NewBeats

Madonna’s new and final album for Warner Bros., Hard Candy, is coming out on Tuesday—it’s the leadoff single “4 Minutes” (a duet with Justin Timberlake) is actually quite good. Marking 25 years in the business for the Material Girl, here is a video of “4 Minutes” :


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R.E.M.
Accelerate
Warner Bros.
By David Chiu

The positive reviews that have graced R.E.M.’s newest album are rightly justified; not since 1994’s Monster has the band ever sounded this much brasher and rockier evident on the punky “Living Well is the Best Revenge.” This a straightforward rock album with none of the electronic experimentations that have arguably mired the last couple of R.E.M. records—even the mid-tempo and slower tracks such as “Houston” and “Sing for the Submarine” sound even louder. The driving single “Supernatural Superserious” follows in the vein of another strong recent rocker “Bad Day,” while the last song I’m Gonna DJ sounds delightfully narcissistic with its opening lyric: “Death is pretty final/I’m collecting vinyl.” Just when the band was on the brink of having its best days way behind them, Accelerate proves any doubts of irrelevance wrong.

Watch a clip of “Supernatural Superserious”:


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Elvis Costello and the Attractions
This Year’s Model—Deluxe Edition
Hip-O/UME
By David Chiu

This Year’s Model is prime Elvis Costello, part of a trilogy of great albums, sandwiched between My Aim is True (1977) and Armed Forces (1979). Introducing on record his great backup band the Attractions, Costello in some ways makes a much tighter-sounding and better album than his debut—Model contains a slew of great power-pop tracks including No Action, the reggae-ish I Don’t Want to Go to Chelsea, the garage rock classic Pump it Up, and Radio Radio. This umpteenth and latest reissue of the original album is complemented by a 1977 live concert in Washington, D.C., and bonus tracks from the sessions including “Big Tears and “Crawling to the USA,” and an acoustic demo of “Greenshirt.” This Year’s Model is an essential part of any ‘70s music library.
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Nick Lowe
Jesus of Cool
Yep Rock
By David Chiu

Thirty years on, Nick Lowe’s Jesus of Cool is a power pop gem that displays the Englishman’s melodies, clever songwriting, and his ironic, quirky sense of humor. The latter is evident on songs about the industry like “Music for Money” and “Shake and Pop,” and the funky Bowie soundalike I Love the Song of Breaking Glass, and the disco-country-Fidel Castro-inspired “Nutted by Reality.” And though his music today seem more reflective and folkish, Lowe for a while really rocked out as in “So It Goes,” the reggae-inspired “No Reason,” and the punkish “Heart of the City.” The Yep Roc reissue generously tacks on 10 more bonus tracks including the single issue of Heart of the City and the original version of “Cruel to be Kind.” Falling in the tradition of the early Costello albums Lowe had also produced, Jesus of Cool is straight-up great power pop/New Wave.
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Lynyrd Skynyrd
Street Survivors—Deluxe Edition
Geffen/UME
By David Chiu

In hindsight, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1977 album Street Survivors is somewhat chillingly prophetic of the tragic fate that befell the band when members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines were killed in a plane crash. It is represented in the now-classic “That Smell,” a cautionary song about excess and death; and more visually on the album cover in which the band members are surrounded by flames. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the record, Street Survivors is typical Skynyrd in its amalgam of Southern rock, country, R&B and soul, from another signature tune “What’s Your Name” through the jazzy boogie of “I Know a Little” to the lovely “I Never Dreamed.” As on previous Skynyrd efforts, the soulful grit of singer Van Zant and the guitars of Allen Collins, Gary Rossington and Gaines highlight the band’s sound. The second disc of this reissue features an earlier version of the album recorded at Criteria Studios that was eventually scrapped, in addition to live tracks from a California concert in 1977. Street Survivors remains a fine album and a swansong to the first and most memorable era of Skynyrd’s career.
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Kathleen Edwards
Asking for Flowers
Rounder
By David Chiu

So far in her nascent career Kathleen Edwards has not absolutely made one bad, or even mixed album—her intimate brand of soulful alt-country/roots rock continues to radiate, as is the case with her latest stunner Asking for Flowers. The music is rich and warm, just like Edwards’ vocals, as her lyrics are impressionistic and introspective (“Buffalo,” the gorgeous closing song “Good Night California”) and in some cases brash and provocative (“Oh, Canada” and the rocking “The Cheapest Key”). The stories of yearning, romantic complications, apathy, and of course love run through the record in convincing, tender-hearted fashion. Edwards scores another winning hat trick with this album.

