Depeche Mode: Black Celebration (Deluxe Edition CD+DVD)

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Re-issued by Rhino as a two-disk set, Depeche Mode’s fifth album, Black Celebration is truly that and I dig it. This is where the band began to make their move in a darker direction, departing from the popish sound that dominated their earlier albums. The style begun here is what the masses would come to know as the Depeche Mode sound: dark, moody, often slow and yet still danceable. At this time in their career, the band was still primarily known as an excellent live band with no more than a small cult following.

From the get-go, Black Celebration moves and doesn’t let you down. The songs selected for the album are dominated by dark, emotional lyrics and vocals, be it low-key ballads or the pulsating drive of faster, up-tempo tunes. The band’s search for new sounds and noises to incorporate into their music is still fresh and innovative; a few of the creative sounds come from motor vehicles.

The title track opens the disk and sets the stage for the rest of the album. “Black Celebration” slowly builds to a drum-driven, metallic-ping infested, danceable tune. This flows quickly into another up-tempo cut, “Fly On The Windsreen – Final.” The lyrics are conveyed with a passionate “sense of urgency” by lead vocalist David Gahan. “Death is everywhere/There are flies on the windscreen for a start/ Reminding us we could be torn apart/ Tonight,”

Track three, “A Question Of Lust” is filled with album firsts: first question-titled tune, first slow ballad, and the first time on the disk that we get to hear Martin Gore’s quiet, plaintive, smooth vocals. “Black Celebration” is also the first Depeche Mode disk on which Gore gets a chance to shine and carry more than just a cut or two.

Question song the second is the furiously paced “A Question Of Time.” This one gives off a race against time vibe as the drums move swiftly and the keyboards provide the ominous sounds of an industrial, synth-based, electric clock ticking away doom’s countdown.

“Stripped” is the song where audio creativity runs wild. The tune opens with the sound of an idling motorbike, producing a wonderful pulse and moves into a starting Porsche. Drums crash and the keyboards continue their dominance by providing more metallic pings, suction sounds, echoes and odd inhaling. The disk rounds out with the nihilistic “World Full Of Nothing,” the piano-filled “Sometimes” with its gospel-choir opening and the eerie, “early horror movie” sounds of “Dressed In Black.”

Disk two is a DVD is good for the hour-long “Depeche Mode: 1985-86,” but the extra songs fall short. It’s not the song quality or song selection by any means. I think the sound is truly awesome; the album proper is presented in 5.1 Stereo so even when the television volume was low I could hear songs loud and clear. The tracks selected are great and some of the alternate versions and B-sides are truly gems.

The problem for me is that I rarely, if ever use my DVD player and television for listening to or playing music. So the excellent bonus tracks and live cuts are pretty much lost on me. I’m sure someday Depeche Mode will put out a kick ass B-sides and rarities box set a-la The Cure’s Join The Dots. Overall, the Black Celebration re-issue is a good set with one major draw back; then again I am a bit behind the times.

MEET THE ROBINSONS

Written by Hombre Divertido

Looking for a fun, flashy, frenetic, feature film? Meet The Robinsons.

Disney goes cutting edge with a movie that posses a new look, classic characters, and a good story told well. It may be cliché, but this is indeed fun for the whole family. Though the story may be a bit complicated for the younger members of your clan, the film is flashy and action packed enough to hold their attention. The adults are treated to a story that takes us back to classic tales of our youth, while giving us humor lost in recent Disney efforts such as Chicken Little and Cars.

In this tale we are introduced to Lewis, a 12-year-old inventor who lives in a home for orphans. Lewis enters the school science fair and meets Wilbur Robinson a young boy from the future who has come back to insure the success of the Lewis entry. Wilbur then whisks Lewis off to the future where he meets the rest of the interesting and eccentric Robinsons.

Not only do we get a full story, that may feel slow at the beginning to those not used to effort spent on character development, but has a solid beginning, middle, and end, and contains a clearly defined protagonist and antagonist, as well as wonderful sub-plots and characterizations. The artwork in this film stands out as it manages to give us a future reminiscent of a Flash Gordon serial of the 30’s or 40’s, but presents it with a technology that looks well ahead of its time.

To be this far into the review and not have mentioned the vocal talents should speak to just how good this film is. Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry do well to portray the innocence and intelligence of Lewis at different ages, while Wesley Singerman must have been in amazing shape required to portray the energy that is Wilbur. Though both lead performances compliment the film well, it is the supporting voices that bring the Robinsons to life that deserve the accolades. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself waiting for Uncle Art to speak just so you can hear the classic tone of Adam West.

