Alejandro Escovedo -- Real Animal (2008)

Alejandro Escovedo -- Real Animal (Back Porch/Manhattan)

This album has flown a bit under the radar after Escovedo’s last effort, The Boxing Mirror. That album was Escovedo’s first since he nearly died from a fatal bout of hepatitis. Getting together with producer John Cale of the Velvet Underground worked wonders, and Escovedo showed he was back and as good as ever.

Escovedo hooks up with another legendary producer for this effort. This time it’s David Bowie’s former right hand man, Tony Visconti. This combination works even better than Cale and Escovedo did.

Both Cale and Visconti are skillful string arrangers, and Escovedo has dabbled with strings for years. If anything, Visconti probably aces Cale in that department. The arrangements on this album are fantastic (and Visconti shares credit with violinist Susan Voelz and cellist Brian Standefer).

Not that this is all about arrangements. Escovedo’s songwriting is seemingly at its peak. His mix of blues, country and rock and roll, and the many influences that span those genres, is wholly his own. The music is inviting and he backs it up with smart lyrics, some big hooks, and his passionate plaintive vocals.

Even better, Escovedo has a lot to say. This album is warm, human and empathetic. His past plays a part in two tracks on the album. The words of his former Rank And File bandmates Chip and Tony Kinman spur “Chip ‘n’ Tony”. The song is rather impressionistic, with Escovedo talking about feeling like Juan Marichal and ruing the election of Ronald Reagan, with the repeated refrain of “Chip and Tony said it was against the law” weaving in and out of this clattering rocker.

“Nuns Song” is much more straightforward, as Alejandro chronicles life in the venerated Bay Area punk band the Nuns. This is a mid-tempo burner, a talking folk blues with bite and some cool string accompaniment. There are so many good lines in this song, like these which start it off: “We don’t want your approval/it’s 1978/we know we’re not in tune/we know we’ll never be great.” This song has a hard edge like Garland Jeffreys’ “Wild in the Streets”, and as good as it sounds here, it should be a real corker live.

The album strikes the right balance between the rocking material and more melodic fair. “Sister Lost Soul” is full of strumming and a little jangle and Escovedo reflects on estrangement. It’s not necessarily romantic -- this could be about a friend or a sibling. But he really keys in on the emptiness that can come from a rift. This is a very mature song.

On “Golden Bear”, a little bit of Bowie influence creeps in, in the form of a ghostly keyboard part that has a hint of “Ashes to Ashes”. The song itself is a pretty typical Escovedo number and the little touches, like the keyboard part and the ensemble vocals on the chorus (again, sounding a bit like apparitions), might have come from Visconti. Regardless, those touches make this a bit more special.

For all of the great tunes on the album, the best two are probably the first two. Track number two is “Chelsea Hotel ‘78", which features biting twangy guitars and a fuzzy bass, with Escovedo telling another story of how tough things were 30 years ago. The strings weave in and out of the smoky rock backing. And the use of backing vocals is very creative, as the backing singers sing the opposite of what Escovedo is singing in the chorus. When he sings “it makes no sense” they sing “it makes perfect sense”, and vice versa. Trust me on this -- it’s really cool.

The album opener, “Always a Friend”, is just so damned happy. This song is about taking the good with the bad in a relationship and the melody is bright and big and the performances convey a sense of joy, tempered with wisdom. This is a song designed for anniversary celebrations: “Wherever I go/you go with me/but if I do wrong/take the master suite/I’ll take the floor/sleep in late, get your rest/I’ll catch up on mine.”

It’s interesting that some of these songs focus on happenings in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, because the virtues of this album are pretty timeless. In other words, this album almost sounds like it could have come from that time period. But, of course, Escovedo was younger and not nearly so wise. The passion that has stamped his music since those early days still remains. It’s now part of a complete artistic package.

Kylie Auldist -- Just Say (2008)

Kylie Auldist -- Just Say (Tru Thoughts)

The success of Amy Winehouse and Duffy, and to a lesser extent, Adele, has shown that there is still a market for classic soul singing. It’s nice to know that a classic sound remains contemporary.

Auldist is an Australian soul singer, who works with one heck of a backing band, The Bamboos. She simply has a strong voice and doesn’t feel the need to show off. She co-writes her material with Bamboos guitarist Lance Ferguson, and acquits herself well.

