9. The CD can be pre-ordered through CD Universe and digitally from eMusic.)

Trumpter Roy Hargrove has set a high standard for himself on the level of many jazz legends. He may be too humble to rank his output and talents, but if one is to listen to the music on Earfood (Groovin' High/EmArCy/Decca), many are sure to put him up high.

Hargrove is a man that plays jazz with so much soul, but this isn't just jazz with a soulful touch or a wall of smooth jazz. This is someone who plays with a high caliber, and any musician he chooses to work with treats him with honor and respect, and it leads to a healthy exchange that always ends up with the kind of music you want to tell everyone about. The album has some lengthy pieces such as "I'm Not So Sure", "Style", and my personal favorite, the close-to-eight-minute "Starmaker", where he and the entire quintet (which includes Montez Coleman on drums, Danton Boller on bass, Gerald Clayton on piano, and Justin Robinson on alto sax) come up with the kind of music that will inspire fellow musicians to challenge themselves and take their music to the next level. It's not revolutionary by any means, but it has the kind of chemistry that makes you want to grit your teeth, bite your upper lip and go "damn, now that's nice". The album moves through a lot of textures, including blues, gospel, and the undeniable presence of hip-hop, and that unfortunately might be a red flag for some so allow me to explain. A good amount of jazz has influenced some parts of hip-hop music, when producers and MC's would look to their old Blue Note, Prestige, and Verve albums for the best breaks, horns, and basslines. The influence of jazz would allow producers to flirt with and manipulate the music into new sounds that has lead to what Roni Size and Jazzanova are known for. While some jazz artists reject the connection, you do have a generation of players who grew up with Eric B. & Rakim right along with the Marsalis brothers. The influence here is full circle, as those beats made famous by Leo Morris (Idris Muhammad), Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams are now brought back home and explored even further. What you hear is a modern approach to the music, one where Hargrove plays with all that he has in him to keep the spirit of jazz going while taking it to a generation who may never have experienced it face to face. "Starmaker", along with "Rouge", "Mr. Clean", and "To Wisdom The Prize", are songs that may lead to an essential bridge for different audiences to come to Hargrove and jazz. As for those who have remained fans since his debut album 18 years ago, they're going to find this to be as powerful and meaningful as anything with his trademark of quality.

Earfood couldn't be a more appropriate title, fans who are hungry for the goods will load up musically on the meat, beans, two scoops of rice, and a serving or two of dessert. It is very much jazz as most people know it, and it comes from someone who continues to put his spin in the music to assure fans that jazz is still one of the most breathtaking styles in the world. When he closes the album with "Bring It On Home To Me", you feel like walking down the street along with his band to offer gratitude because you feel you understand his music inside and out. Even without words, there's a dialogue going on, and it's one of hope and promise, with a need to keep the journey moving forward. It's not too heady, but it's as complex as you expect for Hargrove to be. It's musical comfort food, undo a button and allow the music to put you in that zone you always take time to get lost in.

(Earfood is available from CD Universe.)

Barbara King is a jazz singer who does something quite well: sing. That might sound funny, but considering the amount of vocal jazz that is released on a weekly basis, sometimes it's difficult to know who is good and who isn't. MP3 samples mean nothing if you can't get a feel for the full song, but I'm here to say that Perfect Timing (CCC Music Group) is an album for anyone who is a fan of vocal jazz, and those who want to hear someone who can truly sing with all of their heart and soul.

What I hear is someone of the Natalie Cole tradition, and hearing her perform "One More Day", Bob Dylan's "Forever Young", and Donny Hathaway's "Tryin' Times" makes one want to hear more of whatever songs she feels like singing. I like it because as I've said in the past, sometimes a jazz singer will blow me away but it would be nice to hear them do something more than jazz and pop standards. Here she takes these songs and molds them into something new but recognizable, and it may move you to consider her version one you'll want to listen to for a long time. Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon In The Sky" is even a slight Brazilian touch, and is one that is sure to get a significant amount of airplay on smooth jazz radio, especially with the Herb Alpert-esque trumpet solo from Cecil Bridgewater. It should be said that King is not a smooth jazz artist, far from it, and anyone who says she is after hearing her do The Beatles hit "Let It Be" is obviously in denial. It's a nice album, and one that fans of vocal jazz will be pleased to add to their collection.

(Perfect Timing is available from CDBaby.)

Mt. Sims have been around since the beginning of the decade with their brand of gothy rock that may make some long for those days in the early 80's when it felt like a healthy movement. On Happily Ever After (Hungry Eye) they take on the topics that matter to today's generation and tries to find a way to deal with it and instruct their mentors to do what feels right despite the circumstances. It's very dark and gloomy, and it sounds like the entire world is monochromatic.

Perhaps it is.

"Grave", "Continuations", and "Tightrope" are the kind of songs you'll find goth kids swirling to at a bus stop as they hold their diabetic Big Gulps and bags of glow in the dark Cornnuts. The album is produced and mixed well, and those who have been crying for the day someone would make music that brought back the sacredness of Joy Division, this is your lucky day. Or unlucky, as the case may be.

(The CD for Happily Ever After is available directly from Hungry Eye Records and digitally from eMusic.)

The voice that is heard in the opening track of ph10's Well Connected (Helmutplex) album explains that electronica music is a weird place, but one that is inventive and interesting. This is possibly why so many have moved to electronic music and electronica, because of the endless possibilities and lack of limits one can place on the music and themselves. ph10 is a mix of that heavy funky Crystal Method-type beats to the deep drum'n'bass that keeps everyone on ludes for the duration of the songs and mantras.

That right there is key, for ph10 create electronic mantras that you want to turn in something sacred. The entire vibe sounds like the kind of techno, jungle, and drum'n'bass that started massive movements in the early to mid-90's, but the difference is that it sounds clean and modern, and at times one can be taken aback by it if you're used to the grittiness some of the genres and sub-genres had provided in the past. "Enter The Underground" features Pete Miser and Jamalski doing a little bit of that reggae stylee, and "Serious Delirium" will make a number of DJ's mix it alongside Ming + FS, Roni Size, or any white label sides from the Metalheadz crew. The great thing about artists who are heavily into drum'n'bass is that they more often than not reveal their hip-hop upbringing, and that can be heard throughout the construction process of this album. It bites hard and it sends zings to the molars as the beats and bass pulses as it searches for any open cavity. Once it's in, it repeats the process until something juices. Well Connected is that non-sticky lube.

(Well Connected is available from CDBaby.)

Jon Larsen had worked with Jimmy Carl Black a number of times in the past. While this album was completed before Black's death last week, it seems Black may have told Larsen about his health as the album was pretty much in honor of the man Frank Zappa fans knew as being "the Indian of the group", in reference to The Mothers Of Invention. With The Jimmy Carl Black Story (Zonic/Hot Club), he makes an attempt to share that story while defining what his own music means as he says thanks to a trooper who would eventually depart on his afterlife journey.

Larsen has always shared his love of the kind of compositions Zappa made famous, and this album is a jazz album full of the abrupt changes, intense musicianship, and clever musical humor that made Zappa a true legend. Larsen's guitar work ride along the voyage and he rips it whenever possible without going overboard. Rob Waring's work on the marimba will definitely bring back memories of Ruth Underwood, in fact much of this album is a tribute to Zappa's early to mid-70's work, where jazz could mix in with classical, not afraid to mix it up with rock, blues, doo-wop, and whatever was of the moment. The common string running through it is Black's narrative, as he shares his life story from childhood to his now-current status as a martian (you'll have to listen to understand). It's a little lonely in space, but Black senses this is where he will end up being. Now that he has passed on, one tends to feel that loss more than ever. Larsen interprets that with the kind of music that sounds more like a celebration than a eulogy, and that's probably how Larsen and Black wanted it to be. The CD is packed with another CD featuring a full Jimmy Carl Black interview, and... perhaps it's a bit too soon but again no one but perhaps Black new of the situation, and it doesn't come as a surprise that this album was released now, as if other entities were speaking for everyone. Now, the memory of Jimmy Carl Black will live on. Rest in peace.

(The compact disc for The Jimmy Carl Black Story is available from CD Universe, and can also be digitally downloaded from eMusic.)

Hot Club de Norvège is a jazz combo who play in a stripped down manner, with just two guitarists (Jon Larsen and Per Frydenlund), a bassist (Svein Aarbostad) and a violinist/harmonica player (Finn Hauge). They call their style of music "gypsy swing", and yes these guys do swing despite the fact that there's no drummer here. At time when there is a missing component in the group sound, we tend to listen a bit closer, or at least we think "no drums? Wow, I wonder how they compensate?" It's not about that, but what it is is about a great set of musicians who have been doing this for over 30 years years, and if you're a fan of the work of Stéphane Grappelli or even some of Al Di Meola's work, this is going to be a CD you may not get through in an hour, for you'll want to play each song about three times or more before playing the next track.

"Karius & Baktus" definitely would get the juke joint jumping, while the balladry of "Echo" could easily bring anyone to tears, especially as the violin of Hauge gently plays along with the dual guitar of Larsen and Frydenlund, as both guitarists communicate and compliment each other in song. It's elegant and romantic, and they know how to sweep the feet of anyone who listens to how great these gentleman play together, and the harmonica is a very nice touch. It's called Django Music for a reason, as it carries on the same spirit and virtuosity that Mr. Reinhardt once had, with some of the same European influences that gave his music its spark. A splendid piece of work.

(Django Music is available from CD Universe.)

If Bruce Springsteen had started out hanging out with Ben Folds, The Clash, and Eddie Vedder, it might have sounded like what the guys in The Frontier Brothers were able to do with Space Punk Starlet (self-released). Their brand of rock'n'roll is a rugged one, and now when someone does something in a slightly different manner, it might be considered punk or alternative and if that means it's a throwback to the trusted formulas what once was, so be it. There's a bit of that late 70's/early 80's punch to their music, and every now and then vocalist Marshall Galactic has a slight Wayne Coyne tinge to it. That is, if Coyne was heavily influenced by Springsteen. It sounds like an odd combo that wouldn't work, but this power trio has it takes to make that formula work.

"Get Up Go" sounds like the Tacoma band Seaweed while "Take It For Love" could be Sara Bareilles if she mutated with Mark Arm of Mudhoney. Galactic sings about being kicked in the face after being overwhelmed by beauty, all while encrusted with horn sections and great arrangements that make this band a must-see/must-hear entity for anyone who enjoys excellent power pop in all of its glory. Dare I say it would be something that Elton John or Todd Rundgren could get into? I could see them wearing Frontier Brothers tour T-shirts.

(Space Punk Starlet is available from CDBaby.)

...AND NOW, THE HAWAIIAN MUSIC CORNER
Two years ago I reviewed her album Generation Hawai'i and felt that the growth of vocalist Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom could be felt in the songs that made up her sixth album. The confidence had been there from the beginning, as she slowly made the transition from a jazz singer to someone who wanted to explore and share her Hawaiian side. Her debut album, Native Child, was released 13 years ago and at the time it seemed people weren't sure what to make of her. Someone doing jazzy covers of Hawaiian standards? Nonetheless, she continued on releasing a string of albums that kept her in the public eye, giving her numerous awards, and finding a growing fanbase in Japan. It might come as a shock to know that 'Aumakua is an album split with one half being sung in Hawaiian, the other half in English. It may also be a surprise to see that this album is being distributed by Concord, the jazz label that resurrected Stax as a label of modern artists like Angie Stone. Hanaiali'i's musical career has had its share of controversies, and this will no doubt lead to a few whispered discussions as to why she made her new album this way. This is her doing what she wants to do, the way she wants to do it, thus becoming Hanaiali'i's tradition.

First, her English songs. The album begins with a reconstruction of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" (the recordings of which are now owned by Concord), and she turns it into a sweet ballad. The arrangement by Matt Catingub might help it crossover to getting airplay on NPR, AOR, and perhaps a few television shows and films. If it's one way to have her and her voice be heard by a wider audience, this cover will definitely do the job. Randy Newman's "Feels Like Home" gets treated with the kind of beauty only Hanaiali'i can do, and one will have to look at the liner notes to remember that this is indeed a Newman cover (perhaps more female vocalist should cover her songs in this manner). "When You Wish Upon A Star" is a standard that never gets old, and here she brings out the innocence many of us remember when we may have first heard it, be it a Disney cartoon or a Gene Simmons solo album. Another pop standard (Hawaiians love a good pop song) brought into the 21st century is "Blue Moon", which some may remember as a cherished doo-wop song, is almost made into a melancholy song of loss and wonderment. The album closes with "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning", and while one tends to enjoy the wonders of the evening, it is a joy to see the sun rise and wonder what lies ahead in the coming day.

Now, her Hawaiian songs. The title of the album 'Aumakua is meant to represent a guardian or something that represents you and your family, be it rain, sharks, turtles, a mountain valley, or something generally found in nature. When you are given a Hawaiian name, it is well researched so that the name itself doesn't bring the new child bad luck, and often times it leads back to what is considered the 'aumakua. Naming the album 'Aumakua can lead to a number of interpretations, whether it's the music within representing her as an artist, or Hanaiali'i exploring what 'aumakua means to the people of Hawai'i. It is in many ways her spiritual journey, one she has touched on throughout her career but not this extensively. As she started her album with "Have You Ever Seen The Rain", she like many view the rains as a blessing, which she sings about in "Ka Ua 'Ula". One of the best songs on the album, and perhaps one of the best in her career, is "Manu O Ku", which features the playing and arrangment of Sean Na'auao and Hanaiali'i singing with authority as she speaks to the many people who have ridden on the Hokule'a, a boat where the only means of navigation are the tides in the ocean and the stars in the sky (perhaps not a coincidence that the song is followed by "When You Wish Upon A Star"). The way "Manu O Ku" sings will definitely bring chicken skin to any one who holds true to traditional Hawaiian music, and the confidence and slight sassiness in her voice will bring to mind the mid to late 70's work of Melveen Leed, whose music and voice continues to be an influence on many Hawaiian singers both male and female. "He Mana 'O Au" is a Hawaiian interpretation of Kui Lee's "I'll Remember You", generally performed in English so hearing it in Hawaiian is somewhat of a rarity. It is one of those songs, no matter how much time has passed, will bring to mind the last few minutes at the Honolulu International Airport before boarding a plane. "Ka Makani Ka'ili Aloha", featuring the Matt Catingug Orchestra Of Hawai'i, sounds like the arrangements the Sunday Manoa had on their 1973 album 3, complete with the same kind of reverb and production techniques that made songs like "Pupuhinuhinu" and "A Hawaiian Lullaby" instant classics. "Ka Makani Ka'ili Aloha" will definitely become an instant classic for her.

At first I was indifferent to the half Hawaiian/half English approach, but Hanaiali'i has rarely complied to what people expect to hear from her. What she has ended up with is an album that is a continuation of the strength of Hawaiian music and culture, one that honorably looks back at what came before, and with courage looks at the future with hope. 'Aumakua represents the strength and courage we tend to look for during troubled times, and perhaps it is not a coincidence that this album has been released at this moment in time. A true artist in a time when artistry has become a lost art.

('Aumakua is available from CD Universe.)

That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove. If you have any new music, DVD's, books, or hot sauce, please contact me through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact address. Hard copy is preferred over digital files, and will get reviewed a lot faster than a digital files due to the amount of e-mails I receive. Next week or so I will have reviews of new music by Beyonce, Aaron Novik, Herb Ohta Jr. & Daniel Ho, Tia Carrere & Daniel Ho, Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, Kurupt, Danny Green, The Leonisa Ardizzone Quintet, Lole, and Pequeno Pionero, and no doubt many more.

Also remember that by the end of the year, this column will be moved to my website over @ ThisIsBooksMusic.com. You will find this column there as well, but by January first all future installments will be there and only there. This Blogspot page will remain for archiving purposes.

Thank you, and come back next week for #224.

The Run-Off Groove #222

2008-11-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #222. I am John Book and this has been one incredible week. Barack Obama is now our President-Elect, and today he didn't mind poking the finger at himself when so many others were doing the same. He called himself "mutt" during his first press conference since being elected this past Tuesday. So to my fellow mutts out there, I salute you. With all of the new young voters, hopefully this will make many of you continue to be politically aware and active in the next four years.

Before I begin, I should say that if you like the column, please consider clicking the banner below for eMusic. You are able to subscribe and download albums in a way that I feel is more effective than iTunes, and there's a lot of incredible music here. You will not be disappointed.

Also, each review features links to the artist's home page or MySpace page, so if you want to hear them, you can do so easily. Links are also provided to make a vinyl, CD, or digital purchase, since your local mall probably doesn't have most of these titles.

Now that I have my own website, this column will no longer be updated here @ Blogger. You can head to ThisIsBooksMusic.com and you'll be able to read this column there as well, and future editions until the end of the year. All columns that were posted here at Blogger/Blogspot will remain her for archival purposes until if and when I change my mind.

Haji Rana Pinya is known to some simply as Haj, and he is one part of the hip-hop collective known as Dumhi. Based out of Philadelphia, he has managed to create some incredible music with his group, who take on the traditions of the music and take it on a green, smoke-filled adventure. Haj is also branching out with a number of other projects, including the recent Fermented Spirits project with MicheleQJ, Demystification, and a great album he released under his own name, Yoga At Home Vol. 1 which features Sadat X, Von Pea, Che Grand, and Reef The Lost Cause. In a short time he has been able to execute these songs while slowly gaining a faithful audience, and as he looks towards doing more projects with Dumhi and other artists, it's only a matter of time before we see Haj doing things on an international level. Here is my interview with him, done on a binary level somewhere in cyberspace:

The Run-Off Groove: What are you listening to right now on your iPod or listening device of choice?
Haj: I just left Best Buy actually. I copped Heltah Skeltah and Jake One. Looking forward to hearing both. I've mostly been listening to the new Oasis record recently. Also a bunch of new Reef the Lost Cauze material.

Let's go back a bit. How did you get started in production?
In about 2000 I bought an acoustic guitar. I was always very much into music but I guess I was into beer, girls, and weed a bit more. So I breezed through high school, then shot through college... then joined the world of Corp America and then realized that I was completely miserable and needed something more in my life. As soon as I could play two chords on that guitar I started writing my own songs and as soon as that happened, I knew I needed drums. A cheap drum machine was next and then some software and then so on and so forth. Buying that acoustic (guitar) was the best decision I have ever made with my life.

Was there one particular artist that made you say "I want to be able to do what they're doing"?
No, not (just) one. I have always been amazed by the connection between musician and instrument. The way a musician can channel emotions through his instrument and transmit those emotions to a listener: I think it is one of the few true forms of magic that exists in our world. I want to be able to do that. Of course, the music I have released isn't exactly along those lines (ha ha). But that is prolly what initially drew me to music. As far as the sample based music: I would say I am mostly inspired by Prince Paul, MF DOOM, Madlib, RZA... it would be a long list.

As with anything hip-hop related, it has to be asked: did you have aspirations to become a rapper?
(Laughter) Nah, I know my limits. Aside from a few drunken freestyle sessions... nah. Rappers do have all the fun though.

What lead to the creation of Dumhi?
When I first started making beats I was working with a DJ friend of mine named Roger Riddle. We started calling the beats we were making around that time "Pickled Beats". As I started to build up a stash of my own beats, I knew I needed some kind of moniker or brand name or something to put out a project under. Dumhi seemed as good of a name as any.

People might ask the guys in Tanya Morgan "who is Tanya?" In your case, what exactly is a "Dumhi"?
Depends on who you ask I guess. At its most simple form, Dumhi is a state of mind. Smoke and listen to (or better yet make) some music. I wanted to have everyone who was interested involved in my early projects. In fact 2005's Vote Dumhi was initially going to be a compilation of various MC's laying vocals on my beats. The first two MC's who came over to record wound up staying all weekend and recording over nearly half of the project. Two more projects would also be put together with those same MC's doing the bulk of the rhyming. So to many people, ShamelessPlug, MashComp, and myself are Dumhi. To me.. everyone who has ever contributed to a Dumhi project (from the creation to the enjoyment) is Dumhi.

I hope that doesn't sound coy.

Nah, not at all, kind of a revolving door situation where it's always open to anyone and everyone. Outside of that, you are also doing a number of other projects. When putting together something, do you have to go into it with a different mind state than you would with a Dumhi project?
I don't think so. What I really try to do is to get a bunch of beats together and slowly let them sort of find each other until I have a general flow or theme or sound of some sort. Then listening to that I sort of get an idea of what voices and styles I'd ideally like to have on that beat. Maybe topics or themes for the vocals. Then I switch into a project manager role as much as anything. But all of the projects really have started with a bunch of beats which I have tried to lace together to make some kind of 20-50 minute statement with.

Let's talk about your means of producing. What is your gear set up?

Primary DAWS - Sonar & Ableton Live
Technique 1200s
Bunch of instruments I do not really know how to play
Bunch of records

I basically run things into the computer and manipulate them from there.

Is there a "secret" weapon that you always make sure to use with each project?
I don't think so. I do love sampling Billie Holiday tho.

Do you plan on expanding your set-up within the next year or two?
I actually just bought a new PC and a new audio interface. This will hopefully let me run more mics into my box and let me experiment more with recording real instruments. I am also going to upgrade to the newer version of Ableton soon and I also hope to get a nice keyboard in 2009.

One recent project I really enjoyed was the Fermented Spirits project you did with MicheleQJ. I believe you had said this one had taken a few years to finalize, how did it come about?
I believe Mike had heard some of 2004's The Pickled Beats Prhaject Nothigns Perfect and hit me up about jamming with a band he was just joining. The band didn't work out too much but it gave us time to kick some ideas around for a project. One day he came over with a couple keyboards and I started playing some Brazilian jazz music. We went through that stack of records and made about four good beats that weekend. Then four more the following weekend. Before long we had about 15 and the project started forming. It just took us another three-plus years to finish it (laughter).

Did it receive a good response?
Not really. We got a good handful of compliments on it but it sort of fell by the wayside. It is so hard for indie artists to make any kind of splash and we were pushing music which was mostly four years old so... I dunno. I dont consider it a failure in any sense but I def wouldnt call it a GOOD response.

Now how about Dumhi? You guys have done a small batch of albums, performed a number of shows, each of you are doing your own thing for maximum coverage, what is the next phase for the group?
I honestly don't know. There are no immediate plans for another Dumhi record (at least not with Dumhi = Haj, Mash, Plug, Flud & Brown). I do have contributions from all of them for my next project and they all have beats of mine for their projects. Like you said though, everyone is doing their own thing right now. We all still talk pretty regularly and we still make music together. Just have to see what 2009 holds.

I want to get into your new project, Yoga At Home. What made you decide to release this as the first installment of a series of EP's, rather than offer it as one or two full length albums?
Just trying something different. Like I mentioned..it is not easy for indie artists to get heard so I thought instead of trying to get 1 full length album out a year (which is still a pretty good pace) why not try to get three short projects out a year? Keep the music coming. Cut down on filler. People are gonna download it anyway, listen once and then either delete it or bury it on a hard drive... maybe with this short album they will listen twice.

The EP of course offers you a chance to share your productions, and for this one you were able to get people such as Che Grand, Soulbrotha, Doap Nixon, Random, Trek Life, Jermiside, Reef The Lost Cauze, and the almighty Von Pea. When you selected these guys, what were you looking for from them, specifically?
I just have a ton of respect for them. I am fans of their art.. admire their passion and work ethic... and most of them are friends of mine which makes it that much more special. As with anything.. I reached out to some folks specifically for certain tracks.. other just landed where they landed and it worked out. I honestly still geek out when I think about the folks who contributed to Yoga.

One of my favorite tracks is the one with Sadat X, "The Yoga At Home Theme Song". I wished Sadat would have offered another verse, but what he said in the song to me seemed perfect not only for what you've done in your music, but it seems to be a move to put hip-hop back to a more humble state. How did you hook up with him?
Mash Comp knows everyone. I was talking to him about some of the folks I was recruiting for this project and he said that he knows Sadat's people and shot an e-mail out.. I got an e-mail a couple days later, started passing files back and forth and boom. It's amazing really. Brand Nubian stayed in my car stereo growing up. He is a legend, and I asked him to pen a song about Yoga and involve weed smoking (laughter).. It really has been a great ride.

When you are putting together a project like this, do you ever go through the process of elimination, in terms of wanting to make sure your work is as tight as it can be without going overboard or wanting to add more to a song that may sound sparse?
Yeah I guess so. When I am working on projects I really listen to my own music a LOT. I dunno if that sounds like arrogance or ego or whatever but its really not.

When I'm in the middle of a project, I do that as well.
I just am constantly burning CD's and listening in the car.

Exactly.
Playing with sequencing one beat into another. Stretching beats and adding to some, taking away from others. Basically working and listening constantly. That becomes my quality control. If something doesn't excite me after 800 listens it prolly wont make the cut (laughter).

This is the first of a series of EP's, what should people expect with the next installment?
Well... my plans constantly change but right now... a new Dumhi Ep called Flowers is in the works. Its looking like it will be anywhere from 5-10 songs long and so far has features from Flud, Signifire, John Blake, Sabrina Cuie, and ShamelessPlug. All of those names might be familiar to folks who have followed the Dumhi projects at all. I am hoping to have this ready by January.

I am also close to having an EP finished with Mash and Vex. Some old songs, some new songs. This will prolly be a bit of an informal project that will hopefully be floating around the internet before the end of the year.

Then who knows? Hopefully Yoga at Home v.2 next summer.

