New Holiday Music for 2010 - Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, and Ronnie Spector

The holiday season is upon us!  In honor of that (and to better accommodate my post-Thanksgiving  travel plans), this week I will be reviewing some of the new Christmas albums released this year.  Merry Christmas--Joyeux Noel--Glaedelig Jul--Feliz Navidad!

Ronnie Spector Best Christmas Ever - The legendary singer of The Ronettes (2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees) and former wife of Phil Spector (they divorced loooong ago, in 1974) releases an EP of five relatively obscure Christmas songs.  This album is currently available for download on Amazon and other online retailers.

Spector's Christmas album has a pleasing and light jazzy/gospel feel to it with some of the songs sounding like classics from past decades.  "My Christmas Wish" has a peppy modern jazz feel with it's horn work and saxophone solo.  Spector's voice is a nice raspy addition as she pleads to Santa to make her dreams of Christmas love come true.  "The Time of Year (Happy Holidays)" has a Latin jazz beat that matches the emotion Spector is able to emote. "Light One Candle" exhibits a reluctant hopefulness with Spector's restrained singing matching the light piano and, later, string and flute refrains.  "Best Christmas Ever" is a lighter Christmas song you might have found in the 60's and 70's.  "It's Christmas Once Again" has a slower lounge-y feel like a cross between something Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald might have done. 

Spector's voice is obviously a little worn from her 67 years but it adds an even greater soulfulness to some of the songs ("It's Christmas Once Again" and "Light One Candle" specifically).  It's an excellent Christmas album in two regards: 1) it gives us catchy, non-standard songs for this season and 2) it's well performed and produced by a legendary singer.

Score: 8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "My Christmas Wish" and "Best Christmas Ever"

Jessica Simpson Happy Christmas - Jessica Simpson releases her second Christmas album, the previous one being released in 2004.  Thankfully on the cover on this one, she doesn't look like a girl in heat ready to get it on with Santa.  (Go ahead and look at the cover to her first Christmas album Rejoyce [sic] and tell me she doesn't look waaaaaaaay too sexy for a Christmas album!)

This album comes to us with ten holiday songs.  Most are Christmas standards with no repeat songs from her first Christmas album.  There are two new songs.  Nearly all of the songs are done in a slower, jazzier tempo or have a country twang to them.  The single off the album, "My Only Wish," leads off the album and is one of the peppier songs on the album.  It's not going to be an instant holiday classic but it's enjoyable enough as a holiday song with a fast tempo beat and festive bell ringing to set the mood.  The other song that was new to me, "Kiss Me for Christmas," is a slower tempo song with mostly piano backing and very light drumming.  It's not a very festive song with only the title of the song sung in the chorus giving us any clue this is a Christmas song.

There's nothing really spectacular or revolutionary about this Christmas album and it takes much fewer risks with the arrangements of the songs than Rejoyce.  Simpson's covers of "Happy Xmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" do not deliver anything new or different to the songs.  "Here Comes Santa Claus" has a country twang but even that doesn't bring as much originality as the long-ago Elvis version.  The only Christmas standard that I really enjoyed and that made the best use of Simpson's voice was "Carol of the Bells" which came all the way at the end of the album.  That song and the new single are worthy additions to any Christmas album but the rest of album is a aurally pleasing but a basically generic offering.

Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "My Only Wish" and "Carol of the Bells"

Mariah Carey Merry Christmas II You - Mariah Carey releases her second Christmas album, the previous being released way back in 1994.  For some reason, Mariah is in nearly the exact same pose as in her first Christmas album which probably wasn't the best idea since it just shows how much she has aged over the years. 

This album comes in with thirteen tracks total with one being a quick intro while another is her self-penned holiday classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You" which has been sped up slightly although the differences are superficial at best.  Her new single "Oh Santa!" is a very quick tempo, modern holiday song that seems more suited for the dance floor than for roasting chestnuts around the fire.  Another (I think) new song, "When Christmas Comes," has a lighter, jazzier feel, features Carey's voice much better, and emanates a more robust holiday feeling than the previously mentioned "Oh Santa!"  Her modern, sped up "Here Comes Santa Claus" medley even has an interesting Rasta feel to it although I felt it did drag on for far too long.

