MUSIC: This Week's New Music: What To Play, What To Skip
- 2010/05/04 14:02:45
- Read all 18 opinions
The week, the Big
Music Machine is a virtual mosh pit primed for a smack down. In one
corner, an aging diva battles with a Dixie Chick twosome. In the other,
a former R&B; heavyweight is ready to feud with a couple of old
folkies. And in the middle, a group of Massachusetts metal-heads cranks
up the volume loud enough to drown 'em all out. It's time play. Unless
you skip.
Music Machine is a virtual mosh pit primed for a smack down. In one
corner, an aging diva battles with a Dixie Chick twosome. In the other,
a former R&B; heavyweight is ready to feud with a couple of old
folkies. And in the middle, a group of Massachusetts metal-heads cranks
up the volume loud enough to drown 'em all out. It's time play. Unless
you skip.
VOTE: Do you like when music legends, such as Barbra Streisand, Carole King, and James Taylor, revisit hits from their past?
SKIP: Court Yard Hounds, "Court Yard Hounds"
With
Natalie Maines still content to rest on the sidelines, her fellow Dixie
Chicks Emily Robison and Martie Maguire decided to step out in a bold
new direction and make a record with a bunch of the folks behind the
Dixie Chicks last multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album "Taking the Long
Way." The results are much like… a Dixie Chicks without Natalie Maines.
It's no embarrassment (and the duet with Jakob Dylan, "See You in the
Spring," is supremely touching), but it makes me wonder two things: is
Neapolitan ice cream without strawberry just a double scoop of vanilla
and chocolate — and when are the Dixie Chicks gonna go into the studio
again?
Natalie Maines still content to rest on the sidelines, her fellow Dixie
Chicks Emily Robison and Martie Maguire decided to step out in a bold
new direction and make a record with a bunch of the folks behind the
Dixie Chicks last multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album "Taking the Long
Way." The results are much like… a Dixie Chicks without Natalie Maines.
It's no embarrassment (and the duet with Jakob Dylan, "See You in the
Spring," is supremely touching), but it makes me wonder two things: is
Neapolitan ice cream without strawberry just a double scoop of vanilla
and chocolate — and when are the Dixie Chicks gonna go into the studio
again?
PLAY: Toni Braxton, "Pulse"
It's
been almost 15 years since Toni Braxton was riding high with a #1
single — the smooth-groove classic "Un-Break My Heart." The years since
have been rocky. The diva filed for bankruptcy, and she was diagnosed
with a cardiac disorder and her son was diagnosed with autism.
Braxton's first album in five years proves that the strife hasn't
dulled her talent. "Pulse" is filled with New Jack grooves worthy of
her '90s heyday. It's an urgent, tautly produced bunch of dance floor
and bedroom jams that prove Braxton has a lot of venting to do.
Fittingly, she has included the song "Make My Heart" on the album. It's
the proverbial flip-side of the her 1996 "Un-Break" single. Only this
time, the beats — and the joy — are turned up. Toni Braxton has no time
for sadness, only triumph.
been almost 15 years since Toni Braxton was riding high with a #1
single — the smooth-groove classic "Un-Break My Heart." The years since
have been rocky. The diva filed for bankruptcy, and she was diagnosed
with a cardiac disorder and her son was diagnosed with autism.
Braxton's first album in five years proves that the strife hasn't
dulled her talent. "Pulse" is filled with New Jack grooves worthy of
her '90s heyday. It's an urgent, tautly produced bunch of dance floor
and bedroom jams that prove Braxton has a lot of venting to do.
Fittingly, she has included the song "Make My Heart" on the album. It's
the proverbial flip-side of the her 1996 "Un-Break" single. Only this
time, the beats — and the joy — are turned up. Toni Braxton has no time
for sadness, only triumph.
PLAY: Barbra Streisand, "One Night Only: Barbra Streisand and Quartet at the Village Vanguard" [CD/DVD]
New
York's Village Vanguard has been home to jazz legends since 1957.
Barbra Streisand's last gig at the Vanguard was in 1962 when the
then-20-year-old performer was working out the kinks in her nightclub
act and already becoming the darling of the gay community. Babs came
back to her old haunt in September 2009 for a rare club date with some
close personal friends, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Sarah
Jessica Parker, and Nicole Kidman. Streisand even invited the former
waiter who scored her an audition at the Vanguard nearly 50 years ago.
It's hard not to get caught up in the history of the event. And it's
hard not to be impressed by those pipes. Barbra Streisand wrote the
book for every pop diva to come. "One Night Only" is a reminder of
where X-Tina, Beyonce, and all the others will end up — if they're
lucky.
York's Village Vanguard has been home to jazz legends since 1957.
Barbra Streisand's last gig at the Vanguard was in 1962 when the
then-20-year-old performer was working out the kinks in her nightclub
act and already becoming the darling of the gay community. Babs came
back to her old haunt in September 2009 for a rare club date with some
close personal friends, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Sarah
Jessica Parker, and Nicole Kidman. Streisand even invited the former
waiter who scored her an audition at the Vanguard nearly 50 years ago.