Watch a video of Kathleen Edwards’ “The Cheapest Key”:


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Sia
Some People Have Real Problems
Hear Music
By David Chiu

Soul and pop dominates this Australian singer’s latest album, which sounds like a throwback to the confessional melodic pop of a Laura Nyro. There is a romantic and whimsical aspect to the songs, from the upbeat pop of “Academia” (which features Beck) and “Playground,” to the jazzy Lullaby and romantic-sounding Lentil. Sia sings like a gospel singer especially on the bluesy and grandiose “Death by Chocolate,” and she delivers a rather sexy tone on her intepretation of the Ray Davies song “I Go To Sleep.” Her voice complements this rich soulful record with majestic grace and elegance.

See a clip of Sia's "Buttons" on YouTube:


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Joe Jackson
Town Hall, NYC
April 16, 2008
By David Chiu


While Berlin remains his current residence, Joe Jackson made a recent stop to his old home of New York City as part of his current tour in support of his latest album Rain. Joined by the two members of his original band from the late ‘70s, bassist Graham Maby and drummer Dave Houghton, Jackson performed a set drawing from the new album and some old favorites. Just like his eclectic career, the music from the set list all was equally diverse, combining power pop, classical, a bit of rock and jazzy soul. Behind his grand piano, Jackson started off the show with “Steppin’ Out” and went deep with a lot of the songs from Rain, which is his strongest record in years, particularly the ballad “Wasted Time,” the lovely “A Place in the Rain,” and the rollicking “Good Bad Boy.” Older songs that Jackson and hand performed such as “On Your Radio,” “One More Time,” and “It’s Different Girls” still rocked even without the guitar from the original recorded versions. While Jackson is renowned for his soulful and feisty voice, he is also a great piano player as this show reminded the folks; Maby and Houghton were equally superb. The encore included the obvious signature tune “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” and the ballad from the Night and Day album “A Slow Song.”


Set List:

Steppin’ Out
Invisible Man
Goin’ Downtown (?)
Wasted Time
Rush Across the Road
Frankie and Ava (Suzanne Vega cover)
Stranger Than Fiction
On Your Radio
Solo (So Low)
The Uptown Train
Chinatown
Scary Monsters (David Bowie cover)
It’s Different for Girls
Good Bad Boy
One More Time
A Place in the Rain

Encore:

You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)
Is She Really Going Out With Him?
A Slow Song
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The Lemonheads
It’s a Shame About Ray (Collectors Edition)
Rhino/Atlantic
By David Chiu

Listening to the Lemonheads’ breakthrough 1992 album again and watching its accompanying DVD for this reissue edition is like revisiting a time capsule of music in the early ‘90s. Yet there is something very genuine and heartfelt about It’s a Shame About Ray, a combination of aggressive folk, alt rock, and punk attitude fronted by Evan Dando’s deadpan vocals and good looks. Sure the album is best known for the band’s buoyant cover hit of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” which is a shame (pun or no pun intended) because there are 12 other really standout songs such as the title track, “Rudderless,” the gentle “My Drug Buddy” and “Confetti.” (this reissue contains demos of the songs). The aforementioned DVD, entitled “Two Weeks in Australia” features music videos and live performances of songs from the album and serves to show the band’s popularity at the time. It’s unlikely that this album will ever make it to those 500 great albums lists, but certainly for the ‘90s, It’s a Shame About Ray somewhere belongs with the likes of Nevermind, August and Everything After, and Ten.