Most of the other songs are Christmas standards done in a very slow tempo, adult contemporary or 70's soul band style.  There's also one live song, "O Holy Night," which (to me) always sticks out (badly) on an album whose other songs were all done in a studio.  However, her "Charlie Brown Christmas" medley of the Vince Guaraldi classics (featuring "Christmas Time is Here") is one of the more beautifully performed versions of that timeless piece of music since Guaraldi's trio first put it on vinyl. 

Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "When Christmas Comes" and "Charlie Brown Christmas"

New Music from 11/23/2010 - Kanye West, Smashing Pumpkins, and French Horn Rebellion

Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Polarizing hip-hop artist Kanye West releases his fifth full-length album and first since 2008's 808s & Heartbreak.  West has cited Maya Angelou, Gil Scott-Heron and Nina Simone as his musical inspirations for this album.  No offense to Kanye, who is a wonderful musician and producer of music, but the original version of the album cover he was planning on using was absolutely horrible and the relatively vanilla cover you see to the right is a marked improvement over his "WTF?!?" original. 

The album opens with "Dark Fantasy" which has a complex, orchestral opening with angelic singing that transitions to a really catchy rap as the bridge to the song.  It does a good job of presenting the complicated blending of styles that West is so adept at.  "All Of The Lights" will definitely be a future single with horn playing similar to what you might hear in a Basement Jaxx song but with more classic hip-hop sensibilities in the actual formation of the song.  Also, the female vocals (it sounds like a Rihanna clone but I couldn't find who actually performed the singing) add an extra layer to the song and make it a likely song you'll hear in a club in the not-too-distant future.  My favorite song is "Runaway" which has a very simple four note piano opening that slowly builds into a really elaborate and beautiful song as West quickly layers on the other instruments and vocals as the song builds to a muted but poignant crescendo.  "Blame Game" (feat. John Legend) starts off with a slow tempo piano opening that gracefully segues to Legend's always welcome singing although the spoken word part at the end makes it a tough single to add to your MP3 player. 

Overall, it's another well produced and well performed album by Kanye West.  The arrangement of the music, as usual, is extremely complex without being over-produced.  Hardcore fans of West will be slightly upset though because of the thirteen tracks, about half had already been released on West's website as part of his G.O.O.D. Fridays music series throughout the past year and two of the tracks are basically interludes that last between 60~90 seconds.  However, no matter what other craziness West has going on in his life, he sure hasn't lost his ability to write and compose damn catchy music.  I probably like his Graduation Day and Late Registration albums better than this one but Kanye, even when he's not at the absolutely top of his game, still manages to put out an album that's better than 98% of what else is currently on the market. 

Score:  9/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "Runaway" and "Dark Fantasy"

Smashing Pumpkins Teagarden by Kaleidyscope Vol. 2: The Solstice Bare - An EP by the off-and-on again band from Chicago still being fronted by Billy Corgan.  The overall concept for the Teagarden by Kaleidyscope opus is a total of 44 songs released sporadically over time.  The first volume collected the first four songs released plus a bonus track if you bought the vinyl album.  This volume follows the same pattern with four tracks in total plus a bonus track if you buy the full box set album.

The EP opens with "The Fellowship," a mainstream rock song that has hard sounding guitar and keyboard work.  The melody (especially the part done on synthesizer/keyboard) remind me of an early Muse song although Corgan's warble-y singing voice isn't as good a match as Matt Bellamy's to this type of song.  "Freak" is a much better match to the Smashing Pumpkin style with heavy guitar playing and a catchy bridge and refrain.  "Tom Tom" employs an acoustic guitar and a more ballad-like feel, at least initially.  The song then introduces harder pounding drums and moodier vocal work to make a more complex rock song.  "Spangled" has a more alternative feel with a jangly melody and a more somber tempo.  I felt this was the most control the band exhibited on the four tracks and the subdued vocal work a better fit for the now older Mr. Corgan.

