Rae Spoon — White Hearse Comes Rolling (Washboard) :: You’ve got this critic in a whirl. I’m not sure if you’re a boy or a girl. Hey babe, you sound alright. Hey babe, you’ve recorded a countrified album that makes Harvest sound like Ace Of Spades. You tacky thing.
Sonic City — Sonic City (self-released) :: Pre-pubescent guitar dizbuster Danny Sveinson wears a Ramones T and has classic gabba four producer Ed Stasium twiddling the knobs. But the resemblance stops there because this album — which has Generic Arena Rock written all over it — is grievously unfocused and sorely lacking in direction. Talent is an asset and little Danny has it. Too bad he doesn’t know what to do with it yet.
Digging Roots — Seeds (Jericho Beach) :: Funky native music fuelled by a sexy soulful blend of reggae ’n’ blues.
Crime In Stereo – The Troubled Stateside (Nitro) :: "Kids! We’re in this together. You’re my new consumer and I don’t want to move back home. Put a big black sticker on the front that says ‘For Fans Of:’ and you can donate a penny to my future pension. So download all the songs we wrote and hype it up with some bullshit quotes. Yeah, we’re on a roll." Boy, and they call me cynical.
SIZZLING CHANTEUSE OF THE WEEK: Lori Cullen — Calling For Rain (Maple Nationwide) :: If you only buy one album this year by a female jazz and pop singer, make sure it’s this one because Lori Cullen has one of the purest voices in a generation. Once you’ve heard her, you’ll recognize that she has more than enough talent to become the next premier interpreter of our time. Most women who sing standards these days are little more than opportunistic posers cashing in on a nostalgia fad. Every time they open their mouths you can see them mentally watching themselves sing while they pretend to live in another swankier era. But when Lori Cullen sings, she lives every song without any ironic inflections.
Be seeing you! Jeffrey Morgan is a freelance writer. Send comments to [email protected]
