Bonnie "Prince" Billy: Beware

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Contents: Beware your only friend — You can't hurt me now — My life's work — Death final — Heart's arms — You don't love me — You are lost — I won't ask again — I don't belong to anyone — There is something I have to say — I am goodbye — Without work, you have nothing — Afraid ain't me.
Accompanying musicians: Joshua Abrams, bass guimbri and voice; Jennifer Hutt, violin and voice; Emmett Kelly, guitars, keys, and voice; Michael Zerang, percussion, marimba, drums, and voice; Rob Mazurek, cornet; Dee Alexander, voice; Jim Becker, banjo; Azita Youssefi, piano and synth; Robert Cruz, accordion; DV Devincentis, sax; and others.
"Singer/sometime-actor Will Oldham goes by "Prince" but doesn't make doves cry, and he's prone to lyrical metaphors approaching Dadaism. Move past the scattered arrangements of his latest record—ostensibly about love—and you'll find a sweet throwback to classic American folk with appealingly nonobvious melodies. Nothing to fear here" ("Playlist," Wired, 3/09, p. 44).

Horace Parlan: Up & Down

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Ben Ratliff wrote in the New York Times: "You can find hypnosis at a jazz performance once in a while if you’re lucky, and only if the band you’re hearing really knows what it’s doing. From jazz records this happens far less often: it takes a lot of repetition to create that hypnotic feeling, and when musicians are in the studio, they don’t often give themselves the luxurious space needed to repeat and repeat and repeat a phrase, working small variations therein. But Horace Parlan, the pianist, did this regularly on his records. Grant Green, the guitarist, did it a lot too, and so did Booker Ervin, the tenor saxophonist. They were all together on 'Up & Down,' one of Mr. Parlan’s best records, from 1961, which has just been issued on CD by Blue Note for the first time in the United States. It can claim you: at regular intervals while listening to this elegantly beseeching, blues-haunted music you might find yourself rapt, unable to do other things. Mr. Parlan’s right hand was partly damaged by polio, and so his soloing style doesn’t stream forth in single notes; it’s more like accompanying on a grand scale" ("Expansive Pop, Hypnotic Jazz …," 3/8/09).

These Green Eyes: Relapse to Recovery

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Contents: At the end — Paramedic — Kick the crutch — Tell me everything — Drunk driver — Two minute warning — Blood sweat and beers — Sucker punch (Won't get away with it) — Last call at the Dolly — Words — Time of our lives.
Alison Giesler wrote in the New Haven Advocate: "Locals These Green Eyes have melodic punchy rock down to a science. Relapse to Recovery features 11 moody songs about serious stuff: losing friends, self-loathing, self-deprecation, repairing relationships, etc. These songs should be a downer, but they aren't meant to knock you down and leave you there. Singer Colin Cunningham's strong vocals and the varying supportive harmonies wrap words in a shroud of hope and inspiration, guiding them through the forest that is standard post-hardcore instrumentation (guitars drenched in various effects and heavy, steady drumming). This record, while about failures and shortcomings, is actually empowering. But not like hardcore's holier-than-thou garbage about respect and territory. These guys are so beyond that" (3/12/09).

John Scofield: Piety Street

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Nate Chinen wrote in the New York Times: "Groove has always been an essential element for the jazz guitarist John Scofield, expressing itself in ways either subtle or obvious, depending on the setting. 'Piety Street' (Emarcy), released last week, falls in the obvious category, with a fortunate twist: it’s Mr. Scofield’s old-time gospel album, recorded in New Orleans with a band drawn mainly from that city’s robust R&B scene. … The same could be said of Mr. Scofield’s staunchly exuberant show at B. B. King Blues Club & Grill on Sunday night. Joined by the core players from the album — the pianist Jon Cleary, the bassist George Porter Jr. and the drummer Ricky Fataar — he played the greater share of its songs. … Chief vocal duties fell to Mr. Cleary, who has an appealingly weathered voice and a smartly soulful attack. (On the album he sometimes yields the floor to John Boutté, a more incandescent singer, but that missing substitution barely registered here.) … Mr. Scofield reinvented some of the songs in the repertory, outfitting 'Motherless Child' with sharp new harmonies" ("Music Review," 4/7/09).