The overall concept is a very interesting idea but the music Smashing Pumpkins give us today just doesn't sound as fresh or as relevant as it did when they were in their prime.  Billy Corgan's vocal work, while still sounding familiar, doesn't have the same punch as it used to.  It'll be interesting when they finally string all 44 songs into a completed mega album to see if they can form a cohesive piece of work from the individual pieces but it's not worth getting the individual pieces alone if these are the best songs the band can come up with today.

Score:  5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Spangled"

 French Horn Rebellion This Moment - The band consists of two brothers originally from Milwaukee but now performing primarily in New York.  One of the brothers was actually a French horn player for the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra but decided that way of playing music was too rigid for him so they decided to form this band instead.  The band has a heavy synth-pop sound with some electronic influences.  Vocals are prominent on every song (so it's not a strict electronica album) although the band doesn't shy away from synthesizing them.  

Okay, this EP is five tracks long and from those five tracks we only get two different songs.  You get the original "This Moment" plus three remixed versions of the song and you get a song titled "Last Summer."  "This Moment" is actually a very catchy song that begins with a fast tempo synthesized sound.  The hook and the chorus will both sweep you along and get you caught up in the song.  "Last Summer" is a slower tempo song with less vibrant singing.  It's not a total downer song but there isn't much interesting in it either, at least until the song goes on a complete tangent with a circus-like melody.

"This Moment" is a very good song and is deserving of its own single.  The remixed versions are above average although only Kap 10Kurt remix really bringing anything new to the song.  "Last Summer" is more awkward than good and sounds like a poor B-side to "This Moment".

Score: 7/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "This Moment"

New Music from 11/16/2010 - Norah Jones, Home Video and The Glass

Norah Jones ...Featuring Norah Jones  - The New York born and Texas raised jazz/pop/adult contemporary singer-songwriter (and daughter of legendary Indian musician Ravi Shankar) releases a new compilation album.  ...Featuring brings together collaboration songs Jones has performed for other artists' albums and features a wide range of performers from different musical genres.  A few of the songs are from her side project bands (El Madmo and The Little Willies), some are with classic R&B/jazz artists (Ray Charles and Herbie Hancock), a couple she teams with modern rock/indie bands (Foo Fighters and Belle and Sebastian), a number with veteran country musicians (Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton), and finally a handful of tracks are with modern hip-hop acts (Outkast and Q-Tip).  In total there are 18 tracks with no collaborator working on more than one song. 

Some of the collaborations are better than others.  Her voice, already so silky smooth and sexily brusque, naturally pairs well with on the Jazz collaborations.  "Court and Spark" (w/ Herbie Hancock) features subdued vocal work by Jones but the composition of the song, especially the piano work, makes it one of the highlights of the album.  Another Jazz artist's cover (Charlie Hunter's) of the 10,000 Maniacs song "More Than This" is another great use of Jones vocal control as she is able to wring out a maximum amount of emotion from a relatively subdued singing tenor on a version of the song that contrasts well with the original. The other songs I really liked were her hip-hop collaborations.  "Take Off Your Cool" from Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below album and "Life is Better" from Q-Tip's The Renaissance album are great, although most fans of that genre (like me) will already have both those albums.

All in all, it's a good album for Norah Jones fans as it brings together a lot of tracks that were only available on other artist's releases.  However, for non-fans of Norah Jones, there isn't a lot of variety in the music presented to us on this album as even to songs with bands/artists like Foo Fighters, Dolly Parton and Q-Tip all fall into the jazz/adult contemporary arena.  Only the Talib Kwali track would fit into another genre (hip-hop) and even then it's still not a fast-tempo song. 

Score:  6/10 (fans of Norah Jones can add two points to the Score)
Song(s) to Sample: "Take Off Your Cool" and "More Than This"

The Glass At Swim Two Birds - This duo originating from Germany releases their debut album.  Not to be confused with the progrock band Glass, this band from Berlin has an electropop sound with trance and house influences.  I couldn't find much info on the band itself so let's skip ahead to the review.

