Music
Section By Jeb D.
TRON LEGACY SOUNDTRACK
Daft Punk
I don’t particularly share the nostalgia for Tron: I acknowledge its prescience in depicting the computer as the central organizing force of our lives, but it’s really a pretty limp piece of storytelling, and the trailers for the sequel don’t lead me to expect anything better (apart from Olivia Wilde in a catsuit). So, I figured that the high point of the enterprise might be the rather interesting choice of Daft Punk (natural successors to Wendy Carlos, really) to do the soundtrack. And, if you’ve heard the lead track, “Derezzed,” you might feel the same: all snappy euro-beats and whirlpools of synth. Unfortunately, the balance of the album is, well… an action movie soundtrack. Not a particularly bad one, I suppose–it’s got the requisite swelling strings, stabbing ostinati, orchestral tutti passages that end in echoing silence–but with the occasional exception (I’ll be interested in seeing just how “End of Line” gets used in the film) there’s not much particularly distinctive about it, either. I imagine it will sound great in the theater, and if you settle in and listen to the entire thing, letting your mind wander, you might well be able to imagine your own mental movie that would probably be at least as interesting as either of the Tron films.
ENDLESSLY
Duffy
There was more to Duffy’s 2008 debut than her retro-Petula Clark/Cilla Black stylings: her singing had a slyness that suggested a deep knowledge of white-soul predecessors from Dusty Springfield to Joss Stone, and her writing had a hint of Sam Philips’ quirk-pop sensibility. But promising debut albums like that are, if not a dime a dozen, at least a lot rarer than equally strong follow-ups, and there’s a hint of sophomore slump about this second effort. Co-produced by Duffy and veteran Albert Hammond (fun fact: I once saw him open for T.Rex back in the day), there’s an attempt to blend that lush 60’s backing with radio-ready beats on tracks like “Keeping My Baby” and “Well Well Well.” It makes for a reasonably smooth background-music experience, but the distinctive writing that fueled hits like “Mercy” and “Warwick Avenue” gets blended into a homogenous mix that plays down her personality in favor of obvious diva moments like “Don’t Forsake Me.” However, since I would expect this to be an even bigger hit than the first album, I doubt she’s worried.
JUST CHARLIE
Charlie Wilson
You know, it’s really unfair of me to be expecting Wilson to keep dropping bombs and burning rubber, but I can’t help the fact that any new release of his reawakens my Gap Band jones. But if lush, smooth contemporary R&B is your thing, stuff like “You Are,” “Crying For You,” and “Once And Forever” is pretty ideal makeout music. Every now and again, a beat or two will surface to suggest that someone in the studio was actually awake when they cut this (“Life Of The Party,” “Lotto”) but that’s quickly squelched lest anything resembling a personality be exposed. I’m glad for the guy’s success, but call me when the Party Train is back in town.
SOPHISTICATED LADIES
Charlie Haden Quartet West
Haden comes up with his second stunning collaboration this year (following Jasmine with Keith Jarrett), employing his distinctive blend of taste, intelligence, and wit on a collection of songs of bittersweet romance, on half of which the quartet is joined by a first-rank collection of female vocalists, including Cassandra Wilson, Melody Gardot, Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Renee Fleming, and Haden’s wife Ruth Cameron. The vocal selections are sweetened with wonderfully subtle string arrangements (conducted by pianist Alan Broadbent), the instrumental tracks focusing mostly on just the players of the quartet. High points are many: Ernie Watts’ sax drives the title track with a verve that’s more than a tad reminiscent of his days touring with the Rolling Stones, while Broadbent and new drummer Rodney Green make Hank Jones’ “Angel Face” dangerously seductive. Frankly, the album would be outstanding if it were just the half-dozen instrumental tracks; adding the vocalists just raises the bar: Jones is slinky and sly on “Ill Wind;” “If I’m Lucky” features Gardot’s almost breathless urgency, subtly decorated with tender solo passages from Broadbent and Watts; and Wilson debuts a newly-discovered set of Johnny Mercer lyrics for “My Love and I,” her deep, velvety voice trading passages with Haden as he showcases his understated command of tone and color. Honestly, if you know someone who’s always buying those “Standards” collections from people like Rod Stewart and Barry Manilow, this is the ideal Christmas gift to show them how it’s supposed to be done.
Other Noteworthy 12/7 Releases
Hinder, All American Nightmare. Hard rock cliche piled on cliche, shoutouts to and swipes from Guns N’ Roses and AC/DC abound, but almost worth it for “Put That Record On,” which gets all weepy and nostalgic over hearing your favorite music while stoned. And when the white boy singer bellows “Take your Kanye out of my player!” at least he remembers to say “Please.”
T.I., No Mercy. Everyone’s favorite guest star gets the favor returned with appearances from Eminem, Christina Aguilera, Kanye West, and more. “Get Back Up” is the snappy single leading the way.
Plain White T’s, Wonders of the Younger. Oh, sure, you dismiss these guys for being cheesy, derivative and obvious. But you’re just jealous that they didn’t choose one of your songs for the Cars video game.
Christian Kane, The House Rules. Under the Bob Ezrin production, plodding 4/4 drumming, and hair-metal harmonies, you know the guy’s country cuz he sounds like Tom Joad and sings about whiskey. At least I think that makes him country… getting harder and harder to tell these days.
Flyleaf, Remember To Live. I’m OK with the idea of “Justice & Mercy,” less certain about “Violent Love,” and I’d probably find this band’s version of TV-show-montage metal more convincing if singer Lacey Mosley didn’t remind me so much of one of the Chipettes.
Eric Johnson, Up Close. Dude can absolutely play, so anything he puts out is worth a listen. If he were a more interesting songwriter, I’d say it was worth two.
Robin Trower, The Playful Heart. See “Eric Johnson.”
Sufjan Stevens, All Delighted People. Evidently, the full version of this EP is only just now coming out on CD. But you have it already.
Einsturzende Neubauten, Strategies Against Architecture IV. Highly entertaining 2-disk compilation of the past decade of Teutonic industrialism from the band that defies the notion that Germans have no sense of humor. At least, I’ve always assumed they were being funny.
Ministry And The Co-conspirators: Undercover. I don’t know why Jourgensen filled this album out by remaking stuff like “N.W.O.” and “Every Day Is Halloween”-I’d love to have heard a few more covers like his lunatic takes on “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Rehab.”