Watch a video of the Lemonheads' "It's a Shame About Ray"


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I know it's been a while since I've last posted stuff on the site, but here are two recent articles I've written for AOL's Spinner site. One is an interview with  The Chapin Sisters, who recently released their full-length debut album Lake Bottom; the other is the great Daryl Hall, who has his own web cast called Live From Daryl's House.
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Beach House
Devotion
Car Park
By David Chiu

Following the sound of its self-titled debut, Beach House’s latest is atmospheric indie pop highlighted by Victoria Legrand’s haunting Nico-esque vocals and keyboards; Alex Scally’s shimmering guitar; and minimal percussion. Devotion sounds haunting romantic, and melodic—it’s hard not to be hypnotized by tracks such as “Gila,” “Astronaut,” and “Home Again.” The album’s tone is funereal but strangely cathartic, resulting in something quite elegant.

Watch a video of “Heart of Chambers”

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Various Artists
The Sound of Philadelphia: Gamble & Huff’s Greatest Hits
Philadelphia International/Legacy

Various Artists
Conquer the World: The Lost Soul of Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International/Legacy

By David Chiu

Throughout the ‘70s, the Motown hit-making factory was rivaled by the elegant R&B coming out of the City of Brotherly Love. Helmed by impresarios Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Philadelphia International Records built a stable of great and now-legendary artists and established a streak of chart hits. The Sound of Philadelphia is an essential sampler of the classic songs that still get played on radio: “Love Train” by the O’Jays; “When Will I See You Again” by the Three Degrees; the torchy Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul; “The Love I Lost” by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (Featuring Teddy Pendergrass)” and the all-time dance classic “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by McFadden and Whitehead. Nearly all of the songs were written and produced by Gamble and Huff and were characterized by sleek production values and romantic, soulful lyrics. The music coming out of PIR defined the golden age of R&B and pop in the ‘70s.

The tracks on Conquer the World were PIR singles that, despite carrying the familiar label sound, never made a dent in the charts. It’s a shame because there were genuinely good songs full of warmth, soul and passion, and perhaps a little more bouncier than the well-known and higher-charting singles. “Conquer the World” is a lovely duet between Bunny Sigler and Dee Dee Sharp; Soul Devalents’ “Grasshopper” is a novelty funk number, perhaps too gritty by PIR standards, as well as Sigler’s “Theme from Five Fingers of Death”; and Frankie & the Spindles’ “Makin’ Up Time” is both sublime and grand. For fans of Philadelphia soul, this is a treasure trove of rarities that ranks alongside with the familiar classics.

Watch a video of “Love Train”

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The Heavy Circles
The Heavy Circles
Dynamite Child
By David Chiu

The Heavy Circle is collaboration between singer Edie Brickell and musician Harper Simon. If you notice a family connection, it’s because Brickell is the wife of Paul Simon and Harper is Simon’s older son. But the musical connection is more apparent on this debut album that draws from various styles from Euro pop (“Henri”), rock (“Ready to Play,” “Dynamite Child”), alt-country (“Easier”) and reggae (“Need a Friend”). The tunes are melodic, atmospheric, and quite moving, especially on the standouts “Confused” and “Maximo.” Brickell never sounded better as a vocalist than on this record. Let’s hope the Heavy Circles is not a one-off project.
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Tift Merritt
The Mercury Lounge
March 19, 2008
Review by David Chiu


It was a homecoming for Tift Merritt when she and her band played the Mercury Lounge the other night. Already in the middle of her tour to promote her excellent new album Another Country, the native North Carolinian returns to her current home of New York to play an unusual early show to a sold-out crowd.

The back story behind the new album was a trip Merritt took to Paris, which inspired her to write again. (It’s no surprise that a black and white French film from the ‘50s or ‘60s was played onscreen before the show) Most of the songs from the set list drew almost entirely from the new album and they didn’t disappoint. Merritt started off solo with her acoustic guitar with the lovely “Keep You Happy”; then the band came in and proceeded to play songs such as “Broken,” “Another Country,” the rocking “My Heart Is Free” and the soulful “Morning is My Destination.” The encore included a rendition of Merritt’s “Good Hearted Man,” off of her previous album Tambourine; and a romantic ballad sung in French, “Mille Tendresses (A Thousand Tendernesses).” She came back for another encore performing “Plainest Thing,” also from Tambourine.

Her band played excellent. An engaging performer, Merritt alternated between passionately strumming her acoustic (and sometimes electric) guitar and hitting the keyboards. It was a good and entertaining evening of tender alt-country music.