I've noticed more hip-hop producers, or producers who define themselves as hip-hop, doing things that aren't exactly the norm, such as making music that may sound more like rock, or new wave, or whatever. While sampling from rock source is nothing new, there seems to be a specific move to cater to a certain sound or perhaps a demographic. Have you noticed this and if so, where is this coming from?
Not sure.

Do you think the diversity in a producer's cannon is a healthy one?
Eh. Ionno. Jimmy Rollins is versatile and Ryan Howard isn't so much but they were both MVPs. Meanwhile.. Steve Jeltz sucked in basically all aspects of the game so...

For myself I do take pride in doing some different things. I want to be able to work in different styles and still have pieces of me shine through the music. For me it's healthy. But ultimately the people it moves and the people it doesn't move will decide all that.

In 2010, are there things that you hope to be able to accomplish with your work, is there a list of people you'd like to collaborate with?
I just want to keep improving. Id like to get better on instruments and incorporate more playing and layering over the sampling. Want to be able to better develop themes and concepts with my projects and convey those to the listener without being blatant about it. My ultimate collab is still to do a DOOMhi album. Maybe that can happen.

Got to get that going.
Who knows? I do have a list but I don't want to jinx anything (laughter).

Hip-hop is dead, hip-hop is alive, hip-hop is here. There seems to be a lot of debate and arguments over this music and the community that creates it, what is it about hip-hop that makes people so devoted to the cause?
I dunno. Its really kind of crazy. I go back and forth from being obsessed to flat disgusted by it all. I always go back though.

If you went somewhere and somehow came across Raekwon's Killer tape, what would you do with it?
Pop it in and pour a little out for Shameek from 212.

To listen to the works of Haji Rana Pinya, click over to his MySpace or check out the Dumhi MySpace page, where you are able to take a listen to past and present work.

That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove, which means the next installment will be jam packed with reviews. If you have any new music, DVD's, books, or hot sauce, please contact me through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact address. Hard copy is preferred over digital files, and will get reviewed a lot faster than a digital files due to the amount of e-mails I receive.

Thank you, and come back next week for #223.

The Run-Off Groove will be moving by the end of the year

2008-11-05T08:57:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago I reserved a domain, and by the end of the year The Run-Off Groove will be moved over to ThisIsBooksMusic.com This column at Blogspot, however, will remain so that those of you who have linked to reviews on your websites will be able to keep them there without a reroute.

I will be posting the column for the rest of the year here and at ThisIsBooksMusic.com. If you haven't been to my new website yet, it will feature this column plus DVD reviews, music news, and whatever I feel like talking about outside of the limits of music discussion. It will also cover my work as Crut, so if you're unfamiliar with my music, head to my MySpace and take a listen. I'll have a new album out early next year, and would love to have your support.

Stay tuned.

The Run-Off Groove #221

2008-10-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #221. I am John Book and this is brand new. A lot of great albums have been making it my way as of late, and this is what I was able to fit in. Lube up, and let's start digging.

BTW - if you like the column, please consider clicking the banner below for eMusic. You are able to subscribe and download albums in a way that I feel is more effective than iTunes, and there's a lot of incredible music here. You will not be disappointed.

Also, each review features links to the artist's home page or MySpace page, so if you want to hear them, you can do so easily. Links are also provided to make a vinyl, CD, or digital purchase, since your local mall probably doesn't have most of these titles.

Now, the column.

Sometimes when you listen to music, you aren't sure if what you're listening to is great, special, or something more. Australia's Kylie Auldist is a name that I was initially unfamiliar with at first, even though I am familiar with the group she sings with, The Bamboos. It had been awhile since I heard them, so Auldist did not ring a bell at first. While I prefer vinyl and CD's for review, I received Just Say (Tru-Thoughts) as a digital file. I believe the file came with an image of the cover, but I did not look at it at first. The first thing I heard was music with a distinct 60's soul vibe, very much the Northern Soul sound that made Amy Winehouse the smash she was with Back To Black. A lot of artists have taken that girl group sound to heart, so without knowing her Bamboos connection, I assumed she was just another white lady singing soulfully. As the album moved on, her voice began to sound more "authentic". If not that, there was a sense of soul that I couldn't quite figure out. Then it reached "Everybody Here Wants You", which is very much a 70's vibe in the vein of The New Birth. It was a slow ballad, and it was seductive, smooth, elegant, all before she begins to sing about "29 pearls and your kiss/ kiss, a singing smile/coffee smell and lilac skin, your flame in me". I felt like I was in a dark room with that one I've been looking for all my life, and she's luring me with all that is alluring to me and then some. Nowhere to go, I'm trapped in a chair, taking in everything I can detect with the senses I'm conscious of, and I'm caught up in it. In other words, I'm sold, I'm completely blown away by what I hear, and I have to to know who this woman is. I see her photo and say "oh shit, don't tell me..." She looks like someone who might be familiar, the kind of local girl I probably could have hung out with Hawai'i if we went to the right clubs, hung out at the safe thrift stores and coffee shops, as I held her bag. I began to do the research, and I'm close with my Polynesian connection. Auldist is part Samoan, and has been singing for years. I listen to the remainder of the album and I begin to understand what she's about.

Just Say is the kind of soul album that is sorely missing in the marketplace, and it's not just the Northern soul thing that makes her who she is. She can easily commit to a laid back funk vibe, but there's also "Pretty Things", an acoustic number that will definitely please fans of Clara Hill more recent work. Along with her voice, what makes these songs work are the fact that they are well written, touching on experiences and emotions that are often overshadowed by fashionable verses and the producer trying to outshine the actual artist. Like any good soul album, there's a lot of joy and happiness, a touch of sadness, and a hell of a lot of glory. It's the kind of album with a sound that immediately touches the soul, and you want to tell everyone "have you heard of Kylie Auldist? This is better than everything in the Top 50 right now". Auldist knows how to work a song and never goes beyond her limits, some singers push things and ruin their voice or it makes them sound as if they have more than their capabilities. The album as a whole flows very well from nice dance numbers to a bit of the quiet storm, some humble material, before returning to the dance floor, and that in itself is worthy of approval. But it's her voice and the music I can't get enough of, and as I've said many times before, as much as I'd like for every artist to tap into some of the formuals of the past to show its relevancy, some would essentially ruin it. Auldist is an artist who knows what music means, and by sharing that she is sharing a talent that has to be experienced. This will definitely become one of my favorite albums of the year.

(Just Say is available from Dusty Groove and digitally from eMusic.)

Upon first listen of Lizzy Parks, the first few notes made me wonder if this was another visit into Northern soul land. But she begins to sing and I'm hearing very different from the rest, very jazzy influences. With a title like "Raise The Roof" I begin to wonder if she's someone who wants to make modern references just to be able to crossover to a younger audience. I'm proven wrong again as the music changes in style, almost sounding like what Monday Michiru would sound like if she hooked up with Jazzanova

Raise The Roof (Tru-Thoughts) is modern jazz with hints of soul, funk, and at times a hip-hop urgency, but this is far from anything that sounds like hip-hop. Or maybe it's a bit closer to the source, just as the Daptone guys do it. Parks' voice sometimes reaches that of a chanteuse, or a Minnie Riperton where she wraps herself in the music and flirts with the bottom heavy rhythm section, the lush string arrangement, or the schnazzy piano solo ("Ode To St. Cecilie"). For someone with such a delicate voice, she has a lot of power and it comes off gracefully, but she takes things to a higher level with "Prayer". The gentle sound of her voice, complimented with just a bass and piano at first, sounds like the perfect music you'd hear during a recently discovered romantic film shot in black & white. The color begins to come in slowly and you see the different tones and smell the scent of autumn through the emotions experienced through her singing. She's in control and sets the path of each song, and that's when you know someone knows what they're doing, that control that makes you want to put this on repeat. Everything gels in perfectly and it feels... right. Jazz vocals with hints of pop, it's a bold statement from a very bold singer.

(Raise The Roof is available from Dusty Groove.)

Little Jackie is a brand new artist based out of Brooklyn who, like many others these days, is trying to gain attention showing an appreciation for 60's and 70's soul. Her album cover has her looking like a B-girl, so one can say she wants to be a "hybrid" artist. Unfortunately it comes off like she's making music to suit the needs of a record label who want to have their own Amy Winehouse or Lily Allen, Peaches or Solange Knowles.

The album features many odes to Northern soul, tweaked so that they have extra bass (think reggae), but lyrically she adds a modern touch with references to cell phones, computers, and popping a lot of pills. Okay, so Winehouse did the same thing but it sounded a bit more authentic when someone broke out of the sound and showed she had a bit of balls. She sings, she raps a bit, she does the sing-song rap, and while it can be impressive upon first listen, it gets boring about half way through the album. "The Kitchen", with its very crispy and raer breaks, would work as a single if people understood what makes this song so great. Her vocals here standout and it would have been great if she had spread that out for the duration of the album. Instead, it's an album that goes everywhere without a plan, and it's unfortunate.

(The Stoop is available from CD Universe.)

Psapp are a British duo of the electronic variety, or at least one half creates the musical soundscapes while the other sings. The Camel's Back (Domino) isn't just a female voice singing over hard booming beats. Carim Clasmann is a masterful craftsman in the field of sound assembly, he will create something that sounds very ethnic ("Part Like Waves") or do something where you're not sure if it's rock, new wave, or something you can't quite figure out ("I Want That"). With "Fickle Ghost" it sounds like a simple keyboard melody, but then the heavy, almost industrial-beat comes in with a string section and it takes the listener on an unexpected journey. Each song doesn't sound anything like the song before, so one can't grasp the scope of the album until it is initially heard in full.

The music is complimented with the great voice of Galia Durant, who is able to weave herself through Clasmann's musical fabric and envelope everything that goes on, without her sounding strange, out of place, or hesitant. Sometimes when musicians and singers attempt to do something they don't want to do or aren't sure how to do it, you can hear that in the music. You don't hear that with Durant, who is much of a rocker (think Pat Benatar or Pink as she is a balladeer or a folk singer. Together, Psapp are an exciting listen, a duo that aren't afraid to get diverse and include as many of their influences as possible, whether it's ragtime jazz ("Parker") or circus music ("Marshrat"). They might fool us the next time and deliver an incredible pop album, but I hope that guilty pleasure is something they'll hold back from for a few years. By the time the ride is over, you'll want to head to the back of the line and start again.

(The Camel's Back is available directly from Psapp.net. Those who seek the vinyl version can purchase it directly from Domino Record Co.. Earlier works by Psapp are available digitally from eMusic.)

Psapp - The Monster Song

Black Element is that guy who understands the history of the music and musicians who have come before him to pave the path he's about to create. With A Major Minority (Ill Roots), he makes a bold move by starting his album with a hot hip-hop track, only to touch on a bit of hip-house vibe with "The Stickup Kid?!?!", or at least the tempo may make you bust out your old Scoob and Scrap Luva moves. Even at this tempo, he sounds comfortable and certain that people will rock as he rattles off things endlessly and flawlessly. "Out In The Cold" sounds like something from the Common and/or Mad Skillz vaults, and as far as telling stories, you're right there with him looking at asses in Daisy Dukes, waiting for a feud at award shows, and him walking down the street waiting to execute fake rappers on stage.

Energy-wise, he sounds like the kind of guy who would be alongside Lupe Fiasco or Kanye West, but seems less affected by the role an MC tends to hold, he is a storyteller with privileges and he's not going to take advantage of it. A Major Minority has a lot of different musical textures that will please the hardcore cratedigger, the smooth sample-spotter, and collegiate listeners who enjoy hearing soundscapes fold onto and into each other. Black Element is, as he says in "Quiet Night", out to compete and when ideas come to head, he'll put pen to paper and commit himself to inevitable excellence. Welcome Black Element into your consciousness, he is what will keep hip-hop alive in the next five and beyond.

(A Major Minority is being made available for free directly from AMajorMinority.com.)

A 6-Pack With Black: Black ELement's A Major Minority from Daniel Hedges on Vimeo.

K-The-I??? is one big motherfucker, and I mean that in a good way. Anyone who is big and makes an attempt to bring themselves out in any musical genre has a lot to deal with. In hip-hop, it is the eternal comparisons to Biggie Smalls but let's get it out of the way: K-The-I??? sounds nothing like Biggie. If I have to compare him, I'd compare him more to Chill Rob G more than anything. If there is a cliche that always gets mentioned with big rappers, it's this: when you listen to Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (Mush), the brother shows that he has a lot of heart.

Fuck the cliches and let's get into the meat of the matter. K-The-I??? is a true MC, someone with that gift on his own, and he's able to find producers who are able to share their works by offering them who blesses them with flawless lyrics. "Decisions" has Melltron-type samples that sound like something from a prog rock album, then some Pharrell Williams-type background vocals, and then a pounding double time beat that would give Timbaland a decade. K-The-I??? raps bold as if he is a politician, standing on the podium insuring everyone is there to listen as he speaks with authority. He looks for a world without poverty, and he seeks the good life by exploring any and all musical worlds, including sounds that aren't the stereotypical hip-hop sound, and it sounds right as it comes from him.

(Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow will be available on vinyl and CD on November 7th, and can be pre-ordered directly from Mush Records.)

Ruste Juxx has been heard on a number of albums and mix CD's in the last year, and now he's presenting himself in full length form with Indestructible (Duck Down), and as he talks about in the Black Milk-produced "Wipe Off Ya Smile", don't fuck with him or your bitch ass will get the kl-kl-klack.

Ruste Juxx is a grimy MC who wants to commit crimes and isn't afraid to explain his methods in detail. With tracks like "Pimpin' Ya Wife", "Machine Gun Skunk", "Morgue Truck", and "Homicide Niggaz", he proves himself by making the kind of songs that may make you want to sharpen your razor blades, and after hearing the congas of "Get Up", if Brooklyn doesn't come to mind, you haven't been paying attention. This album is trademark New York hip-hop, done without regret, and it makes you want to raise your first to salute the return of the good shit. Remember when people used to talk about hip-hop and refer to the word "science"? This album is done with a science, and while the guy carries him off as someone you wouldn't want to fuck with anywhere, songs like "Optimistic" and "Love Is Worth Waiting For" (complete with 70's soul samples) reveal that the guy can be compassionate when needed. Don't call him a thug rapper with a heart, that's for the mainstream media to come up with when they're bored. But call him a top notch MC who isn't afraid to show his reaction to the streets as he looks to the future for a way to get off the streets. It may be trademark NYC hip-hop, but it's also wordly too, a wordly message that hopefully people will be able to find and seek without the lure of the Broadway lights.

(Indestructible is available from CD Universe and digitally from eMusic.)

The West coast is represented on a new mix CD by JNatural and DJ Ray Ray Raw. JNatural is a female MC who raps raw with stories of sex, lust, and power and on Sex, Lies and Sextape (self-released) does it with the same kind of punch that Lil' Kim and Princess Superstar offered in the old days with a sass that is uniquely their own. She also sings too (and quite well) but likes to let herself be known as the rugged bitch who can do things with a sense of humor but her style and lyrics are no laughing matter. DJ Ray Ray Raw does his best with the beats and samples he uses, I'd like to hear more exploration from him in a full length setting. However, JNatural is someone who shows that you can be a female rapper and prove that you have what it takes to step up with the big boys. Don't let her looks fool you, she'll verbally slash all combaluns with a vengeance, and that's the point behind this CD. As she says in the intro, the lure of the cover photo is nothing more than eye candy, but now that you have the candy in your hands, now what? It may appear at first that she does nothing but sex rhymes, but if you look at just the titles and make that assumption, you're not really paying attention. This lady is serious, and I hope she's pushed to the forefront with her style. It would be cool to hear her do some rhymes with Leila "Topik" Shun and Mash Comp. DJ Ray Ray Raw has knowledge of the music he uses, and I want to hear more from him.

(Sex, Lies and Sextape is available as a free download from JNatural 's and DJ Ray Ray Raw's respective MySpace pages.)

The folks at Decon Media were sponsors of a recent hip-hop tour featuring Dilated Peoples, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, and 88 Keys and now they have released the festivities as a budget priced DVD/CD combo.

The DVD portion of Fresh Rhymes and Videotape (Decon) is brief and somewhat unfulfilled. There is documentary footage of what the guys did on the tour bus, outside of the tour bus, and backstage, but there's not much content. The highlight of the documentary footage is when The Alchemist talks about how to eat a bagel properly so that the cream cheese doesn't turn into cheese soup. That's really it, you probably get more interesting stuff on a YouTube or MySpace video, but you see it here in much better quality. Another highlight? DJ Babu. The guy is funny and he's the guy you'd wake up early in the morning to go fishing with. That's the kind of guy he is. Or isn't.

Even though the audio CD features a mere six songs (thus it's an EP), these tracks are some of the best these guys have done. 88 Keys and Mars Whiteman offer "I'm Like", and he also shows up in the "Fresh Rhymes and Videotape Anthem" along with Evidence, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, and Iriscience. Iriscience and Aceyalone team up for the uplifting "Legendary Status", while "Left Out In The Cold" unites Aceyalone, 88-Keys, and The Alchemist for a song that wraps up the disc nicely. Some may argue that an EP is nothing more than an inbetween-album-toss off, but these cuts are worthy of being major songs for everyone involved. I would have liked more songs of course, but six tracks left me wanting more and I have to be impatient and wait.

Considering this is being released and sold for a very nice price, it's definitely worth what you'll have to pay for it. Consider it a basic DVD with a bonus CD, or an EP with a bonus DVD. The DVD may be appealing but it's the music on the CD that blows it away. Get it.

(Fresh Rhymes and Videotape is available from CD Universe.)

DJ Babu is back with a brand new edition of his Duck Season mix CD series, and we're now up to Vol. 3 (Nature Sounds). Babu is still creating those incredible boom bap-style hip-hop, and this time he has people like Little Brother, MF DOOM, Sean Price, Joe Scudda, Cali Agents, Strong Arm Steady, Likwit Junkies, Termanology, Oh No, Percee P, and many others. No deep concepts or any type of continuity other than musical, it's about raw beats and scratches going into each other one right after the other, it feels like a live show or a radio freestyle session where everyone is just dropping one incredible rhyme while the room smells like beer and reefer. Favorite tracks include "The Unexpected" (featuring MF DOOM and Sean Price), "Fan Mail" (featuring Little Brother, Joe Scudda, and D-Brock, and the scorching "2-Feet" (featuring Kardinal Offishall and Babu's fellow dilated person, Iriscience. Within the 18 tracks are a bit of turntable dialogue, so for those who seek the raps, listen. For those who want to hear Babu speak with his hands, let the exchange in dialogue begin.

(Duck Season Vol. 3 is available from CD Universe and digitally from eMusic.)

B-Real has become a legend in his own right for his work with Cypress Hill and after 17 years of holding things down in a group setting, he's about to release his debut album in the form of Smoke-N-Mirrors (Duck Down). His rhymes and weeded stories about fraudulent rappers, street dealers, and personal struggles will appeal to those who seek more from their lyrics than brand names and endorsements. The sing-song choruses are a nice touch and while it's generally been a territory he has (perhaps) purposely avoided, it has the feel of Ice Cube and W.C. tracks.

The album features a number of producers, and the one track that stands out from the rest is the one The Alchemist did, "6 Minutes". If this isn't selected as a first single, I don't know, because this would be the perfect way to let people know and remind everyone else who B-Real is. The biggest surprise here: the tracks produced by B-Real himself, he could have easily done this album himself but using outside producers are definitely a helpful lure. His track with Damian Marley, "Fire", will deserve a lot of airplay when the album is released, and I can easily see the both of them performing this during the 2009 festival season. Sen Dogg surfaces in the trippy "One Life", while the track with Snoop Dogg ("Dr. Hyphenstein") is definitely the weakest of the bunch.

Cypress Hill have always had great music, and as a group they have increasingly relied on choruses to make their songs work, due to the accepted norm with today's hip-hop audiences. It doesn't sound like an old album, it's very much about the West Coast here and the sound they have developed in the last two decades. The Alchemist has his own sound that is as strong now as DJ Muggs' sound was 17 years ago. I'm making the comparisons to let people know this isn't Cypress Hill lite, it suits the vibe B-Real has always created and it's shows a side of him some may have been waiting to hear. Those who crave the rock edge of CH will have to check out Sen Dogg's album instead, but for the L.A. hip-hop hustle, pick this up.

(Smoke-N-Mirrors will be released on January 27, 2009.)

The Germans must have something in the water, for there has been an intense amount of creativity in the country in terms of creating hip-hop and electronica. DJ Bizkid is based in Berlin. He teams up with Maine's own Nomar Slevik, whose recent works have been nothing short of amazing. Together they united musically to create The Mixtape, which is just that, a collection of no-nonsense tracks that show what these two are capable of, and how the sum of its parts are just as powerful.

The album moves from nice and deep hip-hop to tracks with a bit of a rock and psychedelic edge, with "Society" (featuring JD Walker and the almighty K-The-I???) being one of those tracks that will make high schools change their dress code policies, it's cult worthy. Nomar deserves an intense listen, because even when it sounds as if he's doing things abstract, there is much comprehension in his pieces, sometimes it might take two or three songs to finally figure out. "Smoke Screens" changes tempo with each verse and may not be for everyone, but if you are able to take it in, you should be able to take this challenging listen to heart. The entire "mixtape" is non-stop so it's somewhat-claustrophobic feel is intentional and easily works as a proper album. I hope the both of them will work with each other again, and I will definitely be checking DJ Bizkid in the future.

(The Mixtape is available from eMusic.)

When Nomar Slevik isn't committing greatness under his own name, he's making himself known through a number of other projects. Done are a band that mixes up rapping with eclectic electronic sounds, indie rock, and a bit of the avant garde. Their slight tribute of Buddy Holly's "Everyday" sounds something nine inch nails might do or something Mike Patton would scream over on an Ipecac release.

The artwork and promotional material for How To Own A Shadow (Emben Digital) is very post-apocalyptic, or maybe it's about surviving the inevitable downfall of a country that gambled its way to world supremacy and failed. Now we're all on the same level, and Done offers the soundtrack for a dying world. It's nice to hear a derivative that is so unfamiliar it sounds strange, and yet welcoming. Insane.

(How To Own A Shadow is a digital release that is available through eMusic.)

Let's make this one thing perfectly clear: I'm upset. Not really, but I bring this up because The Knux are being promoted as "alternative hip-hop" when they're not. What makes them different from the pack? They do not rap about what is stereotypically the norm, so they want to be pushed as being "something other than". They do not dress up in hideous T-shirts that might look good on 50 Cent and your 75 year old grandmother, complete with the same gold and diamonds. Do they look smart, nerdy, and if so, is that the assumption that mainstream hip-hop is full of hoods, thugs, and dumb asses? It's not exactly cool to call something the alternative, since that's often viewed as "a bit more clever" than the next man, but sometimes the tag fits.

So, are The Knux really that different? No, they are a group that do rap about things you would normally expect to hear on underground/indie hip-hop, but they're signed to Interscope through a connection with Eminem. Does that make that "alternative"? No. Remind Me In 3 Days (Interscope) sounds like the kind of album you'd expect to hear from The Jungle Brothers or New Kingdom, where the adventure is in their lyrics as much as it is in their music, a combination of real instrumentation and select samples. Don't expect to hear club anthems, they're the kind of guys who might be kicked out of the club. Instead, these are basement jams, apartment slammers, and sidewalk funk, the type that isn't difficult to listen to, serious enough to where you wouldn't want to be distracted. What the real instrumentation does is adds a unique dynamic to their songs, in that when they want to expand on a line or a verse, they are able to without it sounding programmed.

By the time the album was over, I wondered what made this so "alternative"? It's not really that different, and as Me'Shell NdegeOcello would say, the alternative to hip-hop is silence. It's hip-hop, and quality hip-hop at that, so don't believe the naysayers. This is a decent album from a brand new group that should make some serious moves in the coming years.

(Remind Me In 3 Days... is available from CD Universe, in explicit form and without. Vinyl junkies are also able to order it.)

The Clutchy Hopkins phenomenon made everyone wonder who was this saluted genius? Was he really some bum who had a gift to jam, or was he a producer (or a group of producers) moonlighting? Only a select few know, but Hopkins has joined up with Shawn Lee for an album that will move many to salute their unified musical styles.

Clutch Of The Tiger (Ubiquity) sounds like one of those obscure albums I often talk about, the ones that sound like there's absolutely no mainstream appeal to it, but it manages to find its way into your collection because you care for good music. It has the feel of those much-sought-after library albums, or something that Yesterdays New Quintet may have indirectly influenced, but each song here are mental soundtracks that are laid back to the point where you may find yourself floating upstream and beyond. The music is loose, funky, and laid back, as if Lee and Hopkins decided to bring in instruments and discover what the day brought to them. It's not until the seventh song, "Dollar Shot", where some mid-tempo funk shines through with an open break and something from the farfisa files. "Bad Influence" sounds like the kind of filtered break I would love to use in one of my own songs, and... it just sounds very distant and obscure. Even "Till Next Time", which could easily be brought up to the surface by Justin Timberlake if he wanted to, sounds a few notches off from the norm, and you're into it because you know it doesn't belong anywhere but your own collection. It's the kind of album you would find on 8-track at a pawn shop, covered in soot and lettuce of unknown origin.

(Clutch Of The Tiger is available from CD Universe and digitally from eMusic.)

DJ Myxzlplix out of Los Angeles is a guy who knows his funk and soul, and proves it with a new mix CD highlighting some of the best funk and soul of the last few years. Strictly Social Mix Vol. 2 is a collection of who is how and what should be, and includes flawless flows from Amp Fiddler, Flying Lotus, Beatphreak, Belleruche, and many more creating the kind of soul that brings back the old through the new phase without Auto-Tune.

