Review: HB3 – Studies For Traps & Piccolo

HB3 – Studies For Traps & Piccolo
2010, Zegnotropic Records

HB3 is back with his third album in the past twelve months. HB3 started this odyssey with The Veldt, one of the most wholly original recordings of 2009. HB3 Plays The Piccolo Bass found HB3 exploring the seams of his muse a bit, focusing more on musical minutae in an esoteric collection that allows for the development of diverse styles and sounds. Now, with the April, 2010 release of Studies For Traps & Piccolo, HB3 strips his writing down to its most basic level. Using generous effects (including the legendary Super Fuzz pedal); HB3 manages to create one of the most distinctive and original recordings for the year thus far.

HB3 gets things moving with “Rocket Science”, revolving around one big riff that’s reminiscent of early KISS. HB3 gets a big, fuzzy/buzzy sound going early in an entertaining but over-too-quickly opener. “The Machineries Of Joy” is a cyclic, buoyant song that alternates uplifting, energetic passages and movements with serene times full more of ambience than anything else. “Leroy Of The Ancient World” is a crunchy, distortion-filled jam with big percussion. “Leroy” is at least in part a vehicle to show off effects. HB3 goes a bit generic on “Fire Fisher”, a pleasant but essentially harmless tune that sounds like incidental music from a film score. If you’ve ever wondered what might have happened had Stockhausen and Namlook been contemporaries, give a listen to “Brutal Bed”, where the spirits of their muse fight it out for supremacy. The battle is a well-fought draw as HB3 lays out what sounds like a sonic ode to the concept of creation. “Tyrannosaurus Rex” is a powerful rocker that sounds like an ideal template for a neu-metal anthem. “The Abyss” takes you on a lonely, explorative journey that’s nearly subsonic at times. The song has an intriguing new-agey feel without giving up its essential edge. HB3 closes with “The One Who Waits”, a stodgy marriage of drum and bass that sees the two co-exist but never really connect. They play together well at first, but the illusion of conformity is shattered incrementally like a slow-motion replay.

HB3 has had quite the busy year. Studies for Traps & Piccolo certainly shows dedication, but from a commercial perspective HB3 likely went to the well one too many times for this one. Studies For Traps & Piccolo is musically solid, and the musicianship that HB3 presents never seems to waiver. Hard core fans are more likely to appreciate Studies For Traps And Piccolo than anyone else, but there’s much good here to behold. This isn’t HB3’s best or most exciting work; it’s actually somewhat pedestrian compared to his last two albums, yet would still make most any artist proud. Studies For Traps & Piccolo is worth checking out.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about HB3 at http://www.hb3.com/. Studies For Traps & Piccolo is available as a CD or Download from Amazon, or as a download from iTunes.

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.

Review: Steve McLeod - Human Uniform

Steve McLeod - Human Uniform
2009, Civil Service Entertainment

Steve McLeod grew up in a musical family with instruments lying around just asking to be learned and played. His studies started early with formal classical piano training. McLeod taught himself to play bass by watching tapes of Louis Johnson (The Brothers Johnson) frame by frame. Picking up the guitar a bit later on, McLeod was bit hard after discovering Jimi Hendrix. After playing for a number of years around his native Melbourne, Australia, McLeod recorded an instrumental album, but at some point in the mixing process became convinced that instrumentals were too limiting. The end result is McLeod's debut album, Human Uniform, due for an August, 2009 release.

Human Uniform is something of a musical mish-mash, mixing classic rock with R&B in unusual arrangements. Push The Pedal opens the album sounding like a cross between Jimi Hendrix and Michael Jackson with a bit of Prince and Lenny Kravitz thrown in. The song is musically creative but lyrically bland. Winter Love, along with Oblivious, fill the bill for generic radio pop/rock. Both are accessible and pleasant without making any significant, lasting impression. McLeod crests on Unknown Afternoon, a song with real potential held back by McLeod's tendency to try and squeeze too much instrumentation into the song. A less is more philosophy would work well here as it’s actually a pretty decent bit of songwriting. Everyone's Searching For The Beautiful Life is just a mess. McLeod tries out some interesting ideas musically here, delving into Prog territory with unusual progressions and atypical compositional structures. Ultimately the song turns into a stew of musical chaos; a binding together of musical shards rather than a coherent attempt to craft a tune. You'll also want to check out Skeleton In Human Form, a brief but valiant attempt to get back on track.

