Album Review: Tori Amos – Night Of Hunters

Back in May when Night Of Hunters was announced, I wrote an open letter to Tori Amos, asking that she move away from the boring approach that caused Abnormally Attracted To Sin to be so terrible, to have some quality control, and to get focused. While this album still really long, it’s much better than that last “proper” album and is much more in line with the great holiday album that followed, Midwinter Graces.

Night Of Hunters is not like the first four Tori albums, in which a series of amazing singles were surrounded by other tracks that were amazing-but-just-not-at-the-level-of-those-singles. This album is a serious mood piece from start to finish, a series of intertwining songs that all fit together and all move as one. It’s a concept album based around new versions of classical pieces, and it works as the strongest Tori Amos release since American Doll Posse, perhaps even the strongest – as an album – since From The Choirgirl Hotel.

But where most of her records in the last decade have had standout individual songs, the nature of this project means that doesn’t really happen. ‘Carry’ is wonderful, ‘Shattering Sea’ is a fantastic opener, but apart from that all the tracks run into each other to form a beautiful but long – long - work of art. So whether I return to Night Of Hunters on a regular basis is yet to be seen, and will depend on how often I’m in the mood for a lengthy concept album. I think I’m still going to be reaching for those nineties albums most of the time, but that doesn’t negate the excellent work Tori has put into this one.

7/10

Album Review: Kelly Rowland – Here I Am

It pays off to always keep one eye on Kelly Rowland – after all she was in Destiny’s Child, one of the definitive modern girl groups – and most of the time she has something good, and occasionally brilliant, to offer. On Here I Am, the two sides of Kelendria Trene struggle for balance. The “third album era” for Kelly really began back in 2009 when she guested on the David Guetta hit ‘When Love Takes Over’, and from there she went in a dance direction with the almighty ‘Commander’. Nothing seemed to stick in America, though, until ‘Motivation’. A slow-motion R&B workout featuring Lil’ Wayne, it is her greatest solo song ever and one of the best songs of 2011. No wonder it’s been a huge hit and it feels like most of Here I Am was based around it.

But what about dance Kelly? To be honest, dance Kelly isn’t as interesting as R&B Kelly. ‘Commander’ and ‘When Love Takes Over’ are great, sure, but would a whole album of that really stand up? There’s heaps of club tracks in the charts at the moment and not enough quality R&B like ‘Motivation’, and for that reason I’m thankful Here I Am is closer to Destiny’s Child than David Guetta. We’ll have to wait and see how the dance-focused international version of this album goes when it is released later this year.

‘I’m Dat Chick’ is the big boastful album opener that feels like a very long intro rather than a proper song – and for a split second here and there her vocals seriously sound like Willow Smith – but it leads into three tracks of solid brilliance. ‘Work It Man’, ‘Motivation’ (did I mention that I fucking love this song?) and ‘Lay It On Me’ are exactly how Kelly Rowland should sound in 2011: brave, confident, and like somebody who could comfortably lead a group rather than be the second-in-charge like she was back in DC.

Elsewhere on the album, ‘Commander’ is the only representative for the pre-album dance singles, and it still feels as massive as it was a year ago. ‘Down For Whatever’ is a good sign of what we can expect on the international version, but slick R&B like ‘All Of The Night’ is the main focus, with the occasional enjoyable ballad (‘Keep It Between Us’, ‘Heaven And Earth’) to keep things interesting.

What we’re left with is fairly inconsistent but still somehow a product of a clear vision. What that vision is depends on how you see it: is Here I Am constructed to cynically capitalise on Kelly’s unexpected US comeback, or carefully created to reposition her as a leader on R&B radio? Either way, it’s an enjoyable listen and a welcome return from a lady who may not always churn out number ones, but has been consistently exploring her own artistry and her place in the industry for a good ten years or so now. If this album proves anything, it’s that she isn’t ready to roll over and be a has-been, and for now she’s got the tunes to back that up.