Disney has brought new and old together here, and appears to be back on track in the field of animated film. The days of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King may be behind us, and that is indeed sad, but if this is the future, it does look bright though quite different. Let’s hope that future endeavors are this entertaining, and that we get to Meet the Robinsons again.

Recommendation: Don’t miss this in the theatre; bring the whole family, and then get in line to buy the DVD.

BLADES OF GLORY

Written by Hombre Divertido

Though it could be called Talladega Nights on Ice, Blades of Glory will please the average Will Farrell fan.

In this outing, Farrell is Chazz Michael Michaels, the hottest thing to hit ice-skating since…well, just the hottest thing to hit ice-skating. His chief rival and polar opposite is Jimmy MacElroy played by a subdued Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite fame. The two tie for Gold at the American championship, a fight breaks out on the award podium, and they are both banned from the sport for life.

Jimmy becomes a skate salesman, while Chazz skates in a kiddie Ice show. Chazz’s drunken exploits on ice during the performance for the kids are some of the funniest moments in the movie. Luckily a loophole is discovered, and they can get back into professional skating if they team up as a pairs team i.e.: The Odd Couple on ice.

The situation of two men becoming a skating team while living and training together is ripe with laughter, and Blades delivers albeit at the rankest level. There are plenty of crotch shots, and Farrell strutting his stuff, and even a few well-crafted lines to keep the more creative fans happy.

If Blades lacks anything it is the ensemble cast that Farrell had around him in Anchorman. Though the performances of Heder, Craig T Nelson, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Fischer are adequate, the characters are unexplored, and subsequently overshadowed by the cameos of former ice-skating greats, or the performance of Jim Lampley as the skating announcer who has one of the funniest lines in the film.

In Anchorman Farrell was surrounded by well-developed characters played by incredibly talented actors. Though the performances of his supporting casts in Talladega Nights were good, they were not up to that of Anchorman, and the downward spiral continues in Blades. Ultimately we the viewers suffer for it.

Farrell is a strong enough actor to carry the film Stranger Than Fiction, but when doing an outrageous comedy such as this, he needs more support.

Recommendation: This film definitely has its moments, but you quite possibly will leave the theater unsatisfied. Wait for the video, and make it a double feature with Anchorman to insure a night of solid laughter.

Umphrey's McGee: The Bottom Half

Written by Fumo Verde

Talk about putting magic on disc, Umphrey's McGee has done it again. Pack a fresh one, find the lighter, turn the volume up loud, and enjoy sitting courtside in the studio as you listen to the boys of UM put together another one of their fantastic CDs. The Bottom Half is all about goes deep into how one of the world’s premier jam bands puts together the music we are all coming to love.

Disc one is the ten-track CD that has the songs and jams that didn't make it on their last album Safety In Numbers, which El Bicho let me download in to my PC, but I still bought the CD because I want the liner notes and any extras that the band may have thrown in there. There are really only nine tracks because track four is the band discussing a song they want to play, which is track five, but that's just a taste of what they give us. Disc two holds the diamonds in the rough, with songs sung a cappella, short guitar jams that are discussed and will be expanded on in future shows, and other bantering amongst band mates that only studio walls usually get to hear.

Disc one starts with the title track, the unmistakable sound of UM comes alive, and I wonder why these songs didn't make it because they sound great to me. UM's lyrics have a truth to them, a meaning that comes through, giving us something to relate to. "I try not to be rude/ You know how I am/ I tend to bitch and moan..." I personally related to this line myself. "There's not a thing worth remembering when tomorrow brings someone new/ Get used to the thought you can't be what you're not, life has already got plans for you" flows the chorus, followed with the crashing of guitars, horns and drums. The keyboards smooth out the ruckus only to be chased by the flames of guitar riffs burning the song into its final embers.

Track two, “Bright Lights, Big City,” has a ‘70s funk sound as the lyrics flash images of where the band has been and what they have seen. It ends abruptly and leaves you hanging and wanting more. "Great American" follows and is a great jam because it brings in all of UM’s instruments into play, It takes you on a journey that at times feels like you're shooting the rapids of the Colorado river, yet slows down creating that lazy feel at the beach.

Disc two is where the fun really begins for the true fans. Twenty-eight tracks made up of jams and more of the band discussing what they liked and didn't like about what came out of that "last track." Starting off with “Words,” it is sung a cappella and highlights the natural harmony the men have together. No other band is so organic, so real and true to what they are.

