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CD REVIEW Various Artists: TSM/SLW Promotions special June 2010, #1: The Crawdaddy - The Jade - Charlotte -Anders Chriss - Two Choices |
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TSM/SLW Promotions special June 2010, #1 …with a couple of releases (The Crawdaddy & The Jade) I’ve had since last month already (kept ‘em aside because the 2nd April special would simply have been too long otherwize). Somehow however, I never got around to starting up a new TSM/SLW special last month. Something which is now to be remedied, eh (especially since I’ve already got quite a few albums lined up for review – in other words, expect quite a few specials coming your way pretty soon). This time around no less than 6 artists, in alphabetical order the active ones are Anders Chriss (Goteborg, Sweden), The Crawdaddy (Florida, USA), The Jade (Helsinki, Finland), Two Choices (Brighton, UK), and the two defunkt bands (first full-length release of old material) are Charlotte (Los Angeles, CA) and Legacy (Columbus, OH). -------------------------------------------- Going behind this stage name is one Richard Dance, and although these albums constitute his first outings he’s been playing music on a semi-professional basis for over 30 years now. He started singing in the gospel choir at 8, got his first guitar at the age of 12, and was playing his first gigs in Mardi Gras parades at the age of 17 (should give you an idea of his current age, and the area he might’ve grown up – okay, I’ll tell ya : he’s from Florida…alright!?). By 19, he was touring the college circuit & Gulf Coast clubs in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. By the time he was 23, Dance felt the US of A wasn’t big enough for him and so he took his wacky blend of New Orleans Blues, Funk, (Hard) Rock, Southern Soul and Gospel (which has come to be called “Black & White Groove”) worldwide, to Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, and Australia. During those days (and remember he still didn’t have any records out in those days) he occasionally got the chance to open shows for some of the greats, including The Fifth Dimension, BB King, and Tina Turner…and spent time on the stage or in the studio with musicians from Count Basie, Lyle Lovett, Dionne Warwick, and Dr. John. In later years Dance settled down in Phoenix, Arizona, where he made himself a career of producing other bands, hiring his services as (co-)songwriter and musician (he not only sings and plays the guitar, but also the bass, keyboards, and drums) on the side, and providing music for movie, video, TV and radio (using his 6-year stay in the Middle East and Asia as a basis to add Arabic and/or East Indian flavourings to a tune as wanted). So, don’t be surprised if both his albums have covers by the hand of Johnny Guitar Watson [“Real Mother For Ya” (which I first heard as a live cover by Mothers Finest in the late ‘70s) on Resurrected!,and a real great version of “What The Hell Is This?” on Luxury Muscle). Another artist Dance has apparently grown fond of, is Jimi Hendrix (proof given by gis wacky versions of “Fire” on the first album, and “Stone Free” on the second). At the point of covers, Resurrected! also features “One Way Out”, a 1950’s tune by Sonny Boy Williamson, also recorded by the Allman Brothers in the early ‘70s. There’s also “Cold Women With Warm Hearts”, written by one Mack Rice and apparently from the Stax/ Memphis school. And eventually “Lonely Avenue” was written for Ray Charles. The 5 Dance originals include the two instrumentals “Bridge Out” and “The Forty Stumble”, the (soft pornographically) female sung “The One”, Dance’s answer to Albert King’s “Laundromat Blues” (appropriatedly titled “Answer To Laundromat Blues”), and a song from Dance’s past, actually recorded in 1995 with a complete band (on the rest of the album, and not including the female singing mentioned, Dance did everything himself). As far as covers go, the 12-track Luxury Muscle features (besides the 2 tracks mentioned earlier) the Aretha Franklin hit (1968) “See Saw” (originally written for Stax Records in 1965); Wilson Picket’s “Three Times Loser” (a song written for him in 1965, which would also becaome a hit for Bonnie Raitt in the ‘70s); “Soul Shake”, a song recorded in 1970 by Soul giants Deleney & Bonnie Bramlett (features female duet vocals by Gigi Dixon); “Rock Steady”, written by Paul Rodgers for the 1973 self-titled debut Bad Company album (features female vocal backings by one Makenzie Heinemann); the 1966 Ray Charles hit song “Let’s Go Get Stoned” (written by famed songwriters Ashord & Simpson, it sees Dixon helping out again); “Arrested For Driving While Blind” was originally a ZZ Top tune, and brought here in a completely different arrangement – the only thing remaining original are the lyrics. Like on his first album, Dance only includes only 4 of his originals on Luxury Muscle, including “Male Side” (on which Heinemann again provides female vocal backings), the wacky “Up & Down” (includes some string arrangements – 2 violins – and a vocal style by Dance like I hadn’t hear him before), the catchy “Luv Stuff”, and the almost instrumental album closer “Happy Fonk Day To You” (those are the only words you’ll hear on the album, first 6 times in the opening, then 6 times towards the end, and a final time in the fade-out). I guess I need not say that in each of his own songs, Dance emulates his influences quite nicely while still giving the tracks a Crawdaddy touch? Richard “The Crawdaddy” Dance plays a hybrid style which is essentially timeless and full of groove, and therefore his records should find takers with both older and younger music lovers! He’s an alround nice guy, whom organized the Arizona Crawfish Festival (in those days the largest crawfish fest in the Southwest of the US) for 12 years during the ‘80s and ‘90s, which raised thousands of dollars for the Phoenix Day Child Development Center and Phoenic Youth At Risk foundations. Nice innit? His music is also nice, although sometimes with a playful twinkle, and you can check some of it (5 tracks off each album) at myspace.com/mycrawdaddy. As you will notice when checking out the page, several of The Crawdaddy’s songs have made it into the top of the on-line OurStage site, where over 10,000 bands compete with each other for attention! Also mentioned, there’s already two the Crawdaddy videos, look ‘em up at Youtube. The underneath rating counts for both albums. 95/100 -------------------------------------------- The Jade (currently comprised of singer/ additional percussionist Wille Rosen, guitarist/ backing vocalist Pekko Mantzin, bassist Jann P.H. and drummer Sirpa, the original line-up also included keyboardist Mike K.) is a Helsinki (Finland) based Indie Rock band formed during Summer 2004. That same fall saw the release of the independently released debut EP Heatwave, and the band strated touring around in Scandinavia in support of the release. The follow-up mini-album Slow Motions On The Fast Lane came (also independently released) in late 2006. With widespread plays on various Internet and FM radio stations, also including Germany and the US, the band soon found their music spread on fan pages, and street teams were popping up here and there. Then, in the spring of 2008, the band signed their deal with North & South, which eventually resulted in the Summer 2009 and Petri Majuri & Hannu Leiden (respectively known from having worked with Havana Black and Hanoi Rocks, among others) produced album Seconds Away From Salvation. Before that, but already with the deal in their pocket, The Jade played some notable tours (during April and October) through Germany’s biggest cities (the latter tour was extended to one show in Switzerland as well). What with the album already out for a while, 2 singles culled from it were already released, each making it into the official Top 10 charts in Finland (“Drowning” got to #9; follow-up single “It’s A Sin”, featured on the album as a bonus track and an original by Pet Shop Boys, even entered the charts at #4). Before the end of 2009, the label released the album’s 3rd single “King’s Cross” (now there’s choice I can agree with, because the track is simply gré-éat!). In January the album was also released in Japan and later that same month saw the release of 4th single “Yesterday’s Rain”. Stylistically speaking, one can categorize the Jade in the Glam/ Emo Rock corner, but keep in mind that the band keep a heavy edge to their songs most of the time (only the 41-second instrumental “St. Pancreas”, actually an intro to “King’s Cross”, has a ballad feel with the piano inclusion – more songs with inclusion of keyboards include “The Flame”, “Roses Are Burning”, and “Yesterday’s Rain” and are played by guest musician Tomi Taskinen, whom has apparently been taken into the fold since – oh chuck it, of course the track “Beautiful Things” has a partial ballad feel as well, this time due to the calmer passages). At myspace.com/thejade, the band posted no less than 7 of the 14 tracks on the album for you to enjoy. Check ‘em out if you’re into Emotional but heavy Glam Rock! But be warned, once bitten, you’ll most probably go back for more! Good thing the album can be