7/10

Album Review: Dolly Parton – Better Day

Although Dolly Parton has written some of the most heartbreaking songs of all time, on her last few albums she has been preoccupied with positivity. On Better Day, she expands on the modern country sound of previous album Backwoods Barbie and even exceeds it in some places, crafting a stronger, more unified work. Lead single ‘Together You And I’ is the backbone of the album and the very loose concept of just generally being nicer to everyone. And who better to lead us in being nice than the nicest lady who ever niced?

While Backwoods Barbie had a distinct pop sheen that reminded me of Dolly’s most commercial eighties recordings, ‘In The Meantime’ opens Better Day with a pure country stomp that reunites her voice with a song that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the Thelma And Louise soundtrack – a very good thing in my book.

Dolly’s iconic (and I mean truly iconic) voice has changed, and it isn’t as pure as it once was, but being a little weathered doesn’t diminish the power and personality behind these songs. With such a huge catalogue, it’s easy to complain that the songs on this album don’t stack up to the classics, when that really isn’t the point. If I didn’t know better I’d believe songs like ‘Somebody’s Missing You’ and ‘The Sacrifice’ were singles from one of her late-seventies and eighties albums, they just have that classic feel without actually being classics. ‘Holding Everything’, a truly stunning track, would be all over country radio right now if it were by Lady Antebellum. At 65, Dolly Parton is still at the top of the pop-country game she helped to pioneer all those years ago.

The album cover is strangely dark but this album is up, up, up. While I often wonder when we’ll see her record her own Van Lear Rose (Dolly is approaching the age Loretta Lynn was when she made that masterpiece), Better Day is a wonderful bridge between the two worlds of country and pop that Dolly has always been torn between. Diehards will love it, while those who might not have heard a full Dolly album in decades might find it interesting to see how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same.

8/10

Album Review: Weird Al Yankovic – Alpocalypse

Alpocalypse is the first Weird Al Yankovic album that I’m hearing right as it comes out, having heard all his older material way after the fact or in bits and pieces rather than as a full record. Preceded by the Internet Leaks EP and the tremendous single ‘Perform This Way’, this has already become Al’s highest charting album on the Billboard 200, continuing his amazing career trajectory that began over thirty years ago.

‘Perform This Way’ is an obvious highlight, and it rightfully leads off the album. Elsewhere, Weird Al tradition prevails as humour is found in making over-the-top pop songs completely mundane (‘Whatever You Like’), or making songs about mundane things completely over-the-top (the ‘You Belong With Me’ parody ‘TMZ’). Miley Cyrus and B.o.B. are also parodied on ‘Party In The CIA’ and ‘Another Tattoo’, but the really creative songs on Alpocalypse are the originals.

‘Craiglist’, a style parody of The Doors, climaxes with a wonderful crescendo of “Do you want my styrofoam peanuts?”, and ‘Skipper Dan’ is actually pretty depressing, a story of a would-be actor who had his dream crushed and now works as a tour guide. Don’t let anyone ever tell you every Weird Al song is 100% comedy. ‘Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me’ is a fantastic Jim Steinman pastiche that might just be my second-favourite on the album, hilarious, well produced and wonderfully written.

No Weird Al record is complete without a polka, and on ‘Polka Face’ we get a quick trip through the Hot 100 of the last few years, from Britney to Pink to Bieber to Katy to Jamie to Taio to Ke$ha to Lady Antebellum to Gaga to Flo Rida and more. Full of highlights and with very few slow moments, the five year wait between 2006′s Straight Outta Lynwood and Alpocalypse was well worth it.

8/10

Album Review: Beyoncé – 4

4 is a baffling album, a really strange record that will be argued over and dissected by fans and observers for years. On 2008′s I Am… Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé was at the peak of her showstopping, OTT power. Everything on it was turned up to 11. On 4, everything feels turned up to about… (forgive me) 4. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though I wasn’t impressed when I first listened. But giving it time, the good things about this project come to light.