It's a very classy mix that made me not only want to hear this mix over and over, but made me want to seek each individual artist and release. I dig this one a lot.

(Strictly Social Mix Vol. 2 can be streamed directly from DJ Myxzlplix's blog.)

On a promotional note, my new website will be opening in a few days. Currently you can access my weekly podcast, my Crut MySpace page, along with this column, and my food blog that I update every now and then. It will feature a lot more in the coming months, so head to ThisIsBooksMusic.com and bookmark the Book.

Thank you, and come back next week for #222.

The Run-Off Groove #220

2008-10-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #220. I am John Book and this is a new column. Mahalo nui to anyone who offered birthday wishes this week.

BTW - if you like the column, please consider clicking the banner below for eMusic. You are able to subscribe and download albums in a way that I feel is more effective than iTunes, and there's a lot of incredible music here. You will not be disappointed.

Now, the column.

If the last you heard from Jazzanova was their last album, In Between, then you might be in shock when you listen to Of All The Things (Sonar Kollektiv/Verve). If you haven't heard all of the different projects, mixes, and compilations they've come out with in the last six years, then you probably will think this new album is a step in a new direction. It definitely is, but this album is everything it can, could, and should be, and more. Explanations in the following paragraphs.

In Between became an album for me that was the closest thing to perfection I had heard in a long time. The album was a great mixture of jazz, funk, soul, electronica, dance music, disco, and more, going back and forth between singing, rapping, and a bit of spoken word. It was a mixture of samples and real instrumentation, with some of the most creative samples and programming to ever be put on wax. The samples and the tribute to the breakbeat in "L.O.V.E. And You And I" immediately made you want to drop your jaw, and I know I listened to "No Use" for a month before I ever played track 3, in that time becoming a huge fan of Clara Hill. I went through the album song by song rather than as a whole, and it kept on getting better. "Hanazono", with its different time signatures and intense piano work from Japanese pianist Hajime Yoshizawa), kept me on the edge of my seat, I was wide eyed and wide eared. It was an intense listen, and by the time it reached the final song, it felt like serious afterglow (and I don't smoke). Since then, the individuals behind Jazzanova have released many different projects, from the Broadcasting series of compilations, a Blue Note comp, and the many offshoots that are on the label they would create, Sonar Kollektiv. In that time they have continued their style of production, to develop new interests and even creating music that sounds less electronic and more acoustic. This is where we are with Of All The Things.

If there's an immediate downside (let's get them out of the way), there are no instrumentals on the album. Every song is a collaboration with someone, but if I want an instrumental I can pick up the 12" single or download a lossless file from the SK website. The vibe of Of All The Things is one that's more mature, or what some have called a "grown-up" sound. If In Between was more about getting to the clubs and tripping out, Of All The Things takes the listener into a living room for serious listening. There is a slight Northern soul vibe, no doubt due to the success of people such as Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones, but it's not the dominant sound. Even when it sounds like something that has been repeated in the last few years, there's always a few twists in their production that makes you smirk and go "they know what they're doing".

Upside? There are many. Phonte of the group Little Brother has often talked about making it to Germany to meet up with the members of Jazzanova, and you don't casually meet up with a fellow artist without pushing yourself to say "can I do a track with you?" Phonte doesn't get one, but two tracks on the new album. "Look What You're Doing To Me" has him becoming the crooner he once displayed as Percy Miracles, and he's very serious as a singer, having the kind of flow that is a lot more easier to listen to than John Legend. He definitely has been influenced by the best, and the harmonies he has during the chorus makes one hopeful that he could do more of this. Unless D'Angelo comes out with a third album, Phonte may become one of the best soul vocalists of the early 21st century. Unfortunately, that might mean he will slow down on his rhymes, and I hope he continues doing what he does best, as he does in "So Far From Home". Here, he writes in a personal fashion as if you were reading a personal diary or blog, feeling the warmth of the youth while questioning the looks he feels he's getting from the older Europeans. He shows respect to a man in the military who is a fellow NC resident, and talks about how fortunate he is to travel around the world when so many of his friends may never leave the city or blocks they live on. He wants to work, he's going to grind the pavement, and yet he knows there's no place like home. Phonte has never been afraid to say what is on his mind, which is what makes those Little Brother albums mandatory listens, and hearing him sing or rap over Jazzanova productions is a perfect union.

For the Northern soul vibe, Ben Westbeech sings along in "I Can See", a track that some might mistake as a Mark Ronson track but both Jazzanova and Ronson know excellence, and they bring that out in the artists they work with. "Lie", featuring Thief, sounds like it could have been an outtake from the Belle et Fou soundtrack or the Christmas single Thief did with Hill, "The Sirens' Call". The strings combined with the xylophone and booming drums will appeal to anyone who is a fan of UNKLE's Psyence Fiction album. Need a little love and romance as you commit the late night creep? Leon Ware and Dwele show up in the extra smooth "Rockin' You Eternally", and it's the kind of song your parents AND grandparents may groove to at 2am, because they will when you hear them go for the quiet storm. The slow and steady grooves move over to Brazil as they hook up with Pedro Martins and the group Azymuth (yes, I'm talking Ivan Conti's Azymuth) for the awesome "Gafiera", which will make you dance and samba in an instant.

The stand out collaborator has to be Paul Randolph, a singer/musician from Detroit who has been highlighted on a number of Sonar Kollektiv releases. Here he has four tracks, including the perfect-for-a-rainy-day "Dial A Clich", and the one song that goes back to Jazzanova's more electronic side of things, "Let Me Show You". Hearing this seven and a half minute track feels like the after party, because it's essentially a disco song, maybe a celebration and a way to let loose on an album that created a relaxing and soothing vibe. If the album represents a feeling between midnight and 3am (eternal), "Let Me Show You" is about watching the sun rise and wanting to repeat the evening over and over again.

Of All The Things is an accumulation of all the different sounds, experiments, and influences the group as a whole and as individuals have gathered over the years. It's more soulful in a mid to late 70's sort of way, that album you don't quite understand why is in your parents collection, but then again you do. What these guys bring out of the singers and musicians is incredible, and when they sample, they do it in a way where it increasingly sounds like real musicians, except you know that sounds don't start and stop like that, it's very clever. The same treatments they created in the past apply here too, the music may be arguably different but if you want to be genre specific I can analyze each and every song too. The "jazz" in their name is very much a key element of the production, and the "nova" is still a part of them, a collective of six producers who refuse to let the light dim as they expand the possibilities of their music. Nothing comes close to what Jazzanova do on this album, and this is very high on my list as one of the best albums of the year.

(Of All The Things is available from CD Universe. Vinyl counterpart will be released very soon.)

If it's the quiet storm that you need, brand new slow jams for the forthcoming winter cuddle times, there's a series of three discs presented by Marcus Johnson that will be the perfect soundtrack for baby making. Each disc is called flo...[For The Love Of] (Three Keys Music), and they offer a chance for the listener to pop a CD in and create instant mood, whatever the mood may be (or want to be).

The first one I listened to was the one for Romance, subtitled "A Smoothed Out Mix Of Sultry R&B and Sexy Jazz", and that's just what you get here. It's not smoothed out in a Kenny G sort of way, this is a lot better than that. It sounds like the album you wouldn't mind listening to anywhere, it's far from being embarrassing because sometimes smooth jazz can be assed out. Not here. "Soft And Warm", an Alyson Williams cover, is about the intimacy between a man and a woman, and they don't mind saying that when you add a bit of "wet", things can get hotter. Yeah, maybe it's corny in a Prince sort of way, but when you're with a significant other and the time is right, who cares? In truth it really sounds good, same can be said for a new rendition of Maxwell's "Til The Cops Come Knockin'", done sans vocals with the exception of the cover. Vocalist YahZarah takes the standard "My Funny Valentine" over the edge, but fortunately not to the point of no return. When you hear it, it sounds like she's going to reach out of the speaker and grab you, but she manages to hold back (at least for now).

Second disc I listened to was Chill, subtitled "Lounge Vibes & Dance Grooves with the right touch of jazz", and this one was a lot funkier, packing the kind of groove that you would expect to hear on CTI or Tappan Zee LP's, or on some dusty acid jazz albums from the early 90's. It's an all-instrumental affair and with Johnson you can't go wrong with music that would have fit perfectly on any mid-70's Ramsey Lewis album, with songs like "Plush", "Another Planet", and "Shalom" making you want to get into the music's true intentions.

Third and final disc was Standards, where Johnson and friends apply smooth jazz treatments to well known material, such as "Moanin'", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", and a different take of "My Funny Valentine" that's on the Romantic disc. Anyone who has ever resisted to hear Johnson for whatever reason will at least have to hear his piano work in "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", showing his diversity and versatility in an amazing way. While it says "smooth jazz", to my ears this is more "true jazz", or at least a style of jazz that is a personal favorite. Nothing smooth about any of these songs.

Summary: if you want something on the soulful side, pick up Romance. Laid back and funky, pick up Chill. You prefer to share your romantic side with a hint of bebop, you go directly to Standards. No matter which one you purchase, it will fit into what you're trying to achieve. If you purchase them all, listen to musicians who know how to and have a passion to play. This series of CD's is not something you'll want to pass up, I expected something on the weaker side and there's nothing weak about any of these songs.

Maysa Leak has returned once again with Metamorphosis (Shanachie) and this one is less reliant on covers than the last one, so it feels a lot like her older material (especially the album she did for Blue Thumb).

Maysa has one of those voices that makes one wish she was the example for everyone, because it almost sounds like she comes from a different time, or that the way she sings and caresses the words and lines are from influences a lot of other modern singers aren't listening to. She has always been at the top with her performances, and you will hear her express herself beautifully in tracks like "Let's Figure It Out", "Love So True", "Walk Away", and "My Destiny", the latter featuring Najee on flute. While some of Maysa's recent albums have taken it easy, she goes for a bit of adventure with "A Conversation With The Universe", featuring the guys of Global Noize (DJ Logic and Jason Miles). I think it would be great if Maysa and Global Noize did a full album together, or maybe she can ask Logic to resurrect The Yohimbe Brothers with guitarist Vernon Reid.

The back cover has a quote describing her as someone whose voice is "smooth as satin and rich as chocolate", and it's true, when you hear that voice you immediately know who it is. Metamorphosis is a continuation of the talent she continues to share with the world, and this one demands repeat plays.

(Metamorphosis is available from CD Universe.)

Serge Severe is an MC that once you see the name, you know you're going to get an earful, and it's going to be not blends, but full 100 percent uncut Serge Severe. His name may not be a household one, and maybe that's for the better because I don't know if hip-hop as a whole could handle him. Yet after hearing his brand new album, there's no doubt in my mind he's ready to handle hip-hop.

Concrete Techniques (Focused Noise) is a continuation of excellence from this Portland, Oregon-based rapper, whose last two projects released two years ago received positive reviews from me. One was his solo album Walk In My Shoes, the other united him with Diction for their album Our Purpose and I was hopeful Serge would come back with more. He has. This is the kind of gritty and grimy album that would have felt right if it was released between 1994-1996, kind of a Black Moon/Smif-N-Wessun feeling in terms of stories, flows, and production. On the production side he has Universal DJ Sect, whose beats and scratches touch upon the familiar and the obscure, with the kind of chops and slices that will cause chicken skin. Everything is appropriate to the feel and lyrics, and all of it is done well.

Serge likes to do things with a lot of depth and meaning, he doesn't just drop words, lines, and verses to hear himself. There's no airy vibe about him, you know you're going to get content because Serge himself isn't content with just the surface, he's a storyteller and has studied the fine art of rapping. In a track like "Bring The Horns" he's telling people to rock a party, all while the various horn samples come close to sounding like car horns. He explains what he wants to do with his music in "This Path" and "Concrete Techniques", and the wordplay is done as a way to boast of his skills, but as a test to see if you're listening. This isn't meant for casual listening, this album is a head nodder and you want to play this loud in 20 degree weather even though the cops are ready to give you a ticket.

Outside of the work that went into writing and producing Concrete Techniques, it's a feel good album that has the basement feel of those classic mid-90's albums, but when you hear it you know it's not dated. With cameos from Mic Crenshaw, Santotzin and Reyna Mallare, Serge is also capable of bringing people into his world but still being able to define what a Serge Severe album is about. I also hope with the release of this, he'll be able to collaborate with others, as there are a lot of MC's and groups that he would sound great with in a track and/or freestyle. The guy is legitimate, and again, he's ready to handle hip-hop because it's a no brainer. Listen to this and find out why.

(Concrete Techniques will be released on November 18th through (Focused Noise Records)

Looking at the new album by Marcus Goldhaber, I wondered if he was influenced by various albums of the 1960's, particularly Columbia Records since the cover art looks somewhat Columbia-ish. Maybe, maybe not, but Goldhaber, along with The Jon Davis Trio (Davis on piano, Marcello Pellitteri on drums, and Martin Wind on bass) are out to make some pretty green vocal jazz with his new album Take Me Anywhere (Fallen Apple).

Goldhaber sounds a bit loungy, but in a good way, his voice does not sound wretched. I think what makes his music work is that it sounds natural, he adds character and it doesn't sound... well, fake. Songs like "My Ship", "Top Hat, White Tie And Tails", and "With Plenty Of Money And You" he shows that these old standards and forgotten classics hold up well because they were all well written. Put them into the hands of someone who can sing very well and you have success, or at least it should lead to that. Goldhaber isn't just an interpreted of successful formulas, he is a songwriter too and in "Take Me", "In The Oeuvre Of The In-Between", and "She Knows" he is someone who is into the art of songsmanship, and you can feel it. He is someone who is of the Harry Connick Jr. tradition, a sense of cool before cool was cool, and again it isn't forced. But maybe that's his appeal, to work it as if it isn't forced, doing his thing gracefully. I wasn't sure if I would like this, thinking he was just a wanna-be lounge lizard but this is not what he's about.

Lua Hadar is a vocalist who has been around for awhile, but I can't quite get into her new album. Lua Hadar with Twist (Bellalua) is primarily a Latin jazz album, and what I can't quite into is how affected her voice is. She's always going in for the target, and she doesn't have to do that during every line, sometimes every word. It got to a point where it was too much for me to bear, but there were two surprises on here. Her covers of Joni Mitchell's "All I Want" and Dan Fogelberg's "Longer" are worthy enough to get a lot of airplay, and in a better marketplace this would work extremely well as a single. I would buy the 45 if this was released on vinyl.

The rest of the album doesn't do it for me, and it's not that she can't sing, because she does. I just can't get into singing-like-a-Broadway-singer-for-a-solid-hour thing. If she did more material like "All I Want" and "Longer", where she is more reserved and where one is able to hear more of the tones of her voice than her gymnastics, I would enjoy this more.

(Lua Hadar with Twist is available from CDBaby.)

The guys in the jazz group known as 3Ology have branched out into a bit of hip-hop, and Out Of The Depths (Creative Music Works) is a chance for the group to expand their audience with new twists into their already complex sound.

In some of the tracks they feature rapper Milo Fortes, who does straightforward raps before mixing it up by seeking hip-hop's Jamaican roots. The combination has him and the group sound like some of the acid jazz bands of the early 1990's, such as Groove Collective. I'm not sure if all of his rhymes are pre-written, as some of them truly sounds off the head, giving him and the group a bit of freedom to interact with each other. One thing I like about 3ology recordings is that it has a live feel, so it doesn't sound as manufactured as a lot of hip-hop seems to sound these days. Another addition to their sound is Scott Christensen, who handles the didgeridoo and also does a bit of percussion. He appears in all of the tracks that feature Fortes, along with "I'll Give You A Reason To Cry", and at times it sounds like older Jamiroquai where the didgeridoo was also incorporated.

The rest of the album is the core trio (Jon Powers on drums, Doug Carmichael on sax, and Tim Carmichael on bass) doing what they do best, finding themselves through their musicianship, improvising, and somehow creating a master plan without words. As with their debut album, they go through a wide spectrum of jazz, so if you want a more abrasive bebop, they do it. When they venture into fusion with occasional vacations into free jazz, you'll hear that. When they want to keep things locked on the one with solid funk, they do it extremely well. The capability to play formally and freely shows their talents as musicians and improvisers, they can go by the book or burn it while chanting around it. "Bart's Day Off", "Confusing The Masses", and the 8-minute title track are mind blowing, and I for one would love to hear how these guys do it in a live setting. As with their first album, this album was recorded live in the studio with the interaction between each of them obvious in the way they play. These guys could and should become a personal favorite for many new fans, the kind of group people will want to follow for years to come.

(Out Of The Depths will be released on, inquire by contacting them through their MySpace page.)

The names James Moody and Hank Jones should bring a smile to any jazz aficionado's face, there's a lot of history and pride in their collective histories. The chicken skin will begin in a few seconds as I let you know that both of them have united to form a quartet, featuring Adam Nussbaum (drums) and Todd Coolman (bass) and if that doesn't make your creative juices flowing in terms of what this could sound like, let me just say that the reality is as great as you think it is.

Our Delight (IPO) is an album about "respect", the first three words in the liner notes says it all: "respect your elders". It's about respecting these jazz legends, but also the elder music for some might feel the music has been passed up by those who think it's too old and not worthy of listening. A lot of music heard today on radio, television, and film might not be if it wasn't for jazz. Moody, Jones, Nussbaum, and Coolman prove this by playing some of the finest jazz recorded in the 21st century so far. The playing between the four of them is so sharp that you wish these songs were longer, especially the nine and a half minute "Soul Trane", you can tell they were all locked together and could have easily played for another 9 minutes, it's incredible. The album moves from the subtle and mellow to the "let's geev 'um" pace that never lets up through the duration of these songs, be it "Body And Soul", "Good Bait", Moody's on "Darben The Red Foxx" or Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma". As they perform songs of musicians and songwriters who are no longer with us, it's about them revisiting old friends and neighbors and if it was possible to bring these gentleman back to life to play with them, they would have welcomed the opportunity. The organization of the album is great too, feeling like a live performances with a number of peaks and less-intense tracks to loosen up again. When the album reached "Woody 'N You" (easily the most moving song of the album), they do it as if they are saying goodbye to everyone, their final hurrah. Had the album ended here, it would have been perfect, but they come back for a metaphorical encore with "Old Folks" to let listeners know "we're not about to sleep just yet". Things close with the album's only vocal track, "Moody's Groove", featuring Roberta Gambarini. Unfortunately I felt she changed the mood of the album completely, and it doesn't quite work for me as the closer. Again, "Woody 'N You" should have been the curtain call, or even "Old Folks", that would have been appropriate as a way to reveal the moral of the music. Without it, the album feels more whole. Despite that, Our Delight is indeed a delight, anyone who is into intense music listening sessions will be tapping their feet throughout this album. Get your favorite leafy substance and let yourself go.

(Our Delight is available directly from IPO Recordings.)

Leonardo E.M. Cioglia is a musician that, like Keith Jarrett, demands your concentration. You can't allow yourself to be caught off guard during the first listen, for if you do, you may miss all of the little things, the silences, the influx of notes, that this guy is able to put into his music. This is what you get when you hear Contos Quizamba), a 10-track album where Cioglia's bass work becomes the anchor for everyone around him, and like Charles Mingus, he is the one who makes sure everyone is on board, on time, and in sync.

It's Latin jazz, or more specifically Brazilian jazz, where Cioglia is able to take the influences of his home while never forgetting the roots of jazz itself, from America via Africa. He does this with an incredible set of musician friends, including John Ellis on saxophones, Antonio Sanchez on drums, Mike Moreno on acoustic and electric guitars, Stefon Harris on vibraphone and marimba, and Aaron Goldberg on piano. These musicians are Cioglia's crew and Cioglia is of course the captain. Make that your mindset as you listen to this album and it may feel as if you're hearing a performance featuring Mingus, Pharoah Sanders, Cannonball Adderley, Pat Martino, and McCoy Tyner. "Contos (Do Neco)" begins with a luxurious introduction before they get to the tempo they take for the main theme. At first it sounds like something with incredible style (which it has) and it could last throughout the song, but upon the first breakdown one detects that this is not going to be an album done by numbers. The songs themselves are audio illustrations of a Brazil most people aren't aware of, and Cioglia allows the characters in his songs to dance in a way that might not be possible in the real world. "Filhos Do Pequi" is one of those songs that touches on the heart and soul of the country, its children. Perhaps the pequi fields are a metaphor for the potential of the children, to do more than the hard labor, but if hard labor leads to something better, or at least the deserved recognition of the hard labor, maybe the effort is all worthwhile. At least the song feels like that especially when it's just Ellis and Sanchez dancing musically with each other, a driving rhythm that sounds like production in effect, and with a brief moment to relax, the work continues. "Aroma De Mel" is a bit more seductive, although without proper interpretations or background for any of the tracks, it's hard to say if the honey sensed is in the air or perhaps it's some other kind of desirable sweetness.

The songs could also describe different sections of a day, and despite the hard work, the struggles, the romance, and everything that goes on, one must always find time to dance, be it something mid-tempo or something meant between two (or three or four) people. It's seductive when it wants to be, but these songs also paint a picture that partly describes the beauty of a country, its people, and the music which has found a home. Each person has a story, and Cioglia is able to get in-depth with the ten stories (Contos) he features here, each one at a minimum length of five minutes, the longest track being the nine minute title track. Each song has a beginning, middle and end, and in its construction of the stories an album that also has a starting point and final destination. These are stories that are worth returning to many times over, those who take it in as a personal favorite will find new things within the music with every listen.

(Contos will be available directly from Quizamba Music.)

Like any genre of music, it always starts with a movement. Musicians who are tired of the old ways and want to create something new, but still hold on to the old for inspiration and guilty pleasures. Titan Records was a small label out of Kansas City, Missouri that ended as quickly as it started, with most (if not all) of its artists moving from obscurity into ultra obscurity. When someone discovers these lost and forgotten gems, one is able to hear the passion of a scene that did it for the love of the music and with luck, a way to get out and meet the world.

Titan! It's All Pop (The Numero Group is an exhaustive 42-track collection of music released on the Titan! label, featuring bands who played punk, new wave, rock, and hard rock. Some of it was caught between the period of punk's acceptance and re-appreciation of rock'n'roll, with the attitude and vengeance that made a lot of those records from the 50's and early 60's great. It was a collection of bands creating in-your-face power pop, something that would become a part of the norm of what we call college rock/alternative music. It was edgy pop music, something with balls and torn up fishnets. Artists like Boys, Gems, Scott McCarl, Gary Charlson, and J.P. McClain & The Intruders may be lost with the passage of time, but in that brief time Titan! were making records, they were able to gain some underground support throughout the U.S. and England. Its appeal can be heard in these songs, a bunch of groups distant from the rock centers of the world, taking things into their own hands resulting in a sound that was uniquely their own. It was far and distant, but it was good enough for those who discovered the label. They only pressed up a small batch of each record, but once the positive reviews came in, people seeked them and would eventually become collector's items. The demand was important, and you can listen to why the demand was greater than the actual existing pressings.

The time that the punk movement morphed into new wave is a period that hasn't been forgotten, countless artists continue to look to it for inspiration in the spirit of indie rock. The Titan! roster weren't exactly looking for fame, but what they received and continue to receive are accolades that go beyond one or two obscure singles with must-hear B-sides. Titan! It's All Pop lets go of the barriers they may have had and allows people to hear the music for what it is: power-pop. While everyone takes it for granted, the music did have its roots. One can start here for a primer.

(Titan! It's All Pop will be released on November 4 and is available directly from The Numero Group.)

On a promotional note, my new website will be opening very soon. Currently you can access my weekly podcast, my Crut MySpace page, along with this column, and my food blog that I update every now and then. It will feature a lot more in the coming months, so head to ThisIsBooksMusic.com and bookmark the Book.

For those of you who have waited for me to finish my damn album, it's coming. I'm about to go through all of the tracks I have ready to go, mix them to a state that will be good enough to be mixed again at a proper studio, and then it will be mastered. I will most likely release it myself, but it will be shopped around with the hopes of it getting out to the people who should hear it. Ringtones, placement in television shows and films, reality shows? Hell yeah, I got the song for you. The full title of the album will be revealed very soon, but for now it's L**********ss. While I have done music for 16 years, I have never done a live show. No live DJ sets, nothing, but I want to be able to do that next year. It's possible, and I want to do more than just a DJ set. However, the album needs to be finished and it will be, it's probably two or three songs from being complete.

Thank you, and come back next week for #221.

The Run-Off Groove #219

2008-10-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #219. I am John Book and it's all about quality, not quantity. Take as much as you want, but know your limits. Now, the column.

After two very good albums, Nikka Costa was dropped from Virgin Records. At a time when the industry is struggling for anything, it seems they were not willing to watch an artist mature and grow. Even with her music being used in television commercials and film, it seems Costa was not enough for Virgin so she bailed. In that time she gave birth to her first child, which was part of what inspired her for this new project, which he recorded out of her own pocket. The end result is Pebble To A Pearl (Go Funk Yourself/Stax/Concord), an album that is a mixture of old soul with the sound that was a dominant force on her first two albums.

In "Stuck To You", she speaks to her man and says unapologetically "If you a bride, I'll be your wedding/If you a soul, I'll be your Otis Redding/If you a verse, I'll be your song/If you a king, I'll be your kong". The groove in this song and for the first part of the album is very much in a 60's tinge. Some have already said that it's a reaction to the success of Amy Winehouse, something that Solange Knowles had also done effectively on her recent album, so do we need another album that sounds like it would be perfect for the Northern Soul crowd? Fortunately it is not what dominates the album, but the first few songs are usually what hook listeners and some might think "damn, a rehash". It's not, and if there's a plus side to this, it's a chance to hear her sing this style, and she's not bad at all. The anticipation for new Nikka doesn't come to a halt, but for me it made me wonder if this would be the tone for the rest of the songs.