Les Claypool: Of Fungi and Foe

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From the notes by Mr. Claypool: "Sometime back I was commissioned to write soundtrack music for two projects that promised to have quite a bit of very intense and unique imagery. One was for an interactive game about a meteor that hits Earth and brings intelligence to the mushrooms within the crash proximity and the other was about a three thousand pound wild boar that terrorizes the marijuana fields of Northern California. … This music became the foundation of the songs that fill this collection. With a few added tidbits and gypsy sauce. …"
Jeff Noise wrote in the New Haven Advocate: "Les Claypool is to this generation what Frank Zappa was to his … a tweaker of genre, a comic story-teller, and maestro of the odd composition. Why, it even sounds like Ruth Underwood on vibes … like Terrence McKenna producing a recording project between Tom Waits and Man Man along with the best bass lines you could hope for … oh, if only some deviant would book Les Claypool to open up a show on this Fleetwood Mac reunion tour! Imagine the apoplectic shock!" ("Stripwax," 4/9/09, p. 29).

Alanis Morrissette: Flavors of Entanglement

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Contents: Citizen of the planet — Underneath — Straitjacket — Versions of violence — Not as we — In praise of the vulnerable man — Moratorium — Torch — Giggling again for no reason — Tapes — Incomplete. All songs written by Alanis Morissette and Guy Sigsworth; lyrics by Alanis Morissette.
Felicia R. Lee wrote in the New York Times: "Nickelback won awards for group and album of the year on Sunday, as well as the fan choice award at the Junos, Canada’s annual music awards. Sam Roberts, the Montreal rocker, won artist of the year, and the singer Lights was best new artist. The Toronto hip-hop artist Kardinal Offishall won for best rap recording and best single for 'Dangerous.' The Montreal indie rockers the Stills won for best alternative album and for new group. Alanis Morissette’s 'Flavors of Entanglement' won best pop album and Coldplay’s 'Viva La Vida' won international album, the only category open to non-Canadians" ("Arts, Briefly: Juno Awards Given," 3/31/09).

String Quartets of Debussy, Fauré, and Ravel

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Alex Ross wrote in the New Yorker: "On a recent night at Weill Recital Hall, the Ebène Quartet, four young string players from France, made an unpromising entrance, looking like classical music’s unwanted answer to the Jonas Brothers, but, from the opening bars of Mozart’s Divertimento in D (K. 136), their playing was so secure, alive, rich-toned, and profoundly musical that age ceased to be an issue. Brahms’s String Quartet in C Minor seethed with drama, not least when the second violinist lost control of his bow and then caught it while the violist held a note longer than usual. Their performance of the Ravel Quartet was a riot of nuance, sometimes raptly lyrical and sometimes swingingly rhythmic. A recent Virgin Classics CD of the Ravel, Debussy, and Fauré quartets shows similar virtues. In a wacky encore, which involved both playing and humming variations on 'Some Day My Prince Will Come,' the Ebène revealed that they don’t take themselves too seriously. They seem bound for greatness all the same" ("Critic's Notebook: Four Play," 4/6/09, p. 14).

Jolie Holland: The Living and the Dead

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Contents: Mexico City — Corrido por Buddy — Palmyra — You painted yourself in — Fox in its hole — Your big hands — Sweet loving man — Love Henry — The future — Enjoy yourself. All songs by Jolie Holland except "Love Henry" (public domain) and "Enjoy Yourself" (Herbert Magidson and Carl Sigman).
Personnel includes M. Ward, gut string, guitars, bass ("Mexico City," "Your Big Hands"); Marc Ribot, electric guitars and national steel guitars ("Corrido por Buddy," "Palmyra," "Fox in Its Hole").
Amanda Petrusich wrote in the New York Times: "Ms. Holland's luxurious, jazz singer vocals are a compelling match for her considerably scrappier country-folk; listening feels a little bit like wearing high heels and lipstick in a barn. Her excellent new album, 'The Living and the Dead' (Anti), includes contributions from the singer and songwriter M. Ward and the guitarist Marc Ribot" ("Pop and Rock Listings," 3/13/09).

