(Morning Star, Saturday 28 May 2005)
...Something To Be
(MELISMA/Atlantic)
There's a curious thing about solo male artists in the modern age.
They seem to be either the self-loathing, overly emotional types such as Damien Rice or the sadly missed Elliott Smith, or they go the way of George Michael and Darius - impossibly smug and deserving of a smack.
Rob Thomas has pulled off a previously inconceivable feat - he straddles the line between these two camps and is, therefore, both.
Matchbox 20, another of the bands that we are told are "huge in America" and all around the world, boast Thomas as their frontman and, one imagines, primary creative force.
Best known for his anodyne rendering of Carlos Santana's Smooth in 1999, he has here seen fit to commit to record his own brand of "soulful" music.
From opener This Is How A Heart Breaks, it's clear there's about as much soul in Thomas as in Carrie-era Cliff Richard.
Single Lonely No More is doubtless being battered through overuse on a commercial station near you.
Don't even bother listening to I Am An Illusion, it is a talent vacuum complete with sampled warblings from Bessie Jones and enough crazy trumpet and sax and to make anyone scream.
There is a story about Thomas's personal circumstances, but let these not blind you to the facts - this is terrible music.
The ellipsis in the title would appear to be Thomas's way of adding a gimmicky depth to his debut solo effort, but it simply begs the consumer to fill in the blank for themselves.
The best complete title I can come up with is Dear God, Can You Please Give Me a Sign That I Have Something to Be. The answer, says God, is no.
Saturday 28 May 2005
Wednesday 25 May 2005
Off-kilter
(Morning Star, Wednesday 25 May 2005)
FESTIVAL: Perth Festival of the Arts
KIRSTIE MAY enjoys a diverse mix of contemporary art and culture at Scotland’s second-biggest festival in Perth.
A small town in rural Scotland, Perth is remarkable for its natural beauty.
A gem for visitors and a haven for residents, for 10 days in May, the appeal of Perth is magnified for those with an interest in both traditional and contemporary culture.
Now in its 34th year, Perth Festival of the Arts offers a distinctly varied menu to suit all tastes.
Originally founded to promote artists from classical music and opera, the festival board has, in recent years, sought to expand the appeal of the programme to include all art forms and to attract all people to this, Scotland's second arts festival.
"It's important that we get that mix," says festival administrator Sandra Ralston.
"There are so many things going on that even I'm excited to see."
With a bill that covers the best in comedy, interesting talks from household names and a wide variety of music - from folk to classical to opera - this year, the festival has proven to be yet another winner.
The ArTay art marquee in St John's Place is the home of a variety of artistic showcases throughout the festival and, in each of the programme's five other venues, there is no shortage of diverse spectacle.
Early in the festival, it's hard to tell what will be the talk of the town, which act will shine out brightest among the vast array of stars.
But Friday night in Perth City Hall sees a potential winner, as a diminutive, wonderfully coquettish singer takes to the stage and US citizen Stacey Kent proceeds to hold the audience spellbound.
Internationally successful and uniquely alluring, Kent and her musicians - including her husband on saxophone - weave a seductive musical web around the hall, dipping liberally into the great American Songbook as they deliver their unique take on some of the greats.
Starting out with a version of The Best Is Yet to Come that would have Ol' Blue Eyes smiling, other joys come from Rodgers and Hammerstein - Cockeyed Optimist and State Fair's It Might As Well Be Spring - and the inimitable Cole Porter's You're The Top.
Colin Oxley's sweet guitar ushers in George and Ira Gershwin's They Can't Take That Away From Me and Kent's vocal has the hall ringing with just the right mix of cheer and melancholy.
The warmth of her voice also wrings out every last ounce of emotion from Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars, a personal favourite of Kent's husband from the Brazilian songbook and the perfect leveller of all the wonderful musicians playing here.
The remarkable talent on display during An Evening with Stacey Kent and her Musicians is but a fond memory by the time we reach the Perth Theatre for Paul Merton's Impro Chums.
A comprehension of Whose Line Is It Anyway? notwithstanding, the only cultural competence audience members need to bring to the show is the ability to laugh at anything with impunity.
Merton's "chums" number old cohort Jim Sweeney, music man Richard Vranch and token female Suki Webster.
There are some high points to the proceedings and, before the interval, few targets escape a whipping - from the Pope to George Galloway via the Crazy Frog.
But the interval - when the audience are invited to submit written suggestions - seems to set everyone off-kilter.