Again, it isn't, and once she moves out of the 60's girl group groove, we hit a bit of 70's soul and funk, including a song that sounds a hell of a lot like Stevie Wonder's "Boogie On Reggae Woman". Some of the songs do sound like variations of a theme, and it was unexpected because Costa had always made herself out to be someone who went out of her way to make her brand of music, and it feels like she's taking a few steps back, as if she no longer wants to take the risk. Just when it feels like she's going to pull out something predictable, she busts out and does a blues track, which suits her voice perfectly. She has the grace of a soul singer, can belt it out and scream like a rocker, so it would be natural to have those qualities and sing the blues, as she does in "Someone For Everything", which should become her "Take It To The Limit" (The Eagles) and a highlight of her live shows. "Love To Love You Less" is another blues track where she puts down her man in a not so subtle way, in a fashion that honors the tradition of blues women throughout history. "Damn I Said It First" has her locked in a nice and tight reggae groove, or perhaps it's a Meters-influenced beat, there's definitely a hint of New Orleans in its grooves. If the beat sounds like Bill Withers's "Use Me", it's due to drummer James Gadson, who played on that Withers track and makes his presence known on most of the songs here. Anyone who refuses to believe that Costa isn't a soul singer will have to listen to the irresistible "Loving You" (a great Johnny "Guitar" Watson song), which manages to reach the same level of intensity as Erykah Badu, and when the album hits the final track (in the form of "Bullets In The Sky"), it's as if Lauryn Hill passed the torch to Costa and she was able to take it home and back. The song would have fit perfectly on Everybody Got Their Something and Can'tNeverDidNothing, with heavy and booming drums from Gadson and a lush arrangement that would have made her father proud. I wish the drums were more forward in the mix, that would have taken things over the top for me but if she ever releases the song as a single, I hope they create a new mix where the drums are just in your face. The song itself, which touches on war and the pain that comes from it, may not get her massive airplay but it's a message that at times seems ignored for the sake of promoting sexiness in death and violence:

Mama's cryin' bullets in the sky
raining, raining tears on each side
Fight for love, don't love the fight
Mama's cryin' bullets in the sky

The path of fear we're being lead to tread is paved with wasted life

It's what you'd expect to hear from the likes of Roberta Flack and Kasey Chambers, and perhaps it could only come from such a bold artist as Costa, because you certainly would not expect to hear this from Beyonce Knowles, Rihanna, or Alicia Keys.

So how does an album that begins on a somewhat mediocre note end up being a true reflection of what Costa represents as an artist? Ineffective sequencing might be a key, and I'm someone who respects the integrity of the album, I would have preferred a stronger start and slight adjustments to the first half, because the second half is solid as is. The power of the songs on the second half make up for some of the faults that can be heard in the first, but you can't fault a project too much that was hers from start to finish. It's not a bad album at all, but careful sequencing in the first half could have made this good album a lot better. Costa could have fallen into the trap of making this an all-covers album, which would work in her favor but not as an album that is meant to represent her as an independent artist. When it works, it works very well, and Pebble To A Pearl is an album that takes time to warm up until all the components begin to work, just like an old TV set.

(Pebble To A Pearl is available from CD Universe.)

If Demi Lovato is an unfamiliar name to you, you may want to ask your children, nieces, or nephews. For those without, some facts. Miss Lovato is a teenage actress getting some attention within the Disney camp with her role in Camp Rock, the cinematic masterpiece starring the fantastic Jonas Brothers. Okay, maybe not a masterpiece but with the rise of Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana, Disney has been quick with their hype machine to let people know who could be the next Miley Cyrus. Disney has no shortage of young ladies to fill the role, but they are pushing Lovato because not only can she act, but can sing. The same can be said for fellow Disney actress Selena Gomez, but what makes Lovato different is that she wants to be a rocker. She's released a few songs that received significant airplay on Disney Radio, so can she pull off a full album?

To my surprise, she can, or that is, her producers can. Don't Forget (Hollywood) has her belting out the songs as if she was a cross between Pink and Michelle Branch, complete with the moans and sighs of the latter. Since this is her debut album, it merely displays her capabilities as a singer and since these songs are being molded for her, she does a decent job at doing what she is told to do. The songs are all written from an innocent point of view of a 16 year old, probably written by 42 year old men, but who am I to judge? I am not a part of Demi Lovato's target audience, but I can see how she could appeal to young rockers of all ages. She has the swagger and attitude that is an important part of rock, and sings songs that will create a lot of energy for those who take her in via their headphones or CD player in their room. She sings about the puppy love, but she also sings about joy and happiness, so don't expect anything heavy or too deep on her album. What you do have is a singer who has the potential to become an adult rocker in the vein of Gwen Stefani, if she wishes to go down that route. She's a cute girl, and I can see why teenage boys would dig her steez, but as they get older and discover new music, will they be around for her as she creates songs with more grown-up themes? There is a stigma with being connected with Disney, so maybe like Ashley Tisdale she'll have to record an album with a label away from the Disney camp, which would mean working with producers who could make her edgier than she is. It's an album one would expect from a teenage rocker, and while movies and television shows may one day dominate her career, I honestly hope she will continue making music. Considering the pap Disney normally releases (the album is released on Hollywood, a Disney-owned company), this isn't bad at all, and at least she has a voice one can recognize amongst a barrage of copy-cats.

(Don't Forget is available from CD Universe.)

Random is back with a brand new album, or in truth an EP packaged in a DVD case, and if you've heard about this man and have wondered if he's worth the time, pick up his new album.

The 8th Day: A Story Of New Beginnings (RAHM Nation) has him stepping up a few levels, reaching the kind of lyrical levels equal to that of Gift Of Gab. When Random speaks, he does so as a storyteller with things to pass on to listeners, old and new fans, and those he will eventually reach when they realize he is an MC worthy of musical examination. He talks about going through life wanting to do as much as possible and hopes he doesn't reach his inevitable destination anytime soon. As he says in "Left Behind", "I hate rap but I hate rappers more", and that's very much the stigma of a lot of today's hip-hop, respect for the alleged game but not caring for the gamers. Random is someone you want to bet on for lyrical dominance, in that you know you will get your money's worth and then some, especially in tracks like ""Placebo (What It Is)", "Granny Smith", and "Reset Button", the latter uniting him with MC Frontalot. He also isn't afraid to bless his tracks with R&B touches, and they aren't weak either. If put with the right people, he could easily become as popular as Ludacris, but that would require the masses to listen to him for more than just catchy choruses. Random is more cohesive than his name suggests, seek and find one of the best rappers of the early 21st century.

(The 8th Day is available from Kunaki.com.)

"Another banger for your body and your mind", that is what Mic Crenshaw offers, and not just one banger, but a solid 17, and not one weak track among them on his new album, Thinking Out Loud (Focused Noize).

Maybe something is in the air again, either that or people are realizing that in this music called rap, it's about talking and wanting to listen to the speaker at hand. As I said on a bulletin board recently, it seems to be a return to simplicity, and through the simplicity one discovers the complexities that have been continuing through the muck of chun laost. In "Teach It" he speaks without music about the universal language of music and you can see (or at least visualize in the mind) the layers of each story and line as it builds until he comes to his conclusion. Over the laid back and politically charged "America", he speaks about having to deal with the struggle and not having the freedom to just live and be, talking about everything from video games, war, and today's children who are living their lives as if it's nothing more than a movie, one that they'll never get a chance to see the credits to. If Mic ever gets a chance to hook up with Crown City Rockers or The Roots, this could could go over the top and do even more damage. He does things "for the art of", where every track sounds like it's going to be his last, anyone who doesn't go away feeling the title track is obviously listening to smooth jazz.

After hearing this album, Mic Crenshaw sounds like someone with a mind full of verbal ammo and is ready to commit himself to battle. The way he composes his verses... and that's a key point I'm making her, composition. He is very much a hip-hop composer with an occasional bitter tongue but does it to where even if he was insulting you in your face, it would still sound like a birthday card. The guy is effective, and having the help of producers who know how to compliment him (and vice versa) makes this album a standout. Thinking Out Loud, without a fence or established boundaries, is a piece of work that you're either going to embrace or get slashed by.

He is Rig 1, and he is a rapper from outer space. It isn't certain if he has ever met Kool Keith during his universal travels, but I am certain they have crossed paths. Rig 1 is not a Kool Keith wanna-be, he is in his own constellation and by bringing his music to Earth, he is letting people know what he has learned from hip-hoppers on this planet to remind them of the expansion the music once promised.

Above the Tree Line West of the Periodic (Team Love) is an album that would have fit in perfectly in any era in the last 15 to 20 years, but it's very much a futuristic album without the UFO bullshit. It's far out in the sense that there aren't too many people doing what Rig 1 is trying to do. It's atmospheric, it's musical, it features a lot of unique arrangements, and it's still very much accessible hip-hop. Titles do not begin to describe the content of the actual songs: "Taibula Rasa", "Out The Periphery" (my personal favorite), "Dirty Little Sica", and "Dawn Of The Tinman". "Double Click" is very much about the modern world of technology and how we communicate with each other (no mouse solo, unfortuantely), whle "Ghost" ends the album appropriately as Rig 1 makes his way not into the sunset, but into the sun, because he can. His influences range from the Wu-Tang Clan to Pete Rock, at times having the experimental edge of MC 900 Ft. Jesus. Is he a stoned prophet, or an astrological pimp of the highest order? Or is he a realist trying to let people know that it's very much about perspective when it comes to his music? Maybe a mixture of all three. While many talk about taking their music to the next level, he's very much on the other level like the Geto Boys, +1. Nerdy, geeky, but skilled: these compose the matter that is Rig 1. It's un-trendy but very much of the now, he's above being relevant because he's been through it and turned it inside out. You may not recognize it at the entrance, but you'll feel like you've returned home by the time it's time to venture out into the open again.

(Above the Tree Line West of the Periodic is available directly from Team Love.)

Scott Garred, who calls himself Super XX Man, says that his head might explode in the opening track "Medication", but throughout Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds (Tender Loving Empire) he sounds like he wears the simplicity button on his heart with pride, and there's nothing wrong with that. The promo material that came with this album talks about how Garred works at a psychiatric institution at Oregon State Hospital, and with songs like "Medication", "Crazy People", "Psychotic Break", and "House/Home" it's obvious where he received some of the inspiration. Some of the material here sounds like Meddle-era Pink Floyd (and I'm talking more about music like "San Tropez", not "Echoes"), especially with the extra non-musical sound effects that come through in some of these tracks. He is able to envelope the listener into his world, and the worlds he describes in his songs. It's not quite folk but more like folk snorted by the guys in The Flaming Lips, and Garred is capable of making you dwell in his misery and occasional bright spots and motivate you to change zip codes. It might take a few listens to fully grasp what Super XX Man is doing, but let it sink in and perhaps after the second or third listen, you'll find it difficult to remove that smirk from your face.

(Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds will be released on October 21st and can be ordered through Tender Loving Empire

There was a term someone came up with this type of low-brow, almost monotonous-type of singing. Robyn Hitchcock has done this very well where it almost sounds mundane in a Bob Dylan manner but the reason you want to hear him is because you want to listen, and with McCarthy Trenching you get a sense that you want to hookybob on the plane while letting his music blow freely on your face.

Calamity Drenching (Team Love) tells us "you don't have to be alone to be lonesome" (as told in "Christmas Song"), and throughout the album he talks about the ironies of life in all of its forms. You want to play these songs over and over because you can easily relate to his stories, and you also hope that others will feel the same way you do as you rock yourself out of your own mental pain. He is a pianist and one who takes charge of his songs in the same way Ben Folds or Elton John does, and just as there are many love songs to talk about the ultimate conquest, there are enough songs of lost love that will warm up any fire in the cold hearts of humans, and Trenching is one of the best of the current generation.

(Calamity Drenching is available directly from Team Love.)

That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove. There's still more CD's I have to get to, but that will have to wait for another time. If you have any new music, DVD's, books, or hot sauce, please contact me through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact address. Hard copy is preferred over digital files, and will get reviewed a lot faster than a digital files due to the amount of e-mails I receive.

Thank you, and come back next week for #220.

The Run-Off Groove #218

2008-10-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #218. I am John Book and how about those presidential debates? Yeah I know, less politics, more music, right?

For those of you who are new to this column, let me tell what it's about. The column started four years ago as a part of the Music For America website. The column's main emphasis was, and at times is, hip-hop music. However, I wanted to be able to share my other musical tastes, which is pretty much anything and everything. The column would evolve into what it is today, so you will see your share of jazz, Americana, country, funk, noise, ska, reggae, dancehall, whatever. Send it to me, and I'm an open ear. I always represent Hawai'i in what I do, so whenever possible, I have a "Hawaiian Music Corner" (named after the Hawaiian music website I ran in the early 00's). The column has since left the boundaries of Music For America and has remained independent. In time, it will become a part of my new website, ThisIsBooksMusic.com, and you are currently able to access this blogspot page from there. Please bookmark it.

Until then... begin we shall.

People like to talk about credibility and what artists have done in the past, but in this case let's talk about the now. I speak of the now for DJ Revolution, whose brand new album shows why his participation in DJ'ing is nothing more than the continuation of the art. King Of The Decks (Duck Down) is a DJ album, a true DJ album where the DJ doesn't shout his name over verses, doesn't scream the title of his radio show airing on so and so radio station. There is a distinction between the radio DJ and the DJ that pumps the parties with his record collection, and DJ Revolution is the latter. The amount of guests on this album is staggering, everyone from Sway & King Tech to Bumpy Knuckles, Royce Da 5'9" to Joell Ortiz, Planet Asia to Defari, Evidence to Iriscience, DJ Premier to DJ Spinbad, KRS-One to the Boot Camp Clik, and there's more. One can easily assume that the amount of special guests must mean that this album is weak, but best to rewind that thought and start from the beginning. These guys come to DJ Revolution to drop some serious lyrics, and in turn Revolution comes up with some of the best production, cuts and scratches around.

It's natural for any DJ album to have the MC's praise the man behind the one and two's, and that is present throughout King Of The Decks, but what you also hear is honor and pride of all that hip-hop represents. They mock things in the hilarious "Scratch Nerds" when one favors DJ Whoo Kid over DJ Q-Bert, only for Q-Bert himself to surface on the following track and speak martian in the form of "Invaders From The Planet Sqratch". When the Boot Camp Clik unite for "Start The Revolution", it feels like 1996 all over again but with a renewed sense of what made all of them great. The rest of the album is a nice blend of full length tracks and brief interludes, with an emphasis on the music and you don't want to skip tracks or create a new playlist when it comes to this album. All of the skills and tricks he does in a live setting, he pours it gingerly from song to song so you're not overdosed with everything at once. By the end of track 24, you're wanting more but he has done his job, he's not coming back, at least not on the album. Albums with alleged DJ's are commonplace, and some are as bad as a mixtape from your next door neighbor. King Of The Decks is high quality, no B.S. allowed, and anyone who calls themselves a DJ will value this album. Any mixtape architects will need to take lessons from Revolution beginning yesterday.

(King Of The Decks is available from CD Universe.)

DJ B.Cause has been incredibly busy with doing an insane amount of underground remixes and mash-ups, many of which are up to par with some of what the pros are doing. By listening to his new mix CD Playcrater Too, one can tell he's already to be up there with the likes of Timbaland, Danger Mouse, and Fly Ni Noogs.

B.Cause isn't just about grabbing random acapellas and layering any instrumental over it, there is some thought into these mixes, moreso when he connects the dots from start to finish. Within this CD you have everyone from Alice Russell to DJ Mark The 45 King, Lewis Taylor to Chromeo, De La Soul to The Dazz Band, and while you can isolate a track and pick it as your favorite, it is great to listen to as a whole repeatedly, the anticipation during blends is great. He knows what he's doing, and what he does is done well.

You want quality mixes? DJ B.Cause is the guy to go to. Make him famous.

(Playcrater Too is available directly from DJ B.Cause.)

Even with an EP that came out a few months ago, D-Sisive has returned with a new single featuring three mixes of "Like This" (URBNet) (featuring Guilty Simpson and DJ Grouch) along with two brand new tracks and a remix of a song from The Book EP.

"Like This" has D-Sisive getting a bit abstract over what sounds like something from the David Axelrod logs as he speaks about how even during post-mortem, he's still going to fuck up your style and ways. The Muneshine remix of "Up" is quite good, while "The Flintstones" is a flashback of days gone by. I like the idea of rappers releasing EP's and singles over a period of time, a lot of times artists release albums and mess up the potential of what could be with too many interludes and not enough content. D-Sisive offers content that isn't as light as instant coffee, and by limiting things to just four songs, you're out wondering why he held himself back for this one. The answer might be revealed when he drops Let The Children Die in February.

(Like This (Plus Three) is available through iTunes and can be purchased through URBNET Records.)

Here is an interesting concept: a collection of national anthems celebrating the people of the world, many of whom have made an impact on what is the United States of America. The title Us An'Them initially made me think of Pink Floyd, but after reading the rest of the cover, it is a reference to anthems. While it might make people think of "us vs. them", as in the United States vs. the world as if this was a FOX ice skating reality show, that's not the point. The point Garry Dial & Terry Roche wanted to make is listen to these songs, listen to the pride that these songs are meant to represent, and you will hear something quite interesting.

Interesting? This is a jazz album, so what you're hearing is jazz interpretations mixed in with world traditions, along with English translations of each (when needed) that are either literal or interpretive. In a way, it sounds like what each culture immerses itself into when moving to the United States, and musically, things sound great. "France" sounds like something The Manhattan Transfer would turn out effortlessly, while "Tibet" sounds as distant and yet so near with its meditative chant and Tibetian bells. "India" was a personal favorite, beginning with the tambura before Sanghamitra Chatterjee sings beautifully of her homeland. "Jamaica", of course, has a nice reggae vibe to it, it may not have Monty Alexander playing along but vocalist Patrick Gordon handles his duty well.

The liner notes talk about why an album like this needs to be made, and aren't most anthems nothing more than battle songs? If so, should your family sing along to them in a car? If anything, Us An'Them is an audio peek at what we as people represent, or perhaps as how the songs are meant to represent us. Is it political, is it social, is it about the protection of defending what each country represents, or is it nothing more than spending a few minutes to sing when we spend most of our adult lives worrying about how to put food on the table? Considering the state of the world in 2008, it's long overdue for a worldwide sing-a-long, and perhaps the great music found on this CD/DVD combo will lead the way to some sense of harmony. The concept of the album may be about what makes an American a true "American", and who are the judges that make those final decisions, and why a lot of times that shouldn't matter but does in the eyes of "our" goverments, the ones that are meant to protect its people while killing others. By hearing these anthems in a different context, we are allowed to go past the walls and look into the eyes of the people these songs represent.

(Us An'Them will be released on November 25th, and will be available from CDBaby.)

Jazz combinations, I love them, and I love the potential of what could be a great opportunity to make some fantastic music. Guitarist Gian Wiegner and organist Gary Brunotte have recorded an album together that is the perfect definition of cool jazz, where it sounds like Pat Martino and Jimmy Smith uniting in the studio or on stage for the first time. About Time (Sincopato is very much about the two musicians and their interaction together, along with the two bands that play along with them (the songs were recorded in two completely different sessions). Along with the standbys, Wiegner and Brunotte offer a number of songs from their own songbook, including "Wes Meets Les", "PM Blues", "Dont' Rush Me", "Samba This", and "Cool Waltzin'", and at times you'll have to look at the CD to remember that this was recorded in the last year, and not 40 or 50 years ago. It manages to capture the moment properly, and the recording itself (produced by Wiegner and Brunotte, no engineer listed) sounds like it came from someone who truly listens to jazz recordings. I enjoy it when both of them are deep into their solos, and if one feels a need to say "let me get in there a bit", the other player will step back (if only slightly) and allow the other to play. It's hard to say who is the better rhythm section, John Lockwood (bass) and Steve Langone (drums), or Dan Davis (drums) and Paul Engbretsen (bass). They each play in the pocket in their own way, each serving the leaders of these sessions quite well, but are different from one another. One might want to bother with the preferred rhythm section, but hearing some top notch jazz like this makes choosing less of an issue.

All of the musicians here are capable of playing anything and everything, as Wiegner explores quite a bit on his solo work while Brunotte does more than just traditional jazz. But with their roots at the Berklee College Of Music, they know how to approach a song and take it to the next level, and they do that on thirteen occasions on this disc. Fans of both musicians will enjoy knowing these two have finally joined together for a project (thus the title of the album), and while it may or may not lead to other joint projects, new fans will be able to start finding other songs in their respective catalogs by picking this up.

(About Time is available from CDBaby.)

Good album covers can sometimes make or break an album, even though they shouldn't. They're merely eye candy, and this album is proof. I'm not a ballroom dancer, but I always admired the moves and the look of the ladies involved, lots of passion and sexual energy involved. If I could dance like that, and find an elegant dancer, I'd be wicked. Instead I see the cover painting of a couple dancing,with the lady arched and a slit going up to who knows where, and it also suggests sophistication. Guitarist Michael Higgins, along with Adam Nussbaum (drums), and Jay Anderson (bass), suggest this as well with the album The Moon And The Lady Dancing (self-released), and you may want to listen to this with a suit on.

In truth, this is jazz done not unlike The Modern Jazz Quartet, but in this case a trio setting. The songs are very stylized and sound right for the proper occasions, with titles like "When Colors Turn", "If I Only Knew", "Alone Together", and "In Love In Vain". Some of Higgins' guitar work sounds like what one would also hear on an Antonio Carlos Jobin recording, and if one needs a suggestion for a recording that will create a mood towards a seductive evening, I would recommend this. Some might see this type of album as a slow motion ride through molasses, but if so then you're probably not a fan of this style of jazz. It's not smooth jazz, it's something that demands your attention without resorting to the tried and true. The Moon And The Lady Dancing is a reliable album, and Higgins has the kind of playing style that will make a lot of other guitarists want to return to their basements and start from scratch.

(The Moon And The Lady Dancing is available from CDBaby.)

On a self-promotional note, you can access my Book's Music podcast, my MySpace page, and of course this column by going directly to my brand new home page, which will make its presence known very soon:
This Is Book's Music

There will be a lot more than just the links that are on there.

Thank you, and come back next week for #219.

The Run-Off Groove #217

2008-10-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #217. I am John Book and your time is gonna come. The column begins now.

You may not have heard of her and arguably her style of music doesn't fit the American Idol mold, but trust me, that's a good thing. I speak of Lindsey Yung, who was honored with the Female Singer/Songwriter of the Year at the 2006 Los Angeles Music Awards, and with that came the anticipation of what to come up with next.

Opal Essence (self-released) is an album that shows a true craft for songwriting and music, it's not just a mere decoration or something to sell cars. "Away From It All" opens the album with Yung explaining her mission on the album, and perhaps in life:

We can make our getaway
Ignore the agenda and play
Throw a wrench
It's time to quench
This aching need for slower days

Yung is a storyteller in the style of Sarah McLachlan, where reality is the most colorful pallet to create the most vivid audio pictures. "Authentic Counterfeit" has her touching on elements that one might also hear in songs by Bess Rogers, where both of them go a bit deeper in their conviction towards hitting the part of us that isn't meant to be revealed, but is. She doesn't quite get into Tori Amos mode, but Yung is very much on that same level of reaching the epiphany but resisting the urge to go into it head first. "Touchstone" sounds like a spiritual song, and for all I know it could be just that, but if one is to twist the lyrics around, it could easily be about the joy of a pet dog:

He never asks why it's been so hard
He won't be the one you'll find sulking in blame
You'll discover he brings out the best in you
And when he's away, you'll find that he remains with you

Maybe it's not meant for interpretation, but this is one of the few songs on Opal Essence that one may wonder and say "is it or isn't it?"

The music has a sense of freedom that I think we all search for in our lives, and with her pop flavored songs (think Ben Folds) she could easily become one of the premiere artists of the early 21st century. Want a left field comparison? At times she sounds like a much more polished Jennifer Lopez, although I don't think Lopez will be playing a piano or 'ukulele anytime soon, nor will she be writing arrangements for string sections. Fans of singer/songwriters demand something that will move them beyond initial expectations, and those who approach the music of Lindsey Yung will eventually be drawn to the talents that she has shared to the world.

(Opal Essence can be purchased directly from LindseyYung.com.)

Ruck and Rock are back together again as Heltah Skeltah, and on their new album D.I.R.T. (Da Incredible Rap Team) (Duck Down), they show why so many fans were supportive of their verbal attacks and why fans will definitely be pleased with their long awaited reunion.

It's hard to believe D.I.R.T. is only the third Heltah Skeltah album, and I think it's because both of them have recorded so much music inbetween (especially Ruck, known to many these days as simply Sean Price) that people haven't realized the space between. As always, what you can expect is tight rhymes and flows with the kind of in-depth lyrics that made them one of the best out of the Boot Camp Clik. They speak of life, they speak of the hip-hop industry, they speak with the values of the streets, and don't mind talking about getting high with a deep love for weed, cocaine, or the occasional blend of the two. They don't mind doing a little sing-song to keep people guessing but they haven't gone R&B, far from it. It's an album that easily measures up with anything the Clik have done, especially Smif-N-Wessun's Dah Shinin'.