Corneille: The Birth of Cornelius

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Contents: Back to life — All of my love — Liberation — A man of this world — Murder — Foolish heart — Too much of everything — Home is by you — I'll never call you home again — Sweet dependency — Heaven.
Chuck Arnold wrote in People: "In the wake of the success of Senegalese-born Akon on the U.S. charts, Somalia native K'NAAN and Rwandan-raised Corneille have emerged as fresh, important voices from Africa with two of the year's most compelling releases. Corneille, a major star in France, makes his English-language debut with a glistening set of sexy, sophisticated soul-pop that'll win over fans of both Seal and George Michael. In fact, Corneille's ultra-smooth delivery brings to mind a less raspy, more satiny version of Seal on lush midtempo gems like the jazz-kissed 'Back to Life' and the acoustic-guitar-sweetened 'A Man of This World.' Meanwhile he addresses the Rwandan genocide that claimed his family on the poignant ballad 'I'll Never Call You Home Again'" ("Music: Out of Africa," 3/23/09, p. 49).

Kenny Barron: The Traveler

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Personnel: Kenny Barron, piano; Kiyoshi Kitagawa, bass; Francisco Mela, drums; Steve Wilson, soprano sax; Lionel Loueké, guitar; Ann Hampton Callaway, Gretchen Parlato, and Grady Tate, vocals.
Contents: The traveler (7:11) — Clouds (7:05) — Speed trap (7:40) — Um beijo (6:12) — The first year (Alex Nguyen; 6:16) — Illusion (6:34) — Duet (Barron and Loueké; 6:21) — Phantoms (9:17) — Calypso (6:42) — Memories of you (James Hubert "Eubie" Blake; 5:05). All songs by Barron except as noted. Recorded Dec. 12-13, 2007 at Avatar Studios, NC.
Nate Chinen wrote in the New York Times: "On his most recent album, 'The Traveler' (Sunnyside), the ever articulate pianist-composer Kenny Barron calls not only on the fluid propulsion of his working trio (with the bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and the drummer Francisco Mela), but also on the considerable charms of several singers, including Gretchen Parlato and Grady Tate" ("Jazz Listings," 3/13/09).

Jorma Kaukonen: River of Time

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Eric R. Danton wrote in his Hartford Courant blog Sound Check: "After playing for 45 years with Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna and as a solo artist, Kaukonen ought to know what's he doing by now. Still, it's usually a pleasant surprise when an act of his vintage proves he's still got it as convincingly as Kaukonen does on 'River of Time.' It's a gentle record, full of blues and folk tunes that showcase Kaukonen's considerable skill on acoustic guitar. He plays a slow, elegiac part alongside mournfully sweet violin on 'A Walk With Friends,' and picks out notes as clean and refreshing as a spring breeze on the instrumental 'Izze's Lullaby.' The lyrics on his originals tend toward maudlin reminiscences of youth, which is fair enough — his youth was more interesting than most, though 'grizzled veteran' might have made for more interesting material. Kaukonen fares better in that respect on the covers. He takes a jaunty spin through the Rev. Gary Davis' deceptively bittersweet 'There's A Bright Side Somewhere' and injects an understated twang into Merle Haggard's 'More Than My Old Guitar'" ("CD Review," 2/9/09).

Cecilia Bartoli: Maria

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Anthony Tommasini wrote in the New York Times: "Ms. Bartoli was back at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday night, and so were her adoring fans. Joining her again was the Orchestra La Scintilla of Zurich Opera, a subgroup of excellent period-instrument players from that company’s house orchestra. The program, '200 Years Maria Malibran,' was linked to another of Ms. Bartoli’s Decca recordings, 'Maria.' … The mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran, born to a well-known Spanish musical family in Paris, died at 28 in 1836. Yet in a career that lasted for just a decade she became one of the most admired and sensationally popular opera singers of all time, known especially for the roles she championed in operas by Rossini and Donizetti. … Ms. Bartoli joined the ensemble for an aria from [La Figlia dell'aria, an opera by Malibran's father, Manuel Garcia]. … [T]here were discoveries to savor, notably 'Infelice,' a scene and aria for voice, violin solo and orchestra that Mendelssohn wrote for Malibran and the violinist with whom she lived for years while still married to her first husband. An Italian bel canto aria by Mendelssohn!" (3/5/09).

