Various Artists - I Refuse To Vote

VA - I Refuse To Vote (Until Politicians Are Paid Minimum Wage)
2010, Cross Seas Entertainment
I Refuse To Vote, the latest compilation from England's Cross Seas Entertainment features 12 fresh songs that range from Hip-Hop to Electronica to alternative post-punk folk music with a sidebar into reggae thrown in for good measure. Featuring artists such as Blee, Mark Handley, The Entertainment, Anima Pop, Charma D and Johnny Black, I Refuse To Vote looks to capture the sort of populist anger that passes for alternative political thought these days in loose, mellow arrangements from across the musical spectrum.

I Refuse To Vote kicks off with the bland electro-pop of Anima Pop, which takes ample liberties with Henry Mancini's "Where Do I Begin", warping into minor keys and offering just enough variation to keep it out of the copyright control office. The arrangement borders on inventive, but with no energy and no dynamic change the song fails to go anywhere. Blee offers up two numbers, equally bland in their presentation. The Entertainment show the first signs of life with a solid rock tune that will shake you awake ("Free"). Johnny Black's "The Outlaw Gordon Brown" seems a bit dated now, but is fine bit of political commentary in song. Mark Handley will make you crack a smile with "I Can't Be Arsed", and Raggadon offers up a decent effort with the "Hackney".

I Refuse To Vote is one of those experiences where you might be better off giving it a listen and then just paying for the tracks you like. Compilations generally work well because they have a guiding principal, whether a theme (such as a cause) or a style of music. I Refuse To Vote bases itself around the disaffection of a young generation growing up in a world that seems like it’s getting worse than getting better, but the sort of anger that drove innovations like punk is presented here so passively it might as well have stayed home.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about the I Refuse To Vote compilation at Cross Seas Entertainment's website, where you can download the album.

Monica Mancini - I've Loved These Days

Monica Mancini - I've Loved These Days
2010, Concord Records

Even if you're talented in your own right, it never hurts to have a famous mom or dad. Monica Mancini has long since escaped the filial shadow, amassing an impressive body of work over the years between studio work and appearances on countless movie scores over the years, but she got her start in her dad's The Henry Mancini Chorus. Over the years Mancini has recorded with artists such as Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and Placido Domingo, and she has sung with symphonies the world over. Mancini's latest studio effort, I've Loved These Days is a collection of highly refined cover songs and features guest appearances from Brian Wilson, Jackson Browne, Take 6, Stevie Wonder and Felix Cavaliere. With production by none other than Phil Ramone and Gregg Field, I've Loved These Days greets the world steeped in impeccable sound and taste.

I've Loved These Days opens with Jackson Browne's "These Days", with Browne sitting in on vocals and guitar. Mancini offers up an interpretation that is both honest and reserved, like a quiet conversation with an old friend. Mancini's is one of those voices that wraps itself around you and welcomes you like family; not flashy but warm and full of life. Brian Wilson and Take 6 sit in on the Beach Boys' classic "God Only Knows". Mancini is superb, but the true highlight is when all of the voices merge in harmony, creating some heavenly atmospherics in the process. Mancini's take on Paul Simon's "American Tune" (the first of two Simon tunes on the album) is inspired; her mildly understated delivery dovetailing perfectly with the highly thoughtful poetry Simon provides.

Stevie Wonder sits in on harmonica for "Blame It On The Sun", a song he wrote and originally performed with Syreeta Wright. Mancini's take here is genuine and fresh, full of a wistfulness that is palpable. "Without Him" (Harry Nilsson) finds Mancini opening up the dynamic range a tad, showing flashes of the performer she is on stage. Felix Cavaliere sits in on Hammond B-3 for his "How Can I Be Sure", a song full of trepidation and a solid mix of love and on-going heartbreak. Mancini shows more of her dramatic side here, getting inside of the song like it came from her own heart. The Beatles classic "I'll Follow The Sun" is presented in Muzak format, and Mancini does justice to the vocal line, but Shelly Berg's arrangement is just too passive to match the song's heart.

On "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", Mancini sounds more like a classic chanteuse, offering up a sleepy but heartfelt lullaby for all who have seen better days. "Something So Right" (Paul Simon) finds Mancini at her best; quiet and reserved but with real energy that speaks of emotion and intellect. You might guess that Mancini connects with Simon's work on a personal level from the two selections offered here. Mancini's take on Billy Joel's "I've Loved These Days" comes off sounding like a quiet soliloquy from a Broadway show. Where Joel's original is a reminiscence from someone who started at the bottom and made it to the top, Mancini's is a bit too refined to be believable in the same context. Nevertheless, Mancini quietly bowls you over with her vocal performance, and the song works in spite of the dichotomy. Mancini closes with Janis Ian's "Joy", a thoroughly heartfelt rendition that even the most severe Ian fan would approve of.