As I stated above, this is an electropop band so there are vocals on each song to accompany the electronic beats and synthesized tones.  The singing is done in a downtempo manner throughout the entire disc, like you might find in a Depeche Mode album although the singing voice is nowhere as good as Dave Gahan's.  The album opens with "Four Four Letter" which has a trance beat and a funky bass line at the beginning.  As the song progresses, the beat and rhythms work well together creating a very danceable song.  "Pheromone" has a slower, sexier backing beat to create a more sultry sound.  "Wanna Be Dancin'" has a trance beat but subdued vocals that fit in relatively well with the beat and synthesizer work.  It's a dance song that seems well fitted for raves but the tempo might be too slow for the song to get regular play at your more hip clubs.  "Washed Up" was one of my favorite songs with the vocals on that track doing its best to match the sweeping energy of the song without sounding too over eager. 

Overall, it's a well crafted and catchy debut electropop album, although there's definitely more "electro" than "pop" to the album.  Most of the songs are very danceable to with hard working trance and house beats.  However, the vocal work was a bit too subdued on some of the tracks and I thought it would have been a better fit for a downtempo electronica album.  The track layout was very logical though and that songs flowed well as the album progressed.  There were a few songs where they try to go all industrial on us with the beats that don't work as well ("Superhero" being one example) and the monotone singing and vocals don't always match up perfectly with the songs ("Atmosphere") but those are minor qualms to a very respectable debut album. 

Score:   8/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Washed Up" and "Surrender"

Home Video The Automatic Process (Note: this album isn't released until next week) - Woot!  Two electronica reviews in one week.  I feel like I'm back in college again!  Anyways, this three person electro-rock band from New York release their third full-length album.  I had never heard of the band before but a former classmate from grad school saw them when they opened for Blonde Redhead back east somewhere and she liked them very much so I thought I'd give this album a whirl. 

"Accomplished but Dead" opens the album well with a catchy electronic hook and a quiet but inviting meloday that draws you in to the album decently.  "Every Love That Ever Was" has a slower, downtempo sound that tries to bring more emotion into the song with techno beats by the time the bridge is upon us. "The Smoke" has some toe-tapping drum work and a catchy hook but the song gets monotonous after a while. 

The music they present to us is passable but there wasn't much that was outstanding or groundbreaking about it.   The tracks at the beginning of the album does it's best to invite the listener in but there's not much to keep the listener there as the album progresses.  It's similar to watching a well shot movie with no plot--it seems okay when you're in the moment but there's not much to discuss when you think back about what you just digested.  There's nothing really wrong with the album but, on the same token, there isn't anything that I loved about it either. 

Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "The Smoke"

New Music from 11/9/2010 - Hellogoodbye and Lifted Crew

Hellogoodbye Would It Kill You? -  The indie-pop band from Huntington Beach release their first album since 2006's popular and awesomely named Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! which ranked as high as #13 on the US charts and #1 on the indie charts.  The band always seems to be busy touring (I saw them a few years back when they opened for Panic! at the Disco) having played a number of big festivals over the years like Van's Warped Tour, South by Southwest, and Boston's CollegeFest.  Now that they've found the time to put together another album, let's see how it stands up.

The album opens with the peppy and catchy "Finding Something To Do."  It's not the most original song you'll ever hear but the jangly lyrics and fast tempo beat do their best to get you caught up in the pop feel of the band.  The next two songs, "Getting Old" and "When We First Met," follow the nice light pop sound formula that would be perfect for relaxing on a beach in warm weather although there isn't anything really groundbreaking or outstanding about either track.  Where the album really took off for me though is on the fourth track, "Betrayed by Bones," which I found enchanting and totally caught myself whistling along to on my first listen as the song built upon itself by the second chorus.  "You Sleep Alone" has a more punk feel to it with the quick drumming and singing but still incorporates the pop hooks to get your toe tapping.  "The Thoughts Game Me the Creeps" has a softer feel with its ukulele backing giving it a surfer quality that is reminiscent of a Jack Johnson song.  