But the song that convinced me that she is a real talent is a cover. Auldist takes on Jeff Buckley’s “Everybody Here Wants You”. The arrangement is terrific, building on the R & B foundation of Buckley’s original, adding horns and other appropriate touches. Auldist gives one hell of a performance, and, dare I say it, I think I prefer it to Buckley’s. While I wouldn’t put her interpretive abilities up there with Bettye Lavette’s, she really puts herself into this tune. Her phrasing is creative and she really tears into key phrases like “I’m only here for this moment.” She exudes the confidence that the lyrics demand.

This song is the centerpiece of the record, which spans various moods. The title cut, which is also the single, is pure Motown style joy. Here, Auldist is the big sister, telling a friend that if she isn’t getting the attention she deserves, then break it off. Everything is in place on this song, from Ella Thompson’s sympathetic backing vocals, to the string section, and Ferguson’s extra contribution on glockenspiel. This is motivating music!

As friendly as she can be, don’t piss Auldist off. “Cut You Loose” is a kiss off anthem, where Auldist cuts loose a bit more than normal vocally. But how can she hold back, with music that harkens back to the funk shuffles of James Brown in the ‘60s. And her attitude evokes the free spirit of Aretha Franklin (Auldist’s voice isn’t as good -- who’s is? -- but she sounds great). This track is also a great example of how tight The Bamboos are. A much lesser vocalist would sound alright with these guys backing him or her.

Kylie has her needs too, and she makes that clear on the New Orleans funk of “Gotsta Get Me Some”. She sounds really sexy on this track, as the rougher edges of her voice come to the fore. She pulls out all of the stops, whether racing through the internal rhymes, or breaking into her higher range for a sensual sigh. A tip of the cap to drummer Daniel Farrugia, who really nails the groove and swings.

This is one heck of an entertaining record. While Auldist is not the lyricist that Amy Winehouse is, her songs work. And while I like Duffy, I think Auldist is a better singer and with this band, it’s hard to go wrong. So who’s going to start the marketing campaign for her?

The Hold Steady -- Stay Positive (2008)

The Hold Steady -- Stay Positive (Vagrant)

This could have just as well been titled Test Positive, knowing The Hold Steady’s penchant for singing songs about people who live to get high and drunk. Indeed, the opening song, “Construction Summer” is a rousing anthem. Craig Finn proudly states how he and his buddies are going to “build something this summer.” Build what? A home for Habitat for Humanity? A space rocket? Nope -- a ladder so they can get drunk on the town water tower.

Finn explores the world of fuck ups and the fucked up with wit and empathy. I don’t know how much time he’s spent with these folks, but he clearly finds them fascinating. Once in a while there’s a bit of “there but for the grace of God go I” aspect to these songs.

The music sounds like what some of these barflies and stoners would listen to. Springsteen again dominates the recognized influences, and Thin Lizzy is still there, along with any ‘70s band that mastered the big dumb riff, from Bachman Turner Overdrive to Cheap Trick. In fact, the opening bit of “Construction Summer” is an homage to the Trick’s “Hello There”. Very cool.

Meanwhile, the literary quality of Finn’s lyrics, which came to the fore on Separation Sunday (the band’s second album -- this is the fourth), which I didn’t think developed on the good but not great Boys And Girls In America, seems to have gone up a notch on some of these songs.

As a result, The Hold Steady now gets accused of being pretentious. Finn does have pretensions, but he earns them. Part of the way he does that is writing simple fun story songs like the single, “Sequestered in Memphis”. It’s a singalong song about that classic topic - being interviewed in a murder case. In the verses, Finn details what he did with the victim, to the apparent skepticism of Johnny Law, as each verse ends with “I’ll tell the story again.” Finn’s hangdog speak-singing makes this poor bastard seem sympathetic, but as Finn intones over and over at the end of the song, “I went there on business,” I wonder if the cops found their man.

Death and biblical references snake their way through some of the songs. Others just focus on those who’ve gotten a raw deal.

In “Navy Sheets”, Finn takes a step or two in James Ellroy territory, detailing a lurid accident scene where “we’re trying to match the mouths to the screams.” The song is built on a typical razor sharp guitar riff from Tad Kubler, with Franz Nicolay adding some odd prog rock synth color. This is high drama hard rock, with Finn shifting from omniscent perspective to first person, with one of the victims of this crash thinking “We’re either dead or really tired.”

