New Music Reviews - 5/17/2011 - Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi, Ben Harper, and Dinner At The Thompson's

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi Rome - The Grammy's reigning winner of "Producer of the Year," Danger Mouse, teams with Italian composer Daniele Luppi to release an album inspired by the music from Spaghetti Westerns.  Danger Mouse is best known for being the half of the band Gnarls Barkley not named Cee Lo Green but his work with bands like Broken Bells, The Black Keys, and The Good, The Bad and The Queen (plus other acts too numerous to mention here) is equally as impressive.  On this 15-track album that has been five years in the making, Jack White and Norah Jones lend a hand providing vocals on three separate tracks each. 

The album opens with the slow rolling "Theme of Rome" which features Edda Dell'Orso's vocals (the same singer who memorably performed on the The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly soundtrack more than 40-years ago) over a subdued drum beat with atmospheric Fender guitar work that borrows heavily from the genre they are trying to emulate.  "Seasons Trees" has a Downtempo electronica feel that matches extremely well with Jones natural singing tenor to create a song that could be easily found on a Zero 7 album.  "Two Against One" features White doing vocals and is one of the best Jack White sung tracks I've heard in a long time and would not sound out of place on some of the more recent White Stripes albums. 

Overall, Rome is an album that flies very high that comes close, but never manages, to leave orbit.  The music is a mixture of a more modern Downtempo style with the jangly, orchestral sounds of a Spaghetti Western score.  The tracks where White and Jones provide vocals are the real gems of the album with their vocals able to elevate the music above the melodies given to us.  Danger Mouse and Luppi do a great job of bringing us an under appreciated style and updating it for more modern ears.  The album is highly enjoyable even though it struggles on a few tracks from the indecision if this should be more of a downtempo album or more of a Spaghetti Western homage but that doesn't dampen the overall pleasing aesthetic that emanates from the album as a whole. 

Score: 8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "Two Against One" [sample it below] and "Seasons Trees"

Ben Harper Give Till It's Gone - The eclectic singer/songwriter and two-time Grammy winner from Claremont, CA releases his tenth studio album.  Harper is extremely entertaining to see live (I've seen him twice) especially since he performs often at smaller venues and his style of music is well suited for more intimate performances.  This is Harper's first release since he and actress Laura Dern filed for divorce so let's find out if going through that unfortunate event has influenced his music at all. 

The album's opener "Don't Give Up on Me Now" definitely sounds like a song written by a man going through a separation with lyrics like "I need to change/I don't know how" before pleading not to give up on him.  Thankfully, not the entire album follows in the footsteps of that downtrodden song.  "Spilling Faith" one of two songs featuring Ringo Starr on drums (what else were you expecting him to play?) which has a quicker, more uptempo beat with blues/funk inspired electric guitar work.  Ringo's other song is the sprawling neo psych-rock instrumental jam "Get There From Here" that will go over well during live shows.  One of the real standout tracks is very emotional "Pray That Our Love Sees the Dawn" which exhibits a level vulnerability a lot of artists would be afraid to show even for an artist like Harper who has never shied away from his more personal side. 

Give Till It's Gone is a more personal album from Harper that has a deeper meaning although the music presented isn't as good nor as consistent as what can be found on some of his best albums like 2004's There Will Be a Light.  Thankfully, not all of the album is a dark and introspective as the first track with a good mix of the blues, soul, folk and jam rock we expect from a Ben Harper album.  However, the overall disc feels incomplete because Harper is not able to blend the various styles as well as he has on past releases giving us a weird hodgepodge of songs over the duration of the entire album. 

Score: 6/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Pray That Our Love Sees the Dawn" [sample it below] and "Get There From Here"

Dinner At The Thompson's Off the Grid - Dinner is the creation of New York-born and California-raised singer Lucille Tee and French producer, performer, and DJ Fablive. I wasn't familiar with the band prior to listening to this album and I couldn't find many details on them online so, instead of my usual jib jab, let me quote their MySpace page bio:  "[The duo's music is] a great home listening experience that requires sunshine, headphones and a few ready rolled fat ones."  'Nuff said--let's get to the review!

This 15-song album (plus one hidden track at the very end of the last song) opens with a quick intro track that segues to "How Can I" which has a goa-influenced beat that adds some funkiness to Tee's ethereal-sounding vocals.  "Spirulina Queen" has a acid/downtempo feel but alternates between a trance and a break beat with a more peppy hip-hop/soul vocal style to create an instantly memorable song.  "It All Began" is the grooviest song on the album with a style that fits firmly between funk and hip-hop with Tee using a more modern hip-hop vocal style.   "I Can Do Anything" shows a softer side with a slower tempo and simple acoustic guitar backing. 

Dinner At The Thompson's has a very unique sound like what I imagine what would happen if you smashed Portishead together with Groove Armada.  This means it's hard to shoehorn their type of music into any one or two specific genres.  Instead, they creatively blend genres like hip-hop, funk, break beat, jazz, downtempo, house plus lots more to create very robust and well layered tunes that also have a light French touch.  Tee's light and airy vocals also match the various styles the band incorporates well by being able to bridge the different genres effortlessly.  I enjoyed the album a good deal even though I listened to it without the aid of any "ready rolled fat ones" but I can see where that could improve the album's score a point or two. 

Score:  7.5/10

Song(s) to Sample: "It All Began" [sample it below] and "I Can Do Anything"