Overall, it's a pretty enjoyable album although it sounds more like a summer release than a holiday release album.  That didn't diminish my enjoyment of the album at all.  I just think the album would have more relevance and a greater audience impact as a summer release because of the generally light  feel and tone of the album (there's even a song called "Coppertone" about waiting for a girl on the beach--c'mon now!!).  The middle of the album starting with "Betrayed" and running through "I Never Can Relax" is the real high point that shows the growth in song writing by the band making the album a more than worthy successor to Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!

Score:  7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Betrayed by Bones" and "Finding Something To Do"

Lifted Crew The Undeniable (EP) - The Lifted Crew is a hip-hop/funk/soul band from New York.  According to their biography on MySpace, the band "consists of hard hitting horns, an explosive rhythm section, lyrically gifted MCs, and incredible vocalists."  I would describe their style as somewhere between the more sultry work of Usher and the more orchestral work of Erykah Badu.

This EP is five tracks long.  It opens with "Would It Be?" which is a very seductive song with sultry guitar licks and a slick rap to begin the song.  The female chorus plus the keyboard work add a soulful feel to the song that melds well with the rap.  "On You" has a very sexy feel with the jazzy horn work and quick rap although with a chorus consisting of "I want to bust/my nut on you" you probably wouldn't want this playing on a first date unless you're on a VH1 reality dating show.  "Do You Like It" has a funkier feel with the horn work and vocal work that reminded me of Blackstar.  I enjoyed the looser feel to the song and appreciated the subdued energy the song showcased.

Overall, Lifted Crew give us a very unique album with is funk/soul sound that recalls some of the greats from the 70's but with lyrics that you wouldn't want mom or grandma to hear.  For example, "Superstar" has horn work that would make Parliament or The Ohio Players envious but also equates being a superstar to being a porn star, so that probably wouldn't fly with an original fan of one of those bands today.  I loved the contrast of those two dichotomies though and thought the band blended them extremely well in the music given to us on the EP.  Here's hoping they come out with a full length release in the near future. 

Score:  8.0/10

Song(s) to Sample:  "Do U Like It?"

New Music from 11/2/2010 - Matt & Kim, Mini Mansions, and the Punk Goes Pop series

Matt & Kim Sidewalks - The New York dance-pop-punk duo releases their third LP.  In addition to their catchy tunes, Matt & Kim are probably best known for the quirky music videos from their last album, Grand.  "Lesson Learned" won 2009 Breakthrough Video award at the MTV VMAs and was the inspiration for Erykah Badu's hit video "Window Seat" (the Matt & Kim video is the superior version).  My favorite video (& song) of theirs though is "Daylight" which features an extremely quirky video that has Matt & Kim singing the toe-tapping song in various cramped locations like in a closet, shower and fridge.  I know that doesn't sound like a fun video but trust my word that it is very cool (or see it for yourself). 

As usual, Kim provides the drumming and backup vocals while Matt does the keyboard work and sings lead.  The album opens with "Block After Block" which has a quick tempo and upbeat singing.  Although I wouldn't call the song uplifting, it does an effective job of introducing the band's style and drawing you into their brand of music.  "Cameras" is a weirdly catchy song that I appreciate more each time I listen to it.  It begins with synthesized horn blowing and is done in a 5/4 time beat that can be initially off-putting but the catchy hooks in the bridge and the extremely well sung vocals (I love the meter he sings with) make it a very memorable song.  "Good for Great" starts with a simple but catchy keyboard playing and evolves into a nice, light pop song.  The only track I couldn't get into was "Ice Melts" which sounded like a strange amalgamation of a Bjork and an English Beat song.  Thankfully that's the last song on the album so it didn't ruin my overall enjoyment of the album. 

Overall, it's a very good album from Matt & Kim.  The first half has a heavier dance feel while the second half is more pop.  Like on their previous work, Kim's drumming provides most of the punk influence to their songs (although that's not as prevalent anymore) while Matt's keyboard work adds a lot of the pop influence. Matt's vocal work really shines on this album.  His singing voice is far from your classical crooner (it's closer to Fred Schneider of the B-52s than, say, a Jason Mraz) but the timber, meter and resonance he uses adds an extra layer to the music and really enhances the album.  The only reason this album doesn't score higher is there were no immediate standout songs like "Daylight" from their last album. 

