Album Reviews

Sherman Downey Honey For Bees Independent Acoustic Rock

A

By Ryan Belbin

Remember this name: Sherman Downey. The Codroy Valley native has been playing music for quite a while, but his first album, Honey For Bees, is going to turn him into a household name. With thick dreadlocks and a disarming stage presence, Downey unexpectedly puts you at ease. Honey For Bees is a collection of original sounding, feel-good music that will actually put you in a better mood, unlike the current crop of cookie-cutter pop music that gives you a brief high and a rough crash. Downey is clearly having so much fun on the album that his happiness is infectious. The songs are simple enough for anyone to appreciate. It’s infused with stellar musicianship woven with rather magnificent lyrics that somehow turn the ordinary into something extraordinary. Downey’s band, the Ambiguous Case, creates an acoustic rock arrangement that works. He exhibits guitar mastery as well as expert whistling and yodelling. The record has a foot-stomping country groove, but it cannot be easily classified. Songs like “Indifferences Lay Waiting” lean towards a more acoustic direction, while there are elements of bluegrass, pop, and rock within the layers of his other songs that creates a satisfying piece of work. It’s too bad that at only 35 minutes long, Honey For Bees is not much longer than an EP, but it still gives a very good taste of what we can expect from Sherman Downey. It’s a great thing when, after listening to an album, you want to hear more. If you do, check out his official CD release on Jan. 15 at the Ship Inn.

Alicia Keys The Element Of Freedom J Records R&B

C+

By Guruchathram Ledchumanan

Alicia Keys is a sad rarity in R&B today: A woman with soul. No thanks to Auto Tune and over-polished production, the human voice is quickly being replaced by synthesized perfection. Even vocalists with pipes like Mariah Carey would rather give up her younger husband to get Britney-level sales and sound equally as thin as a result of it.

But one advantage that Keys has over her rival divas is that she has the pipes to bring it. Her fragile humanity is balanced by her cocksure attitude that’s not afraid of pain, as heard on her previous hit, “No One.” On this record, her mix of confidence and vulnerability empowers her music. It takes more strength to let your guard down than to be the biggest diva or sexy bitch in the room. It takes courage despite fear of loss. That is the definition of soul and blues music. The breakup blues get updated on the second track, “Love Is Blind,” where she laments that, “It’s too bad that love is blind.” I t strangely reminded me of the last track on U2’s 1992 album, Achtung Baby, “Love Is Blindness.” It has more than a similar title: Both tracks echo an ethereal vapour that surrounds certain kinds of sadness. You can almost imagine the mist rising from her piano as she wishes she were capable of accepting love. Alicia Keys, like anyone who has any soul, obviously sweats Prince; she covers his song “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” without his label’s permission and when he heard her version, instead of suing her, he invited her to open for him on tour. She repays the favour by getting in touch with her Purple Rain side on tracks such as “This Bed” and “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart.” However, even she would admit that her work comes nowhere close to matching the longing and loneliness expressed by Prince. The aforementioned songs reek too much of cheese. She does courageously try and those two tracks are good but it’s like watching a bad Elvis impersonator. Ain’t nobody can shake it like the King, but as far as the title of Queen of Hip-Hop Soul goes, Alicia Keys almost gives Mary J. Blige a run for her money.

Tom Waits
 Glitter And Doom Live Anti- Experimental Rock


C+



By Colin Power

Tom Waits is a name that should need no introduction, but just in case you are unfamiliar with the work of one of the greatest songwriters of the last century, Glitter And Doom Live isn’t an album for you. Actually, even if you’re a casual fan, this probably might not appeal to you, which is a shame because Waits employs a wealth of creativity here for those who are familiar with the highlights and hidden treasures of his career. Waits’ career is a substantial one and has come quite a long way since his early crooner days. After more than 20 releases, he’s been able to successfully reinvent himself several times going from something you might expect to hear in a gin joint in Casablanca to a gravel voiced boogieman. Even so, there haven't been many live albums, the last really significant one being 1988’s Big Time.
 The tracks on Glitter And Doom have been taken from Waits’s 2008 tour and are mainly from Bone Machine and Real Gone. Not a lot has changed in the newer songs with the notable exception of Dirt In The Ground, which has filled out quite a bit from its skeletal origins while still retaining a haunting and plaintive beauty. Older and less known songs also benefit from Waits’s grungy modern stylings with Falling Down and Singapore being two that receive particularly excellent treatment in this collection. The album also has a treat for those who fondly remember Nighthawks At The Diner and how well it blends stage banter and songs. Some of this storytelling and crowd chats has been becoming more available in recent years especially with Waits’s last major release Orphans. Glitter And Doom gives fans that enjoy the stories a treat with about 40 minutes of material culled from the tour composed of Tom telling stories and jokes to the crowd. That being said, this is certainly a collection for die-hard fans and not for casual listeners.

Share