You want quality hip-hop, you're going to get it here from two guys who work well individually but do even more damage as a team. Every song on D.I.R.T. are solid stand-outs, and while people are still crying over allegations of hip-hop's death, what you're hearing from Heltah Skeltah are tales of the most incredible kind. We're not talking about the celebration of bling, cars, money, and women, this is a bit more down to Earth but then again, this is Heltah Skeltah, the name demands appreciation. They are mature, they are now the elders, and are now hip-hop statesmen. They will tap into their old school ways and make sure their older fans know they haven't forgotten, but the rhymes here are of a high caliber, the type that represents rap music on its own home turf. The cover photo of Sean Price and Rock as superheroes might seem silly at first, but they know that you will look beyond/behind the costumes to find something a bit more accurate. It makes one wish more hip-hop fans did the same for their favorite artists. Easily one of the best albums of the year, of any genre.

(D.I.R.T. is available directly from Duck Down Records or from CD Universe.)

Boo And Boo Too are back again after releasing a decent EP, and this time they're ripping shit up with a fantastic full length album.

No Tempo (Chomp Womp/Ironpaw) only adds to the intensity the group had before on their first EP (reviewed earlier this year in The Run-Off Groove #194, and maybe because this is being presented as an album, I'm sensing a bit of cohesiveness. Or maybe I'm wanting to hear that from these guys, although what I hear are a band that I hope are on the edge of something incredible. It would be too easy to say "massive success" but in today's industry climate, who knows what might or might not happen, but what I'd like to see happen is Boo And Boo Too tour across the country and as much of the world as possible, so people can find moving music to believe in again. This album reminds me a bit of Sonic Youth and The Flaming Lips, bands who incorporated noise and experimental values in their music but also weren't afraid to try melodies and actual song craftsmanship.

(No Tempo is available through Ironpaw Records.)

He calls himself Tha Pumpsta, and he's a guy who combines hip-hop with electronic twists and incorporates his Atlanta roots by doing his brand of crunk.

Bass Black Treble White (Milk The Beef) is his second album, and the raw demo quality of it (good but not super polished) has it bordering on the thin line between super genius and self parody. It's geekery at its very best, with loads of in-jokes, cliches, and tight music mixed in with lyrics that range from complete nonsense to abstract dork-ism. It is his tendency to tackle various cliches that at times make it sound like a joke, or perhaps he's not wanting to take himself too seriously. Maybe there's a dilemma in that he's the white guy who can make cool music but has to dork it up in order to be accepted or be heard. Either that or you step up to the level of a Slug or Sage Francis or go on MC Paul Barman's level. Tha Pumpsta knows how to pump the music up, but whether or not he is able to count his money as he gets paid in full depends on what audience he caters to. Or maybe the rule of Tha Pumpsta is to balance yourself so that you can please everyone, thus the title Bass Black Treble White. If he's able to get himself heard on a wider scale, it could prove to be dangerous.

(Bass Black Treble White is available from CDBaby.)

I've been anxiously awaiting to hear new music from Charmaine Clamor after being blown away by her Flippin' Out album. For this new album, she takes the music and inspiration from her native Phillipines and creates My Harana: A Filipino Serenade (FreeHam). It's an album that she sings in a number of Filipino languages, including Tagalog, Ilocano, Pangasinan, and Bisaya, and by doing so reaches across the country for a wonderful story of love, romance, companionship, and common courtesy, when etiquette meant something.

The songs here are a part of the folk tradition, and the moment these songs are heard in homes and dances, people drop and can cry in an instant. When you hear Clamor sing "Pakiusap", "Mekeni King Siping Ku", and "Manamahal Sinasamba", one can almost step back into time and imagine what it must have been like for the people of the Phillipines to hear these for the first time on the radio, on television, or on record, and the millions of transplants who were able to keep one foot home through these songs of joy and occasional heartbreak. Clamor states in the liner notes that these songs are about a time when seeking companionship meant poetry, passion, and a song, something that has been romanticized to death in television shows and movies, but one that seems to be evaporating by those who feel gadgets are the way to link up.

In her voice is the sound of sentiment and passion, she is an incredible jazz singer whose American upbringing and love for the music makes her perfect to be an influence on the next wave of singers, I still feel that way. By singing in and to the native tongue, it feels a lot like comfort food, where a bowl of pork guisantes and rice is what you may need to start an all night (and perhaps all morning) conversation. It's front porch or backyard music, where you didn't care about performing to the masses. If your family heard it, or neighbors, or the mail man, you didn't mind nor care. It sounds very simple, but at times it's the simple things in life that we miss and seek in order for us to gain back a bit of sanity, to regroup. It's a great album that captures her love of family and roots. If she ever does a cover of "Pagdating Ng Takipsilim", perhaps with The New Minstrels arrangement, it would be all over.

(My Harana: A Filipino Serenade is available from CDBaby.)

Cynthia Hilts is a jazz vocalist/musician who has all the qualities to make it happen, and on Second Story Breeze (Blond Coyote) she plays the piano in a fashion that makes the listener want to hear all of her work and check out a few shows.

She plays with the same kind of beauty that Herbie Hancock and Dave Brubeck have in their playing, where it's not just hammering for the sake of hammering, there's a lot of thought in each and every move she makes, which include the amount of space between each chord and phrase, it's very deliberate. You can hear this in material like the engaging title track, "Bunny", and" The Fading Blue", or in the crafty "Nun, Miffdemeanor-Like" where she is playful and shows that she has an incredible sense of humor in her style too.

The only thing I didn't like was her singing, I liked when she did a bit of abstract scat but her vocals only slowed down the pace of the album, at least for me it did. Remove the majority of the vocals on this and this would be huge.

(Second Story Breeze is available directly from CynthiaHilts.com.)

Tracy Shedd says in the first song: "you can stay up all night and talk about it/or you can just play your guitar". She sounds a bit like Liz Phair with the ambient vocals of Miki Berenyi or Tanya Connely with the same kind of bounce and attitude that groups like Belly and The Breeders have. Cigarette & Smoke Machines (Teenbeat.net) easily fits in with many female indie rock artists, and while it might sound lazy to say Shedd sounds pleasant, she does without becoming unsettling. She has one of those silky voices that, at least from a male perspective, I enjoy hearing, it's pleasing to me. But a nice voice cannot make bad songs sound decent, fortunately Shedd doesn't have any terrible songs. The album could easily be the kind of thing Gabby Glaser would do on her own album, but this is Shedd's album and here she sings about dreams, hopes, life, the world, and anything and everything under the sun without making any grandiose statements. Or if there are statements to be made, it's in the music and how one feels after hearing it. It sounds like accomplishment, and one hopes she will not make this her final statement.

More Shedd for everyone.

(Cigarettes & Smoke Machines is available in vinyl and CD form directly from Teenbeat.net.)

Bozos are not what Team Genius are, and the smirk heard in the vocals in "Take Me Home" made me wonder if they wanted to be a bit more clever than the next man/band. I think they are, but they're going to have a lot of fun making people believe they're not as smart. No, that's not saying Team Genius are dumb, no dumb bands are making sounds that sound like this and yet are radio friendly. It's quirky, anthemic, something you could play in a cover band alongside The Knack's "Good Girls Don't" and "Frustrated" and a bit of The Hooters catalog while doing DJ sets involving Boredoms and Todd Rundgren acetates.

Team Genius are the kind of band you wish you had joined or known about during summer camp, because while you had lofty goals to become rock stars, you know it was just nothing more than making great sounds with friends. This is what Team Genius are. Bozos, I don't know, I've never met them.

(Team Genius' self titled album will be released on October 7th.)

Soft Targets at first sound like they've been hitting up the mystical juice machine with their crafty pop tendencies, fresh with that sprinkling of pepper that sometimes can be found on the brim of a cup, but maybe it is that or the fact that these guys are doing some adventurous pop that... I was going to say "should dominate the airwaves" and I guess it would be nice if people just looked left of center to listen to something that is different yet equally as exciting as some of the music people listen to on an irregular basis but that would not be good for things would be watered down and songs like "Sirens" and "Dear Atlanta" do not deserve to be watered down by weak people who cannot and will not appreciate quality pop with a bit of edginess that I tend to like even though I am a sucker for good pop and good pop is not bad.

(Heavy Rainbow is available directly from Cloud 13 Records.)

God damn, sometimes listening to an album will set you off and you think "I really hope this gets better". I will review this album in real time.

"Bees" begins with vocals and is interrupted by a woman saying "what?". That's funny.

Okay, maybe this review format will not work. Let's start again.

Jared Mees & The Grown Children sing about pride in "shooting skeet", and who knows if it's the actual skeet or the hip-hop slang for it, but on Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine, Money they play quirky and trippy folk rock pop bop in the vein of The Flaming Lips, Weezer, and King Missile and The Violent Femmes. What I got out of it is a bunch of guys (and one lady) who enjoy making music, but also like to do it in an unconventional fashion. They do this by making music that would be perfect for campfires and post-concert orgies when Denny's runs out of hash browns. They sing about what they see as it's a lot more creative to do that than to create Ronnie James Dio adventures. They play banjos, guitars, drums, Mulcolax, and chun, and then they beat it as if it has been large for three hours straight. Megan Spear's vocals fit in with the dramalans of Mees, and together with the other mates in the band, they primate their way into the monkoral of unmundanity.

Or maybe it's best to describe it this way. This could easily be music done by the cast of Zoom if they wrote bikes around town and smoked hash. I don't know if I would call this "slacker folk" as much as I'd call this Unpeter, Unpaul, and Unmary folk. I am certain these guys would at least pronounce Hanalei correctly.

(Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine, Money is available directly from Tender Loving Empire.)

You cannot get this from an MP3: opening the cover and seeing a photo of a rabbit on the CD. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

Cineplexx are not as surprising as a bunny coming out of a hat, but what I do hear is a band who sound a bit like Let's Active but with a portable record player in hand, walking to thrift stores and buying living room organs and farfisas instead of insecticide-ridden clothing. In other words, Cineplexx are music with a mission, and that mission is to be good without sacrificing decency. This is due to Sebastian Litmanovich, who combines his love of disco and singer/songwriters with super pop and an elegance that he enjoys bathing in like Aria Giovanni using baby oil while sporting bra and panties. Picnic (Portia) is an album that one might mistake for Sukia or Illya Kuryaki & The Valderramas, if not Café Tacuba, and that comes from taking in music like a sponge and not disinfecting the nasty bits. It's an album not afraid to take risks in its execution towards self-made excellent, as heard in "A mi lado", "Novatona 500 mg", and "Humedad".

Or to put it in another way, it's the Sean Lennon album Sean Lennon would like to record someday. Litmanovich reaches those harmonies Lennon is able to do, but takes it one step further. There's also a heavy British influence here too, at least in how the songs are arranged and performed, as if it's his goal to be a Spanish Beatles-influenced band. I like this.

(Picnic is available from CDBaby.)

Um, what is this?

I mean really, what is this? I hear tight rock with synths, kind of like nine inch nails on luudes, and then male and female vocals that make it sound like someone has a bottle of liquid latex and wants to rub it on their nards. Oh I get it, the ambient vibe comes from them being British, right? Then it makes sense. Let's see if I can accurately describe this. Secret Shine sound like a more orchestrated My Bloody Valentine, complete with what sounds like a horn section and orchestra (or simulations of them). They take that overwhelming sheet of noise and actually create something that even mom could understand (then again, your mom is probably singing "To Here Knows When" right now). They also come off like a more electrified version of The Vaselines, and with songs that are just as memorable. "Know", "Cafe Crash", and "Last Leaves" could easily become songs to define a generation, but that generation has to find Secret Shine. It lurks in the forest, I hope people are making a search.

(All Of The Stars is available directly from Clairecords.)

...AND NOW, THE HAWAIIAN MUSIC CORNER:
Kontiki caught the attention of many Pacific Islanders with their style of reggae, and after winning a Hawai'i Music Aaward in 2004, they have returned with their follow-up album.

Free Again (self-released) shows the group doing what they do best, and that is to make feel good reggae music with a slight island stylee. I think the songs are fairly decent, with the group still talking about puppy love, and even in the songs they cover (Chicago's "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", Survivor's "Second Chance", Lionel Richie's "Sweet Island Woman") they take the safe route, with the only variation being that these new versions have reggae flavor. However, all of that is decent compared to the disgrace that is "Coyote Ugly", where they add the Auto-Tune and make a bad situation worse, and sing about meeting up with a lady who ends up looking like a guy because of her "double belly wide" and "mustache, harry (sic) back", all while a toaster tries to do his Bounty Killer best. Considering the Jamaican's respect for ladies of all sizes, "Coyote Ugly" comes off like a cross between embarrassing parody and a disgrace to what reggae music represents. The saving grace is the ska-flavored "Pepe", where they bounce back in fine form and sing the praises of a beautiful Tongan woman. If the guys did more material like this, they might be able to crossover to an audience outside of their core fans. While I would love to hear different keyboard/synth sounds, I'm not sure if they feel a need to take that risk but if they do, it might also open them up to more people who may be turned off by the Sears-default sound that is heard throughout the album. Free Again works quite well, but they do leave room for improvement and a bit of self-editing. Tip: don't make songs like "Coyote Ugly", funny is funny but a laugh this isn't.

(Free Again is available from Amazon.com.)

Fans of Ten Feet were unsure if their favorite group would return after they decided to take a break in 2004. They released a number of albums since 1995 and had been the sensation of the island nations, even though at the time of their break they had only released two full length albums. Now, Ten Feet fans are in jubilation with the long awaited release of album number 3, Everyday (Ohana).

The group play roots reggae with a pop vibe, which of course is the Jawaiian formula, and while I am not a fan of the limited keyboard sound that they use, the choice of songs and the great vocal harmonies that are found within make up for it. My personal favorite is "True", which has a bit of those old school qualities that made groups like Kalapana and Country Comfort so great, reminds me of driving around the island, tuning to KCCN and allowing the music to be my guide. I like the brief guitar ode to Bobby Womack's "Breezin'" during the break, nice touch. The cover of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" was very nice, only because I didn't realize it was a Mraz song. Other songs like "247365" (as in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days in a year) and "Sweet Sunlight" are perfect Sunday morning music, cruising with the top down and forgetting the troubles of life, and to add to that these guys can play. It's not just music in a box, just add water.

13 of the album's 15 songs stand-out, the only duds being their covers of The Beatles' "Something" and Leo Sayer's "More Than I Can Say". I can understand "Something" because it is one of the best love songs ever recorded, but Ten Feet really don't add much to it. As for "More Than I Can Say", out of all the songs in the world, they have to cover Leo fricken Sayer? Yet if you understand where these guys are coming from, then you'll know they take value in the cherished pop hit. Unfortunately, it's a Leo Sayer hit.

Other than those gripes, Everyday is a fine album that doesn't disappoint. I would love to hear these guys do a cover of Donna Summer's "Last Dance", performed in the same style and tempo that they do in the song "Tonight". Let's see if it happens, and let's also hope it doesn't take them another four years to release a new full length.

(Everyday is available from e808.com.)

That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove. If you have music, DVD's, or books you'd like for me to review, send me a message through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact information.

Coming up very soon, the premiere of my brand new website, This Is Book's Music. Currently you are able to access this column, along with my podcast and my Crut MySpace page, and very soon, a lot more. Please bookmark it and see what happens in about a month's time.

Thank you, and come back next time for #218.

The Run-Off Groove #216

2008-09-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #216. I am John Book, and lately there has been some delays in getting this column out, primarily of my own doing. But you don't want to hear me complain, you want to read reviews that will hopefully move you to buy some new music right? Correct. Without further ado...

What represents hip-hop? A lot of you probably have a mental list of what it is and what it isn't. Let me ask another question: what represents Hawaiian hip-hop? Do any of you know what Hawaiian hip-hop is? For Creed Chameleon, he knows what hip-hop is for it represents him, where he's from, and who he associates with. It's what he wakes up to, what he lives, and hopefully the second to last thing he says good night to. Creed, like many in the 808 State, is a representative, and with Siq Of Lazy (Siq) he continues with the path he began on previous efforts and takes it to the top, looking over and helping people reach his level. I'm not talking an egotistical "I am the supreme MC" level, but merely a level of quality rap music done by someone who knows how to write and communicate well.

Siq Of Lazy has Creed talking about life on the island of Oahu, from the parties he goes to, the friends that call him a friend, along with the struggles of the island that aren't promoted by the tourist industry. You might see beauty, you might see green mountains and blue oceans, but what you don't see are people who are working themselves to the bone simply to live. Just as Redman and Juvenile are known to get into the inside of their neighborhoods, Creed observes not only as a spectator but as someone who has been there. In tracks like "Perry And Price" (a reference to the two radio talk show hosts), "Hell", and "Much More To Say", Creed carries himself as if he's on a mission and he's not going to stop until he gets to his destination. It's unabashed and sounds like the kind of music that could easily be associated with the likes of Heltah Skeltah, Blackalicious, Company Flow, and Atmosphere, and if hip-hop is being thrown into the fire (as special guest Joe Dub talks about in "Radio Kill"), Creed and friends are ready to go in and save it.

Wit and humor, it's something that I look for and this can be appreciated by any hip-hop fan. Creed is very much a storyteller, while he could do abstract lyrics with ease, listeners can picture his tales vividly just as the best hip-hop has always been able to do. This is most evident in "Invisible", and with an instrumental produced by Slapp Symphony you're put into the metaphorical battlefield Creed describes, you're pretty much listening to an artist from the inside out. His brand of humor doesn't overshadow his abrasive side, his sarcasm doesn't dominate but is present if you follow his lines and verses, and the sentimental side is balanced with the challenges of reality. By doing this, he shows a human side that sometimes gets ignored in what hip-hop is supposed to represent. Creed Chameleon is one of many who have made Hawai'i's hip-hop scene what it is today, and Siq Of Lazy is the ambition of not only an MC with a talent to create powerful music, but a scene whose exposure to the rest of the world that is long overdue.

(Siq Of Lazy is available from UndergroundHipHop.com.)

The big buzz album of September has no doubt been the return of Metallica. The band haven't gone anywhere, but anytime a band takes a break after a previous album and tour, people are curious as to whether or not they can return to the landscape and conquer any current bands that may have dominated. Let's face it, look at all of the bands who have come and gone in the last 27 years since Metallica, from the countless thrash and speed metal bands of the 80's to the alterna-trendoids of the 90's. Limp Bizkit? Pfftt. My Chemical Romance? Eh. The Jonas Brothers? Say what you want, but Metallica has little to no competition, which makes Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.) a wake up call to all bands. It's not about competition, it's about brother and sisterhood, all in the name of heavy metal.

For years, the Metallica tradition has been to open the album with a banger. Look at their history: "Hit The Lights", "Fight Fire With Fire", "Battery", "Enter Sandman", "Ain't My Bitch", "Fuel", "Frantic". For album number nine they do it with "That Was Just Your Life", beginning with those solemn guitars James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett are known for, with slight classical touches and a sense of doom. All of a sudden, the tempo picks up and you think you're comfortable and you know something is about to come. All of a sudden, Lars Ulrich locks in and the lords of thrash are back. It's also great to hear bassist Robert Trujillo on a full album, for his work has always one of the best elements of each artist he's worked with. But Metallica is now home, and he continues the heaviness once created by Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted. As for Hetfield, when you hear his vocal performance in "That Was Just Your Life", this is far from the same man who did "Trapped Under Ice", "Disposable Heroes", or even "Nothing Else Matters". While a lot of metal singers tend to lose their strength, he has managed to fine tune his voice and with age it sounds and feels perfect, or at least you know that voice and you know where it belongs.

Metallica wanted to work with Rick Rubin for this one, and while some have stated that Rubin is now the fall-back guy when artists aren't sure about which direction to go, anyone who has listened to Rubin over the years knows that's a bullshit concept. The Dixie Chicks certainly didn't need to fall-back on Rubin for musical security, but Rubin has a sense of what his artists should sound like because he treats them like musicians, the hype is left on the back porch. If anyone has to question what Metallica would sound like with Rubin, let's not forget that this was the guy who produced one of the greatest metal albums ever made, Slayer's Reign In Blood. Perhaps the union between Rubin and Metallica was inevitable, and for this album you get to hear a band get a bit more progressive in their approach (not unlike some of the hard rock and NWOBHM bands they all grew up listening to), not unlike early Judas Priest. The instrumental "Suicide & Redemption" has those qualities of becoming epic, including the spark of the lighter during the mellow guitar part, and never during the song's nine minute length does it lose its strength. Even with a few mellow tracks and the inevitable installment of "The Unforgiven" (part 3 in the series), when the band ends with "My Apocalypse" it truly sounds like they are playing as if it's the last five minutes on Earth, and everyone is in the mosh pit waiting for the annihilation to happen. Perhaps it's not so much about the internal feeling that the world sucks, but the reality that these guys are living the second half of their lives, still feeling youthful and strong but understanding what lies ahead in their (and our) own lives:

What makes me drift a litter bit closer
Dead man takes the steering wheel
What makes me know it’s time to cross over
Words you repeat until I feel

See through the skin the bones they all rattle
Future and past they disagree
Flesh falls away the bones they all shatter
I start to see the end in me
See the end in me…

Claustrophobic
Climb out of this skin
Hard explosive
Waiting for that pin
Violate, annihilate
A loser to my eyes
Obliterate, exterminate
At last accept, deny

Feel thy name as hell awakens
Destiny, Inhale the Fire

But we cross that line
Into the crypt
Total eclipse
Suffer unto my apocalypse!

Tyrants awaken my apocalypse!
Demon awaken my apocalypse!
Heaven awaken my apocalypse!
Suffer forever my apocalypse!

If for whatever reason this becomes the last Metallica album, this is the best way to go out of the world. Death Magnetic draws us in to the inevitable, something we can never escape. Musically, this feels more like 1988 than ...And Justice For All ever did, and anyone who has doubted these guys in the past will need to visit them once more. Metal ambassadors they are, and the world will be forever grateful for the impact they will make with this one.

(The CD of Death Magnetic is available through CD Universe. The 2LP (33rpm) and 5LP (45rpm)/CD editions can be ordered through Elusive Disc.)

A lot of people enjoy rock'n'roll with that rip roaring feeling, and if you have no idea what I just said, maybe you aren't familiar with such bands as The Romantics, The Hooters, or Rockpile. You get that feel on an album by The Mojomatics, a two man band who make the kind of music that makes you want to pump your fist for the hell of it.

Don't Pretend That You Know Me (Ghost) mixes up that powerful rock with a bit of pop craftsmanship, so you can hear some of that edginess that makes that kind of music so great, most notable the Cheap Trick-ish qualities of "Hole In My Heart". It reminds me of the revivalist rock that was the thing in the early 80's during the post-disco era. If this is a sign of what's to come, I hope The Mojomatics become one of the prime leaders of the 10's.

(Don't Pretend That You Know Me will be released on September 23rd, and can be pre-ordered through CD Universe and digitally through eMusic.)

With an album title like Never Trust The Chinese (Absolute Motion), I was prepared to bash these fuckers, but the group aren't hurtful and the rock-meets-old school electronic music vibe Mr. Meeble create on the album may please more than it will disgust. Get a grip.

If a group like Black Moth Super Rainbow were more pop accessible and radio friendly, they could easily sound like the guys in Mr. Meeble. A lot of the altered vocals, run through the robotic chambers, would easily be interpreted as T-Pain-like but what you hear is one of the original ways people manipulated their voices electronically. It may be used in a novel way, but these guys are no joke, not when people are comparing them to everyone from Radiohead to Massive Attack. Of course the real question is "does it?" It's emotional lyrics layered over ethereal sounds and occasionally funky beats, mixed in over down-tempo grooves and other things that are being created in the post-apocalyptic area of the world, like Tricky meets Rise Robots Rise with images of latex-clad women and men with glaucoma.

What I like about Never Trust The Chinese is that one tends to wait for the punchline, but you find yourself getting lost in the trippiness of the music and those words become a footnote for the picture at hand that is the music. One song may be jazzy with some early morning spoken word, another song may find itself deep inside the machine with no way of getting out of the pulses. Then with a song like "Dragonfly" it sounds like the kind of soultronica Jazzanova have turned into their own family recipe. It's an album that works because of the diversity, never once sacrificing one thing for another, and when you immerse yourself in what's going on... again, it's an album worthy to get lost in.

(Never Trust The Chinese is available from CDBaby and eMusic.)

Wow. Just wow.

This review begins this way because I thought I would never come across something that sounds like dreck. Maybe I just don't get it. I like pop, I like spaghetti western soundtracks, I like stuff that sounds out of the norm, but it's as if someone tried to take the more accessible elements of Mr. Bungle and shopped it to FOX so it could be used in House or Bones. They're called Spindrift and sadly I just don't get it. The music made me fall asleep as it seemed like they are trying to create momentum, but the music never really got up to that level of excitement. Even if it was an album of ballads, I would have expected something to happen and it... just... didn't.

Let's make this album an immediate target. The guys in this band are fine musicians, they can play, there's decent vocals here too. But it's as if they're controlled by something that tells them to not take it past the level of mundane, as if they're not only holding back, but wanting to throw a cigarette into the gas tank. It's flatline for me. Someone please tell me these guys aren't that boring.

(The West will be released on November 11th.)

Now this isn't boring.

When I reviewed Scarlett Johansson's debut album for Okayplayer, it seemed people couldn't tell if I was joking or if I was the one that was tone deaf. The one thing that people wanted to hear, outside of a voice that perhaps matched the face, was someone who was a delight to hear. Johansson was not the delight people wanted to fantasize about, so her album was shunned and it's a shame because I still feel it's one of the best albums of the year. I mention all of these things because if her album sounded the way Tim Yehezkely does with her band The Postmarks, Johansson would have been able to milk it big time.