The quickfire sketches that follow are lame in the most obvious way, but none of the comedic brains here seems to know when to cut a bad story loose.
A Costa Rican snowboarding coffee picker and a skit involving hedgehogs throwing javelins are both very satisfying, but, all too often, there's nothing to work with.
Merton especially comes up short on all fronts, the try-hard surreality that he exposes on Have I Got News For You being positively natural compared to his performance tonight, miscast horribly as some sort of comedy mentor.
Aberfeldy, however, are about as natural as bands get.
Radiating goodwill from the stage at the Perth Theatre, the Edinburgh quintet charm and disarm the expectant audience.
Even for those who don't know their album Young Forever, the accessibility of Aberfeldy's music cannot be overstated.
Where other shows have packed out the theatre with a mix of genders and generations, Aberfeldy seems to be a show just for the kids, putting it at odds with the generally inclusive nature of the festival.
With the excessive music press buzz that surrounds them, it would be easy to write Aberfeldy off before their second album, but these Rough Trade signings prove here that they have substance in spades.
Riley Briggs's gentle, persuasive manner makes him the ideal frontman for peddling Aberfeldy's folky wares, offering as he does a natural affinity for a strong, sweetly crafted tune and, in the occasional knowing smile, a quiet hint of even greater things to come.
FESTIVAL: Perth Festival of the Arts
KIRSTIE MAY enjoys a diverse mix of contemporary art and culture at Scotland’s second-biggest festival in Perth.
A small town in rural Scotland, Perth is remarkable for its natural beauty.
A gem for visitors and a haven for residents, for 10 days in May, the appeal of Perth is magnified for those with an interest in both traditional and contemporary culture.
Now in its 34th year, Perth Festival of the Arts offers a distinctly varied menu to suit all tastes.
Originally founded to promote artists from classical music and opera, the festival board has, in recent years, sought to expand the appeal of the programme to include all art forms and to attract all people to this, Scotland's second arts festival.
"It's important that we get that mix," says festival administrator Sandra Ralston.
"There are so many things going on that even I'm excited to see."
With a bill that covers the best in comedy, interesting talks from household names and a wide variety of music - from folk to classical to opera - this year, the festival has proven to be yet another winner.
The ArTay art marquee in St John's Place is the home of a variety of artistic showcases throughout the festival and, in each of the programme's five other venues, there is no shortage of diverse spectacle.
Early in the festival, it's hard to tell what will be the talk of the town, which act will shine out brightest among the vast array of stars.
But Friday night in Perth City Hall sees a potential winner, as a diminutive, wonderfully coquettish singer takes to the stage and US citizen Stacey Kent proceeds to hold the audience spellbound.
Internationally successful and uniquely alluring, Kent and her musicians - including her husband on saxophone - weave a seductive musical web around the hall, dipping liberally into the great American Songbook as they deliver their unique take on some of the greats.
Starting out with a version of The Best Is Yet to Come that would have Ol' Blue Eyes smiling, other joys come from Rodgers and Hammerstein - Cockeyed Optimist and State Fair's It Might As Well Be Spring - and the inimitable Cole Porter's You're The Top.
Colin Oxley's sweet guitar ushers in George and Ira Gershwin's They Can't Take That Away From Me and Kent's vocal has the hall ringing with just the right mix of cheer and melancholy.
The warmth of her voice also wrings out every last ounce of emotion from Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars, a personal favourite of Kent's husband from the Brazilian songbook and the perfect leveller of all the wonderful musicians playing here.
The remarkable talent on display during An Evening with Stacey Kent and her Musicians is but a fond memory by the time we reach the Perth Theatre for Paul Merton's Impro Chums.
A comprehension of Whose Line Is It Anyway? notwithstanding, the only cultural competence audience members need to bring to the show is the ability to laugh at anything with impunity.
Merton's "chums" number old cohort Jim Sweeney, music man Richard Vranch and token female Suki Webster.
There are some high points to the proceedings and, before the interval, few targets escape a whipping - from the Pope to George Galloway via the Crazy Frog.
But the interval - when the audience are invited to submit written suggestions - seems to set everyone off-kilter.
The quickfire sketches that follow are lame in the most obvious way, but none of the comedic brains here seems to know when to cut a bad story loose.
A Costa Rican snowboarding coffee picker and a skit involving hedgehogs throwing javelins are both very satisfying, but, all too often, there's nothing to work with.
