Album Reviews

STEVE ALMAAS
Kingo a Wild One
(Parasol)
Though best known as the leader of 80s roots pop pioneers Beat Rodeo and 70s punk rockers the Suicide Commandos (Minneapolis' first punk band and a direct inspiration for Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, etc.), singer/songwriter Steve Almaas has had a well-heeled solo career in the 90s, though up 'til now his records have come out only in Europe. Too bad, because if Kingo a Wild One is any indication, he's making the best music of his life right now. His latest has shimmering pop ("She Thought She Knew Him Well," "El Rey Del Mundo"), surging country ("Hello," "It's a Beautiful Day"), boppin' rockabilly ("Something to Look Forward To"), haunting folk ("The Wrong Man") and all points in between. There's even a Santo & Johnny-style instrumental ("When I Held Her in My Arms") at the end. Almaas' gift for melody is in peak form here, and his plainspoken lyric and vocal styles comfortably straddle the hooks like expert riders on well-trained steeds. There's nothing innovative going on here, but it doesn't matter. Kingo a Wild One is so solid and tuneful it's just plain wonderful. Michael Toland

For fans of: Wilco, Nick Lowe, Beat Rodeo

DANIEL CHRISTOPHERSON
One Zillion Guitars
(Zillion Guitars)
For a flashy guitar technician with his own how-to Web site, Daniel Christopherson is remarkably unconcerned with technique. One Zillion Guitars is divided in two, with electric power trio rock in the first half and more ambitious acoustic tunes in the second, all instrumental, almost all one-man-band, all interested in songs structure more than displays of proficiency. He indulges in plenty of soloing and in-your-face-and-up-your-nose riffage, but he never goes over the top—comes really close, mind you, but never goes all the way. He has a strong sense of tunefulness, with even his most aggressive shredding hewing close to his often lyrical melody lines. Of course, even with Christopherson staying within the boundaries of good taste, the constant pyrotechnics get tiresome over the course of fourteen songs. As personable as he seems from his site, not to mention the big ol' puppy dog grin he sports in the liner notes, he shouldn't have much of a problem finding other musicians to play with and, more importantly, off of. When he does, maybe he'll move from a "6 String Rainbow" to a musical one. Michael Toland

For fans of: Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai

FLOGGING MOLLY
Swagger
(Side One Dummy, 6201 Sunset Blvd., Suite 211, Hollywood, CA 90028)
There's no denying it: LA septet Flogging Molly sound a hell of a lot like the Pogues. Fronted by transplanted Dubliner Dave King, Flogging Molly blends a 2 guitars bass + drums batter with spicy Celtic folk-influenced melodies, frosting the resulting cake with yummy pennywhistle, accordion and mandolin, then spiking the whole thing with the kind of energy usually associated with punk bands. Despite the overfamiliarity of that recipe, however, Flogging Molly puts its own spin on the style. Guitarist Dennis Casey enjoys his power chords, and King rarely indulges in the sentimentality of Pogues leader Shane MacGowan. While he has the same ragged-but-right vocal style, he sounds like himself overall, not counting a straight Shane imitation on "Far Away Boys." (Those quaking in fear that King might revert to the Robert Plant imitations of his 80s band Fastway can rest easy.) He's also a fine songwriter, penning ballads ("These Exiled Years," "Grace of God Go I") and burners ("Salty Dog," "Selfish Man," "Devil's Dance Floor") with equal facility. Perhaps the best tune is the wry "The Worst Day Since Yesterday," a midtempo number that begs for in-concert singalongs. Flogging Molly may not be the most original band to hoist a pint, but they do what they do so bloody well and have such a good time doing it that they're perfectly irresistible. Michael Toland

For fans of: the Pogues, Boiled in Lead, the Popes

DELBERT MCCLINTON
Nothing Personal
(New West)
When a big Nashville touring act rolls into town, the music machine kicks into gear. The sound crew sets up with military precision. The drummer plays to a click track set to the precise tempo of the CD, and the star trots out to present slick renditions of the hits (which are often indistinguishable from the studio tracks). And they sing those too-clever hit machine lyrics, like "We're two of a kind, workin' on a full house."

That's the best way to describe the mood of Delbert McClinton's newest, Nothing Personal. The CD opens with "Livin' It Down," on which McClinton sings, "She's livin' it up, and I'm tryin' to live it down." Gone are the days of rubbing elbows with the Beatles and Jimmy Reed (the latter of whom reportedly once threw up on McClinton's microphone). He's mined the blues/rock/country/roadhouse sound for decades, and he knows well how to do it. He wrote or co-wrote every song here. And heck, when he opens his mouth, out pops a voice that's just hoarse enough for this genre, a voice that breaks perfectly on the high notes.

But one just has to wonder if Delbert ever sweats, you know?

The CD has its moments, most of which come when he backs off of the plugging, saturated sound in favor of soulful melancholia. "When Rita Leaves" could be a Texas Tornados border ballad, with images of red dresses and deserts. "Birmingham Tonight" features sparkling piano and a spoken soliloquy on a wistful C&W waltz. The highlight of it all, perhaps, is "Don't Leave Home Without It," a soulful Memphis-style heartbreaker. "When the whole world is searchin', and you know we've found it, baby, don't leave home without it." It's the most touching moment on the CD, and it shares its hook with a credit card commercial.

This is the kind of stuff Delbert's been cranking out for decades, since "Lipstick, Powder and Paint," back to "Givin' It Up for Your Love," and earlier. What he does he does well enough, but one can't help but think that he could achieve greatness someday, instead of just creating a reasonable facsimile of it. Brian Briscoe

For fans of: Bonnie Raitt, Dusty Springfield, Joe Ely

MISS FORTUNE
Miss Fortune
(What Kinda)
This young Boston quintet plays fresh-faced, radio-friendly power pop. Led by singer Ryan Link and guitarist/songwriter Jay Barclay, Miss Fortune hits all the right buttons: melodic, heartfelt, well-crafted—obviously a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into its making. Any of these ten songs would sound good on modern rock radio; fortunately, the band eschews the big production sheen of bands like Matchbox 20 and Sister Hazel, preferring a clean, organic sound that emphasizes the hooks and Link's clear voice. There's no reinvention of the wheel going on here—hell, they didn't even change the hubcaps. But with their obvious sincerity and solid craftsmanship, it's difficult to criticize them. Their only real fault is being unimaginative. They experiment with Jellyfish-style psychedelia on "Day Gets Brighter," but otherwise they stick to well-worn but not yet cracked streets. If that's your passion, you should definitely get a date with Miss Fortune. Michael Toland

For fans of: Better Than Ezra, Gin Blossoms, the Hang-Ups

ADRIAN SHAW
Head Cleaner
(Rubric)
Though best known today as Nick Saloman's sidekick in the Bevis Frond and partner in Woronzow Records, Adrian Shaw has a long and distinguished musical history going back to 60s legends Magic Muscle and moving through employment with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and space rock godheads Hawkwind. His third solo album basically gathers the best bits of the music he's made previously into a linear smorgasbord of spacey psychedelia and frothy indie pop. Joined by drummer Ric Gunther, violinist (and former Hawkwind mate) Simon House and lead guitarists Bari Watts, Saloman and Aaron Shaw (his son), Shaw comes up with a neat collection of melodic, mildly trippy tunes that stress ensemble work and his plain but personable singing. The vocoder-enhanced "Symbiosis," electronically propulsive "Round and Round," tender "You and Me" and explicitly Frondesque "Staring At the Sun" may not be earthshaking, but, like the whole of Head Cleaner, they're undeniably affecting and effortlessly enjoyable. Michael Toland