One of my favorite tracks is called “Time Eater” and the reason why begins with the track that came before it. As the previous track’s guitar solo ended, the boys were asking the guys at the soundboard how long the solo took. When finding out the answer, the band was happy and stated that that little jam was a "time eater" and that during live shows that jam could be expanded "big time." Sounds great to me! Disc two is the jewel as you listen to songs you've heard before, but here they may sound a little different, and that's pretty cool.

This is a band that needs to be seen live; they have a relationship with the crowd that is hard to find in a world of sound bytes and one-hit wonders. This double CD reveals how a band of this caliber works and thinks. It gives insight to how a band can make music sound like it is done effortlessly. We can hear the effort these guys put into the work they love, which is music we enjoy and keep close to our souls. Thank you, Umphrey's McGee, for giving us, your fans, this chance to see how you guys put it all together. For any UM fan, this is a definite must-have.

This is Fumo letting you know the next time UM comes to L.A. or Orange County, El Bicho and I will be somewhere in the crowd puffing away and rocking out to one of the hardest-working jam bands around, Umphrey's McGee.

DEATH OF A PRESIDENT

Written by Fumo Verde

Civil disobedience and racial profiling are just two subjects touched upon by writer-director Gabriel Range in this contemporary and controversial docu-drama Death of a President. Range and co-writer Simon Finch weave a tale of what the world has become since the attack of 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, showing the rising tide of discontent in the American public towards a President and his policies--that President being George W. Bush. Using archive news footage and computer-enhanced imaging, Range and his crew blend the lines of what is real and what is not, producing a film with an eerie tone of reality.

It is a fictional story about the assassination of President George W. Bush on October 17, 2007 and what happens in the aftermath. Dick Cheney becomes President and pushes his own agenda, using the al-Queda connection and the war on terror to form a new Patriot Act, which gives the police, FBI, and other similar agencies the go-ahead to create a semi-police state. A young Muslim is arrested for the crime and after he is already convicted and sentenced by a jury, definitely not of his peers, the truth of the actual shooter if revealed. Each character that pops up to tell their part of the story gives us a viewpoint about this situation, and these viewpoints are as diverse as the country itself.

Filmed as if it were a documentary for A&E or the History Channel, Death of a President's small cast of actors did a fantastic job of portraying people who were close to the President. Like most documentaries that you see on television, interviews from those who were there and from those involved take us along for the ride. With creative computer effects and amazing editing, Range brings to life something that looks as if it happened yesterday. The footage of real demonstrations Range filmed lent to the reality of the production shots.

For example, in an interview on the extras section of the movie, Thumim stated that he had filmed a demonstration in Chicago on a certain street right at dusk. Upon meeting some of the demonstrators and mingling with them, he and Range invited them to be extras for a following shoot sometime later. That shoot took place on the same street at the same time where the real demonstration happened weeks before. The mixing of the demonstration that the production team actually filmed and the shoot that they did later added a facade of truth that brought out a gritty texture to the film and gave credence to its "realism".

The controversy arose do to the fact that they were using a sitting President as the "star" of the show. Both Republican and Democratic politicians denounced the film as outrageous and disgusting. For that alone, I consider this a movie that I will always hold dear. Not because it deals with the shooting of a President or the anger that most of the country has towards Bush, I just like anything that pisses off the Republicans and Democrats.

Generally I thought this was a well-made film, but the story, be it the assassination of Bush or any other President, although intriguing, left me wondering what all the fuss was about in the first place. It wasn't like Bush died and the whole world rejoiced until they figured out that Cheney was now in charge. The thing I like best about documentaries is the fact that you learn something when it's all over; with Death of a President I didn't feel that happened.

Yes, I understand why people are mad at the U.S. and why the world along with a good part of our own country can't stand Bush or his administration, but I knew that five years ago. Cheney becoming President should be a reality check for those screaming “impeachment;” that's a scary thought I would not like to have creep into my mind, but that's what would happen if impeachment or assassination--gods forbid--happened. I understand the reasons why Range and Finch brought this idea about and I do agree with them, yet I still feel like there was something missing in all this.

All in all I like the movie, the acting was good, the plot was interesting and it didn't run too long. If you can rent it for a dollar, and you have the extra buck then go for it. The CGI alone is worth seeing.