Steve McLeod wrote, sang and played everything on Human Uniform. He also self-produced. Songs like Unknown Afternoon suggest that McLeod can write, but I tend to think he was too involved in this project to hear it clearly. There's a tendency to try and do too much that runs throughout the album. McLeod is really quite good with the guitar, but often there's so much going on in the instrumentation you can't really appreciate that fact. Working with other musicians for recording and having an impartial ear at the board may help McLeod by building some creative tension into the writing and recording process and allowing more of his innate talent to shine through.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Steve McLeod at http://www.stevemcleodmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/steviemyspace. Currently the only on-line outlet I could locate is iTunes, and they only have McLeod’s single, Push The Pedal. Contact Steve McLeod through his MySpace page for more info.

Review: Cupéro - Cupéro

Cupéro - Cupéro
2009, Cupéro

Wow.

Warwick, NY native Clarissa Cupéro just bowled me over. Cupéro's self-titled 6-song EP is the sort of introduction that knocks a listener off their feet. Whether it's the distinctly mature tone of 19-year-old Cupéro's songwriting, the no-holds-barred emotional strength of her songs or the absolutely amazing instrument that is her voice, Cupéro is a purely unexpected and welcome surprise on the musical scene. The Siena College student has influences all over the music map, from KT Tunstall to various classic rock artists to Columbian rocker Juanes (17 Latin Grammys). Juanes has inspired Cupéro to be a bilingual artist, writing and singing in both English and Spanish. The EP, Cupéro, was produced by Patrick Ermlich and E-Shy Gazit, who brought Cupéro's songs to life in ways even she didn't suspect when she contacted them as a high school senior. Now, Cupéro is a college student trying to build her fan base in the Albany, NY and New York City markets who has her eyes on bigger stages down the road.

Those bigger stages shouldn't be a problem at all. Not since Marian Call came along with Vanilla have I been so utterly stilled by a debut album. Cupéro makes you want to just drop everything and listen, and she handles active rock tunes and ballads with equal aplomb. With a voice that falls somewhere on a line between Sarah McLachlan and Bonnie Tyler, Cupéro makes fans every time she opens her mouth to sing. Cupéro opens with I've Got Your Number, a song she wrote for a high school talent show that has become her signature song. I've Got Your Number could have been a hit anytime in the last 25 years, and with the right breaks would vie for radio spins even in today's fractured market. La Sombra is a Spanish language song, and while I can't comment on the lyrics (no habla), the song has a powerful, sensuous feel that borders on overwhelming. Cupéro rips the roof on this vibrant rocker.

I Thought I Knew Love is a commanding love song that's chart ready as you read this. It's a bit off the beaten love song track but ideal mix-tape material and the sort of song that lights up request/dedication lines. Life Is A Moment is a song about striving for dreams and never giving up. It's a powerful message delivered in a powerful vocal performance. The arrangement opens with Cupéro and piano, adding in cello and other instrumentation as the song progresses. There's a Paula Cole "I Don't Want To Wait" feel to this song that's unmistakable. Don't be surprised if Life Is A Moment ends up licensed, movies or even gets covered by big name artists down the road (by then Cupéro may be one herself). Quiero Tu Amor is the other Spanish language song on the EP, a gorgeous ballad that would sell a million copies in an English version. I have to say though that the Spanish language brings out a certain sensuality in Cupéro's voice that's more reserved in English, increasing her marketability in an increasingly multi-ethnic culture a hundred fold. Cupéro closes out with You'll Never Be There, an urgent acoustic rocker with Americana leanings that just about proves that she can do, play or sing almost anything.

Clarissa Cupéro has everything but the breaks. Talent and composure well beyond her nineteen years and a killer voice make it very possible that down the road the name Cupéro will be as familiar as names like Prince, Madonna and Beyonce. Yes, it's a grand statement, and practically everything in Cupéro's life and career would have to go just right for that to happen. But based on what I've heard on Cupéro, it's not out of the realm of imagination. Yes, she's that good. Find out for yourself. Cupéro is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc. Don't wait, get it now.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Cupéro at http://www.myspace.com/cupero or http://www.cuperomusic.com/. You can download a copy of Cupéro through iTunes or through Amazon MP3. I don’t have any word on CD distribution at the time of publication, but will update with links when/if they become available.

