Barrie Hart rejuvenates Christian music with roots rock and Americana

Reviewed by Kit Burns

Barrie Hart/Whom Shall I Send?

Barrie Hart doesn’t play by the rules. If you listen to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) radio today, you’ll find mostly a continuous number of tracks with an almost uniform sound. Not with Hart. Using roots rock and the blues as her musical foundation, Hart gives her spiritual lyrics a much more sonically fresh context. On “Fragrant Oil,” Hart recalls the folksy, bittersweet voice of Natalie Merchant; the jangly guitars are reminiscent of Merchant’s old band, 10,000 Maniacs, too. Already Hart has reeled me in.

While knocking Christian artists may seem cruel because many of them are producing songs in the service of their religious beliefs and not trying to be rock stars or serious artists, no genre should be shielded from honest criticism. Unfortunately, the CCM marketplace has become rather dull after a short period in which cutting-edge musicians such as Jars of Clay, DC Talk, and Audio Adrenaline kicked in the doors of the MOR quicksand. In her own way, by summoning the gritty influences of Bonnie Raitt and even the Motels, Hart is showing us a different side to Christian rock. Hart’s lyrics may be uplifting, but her songs are not saccharine. The tribal percussion on “Here I Am” gives the track a darker undertow while dimly-lit piano and Hart’s dusky vocals adds emotional weight to “Who Am I.” If you’re burned out on cookie-cutter Christian records, Whom Shall I Send? will renew your faith. Thank God.

http://www.barriehart.com

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Stephen Peppos stirs imagination on jazzy ‘Vertigo’

Reviewed by Kit Burns

Stephen Peppos/Vertigo

This CD of jazz and New Age instrumentals often gives off an ’80s vibe. No, not ’80s as in the Top-40 trends of that era or even anything from the college-radio underground. Rather, it’s the sophisticated, upwardly mobile set, artists such as Chick Corea, Spyo Gyra, and Herbie Hancock. The breezy “In the Piano” could’ve graced New Age playlists in the late ’80s with its engagingly poppy electronics. “Beach Baby” generates summer heat with its soaring sax and pleasantly propulsive keyboards. Peppos swims in more accessible forms of fusion, making would’ve been difficult music for Joe Q. Public into something akin to crossover Adult Contemporary.

There are a couple of truly moving compositions here, the best of which are “Summer’s End,” with its caressing waterfall sounds, and “The Way Home,” suggesting a scenic view of a lake. The images, of course, are up to you and what your imagination can conjure up. And what better way to stir it than music that is blessed with feeling and a positive spirit such as Peppos’?

http://www.stephenpeppos.com

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Don Arbor’s ‘Salam Pax (Peace)’ is ‘jaw-droppingly pretty’

Reviewed by Kit Burns

Don Arbor/Salam Pax (Peace)

It’s no surprise that the back cover of Don Arbor’s CD has him standing in front of an ocean, perhaps reflecting on his life. I can’t think of a better album to bring to the beach with me right now in the last days of summer. This is a jaw-droppingly pretty record produced with an immaculate sheen that nevertheless doesn’t sound sugar-coated or studio slicked. Rather, the beauty emanates from the pristine musicianship here and Arbor’s own voice, which is as plaintive yet hopeful as Jackson Browne’s in his prime. Even a song about the war in Iraq – the title cut – is given a sleek, shiny polish as soothing horns and soulful guitar playing offers a respite from the falling bombs.

The mid-tempo number “Only Makin’ Money” is the kind of catchy pop/rock you used to hear on AOR radio stations in the ’70s. “I Let It Go” attracts us with its pleasantly melodic acoustic riffs and sweetly fragile piano but really nails us when the string quartet glides through. “Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud” captures James Taylor’s always moving sensitivity while “Ask Your Doctor” reveals Arbor’s caustic wit.

http://www.donarbor.com

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Portland jazz quintet PDXV shines on live CD ‘Vol. 2′

Reviewed by Kit Burns

PDXV/Vol. 2

PDXV is a jazz quintet from Portland, Oregon that never dips into the canned blahs of what you normally hear on those inescapable “smooth” radio stations. Featuring Dick Titterington (trumpet, flugelhorn), Rob Davis (tenor, soprano sax), Greg Goebel (piano), Dave Captein (bass), and Randy Rollofson (drums), PDXV is the perfect marriage of knife-sharp technical skill, youthful exuberance, and selfless chemistry. Every musician in the group is given their own moments to shine and when they start really jamming, such as on nearly the closing moments of Thelonious Monk’s “Trinkle Tinkle,” you can begin to feel the sweat on your brow.