Merton especially comes up short on all fronts, the try-hard surreality that he exposes on Have I Got News For You being positively natural compared to his performance tonight, miscast horribly as some sort of comedy mentor.
Aberfeldy, however, are about as natural as bands get.
Radiating goodwill from the stage at the Perth Theatre, the Edinburgh quintet charm and disarm the expectant audience.
Even for those who don't know their album Young Forever, the accessibility of Aberfeldy's music cannot be overstated.
Where other shows have packed out the theatre with a mix of genders and generations, Aberfeldy seems to be a show just for the kids, putting it at odds with the generally inclusive nature of the festival.
With the excessive music press buzz that surrounds them, it would be easy to write Aberfeldy off before their second album, but these Rough Trade signings prove here that they have substance in spades.
Riley Briggs's gentle, persuasive manner makes him the ideal frontman for peddling Aberfeldy's folky wares, offering as he does a natural affinity for a strong, sweetly crafted tune and, in the occasional knowing smile, a quiet hint of even greater things to come.
Saturday 21 May 2005
Introducing...
(Morning Star, Saturday 21 May 2005)
IN PROFILE: Joanna Newsom
IN today's post-pop, post-punk, post-postal musical climate, a harpist hailing from Nevada City, California, is an anomaly indeed.
Joanna Newsom now lives in San Francisco and has her fingers in a number of musical pies.
As well as playing with San Francisco rock trio Nervous Cop, Joanna plays keyboards for The Pleased, a band who owe more to Blondie and Television than traditional harp music.
But Newsom's nothing if not inventive and she stresses that her music is informed by many influences.
Writing on her own for about eight years, Newsom's avant-garde leanings are obvious.
Although she takes her lead from folk music, her study of African harp affords her the ability to make sounds with an instrument that most people have never heard before.
Having said that, Newsom is consciously trying to make what she terms "American" music, not wanting to be tarred with the world music brush.
Opening for Devendra Banhart in 2003 got her noticed and the buzz only grew from there.
"I guess that the news travels fast," Newsom humbly states when asked about her fame.
Now in her early twenties, she's been playing harp for about 16 years - and the recognition she receives shows that being from a family of musicians can pay off.
Her mother aimed to be a concert pianist and gave it up to become a doctor, but who still plays piano and "all sorts of stuff." Her father plays guitar, her sister's a cellist and her brother plays drums - von Trapp family eat your heart out.
Newsom's most recent album The Milk Eyed Mender (Drag City) is packed with ethereal beauty and offbeat humour, like magical opener Bridges and Balloons or the wonderful This Side Of The Blue, which features the most striking opening line this decade: "Svetlana sucks lemons across from me, and I am progressing abominably."
It's a lovely, gently subversive work from one of the most promising new musicians from the US.
IN PROFILE: Joanna Newsom
IN today's post-pop, post-punk, post-postal musical climate, a harpist hailing from Nevada City, California, is an anomaly indeed.
Joanna Newsom now lives in San Francisco and has her fingers in a number of musical pies.
As well as playing with San Francisco rock trio Nervous Cop, Joanna plays keyboards for The Pleased, a band who owe more to Blondie and Television than traditional harp music.
But Newsom's nothing if not inventive and she stresses that her music is informed by many influences.
Writing on her own for about eight years, Newsom's avant-garde leanings are obvious.
Although she takes her lead from folk music, her study of African harp affords her the ability to make sounds with an instrument that most people have never heard before.
Having said that, Newsom is consciously trying to make what she terms "American" music, not wanting to be tarred with the world music brush.
Opening for Devendra Banhart in 2003 got her noticed and the buzz only grew from there.
"I guess that the news travels fast," Newsom humbly states when asked about her fame.
Now in her early twenties, she's been playing harp for about 16 years - and the recognition she receives shows that being from a family of musicians can pay off.
Her mother aimed to be a concert pianist and gave it up to become a doctor, but who still plays piano and "all sorts of stuff." Her father plays guitar, her sister's a cellist and her brother plays drums - von Trapp family eat your heart out.
Newsom's most recent album The Milk Eyed Mender (Drag City) is packed with ethereal beauty and offbeat humour, like magical opener Bridges and Balloons or the wonderful This Side Of The Blue, which features the most striking opening line this decade: "Svetlana sucks lemons across from me, and I am progressing abominably."
It's a lovely, gently subversive work from one of the most promising new musicians from the US.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