Review: Israel Houghton - The Power Of One

Israel Houghton – The Power Of One
2009, Integrity Music

You’ve probably heard of Israel Houghton before. Houghton is a 2-time Grammy Award winning musician and worship leader for Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Houghton is sometimes credited as Israel & The New Breed, and accompanied Alicia Keys at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in a performance of George Michael’s Freedom ’90. Houghton has also performed with the likes of Aretha Franklin and BeBe Winans, as well as recording with Michael W. Smith. Houghton has also been a three-time worship leader at Hillsong, as well as leading for both Promise Keepers and Champions For Christ events. Houghton recently released his latest CD, The Power Of One, on Integrity Music. Let’s check it out.

There’s no questioning that Houghton’s music is all about worship, but there is a distinctive pop sensibility in his songs that tends to be missing from much of what is classified as Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Everywhere That I Go opens the CD, sounding like a Philip Bailey track from the 1980’s. The song is highly listenable and features some great pop hooks. Just Wanna Say is a true Rock/Gospel experience with great harmonies and R&B influences. The Power Of One (Change The World) comes off sounding like Club Nouveau’s recording of Lean On Me. That’s not to say it copies the song in any way, but it has a similar sound and vibe. Saved By Grace does sound a bit like Prince’s 1999, appropriating a keyboard progression from the song that was probably unintentional. Sing (Redemption’s Song) features Martin Smith and could easily be a Pop hit on commercial radio. I enjoyed the funk flavor of Better To Believe with special guest Tommy Sims, but You Found Me may be the most striking song on the disc. Featuring guest tobyMac, the song has some of the most devastating electric violin work you’re likely to come across this year. Other highlights include U R Loved, I Receive and Every Prayer (with Mary Mary).

Israel Houghton is the sort of artist who could make it in any genre at any time, but chooses to put his passion to work in the Gospel realm. His talent for crafting a unique blend of Gospel with styles such as Rock, Pop, Reggae and Blues is uncanny. I hope Houghton has room on his shelf for more hardware, because if this album doesn’t win him his third Grammy I’ll be shocked. If you’re a fan of Christian music don’t hesitate a moment, go get The Power Of One. If you’re not a fan, consider it anyway; you’ll appreciate the stylistic blends and audacity that Israel Houghton has to offer.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Israel Houghton at www.myspace.com/israelhoughton or http://www.israelhoughton.net/, where you can purchase a copy of The Power Of One, or you can download the CD through iTunes.

Review: Robert Joseph Manning, Jr. - Catnip Dynamite

Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – Catnip Dynamite
2009, Oglio Records

Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. has quite the Rock N Roll resume: Keyboard player for Beatnik Beatch, Jellyfish and Imperial Drag, and highly involved in The Moog Cookbook. Manning has also done session/tour work with Beck and French group Air. These days Manning does session work and composes soundtrack (Sophia Coppola’s Lost In Translation) as well as writing commercials for VH1, Comedy Central and the like. Somewhere in there he also found time to write and record a new solo album entitled Catnip Dynamite. True to its title, the album is intoxicatingly good.

Catnip Dynamite is retro-rock with a modern edge. The harmonies here evoke thoughts of The Beach Boys, Queen and Styx. Manning is a highly accomplished songwriter, presenting intricate and interesting song construction, lyrical content and melodic flow throughout the album. The other interesting facet of the album is the recurrence of philosophical/religious imagery and themes throughout the album. I don’t get the feel that this is a religious album, but some of these deeper concepts certainly appear to be weighing on Manning at this point in his life; at times in serious terms and perhaps at times with ironic intent. The album opens with The Quickening, where Manning sounds more than a little bit like Prince vocally. The harmonies transform from a Brian Wilson-era Beach Boys sound to Freddie Mercury led Queen. This is a great pop rock song that would fly on commercial radio in almost any era. Down In Front is a retro-mod rock tune similar to bands such as Woodward or Tally Hall. My Girl has a strong bubblegum pop feel without being frivolous.

One of my personal favorites here is Imaginary Friend. The song is an amusing listen but the sound is like what you might get if The Doors sat down and jammed with They Might Be Giants. Perhaps the piece-de-resistance here is Haunted Henry, an amazing tale of a veteran ravaged by the ghosts of his experiences. This is an extremely melodic piece with Brian Wilson harmonies that doesn’t come across as overtly anti-war but certainly makes strong points about the cost of war for those who come back home. Haunted Henry is sonically gorgeous. Tinsel Town is a fun song that berates celebrity culture and our fascination with it. You should also be certain to check out The Turnstile At Heaven’s Gate. Reflecting on the concept of reincarnation and the judgments of an afterlife, Manning has crafted a melodic/harmonic mix that sounds like The Beatles meets Queen.