Yehezkely has one of those delicate chanteuse-type voices where the listener is moved by the sensual tones, where it can be luxurious and haunting at the same time. The Postmarks, at least on By The Numbers (Unfiltered), enjoy making music that sounds like the kind of songs you'd find on thrift store soundtracks, bathing in its odd beauty and wanting to get nude to it as well. Imagine a St. Etienne if they were more about creating pretty pop music with slight folk touches, and you have The Postmarks, who also go out of their way to perform their covers completely unlike the originals. I'm listening to "Three Little Birds" with the cello and acoustic guitar, I'm hearing familiar lyrics and I had to look at the CD to be sure that it was the Bob Marley song (it is). The way these guys do it is to take songs to its most basic qualities, and built up. It almost comes off like the kind of music other artists would want to cover, even though you have to realize that it's The Postmarks who are doing the covering. David Crosby might truly cry in ecstasy after hearing their version of The Byrds's classic "Eight Miles High". When they reach the final song, the "Pinball Number Count" made famous by The Pointer Sisters for the famous cartoon that was shown during Sesame Street, it seems like a comfortable way to end the album: keep the power of the original low-key and yet the memory remembers the playfulness of the original when we first heard them. That also applies to each of the songs here, and by being able to link them and twist them to the theme they want to create and share, The Postmarks makes you wish you were there too, and in sound you are. A good cover version is just good, but it's great when someone flips it over and cleans the sheets. The Postmarks do that and in return shine a mirror on any and all musicians who should take that same kind of originality to make something that makes the familiar sound brand new. No doubt that originality will be something that they'll carry on with future releases.

(By The Numbers will be released on November 11th, but individual tracks are being made available for free through eMusic for a limited time.)

When you read the bio for Toni Jannotta's third album, Is It Magic?, it states that she is a "Bobby McFerrin wanna be". Red flag. You can cite all kinds of influences but never do you want to make people think you want to be anyone but yourself. Fortunately I kept that in mind as I listened to this jazz singer who carries herself with the kind of grace that, as someone who can shun vocal jazz in an instant. There are moments when it seems she can't reach certain notes (listen to her cover of Paul Desmond's "Take Five" or Madonna's "Borderline") but other times she goes at it smoothly and she sounds silky fresh. This is her third album, and despite some of the flaws I hear in her voice, at least it's not corrected with auto-tune, it's pure uncut Jannotta.

What I did prefer were the musicians who back her on this, including saxophonist Scheila Gonzalez (known for her work with DIVA and recently was part of Zappa Plays Zappa), bassist Pablo Motta, drummer Chris Wabich, and pianist Greg Gordon Smith, and even though she doesn't consider herself a musician, Jannotta does a great job playing the piano in "Ruthie's Themes". Together, the songs that do work are worthy of repeat listens. When Jannotta doesn't reach a certain note, it doesn't fail but it makes me wish she was capable of reaching that note. There are no wrong notes, but the vocals are guilty by association. She's no Janis Siegel, but if Jannotta ever reaches her level, watch out.

My favorite song on the album is a cover of Sting's "Fragile", I'd like to see her do more of that style of singing and arrangements.

(Is It Magic? is available through CDBaby and eMusic.)

Kate Reid is a jazz singer whom I want to hear more of and from, but there may be a lot of people who are familiar with her work since she's played with many bands and has done session work since the mid-90's. It comes as a surprise that it has taken this long for someone like her to record an album under her own name, but if it was time that she needed in order to gain the confidence to do it, I'm glad she waited.

Sentimental Mood shows Reid at her best as a vocalist and pianist, and while a lot of people seem to compare every other jazz singer to Diana Krall, with Reid it fits, at least vocally as they both share that tone that make them seductive and enticing to hear. What I like about Reid is that she truly gets into the music, it's not just some random musician doing her little "doo daa dweedle dee" and going out to Starbucks, this is someone who understands the music inside and out. As a vocalist, she flirts with the music and has fun. As a musician, she unites with her band (including husband Steve Reid on trumpet, Ernie Watts on tenor sax, Steve Barnes on drums, Chris Conner on bass, and Roin Eschete on guitar) and becomes one with them, and they with her, it's a solid band that know how to create a mood, an aura, call it what you want but these musicians are great. In songs like "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars", "Out Of This World", and "The Face I Love" one can hear a vocalist who gets a joy out of putting herself into the lyric, or at least it comes off that way. If it's a song with bluesy overtones, she gets melancholy and it feels real, as if she's tapping into something from her past. Or at least that's what comes from someone who knows and understands this music, it's not just wallpaper or carnival candy. Sentimental Mood may represent what you hear on the album, an old vibe brought back and dusted off for all to hear, but it's also a great example of how to do vocal jazz properly. There's no right or wrong, but with Reid it's proper. With luck, the confidence she had with this album will make her continue with her love of the craft. A job well done.

(Sentimental Mood is available from CDBaby.)

Brass Bed don't mind being called "sunshiny California-style pop", and it's great because that's what they do on Midnight Matinee (self-released), an album that combines pop rock with twisted tales of the alterna-unknown.

Their love of pop comes in clear throughout the entire album, and they do it with an edginess that is familiar, but there's something different enough in it to make you want to hear more. "Olivia" has gut-wrenching guitar riffs that make it much more than a lovely love song, and "Killer Bees" has a slight Who feel (think "Happy Jack"). Some have compared their sound to that of the The Flaming Lips, and that makes sense since they both share eccentricities and tight music. How far Brass Bed will take it, I do not know but it seems there's a bit of smart ass-itude in their songs that will keep them bathing in their oochiness for years to come.

(Midnight Matinee is available from CDBaby.)

Harry Scorzo's approach to jazz via the violin is similar to that of Stéphane Grappelli or Dave Brubeck, in that they're renaissance man who know their place in the music and how to treat it with respect, not to mention fine musicians. Scorzo had mentioned in his blog that he sometimes feel out of place in today's world of musicians, but taking those old school skills and knowledge, he can only do what he knows how to do, and the results are far from being out of place.

Lazy Thursday (self-released) is different from his work with Vio-fonik, as this one leans a lot on jazz and we get a chance to see him play brilliantly alongside Chris Garcia (drums, Eddie Resto (bass), and Joe Rotondi (piano), especially in songs like "Brakes Are Bad" (a very appropriate title when you hear Scorzo's solo) and "La Venta", where he allows the music to breathe in order for it to feel his presence. For a listen to how Scorzo and his group play as a unit, listen to "Phat Rag", and phat it is as each member is blitzing everywhere, especially bassist Resto who seems to be dancing in and out of every line as Scorzo scatters around before going in towards the finish line.

Whether it's uptempo songs that test their skills or romantic ballads, Scorzo is a musician who shouldn't worry about relevancy. When you're capable of making good music, let the music speak for itself. Lazy Thursday is an album that deserves a wider release, and perhaps with enough recognition it will, but I hope Scorzo will continue to make music as long as his heart inspires him to do so.

(Lazy Thursday is available from CDBaby.)

Flautist Marco Granados celebrates the music and influence of his homeland with the release of Music Of Venezuela (Soundbrush), and it shows that his heart and soul is in the right place.

Fans of Granados may be familiar with this title, as it was originally released with a different cover in 2007. Soundbrush has picked up on the album, given it a new cover, and it seems the label are ready to let people know what this guy has, and it's beyond talent. His music is rooted in the sounds of Venezuela, which not only includes the indigenous music of South America but also its share of European and American influences, and you get to hear that throughout this album in songs like "Confesion a las Estrellas", "La Encantadora", and "Recordando a Tila". For those who think the flute is stuck in the world of Herbie Mann and Bobbi Humphrey, you're probably not a fan of the flute to begin with. Granados plays the flute as if he was a guitarist, with the kind of finger movement and breath control that comes off a bit like John Coltrane or Al DiMeola in terms of fluidity. Listen to "Pa' Oriente Compay" and I dare you to keep up with his playing, it's no wonder his album was noticed by a jazz label.

It should be noted that Music Of Venezuela is not a jazz album in the purest/purist sense, but it will appeal to fans of freedom in their music. The flute may be an underrated instrument for some, but anyone fascinated by its sound and capabilities will know that it's much more than a toot here and there. This guy is an amazing musician, and as I reach deep into the metaphorical cliche bag, allow me to say that his playing and music will truly blow you away. Trust me, you're going to want to buy multiple copies of this so you can give it to friends. It would be interesting to see what would happen if he was able to do an album of Hawaiian music, to show the link between the islands and South America. Until then, a fascinating listen from start to finish, this is.

(Early pressings of Music Of Venezuela are still available on some websites. Soundbrush's pressing will be released on November 18th.)

With a name like Caw! Caw!, they're pretty much saying "we have a goofy ass name, now listen to us. Listen to Wait Outside (Slanty Shanty) and regardless if they call themselves Yoko Ono Chun or Donut Hogs, Caw! Caw! is a band you'll want to keep on listening throughout the duration of their career.

Their EP has the raw power that their hometown of Chicago is known for, unabashed rock with those bits of pop, new wave, and the unknown that helps give each artist their own identity. How to describe them? Their bio says they are a trio who were raised "in an ice cream cavern on a diet of hot chocolate, fried chicken, and ambrosia. And then give them guitars." In other words, their music is played in a momentous fashion, as if they know they want to create something of substance, and they're going to try a little bit of anything to make it happen. There's a trumpet at the end of "Organisms" that sounds so out of place and yet it fits with them, similar to hearing a Mariachi band in a punk song. They know how to crunch those guitars with volume, but still sound refined and aren't afraid to bust out a Neal Schon-ish guitar solo, courtesy of guitarist Steve Kozak. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Tim Tsurutani has one of those voices that you'll want to hear because for me, I found it fascinating that he's able to reach some of those high notes with ease, but still be able to belt it out as if he's screaming for someone to hug him. Can't help it if you consider yourself a band who enjoy playing "Earth songs". Fans of Sunny Day Real Estate, Engine Kid, Treepeople, Foo Fighters, and Sore Jackson will be buying Caw! Caw! T-shirts, or making their own in the backyard shed.

Let me end this review with a grand statement so they can use it in their bios, and I'm being honest about this. People enjoy asking themselves "what to become of music after Radiohead?" They aren't the beginning nor the end, but Caw! Caw! are definitely part of a very bright future.

There. Now buy the EP and hear the proof.

(Wait Outside is available directly from Slanty Shanty Records.)

On a self-promotional note, the brand new edition of the Book's Music podcast is here, #85 in the series:

I also have a new music blog over at FudgeFM, featuring the latest news, videos, and exclusive articles. Head there now:
FudgeFM.

That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove. Up next week, reviews of new music by Lindsey Yung, Charmaine Clamor, Ransom, The James Moody & Hank Jones Quartet, and more. If you have music, DVD's, or books you'd like for me to review, send me a message through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact information.

Thank you, and come back next week for #217.

The Run-Off Groove #215

2008-09-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #215. I am John Book, shoots! Lots of music to review, so let's get to it.

Wee were a group that didn't get a lot of attention, but once you listen to the reissue of their first and only album, you'll want to know why they didn't make it into the big time.

You Can Fly On My Aeroplane (Asterisk/The Numero Group) is an album created by the mind and instincts of Norman Whiteside, a young man who loved music so much he stole money from his mom in order to get a bit of studio time. According to the liner notes, his hard work and determination would finally get him in the studio, where it was discovered he wanted to be a songwriter as well. Here was a maestro in the works, but the struggle to be heard also involved a struggle to survive and pay the rent. In the years he pushed himself as an artist and songwriter, he eventually found himself along a group of musicians that would end up creating one of Columbus, Ohio's greatest soul secrets, until now.

Essentially a Whiteside solo album, You Can Fly On My Aeroplane is mid-70's soul at its finest: the enhancement of keyboards and synthesizers as the main instrument, a groove that can turn into a bit of improvisation, if you were a fan of Herbie Hancock, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sly Stone, Ramsey Lewis, and some of CTI's soulful jazz during the same time period, you will eat this up as it touches on that thin line between meditative soul and the quiet storm. It's one of those private press albums one might take a chance on if finding it, but Whiteside and the guys behind the recording wanted to make this sound like nothing that ever came out of Columbus or the state of Ohio, and it is that good, with the kind of singing and arrangements that would make Shuggie Otis and Prince smile from ear to ear. Tracks like "I'm All Changed", "Fine Me, Love Me", and the title track all had the potential to be singles and even though Whiteside's own life was anything but a vacation, he looked to further himself in a field he loved so much. Whiteside's sweet falsetto voice is at time reminiscent of Johnny Wilder Jr. of Heatwave, but there is that Ohio connection between the two so perhaps there was something in the water.

It is an album that is deserving of a second chance, and now with extensive liner notes and photos, it's a chance to move closer to the essence of a group whose time in the spotlight should have lasted a lot longer. This album is an extension of the shine.

(You can Fly On My Aeroplane will be released on September 30th, and can be pre-ordered through Dusty Groove.)

Ava Logan is a jazz vocalist who swings and sways with such class that you want to take her home and make her breakfast, lunch, dinner and breakfast (thank you LL). Yet she originally didn't set herself to be a jazz singer, she was trained as a classical singer but she uses both elements to create So Many Stars (DivaVet Music). "Too Close For Comfort" is smooth but there's a bit of that little extra that shows she's not just someone who is well versed in jazz. "The Grass Is Greener", "At Last", and "The Best Thing For You" display her vocal range beautifully, and her band (Leon Joyce on drums, Larry Gray on bass, Larry Novak on piano, and producer Henry Johnson on guitar are perfect for each of her nuances and sudden surprises.

The song selection is quite nice, but it would have been cool for her to sing a non-jazz song with a jazz arrangement, so it would show a bit more of her capabilities and extend the potential of the song. Of course that's adding a gripe to a singer and a CD that doesn't deserve it, and Logan is deserving of many listens.

(So Many Stars is available from CDBaby.)

Bob Mover is a saxophonist and a singer, and in both he shows that he is a scholar and a gentlemen with the release of It Amazes Me (Zoho.) If you are into mellow balladeering and a sense of romance that will entice your wife or significant other, this is the perfect album for you. Mover sings 6 of the 10 songs on the album, and unfortunately his voice was not to my liking. That's not to say it's bad, because it isn't, but it's not the kind of style I enjoy listening to on a regular basis.

How about the music? His sax work is great, especially in tracks like "(Tu Mi) Delirio)", "People Will Say We're In Love", and "Sometime Ago", and it makes me wish he either made this entire album instrumental, although I should say that the vocals are tastefully done (I just wouldn't want to put it on repeat).. For anyone who enjoys saxophone playing with definition and style, It Amazes Me couldn't be a more appropriate title. Other musicians on the album include Steve Williams (drums), Igor Butman (tenor sax), Reg Schwager (guitar), Kenny Barron (piano), and Dennis Irwin, and together they create the recipe for intense listening pleasures. I somehow have a funny feeling that when I least expect it, I'm going to hear a song on a radio and be totally blown away, only to follow with the voice of the radio host saying "that was the moving Bob Mover" and I'm going to say "oh snap!" Until then, I'm very happy with his sax work and I will not hesitate to listen to that side of his creativity.

(It Amazes Me is available from CDBaby.)

The fact that the opening to Kelly Rossum's new album Family (612 Sides) sounds like a cross between a solemn funeral and a festival gathering may be intentional, as both can be viewed as celebrations of the past, the now, and the good things to come. The trumpet man is in top form on this album where he proudly states in the liner notes this recording was done live in one room with no overdubs. This is a jazz record. It feels like home, and it feels like something you'd experience in a jazz club before the eternal hour of 3am, and perhaps it's one and the same. The fact that it sounds so down home is due to the love of jazz that Rossum and his band mates share.

Family is about his jazz family, his musician friends, and of course his immediately family, and the album's ten songs are a musical interpretation of what family means to him. The title track is a mellow piece from start to finish, welcoming the listener in for a seat and something from the fridge (which is nicely decorated in the CD booklet). The muted trumpet solo in the last third of the song feels like a tribute of sorts to New Orleans, and one can imagine the saints marching in, out, and back again in honor of those who have come and gone throughout the city's rich history. Chris Bates' bass work in this song can be felt, not only emotionally but literally, as it booms out of the speakers as if he's looking for your direct attention to him, Rossum, Bryan Nicholss (piano), and JT Bates (drums).

The little Rachmaninoff intro to "Pure Imagination" is a nice touch for anyone who has taken Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory to heart, especially we music makers who continue to be the dreamers of the dream. Rossum and his band seem to dabble between playing it straightforward and the tendency to turn it into something almost avant-garde, or perhaps it's imagination and intellect in audio form. The child-like innocence continues with a warm cover of Joe Raposo's "Somebody Come And Play", known to millions of children (and children at heart) who watched Sesame Street religiously. Just as home can mean comfort, the guys get very comfortable in "If I Were A Bell", and there are times in the song where it feels as if they're playing independent of each other while being aware of what each other is doing. In other words it's loose, but it never gets to the point of chaos. Perhaps like our own families.

The theme of Family is obvious, and whether it's with relatives or musicians with common interests, it's a sense of community that we look for and try to pass on. With his music, Rossum says no matter how far you travel, you can always come back to the embrace of those who love and support you from the start. One of the best jazz albums of 2008.

(Family is available from CDBaby.)

Saxophonist Ralph Lalama has released a number of albums and has done session work with some of the best, from Joe Lovano to Mel Lewis. Energy Fields (Mighty Quinn) is an album with his quartet that features Joe Corsello (drums), Rick Petrone (bass) and John Hart (guitar). Immediately, one can hear how well each of them play, these aren't guys who rest. Songs like "The Moontrane", "Buzzy", "United", and "Indian Summer" carry the great spirit of jazz with incredible improvisation and musicianship that to me is top notch. The original composition "Nonchalant" is anything but, and what I like is hearing Lalama just go at it with such precision. Same can be said for his musicians, and these guys would probably sound powerful in a live setting.

What's also great is the recording itself, done by Richard Corsello and produced by Jerry Roche. Corsello captures these guys very well, it's not too thin and it's obvious they're all in the same room together, so there's that added interaction that is essential to any jazz recording. Fans of Lovano, Charlie Mariano, and Phil Woods, along with hard bop enthusiasts, need this in their collection.

(Energy Fields will be released on September 16th, and can be pre-ordered from CD Universe.)

Awhile back I reviewed these guys and their Latest Outlook, and what I heard was the kind of jazz I could listen to for hours on end. The Stryker/Slagle Band, fronted by guitarist Dave Stryker and saxophonist Steve Slagle, have returned with The Scene (Zoho), and this time around they have the great Joe Lovano sit in for a few tracks (four in total). Along with Victor Lewis on drums and Jay Anderson on bass, this is one of those albums that you want to recommend to anyone, not only for fans who want to hear the best in jazz but the jaded collectors who feel jazz hasn't had that spirit since the mid to late 50's. You can tell your friend that he has almost five decades of music to catch up to, and maybe he can begin with The Scene.

Eight of the album's nine songs are originals, with Rahsaan Roland Kirk's "Fingers In The Wind" being the exception. Stryker's guitar playing is not unlike Pat Martino, which I've probably said before but it's worth saying again, and there are times when he plays it like a Hammond organ, I had to look at the cover and credits to see if there was someone on the B-3. Nope. There are a number of guitar/saxophone collaborations in jazz, and with this album these guys balance each other out by doing deep into the song individually and then finding a meeting place to reach the finish line. Sometimes Slagel will play the lead melody while Stryker will play in harmony or a countermelody (as they do in the title track), or vice versa, or they'll take a different approach and make that work for them. I don't know if "heartiness" would be the right word to describe their music, but Slagel's playing has a heartiness that carries a lot of weight for me, and it's great to hear him grace each song and follow his path. Stryker is never far behind even during Slagel's solo, and it is in those times when you can concentrate on Stryker and Anderson creating something that comes off like a mantra, with Lewis hitting the cymbals almost like Elvin Jones or Roy Haynes.

To put faith in an album seems like a foolish idea these days, but those who say that probably aren't listening to the right music, yet alone albums. The Scene is an album you can trust and is an album Zoho Music should be very proud of.

(The Scene will be released on October 14th and can be pre-ordered through CD Universe.)

On a self-promotional note, two things of interest. First off, the Book's Music podcast. Listen:

Second off, please check out FudgeFM, a website I'm involved with. Music, news, videos, reviews, and much more. I will be adapting my Thrift Store Adventures into video very soon. You can read through my blog, featuring not only news and updates, but exclusive articles you're not going to find anywhere else, including the new Dust It Off series where I honor albums of the past.

That's it for this week's column. If you have music, DVD's, books, or hot sauce you'd like for me to review, get me through the ol' MySpace and I will pass along my contact information.

Thank you, and come back next week for #216.

The Run-Off Groove #214

2008-08-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Run-Off Groove #214. I apologize for the gap last week, the gap being "no column" but things have been busy so I had to make sure things were done and taken care of. Now that they are (for now), it's time to start.

There's a hate I have for starting the first paragraph in a review with the word "I", so I decided to come up with some gibberish before using it for the second paragraph. Here we are.

I have known of tREBLEFREE for a few years after communicating with him on an online music board, enjoying the few tracks I heard and always getting into decent conversations, usually about music. I've known about the album he had been putting together for the last few years, but it kept on being delayed and pushed back (sounds like a familiar story). Out of nowhere, he tells me that his album is done and he wants me to take a listen. I'm open.

The Return Of The Dirty Cymbals (mitc.) is a project six years in the making, with tREBLEFREE handling everything on the production side and letting his friends drop some fine lyrics. The people on this album include Ilwil, DVS, Plee and Donwill and these guys sound perfect on these tracks, which is a combination of the boom bap plus samples that are arranged incredibly well. My favorite part is the introduction in "313 To 310/510", the numbers of which represent where he lived for awhile (California) and the place he calls home (Detroit), where you hear various scratches over a beat, a sped up "Californiaaaaaa" sample and the inclusion of a familiar "one, two, AAAAAAH" and for me that's brilliant. Scorpeze drops a cool first like the old school trooper he is, sounding a bit like Lyrics Born meets Nice & Smooth. The album then goes into gear as DVS and Malakh El deliver their stories on how to be hard as fuck in "Tight Fit", and tREBLEFREE's chopped bass and guitar lines and drum loops fit perfectly. In fact, most of his productions are quite good because he knows his music and knows how to share that love of the records through careful digital manipulation.

If you read the last sentence carefully, some of you might be questioning the "most of his productions are quite good" part. Do I have a gripe? Only a small one, there's a sample in "313 To 310/510" that is done dry without a bassline and as the album's first proper song I thought the entire album would sound like that. I would have preferred to hear a bass within the song's last 30 seconds, but it might have been done that way to welcome people in to the funk that's to come. Producer, beat, and sample junkies will enjoy the work tREBLEFREE put into this, especially in tracks like "Innuendo", "I'm Writing", and my personal favorite, "Limelight" (I would have liked the intro beat stretched out for the entire song, but it's a nice tease to keep people listening), and as DJ Life scratches the wheels of fury in "Pardon My Favor" it helps give the album a nice mix tape vibe to it, a bridge between the first and second halves of the album (or a virtual Side 1 and Side 2).

Like Dilla, there's a soulfulness in tREBLEFREE's samples and beat production, so something is definitely in the water up there. Like Madlib, he can also become incredibly obscure with his style of production, where it isn't just simple beats and loops, it's a nice balance between familiarity and the unknown. Both drive each other to create an album that could easily measure up to anything on Stones Throw or Rhymesayers, and the guy better watch out or he'll be scooped up by a lot of MC's and singers there.

If you read the last sentence carefully, soem of you might be questioning the reference to "singers". It's that soulfulness in his productions that could open him up to being a producer for today's soul and R&B artists, and yet that lo-fi Madlib-type approach still keeps his foot in hip-hop, which is eternal. The title is perhaps an appropriate one, as it's a call to a return to the dirty qualities of late 80's/early 90's production with the openness of today. Maybe it's not a return, but more of a continuation of what's good. The 313 will forever be proud.

The cover art by Cristian Rios should also be highlighted. It looks like a developed pencil sketch of a man about to walk up a hill or mountain, while another man sits down cross legged in the distance. I'm not sure if Rios was in anyway influence by Burt Shonberg's artwork on Love's Out Here album, since it almost feels like Rios is answering back by saying "now it's time to create movement". The guy sitting down happens to be blue, like the Out Here guy. It probably has nothing to do with it, but I always enjoy seeing illustrations on hip-hop albums, as it takes away from a possible photograph and allows the listener to figure out how the painting refers to the music or album title. Either way, it works.

(The Return Of The Dirty Cymbals is available from Createspace.com.)

MakeUpBreakUp are a synth, techno-pop friendly duo who sound like someone made a mix tape of music by The Cure, Tears For Fears, Icicle Works, and New Order. It's not sure whether it wants to be new wave, electronic pop, or a collage of everything that's poppy and boppy. We Prefer Not To... (S.A.F.) is a short but decent 6-song EP that shows the power of the material and the strength in what a good collaboration can create. "Blame Game" and "Fall Into Her Love Trap" are my favorites, while they could easily play with people's emotions in "She's Always X Rated", where they talk about finding a woman who isn't herself until she's behind a camera, and are afraid to grasp the reality of the situation. (Perhaps a female reply could be performed to get a completely unexpected perspective).

It's good pop with a diverse wardrobe, and it seems these guys like to dress-up a lot, musically. Good thing.

(We Prefer Not To... is available directly from S.A.F. Records.)

