Mail & Guardian reviewers listen to new albums by DeVotchKa, Promise and the Monster, Galactic, Dean Martin, Jakob Dylan and others.
DeVotchKa
A Mad & Faithful Telling (Soul Candi)
Wow! DeVotchKa have always been an interesting band with their blend of Romanian, Greek, Slavic and mariachi folk music, but A Mad & Faithful Telling is an absolute masterpiece. From the opening mariachi rhythms of anti-capitalist statement Basso Profundo to the melancholic, Roy Orbison-esque grandiose of album closer New World, their sixth album is wall-to-wall killer, no filler.
Lead vocalist Nick Urata is on top form, utilising his stunning voice in myriad ways to convey the general theme of the album, which is something along the lines of all not being well with this world. Just take the lyrics from Along the Way, “So this is the city/ so this is progress/ how can something so pretty/ become such a mess?” or the lyrics of Clockwise Witness, “If you win the rat race/ if you come in first place/ then a rat is all you will be”.
The album’s highlight is Head Honcho, a rollicking tune that calls on all of us to “hit them where it hurts” because “they only care what it is worth”. Let DeVotchKa sucker-punch you between the eyes; you won’t regret it. — Lloyd Gedye
Eddie Bo
In the Pocket with Eddie Bo (Kurse)
Born into a musical family with an uncle who played with jazz greats like King Oliver and Sidney Bechet, it’s no surprise that Eddie Bo went on to enjoy a long and fruitful career. In 1956, Bo rose to national notoriety with his song I’m Wise, which was almost immediately covered by Little Richard and became Slippin’ and Slidin’. It was the start of a long and prolific career that included well more than 100 rock’n’roll, soul and funk seven-inch singles released between the mid-Fifties and the early Eighties.
Because Bo was more interested in the music than taking care of the business side of his career, most of his recordings earned him very little money and ended up being owned by dodgy music-industry types. Luckily this new compilation collects 28 recordings featuring Bo on one disc, so that this musical genius can be appreciated once again. From the early rock’n’roll of tracks like Baby to the proto-funk of Check Your Bucket, this is some of the finest music ever recorded. — Lloyd Gedye
Promise and the Monster
Transparent Knives (Just Music)
The world has come to associate Scandinavian music with all things euro-trash and poppy. Think (gag) Ace of Base, or Michael Learns to Rock, big in their own time but rather irrelevant. Not so with Promise and the Monster, aka the thoroughly weird and utterly captivating Swede Billy Lindahl. Up there with the likes of the Kissaway Trail and Jose Gonzalez, Lindahl is giving music from chilly places such as Denmark and Sweden a little more respectability.
Granted, there is a lot of Gonzalez about her sound; clever, melancholy guitar work abounds. Unlike Gonzalez, her songs have a layered complexity that is so enthralling they are almost difficult to listen to — suffice to say it’s even more difficult to stop listening. This complexity is perhaps due to the fact that she literally has more to play with, being accomplished on the guitar, cello, flute, organ and glockenspiel. Her eerie voice lightly weaves its way through tracks, creating creepy, captivating harmonies. Though high and childlike, her voice is not weak or whiney. Instead it provides a pleasant juxtaposition to the dark subject matter of her songs, which are indeed ballads for winter landscapes. They are cool and sad, but never without hope. — Lynley Donnelly
Galactic
From the Corner to the Block (Soul Candi)
Originally formed in 1994 as an octet obsessed with New Orleans funk, Galactic parted ways with their vocalist Theryl DeClouet in 2004 and are now an instrumental funk quintet that incorporates elements of hip-hop, electronic, jazz and world music into their sound. Their new album sees the band pairing up with a number of underground MCs, including The Coup’s Boots Riley, Blackalicious’s Gift of Gab and Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na.
The Corner is a killer track with some nasty funk bass and skills from Gift of Gab, while Think Back featuring Chali 2na is another album highlight. However, the live instrumental Sidewalk Stepper really grabbed my attention, as did Tuff Love, both making me wish there were more straight-ahead funk tracks on the album. There are a few duds here, because — let’s face it — a project like this is only going to be as strong as the MC rapping over the top, but on the whole it is a solid release and fans of funk and hip-hop should check it out. — Lloyd Gedye
Jakob Dylan
Seeing Things (Sony BMG)
Being born to a musical legend is tough when you fancy yourself a career in music. Ask Femi Kuti, Julian Lennon and Jakob Dylan. But the latter has broken free of his days of mediocrity as the leader of the Wallflowers and recorded his first solo album. Seeing Things is produced by Rick Rubin — a good choice, because his track record of resurrecting careers is well proven by now. Delicate, intimate folk songs about Middle America’s down and out are the order of the day, and although Dylan’s voice has a gentle sort of charm, his lyrics pale to insignificance when compared with those of his infamous father. Fans of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen’s more acoustic albums should find something to like here. It’s not bad, but not bad has never been a good enough reason to buy a record. — Lloyd Gedye
Dean Martin
Forever Cool (EMI)
Dean Martin rose from the dead to entertain us, once again, with his soothing voice and sense of humour. This time his ghost participates in duets with well-known performers such as Robbie Williams, Kevin Spacey and Martina McBride. By listening to his music, it is easy to enter a world of Sixties charm and romantic, cheek-to-cheek dances in candlelit ballrooms.
On the album, Martin’s legacy is celebrated with some of his most popular songs such as Baby It’s Cold Outside, Everybody Loves Somebody and I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face. A unique a cappella version of Brahms’s Lullaby is included as the final track. Complementing Martin’s baritone voice is the velvety sax of Dace Koz and the jazz trumpet of Chris Botti. Although new technology made it possible for Dino to “participate” in duets with modern-day vocalists on nearly every track, more room should have been given for him performing solo. This is, after all, about celebrating his great musical legacy. — Surika van Schalkwyk
Various artists
The History Boys OST (Gallo)
A more befitting soundtrack you will not find. The film revolves around young Oxbridge hopefuls in the Eighties, and the soundtrack appropriately employs the best that the decade’s English alternative scene had to offer, including The Cure, The Smiths, The Clash (Rock the Casbah, of course) and Echo and the Bunnymen. But more than being appropriate, this collection is also whimsically enjoyable. The more up-tempo contributions from the aforementioned artists are tempered by classical-sounding tracks from the film itself, including renditions of Bewitched, L’Accordeoniste and Bye Bye Blackbird. Rufus Wainwright recorded a stunning version of Bewitched especially for the film. — Warren Foster
Glenzito
House Avenue Volume II (Soul Candi)
This compilation proves that Glenzito is skilled of putting the very best soul-house tunes in one project. House Avenue Volume II is this DJ’s latest project and is a mix of 15 melodic house tracks. The original artists featured here include Osunlade’s beautiful beats on My Reflections and Pev Everett’s Can’t Do Without You. You can also look forward to the sounds of Four to the Floor’s Champaign. Glenzito worked mostly with the Soul Candi crew to put this project together — a perfect compilation for the festive season’s lazy afternoons. — Thembelihle Tshabalala