First review of 2011 goes to April Martin's delightful excursion into multiple genres with the guiding hand of producer Peter Calo giving the styles at play a little of his own ...style. When I went looking for pictures to post here in Google Images there were links to Peter Calo.com , aprilmartin.com , the U.K. version of amazon.com and an interesting review here http://view.vcab.com/?vcabID=cgaSncecSccrelh&page=131
There were also the obligatory pennies in actual jars, this one with quarters
but enough of that and on to my review. The flutes in "Out Of My Hands", the opening track which tells of "all my schemes ...written in sand" are a perfect complement to Martin's voice. For those who appreciae Marianne Faithful's lovely Andrew Loog Oldham-produced pop episodes the great Mr. Calo crafts just such a new masterpiece with this song. Acoustic guitars that take you back in time to the Immediate Records label and all the fun it brought to the universe. "It's A Shame" travels forward in time to the Nico-esque Marianne Faithful days when Mark Miller Mundy gave Marianne a bit of a darker tinge, that Broken English period on Island records. Not to dwarf Martin's debut in someone else's cloak but this collection of fourteen songs seems to be a bit more about communicating ideas than breaking original ground. "Cold Light Of Day" takes things to an even more intense line of thought, Buffy St. Marie and Judy Collins battling it out as if 60's guitarist Vinny Bell trekked into the future to give this folk music a new sort of sound. OK, it is quite innovative, so I take back the comment about unoriginality. "Got a Way To Go" would fit nicely onto the soundtrack of that Country & Western setting for the film Back To The Future III...didn't Calo also produce and play on a country album of old, old standards? If so, he's the perfect fit for this song. I like "Love's Been A Long Time Coming" and "Bye Bye", especially "Bye Bye"... more comparisons come to mind, the angst of Janis Ian and some heart-pounding lyrics that would come in handy if you are ready to tell a former love "adios". Write 'em down just in case you need 'em. The title "Pennies In A Jar" comes up inside a song, the finale, "Warrior Of The Heart", which I think should've been a five or six minute epic to close out the album. All the songs come in between three minute mark, the opening song at 3:45 and the second to last at two seconds under at 2:58 Didn't "The Letter" by the Box Tops come in at 1:58? There are no cover songs, but the album is strong in both production and song quality. Nice CD for me to start the new year of reviews off with. Charlene Goodman speaks!
I just adore this three song Abba E.P. with the German version of Waterloo at 2:47, the original "Waterloo" at 2:47 (well, who knows if the English version was the "original" ) and a superb Megamedley at 8:52 with Super Trouper, Dancing Queen, Take A Chance On Me, I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Money Money Money (how repetitive!), S.O.S., Mamma Mia, Waterloo, Knowing Me Knowing You, One Of Us, Chiquita and Fernando. The mega medley mix is awesome...as is the English/German A/B ---would love to have an album of different songs by Abba in different languages
Frigging Varmints second record is great!
1.Boston Creme
2)Baby's Off Her Rocker
3)No Promise
4)Countdown
5)Talk Talk
6)Little Leanne
7)One Square One
8)Rosalita
Boston Cream opens up with hard-hitting underground angst rock..."A bullets what you need/against the wall in line" in a song that's probably called "Talk Talk: Shut it Off" ...ok, the CD is in the player across the room, just found the disc on Reverb Nation with the titles. This one is "Talk Talk", not the song by the band of the same name nor the 60's punk rockers Music Machine...
Little Leanne has a great riff...straight out of the Keith Richards' songbook of Brown Sugar
guitar lines...Little Leanne must've been prowling around her Aunty Gloria's attic and reading her naughty diary because she "makes me feel alright", as Gloria did to Jim and Van Morrison (the Morrison twins) back in the decadent sixties. Strange fade out on the tune, maybe Rayboy Fernandes wanted to infuse some Atlantics-era recording into it?
One Square One sizzles but I have no idea what the heck singer Billy Borgioli is talking about...a mall in Melrose on Route 1 or something? Who knows, kind of like Jon Felice's Common At Noon. How many non-Bostonians know he was talking about the Boston Common (or was it the Harvard Common). "Rosalita" could be the sister of "Loretta", his seniorita Rosalita rocks just like The Nervous Eaters classic...heck, the opening track is risque' but Billy skirts the issue when this tune could get very off color...she runs around but he loves her enough to simply "hate the way" she comes and goes. CD could've went into Abba's " Chiquitita" (see above) but it ends as quickly as it started. A nice blast of new Varmints Boston Rock & Roll to pick up where their first CD released years ago left off.
Jonathan Richman "Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love
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ABIGAIL ZSIGA
Jann Klose
Lisa Burns Unadorned