bought in your local record store, then! 92/100 -------------------------------------------- Okay, so I simply hàd to do these two together, right? I mean, they kinda belong together, having been issued by the same label, and both bands defunkt. Turns out Eönian Records have specialized themselves in the release of forgotten treasures from the ‘80s, stuff recorded by bands that never got around to getting their music released officially. Specifically from the mid ‘80s, it was the era of “Hair” bands, and in California you needed to go Glam Rock in order to be able to make it into the business side of things (you know, get a contract, regular gigs, etc…). Back in 1986, LA musicians Eric Ganz (lead singer), Nick DiBacco & Vinnie Cacciotti (both guitarists), accompanied by a revolving rhythm section had indeed gotten caught in the Glam Rock/ Metal route that was doin’ so well in the charts in those days, but their heart wasn’t really in it, as they always yearned to “put the voodoo back in Rock ‘n’ Roll, to let the gritty sounds of the ‘70s influence their music! They dabbled on with changing members for about a year, and then happenstanced across bassist Chris Colovas and drummer Eric D. Brewton, whom seemed to share their musical visions. A jam rehearsal was quickly arranged, and even before that was over everyone knew they had found the ultimate companions…and a new direction to follow! So, in stead of continuing the easier route of bandwagon jumping, the band opted for a style which was very different for those days, a mostly mid-paced Blues-drenched Heavy Rock with occasionally groovy overtones (check the great sounds of the mouthpiece guitar effect during “Got Love On The Line”). Still, the band also showed a softer side to themselves with the nice semi-acoustic ballad “Changes” (which even includes some piano play by Ganz). The bandname? The guys somehow got on the subject of famous women, and a discussion on the legendary Charlotte “The Harlot” (you know her from the song by Iron Maiden, of course)…and shortening that, the band indeed came to its name. Right, I won’t go into further historical facts, because you can read all the details at the band’s page at eonianrecords.com. This album’s 12 tracks stem forth from several recording sessions in different studios done between 1988 and 1992. In the latter days of their being together the band even tried to go for a slightly different sound, adding saxophone to their music (might’ve been an idea of the label they were demoing for though?), but even that could not get the band a deal. Several labels did approach the band, but then let ‘em slide. Of course, at the beginning of the ‘90s the bigger companies were all reverting to Grunge, turning that into the scourge of the decade, and that certainly won’t have helped. Still, the band played a very nice music indeed, as you will able to hear for yourself by surfing to myspace.com/lamusic, where no less than 5 tracks off the album plus 2 never in the studio recorded live tracks can be found (at eonianrecord.com you can find an additional track). The band split up in the early ‘90s, but even then the original members never excluded the possibility of a reunion. From Reynoldsburg (near Columbus) Ohio, Legacy’s topics would come from a less frivolous side of life than that of Charlotte, since they were a Christian (Heavy) Metal band, and from my point of view occasionally too up-front and “activist” about it (more about that later). The band’s creation is stated as beginning on September 17, 1987. Youth minister Eric Adams was looking to manage a band that would not only Rock your socks off, but also share his love for God while doin’ so. He’d already put his mind on the threesome of John Rice (bass & backing vocals), Matt Rice (guitar & backing vocals) and Matt Reedy (drums), but still needed a decent lead singer, so he asked befriended musician Fred Blanchard (a guitarist & backing singer) if he knew of any singers looking for a job. As faith would have it, Fred’s band had broken up that same day, so both he and the singer of that band, Doug Meacham were both available…and thus the first line-up of the band was formed! While still deciding on a name, the band was rehearsing their first songs (inspired by the likes of Stryper, Dokken, and Scorpions), but even before they got around to playing their first gig Reedy had left. As his replacement Blanchard called on his friend John Jenkins, and with the infusion of fresh blood also came the inspiration for the bandname! Legacy went on to become a fairly successful Christian Metal band locally, putting the proverbial fire of Faith