LITTLE ROCK — Trombone Shorty BackatownVerve/ForecastB+
The major label debut of Faubourg Treme born-andbred horn player/vocalist Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews smacks of crossover opportunism (and why not, given the attention the HBO series has focused on his neighborhood). This is not some tourist trap “New Orleans R&B heritage” cash-in, but a savvy, trippy New School blend of funk, hip-hop, jazz and rock meted out in radio-friendly portions. (No track on the album runs longer than 3:46, which is hardly enough time for the brass to get warmed up.)
But this isn’t about capturing live performance so much as it is about making a sonic collage - think of Backatown as a stroll through the alleys of Treme, where the noises come at you from all directions and in all forms, organic and binary. Galactic’s Ben Ellman assembles, decorating the tracks with loops andsamples and pinning them down with bouncy beats.
Meanwhile, the horns come drifting over, as if from another dimension and or century. Lenny Kravitz (who hired a just-out-of-high school Shorty for his horn section) lends guitar and vocals on “Something Beautiful,” and Shorty’s version of the Allen Toussaint classic “On Your Way Down” features the venerable tunesmith sitting in on piano.
- PHILIP MARTINSarah McLachlan Laws of IllusionAristaB+
With the exception of a commercial for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, singersongwriter Sarah McLachan’s voice has been pretty quiet for seven years. But she’s back with a new album and the revived Lilith Fair tour.
Laws comes in the aftermath of divorce, so themes around the emotional minefield of a breakup dominate with songs such as “Illusions of Bliss,” “Don’t Give Up on Us” and “Heartbreak.” Her direct lyrics are revealing, as in “Love Come”: “A line is drawn and lives are torn apart/The wounds too hard to heal.”
Tunes often end with McLachlan nearly by herself - her voice and minimal music.
But the album doesn’t stray from her familiar, lush sound, though the tinge of melancholy has given way to a soul-deep pain. There’s still a hopefulness and longing there, especially in the lovely “Bring on the Wonder.” But on the bitter “Forgiveness,” it’s clear that all is not forgiven. “This house of cards it had to fall/You ask for forgiveness, you ask for too much.” - ELLIS WIDNERSia We Are BornMonkey Puzzle/JiveC+
Australian-born Sia Furler’s fourth studio album lacks the sophistication and charm of her previous albums or her inspired work with Zero 7. Filled with pop tunes straight out of the ’80s, the first half sounds as though Whitney Houston recorded vocals on some Cyndi Lauper tracks. Furler’s dance beats are more likely to be heard in the local Hot Topic store than in European dance clubs.
Furler redeems herself somewhat in the second half. “Big Girl, Little Girl” is a sublime pop song fraught with emotion. Other standouts include “Hurting Me Now,” “Never Gonna Leave Me” and “Cloud.” The only sour note is the final track, a maudlin rendition of Madonna’s “Oh Father.” It’s an unfortunate end to an album that meanders between superb and bland.
- TRACY M. ROGERSAgainst Me White CrossesSireB+
“White Crosses,” the follow-up to 2007’s excellent New Wave (check out “Thrash Unreal”), is informed equally by Bad Religion and Bruce Springsteen, which means this is a record bursting with hard-rock energy and massive, singalong lines perfect for the mosh pit or playing loud with the door closed to your room.
From the indignant, angry chorus of the title track (“White crosses on the church lawn/I want to smash them all”) and the grand Born to Run flourishes of “Because of the Shame,” to the emotional “We’re Breaking Up,” Against Me seems to be ready to leave the fringe and kick its way into the mainstream.
Here’s hoping it gets there intact.
- SEAN CLANCYDevo Something forEverybody Warner Bros.
B
I’m docking this album half a grade for being so hard to listen to. (Literally - the advance copy Warner Bros. sent out couldn’t be played ona computer or on my Blu-ray player, and it took five minutes of churning before the car stereo was able to read it.) But I’m giving the deduction right back as a token fraction of the credit Devo deserved but never got back when they emerged as what we thought was a one-hit novelty act.
Turns out, they were simply ahead of their time; 35 years on their synth and guitar electroclash “shtick” still sounds fundamentally fresh. While there are missteps on the album - “Mind Games” sounds like an inferior stab at a Devo song, and maybe half the tracks are pleasantly forgettable - the half-dozen best tracks here (“Fresh,” “Don’t Shoot, I’m a Man‚” “Human Rocket,” “What We Do,” “Step Up” and “Watch Us Work It”) are as fine as anything in their canon, including “Jocko Homo” and “Whip It.” - PHILIP MARTINBrent DeBoer The FarmerHeadnessB+
Dandy Warhols drummer Brent DeBoer steps out with a truly quirky CD, a wispy and ghostly psychedelic folk record that leaves a distinct mark. A strummy acoustic guitar and echo are DeBoer’s main friends, although you have to love the whistle that pops up on “You Win.”
There are only eight songs. Even with the CD being that short, DeBoer could have varied the sonic signature a bit, as the songs blend together toward the end. Should you need another reason to investigate The Farmer, part of the proceeds of sales go toward the fight against multiple sclerosis.
- WERNER TRIESCHMANN
Style, Pages 55 on 06/27/2010