Score:  8/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Cameras" and "Good for Great"

Mini Mansions Mini Mansions - SoCal native and Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael "Mikey Shoes" Shurman releases the debut album of his three person side project band.  The band was put together after QotSA went on hiatus after their lengthy 2009 tour.  Unlike the hard rocking QotSA, the music from Mini Mansions would fall into a less in-your-face pop rock sound. 

The album begins with a quick 90-second musical vignette (ingeniously titled "Vignette #1") with subtle instrument playing and vocal work that acts as a shrewd, if non-splashy, introduction to the band's music.  The music in the vignette and in the album as a whole has chamber pop/chamber rock feel with a complex layering of sound.  After the initial vignette, the album really takes off.  Shurman (assuming he handles most of the lead vocals since all three members get vocal credit on the album) has a voice that sounds like John Lennon's from his post-Beatles era in the mid-70's, especially in the first handful of tracks.  "The Room Outside" expertly layers in electric guitars with heavy feedback after a slow thoughtful piano opening that builds to a crescendo as the track progresses.  "Crime of the Season" uses vocal harmonies and a solid pop hook to create one of the highlight songs of the album.  "Majik Marker" has a more somber tone featuring hard piano playing and airy vocals to add a more haunting feel to the track.

Even though I've done it before in one or two past reviews, I really don't like comparing bands to The Beatles because that's like comparing an upcoming painter to Picasso.  But, in this instance, I don't mind making that comparison because in addition to the musical similarities I listed above, even the song construction is reminiscent of the Fab Four.  They're not exact clones by any means, but Mini Mansions has a sound that combines the classic pop sensibilities of The Beatles (actually, to be exact, it is more similar to the post-Beatles work of Lennon and McCarthy) with more modern song construction along the lines of Ambulance LTD.  The album might be a little too eclectic/psychedelic for your more mainstream listener but for a side project this ranks right up there with the Broken Bells' release (the side project of Danger Mouse and James Mercer from The Shins) for best side project album of the year.  It's absolutely mesmerizing and well constructed from the beginning to the end. 

Score:  9.5/10

Song(s) to Sample:  "Crime of the Season" and "The Room Outside"

Various Artists Punk Goes Pop Volume 3 - The third album in this compilation series from Fearless Records features the label's punk bands like Ready Set and Of Mice and Men covering modern hip-hop, pop, and dance songs.  Some of the covered artists include Jay-Z, Lady Ga Ga, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West.  There are 14 tracks in total and no artist performs or is covered more than once. 

I’ve listened to a lot of punk cover songs over the years and your typical punk cover speeds up the beat, replaces any acoustic instruments with its electronic siblings, and performs the vocals in a much harder style.  For some types of songs, the punk cover can really work well and you get something that can transcend the original.  For other songs, it’s a total mismatch of styles that leads to an awful song cover that loses all of the original beauty.  So which songs fit into which category on this album?  Woe is Me’s cover of Katy Perry’s “Hot ‘n’ Cold” starts with a very heavy metal opening with primal screaming of the lyrics that overshadows the danceable rhythm of the original.  Artist Vs Poet’s cover of Lady GaGa’s “Bad Romance” does some interesting things with the instrumentation but the singing reminds me of the version done on Glee a few weeks ago.  One of the best is Mayday Parade’s cover of Jason Derulo’s “In My Head” which adeptly quickens the tempo without going overboard and creates a highly danceable version.   This Century’s cover of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” was perhaps my favorite with its very simplified melody and singing adding more poignancy to the song’s lyrics. 

Okay, my first problem with this album is that very few of the covered songs are actually pop songs.  Most are hip-hop or dance, but I digress.  The real problem is that most of the bands show little imagination when re-imagining the original artist concepts and fall into the trap I mentioned previously.  There are a handful of some very original and clever punk covers but those are too few and far between. 

Score:  6/10

Song(s) to Sample:  This Century's "Paper Planes" (M.I.A cover) and Family Force 5's "Bulletproof" (La Roux cover)


Note: I will be out of town at the beginning of next week but will try to have my reviews posted by Wednesday or Thursday.