From the airbrushed cover photo right down to the last meticulously crafted and produced note, I've Loved These Days has been perfected and polished to immaculate proportions. This turns out to be the one complaint about the album. Everything here is so finely crafted that you lose sight of what a great performer Mancini really is. I've Loved These Days is exceptional, most likely a Grammy nominee before all is said and done, but it would be nice to have heard Mancini tackle these songs in a less scripted recording environment. Considering some of the people involved in this project, and the wonderful textures and nuances of Mancini's voice, what is highly refined and polished might have become magical.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Monica Mancini at http://www.monicamancini.com/. I've Loved These Days drops on June 15, 2010. You can pre-order a copy through Amazon.

Review: Lisa Hilton - Twilight & Blues

Lisa Hilton - Twilight & Blues
2009, 1012 Ruby Slippers Productions

Renowned pianist and composer Lisa Hilton returns this August with her eleventh album, Twilight & Blues, featuring five covers and five original tracks. Supported y Lewis Nash (drums), Larry Grenadier (bass), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet) and J.D. Allen (tenor sax), Hilton finds occasional magic under the watchful eye of fourteen-time Grammy winning producer Al Schmitt. Whether lighting up blues-influenced originals or covering the likes of Janis Joplin, Marvin Gaye or Joni Mitchell, Hilton always seems very much in her element.

Twilight & Blues kicks off with the funky swing of Pandemonium. Piano, trumpet and sax shared melody chores, occasionally pulling together ensemble to offer moments of sonic resolution. Joni Mitchell's Woodstock finds Hilton leading us through a moody piece with a lot of inner turbulence that manages to rise above itself without losing that inner tension. What's Going On (extended take) is a soulful and respectful take on the Marvin Gaye classic. The trumpet in particular shines, and Hilton is as solid as ever on piano. Hilton gets inspired on City Streets with some of her hottest piano work yet. The rhythm and texture she builds into the song is supported by upright bass and percussion for six minutes of near-perfection. Joplin's Kozmic Blues has a cinematic feel to it, with a hopeful theme that rises out of what is initially a melancholy arrangement built on plaintive rhythms. Hilton finds a bit more magic in her interpretation of Moon River (Henry Mancini), punctuating the legato melody line with the occasional run or sparkle that adds extra life to the classic. Hilton closes out with the regular version of What's Going On, which may appeal more to listeners who want to hear the song as Gaye performed it but lacks some of the creative magic Hilton finds on the extended version.

What most surprised me about Twilight & Blues is that it never once comes across sounding canned, not even on the cover tunes. Schmitt is a genius at the boards, and Grenadier and Nash provide a spark against which Hilton rises continuously. Hilton is obviously quite accomplished, and she gives some of her best recorded performances on Twilight & Blues, digging into a creative well that runs the length of her career and deep into her childhood. I highly recommend you take some time and spend it with Hilton and Twilight & Blues.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Lisa Hilton at http://www.lisahiltonmusic.com/ or on Facebook. You can purchase Twilight & Blues as either a CD or download through CDBaby.com.

Review: Kat Edmonson - Take To The Sky

Kat Edmonson - Take To The Sky
2009, Convivium Records

Austin, Texas-based Jazz siren Kat Edmonson makes an exciting debut with Take To The Sky, an album of 9 reinterpretations of jazz standards and pop hits. Released digitally earlier this year, the album is available on CD for the first time on June 2, 2009. Mixed by super Engineer Al Schmitt (19 Grammy’s), Edmonson has an extremely talented band to back her up. Drummer J.J. Johnson (John Mayer, Charlie Sexton); bassist Eric Revis (Branford Marsalis Quartet) and pianist Kevin Lovejoy (Spoon, John Mayer) are joined by guests John Ellis (Charlie Hunter) and Ron Westray (Wynton Marsalis) in providing a tight and original tapestry in support of Edmonson's stunning vocals. Engineer Schmitt, who's worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Sam Cooke, describes Edmonson as "the best new jazz singer I have heard in years".

Kat Edmonson is a once-in-a-generation voice. With a sound reminiscent of the great female jazz vocalists of the 1920’s and 1930’s, Edmonson is a treat for traditionalists, yet has just enough quirky pop sensibility to traverse the generations in between. Take To The Sky opens with Gershwin’s Summertime. The arrangement here is unusually dark, allowing Edmonson to be the only light you hear for the first two minutes of the song; she shines in a gritty and nuanced performance. The Cure’s Just Like Heaven gets a jazz/samba treatment here. I have to admit it took a few listens for me to really get this song, but it’s probably one of the finest covers I’ve heard. Edmonson is seraphic on Cole Porter’s Night And Day and turns in an incredible performance on Henry Mancini’s Charade.