Survival Machine opens with faux harpsichord in a piece vaguely reminiscent of Suite Madame Blue, but that’s just a warm up for Living In The End Times; possibly the greatest apocalypse song ever written. Here Manning mixes tremendous harmonies with a tongue-in-cheek glam rock swagger. The album closes out with four live tracks. Drive Thru Girl is a campy ode complete with kazoo orchestra that you just have to hear. You Were Right sounds like something that might have come out of a Supertramp session, and Manning’s live take on Elton John’s Love Lies Bleeding sounds a bit like Billy Joel covering Elton John.

Catnip Dynamite is so good it’s exhausting. You can listen to this album casually but you won’t get everything out of it that you might. Manning has always had a taste for classic rock and interesting compositions, but Catnip Dynamite represents a plateau in his career. Having been familiar with much of his work prior to this, I think it is safe to say that Catnip Dynamite may be the best he’s written/recorded to date. Don’t miss Catnip Dynamite, a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc!

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. at http://www.rogerjosephmanningjr.com/ or www.myspace.com/rogerjosephmanningjrmusic. You can purchase a copy of Catnip Dynamite on Amazon.com, or you download the album through iTunes.

Review: Wendy & Lisa - White Flags Of Winter Chimneys

Wendy & Lisa - White Flags Of Winter Chimneys
2008, Girl Bros.

Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman are consummate professionals. The childhood friends each the daughters of in-demand session musicians, and their work together over their career points to a love of quality music. The duo’s big break came in 1980, when Lisa Coleman was invited into Prince’s touring band. In 1983 she recommended her friend Wendy Melvoin as a replacement for a departing member. The Revolution was born, and for better or worse, Wendy & Lisa’s collective life has never been the same. These days Wendy & Lisa spend much of their professional energy scoring television shows such as NBC’s Heroes, Fox’ Virtuality and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. Nevertheless, the duo found time to release White Flags Of Winter Chimneys in 2008. White Flags isn’t quite what you’d expect from the former heart and soul of The Revolution, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

White Flags Of Winter Chimneys opens with the ethereal Balloon, a haunting and lovely musical dream. More ambience than structure, Balloon is almost neurotically psychedelic. Invisible is a great mellow pop song with just a big of swagger to it. Invisible recollects an old relationship in a mix of longing and empowerment. Ever After retreats into the ambient nature found on Balloon in a song that deals with mortality and desire in unexpected ways. Salt & Cherries finds Wendy & Lisa breaking out of the mellow mold with the inspiration of MC5. The mix of Rock and Dance sounds matches the sexual tension in the lyrics in a song short on subtlety.

Niagra (sic) Falls is a mid-tempo rocker that is a pleasant listen that just seems to run short on energy. The ambient theme tries to sneak back in here but the big bass line drives it away like a breeze drives away the mist. You And I is a Moment. Listening to this song you hear Wendy & Lisa and all of the qualities that got them a recording contract in the first place: Gorgeous voices; inventive, heartfelt songwriting and a keen sense for melody. As I said, You And I is a Moment. I suggest you check it out and enjoy it. White Flags Of Winter Chimneys is a highly poetic watercolor in song. It's gorgeous but loses the energy that Wendy & Lisa have built up thus far. The album closes out with Sweet Suite (Beginning At The End), an eight-and-a-half minute composition in classical form mixing pop, classical and new age themes. Sweet Suite is in turns beautiful, maddening and boring. The next effect is positive, but it does drag significantly in places.

White Flags Of Winter Chimneys isn't so much a return to form for Wendy & Lisa as it is a new direction. Pop and rock elements mix with classical, new age and esoteric sounds to create new sounds and experiences. The songwriting itself is mixed, at times getting bogged down in time and heaviness of sound, but overall it's a positive experience. White Flags Of Winter Chimneys is recommended for fans of mellow rock, or esoteric easy listening folks such as Enya.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Wendy & Lisa at http://www.wendyandlisa.com/, where you can purchase a copy of White Flags Of Winter Chimneys in either traditional CD format or an expanded edition download (with four unreleased tracks).