Bryan Johnson - Fun-a-day Ukulele Covers

I had the pleasure of reviewing an EP from Buffalo-based rockers Bryan Johnson and Family back in 2011.  Their self-titled EP was small-budget and rough around the edges, but showed great potential from a band that was still in the process of figuring out who they were. A year or so later I caught them live at a charity event, and was very impressed with the apparent growth of the band.  Bryan Johnson and Family are currently working on a new EP which should be out sometime in 2014. 

In the mean time, Bryan Johnson has embarked on an ambitious and fun project.  Throughout the month of February he is trying to release one cover song per day on Ukulele as part of the Buffalo Fun-A-Day project.  The process of learning one new cover per day on Ukulele is difficult enough, but getting to a point where you're willing to put it out on YouTube takes some serious work.

Johnson is a talented artist, and Bryan Johnson and Family is just one example of the many great bands in the Buffalo music scene.  Check out the cover of Katy Perry's "Roar"! Links to other videos in the series are below!




Check out these covers from the Fun-A-Day series.

Daft Punk - Get Lucky

Lorde - Royals

Ke$ha - Die Young

Capital Cities - Safe and Sound

Justin Bieber - As Long As You Love Me

Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven

And be sure to check out Bryan Johnson and Family on:

Bandcamp

Facebook

Review: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
2009, Rhino Records

In reviewing the 2007 Chipmunk Movie soundtrack, Undeniable, we noted that Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. would be mortified to hear his Chipmunks voiced as they were. That really hasn't changed for The Squeakquel. The voices still sound over-processed, losing all of the low-tech charm of the original Chipmunk recordings. Whether it’s the basic recording technique or the use of software to modify the voices, the sound just doesn't work for anyone familiar with the original. That being said, anyone young enough to have missed the 1980's cartoons will likely be charmed by this soundtrack (and likely the movie), particularly if they liked 2007’s Undeniable. Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel features singing voices of Ross Bagdasarian Jr. (Alvin); Steve Vining (Simon) and Janice Karman (Theodore). Additionally, we are introduced to the Chipettes: Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor (all voiced by Janice Karman).

The Chipmunks open with a cover of The Kink's You Really Got Me, although it's really a cover of the Van Halen version). Its predictable stuff for The Chipmunks; decent but not a standout track. The Chipettes are next with Hot N Cold (Katy Perry). The vocal effects here are even more cloying than on the Chipmunk recordings. Pink's So What works a bit better for the Chipettes, although the vocalizations still sound highly electronic. Dead Or Alive's You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) gets the Chipmunks treatment, keeping the same feel as the original. This actually works as well as anything on the soundtrack and might even chart as is. The Chipettes tackle Beyonce's Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) in perhaps the biggest misstep on the album. Between the vocalization issues (or EFX issues, if you prefer) and a striving for sound over melody, the franchise seriously begins to lose the heart that made it work for all of these years.

The Chipmunks tackle an overly modernized version of Stayin' Alive that relies more on bass than rhythm to drive the track, leading into The Chipettes brightest moment. The Song features Queensberry and is probably the best offering on the disc. The Chipmunk's It's Ok, on the other hand, is nearly impossible to decipher. The speed, effects and lack of any sense of diction on the song make it an aural mess (albeit with a catchy melody). The Chipmunks move into even shakier territory on Peaches & Herb's Shake Your Groove Thing.

The Chipettes pipe in next with Corinne Bailey Rae's Put Your Records On, an ill-advised choice by the music supervisor on the movie. Rae is one of those artists you just don't cover unless you either have a distinctive take on her song or you can really walk the walk. The novelty treatment here just pales in comparison to the original. Perhaps even more amusing is the Chipmunk's take on Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is. The song is redone in full electronic arrangement that's more about beat than melody, which is the essential core strength of the song. The vocal harmony effect here is nice, but is brought down by the electronic buzz in the vocals. Sister Sledge's We Are Family gets updated as an electro-rock hybrid at super-speed. Once again, sound is given importance over such elements as melody, harmony and pacing. The result is a wreck in the happening. The wheels never come off the car because the computer keeps it together, but there's little gratifying in the end result. The Chipettes' No One and The Chipmunks' I Gotta Feeling close out a disappointing set.