SACCO AND VANZETTI

Written by Jámon Y. Huevos

Textbook Chapter Also Boring on Film

Filmmaker Peter Miller has garnered his first directing credit with the documentary Sacco and Vanzetti. The film recounts the sad tale of two Italian immigrant anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, accused of murder and executed in Boston in 1927 after a trial filled with prejudice and the loud rally cries of the working class from, literally, all over the world. The film is told through the words of relatives and those who were children during the trial and execution; also, modern historians (none of whom list credentials explaining why we should listen to them) give their take on the events, while Tony Shalhoub and John Turturro read the letters of Sacco and Vanzetti.

The story is poignant and important even though the director and editor do everything they can to keep the film from being interesting in any way. Early on, we are shown the doorway to Sacco’s childhood home. Was the door to his house in a nice neighborhood? Did rowdy kids kick the door as they passed it? Was life behind the door particularly tough or loving? We can’t know; we can only know it is a red door and then we’re moving on to the next bit of partial information. A historian says that Vanzetti got along great with the children in the neighborhood where he was a fishmonger. Wonderful, but what does it mean? Should this information lead us to believe he was a good man and therefore not capable of murder?

The best moments in the film are when Shalhoub and Turturro read the private thoughts of Sacco and Vanzetti. Unfortunately, this is rarely done. We get about five letters from each of them, and they are obviously cut for time. Because of this, we never get the nuances of who these men were. We know they were anarchists, but their motivation is never made clear. We know the trial and rulings were specious and politically motivated, but we don’t get a clue as to why people would go so far to convict the wrong men. Over and over again, we are told that Sacco and Vanzetti met their untimely end because they were Italian. That’s definitely scary, especially in the light of current U. S. politics, but Miller won’t let you come to your own conclusions about the insight Sacco and Vanzetti might give us in regard to present-day civil liberties and the rights of immigrants. Instead, from the opening crawl, we are blatantly told to keep our eyes peeled for meaning. And, just in case we miss it, Miller shows us recent pictures from Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.

Out of nowhere, in the final minutes of the film, Miller attempts to change the direction of the documentary into a treatise on how the Sacco and Vanzetti trial influenced twentieth-century artists. Too bad not all the art influenced by the Sacco and Vanzetti tragedy is worth viewing.

HighTone Records Anthology: Rockin’ From The Roots

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Founded in 1983 by record industry men Larry Sloven and Bruce Bromberg to put out music that they “thought was good,” HighTone Records was envisioned as a reissue label. Luckily, it has also become home to many new artists, covering all fields of American roots music, from the blues of Robert Cray to the country/folk of Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Every major artist on the label is heard from once, more if they happen to appear in a duet, a former band, or side project. All 30 songs have a coinciding paragraph in the liner notes that mentions such things as how and why it came to be part of the HighTone library; however, these tracks speak for themselves.

The 15 cuts on disc one contain blues sides and rockabilly/rock ‘n’ roll tunes. Chicago blues can be heard on Otis Rush’s “Three Times A Fool” while Chris Smither represents the Mississippi delta on Can't Shake These Blues. San Francisco’s Joe Louis Walker’s “747” has a solid blues shuffle that keeps you movin’ and groovin’.

L.A.’s The Blasters keep the rockabilly fires burning with their high energy rocker “Marie, Marie” taken from their first album American Music. The Alvin Brothers, Dave (guitar) and Phil (vocals), drive this Downey-based band in a direction that keeps their sound gritty and hardcore rockabilly/blues. Dave Alvin pops up once more with the track “Abilene,” off of his solo album, Blackjack David. On his own Dave travels down a country road lined with traditional sights and frights; this tune about life’s darker moments is carried well by Dave’s calm baritone voice.

The true gem on disc one has to be Dick Dale’s lightning fast, surf-instrumental version of the cowboy spook tale “Ghostriders In The Sky.” This one opens a bit slow but quickly launches you skyward on a roller coaster ride of a remake. Another name from days past brought back into the spotlight by this label is P.F. Sloan, known in the ‘60s for the protest song “Eve Of Destruction” and the cool as ice “Secret Agent Man.” Sloan is represented here by his 2006 release “Soul Of A Women.”

Two more strong voices on this disc are Texas country rocker Joe Ely and Julie Miller. Ely’s high-energy voice, driven and inspired by his love for good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll, pushes 1987’s “Settle For Love” forward. His is the voice that most of the current alt-country kiddies want to be like and fall short of. On the other hand, Julie Miller’s voice is nasally, at times a bit flat, yet sweet. I’m drawn to its honesty. Her “Out in The Rain” is a song with a solid country rhythm section and guitar picking. I do believe that her husband Buddy provides background duties.