Partial set list


Keep You Happy
(Something to Me)
Broken
Another Country
Supposed to Make You Happy
Hopes Too High
I Know What I’m Looking For Now
(unknown song)
My Heart Is Free
Tender Branch
Morning Is My Destination

Encore:
Good Hearted Man
Mille Tendresses

Second encore:
Plainest Thing
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Read my interview with Michael McDonald, who just put out a new album, Soul Speak, in the March 17, 2008 issue of People magazine.
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Jackson Browne
Solo Acoustic Vol. 2
Inside
By David Chiu

The obvious sequel to his previously recorded solo outing, Vol. 2 features Browne sans band performing classics and album cuts to a live audience. The material draws more from the ‘80s and beyond output, with the exceptions of “Redneck Friend” and “Something Fine,” Still they are just as good and refreshing to hear in their new takes. Browne unearths “Enough of the Night” from the political World in Motion album and the state-of-national affairs song “Casino Nation,” but the rest of the album is mainly introspective, including a beautiful rendition of “Sky Blue and Black” with just him on piano, as well as a upbeat take on “Somebody’s Baby.” In this type of setting , Browne doesn’t miss—it’s further enhances the warmth of his songs.
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Goldfrapp
Seventh Tree
Mute
By David Chiu

Beginning with the opening track, the folkish “Clowns,” Goldfrapp’s latest album Seventh Tree departs from the disco frenzy of their previous record Supernature. In fact it is at times rather subdued, soulful and more natural sounding—certainly the case of “Little Bird” and “A&E” are some of the examples of this direction. The duo of sultry vocalist Allison Goldfrapp and instrumentalist Will Gregory certainly hasn’t taken the ‘electronic’ out their sound—there are still those lush, ambient touches merging with acoustic guitar—but the songs aren’t exactly danceable. The focus certainly is on the music and the results are still great.

Check out the video of "A&E" by Goldfrapp:


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Joe Jackson
Rain
Rykodisc
By David Chiu

Unfortunately it’s not the full-lineup of the original Joe Jackson band—just Jackson, bassist Graham Maby, and drummer Dave Houghton. But Rain is certainly not a disappointment because of it. With Jackson’s piano playing being the lead instrument rather than guitar, the songs have a definite jazzy pop appeal. There is no clearly no mistaking, however, his pointed songwriting as with the case of “Citizen Sane” and the rocking “King Pleasure Time”; and some beautiful ballads in “Wasted Time” and the hopeful “A Place in the Rain.” It’s not exactly upbeat stuff on Rain but yet it still feels good in the end. Following Vol. 4, this is another solid Joe Jackson outing.

Check out a performance of "Wasted Time" by Joe Jackson on YouTube.
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Michael Jackson
Thriller
Epic/Legacy
By David Chiu

Michael Jackson ruled pop music in the ‘80s thanks to this landmark album, which 25 years later, is still as popular than ever. Thriller was the soundtrack of 1983 and 1984 and its songs still continue to resonate, particularly the hits “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” (although my personal favorites are “The Girl Is Mine,” Jackson’s duet with Paul McCartney; and the gorgeous “Human Nature,” later covered by Miles Davis). The quality of the songs and production values are examples of the genius of Jackson and his producer Quincy Jones. But beyond the insane number of albums it sold (40 million copies and counting), it’s a filler free record complete with the classic Vincent Van Price voice over on the title track, and Eddie Van Halen’s blistering guitar solo on “Beat It.”

The inclusion of the four new updates on this 25th anniversary reissue is debatable, other than a way for today’s hip hop stars to pay tribute to Jackson. Of them, “Wanna Be Starting Something” featuring akon and will i. am, and "PYT" with will i. am sound the most original, more like a reimagining of the songs rather than covers. The other previously unreleased track from those original sessions, “For All Time,” a ballad, is reminiscent of “Human Nature.” The DVD portion contains the great innovative videos that added to the mania: “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” (great choreography), and Thriller (still scary). Fans will rejoice at the clip of Jackson performing at the Motown 25 program from 1983 where he showed off his electrifying dance moves while performing “Billie Jean.”

