CD Spins - Reviews - D
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Comp
DEEP FOREST
Boheme (550 Music/Epic)
This French duo literally grafts indigenous folk
music of Eastern Europe and Asia onto contemporary
electronic dance tracks to make for a surprisingly
infectious if sometimes gimmicky fusion. Hungary's
Marta Sebestyen is on hand as their spiritual guide
and to lend the effort a patina of authenticity.
DEVONSQUARE
Industrial Twilight (Dev)
The latest by this longstanding, genre-bending trio
of singer-songwriters starts out like a cross between
Manhattan Transfer and Allen Ginsberg, or Sade meets
Jack Kerouac. Pop-jazz vocals and arrangements mixed
with Beat poetry, some of it original, some borrowed
from the Beats themselves. The album is divided into
three sections: the middle section is more typical of
the group, more conventional soul- and jazz-laced folk
music a la Suzanne Vega or Joan Armatrading. But the
experimental bookends, with their hip-hop and
industrial textures and millennial poetry, are truly
groundbreaking.
NEIL DIAMOND
Tennessee Moon (Columbia)
Diamond went down to Nashville to compose and record this album, for which he collaborated with that town's top singer-songwriters, including Waylon Jennings, Raul Malo, Beth Nielsen Chapman and Hal Ketchum. It could be seen as a desperate move intended to jump-start a creatively-stalled recording career (his concerts, however, continue to attract sold-out arenas), but it was a logical choice, as the music coming out of Nashville today is the closest in spirit as any to classic-era Diamond: slick, catchy and laden with hooks.
"Can Anybody Hear Me" is Diamond at his darkest best; "No Limit" is an uncharacteristically bluesy, acoustic rockabilly number with echoes of the Sun Sessions. There is no "Cracklin' Rosie" or "Sweet Caroline" here, but Diamond fans will be thrilled by the utter professionalism and dynamism of the recording.
ANI DIFRANCO
Little Plastic Castle (Righteous Babe)
It's a little early to be talking about the best album
of 1998 when the calendar has yet to turn on 1997, but
odds have got to be on DiFranco's upcoming "Little
Plastic Castle," her best studio effort ever. More
than any of her previous recordings, this one captures
DiFranco in all her many facets: angry, irreverent,
funny, sexy and self-critical. While a few songs
feature horns and ska-like arrangements, this is
mostly a stripped-down affair that shuns the dense
production and sampling of her previous studio album,
"Dilate." Instead listeners get intimately-rendered,
biting observations about her newfound fame (fish
bowls and glass houses are recurring motifs) that rank
with the best of Bob Dylan's mid-'60s kiss-off tunes.
Due out on Feb. 17, 1998.[ 12/28/97 ]
WILLIE DIXON
Poet of the Blues (Columbia/Legacy)
While he's not nearly as well known as those who made his songs hits - blues
legends such as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf and blues-rockers including
the Rolling Stones, Cream and Led Zeppelin - Willie Dixon may well be the
Holy Grail of modern blues, or at least midwife to R&B. This CD collects
tracks recorded between the late-'40s, when Dixon was part of a Nat King
Cole-influenced trio, and 1970, when he cut some of his funkiest tracks -
songs such as "Back Door Man," "The Seventh Son," and "I'm Your Hoochie
Coochie Man" - which are part of the modern blues canon and that never
sounded scarier than they do here. [08/23/98]
DIRE STRAITS
Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits (Warner Bros.)
In defiance of punk, disco, new-wave and every other trend that has hit pop
since 1977, Dire Straits has remained one of the most popular and successful
bands in the world, largely due to auteur Mark Knopfler's single-minded
vision combining roots, blues, country, Dylanesque lyrics and vocals and one
of the most distinctive guitar styles in pop. This CD gathers 16 of the
group's most popular radio hits, including "Money for Nothing," "Romeo and
Juliet" and the title track, which is a fine place to start for those who
don't already own much or anything by the group. But it's merely a holding
action until the group gets the sort of comprehensive, retrospective,
box-set treatment it deserves.[ 11/8/98 ]
DOG'S EYE VIEW
Happy Nowhere (Columbia)
Dog's Eye View is a front for singer-songwriter- visionary Peter Stuart, whose debut album presents him in his despondent glory on a baker's dozen acoustic- based rock tunes. Stuart sounds like a cross between Eddie Vedder and Adam Duritz, and in fact he toured the world with Counting Crows last year, and the influence shows. The angst runs knee-deep here -- he's not kidding about the album title -- and the best line updates the Beatles for the '90s: "When I find myself in times of trouble/I always just give up."
DURAN DURAN
Thank You (Capitol)
On which a dying band tries one last stab at
credibility by covering the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou
Reed, Iggy Pop, Sly Stone, Elvis Costello, Public
Enemy, the Doors and the Temptations. They fail, of
course. Simon LeBon is no Chuck D, but you already
knew that. He's not even Bono, and most of these tunes
are dressed up in ersatz U2-like, Europop/industrial
mixes. But it never answers the all important
question, why? Why would anyone want to listen to
these songs played by this group? The answer, my
friend, isn't here.
BOB DYLAN
The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert: Live 1966 (Columbia)
This 32-year-old concert recording jumps out of the speakers with a
freshness and acuity that belies its age. More than simply capturing a key
moment in Dylan's history, this recording of the legendary "Judas" concert
may well be the Holy Grail of rock 'n' roll -- the missing link between
Chuck Berry and the early Beatles and everything that came afterwards. As an
added bonus, it features one side of a still only 25-year-old Dylan in his
solo acoustic prime, and another of a fiery, young, electric backup ensemble
that would later evolve into The Band.[ 10/11/98 ]
BOB DYLAN
MTV Unplugged (Columbia)
The fifth album in as many years from Dylan that
doesn't feature any new songs surely raises questions
about what ever happened to the greatest songwriting
talent of the rock era. And the marketing tie-in with
MTV doesn't help, either. But the fact is this is the
best live Dylan package in 20 years. His voice sounds
better than ever, full of personality and humor, and
downright musical at times. His phrasing remains
unparalleled in popular music, once again proving he's
a jazz singer in folk-rock clothing.
BOB DYLAN
Time Out of Mind (Columbia)
After nearly a decade without releasing any new
material, Dylan has come back with a dark, moody,
intensely intimate collection of new songs which ranks
near the top of his oeuvre. Wearing the suit of an old
bluesman like it was tailor-made, Dylan sings with
profoundly shattering expression and knowingness his
chiseled poetry that is now refined to the vernacular
of everyday speech. Daniel Lanois' production is
understated, giving the album -- the best of the year
if not the decade -- the feel of an informal,
roadhouse jam session. [ 10/5/97 ]
rogovoy@berkshire.net
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Comp
Copyright © 1996 Seth Rogovoy
Produced bt The BerkshireWeb