The Chipmunks, in essence, have crossed over the line from character to commodity. Cheap/easy computer animation and electronic effects tied to a desire to appeal to the lowest common entertainment denominator have stripped Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.'s creations of their inherent humanity. They are now officially a product rather than their long-standing status as cultural icons. If you're interested in The Chipmunks, I would suggest you take the time to listen to some of the older recordings made by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. There was more craft, humor and humanity in one of those original recordings than you'll find in either movie soundtrack. Good natured humor and an essential love for the characters has been replaced by a cynical, hollow humor driven more about return on investment than a desire to entertain.

Rating: 1 Star (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Alvin And The Chipmunks at http://www.chipmunks.com/. You can purchase Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: Sliimy - Paint Your Face

Sliimy - Paint Your Face
2009, Perezcious Music/Warner Bros. Records

French sensation Sliimy has ranked as the #1 trending topic on Twitter as well as garnering over one million streams on MySpace without ever releasing an album outside of France. Paint Your Face went to #2 in France, earning gold record certification while Sliimy was still in high school, and allowed Sliimy to gain opening spots for Katy Perry and Brittany Spears on their European tours. Sliimy has shaken the stodgy world of music critics with a sound fresh and full of the exuberant energy of youth, being compared to a pre-adolescent Prince. Discovered by Perez Hilton, Sliimy is the first artist on his Warner Bros. Records imprint, Perezcious Music. Paint Your Face will be released digitally in the United States on September 15, 2009.

Paint Your Face opens with Wake Up, an infectious dance-oriented pop tune that's a can't miss hit. It's pure bubblegum, but the sort that gets in your brain and takes over your thought process. Sliimy walks the line between rap and Jason Mraz style lyrical streams over a toy keyboard and a tight quasi-acoustic dance arrangement. Magic Game follows a similar dance approach but brings some crunchy guitar into play to give the song a vaguely harder edge. If you check out the cover of Paint Your Face you'll note the cover photo finds Sliimy exploiting the Prince comparisons, which are not entirely unfounded in Pop sensibility, but no one will confuse Sliimy and Prince musically. The material presented stays firmly in the Bubblegum Pop and Dance realm. Sliimy spends the entire album singing in falsetto, occasionally blurring gender lines with a voice that's not always discernable (ala Angel from Rent).

Songs such as Paint Your Face, Baby and Trust Me all follow a similar path, acoustic based Dance/Pop with an infectious nature and no real meat to grab onto as a listener. This is music for moving, not pondering and is thoroughly enjoyable for what it is as long as you're not seeking an intellectual listening experience. Mum slows things down a bit both rhythmically and emotionally. Full of angst and regret, Sliimy seems to mourn the loss of something here but it's not entirely clear what. Tic Tac has all the earmarks of a major Pop Hit; this is the sort of song that could go Gold and even Platinum across multiple countries and musical charts. Don't be surprised if Tic Tac is eventually released as a single and becomes omnipresent in popular culture for a couple of months. Ditto My God, the sort of simple Pop/Dance/Love song that makes household names. Womanizer attempts to get to some meat, but is too repetitive and is frankly handicapped by Sliimy's singing voice which is something of a difficult listen. On the faster, Pop-oriented tracks this is hidden by a dearth of legato phrases and rapid-fire lyrics, but where his voice is more exposed Sliimy has a lot of difficulty maintaining a concrete relationship with the appropriate key. The result is a quirky sound that is interesting, perhaps even cute at first, but wears on the listener after a while.

Sliimy seems like the perfect candidate for fifteen minutes of fame. With a quirky sound, a distinctive look and a lot of viral buzz likely dreamed up by a brilliant marketer and a chance encounter with media whore Perez Hilton, Sliimy will likely dominate the US airwaves for a time, only to join the likes of Jordy, Newcleus, Right Said Fred and all of the other bright yet brief comets who have burst upon the Pop music scene over the years and disappeared almost before we knew they were gone. There is some real songwriting talent here, but the presentation is so atypical and musically limited that the honeymoon isn't like to be a long one.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Sliimy at http://www.sliimy.net/ or www.myspace.com/sliimy. Paint Your Face hits virtual and real shelves on September 15, 2009. Expect wide availability through both brick-and-mortar retail and through online outlets.