Meanwhile, “Both Crosses” (with guest banjo by J. Mascis!) plays like a slow track from Bob Seger’s salad days (think “Sunburst”). Here, Finn sings of a girl who has visions of the crucifixion. Or is it a murder? As the song goes on, the answer becomes obvious. This is a track that shows how The Hold Steady is adding dimensions to its sound, as the tune is grounded in atmosphere and narrative, rather than a big hook.

Another good slow number is “One for the Cutters” about a gal who makes a lot of bad choices. Nicolay mixes in some high falutin’ piano parts with a faux harpsichord. In this song, the woman at the center of the song parties with some townies, and ends up hooking up with a guy in a heap of trouble: “He didn’t seem that different/except for the blood on his jacket.” Again, things only get worse from there. She may be more than a witness in this case.

Don’t worry that this is getting too sophisticated. There are plenty of fine rockers, like the rousing title cut and the Cassavettes referencing “Slapped Actress”, and fun lyrics like the Led Zeppelin title laced “Joke About Jamaica”. This band has managed the difficult trick of adding more polish and adding more grit at the same time. It sounds as good if not better than anything The Hold Steady has done to date.

Julie Ocean -- Long Gone And Nearly There (2008)

Julie Ocean -- Long Gone And Nearly There (Transit Of Venus)

There are four perfect songs on this record. Well, near perfect, at least. No duds either. But this is only a good, not great album, at least in my view. And I, of course, shall explain what I mean.

Julie Ocean is led by Velocity Girl’s Jim Spellman. The music is crisp and clean power pop, with a gigantic sound. So I suppose it’s Power Pop. It really rocks, in the sunshineiest way possible. Reference points? If you were a Velocity Girl fan, the song “Audrey’s Eyes” is a template, but with a bigger guitar sound. Other bands that come to mind: Lolas, Bram Tchiakovsky, The Records, and Teenage Fanclub.

In the tradition of classic power pop tunes like the aforementioned Bram Tchiakovsky’s “Girl of My Dreams”, “#1 Song” has an instantly memorably guitar part and a monolithic melody. The conceit of the song is wonderful -- comparing the throes of love in the early stages to a song. The ambition is to turn the love into a number one song, but, of course, “it won’t be for long.” Maybe the relationship is ephemeral, but I can hit the repeat button as often as I like to cue up this 3:34 slice of nirvana as often as I like.

Two other songs are shorter and sharper shots. Album closer “Looking at Me/Looking at You” mixes a Buzzcocks/Undertones fast tempo with the splendor of Teenage Fanclub and Silver Sun. Again, the band mixes giddy happy chords with a tinge of sadness, which makes the happy parts all the more significant. Also, Spellman does something he did a lot in Velocity Girl -- constantly playing leads throughout the song.

The opener, “Ten Lonely Words”, is mid-tempo and has a sing-song melody. It wastes no time in getting to the hook, but getting there is pretty fun. The middle eight is concise and leads to a great harmony vocal interlude.

As great as these songs are, they have a lot of nice but lesser cousins strewn throughout the disc. This is the only drawback to the album. While it’s nice to have a defined sonic template, the numbers on the middle of the disc blur together a bit. This is exacerbated by the lead vocals which are pleasant, but not infused with a whole lot of personality.

The one song that breaks this mold is the other stand out. “Here Comes Danny” clocks in at a bit over 5 minutes (!) and as much as I like hearing a chorus right away, taking one’s time isn’t always a bad approach. This disc could stand more breathers like this, particularly with a killer chorus. Next to “# 1 Song”, this is the most instantly memorable song on the collection.

The whole thing takes 25:09 to get through and very few albums this year will have four songs as good as the ones I discussed here. If Julie Ocean can find a way to mix up its material as well as The Undertones, who provided the band’s name (a song from the ‘tones’ Positive Touch album), it will go from being a band who has some great singles (well, in the past they would have been) to a great album band.

The Diplomats Of Solid Sound -- Featuring The Diplomettes (2008)

The Diplomats Of Solid Sound -- Featuring The Diplomettes (Pravda)

The Iowa City R & B revivalists are no longer a crack instrumental outfit. They now have added vocals, and let me tell you, the five Diplomats found three great Diplomettes. Sarah Cram, Katharine Ruestow and Abbie Sawyer are more than solid, and certainly soulful.

The album opens with “Plenty Nasty”, a wonderful instrumental showcase for saxophonists David Basinger (baritone) and Eddie McKinley (tenor). While drummer Jim Viner lays down a fat beat, and Nate “Count” Basinger’s Hammond B3 Organ provides the funk, Basinger and McKinely simply swing.