Tightness is what you expect from top-flight jazz groups, but there has to be some looseness, too – that sense of transcendent liberation which emanates from a unit which truly knows how to groove. Recorded live at Jimmy Mak’s in Portland, Vol. 2 is a breathtaking document of ice-cold rhythmic precision and upbeat, delightfully sunny ambiance. Particularly striking are the version of Fred Hersch’s “Rain Waltz” with its hopeless romanticism illuminated by lovely piano and Tom Harrell’s trumpet-powered “Time Shuffle.” 

http://pdxv.com

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Movin’ Melvin Brown’s voice is ‘rich with layers of emotional depth’

Reviewed by Kit Burns

Movin’ Melvin Brown/Love on My Mind

There’s no doubt that Movin’ Melvin Brown has love on his mind. His songs either have love in the title (i.e., “My Love,” “She Knows Love,” etc) or are about love. Thankfully, he has a voice – rich with layers of emotional depth – that never lessens in its intensity. Whoever Brown is in love with, she must have him on fire. While much of this record is haunted by classic platters from Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, there are slight modern comparisons here and there. For example, the guitar-propelled “If I’m Not Living Here” is reminiscent of the Lighthouse Family’s mellow neo-soul pop.

Nevertheless, most of the CD has Brown trying to resurrect the smooth R&B hook lines of the Motown sound. “She Knows Love” captures the kicking Motown drum style almost perfectly, carrying the beat. “Love Can Make You Happy” is another upbeat track in the Motown manner as Brown explodes with deliriously infatuated energy. But the cut you’ll probably end up repeating the most is the sentimental “My Summer Love,” wherein Brown sizzles in the romantic heat of a past love affair.  

http://movinmelvin.com

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Geresti brilliantly ‘Keys into the 70′s’ by rejuvenating classics from Led Zeppelin, the Moody Blues, among others

Reviewed by Kit Burns

Geresti/Keys Into The 70′s

You have to applaud Bob Geresti for having the courage to deconstruct Led Zeppelin’s monolithic “Stairway to Heaven” into a reflective piano piece. You have to applaud him some more for still making it rock. “Rock” in the sense of the track remaining powerful, not becoming limp sans Jimmy Page’s whirlwind guitar and Robert Plant’s pensive vocal delivery. In the hands of a lesser musician, “Stairway to Heaven” would’ve been melted into grilled Velveeta. Another classic-rock blockbuster, the Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin,” becomes an intimate mood piece of unrequited love. Geresti transforms the sweeping theatrical scope of the original and flips it inward; all that’s left is profound sorrow told through Geresti’s empathetic fingers.

If you are in your thirties or above, chances are you’ve heard the tunes on Keys into the 70′s countless times in your life. But Geresti makes these overplayed tracks fresh again. For example, Geresti strings together Paul McCartney’s “My Love,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and Ringo Starr’s “You’re Sixteen” in a medley that brilliantly reveals the incredible melodicism every one of those Beatles possessed.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/geresti22

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The Cat House Dogs fondly recall Tom Petty’s ticked-off early work

Reviewed by Kit Burns

Cat House Dogs/That Was Now

The Cat House Dogs’ second album That Was Now opens with a thick layer of jangling guitars, raspy vocals, and the most guttural roots-rock since the heyday of Jason & the Scorchers. While many of today’s Americana acts play it twee and safe, the Cat House Dogs aren’t afraid to get drunk and burn the barn down. Pass the whiskey, please.

