Grade: A
Unlike the other two artists, Robert Bradley isn’t famous. Although, if you’ve ever been to the Eastern Market in Detroit you might have heard him play. The Eastern Market is where members of Blackwater Surprise found him before they invited him to come to their studio for a few sessions. This led to the formation of Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise.
Their latest album, New Ground, is a fantastic album that caters to many different tastes. Robert Bradley has a voice perfect for rock, blues, or even reggae.
The first song, “Train,” is great for showing off each part of the band. Bradley’s lyrics take on a happy mood, and even the instrumentals alone would make a great song.
Bradley isn’t just about being happy — he also has some biting commentary. The best song on the album, “Profile,” addresses some of the many problems of a big city.
New Ground closes with three fabulous songs. The first, “Fast Lane,” is not fast at all. The lyrics are more like those of a folk song and it could almost qualify as gospel music.
With any other singer, New Ground would not be nearly as good. The album by Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise is out now and is definitely worth picking up.
– Robin Canfield
Resurrected ’80s rock…ugh
Looking for an ’80s music sound that you haven’t heard for a while and that you never thought would be resurrected? Well Sutrobath is here to fulfill that wish with Spirit of the Audio.
This four man band, led by Mike Soiseth and Rob Wollam recorded Spirit of the Audio in Grants Pass, Ore. The rest of the album was finished up in other parts of Oregon and Washington.
The type of music on the album really isn’t surprising if you look at the cover. That isn’t to say they aren’t good at it, though. The problem is that they are good at a style of music most people consider dead, light ’80s rock.
The first track, “Old,” sounds kind of cool at first, but quickly goes to a slow a pace and into that ’80s sound. There were some good ideas put into this song, the focus is just a little off.
“Divided” is where it starts to sound like Billy Idol if he calmed down. It is a whining piece of music that, well, does keep a beat.
Soiseth and Wollam both have a good vocal range. In “Divided” and “Dorian Gray,” they show just how high they can go. That’s not necessarily a good thing though.
“Rome” stands out as the most unique song on the album. Speed it up a bit, and it could even pass for a techno.
As the album moves toward its end, it seems to lose imagination. “Sunday Morning” has some good guitar riffs, but at times the lyrics sound like they were just slapped together.
The rest of the album does not fare much better. In “Wide Awake,” it sounds like Billy Joel is singing for a while. Too bad the quality that usually accompanies Billy Joel isn’t there as well.
If you are a really big ’80s fan, this may be a album for you to check out. Anything short of that, it’s best just to pass on Sutrobath’s Spirit of the Audio.
– Robin Canfield
Grade: B-
How music should be
Grade: A
Grade: A
Meet Fleming & John. It’s an up and coming band from the southeast, where they have built up a following.
With the release of their new album The Way We Are, it would not be surprising to find they soon have a following all over the country.
The band is comprised of lead singer Fleming McWilliams, drummer (and brother) Shawn McWilliams, and John Mark Painter, who plays the other instruments. He is also McWilliams’ husband.
The album was recorded in Fleming and John’s converted living room/studio. The pace was whatever they wanted it to be.
The main contributors on songs were The Love Sponge Strings. McWilliams’ mother, Jill, also sang on one song, and long-time friend and collaborator Ben Folds also pitched in.
All of this came out as a sound sometimes like pop, but often carries over to a far different sound. McWilliams could impress many a metal fan with the wails and screams that she can produce.
Following the short intro of a recording of McWilliams as a child, the album dives in with “I’m So Small.” It is more of a heavy rock song than any other on the album. It is also flat out great.
The next song, “Sssh!” opens up the door to the wide variety of instruments Painter uses on the album and shows off McWilliams’ lyrical prowess.
Many other very cool songs lead up to what is perhaps the best song, “Ugly Girl.” Co-written by Mcwilliams, Painter and Ben Folds, the song is slower, features a cool xylophone element and fantastic singing.
The next song on the album at first sounds like something on a George Clinton CD. Even with the title “Sadder Day,” this song can’t make you feel bad.
The album closes out with another slew of great songs. “I Fall For You” and “That’s All I Know” evoke feelings of being in a ’20s night club. Ben Folds’ backup vocals in “I Fall For You” only reinforce that feeling.
The Way We Are is definitely worth purchasing wherever you can find it. It is a Universal Records release, so it should be in stores all over.
– Robin Canfield
Grade: A
Following the conclusion of their year 2000 “Fragility v2.0″ tour, Nine Inch Nails has released And All That Could Have Been. Not only is this album their first live album, it is also the closest thing to a NIN greatest hits compilation to be released so far.
The album is sold on its own or packaged with a DVD or VHS version of the “Fragility v2.0″ tour and a second, Special-Edition CD called Still.
The noise of the crowd shows up very little on the album. Starting with “Terrible Lie,” the flow of energy on the album never stops as you go from song to song.
After “Terrible Lie” comes “Sin,” one of the older and best of NIN songs. This is followed by two more great songs, “March of the Pigs” and “Piggy.”
That the tunes were recorded from a live show doesn’t change the music too much at all. Fans are very used to the existence of many versions of Nine Inch Nail songs.
“The Wretched,” “The Great Beyond,” and others from The Fragile also pop up on the album, all of them performed perfectly. Of course, as much of the tour was recorded, Trent Reznor had lots of copies of every song to work with. No doubt Reznor will only use the best version of each song.
“Star****ers, Inc.” is perhaps the only unsatisfying song on the album. With all the different versions already in existence, a live version had so many possibilities of taking the song to new heights. Unfortunately, the song is done just as straightforward as the rest of the album.
The end of the album is the best part of the collection. Both “Closer” and “Head Like A Hole,” are exhilarating. It is great to hear them somewhere other than on the radio and with a little bit of a new sound. “Hurt” is also well done, and it makes a great closing song.
And All That Could Have Been is a great album and is worth every dollar you’ll spend on it.
– Robin Canfield
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