Seal
Best 1991 - 2004 (Warner)
I'm not in an overly cynical mood today (something that I may regret at a later date after doing this review) and the thing is I quite like Seal. I don't actually own any of his albums (until now, cheers LeftLion) and whilst most people my age may dismiss the ol'Sealster as a strictly for the parents collection along with the likes of Simply Red and M People, I reckon he deserves a bit more credit than that.
His Greatest Hits album Best 1991 - 2004, kicks off with his most-loved early 90s tunes Crazy, the Batman theme Kiss from a Rose and Killer. These are followed by some of his less well known but instantly recognizable when you hear them hits, including two new tracks, a pretty funky interpretation of Walk on By and an English language cover of a song by some French dude called Jaques Brel, If You Go Away. The album finishes up with my personal favorite hit Future Love Paradise. The deluxe edition comprises disc one, the original version of the hits and a second disc, an acoustic album, which is a nice touch! If you like Seal's style but don't own any of his albums then this is probably the perfect album for you, a tapas like taster selection of his best tunes. Add it to your collection.
| www.seal.com |
Mara Sprengel |
Leonard Cohen.Dear Heather (Columbia)
There are a dwindling number of guests remaining at the dinner party of Rock n' Roll who arrived just as the cocktail sticks were being thrust into the sausages.
Many left to bronze themselves until they reached the hue of a two pence piece, some died, and some return every decade to release albums that rather than having any musical merit, simply remind us they don't belong in the former category.
Leonard Cohen is none of these. He doesn't snuggle up to Parky or Jonathan Ross a week before an album release to reminisce about adventures that didn't actually happen with Keith Richards. He doesn't have Missy Eliot teach him how to rap. He's doing what he has always done; sitting knowingly on the sidelines of the party with a lady friend in one arm and a volume of poetry in the other.
But `Dear Heather' is a sign of age. Cohen's voice is so low, it's capable of causing acute structural damage. In order to counter this, Sharon Robinson and cronies are imported for `ooo-aaa' backing vocals. Sadly though, this has the adverse effect of making Cohen seem like less of the sophisticated romantic of old and more like a filthy old man; on `Because Of ', Cohen purrs of his prowess with women in old age. Throw in a saxophone, and he doesn't so much `take you down to the river to watch the boats go by' as take you down to his shed to see dirty magazines.
Yet despite failing to improve on 2001's introspective synth-saturated `Ten Songs', there is still some of the old magic left. Poetic lines and soulful melodies on `The Letters' and `Morning Glory' (not another case of an Oasis song given Ryan Adams-style treatment sadly) redeem an otherwise nondescript effort whilst `On that Day' surpasses meditations on 9/11 by R. E. M. and other bands. Not Cohen's best effort (`The Songs of' and `I'm your Man' being wrist-slashingly good) but by no means his worst.
| www.leonardcohen.com |
Ollie Smith |
John Frusciante
Inside of Emptiness (Record Collection)
This is a solo album from Red Hot Chilli Peppers guitarist John Frusciante.
It does hit plenty of the right notes although it is fairly short. A predominately moderate rock based album with hints of 70`s The Who live, The Dead Kennedies whilst bringing in the 90`s grunge scene with Nirvana influences and of course the Chili Peppers edge is still there. Devoid of any extravagant, technical solos, also no funky bass more the bass line of a regular four piece. Distortion on the guitar is evident throughout with some Chili Peppers style chunky chords more to the fore than the bass.
I like the powerful opener to kick the album off, most likely to be a single release, What I saw. The World`s Edge vocals sound peculiarly like Cat Stevens . Back to American grunge rock with Inside a Break. A Firm Kick packs in some full bodied chords whilst being slightly melodic at the same time. Slightly repetitive chord sequence in Look On although covered in part by a neat solo. Up tempo Emptiness is a smart tune with a Green Day style bass line. Cleaner sounding I`m Around is one of the more depressing songs on the album. 666 is more grunge again. Interior Two has a certain punch and roll to it. The album closes with Scratches a down tempo catchy ending.
| www.johnfrusciante.com |
James Radford |
Biffy ClyroInfinity Land
Few things irritate me so consistently as the phrase `The Next Big Thing'. Applied so frequently and indiscriminately in the music industry, it's surprising there is space left within whatever dimension it is that music exists in (presumably Simon Cowell's paddock) Indeed, the `Next Big Thing' in my eyes will be my little toe, which I just stubbed in the doorway. Medical problems aside, from the jaundiced tuck-your-shirt-in pomp of Franz Ferdinand to the honky tonk bleat of Keane, for better or for worse eccentric indie bands have recently swelled into chart guzzling ogres.
Biffy Clyro have been tipped to be next in line. Let us review the evidence; this undeniably and uncompromisingly glorious third album from the Scottish trio. The record's success lies in variety; an oscillation between melodic lines and on the other side, blistering guitar riffs that could make any die hard metal enthusiast choke on his bat's head soufflé. Nowhere is this more obvious than on `Wave upon Wave upon Wave'; a screeching session that spills into a harmonious refrain worthy of a band such as the Vines, peppered with references to Shakespeare's Macbeth (There's a knife in my hand/covered in blood I can't understand). `Glitter and Trauma' - the opener - is equally surprising; with dance beats complimenting another helping of Celtic angst.
Whether all this amounts to anything more than a chart satellite remains to be seen, however, when `these three meet in thunder, lightning or in rain' to quote the Bard, a rockin' time is guaranteed for all.
| www.biffyclyro.com |
Ollie Smith |
Still want more? Check out Claire Foss reviewing the singles...
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