Music For Art Exhibits could be a misleading title if you allow it to be, but for Soundscapegoat it might be about playing with the idea of what this music could be. The album is a unique exploration of synthesizers and electronics, and in an abstract sense they may be fitting at an art exhibit. If you are to take the concept on the surface, each song represents a different area of the exhibit with different textures and tones, each one sounding very different from the one that came before. Some of the pieces come off a bit repetitive at first, but allow the music to settle in and one will be able to find each section of the song unfolding and revealing new elements within the audio meditation. In fact, I would call this "music for a distracted meditation", in that one could easily chill and zone out but one might also get lost in some of the groups that could have easily be taken from a few German electronic music galleries.

Soundscapegoat is the one-man production of Peter Bartlein, whose work under the name Marys Brother I reviewed earlier this year in The Run-Off Groove #188. While the grooves are still here, you'll have to take it all in as a whole rather than a few bursts here in there. Even though each track sounds different and unique, there is something in them that unites it all as one piece. It reminds me some of the work by The ORB where each layer of sound turns into something that may be the start of hallucinatory visions.

(Music For Art Exhibits is available from CDBaby.)

Sausalito Summer (Jazz Vista) by Court Mast begins like a long lost ECM or CTI album, and it sounds like an introduction to one hell of an incredible album. It then leads into the second track, the title track, and sadly it's the start of a bumpy ride I wasn't ready to take when I started this journey.

Court Mast plays the trumpet and cornet, and at first the atmosphere he creates in "Gold Coast" is almost too good to be true, although perhaps I was expecting a bit more activity like that song. Instead it becomes a set of well played songs that border on pop standards and carefully crafted arrangements. "Marling Song" would sound perfect on a Dave Brubeck or Ramsey Lewis Trio album as Sam Grobe-Heintz's playing is superb, accented by a moving flute solo from Tim Wallace. At times it feels more like a group album than something that is meant to focus on Mast, or Mast almost comes off as a mere accompanist. The guy can play, but the other musicians get themselves in the door a bit more than the one who invited them in, and it works in that regard.

(Sausalito Summer is available from CDBaby.)

Mellow Red Rider rock your thing, then the Tom Fuller Band may be your ching. Abstract Man (Redcap/Mesa/Blue Moon/Fontana) is good ol' radio-friendly rock'n'roll that has a bit of punch to it but without being threatening.

Fuller and band would fit in along the likes of Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Jellyfish, and Flaming Lips, and if that list sounds a bit confusing, things become quite clear when you hear songs like "Lollipop Guild", "Midnight Pass", "All I Ever Wanted", and their cover of "Air That I Breathe", and you know you want to show support for their brand of pop-friendly rock.

Not bad at all.

(Abstract Man is available from CDBaby.)

Salme Dalhstrom is an artist along the lines of Princess Superstar, Kelis, and M.I.A. but mixed in with the acid-tinged pulses of Stereo MC's, Chemical Brothers, and the electronic pulses that dominated the 90's. What she does is bring that feeling back and dress it up with some new clothes, and the end result is The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade, an album that satisfies the itchy dance fiends who never want to return home even when the clubs are closed.

Her music sounds like the best vocal tracks on albums created by artists known for their instrumentals, in other words she makes her voice and lyrics and emphasis and in the end becomes someone willing to test pop fans with her digital prowess and sensuality. It's fun and you can't help but be satisfied by the party atmosphere she creates with walls of synths and well chosen breaks and loops. Many of these songs deserve to be released as singles and if they're not, I hope club DJ's will put them into heavy rotation.

(The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade is available from CDBaby.)

Dylan Champagne is known to some as being one part of the math rock band One Step Shift. For a moment he is stepping out on his own to create something a bit more humble, and he's hoping his older fans will understand his ventures into acoustic folk pop. Or if anything, he knows they will understand the title of his album: New Equation (Broke In Oakland).

It sounds like the kind of music that can be played at any beach near a bonfire, when all that is required is an acoustic guitar, a tambourine, and the heart to sing out loud, or at least that's what "From Here To There" sounds like. "Junk Parts" sounds like Reaching Quiet singing over some 3/4 time signature as the pace of the song drives the lyrics home:
molecules whisper and memory fades
simple equations facilitate change
27 years just plotting escape
but i still can't scratch my way out of this maze

Every now and then the listener is able to get caught up in a collage of sound that seems out of place but help decorate the sound in its strange beauty. New Equation is as beautiful as it is strange, and after an initial listen I couldn't help but listen to it more and more.

(New Equation will be formally released on September 9th, and can be ordered from CDBaby.)

The relationship between vocal jazz and I has been a battle. I love jazz, but I approach vocal jazz apprehensively because sometimes it makes my morals bleed. In other words, I enjoy great singers but when a singer is below my personal standard, I cringe and wished "dentist jazz" didn't exist. Then there's Denise Donatelli.

Jazz vocalists can and will get lost in the crowd because everyone wants to celebrate in song, and very few are standouts in my opinion. But Donatelli is someone whom I could listen to all day and night. What Lies Within (Savant) is the perfect title, for she can lure you with a seductive cover photo but it's what lies within (nice one) that will make you want to know her and her voice. Imagine Diane Krall without the manly husky tones and you have someone who could easily become one of this generation's finest singers. She is smooth, sensual, and has a resilience that is almost hypnotic. I know, probably sounds like big journalistic words that are used to motivate people to buy CD's, but that's the point, I'm using these words to sey that this is a singer who needs to be heard because she can sing her ass off. Can I be any more blunt, Donatelli SINGS HER ASS OFF!

Now that I've offended two of you, let me talk to you about her music. The album has her recording a number of standards, finding herself as comfortable in balladry as she is in Brasilia., and with "Crystal Silence" she could easily find herself doing a bit of soulful electronica, as she has that vibe to her that shows she isn't just a "jazz singer". One of the albums best moments is in "Sails (Velas Icadas)" where she sings the last word in a verse and takes off in one direction while her band move into another in a different key. I love when artists do that, it gives off the effect of each of them moving in a different direction and after the solos they meet again in perfect harmony. Donatelli doesn't overuse her vibrato, it reminds me sometimes of the approach Miles Davis had with his trumpet. His trumpet was his voice, and he often spoke in a manner only his intended recipient is supposed to know. Donatelli's voice is that musical, she uses it as a fine instrument and it makes you want to cuddle with it.

Her versions of "I Love It When You Dance That Way", "This Lament", and "Beloved (Daahoud)" are most welcome. The musicians on here include Marvin "Smitty" Smith (drums), Hamilton Price (bass), Bob Sheppard (soprano, alto & tenor saxes, flute and alto flute), Carl Saunders (trumpet, flugelhorn), Geoffrey Keezer (piano, marimba, vibraphone, percussion), Giovanna Clayton (cello), Alex Acuña (percussion), Carlos del Rosario (organ, tuned Viennese gong), and Peter Sprague (guitar), and together they have the right chemistry that sounds like some of the best jazz combos you can come up with. The musicians flirt musically Donatelli and she does the same in such a way that you can't help but laugh and enjoy the moment, maybe have a sip of wine in the afterglow. In truth, she has a gift that is not unlike Janis Siegel or Karin Plato, and I hope she continues her dedication to that gift for years to come.

(What Lies Within is available from CD Universe.)

Good jazz is a personal jazz, good sounding jazz gets me going. Michael Antonelli records an album with bassist Peter Nobile, drummer Tim Herrmann, and guitarist Kevin Golden, and as Michael's Jazz Quartet they offer one of those albums that makes you wish more people were this attentive to their music, regardless of genre. Woody-N-Me (self-released) is well played and well recorded, coming from a bunch of guys who have a true love for the music and how to play it. Antonelli is a saxophonist who is brilliant on his instrument, playing powerful melodies and improvising in a fashion that makes you want to stand up in front of your speakers and cheer, whether it's in "Waltz For Lefty", "Three Halves", or the brilliant opening track "Golden Opportunity". Guitarist Golden is a musician who stands out as a fine player and has that hand strumming style (think Wes Montgomery) that is gentle when it can be and brutally powerful at the most unexpected moments. Nobile and Herrmann are the perfect rhythm section, concentrating on their surroundings while at times almost playing their own game, as a duo and as individuals and it's fun to listen to. They maintain a solid platform during the ballads but when it's time to jam and go all out, it's almost as if they have their own agenda. That's often a trademark for me in many jazz rhythm section, and they are no exception.

The sound they were able to achieve with Woody-N-Me (engineered, mixed, and mastered by Tom Venable and produced by Antonelli himself) is also a standout, and it may come as a surprise that this was recorded at Antonelli's home, without effects or overdubs. If you know how Rudy Van Gelder worked at his home studio and what he was able to achieve with his knowledge of room dynamics, then perhaps it's not a surprise that Woody-N-Me sounds that good. Yes, I'm comparing this to an RVG recording, and in combination with the musicianship and songs chosen, this is an album that any jazz fan would be foolish to ignore. Seriously, buy five copies, keep one for yourself and let everyone know about your brand new musical discovery. You can thank me later.

(Woody-N-Me is available from CD Universe and CDBaby.)

On a self promotional note, I'd like for you to check out my weekly podcast, Book's Music. I'm now at #82 in the series, please take a listen.

On another self-promotional note, I would like to focus attention on FudgeFM, a website I'm now a part of. It's all about music, videos, news, and exclusive articles and interviews you're not going to find anywhere else. I just started what I hope will be a series of retrospective articles called Dust It Off, as I take a look back at some classic albums of interest. I will be bringing my Thrift Store Adventures to the website very soon, hopefully in video form. Please take a visit and join the new community, you'll be glad you did.

If you liked the reviews in this week's column, you'll want to check out the recent review I did for Mutlu's Livin' It over at Okayplayer. Go check.

On a music related note, I'm a fan of food blogs, and even have my own called Book's Foodie (updated whenever). I discovered that Dap-Kings drummer Homer Steinweiss has been blogging his food adventures while on the road. Homer's Food Blog has him eating a lot of quality eats, including the kind of stuff you find at state fairs:

I don't know how I would act if I found the Dap-Kings playing at any of the local/regional fairs (it is fair season, after all), nor would I know how people attending the Umatilla County Fair (formerly known as the Hermiston Dairy & Hog Show according to their website) or the Pendleton Round-Up would react, but anything is better than the Stop, Drop & Roll guys, although like them, the Dap-Tones are educational too.
Anyway, check Steinweiss's blog and see where he plans on eating next.

Brothers and titas, that's it for this week. More on the way, so come back next week, when I will have reviews of new music by Wee, Creed Chameleon, The Stryker/Slagle Band, Kelly Rossum, Ralph Lalama Quartet, Bob Mover, and more.

If you have music that you'd like for me to review, contact me through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact information.

School is starting throughout the United States, so please watch the roads if you go through any school zones, it pays to slow down as they are the future. Labor Day Weekend is also around the corner, so I hope you'll all pay attention to Jerry Lewis and the telethon, it has been my own personal traditional every September and as cheesy as it can be (it's camp at its very best), it's a lot better than half of the crap that's on TV, plus you can make a donation to help find a cure to Muscular Distrophy (MD). If you do drive past a donation center, even a dollar will help.

Mahalo nui.

The Run-Off Groove #213

2008-08-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's an area code to a place I was born, but that was years ago. Today, I bring you #213 of a column known as The Run-Off Groove, far from the place I call home but currently living with a roof over my head somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Lots of music this week, so whether your name is Haj or Raj or perhaps both, sit back and read on.

Seattle will one day take the hip-hop community by storm, or at least that's what Common Market are hoping to do with their Tobacco Road (MassLine/Hyena) album. RA Scion has been doing his thing in and out of Seattle for the last few years. Sabzi will no doubt be familiar to fans of Blue Scholars. Considering how busy the Scholars have been in the last two years, it's amazing how Sabzi found time to do this with RA Scion but this was something they wanted to get out to the people, especially after the initial buzz they created with their first album a few years ago.

RA Scion speaks from a personal point of view, a thought that might sound silly but this is a bit easier to consume than someone who speaks from the mind of a fictitious character. He speaks from the heart and does so with wisdom and passion, and at times with a spiritual touch that does not make him holier than thou, but rather someone who comes off as approachable and perhaps less automaton and more human. He could easily sit in on an album by Eastern Sunz and feel at home without a grudge. "Weather Vane", "40 Acres", "Back Home (The Return)", and "Nothin At All" aren't done with a need to impress, RA Scion knows the capabilities of his skills and this is just a display of what he has to offer. Musically, Sabzi moves more into the kind of soulful territory 9th Wonder fans are familiar with, with the kind of grooves that could easily appeal to fans of Mos Def and Common. If anything, Sabzi is making more room for himself as a top producer in the making, meaning he will be someone who will be in demand not only for his beats, but for his musicianship. He's much more than a master of the Sears-default button.

Like the old song of yesteryear, "Tobacco Road" is a positive track about the struggles of everyone in the world community, while "Slow Cure" is about the need for everyone to slow down in life and get to know and speak to each other, in order to get rid of the division he feels exists amongst all of us. Older heads will not feel guilty about listening to Common Market, while younger fans may be the ones to help spread the word about a group whose time may be here.

(Tobacco Road will be released on September 9th on both vinyl and the trendy compact disc and can be pre-ordered directly from Hyena.)

Their last album was a personal favorite, and now The Primeridian are back with Da Mornin' Afta (All Natural). This time around they collaborate with Imani, Iomos Marad, Naledge (Kidz In The Hall) and Nicolay and as a whole the group show a lot of growth from last time. They were good before, with a philosophy that combined serious lyrics and production with a spirited vibe (of the green leafy substance kind) that is passed around without shame. "High Noon Stank" could easily be an Andre 3000 outtake while Naledge's contributions in "Bucktown (City Of Wind)" make the song sound like Madlib blessed them with a fat baggie.

The album is hard, it's soulful, definitely funky, and filled with the kind of imagery that comes from creating visual music that is meant to be consumed in a proper fashion. Great productions that become "music from the soul aspires to take you higher" through well written lyrics that will appeal to those who wish for their music to be scholarly and at times other worldly. Or perhaps it's a group that is open in expanding their minds to discover that the next level in anything is already within their reach. Da Mornin' Afta is the revelation that there's more in our lives than the party, but perhaps through careful maneuvering one is able to make it in this world in one piece without losing one's mind. Yes, they take it there, and perhaps we should all follow.

(Da Mornin' Afta will be released on October 7th and will be available directly from (All Natural.)

You don't hear too much jazz music coming out of Jamaica these days, despite the fact that reggae was rooted from American jazz via ska. There have been a small handful of musicians to surface, most people are probably aware of someone like Monty Alexander. If you're not familiar with Tony Greene, you are able to now with the release of Midnight Blue (VP). Greene plays relaxing jazz, but not all the way smooth, by playing respectfully on an album full of covers, a mixture of well known pop songs and reggae classics. Hearing him play The Four Seasons' "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" shows how versatile he is on the saxophone, while his version of Junior Murvin's "Police & Thieves" will definitely turn some heads.

Greene's playing is not outrageous or avant garde, it's very tasteful and is ready made for smooth jazz radio airplay. He doesn't hold himself to just smooth jazz, his catalog shows a lot of adventure but for a bit of relaxation, look no further than Midnight Blue. Surprisingly, no version of "Midnight Blue" on here, Melissa Manchester's song would have been perfect by Greene. Maybe next time.

(Midnight Blue will be released on August 26th and can be pre-ordered through CD Universe.)

When it comes to soca, you can only think of one man, the king of soca, Byron Lee. If my grandfather found roots in Jamaica after World War II, he could have been the king as well, but we have Lee to save the say with his brand of music and yes, the man has yet another album in the form of Soca Royal.

Some will argue that this is nothing more than "tourist reggae", but it's still a fun music that will make you dance and get loose at the right moment. Along with The Dragonaires, Lee performs songs that aren't going to cause any riots, instead you might think about flowers, tea, and cheese with his mellow versions of The Maytals's "Sweet And Dandy", and Brenda Lee's "Always On My Mind". The album is supposed to have what I assume was a cover of Chuck Berry's "My Ding-A-Ling" but it seems to have been replaced by Inner Circle's "Sweat", and while it is a respectable version, it would have been cool to know what they could've done with the Berry classic.

(Soca Royal is available directly from VP Records.)

They've been showing fans how serious they are with their brand of hip-hop, but Apoc and Rel, known as The Ritz, are taking their skills and music to higher levels with the release of The Night Of Day (>Lab-Oratory).

In terms of beats and sample selection, Rel is going beyond what he may be known for and creating cinematic and thematic tracks. Not that he wasn't able to do it, I think anyone who has ever heard him before knew he had it in him, but the album shows he's capable of creating true anthems while making songs that are funky enough for the dance floor so that the wallflowers will stop nodding and start stirring it up like cock daisies.

As for Apoc, this guy is just furious when it comes to rhyming, and that comes from making an effort to be the best he can be. He's not complex in that he's not trying to drop difficult words or obscure references left and right, but it's what he writes and how he expresses himself that makes him a standout rapper. If he wants to drop something over some ATL crunk, he could (he comes close with his double-time flow in "The Getaway"), or he wanted to get hardcore NYC style, he makes a bid at it in "Chiaroscuro". Being indie, he and Rel have the freedom to speak and make music that goes anywhere and everywhere, but they also hold on to a few limits and show that they are more than capable of making potential hits and radio friendly material. What does work for them is the edginess that they hold on to, one that hopefully will not be watered down by any success they may come across from this point on. "The Point Of No return" could easily become the song that breaks them through, with a retrospective vibe (and Mountain-like percussive stabs) and sped up vocal harmonies (shades of Kanye West perhaps?) mixed in with stories about going for what you know, regardless of what anyone else. Apoc sounds like a cross between Son Doobie and Aesop Rock, which in turn helps him bob and weave to find his own voice.

Cameos from Racecar, Psalm One, Brendan B, Moodswangz and the great Elfamail help make The Night Of Day one of the sleeper indie hip-hop albums of 2008. Wake up and inject the java, lahns.

(The Night Of Day is available from Lab-Oratory Records.)

The Dark Romantics are the kind of project deluxe pop fans have been craving, and they will build up their caloric intake with the release of the fantastic Heartbreaker (Lujo), which is anything but. It begins with the lush robotics of "Heartbreaker Pt. 3" before band mastermind Eric Collins delivers his dedicated ill vocals with "Love & Pain", sounding like the great singers of the 80's and 90's who tore it up with emotional lyrics and harmonies that brought you to the nth of everything.

As much as I like the term "indie rock", which for me suggests it's something that's out of the normal rock template, I would hate for it to limit the idea of what this band can be. They sound like they would have been perfect in the early 90's and probably could have been the true competition for Radiohead (not the lightweights that are Coldplay). This is very much music of the now era. I like now.

(Heartbreaker is available directly from Lujo Records.)

The New Up have been called "trippy new wave", but I found their Broken Machine EP (self-released) to be a few shades away from sounding like Yeah Yeah Yeah's, but without the attitude.

To be honest, I shouldn't make that comparison but maybe out of laziness I did that. Let's try again. Vocalist ES Pitcher has the kind of vocals that display her influences on her sleeve, be it Siouxsie Sioux, Miki Berenyi, or even a hint of Dido, but... now see, I did it again. Lazy comparisons. I'll try again.

The New Up are a decent indie rock band with a knack to be pop friendly, not unlike The Pixies or to be more accurate, The Breeders.

Okay, can I stop from making another comparison? It may not be right but it's a way to let readers know that what I hear is familiar to what I've heard before, but it is a bit refreshing to hear them in this manner. What I do like in the title track is the alternating ways of Pitcher and guitarist Noah Reid, and when they sing together during the chorus, it reminds me of the nice blends one can commonly hear in country music (where there always seems to be a need to have a male presence during a female vocal). The jangly guitars makes their sound ethereal at times, piercing in others, where one simply wants to swirl around in their orgiastic pleasures, made evident in "Just Because". While sounding nothing like Gwen Stefani, Pitcher carries a similar energy throughout that makes you want to hear her more, but hopefully not to a point where she has to change her output in order to bring in that extra cash. Then again, maybe hearing her in front of different backdrops would make people listen to her and her music in a better light. That's not to say that The New Up are nothing more than a vehicle for Pitcher to take the spotlight on her own, but we all know the inevitability of that. Maybe they can beat the odds.

(Broken Machine will be available directly from the band themselves.)

Three Houses Down are a reggae band from New Zealand who, like Katchafire, are showing that the music of Jamaica can be played by anyone if you are true to the music and its spirit.. Dreadtown (Ohana) aren't just a group copying the roots reggae vibe, but show they can also go further by doing a bit of ska, as they do in the album's opening track, "Dandyman". This 11-man force, complete with a horn section, sound like The Wailers if they were backed by The Skatalites, with hints of The Specials.

Like many reggae bands with a love of that rootsy song, Three Houses Down sing about a wide range of topics, speaking about the struggles of the world but will also not hesitate to speak about dancing and skanking to the beat. There's a hint of politics in their lyrics but it doesn't overshadow their music to the point where one might feel a need to not listen. The repetitiveness of "Anthem" could have easily been reduced with a bit of self-editing (although the chant they offer in the song will work in a live setting), while "Ghettoworld (Move Your Feet)" is about soothing yourself in the warmth of something that will give you joy in therms of repetition. Outside of a brilliant horn section, what will make people listen to these guys is the musicianship and the great vocal harmonies, definitely true of many groups throughout Polynesia. They carry the traditions of reggae and also show their love of mellow soul, offering an audio warmth that can't be denied. "Island Lullaby" is a duet between vocalist Charlie Pome'e and guest vocalist Mary Terepo, and thsi will no doubt become a prom staple for years to come, trust me (one hopes that this will lead to Terepo recording a full length project). The band represent big time with a cover of a well known Tongan folk song, "Toi Paongo", and if anyone wants to know if these guys are true to their culture, one can only imagine how crowds will react to this song.

For my fellow kama'aina, if you're unfamiliar with Three Houses Down, let's just say if Sean Na'auao decided to devote himself full time to playing roots reggae, he would create the kind of music this band are creating right now, with a vibe that will bring people together. I hope they will be able to fine-tune a few things with their next album, and try out a few things that might be considered daring, since the guys are definitely kicking it in cruise control. I know they have it in them, and when that happens, they are sure to blow up worldwide.

Thom Keith is a member of Equal Time, and he had come in contact with Larry Gelberg through the internet. A meeting happened, and their common love of music and jazz lead to them collaborating on a number of projects. This album is a document of one of those events.

Fans of Equal Time will find Discussions: Live At Lotus Moon (Avant Coast) to be of interest, for it features not only Keith but bassist Tim Webb, along with drummer Jared Steer. Together they play jazz that is very free form, those who desire complete structure and solid form can move to the next review. Each of the three songs on this CD is improvised, beginning with Keith and Gelberg opening the proceedings with their saxophone work before the rest of the band kick in, and the adventures begin. It feels a bit like hearing Ornette Coleman and Pharoah Sanders play together, complete with the biting of the reed thing that I often enjoy when I hear free jazz. The album opens with a 21 minute rendition of John Coltrane's brilliant "Olé" (one of my favorite Trane pieces) and it's almost unrecognizable until you hear the melody in the theme. The communication between the two saxophonists is great, and when the sounds flirt it's quite remarkable (notable around the 7:00 mark). Mal Waldron is honored with a rendition of "The Seagulls Of Kristiansund", which allows the group to slow down and simmer for a brief moment, but their performance is anything but stagnant. They close with Keith's own "The Agitator", and like the title indicates, they start off with a jump and the energy doesn't let go. Imagine someone sprinkling some angel dust after hours at a sacred jazz club, with everyone out of their mind and egging each other on to take things one step further, and you have a slight hint of what Keith, Gelberg, Webb, and Steer are able to do. It is with this song that you can hear them work in unison even if it seems that they're working independently. They'll all play together as if they're about to walk down a dead end street, but they find a path way, signal it in, and the song moves comfortably into a solo. At the album's comclusion they leave you hanging, and yet you're hopeful that they'll return for a combo. Regardless of the combination these musicians work with, they are definitely a collective who will continue to expand the potential of what jazz is and can be.

(Discussions: Live at Lotus Moon is available from CDBaby.)

There was a grittiness in rap music from New York/New Jersey in the mid-1990's that arguably sparked an argument for a need to redefine the golden era, but it was a sound that still holds up to this day, both musically and lyrically. Karniege and MarQ Spekt together are known as Invizzibl Men, and anyone who ever wanted to know what Play (of Kid 'N...) and Funkmaster Flex might have sounded like had they dropped hardcore rhymes will have to listen to The Unveiling (Backwoodz Studioz).

The group are definitely grimy, and in terms of abstract rhymes these guys are more than able to carve their own niche and offer it at a premium price. A part of it may have to do with Karniege doing some work with Def Jux in the past, but this is him on his own terms offering the kind of rhymes that deserve praise and recognition. The two both have very distinctive flows and at times it sounds like they're going in for the kill, especially in "T-Rex", which features C-Rayz Walz. These guys don't just offer tight songs, but are able to put together a full album without filler, which these days seems to be a rarity. It will please those who prefer their music in iPodian doses, while those who prefer it in one or two sittings will be able to overdose in the album's sickness. I know it's a cliche to call a new album (especially one that hasn't been released as of this writing) "classic", but we called albums "classic" not for the now, but for the future. This will be one of those albums that will stand the test of time.

(The Unveiling will be released on August 19th and can be pre-ordered through AccessHipHop.com.)