Marianne Faithfull: Easy Come, Easy Go

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Eric R. Danton wrote in his Hartford Courant blog Sound Check: "There's no escaping the grit in Marianne Faithfull's voice. It's the accumulated experience of 45 years in the public eye. … Faithfull presides over an … illustrious crew on her latest … an album as engrossing as it is sometimes unsettling. The arrangements are stocked with woodwinds and subtle brass and strings, in addition to guitar, bass and drums. Her sultry alto has grown deeper and more weathered. … The older songs are more or less what you might expect: She ably handles Dolly Parton's 'Down From Dover' with a rueful air. … Teddy Thompson assists with his supple tenor. Contributions also come here and there from Cave, Sean Lennon, Antony Hagerty, Chan Marshall, Rufus Wainwright and, by no means least, one Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones guitarist helps bring the album, and Faithfull's career, full-circle with his grizzled vocals on Merle Haggard's 'Sing Me Back Home' — a song Faithfull learned from Richards. They harmonize slowly, like old lovers swaying on the dance floor one last time, and it's poignant and powerful."

Jimmy Greene: Mission Statement

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Edward Dunn wrote in the New Haven Advocate: "Besides his performance credentials, Greene is a respected composer, and his composer's keen sense of structure clearly influences his playing. His lines go way beyond a simple sequence of notes, each phrase integrally related to the next. Sure, that's what all great players aim for, but not many can balance that formal rigor with the requisite soul. … That takes talent and a lot of training, and he has both. Greene spent time under the late, great Jackie McLean at The Artist's Collective and later at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, where he now teaches in the school's pioneering Institute of Jazz. With six albums of his own and appearances on numerous other recordings by artists such as Freddie Hubbard and Chick Corea, Greene has quickly established himself as one of the top jazz artists of his generation. Joining Greene at this Firehouse 12 performance are Xavier Davis on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass and drummer Eric Harland, who's been compared favorably to Elvin Jones and Roy Haynes. All three appear on Greene's forthcoming album, Mission Statement."

Anonymous 4: An English Ladymass

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Allan Kozinn wrote in the New York Times: "Anonymous 4 … was back together for a concert at Corpus Christi Church on Thursday evening. … Mostly, it was drawn from Anonymous 4’s 1992 debut recording, 'An English Ladymass.' As on that recording, the singers assembled a Mass in honor of the Virgin, using plainchant and polyphonic songs and motets from disparate 13th- and 14th-century anonymous British sources. (This was how it was done at the time; it wasn’t until Machaut, in 14th-century France, that composers began writing complete Masses and signing their names to them.) From the opening 'Gaude, Virgo, Salutata' chant sequence to the final Ave Maris Stella' hymn, the performance had all the polish, dynamic suppleness and warmth of tone that have always been Anonymous 4’s hallmarks. The purity of its blend was intact as well. The ensemble’s lively account of 'Edi Beo Thu Hevene Quene' — a sweetly melodic devotional song in medieval English, the only vernacular piece to find its way into this Latin Mass — was especially pleasing, as was the graceful melismatic singing in 'Salve Sancta Parens'" (3/21/09).

Hayes Carll: Trouble in Mind

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Eric R. Danton wrote in his Hartford Courant blog Sound Check: "'Drunken Poet's Dream' is rootsy and wry, with a tangle of fiddle and growling electric guitar encircling vivid lyrics about a woman who 'likes to lay naked and be gazed upon.' It sets the tone for 'Trouble in Mind,' a collection of rollicking country-rock tunes that build upon the Texas songwriting tradition of aw-shucks philosophy laced with subversive undertones. Carll sings waggish odes to drinking, broken hearts and the glories of the barroom music circuit, with a potent mix of deadpan self-deprecation and stinging pathos. 'Good Lord, I hope I get paid tonight,' he cracks in an easy, tuneful drawl on 'I Got a Gig,' banjo plunking along behind him. He offers a straight take on road weariness on the slow and sorrowful 'Don't Let Me Fall,' and comes at the same topic from a different direction on 'Knockin' Over Whiskey.' Like a true showman, Carll … saves the best for last, ending with the hilariously wrongheaded complaint 'She Left Me For Jesus,' promising, with tongue in cheek, fierce payback should he ever take his ex-girlfriend's advice and find the Lord."