It's hard not to get caught up in the history of the event. And it's
hard not to be impressed by those pipes. Barbra Streisand wrote the
book for every pop diva to come. "One Night Only" is a reminder of
where X-Tina, Beyonce, and all the others will end up — if they're
lucky.
PLAY: Carole King & James Taylor, "Live at the Troubadour" [CD/DVD]
Meanwhile,
from the West Coast, here's another homecoming at a musical mecca.
James Taylor and Carole King first performed together in 1970 at The
Troubadour, the West Hollywood club that launched the careers of Elton
John, Randy Newman, Linda Ronstadt, and a million other folkies. The
old friends and collaborators King and Taylor swore they'd get back
together one day. Forty years later they made good on the promise. The
song list alone is mind-boggling: "I Feel the Earth Move," "Fire and
Rain," "So Far Away," "Country Road," "You've Got a Friend," and ten
others you know by heart. "Live at the Troubadour" is as nostalgic as
nostalgia can get. It also has some of the best American songs ever
written. Go head, hear 'em one more time.
from the West Coast, here's another homecoming at a musical mecca.
James Taylor and Carole King first performed together in 1970 at The
Troubadour, the West Hollywood club that launched the careers of Elton
John, Randy Newman, Linda Ronstadt, and a million other folkies. The
old friends and collaborators King and Taylor swore they'd get back
together one day. Forty years later they made good on the promise. The
song list alone is mind-boggling: "I Feel the Earth Move," "Fire and
Rain," "So Far Away," "Country Road," "You've Got a Friend," and ten
others you know by heart. "Live at the Troubadour" is as nostalgic as
nostalgia can get. It also has some of the best American songs ever
written. Go head, hear 'em one more time.
PLAY: Godsmack, "The Oracle"
Godsmack
fans have had to wait four years for a followup to the metal band's
2006 gold album, "IV." The wait was worth it. Lead guitarist Tony
Rombola has emerged form a self-imposed, two-year woodshedding with a
renewed intensity and expanded vocabulary. The guitar licks have
ten-foot-deep grooves. Godsmack has always been a band to balance dark
metal with a strong sense of melody. The songs are more than cut 'n'
paste riff exercises, and the tempos sit between head-banging and
hip-shaking. Yes, it's overwrought, overbearing, and overheated. That's
the point. Still, I believe Godsmack. They smack of sincerity and make
me long for my days of teen alienation.
fans have had to wait four years for a followup to the metal band's
2006 gold album, "IV." The wait was worth it. Lead guitarist Tony
Rombola has emerged form a self-imposed, two-year woodshedding with a
renewed intensity and expanded vocabulary. The guitar licks have
ten-foot-deep grooves. Godsmack has always been a band to balance dark
metal with a strong sense of melody. The songs are more than cut 'n'
paste riff exercises, and the tempos sit between head-banging and
hip-shaking. Yes, it's overwrought, overbearing, and overheated. That's
the point. Still, I believe Godsmack. They smack of sincerity and make
me long for my days of teen alienation.
Top Opinion
-
Axl Snaks 2010/05/05 20:35:08
Sort By
- ambracia22 2010/05/05 23:05:16
+1All music from this decade sucksreply - Axl Snaks ambracia22 2010/05/15 01:16:00
- ambracia22 Axl Snaks 2010/05/15 05:07:36 (edited)2000-2010 has pretty much been all rap, hip hop, corporate sh1t, techno and emo, all of which are terriblereply
- Axl Snaks ambracia22 2010/05/15 21:36:16
- ««Gingey, the Master Debate... 2010/05/05 22:26:18I LOVE BARBRA!
reply - Hammerhead 2010/05/05 22:26:13
- Alex-Panda-Ninja-Poet-Dude 2010/05/05 21:26:20skip justin bieberreply
- vitorailson 2010/05/05 21:09:20Join the discussion! Leave a comment.reply
- ~ Marceline ~ 2010/05/05 20:51:47Godsmack I like (Somewhat)reply
- Axl Snaks 2010/05/05 20:35:08
- WshngMchn Axl Snaks 2010/05/05 22:16:06+1Melvins kick ass.reply
- Axl Snaks WshngMchn 2010/05/06 03:29:41
- Brad 2010/05/05 20:06:25Sevendust anyone?reply
- insane1 2010/05/05 18:18:24Godsmack's CD is really good, but listening to it for the first time it felt like I have been playing it forever. There was an air of familiarity around it. Still a well awaited album worth the time.reply
- ggaitherii 2010/05/05 18:12:33What about Nonpoint's "Miracle"? Just dropped yesterday.reply
- GoingNumb 2010/05/05 18:04:05This has been a slow month for music. I haven't purchased a single music item this month. I don't like the music that's coming out. Toni Braxton is good, but i dont' listen to her.reply
- xRat a Tatx 2010/05/05 16:06:16Go Godsmack!reply
- sait10 2010/05/05 15:52:48Play them all - variety is good!!reply
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