Album Reviews
OLU DARA
Neighborhoods
(Atlantic)
To a lot of cognoscenti, Olu Dara is best known as THE trumpet player to call in the NYC jazz scene. For the past 20 years, whether traditional or free riffing was required, Dara was the man. When he finally decided to make records under his own name, he took on a new role: singer/songwriter and guitarist. Instead of indulging in the free blowing sessions fans might expect, he applies a free-form jazz sensibility to incorporating country blues, Afro-Cuban music and funky R&B into an indescribable gumbo with its own spicy taste. On Neighborhoods, his second release, Dara, with right-hand man Kwatei Jones-Quartey on guitar, spoons out rich, understatedly odd tracks like "Massamba," "Red Ant (Nature)" and "Herbman" (which isn't about pot, but rather sings the praises of ginseng, Cayenne pepper and the like). It's hard to pin down exactly what Dara is going for with this quirky blend of funky rhythms, African melodies and stream-of-consciousness vocals, but that's part of what makes Neighborhoods so interesting. If you've got a sense of adventure, take a walk into this unfamiliar territory. Michael Toland
For fans of: Taj Mahal, Ali Farka Touré, James Blood Ulmer
THE FLETCHER PRATT
Nine By Nine
(Rainbow Quartz)
The latest album by Detroit quartet The Fletcher Pratt is as infectious as influenza. It's too bad 90s pop label Big Deal isn't around anymore, as Nine By Nine would be perfect for them. Singer/guitarists George Dubber and Stephen Palmer write sparkling, instantly hummable pop songs, psychedelicize them ever so slightly and play them like they have to go to the bathroom as soon as they're done with their set. The band excels at two-part harmonies, a luscious mix of six-string crunch and jangle, caffeinated energy levels and hooks hooks hooks. It's a familiar indie pop formula, but a good one, especially when it's done as well as this. Try the explosive opener "Electrocute!," the nearly perfect "16 Days (Unsteady)" and the wonderful "Long Medley" and get lost in the pop rush. Michael Toland
For fans of: the Posies, the Shazam, the Three O'Clock
MOODS FOR MODERNS
Loud & Clear
(Doghouse)
Along with The Fletcher Pratt and the Volebeats, Detroit trio Moods For Moderns are out to prove that there's more to Motor City music than metal, techno and Eminem. MFM uses pop culture as a metaphor for romance (or vice versa) in their power pop, and their lyrics draw more immediate attention than their music. MFM doesn't jack you up with an immediate rush in the same way as the Pratt or the 'beats, but that's fine—sometimes hooks cut deepest when they work themselves in slowly. It may take a few listens, but witty 'n' wistful broadsides like "Slacker Ways," "Popstar" and "Long Distance Dedication" will eventually take up permanent residence in your cerebral cortex. Michael Toland
For fans of: Evelyn Forever, Big Star, the Greenberry Woods
THE MULLENS
Tough to Tell
(Get Hip)
Reconvening after a brief breakup, Dallas' premier punk quartet the Mullens offer up their best record yet with Tough to Tell. The Mullens obviously worship at the altar of pre-Sex Pistols punk, as the songs sound like pilled-up Chuck Berry and hammered R&B. Guitarist Matt Mayo plays the 1-4-5 riffs with enthusiasm and obvious knowledge of 60s and early 70s punk styles, and vocalist Tim Stile sings like Joey Ramone without the mouthful of marbles. Like the best punk rockers (or best rockers period) of any era, the Mullens understand that good songs are the best foundation for success, and "The Miscreant," "Gonna Be a Man" and "Boy in a Band" are perfect mixers for a rock 'n' roll party. The album was recorded very simply and cheaply and sounds like it could have been make in 1967 as easily as in 2000. This kind of rockin' is, after all, timeless. Michael Toland
For fans of: Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Sons of Hercules, the Saints' (I'm) Stranded
TEMPEST
Balance
(Magna Carta)
Any band that's as loved or hated as much as Bay Area quintet Tempest (check their pages at Amazon.com—it's all 5-star and 1-star ratings, with little in between) must be doing something right. The long-running rockers made their name welding Celtic and Nordic folk, prog and high energy rock into a seamless battleship with classics like Surfing to Mecca in its arsenal. The band plays both traditional and original songs, though they're usually at their best with rocked-up versions of the former. This is folk rock with the emphasis on the latter. Balance is their first record after a major lineup turnover which saw only drummer Adolfo Lazo and singer/mandolinist Lief Sorbye remain. New guitarist Todd Evans brings a far more metallic edge to the band's music than they've previously employed, and his gnarly tone and crunching chord work tends to overpower the more tradition-minded licks of Sorbye and new fiddler Jim Hurley. The rest of the band manages to just hold its own against Evans' riffage, however. Balance is a solid if unspectacular Tempest album, with the trad "Captain Ward" and "The Journeyman" and Evans' instrumental "Dance of the Sand Witches" being the highlights. It's not the album to start with if you're a newcomer (try The 10th Anniversary Compilation) but longtime fans won't be disappointed. Michael Toland
For fans of: latter-day Boiled in Lead, Jethro Tull, the Levellers
