This Welsh outfit is back in the limelight — at least here and in the United Kingdom — with its third album, Just Enough Education to Perform (David Gresham) — JEEP, for short.
The album debuted at number one on the British charts. In South Africa the first single, Have a Nice Day, has leapt up radio charts with its laid-back but cheery melody and lead singer Kelly Jones’s husky voice almost languidly meandering along.
It’s not a heavy album at all — Have a Nice Day is quite representative of the rest of JEEP‘s atmosphere. Lightweight harmonies and easy, gentle rhythms abound on the album. Are Stereophonics moving from a mostly simple rock past to a possibly bland future of radio-friendly, don’t-upset-the-neighbours pop, devoid of any angst? Or are they simply changing the pace to reach a bigger audience? It’s hard to tell. Kelly did mention before JEEP‘s release that he was dissatisfied with the band’s sound at that time and that fans should expect drastic changes. Whether the fans will remain loyal if the new sound continues on future albums remains to be seen.
Don’t think it’s a boring album, though. Hear a few interesting, unexpected nods in the country direction with the harmonica and the slide guitar on Step on My Old Size Nines. On Mr Writer the band takes a sublime and deliciously sarcastic shot at music writers — a good example of the overall excellence of JEEP‘s lyrics (the sleeve contains informative notes by songwriter Kelly on the development of most of the songs).
Though JEEP is probably not what original Stereophonics fans were expecting, it’s an effectively moody and surprisingly simple collection of pop-rock that’s well worth sampling.
Lang Lang: Piano: Haydn, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Balakirev (Telarc)
It would be difficult to find adjectives for this live performance that aren’t already in the sleeve notes — and none of these are over-charitable, seeing that Lang has diligently built a name for himself in North America by stepping in for ailing instrumentalists at the last moment. Soon to be touring the world, Lang demonstrates his responsive touch with a neat Haydn sonata (Hob XVI:31) and some faithfully consistent articulation in the
Brahms (Op 118), but also shows off an impressively steadfast technique in
the capricious Russian repertoire. Good anticipation and an eager eye for the surprising features of a score ensure that his phrasing never comes off impatiently. You’ll find yourself clapping Lang Lang along through this fine recital. — Daniel Hutchinson
Various: Smooth Operator (EMI)
“We got it together didn’t we … isn’t that nice?” It’s the king of cool, Barry White, the original smooth operator, opening a silky collection of light jazz. Almost perfect for summer parties thrown by disco queens, or any other queen for that matter. Or just those lazy summer lunches by the pool where wine gets replaced by port and brie on smyrna figs as the sunset begins dappling the lawn. Almost perfect because although it has some great favourites, it is not a seamless collection — one too often jumps one track to listen to another. Billed “the ultimate seduction album” by a boring copywriter who learnt at ad school that children, animals and sex sell every time (and it’s hard to find a kiddie angle in Barry White, or a pooch rhythm in Tina Turner), much of the album made me want to dance, which is hell on seduction. “I don’t care about anything else but being with you … oooh hooo hooo …” — that’s Smokie Robinson. The delicious Joan Armatrading features with More than One Kind of Love. There is a song that brings summer, Lifted by the Lighthouse Family, and then there is the ultra-smooth This I Swear by Richard Darbyshire. There are songs I could do without, like Three Times a Lady, but then again, it’s the pub anthem of over-peroxided, deep-hennaed, shipwrecked women and their blokes. They will all also warble along and sniff into their brandy and Coke during Unchained Melody. Gripes aside, it is a worthwhile summer listening addition. — Charlene Smith