Disc two is stacked and packed with country tunes from start to finish. As a gentleman should, I’ll start with the ladies. The Rockabilly Philly, Rosie Flores, clocks in with her jumpy, upbeat “Blue Highway,” a tune that finds her in a more contemporary mood. Guitars still fly and drums still crash around her peppy vocals but with a sound that reflects more Roseanne Cash or Lorrie Morgan. Heather Myles is another vocalist that got lost in the shuffle; her strong vocals shine as the pedal steel guitar whines behind her on the slow, cowboy lament “Rum & Rodeo.”

Keeping western swing alive is Hot Club Of Cowtown’s “You Took Advantage Of Me” featuring Elana Fremerman on lead vocals and giving their sound a ‘40s jazz appeal. Well hell, western swing is known as cowboy jazz after all, so that shouldn’t be too much of a stretch. What Hot Club does do well is blend Django Reinhardt with Bob Wills to create a style all their own.

This disc also has its share of classic artists in the likes of Hank Thompson, Red Volkaert, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Thompson plays his hand on the jump country standard “In The Jail House Now” and sounds in fine shape for a gentleman of 74 years of age. Volkaert chips in with his big voice on Wynn Stewart’s “Big, Big Love.” He is one heck of guitar player and is former lead guitarist for Merle Haggard’s Strangers. His guitar work here is in the vein of Dave Dudley trucker songs. Elliot makes an appearance with his pal and fellow “Friend Of The Devil” Bob Weir, who made his name with some rock outfit that apparently did the original version. I’ll check with Fumo Verde on that rumor.

The singer-songwriter front is where we find many of HighTone’s hidden gems that deserve to be mentioned. Names such as Buddy Miller with his wonderful bluegrass vocals on “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger,” Tom Russell and his Tex-Mex romp “When Sinatra Played Juarez,” or Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s near yodel on his honky-tonk tune titled “That Hardwood Floor.”

Three of my all-time favorite vocalist and songwriters had a place on HighTone at one time in their careers as well. Two found success in the ‘70s and the other is still playing his heart out in honky-tonks and bars across the Southwest and Europe. Johnny Rodriguez was the biggest Chicano star to hit country music in the 1970s. Still not ringing a bell? No surprise, but he’s a bad ass and his cover of “Corpus Christi Bay” finds him in top form about how the bottle can drag you down.

Gary Stewart’s drinking songs have always found a place in Fantasma’s black heart. Why you ask? Because in tunes like “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles),” a kid with a broken heart (even black hearts aren’t made of stone) and a jug of Early Times Whiskey has one more friend and a song to sing away his hurt. So here is Stewart again with growl in tow on “Brand New Whiskey” and how it should be named after a woman.

Keeping with the honky-tonk theme lets swing over and visit my pal and all-time favorite real country musician, Alabama-born and Texas-bred Dale Watson. His larger-than-life, deep baritone vocals are the perfect vehicle to convey his songs of life, love, death, and pain. Watson is still turning out excellent music at the rate of about a CD a year. Now that’s a mind and heart with a lot of songs still left to be written.

The HighTone Records Anthology is packed with 30 of the best numbers the label has to offer. Thankfully, they fan the flames and keep the tradition of American roots music alive. Run out and grab some of their stuff, and for those that aren’t afraid to venture outside of their homes, go and support good, live music at your local Honky-Tonk beer joint. Have a good time and a beer; better still, have two beers and keep your eyes open because you never know when a snob is lurking on that hardwood floor.

FATS & FREINDS

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Rock ‘n’ Roll, y’all! That’s what it’s all about, and in Fats & Friends we have a rocking good time with the piano masters of rock’s early years. Led by Fats Domino, this DVD also includes Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles sharing the same stage at New Orleans’ Storyville nightclub. The host on that legendary night in 1986 was Paul Shaffer, whose band provides back up for Lewis and Charles. Three rock icons, one stage, and a hot night blend together for one hell of a performance.

After a short interview by Shaffer at the bar, which kicks off each performance, and an intro by his bandleader/trumpeter Dave Bartholomew, the Fat Man gets things rocking with his long time band of professionals. They include two men that deserve way more attention than they get in the R’n’R world. One being Bartholomew and the other is heroic sax slinger Lee Allen, a session sax man who is featured on countless hit songs of that day and goes un-credited on many more; around the time of this show he was a member of the roots rock band The Blasters. Both scored minor hits on their own in the 1950s while playing on nearly all of Fats biggest recordings.