Watch videos related to the Thriller reissue:




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Tift Merritt
Another Country
Fantasy
By David Chiu

The third release by the singer/songwriter from North Carolina is an absolute gem and deserves to be called one of the best albums of 2008 by year’s end.. Based on her experiences living in Paris, Another Country is an introspective yet hopeful alt-country record. matched by her lovely, wistful voice. Every song is a stand out, particularly “Broken,” the achingly beautiful “Keep You Happy,” and the Stax-inspired soul tune “Tell Me Something True.” Merritt channels a little Edith Piaf with the last song “Mille Tendress (A Thousand Tendernesses)” in which she sings in French—it sums up the sentiment and good feeling evoked on this record.


Watch a video of Merritt's "Broken" from Another Country:


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Music from the Motion Picture
Juno
Fox Searchlight/Rhino

Music from the Motion Picture
Margot at the Wedding
Lakeshore Records/Paramount Vantage

By David Chiu

Two films were released last year that offer some really eclectic tunes that defy the usual soundtrack that usually offer perhaps one or two good songs.

The track selection on the soundtrack of the critically-acclaimed and now Academy Award nominated picture Juno is nothing short of amazing—the album recently topped the album charts. The Juno soundtrack blends the indie folk tunes of the Moldy Peaches’ Kimya Dawson with several alt-rock acts (Sonic Youth and Cat Power’s covers of “Superstar” and "Sea of Love," respectively) and some retro songs (the Kinks’ "A Well Respected Man" and the Velvet Underground’s "I’m Sticking with You"). It’s Dawson who dominates the soundtrack with several of her short and direct folk songs. The closing song on the album is a rendition of the Moldy Peaches' “Anyone Else But You” by the movie’s stars Michael Cera and Ellen Page.

The soundtrack to Margot and the Wedding runs a close second although, with the exception of Dean and Britta’s “Northern Blue,” most of the material have been previously released. There are a few well-known pop radio hits from the ‘70s such as Stephen Bishop’s lite reggae-ish "On and On" and Gilbert O’ Sullivan’s "Clair"; the rest is mostly obscure and undgeround, from Karen Dalton and Lesley Duncan’s "Something On Your Mind" and "Everything Changes," respectively to alt rock tunes by Blondie, X, and Dinosaur Jr.

Video of "Anyone Else But You" from Juno, performed by Michael Cera and Ellen Page:

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Counting Crows
August and Everything After—Deluxe Edition
DGC/UME
By David Chiu

In the era of ‘90s grunge, Counting Crows exploded everywhere with their sensitive pop music—their songs, particularly "Mr. Jones" and "Round Here," were played on radio constantly. The Crows certainly forged what we call the adult alternative sound, and their music have grown in stature, and it started with the debut August and Everything After. Produced by T-Bone Burnett, the album is an earthy and soulful album highlighted by frontman Adam Duritz’ distinct vocals and his yearning and romantically-longing lyrics. From top to bottom there are the lovely ballads “Anna Begins” and “Sullivan Street”; and rockers “Rain King” and “A Murder of One.” In short August and Everything After ranks up as one of the best albums of the ‘90s. The Deluxe Edition also contains a second disc capturing the band live from a ’94 Paris concert, including a stirring acoustic rendition of the Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost in You.”

Video of "Mr. Jones":

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Original Broadway Cast Recording
Xanadu
PS Classics
By David Chiu

Having been weaned on the original 1980 soundtrack from a bad movie all these years, it took me a while to get used to the Broadway treatment of those songs recorded by Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra. And yet because the music is so dramatic and theatrical, that it seemed natural for Broadway. This cast recording reprises all of the Newton-John and ELO songs from the original movie, including a relatively rare one (“Fool”), and songs previously recorded and became hits before the movie was released (“Have You Ever Been Mellow” and “Evil Woman”). The cast, including Kerry Butler, Cheyenne Jackson and the veteran actor Tony Roberts, does justice to the original movie’s songs, from the upbeat “I’m Alive” and “All Over the World” to ballads such as “Suddenly” and “Don’t Walk Away.”


Video of "Suddenly" from "The View":


A clip of ELO's "I'm Alive" from the original movie:

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