into people wherever they performed. They recorded a couple of self-released singles (songs off which were featured on several compilations) and more material at Chillicothe, Ohio’s The Recording Workshop between Fall 1988 and Spring 1990…and were in fact slated to sign a major label deal, but then eventually things fell through. Matt was the first to leave, followed soon by Fred. In the following year he band went through a series of personnel changes…but before a new line-up could be solidified, the whole Grunge thing had exploded, leaving Heavy Metal bands vitually chanceless. By Spring ’92 only Doug and John remained as original members, and over a telephone conversation the two agreed on the demise of the band. As with Charlotte, there’s a more complete and detailed story for you posted at eonianrecord.com. At myspace.com/legacycolumbus, you’ll find 7 songs for you to saviour…or disgust about. As mentioned above, I have something against the somewhat extrremist viewpoints of the band. Album opener “Salvation Is Law” is about hammering home the point that everyone needs a savior, Salvation through Faith being God’s Law, and like any law, obidience is mandatory. “Cross The Line” : so many people draw a line in the sand when it comes to the things of God, and the song urges those people to cross that line and embrace the Lord. “Red, White, And Blue” (not posted) was a song to support the US at a time when tensions were mounting in the Gulf War. Apparently the song became a popular anthem during shows, with one regular concert attendee bringing along an American flag to wave it during the playing of the song. “Soldiers Unite” : Military imagery is often used in the Walk of Faith, and this song was a rallying cry for Christian soldiers to unite in spiritual battle against the forces of darkness. “One Way Or The Other”…that one really makes me puke, as accordiong to the liner notes Jesus said that lukewarm followers make Him want to vomit. There is no “on the fence” in Christianity. Middle ground, wishy-washiness, compromise…these things give God a queasy stomach. Well, personally I do not like extremism at all. It leads to psychotic figures in power leading their flock into doing the most attocious deeds, like enforcing The Faith (yuk!) onto other peoples, or slaying those whom won’t follow! Just like an extremist Christian to support the US in their “battle” against the “Anti-Christ” muslim (the Gulf War, see)! Anyway, the music itself was nice enough (nice dual lead guitar runs, fine mid-high pitched lead singer, great harmony vocals), just don’t care for the message! That’s a purely personal thing, of course, and what if I translate thàt into my rating? In MY world you àre free to your own opinion!!! 90/100 (Charlotte) & 82/100 (Legacy) -------------------------------------------- Anders Chriss is a Swedish singer-songwriter/ guitarist/ multintrumentalist and producer from Gothenburg, who’s spent the batter part of the last decade (7 years) in China (both mainland & Taiwan) as a resident musician and touring artist with his own projects (among which, for instance, Rock band The Roadkills). It speaks for Anders’ eclecticism that during his stay in China he mixed up with a broad range of musicians, stylistically going from Jazz to Blues, and from Rock to DJ! All along, he continued to write material for a solo album. Currently back in Sweden, Anders settled himself in a studio with his guitar and a drum machine (either that or it were electronic drums and an additional synthesizer) to record the 9 songs on the Volatility album. The enchanting single (also album opening track) “The One” was issued earlier this year (February 10) as a prelude teaser for the album. Now in all fairness, the album’s title is somewhat misleading when considered the contents. You see, overall the vvocals can be called rather on the calmer side. Most of the songs also have quite a bit of acoustic guitar, with electric guitar only present to add an slight etheric touch. But hey, there àre a couple of “harder” tunes (check “Little Man” and “Good Lies”). Why did I mention the possibility of the use of either a drum machine or electronic drums? Well, because you can hear quite some effects on the drums, typical for those instruments. The drum machine also enables the user to add the occasional synth sounds that pop up here and there (“Call On Me”, “Little Man”, “Run Out Of Love”), but in the case of album closing “All Shall Fade” it’s more probable that an actual keyboard was used, as the track contains piano play (or something resembling it) and atmospheric keyboards (emulating a cello sound