If you don’t recognize these men by sight, then you might not notice them on this disk because they go un-credited here as well. Allen doesn’t solo once and with the amount of tunes played it’s really no surprise but he deserves some mention. Keep your eyes open for the tall saxophone player third to the bandleader’s right. On the special features there is some extra footage of Bartholomew playing and Shaffer makes a quick mention of him there, little mention is better than none at all.

The mood for the evening is fast and furious as Fats opens with “The Fat Man” and swings flawlessly into “Walking To New Orleans,” a tune that’s a bit slower yet moves just as well. From there he lets loose on the mega hits “Blueberry Hill” and “Shake, Rattle & Roll,” the latter being a Big Joe Turner tune covered and rocked up a bit by Bill Haley. The “round mound of sound” closes his set with a medley of “So Long” and “C.C. Rider” while exiting to the instrumental “Sentimental Journey,” which he plays standing up. Fats is a solid rocker, with a voice in fine shape and skills on the ivories that stand alone and define the big beat sound of early rock’n’roll.

If Fats is the quite storm, then Jerry Lee Lewis is the full-blown tornado plowing though three of his songs at a breakneck pace. “I Am What I Am,” “Great Balls Of Fire,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On” are revved up by Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood, while Lewis hits the keys with pounding strokes and lighting-fast glissandos. Lewis even stands on the piano as he sings the final chorus to that “shakin’” song and exits with a few “butt bumps” to the keys as he leaves. They don't call him “The Killer” for nothing.

Paul Shaffer and “All-Star Band” jam though Ernie K-Doe’s “A Certain Girl,” a fine little number done in the classic New Orleans party style before turning things over to the genius that is Ray Charles. Charles only does two of his own songs: the rocking “I’ve Got A Women” and the much slower “Drown In My Own Tears.” Charles then begins a New Orleans piano boogie that turns into “The Lewis Boogie,” and a true all-star jam as both Lewis and Domino join him on stage.

Lewis sings his boogie, and Fats chimes in on vocal duty for “Low Down Dog.” All three finesse the 88s and take turns on a verse to “Jambalaya (On The Bayou),” a song that all three recorded in their careers and in their own unique styles. Closing out the show, all three jam along with the All-Star Band on the rollicking “Swanee River Rock (Talkin’ Bout That River),” a fine end to an all-too-short hour of piano mastery.

The bonus features on this DVD are an interview with Paul Shaffer reminiscing about that night and the difficulties he faced in having three individual star personalities to deal with. The interview is highlighted by rehearsal footage of the big three and some of the other band members playing and warming up.

Fats & Friends is an entertaining hour of piano greats at their best; one is gone, one doesn’t come out much, and one thinks he’s the last of the best. I’ll let y’all figure that one out for yourselves. Ray Charles stands out for the fact that his music is a beautiful hybrid of gospel, country, and R&B. Jerry Lee Lewis is the wild man blessed with a strong voice, a natural talent on the piano, stage presence, and a smirk as he plays that screams, “Sit down or stand up but I will rock you.” All the while Fats Domino possesses sublime vocals, straight-ahead stomp and good-time groove that pushed his records to sell in the very high millions. No frills or flamboyant, flashy stage shenanigans just a good time.

One thing that can be said of these three men is until the very end they will, and Charles did, retain their strong vocals and piano talents. Now lets give Fats his own two-hour legends special because there isn’t much of a film to be made of this quiet man’s life.

Norah Jones: Not Too Late

Norah Jones is back with her third CD titled Not Too Late, and it’s never too late for anything from this sexy, smooth-voiced, dark-eyed cutie. My ears first perked to this kitten via her work with The Little Willies, a swinging country band from N.Y.C. From her first vocal appearance on that album, I was gone, hooked, a fan for life. I then devoured her first two CDs and longed for this one. It’s here and packs the punch that I hoped it would.

Miss Jones delivers as much as she has in the past; her writing and skills on the 88s remain magnificent. Her band remains just as strong, filled out by the core of Lee Alexander, returning to produce and play both up-right and electric bass, Andrew Borger on drums, and the guitars of Jesse Harris, acoustic, and Adam Levy, electric. A handful of others appear on this album, including Richard Julian, who pops in to provide some vocal support. Many of these players haven’t been heard from since Norah’s first CD, Come Away With Me, while others where prominent features on her second, Feels Like Home.

Not Too Late opens with the somber “Wish I Could,” which leads off with just a guitar followed by Norah’s sublime vocals. This one is heavy for an opener, with lyrics about the unfairness of love in war. What kicks are lines like “I don’t tell her that I once loved you too” and “We met in a place I used to go/ Now I only walk by slow/ Can’t bear to go in without you, you know/ Wish I could.” Words that hit hard, as do the rest of the lyrics on this CD written by Norah or the team of Jones/Alexander.