If you fondly recall Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in their ticked-off late ’70s/early ’80s period, before their midtempo numbers started creeping up the charts and followed by duets with Stevie Nicks, the Cat House Dogs are definitely bowling in your alley. The first track, “Fine Line,” is what the Jayhawks would’ve sounded like if they woke up with a hangover and then discovered that their tour bus was stolen. It is Americana delivered raw with brass knuckles. “Do It” marries the downward grunge of Soundgarden with the raunchy blues of Reverend Horton Heat. “Beautiful Rays,” “Far Away,” and “Never in a Million Years” are cut with Petty’s flannel but delivered without the watered-down studio gloss. Then, just when you think you have the Cat House Dogs pegged, they leave you with the reggae-inflected “Lost Again” just to mess you up. The uptight critics might pull their hair; that’s just too bad, ain’t it?

http://www.cathousedogs.com

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Throttlecaster produces ‘enjoyable, toe-tappingly good’ metal record

Reviewed by Kit Burns

Throttlecaster/Restless Journey

For a band that is obviously influenced by Alice in Chains, Metallica, and Nirvana, the ominously named Throttlecaster are actually quite fun to listen to. Throttlecaster are indebted not only to ’90s grunge and hard rock, but also to the spandex metal of the ’80s, especially Motley Crue and Poison. However, Throttlecaster leaves the cheese behind, gorging itself on the gloriously flamboyant pop hooks of those American bands while remaining true to their European rock roots, namely Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and the Scorpions.

The fuzz bomb “Deep Down” is ’80s metal with a post-millennial darkness in its undertow. You’ll hear the ferocious energy and torched riffs of Metallica in its explosive charge although the production doesn’t reach that group’s epic scope. “The Well” features a Middle Eastern tinge in its opening layers of guitars, and vocalist Erko Nomm somewhat resembles Kurt Cobain when he’s screaming. “Performer” is balls-to-the-wall glam rock. “Traffic” takes Alice in Chains’ chugging riffs and puts them in a decidedly upbeat context. This is an enjoyable, toe-tappingly good metalhead bonanza.

http://www.throttlecaster.com

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Singer/songwriter Tj Sherrill embodies real spirit of Seattle

Reviewed by Kit Burns

Tj Sherrill/High Horse

Seattle singer/songwriter Tj Sherrill deserves the “post-grunge” tag much more than wanna-be’s (and never-will-be’s) such as Nickelback and 3 Doors Down. The difference isn’t just about geographical location. Just because Sherrill is based in Seattle doesn’t instantly earn him street cred; after all, Candlebox, the first of the grunge poseurs, lived in the Emerald City, too (albeit transplants). In terms of his honest lyrical content and no-frills approach to music, I’d say he embodies the spirit of Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder than most of today’s husky-voiced ’90s-washed rockers.

Considering that much of Sherrill’s work is acoustically based, comparing him to the grunge ancestry of his hometown may seem a little odd. But real fans of grunge know that it wasn’t just about the distortion and feedback. Relatively quiet moments such as Nirvana’s “Polly” and Pearl Jam’s “Immortality” struck as sharp a nerve as those bands’ loudest moments. “I need you to know all my pain,” Sherrill sings on “No Where,” and his raspy, wounded voice is refreshingly real in a landscape of bogus angst. The title track opens slowly the picks up speed with its deceptively upbeat keyboards as Sherrill spits out, “A long way down from the high horse/That you call your opinion.” The acoustic guitars are tuneful but spiky, and that’s how they’ve always brewed it in Seattle.

http://www.tjsherrill.com

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LambBone’s ‘Wild Man’ is a wildly eclectic brew of jazz, funk, and blues

Reviewed by Kit Burns

LambBone/Wild Man

You can almost compare LambBone, otherwise known as John Lamb, to Ben Folds. The piano-based rock is a dead giveaway to one of Lamb’s major influences, not to mention some of the caustic lyrics, such as those found on “News.” But while Folds is often tightly knit with his alternative roots, Lamb knows no boundaries, shuffling the deck with pinches of jazz, Latin music, funk, psychedelia, and blues. LambBone is so eclectic that a new term needs to be defined for music that crosses borders in such a schizophrenic fashion. Surprisingly, LambBone’s stylistic derring-do is not confusing at all; this isn’t the mad creativity of Frank Zappa on the loose but rather a gifted, versatile musician utilizing all of his strengths.

At times, especially on the title track, “One of the These Nights,” and “Cleveland Blues,” Lamb recalls Joe Jackson in his late ’70s-early ’80s prime. While the tracks don’t have the kinetic energy of Jackson’s vintage bile, Lamb’s voice is reminiscent of Jackson’s in his more mellow moments. Jackson, too, was a rock & roll iconoclast, leaping from genre to genre with every succeeding album. Lamb takes it a step further, doing all of that on the same record. “Be My Girl” has a soft, jazzy foundation while the satirical “Lawyer” would make Randy Newman proud with its pointed wit.

http://www.lambbone.com

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