The name Vordul Mega should not be new to most heads, as he is one half of Cannibal Ox. Vordul has been making a name for himself with tons of appearances and live performances that have kept him on the top of many a list, and fans who have been waiting patiently for new album will be happy to hear Megagraphitti (Backwoodz Studioz), as he talks about spitting grenades, swinging blades, and serenading the inferior with something far more superior (as he does in the Opto-produced "AK-47".

This is not something that's in your face like M.O.P., nor is this an album full of superstar myths and dreams, instead it's an album with a running theme of sorts about the struggles of the street, doing what needs to be done to survive and... yeah, it may sound like "every other album out there" but it definitely isn't, especially when he tells people to never betray the ways we was brought up/from the sun to nightfall, teleport through nightcrawls or to kiss the girls, let the beats bang/necklace and pearls, ain't she the sweetest thang?/but I wouldn't melt on them thighs. Anyone who has ever wanted to hear an album where the momentum never lets up will have to hear this, as Vordul condemns all that are frauds and builds up anyone who is down for his cause, as he, Invizzibl Men, and Hi-Coup display in the super-sharp "Broken Halo".

Menacing? This is the kind of album you want to play loud and you don't mind if a police officer arrests you for breaking the city's noise ordinance.

(Megagraffiti will be released on August 19th and can be pre-ordered through AccessHipHop.com.)

DJ Green Lantern has been doing his thing for years, DJ and turntablism fans know the deal, and he's been fortunate to put together a compilation of music from the Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City Invasion video game, but produce and remix everything to his liking.

Yeah, Liberty City Explosion came out right before the Oaktown Hyphy Punch in the Spring. I remember I used to listen to a lot of different mixes and promo compilations like this, but the bridge in "Informer" by Wyclef Jean, Uncle Murda and Mavado seemed a bit more doodoo-ish to me. You couldn't tell me Jim Jones & Juelz Santana didn't surpass themselves on "Bustin' Shots" when this album came out. Once I heard the fade, I was convinced.

More specifically, "Alone" by Joel Ortiz & Dante Hawkins came more the niche of Pine-Sol. The mix was quite nice for the most part (better to me than the original),and there was a significant amount of counter-melody in the tones. I could've SWORE they mixed it in 1997 on an obscure Bounty Killer dub plate, but it was ACTUALLY a loaf of bread. I actually found a limited edition flexi-disc online from this kid in Maine, and paid $7 for it, because this B-side had an extra 40 second fade and that had an EXTRAORDINARY verse from Buckshot that he never did before, but repeats her in the track with Heltah Skeltah, "Can't Trust 'Em".

Now that MANHOODLUM has created the unofficial John Book review template, let me tell you what I really think about this comp. I haven't played the game nor know how the songs apply to the game in general, but most of the 17 tracks on here hold up very well on their own without the benefit of imagery. Some of these collaborations, including Fabolous & Fat Joe and Clipse featuring Re-Up Gang, are great and may have been overlooked if they were just mere album tracks. Maybe they were meant as album tracks but the artists involved said "I'm in it to milk it, and I want to be heard". The only let down was Busta Rhymes' "Where's My Money", who speaks about how the removal of his dreads has not removed his sense of massiveness and bravado, but I didn't think he was doing anything EXTRAORDINARY. In fact, maybe it was the fact that it was "extra ordinary" that made it somewhat lightweight compared to not only his own work, but the rest of the songs on this comp. What you'll want this for is to hear DJ Green Lantern's productions and mixes. BTW, 38 Special on this CD is the rapper, not the Southern rock band.

On a self-promotional note, I do a weekly podcast called Book's Music, and this week features podcast #80. Head to PodOMatic.com where you are able to stream and listen from the site, or download to your player of choice. I have recent podcasts archived as well, so if you missed any episodes, now is your chance to catch up. I'm always looking for people to create podcast ID's for me, so if you're able to do so, let me know.

I also want to shift your attention to a website I'm a part of called FudgeFM, featuring the best in hip-hop, soul, funk, electronica, and more. Forums, videos, forthcoming television and radio stations, and even exclusives you will not find elsewhere. Head to FudgeFM and become a part of the community. I will be blogging there on a regular basis, so bookmark the schultz.

For the curious, I also have two non-music blogs that may be of interest:
Book's Foodie
Momona Velo

The first is dedicated to new and interesting food discoveries, while the second is a blog that will lead to me buying a bicycle that I will use towards losing weight and becoming healthier. One might think that talking about food on one page and maintaining one's health on another is a contradiction, but hey, one can eat in moderation and still do well. I've never eating 10,000 in one sitting like U.S. gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps but if it leads to something better than yesterday, I'll do it. Basically, if you enjoy reading my reviews, perhaps you like to read something that is fun and personal at the same time, away from the superhype of music.

That is it for this week's Run-Off Groove. In the very near future I'll have reviews of new music by tREBLEFREE, Tassho Pearce, The Stryker/Slagle Band, Michael's Jazz Quartet, Court Mast, Wee, Bob Mover, and MakeUpBreakUp, and no doubt more. If you have any music (vinyl and CD's preferred), DVD's, or books you'd like for me to review, contact me through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact info.

The Run-Off Groove #212

2008-08-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

Aloha and welcome to the 212th edition of The Run-Off Groove. I am here for a reason, and I hope you are too. Are you? ARE YOU? Lots of music to review this week, so let's begin.

Rap music comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors, we... let me rewind for a brief moment... most of us know this. To the non hip-hop listening public, the music is everything that is evil about the world. If people went out of their way to take the time to truly listen to the MC's, DJ's, and producers out there, they would realize that it's not as one-dimensional as they assume it is. Even if you are a longtime fan and or supporter, you're probably jaded and wonder if there's ever going to be something that will make you feel proud of the music again. If you are aware of the group Dumhi, you know that they are strong as a unit, and equally moving when handling their own projects and collaborations. Haj is a component of the Dumhi way of life, and his new project is an example of how to extend yourself to the old and the new while making it clear that you are into this music.

Yoga At Home, Volume 1 (Dumhi Productions) is an EP (8 vocalized tracks plus its instrumental counterpoints) compiled from the crates of Haj, complete with a meditation record used as the guide for the path he creates. It opens up with one of the most passionate hip-hop songs I've heard in quite a while, a collaboration with Sadat X that happens to be "The Yoga At Home Theme Song". I saw the name and I figured that he's going to drop some serious knowledge, as he always does. He does this, but instead it comes off like a diary entry no one is ever to post to know, it's so personal and revealing that it's hard to believe one would admit something to close to them in a public song. Sadat X talks about who he is not only as a rapper, but as a man of the world. His passage about how he was introduced to smoking weed from his dad is something you rarely, if ever, hear in any song, and one can almost visualize the passage of time and the passing of the torch from father to son, it's very moving and to have Haj bless the track in this manner is amazing.

Haj will hopefully move forward and continue to work with many MC's both old and new, but on this EP he gets a chance to work with Doap Nixon, Von Pea, Jermiside, Reef The Lost Cauze, Che Grand, Soulbrotha, Trek Life, Random and Kay of The Foundation. Each of them present themselves on the uphill slope in their game, they haven't reached the peak but what they're doing to get there will leave you wanting to get deep into their individual catalogs. They get serious, but it's still fun, and they all hold true to a party vibe that has become a part of the Dumhi philosophy. One can hear that Haj has the utmost respect for each of these rappers, and the rappers are showing respect for a producer who is gaining a following for his hard work and determination. The spoken meditation samples link the album together, and by taking in the breathing exercises, one will be able to reach hip-hop nirvana. Well, maybe there is no approachable peak but Haj too is on the uphill direction towards it and it's his commitment to the music that makes Yoga At Home a statement that all producers should take hints from.

(Yoga At Home, Volume 1 can be purchased directly from Haj via MySpace.)

The opening track, "Seconds Out", begins with a Latin vibe that might have paved the way for what to expect on Mosaic's Unsaid, Undone (Snack) but instead it's a brief taste of what one can find in their musical trick bag. This quintet (Mark Merella on drums, David Font on percussion, Larry Melton on bass, Matt Belzer on winds, and Ned Judy on keyboards) pay thrilling jazz that takes on the intensity of bebop, the best qualities of smoothed out jazz from the 70's, and other derivatives of jazz and turn it into something that is very much their moniker.

Their love of worldly sounds can be heard in each of the songs, and it's nice to hear them pushing each other with and within each song, the drive is there throughout. "Knew One", "Hikaru's Dance", and "Under The Sun" are each a display of fine musicianship, and even something as laid back as "Knew One" can be a thrill to listen to as it goes on. The reason why this music sounds almost perfect is due to the countless artists each musician has played with and/or backed up over the years, there is a sense of clarity and purpose. Yet with that clarity and purpose they open the door of opportunity and let things come as they may. Don't think of something as watered down as the Yellowjackets, think more along the lines of McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter, or the late Michael Brecker. Their version of Wayne Shorter's "Sightseeing" does the song justice and even as it clocks in at close to ten minutes, it's still not enough. Everyone in Mosaic is so caught up with the song and with each other that it's obvious they were having an incredible time in the studio.

(Unsaid, Undone is available from CDBaby.)

D-Sisive is far from being a newbie, even though some hip-hop fans may not be familiar with him or his music. Hailing from Toronto, he has been doing his thing for over ten years and has gained a respectable buzz for his brand of hip-hop. If it's a genuine sense of artistry that you seek, you're going to find it on his new EP The Book (Urbnet). The guy has a keen sense of writing and knows how to get it across by putting it across over tight knit instrumentals. He speaks to his spiritual guide ("Up"), geniuses ("Brian Wilson"), and isn't afraid to poke fun at himself and others who still view hip-hop by caucasians as one-dimensional ("ThisIsWhatItSoundsLikeWhenWhiteboysListenToHipHop"). He packs a lot of emotional punch in his songs but he's not what one would call an emo-rapper (whatever that means), instead you have someone who has mastered his craft of storytelling to get him to the level he's at now. If pushed to a corner, he'll make it out and represent himself and the music with the kind of respect fake MC's dream of having.

As an EP, it's a mini-dose of the goodness that D-Sisive is capable of supplying. A number of artists on the indie side have been flriting with the EP format with great results (Coolzey is a perfect example), and he is able to pull out as much as possible while making listeners want and demand more. They'll get more... next time.

(The Book is available from URBNET Records.)

Can pop music be anymore "crafty"? I tend to use that word a lot when I hear something that sounds clever, enough to where I feel the artist is trying to do something that is different from everyone else trying to satisfy their pop music needs. What exactly does "clever" mean in terms of music? To me it means smart, something done with thought and intelligence, it's not just the passing of a template. Crafty and clever are words I can use for The Campbell Apartment, a trio who have the best elements of Weezer and Foo Fighters (and maybe a bit of Built To Spill) and purposely bring fans into their world to enjoy. Insomniac's Almanac (Blacktop) is an album full of short but wonderful stories about friends who are in our systems ("DNA"), enough to where our eyes are red and sore ("Addicted To MySpace"), and feeling that perhaps love needs to be a bit more intimate ("Long Distance Relationship (Is A Four Letter Word)").

"St. Louis" is the kind of love song whose references are probably obscure to a lot of people, but the sentiment and slight cliches are fitting and it helps establish Ari Vais (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dan Haag (bass, vocals), and Dave Harman (drums, vocals) as musicians who know how to reach peaks and valleys with their music. When it comes to good pop and rock'n'roll, eventually it leads to a mention of The Beatles but in their case they seem to capture more of Paul McCartney's spirit of the 1970's than anything the fab four made. What I also liked is how songs that were less than two minutes aren't mere interludes, but are brief songs that are a part of the album's full program and are meant to be consumed as such.

By calling The Campbell Apartment crafty and clever, does that mean they're too smart to receive radio airplay? Not at all, in fact have you listened to the radio lately? It needs more original bands like The Campbell Apartment, whose album could be this decade's Rumours if they wanted it to be. Instead I think they're happy with it being this generation's Insomniac's Almanac and are willing to take it as far as they can (and I hope they do).

(Insomniac's Almanac is available through CDBaby.)

Restiform Bodies are a part of the Anticon collective, and as with anything they've released over the years, the music is unpredictable, as it should be. You may know Bomarr Monk and Telephone Jim Jesus and in fact you may very well know Restiform Bodies, but even if you memorized everything they've done, it still doesn't begin to describe the sheer power of TV Loves You Back (Anticon).

In this case, their mixture of hip-hop, pop, rock, soul, and electronic music, along with a fearless need to take things to unknown regions makes the album a mandatory listen. While they sound nothing like them, the variety they bring into their music is not unlike cLOUDDEAD or Reaching Quiet. It would be easy to say "hip-hop is their core" but when you listen to "Consumer Culture Wave" it's the furthest thing from hip-hop. Or perhaps it's more hip-hop than you think. The swagger is very much there, but it's like someone injecting viruses and cures in one's pores, resulting in mean ticks and twitches, each one different from the previous one. To the outsider, their music may sound like twisted puzzles that need a bit of deciphering to figure out, but the abstract qualities that may bring the listener in will result in something that has more style than something that proclaims it has style. "Bobby Trendy Addendum" has the same kind of flavor one would normally expect from a Lil' Wayne or Clipse track, and yet whether you call it a need to not mock or a passion to present themselves as funky music loving geeks, you're hearing something that you're either going to get or scratch your head wondering "what's the deal?" It's random sounds and influences coming in from all directions, creating the kind of music they love. It's Restiform Bodies, and it's probably better than what you listened to on your way to work.

(TV Loves You Back will be released on September 30th and will be available directly from Anticon.com.)

Oldmanwinter is a decent name for a band, funny even, but that's the only thing I found decent about their album An Artic Circle (Headphone Treats.)

They are an indie rock band with good songs, but they didn't do anything for me that would make me want to listen to their interpretations many times over.

They do their sing, move into the chorus, sing la-di da-di da over and over, and that was it.

That's not to say that it's all bad, but again I could not find myself wanting to enjoy this for long durations.

In fact, as you can tell I am trying to make this review longer by turning each sentence into separate paragraphs.

Even that is not working for me.

(An Artic Circle is available through CDBaby.)

Open up the Sunday newspaper and you might believe that Avril Lavigne is actually a punk princess. Even she knows she isn't, so fuck her and the doughnut box she brought in. If you want some decent punk rock, seek out Balls (Chicken Ranch), the new album by a band who are proud to be named Yuppie Pricks.

The group take a bit of the Dead Kennedy's prowess with slivers of The Dehumanizers to offer a ruthless collection of I-don't-really-give-a-fuck songs. On the surface, it seems that while a lot of bands are trying to take the best of what the 80's may have offered, Yuppie Pricks poke fun at the excess of the decade and go back and discover why punk bands were doing the kind of music they were doing in the first place.

Some punk purists may not like their melodic sense, because "Fraternity Days" could easily become an anthem in the next Seth Rogen movie, but even Rogen would probably want to salute songs like "Fuck You, I'm Rich", "Donkey SHow", and "PRICK4LIFE". The band hold up and deliver those riffs with strength, and they do it while not taking themselves too seriously. Makes one wish Avril Lavigne was this good. Then again on second thought...

(Balls is available directly from Chicken Ranch Records.)

I've been amazed at what the Labeless Illtelligence crew have done in the last few years, be it Cas Uno, Ams Uno, The If?, or Vocab. They represent themselves in a manner that demands to be heard, absorbed, and appreciated, and they have found someone who takes that type of commitment.

He goes by the name of Esh The Monolith, and he wants to fuck up the notion of what an MC should or needs to be. The guy has lyrics for days, has the kind of flow that is neither annoying or boring, he knows how to battle your wit and win each and every time, and make you feel drained even if all you did was listen to his words. In "Stimulate" he tells people that he is not someone who is in this merely to copy the next man, it's about being original and defining your own career as an artist. In other tracks he explains the song in a very articulate manner, then blows up words, lines, and verses in front of you without caring for the damage caused. If you want someone as eccentric as the title of the album indicates, listen to "Anti Cymbal Monkey Movement" and hear him speaking about getting out of the basement, traveling to outer space and keeping you in a crazed daze of amazement (that's some strange shit). Esh doesn't float in the air all the time, most of it is very grounded but if you're not paying attention you'll find yourself starting the song again. The reason you'll want to listen to him closely is that he comes off with so many different references and sly jokes that you might think he's saying shit for the sake of saying shit. Once you figure out the method to his madness, you realize that he's less eccentric and more about being an original artist with a lot of ideas to share. He's funny when he wants to be, displays the smart ass role when he needs to, but Esh is truly someone who wasn't afraid to get to the other level of the game and find a home.

(The A.D.D.ventures Of An E.ccentric S.uper H.ero is available directly from Labeless Illtelligence.)

Dig deep into the reasons why a lot of today's music (arguably) sucks and it often leads to one factor: people aren't playing instruments anymore. One argument goes on to say that the only way you'll see and hear people playing instruments is at church, where the musicians of tomorrow are thrilling places of prayer. It comes as a surprise that the great people at Daptone Records are getting in touch with their gospel side. Any of us who are active record collectors know that there is a funky side to black gospel, especially on some of those obscure 45's we cherish so much. Perhaps it's not really a surprise, but then one listen to Como Now: The Voices Of Panola Co., Mississippi (Daptone) may make you move a few steps back for one big reason: it's fairly low-key compared to what they've released over the years.

Como Now takes the listener to Mt. Mariah Church for a spiritual (re)awakening, where gospel music has never left their minds and hearts. Even if you are not a religious person, you can't help but admire their devotion upon hearing tracks like "Jesus Builds A Fence Around Me" (as performed by Della Daniels and Ester Mae Smith), "I Cant' Afford To Let My Saviour Down" (Rev. Robert Walker), "Somebody Here Needs You Lord" (Mary Moore). These songs are immediate, it doesn't hide any emotion whatsoever, you are hearing the voices, the joy and pain from those who simply want to live peacefully in a world that can often feel like a haven of confusion. With all of these songs recorded in a church, it still feels like those independent 45's and LP's one can find at any thrift store in any town or city, complete with the feel of analog. Regardless of the recording techniques, it's an album that shows perhaps what is truly missing in a lot of today's music. It's not just the spiritual side, but there's a certain sense of power in the music that seems to be fading away (at least in a mainstream sense) and it takes a small church in a small town in Mississippi to prove that you don't have to be affected in order to make effective music.

(Como Now will be released on August 19th and can be pre-ordered directly from Daptone Records.)

Singer/songwriters are in dire need these days, or at least the ones that should be heard aren't. Aviary Ghost are a duo who create the kind of masterful pop that makes you wish Coldplay were not doing as well as they are. Memory Is A Hallway is a somewhat genteel piece of work that you immediately want to take on and share with everyone (in a legitimate sense). Imagine a low-key Tears For Fears with a bit of toad the wet sprocket and you have a hint of the great melange that you hear on this album. "The Hollow" is one of my favorite songs on here, beginning with a mid-tempo pace before switching immediately into a different vibe and carrying itself as if you were supposed to know that. There are a lot of unexpected and pleasant turns on this album, and I found myself caught in their amazing labryinth of fun. Wow!

(Memory Is A Hallway is available from CDBaby.)

For whatever reason I thought of The Police and Jane's Addiction when I first heard System and Station, but when one considers their Idaho roots (they're now based in Portland) it's understandable. Indie rock comes in a lot of varieties, and one wants to expect music that rips you in your face without an apology. A Nation Of Actors (Latest Flame) has the right kind of velocity to kick you right in the schnitts while taking their cues from some of the great rock, punk, and indie bands of the past.

It seems these guys have been moving themselves into more of a melodic vibe, although there is an obvious abrasiveness that will keep people there throughout the duration of the album. It was also recorded very well by none other than Larry Crane at Jackpot! Studios in Portland, some of you studioheads will know him as the founder of the great Tape Op magazine. He was able to get a great sound from the band and on the recording, anyone who is a bit familiar with Crane but wasn't sure where to start, begin here. Great songwriting, very good musicianship, and tight songs that you'll want to remember, that's what A Nation of Actors is all about. I dare you to find something just as good.

(A Nation Of Actors will be released on CD on August 19th, and on vinyl on September 30th. For more information, head over to Latest Flame Records.)

With a name like Funky Mustard I guess I expected something to be funky, on the one, with uncontrolled groove. With a title like Jazza Mostaza (Moosepie) I expected something jazzy, maybe something with a CTI-vibe circa 1974 or 1975. Instead what I got is a laid back instrumental band playing the kind of music one would expect to hear at a jam band festival, and that's not a bad thing at all.

They call themselves "alternative jazz" and I guess it depends on what perspective of "alternative" you take when listening to Funky Mustard. It's a bit more contemporary and rock/pop formatted than something typically jazz, but what would be considered "typical jazz" in 2008? Exactly. If Chicago (as in the band) were a young band making the rounds today and they didn't bother with singing, they probably would come up with the kind of music one hears here. The horn section is tight, the synthesizers are not too dominant (in fact I would say they are quite tasteful), and the organization/arrangements offer a chance for people to hear how in-tune they are with the music and with each other as musicians. "Technicolored" could easily be used as the background in a surfing or sailing movie, but this isn't Yacht Rock, nor is this free jazz or something too far from the norm. It's accessible, and yet you can quite pinpoint what it is that you like about them, but you do. I hope these guys will continue exploring as they are now. Fans of The Necks, The Strato Ensemble, and Supersilent will apppreciate their prowess.

(Jazza Mostaza is available from CDBaby.)

Bring in as many influences as you can but try not to make it sloppy or have it reach a level of dreck. Bark Hide and Horn aren't about the dreck, as they prove in National Road (Boy Hardy). This Portland, Oregon band seems to have done their share of thrifting and digging, for it feels like the kind of music one would create after absorbing a lot of different sounds (in this case from indie rock to blues and a bit of pop complete with celestial bells) and wanting to make it sound good. One might be taken aback at first with "This Abdomen Has Flown", with a bunch of white guys singing about being free from slavery, but as the song goes on you realize they're trying to touch on the corruption of slavery with various ethnic sounds thrown in the mix for good measure. "Treasure Of The Everglades" sounds like Jeff Tweedy if he had hung out with Harry Nilsson during the "Cats In The Cradle" sessions. The album goes all over the place and yet it's still cohesive, very well orchestrated and produced.

One source called the band folk rock, which I don't think is correct. They do play acoustic instruments but that doesn't necessarily make them folk. Instead what the band have done is to create a musical soundtrack for a travelogue of someone who wants to observe the world in his own unique way. Because of this, Bark Hide and Horn end up doing the same with their own music, and it may move audiences to travel along with them, not just for this album but for all future projects.

(National Road is available from CDBaby.)

...AND NOW, THE HAWAIIAN MUSIC CORNER
John Keawe, like a lot of musicians born and/or raised during the dawn of rock'n'roll, was someone who had rock'n'roll dreams. As a kid living on the Big Island, he eventually fell in love with the guitar and made a commitment to play the instrument. Life experiences lead him to want to learn the guitar style of his home, which is of course ki ho'alu, or slack key guitar. In time he would learn from the best and eventually develop a sound that would take him around the world and give him recognition. The release of Hawai'i Island... Is My Home (Homestead Productions) shows his love of ki ho'alu while showing that knack to try out unique arrangements in his instrumentals that are generally found on the more adventurous rock albums.

Five of the 13 tracks are vocalized by Keawe himself, with "Ku'u Hoa'aloha" talking about a special friend of his, while the title track is an endearing piece about the place he knows and love. On many slack key albums you often hear the guitarist go into a number of unique directions. Sometimes they'll play Hawaiian standards, other times they will play cover versions which reveal a bit about the kind of music that was a part of their upbringing. On this album, the instrumentals are Keawe originals and you get a sense that he not only knows how to play well, but also has a deep respect for the stories he is trying to express in the music, such as the anthemic "Faces Of Pele" or the innocence of "Keiki Time", which one can imagine hearing at any Hawaiian park on a Saturday afternoon at 4:30, where kids will play as hard as they can knowing that they only have about an hour or so left before mom calls you in for dinner. Or in this case, not even caring about time. "Safe Passage" could easily be for the worker hoping to get home on the freeway in one piece, or for the navigators of Polynesia who trusted the stars in the sky to get them from point A to point B. Or perhaps an instrumental guide for all of us, hoping we'll make it through in one piece. The beautiful "Pahinui" is in honor of the late and great Gabby Pahinui and for those who continue to remember his music and spirit, it's a song that will give you instant chicken skin with the right amount of sweet playing Pops and his sons are known for.

As with anything Hawaiian, these songs are much more than songs, but are a dialogue and a chart of our history, to mark down what has happened, what's happening, and what's to come. Sometimes the stories are hopeful, while others are subtle signs of things changing. The hope is that one will be able to carry these stories on to the next generation and the one after that, and help continue the passing of the torch. The album represents Keawe's home and roots, but for any of us who are kama'aina, it represents us as a whole and the roots we continue to hold on to even as times change and life goes on. Home indeed.

(Hawai'i Island...Is My Home is available directly from JohnKeawe.com.)

In a means of self-promotion, please take a listen to the latest edition of my podcast known as Book's Music:

If you can't access the player, go here.

That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove. If you have any music, DVD's, or books you'd like for me to review, contact me through my MySpace page and I'll pass along my contact information.

SOME STUFFS: Mekalek releases new mix CD

2008-08-03T18:13:00.001-07:00

Mekalek of Time Machine has released a new digital mix tape called Mekalek Party Mixx, and you can download it for free by clicking here:
DJ Mekalek presents Mekalek Party Mixx

SOME STUFFS: Sick Of It All, Cro-Mags to play benefit concert for friends in NYC next month

2008-08-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

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