“Sinkin’ Soon” is a more playful little ditty with a 1930s swing/jazz jump. The trombone and mandolin punctuate the track while Norah tickles the ivories and the drums roll. Borger even hits the pots and pans, lending a back porch feel to the jam. Norah shows her vocal swagger here, as she sways and rises with the flow of the band, again showing how keeping a tight group of musicians together is beneficial.

“The Sun Doesn’t Like You” and “Until The End” are a couple of mellow country numbers that highlight Levy’s picking. “The Sun” is driven by it along with Norah’s piano and Borger’s wonderful shuffling brushes. On “Until The End,” the Hammond B-3 organ quietly sighs in the background while Levy’s slow picking holds up the bridge.

“Not My Friend” has an eerie backwards electric guitar, and Norah’s tapping on the piano keys give it an oddly pretty, dripping sound, added to by the marimba doing the same. The acoustic guitar gives off a dreamlike sense of darkness that the vocals second; throughout the track, there is a tapping noise that adds to the haunting air of the entire tune. The lyrics are just as darkly dreamlike: “Your voice is ringing/ Just like the boys who laughed at me in school” and “You found a place/ No one should ever go” followed by “I’ll be o.k./ ‘Cuz when I back away/ I’m gonna keep the handle of your gun in sight.” This one has Fantasma in a spin. I can’t stop clicking on the back track button. I’m in a zombie trance over this one, I swear. Now that I’ve broken out of my trance thirty minutes later (no joke), on with the review…

Next is the single “Thinking About You,” which kicks us back up with the lively trumpet and tenor sax. The Hammond B-3 returns, a compliment to the Wurlitzer that Norah is pushing on. The solid, time-keeping drums and steady, soulful bass thump round out the rhythm, setting your head to boppin’ along. The lyrics aren’t happy pap on this either. It’s not that starry-eyed “thinking about you;” it’s more along the lines of “You hold my hand, but do you really need me/ I guess its time for me to let you go.” Shivers, daddy-o.

“Broken” finds the band as a three piece with a twist. Alexander plucks the “bowed basses,” Julia Kent gently saws at the cellos, and all the while our girl Norah strums the electric guitar. Now as far I know that’s a first right there but it gives the song a certain pop adding to the wisdom of these musicians and songwriters.

“My Dear Country” has the sting of political criticism and deals with the horrors of the day after the election. The trombone and tenor sax return, joined by the tuba for a quick romp for you see this one begins with just piano and vocals. After over two minutes, the rest of the band joins in for roughly twenty good seconds before quietly becoming the backdrop of the tune. “My Dear Country” is all Norah, taking you on a ride with her talents.

The album contains more country nods that find our kitten showing off that voice of hers on strong songs that spotlight the band as well. “Wake Me Up” has Norah on acoustic guitar this time, as well as the pump organ. Borger brings back the brushes and Alexander balances his up-right bass plucking with the lap steel that weeps softly throughout the song. “Rosie’s Lullaby” contains two electric guitars and turns the super-trooper (spotlight) on Robbie McIntosh on the solo. The twin guitars blend well and cry out gently to one another as Norah urges Rosie to close her eyes and dream.

“Little Room” and “Not Too Late” have the band broken down to three again. The first is a peppy number that has Norah in an upbeat mood while once more strumming on the acoustic guitar as Alexander gently slaps the bass and Daru Oda whistles up a storm. The title track is the closing tune, and we are left with the core three of Jones, Alexander, and Borger. A slow song about meeting with an old love, perhaps only in the mind and how we long to know what they have been up to. Oh, how much we can miss someone, knowing full well it can never be the same between us. Yet love is there but must be put aside for the simple reason that the relationship is harmful to both parties and separate paths have been chosen and must be followed. Love, as life is never easy.

This darkly poetic album has me caught in its net. From start to finish Norah Jones’ vocal prowess is outstanding and has her shining once more. Her voice and the master musicians behind her are as good as ever and again leave us longing for more. This forty-five minute CD, which I turned into three hours of listening pleasure, is well worth any wait that this dark-eyed kitten put us through. Until her next release I only hope that we can see another Little Willies platter put out, because if you can’t tell, Fantasma digs those kats the most. No matter what the future holds I’ll be spinning this one over and over again.

So that’s it and that’s all. I’m “trancing” out to track 5, ghoulies. Good night.