Having shown what they can do as instrumentalists, the rest of the album is earthy and swinging (I gotta keep saying it) R & B music. “Come in My Kitchen” has a tough lead vocal and the backing of the other Diplomettes is sassy. There is a light dose of funk on this song, with the guitar figures from Doug Roberson sounding like they came from a Sly and the Family Stone record.

A lighter touch is required for the cover of Carla Thomas’ “B-A-B-Y”. I’d be concerned if the Diplomats and ‘mettes didn’t knock this out of the park. Not to worry. This version has yet another strong Diplomette vocal and Viner showing a lighter touch that allows the melody to flourish without dulling the momentum of the tune.

The choral vocal skills of the Diplomettes get showcased on “Smokey Places”. This is pure Ikettes territory, except even sexier. The bass part is played on the organ (as there is no bass player), while Roberson chicken scratches and Viner fills the space with subtle percussion. The heart of this song is the ensemble vocals, the gals get a prime opportunity to strut their stuff, and strut they do.

My favorite song has a jazzy undercurrent that makes this sound like a more retro Brand New Heavies side. Cool is the best description of “Hurt Me So”, a pulsing mid-tempo number. This is so smooth. A remix of the song is the last track on the disc, and it adds a ska rhythm to the proceedings. I usually find remixes to be pointless, but the reggae vibe adds an extra dimension to this already wonderful track. Adding more Jamaica and other outside influences to this band’s arsenal would be great, as the Diplomats can groove in an R & B style so effortlessly.

In the meantime, I hope the Diplomats and Diplomettes stick together. They make a great team.

Superdrag -- Changin' Tires On The Road To Ruin (Previously unpublished 2007 review)

Superdrag -- Changin’ Tires On The Road To Ruin (Arena Rock)

This is an odd and sods album from the pride of Knoxville, Tennessee, who recently reunited for a concert tour. John Davis and the crew stood out because they found a way to uphold power pop standards (i.e., evoking The Beatles, Big Star, The Raspberries, Cheap Trick, et al.) while having a contemporary rock sound.

Much like Cheap Trick, Superdrag was at its best when it balanced its pop instincts with a darker vibe, best spotlighted on its watershed second album, Headtrip In Every Key. After that album, the band’s subsequent releases were solid, but perhaps a bit too consistent.

This collection could almost be passed off as the band’s fifth album, but for the variance in sound quality on the different tracks. So while this isn’t a great record, there are a number of top shelf tunes, making this the rare demos/outtakes collections that stands up very favorably to the band’s other work. You get a little bit of everything here.

“She Says” is sugar sweet pop, tinged with sadder emotions. “The Rest of the World” is a heartwrenching slow number, with a distinctive lead guitar figure and the great line: “I was cursing my heart for being broken.” There’s lush pop on the languid “Doctors Are Dead”, which has a melody that is distinctively Superdrag.

There are rockers too. From In The Valley Of The Dying Stars, the demo for “Keep It Close to Me” is pretty close to the original. Davis knew what he was doing from the get go. From the same album, there are swell live versions of “Lighting the Way” and “True Believer”. It’s too bad the band couldn’t have added a couple of live tracks from their earlier albums, but that’s about the only complaint I have with the disc.

Star -- Devastator (Previously unpublished 2007 review)

Star -- Devastator (Lovely Rebel)

This is fuzzy shoegazing music in the vein of The Jesus And Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. Star leans more towards the Chain, as the song structures are 100 percent pop, awash in swirling distorted guitars.

What makes the band striking is the lead vocalist, Shannon Roberts. She usually sings in her mid-range, but she can get way up there, evidenced on “Acting So Tough”. Her wailing voice and the dirty guitars make for a major textural contrast that is very enticing.

Star learned a big lesson from its predecessors -- while the texture is important, you still have to have the songs. Thus, strong melodies abound.

One prime example is on “Exploding Order”, which may have more in common with The Primitives then the shoegazers, but for one droning guitar part. A syncopated drumbeat pushes the swaying “No More Party” along -- the band throws a bit of glam into the reverb and ghostly, pretty vocals.

Roberts’s vocals not only contrast the music, but often are at odds with the bizarre insinuations of violence and doom she sings about, best exemplified on the track “Various Gun Designs”. In a couple of other spots, the band just wallows in the muck, and seems to enjoy it. I enjoy it too.