Edmonson plays chameleon on the Cardigans’ Love Fool, sounding so much like Nina Persson that even fans of the band may be fooled. Edmonson projects a steely vulnerability on this song that is engaging. Angel Eyes (Brent/Dennis) is a popular selection that’s been covered by the likes of Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Willie Nelson and Ray Charles and even Sting. Edmonson gives it all she’s got and comes up with a terrific reading of the song. My personal favorite song on the disc is Cole Porter’s Just One Of Those Things. If Porter were able, he would give Edmonson a standing ovation for a modern reading that never loses sight of the spirit of the original. Carole King’s One Fine Day becomes a slinky, taunting song much more fitting to the song’s intent than the bouncy Chiffons version. The album closes out with John Lennon’s (Just Like) Starting Over. Edmonson has recreated the song as a contemplative love song; a true jazz standard. It’s so good you’ll wonder how you ever heard it differently.

Kat Edmonson has a passion for Jazz, and the sort of vocal talent that would rise to the top of most any set of contemporaries of any era since Jazz music was born. The ironically quirky nature of her sound also practically guarantees that if Edmonson ever crosses over to the Rock and Pop worlds she’ll have success as well. The pure creativity and vision on Take To The Sky is stunning; its one thing to be able to cover songs well without sounding like a karaoke performer, but it’s something else again to be able to recreate well known songs in a way that makes them your own without losing connection to the spirit of the original. Kat Edmonson is a vital talent, and Take To The Sky is a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kat Edmonson at http://www.katedmonson.com/ or www.myspace.com/katedmonson. You can purchase a copy of Take To The Sky at Waterloo Records or as a download on iTunes.

Review: Schleusolz - Running Out Of Time

Schleusolz - Running Out Of Time
2009, Schokokontrol

Some might call it a vanity project. Others might label it a workshop piece. Some will call it genius. No matter how you term it, Frankfurt, Germany's Schleusolz is an intriguing venture. Studio magicians Worsel Strauss, Schani Wolf and Zodi Paulinen go for a space-age electronic retro vibe, described elsewhere as "Henry Mancini on acid", that is a serious attempt at fun. Wolf and Strauss openly allow that many of the songs on Running Out Of Time, Schleusolz' debut album, were experimental in nature. The end result is a collection seventeen tracks that are just familiar enough to grab your attention and unique and different enough to hold it.

Running Out Of Time opens with They Are Here!, which is titled like and sounds like the theme song to a 1950's or 1960's Sci-fi alien flick. On this and most of the tracks on Running Out Of Time you can almost sense Schleusolz laughing at themselves, poking fun at both themselves and the styles of music they traverse. Who Are You? feels like ballroom music from an old black and white movie, or perhaps something that might have played during the dance sequences on The Muppet Show if it were made today. Make My Heart Go Boom is a fusion you don't hear too often, electro-rock and tango. There's a surrealist, almost psychotic feel to this peace that will grab hold of you. Running Out Of Time is one of the most fun songs on the album, sounding a bit like a Weird Al Yankovic covering the theme song written for a hypothetical 1970's game show by Herbie Hancock.

As you can tell, if classification is your first priority you are woefully out of luck when it comes to Schluesolz. From the Middle-Eastern flavor of I Came To Marry A Blonde Girl, the space-cadet driven musings of Chivalry, the Peter Schilling-esque vibe on Neo-Liberal Coffee Bar or the Afro-Cuban Jazz vibe on Narcorhithmico, Schluesolz will spin you every which way but loose. Even the old-time variety show feel of The River Of Love is at home here; granted there's an undertone here that would be highly disturbing to Lawrence Welk or Roy Clarke and Buck Owens. Also be sure to check out Acid In The Sea, Two Canadians In Mockba and the mocking, untitled epilogue of a final track.

Running Out Of Time doesn't just break down barriers, it smashes them to pieces with a musical sledgehammer while Schluesolz giggles with glee. Schleusolz is one of those rare acts who are so original and unique that there really isn't a term to describe them. The thing they take most seriously on Running Out Of Time is having fun with the music. Join them in the fun; you won't be able to help yourself.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Schleusolz at www.myspace.com/schleusolz. You can purchase a copy of Running Out Of Time at www.cdbaby.com/cd/schleusolz.