Jonny Greenwood is The Controller

Written by Tío Esqueleto

Trojan Records has been at the forefront of all things reggae since 1967. Roots, dub, dance hall, you name it, it’s all been featured, helped along, and in many cases, born under their imprint. The Trojan library ranges from mainstream crossover artists like Bob Marley and the Wailers, Inner Circle, and Toots and The Maytals, to artists such as Desmond Dekker, David “Scotty” Scott, and Horace Andy, equally valid artists you may not know about depending on your dedication to the genre. Needless to say, it is vast.

Now in their 40^th year, Trojan has enlisted the help of fellow enthusiasts from all walks of the musical spectrum for its Artist’s Choice Jukebox series, a celebrity mix-tape for all things Trojan reggae. With recent releases from Don Letts and DJ Spooky already available plus future releases from Lee “Scratch” Perry and Fatboy Slim on the horizon, this latest installment finds Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood as “THE CONTROLLER.”

Greenwood’s take is an interesting one. After six months of listening to nothing but reggae, he forgoes the obvious crossover artists (no Marley, no Toots, no Circle), and instead opts for the aforementioned lesser-known superstars of the Trojan roster. This album is for the learned, which isn’t to say that one can’t, in turn, learn from it. At just under 70 minutes, his choices run the full gamut of their catalogue, each with a detailed description of both artist that penned it, as well as the song’s origin and impact. He is thorough and informative without coming off as a know it all. His passion and enthusiasm for the project are quite evident in his selections and the words that accompany them.

The opening track, “Dread Are The Controller” by Linvall Thompson, has heavyweights Sly and Robby providing the rhythm, and is the obvious inspiration for this installment’s title. Next up is Derrick Harriott’s rendition of Van McCoy’s “Let Me Down Easy.” Here we have the most accessible track on the compilation. Full of soul and oozing with crossover potential, it does a magnificent job of setting up the next two tracks in Greenwood’s wish list. Marcia Aitken’s “I’m Still In Love With You” and the legendary Gregory Isaacs’ “Never Be Ungrateful” are shining examples of the skillful songwriting and musicianship that have been displayed in their most traditional forms up to this point in the collection. It is with this next track that we venture into the other defining (and altogether Johnny Greenwood) side of reggae: its production values.

What better way to usher in the notion of the producer as reggae superstar than with Lee “Scratch” Perry, the obvious star of this compilation. In his liner notes, Greenwood compares Perry’s work to that of The Beatles during their experimental phase. Perry’s ability was to make the studio an instrument in itself. Not unlike Beatles producer George Martin, he made the traditional acoustic instruments, voices, and microphones, upon playback, sound nothing like the initial recording.

It comes as no surprise he would be so prominently featured by the man largely responsible for bringing Kid A and Amnesiac into the world. One need only listen to Greenwood’s own quirky instrumentation, laden with effects and trickery both in the studio and on stage to hear the profound effect that Lee Perry (and those that followed) has had on his work.

Perry appears three times in this collection. Track 5 is an out there, echo-heavy, solo effort entitled “Bionic Rats.” Track 8, “Black Panta,” is with his outfit The Upsetters and features a classic opening sampled prominently in fellow dub enthusiasts The Orb’s “Outlands.” The final Perry cut (track 15) is “Dreader Locks” and features Junior Byles, who shows up earlier in the compilation with a fairly straightforward, but altogether eerie, cover of “Fever,” another major highlight on the album. With similar efforts from Lloyd’s Allstars, The Heptones, and Marcia Griffiths, the album maintains this theme of traditional roots reggae interspersed with spaced-out, production-heavy dub.

Now, one might question the variety on such a compilation. The common complaint that “it all sounds alike” could be used here. To that, Greenwood simply asks that you take a listen. It’s in the little nuances throughout, subtle changes in tempo, rhythm, and overall mood. As an avid listener of all forms of minimalist techno, long form disco, and a variety of motion picture soundtracks (the closest I get to classical), I couldn’t agree more. There is far more here than what is picked up on a first listening.

Mr. Greenwood starts his liner notes by stating that he is still discovering Jamaican artists that he feels should have been included here. He wraps up by saying that this is by no means a “best of;” it is merely a starting point. If you come across something you like, be it voice, style, or tempo to simply pursue and enjoy. With that, there are two tracks in particular that I will be investigating further – Delroy Wilson’s “This Life Makes Me Wonder,” and my personal favorite, The Jahlights “Right Road To Dubland." Now, that’s what a good compilation is supposed to do.