towards the end of the track). References cited are Chris Cornell (in all fairness, I haven’t been able to check Cornell’s solo work out well enough), Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith (both were acoustic singer-songwriters, and I’ve heard music by both, but have nothing of theirs in my collection), Radiohead (I suppose the calmer, and less psychedelic side of that band is meant), and Muse (another band I have not been able to sample enough, at least not to my satisfaction…but I fondly regard the one EP by the band I have in my collection). Well, vocally Anders certainly falls into a crossing of all of the above, and the same somehow goes for the music! Check it out for yourself at…no, nót at MySpace for once, but at anderschriss.com, where you can not only liisten to each and every track on the album, but also download it at a fee. My end conclusion? A nice easy-listening album, but it takes several sessions before the completeness of the album gets settled in the mind. That ain’t even such a bad thing, because it means there’s underlaying stuff goin’ on which makes several listening sessions interesting! Still, at the end of the day I guess I prefer my music a bit ore uplifting at the moment. 83/100 -------------------------------------------- This Brighton (well, they’re originally from Portslade, but that’s only like 5 kms away, and probably considered a suburb of the famous coastal city) based British Pop Rock (they claim to be influenced by anything from Elton John to Bon Jovi to Green Day) quartet (consisting of lead singer/ keyboardist Ash Plank, guitarist Tom Clarke, bassist Tim Cook, and drummer Ryan “Boyce” O’Sullivan) has been together for just over 10 years now (starting when the four friends were only 14), and in that time have played over 450 gigs in both the UK and Europe. The band self-released their debut mini-album Longest Journey in 2008, took the album along on a tour that included bars as well as the usual concert venues…which made ‘em a bunch of fans usually not reached…and not only succeeded in selling all 1,000 copies that were made during these concerts only, but also saw themselves win the title of “Best Indie Rock Band” at the 2009 Playmusic Pickup’s“Unsigned” awards. The album also got loving praise from the contacts the band sent albums to (Black Velvet Magazine, Source Magazine, Rockzone, Radio Caroline, Dangerdog.com, Hardrockhouse.com, and even Roger Daltrey of The Who). In September of last year the quartet spent some good time at London’s The Animal Farm studios with Ville and Matt Leppanen to record the 4 new songs that constitute the band’s new body of work! After that, the band took an absence of leave, something they’re not really used to doing, as they normally gig up until the end of the year! In the band’s own mind, the new material might sound a bit more roaring and fresher than their older material, but I guess that’s just a musician’s view on his own work, because what you get on the new EP is exactly in the same vein as the stuff they put on their debut mini-album (as you can see in the caption above, the band sent us the EP’s limited Special 2 CD Edition, which includes the mini-album as a bonus). So, what exactly dó you get? Well, that differs slightly on the song, really. Of course it’s all very nicely catchy and energetic Pop Rock, but the EP’s closing track “Angels” is definitely more straight-forward, where opening track “Here We Go” is more keyboard-driven. The songs in between both have some keyboards in ‘em as well, but not as prominently as the latter mentioned. Ashhas a slight nasal tone to his voice, which is actually nice, and he’s expertly backed in a harmonic way by…at least one of the other guys. And that…would preetty much sum up a description of the debut mini, you know! Well, at any rate you can check out all of the new EP’s tracks at myspace.comtwochoices, where they’re posted alongside 5 older tracks…for “comparison”. Highly infectuous material with a happy undertone! What more can the optimist youngsters of today want for? 84/100 Tony. P.S.: So far for the first TSM/SLW Promotion Agency special of this month. I promise I’ll get at least another one through in June. And I’d better, because I already have some 10 albums awaiting their review at the moment), but please keep in mind that our to-do box is simply bulging with stuff to review (for instance: another promotion agency sent us a package with at least 13 albums for me to do…and on top there’s still a bunch of “regular” (usually downloads) albums for me to get through. So I’d better stop this wanking, and get on with the work! |