I hate music writing that centres around being negative or bitchy all the time – both of my regular readers might notice I rarely review singles by artists I don’t like – but I have to register my disappointment with 4 despite the upsides, which we’ll come to. Some of the songs are, for the most part, boring. Just boring. At first listen it sounded to me like Beyoncé and her team decided to throw together ‘Run The World (Girls)’, ‘Best Thing I Never Had’, ‘Party’ and ‘Countdown’, plus eight filler songs, all identical. The album as a whole doesn’t pack a punch, the campaign feels detached and sluggish and Beyoncé’s heart just doesn’t feel in it this time around.

BUT.

Of those songs that I originally thought all sounded way too similar, some real gems have emerged. ’1+1′, the album opener, is a slow-burning (“slow-burning” could describe most of the songs here) stunner, a vocal showcase that takes time to make sense. ‘I Care’ is another great performance from our hostess and ‘I Miss You’ is richly atmospheric. ‘I Was Here’ is another conceptually interesting ballad that could so easily have been tedious but is saved by imaginative production. ‘Party’, sadly not a Christine Anu cover, is a weird vibe that starts out like an album cut from Kanye West’s The College Dropout and ends up as a slow motion version of a song that, if recorded for B’Day, would have been three times as fast and five times as shouty. On songs like these, the laidback vibe works really well.

The middle of the album is still not very good. A parade of songs only marginally more exciting than Dangerously In Love album tracks, ‘Rather Die Young’, ‘Start Over’ and ‘Love On Top’ have certainly not clicked with me. ‘Countdown’ picks up the pace a bit and ‘End Of Time’ is good but I find myself looking forward to ‘Run The World (Girls)’, which has become a firm favourite of mine and explodes with energy and life.

A common criticism of Beyoncé is that she comes so close to a classic album all the time but has no quality control. On 4, she isn’t as close as she was on B’Day or I Am… Sasha Fierce but there’s still that spark and the great moments make it clear she’s still very, very capable of producing a genre-, year- or decade-defining album. That she hasn’t done it yet only amplifies my disappointment with 4. Still, I’ll take half a great Beyoncé album any day.

5.5/10

Album Review: Lady Gaga – Born This Way

There should be a specific term for artists who create, or at least align themselves with, pop songs that feel like massive events, not once or twice in their career, but over and over again. Madonna did it, of course. Michael Jackson did it. Cher, Janet, Beyoncé, George Michael, Britney, even relative newcomer Rihanna – they could all point to occasions where they’ve been part of Pop Events time and time again. And then we come to Lady Gaga, who has managed to squish, by my count and in my opinion, six massive 100% amazing fuck-off 10/10 pop songs into two and a half albums. ‘Poker Face’ and ‘Paparazzi’ from her debut The Fame, ‘Bad Romance’, ‘Telephone’ and ‘Dance In The Dark’ from the follow-up EP The Fame Monster, and ‘Judas’, which I have already gushed over, from Born This Way.

Born This Way is one of the strangest records to ever be released by an artist at the top of their game. Compare Michael Jackson and Madonna when they were in Gaga’s post-Fame Monster position: Madonna’s breakthrough Like A Virgin was followed by the perfect but safe True Blue, while Michael’s Thriller was trailed by Bad, which attempted to repeat the formula and almost accidentally came up with some songs that actually surpassed some of the tracks on the predecessor. But Lady Gaga comes out with a harsh, divisive, visually confused, thematically ridiculous album filled almost equally with potential singles and experiments. If nothing else, Born This Way is risky.

Let us begin with the album cover. Definitely my favourite of the year so far, the place it has in the campaign really sums up this whole shebang. On a record called Born This Way, with a first single about loving yourself for who you are and never changing, our hero decides to stick her head on a motorbike and become as removed as possible from the natural state she’s been urging her fans to love. It’s funny and certainly grabs your attention, but it also shows that in contrast with the on-point image decisions for The Fame and Monster, this album doesn’t have a clear direction. In a way, that makes the juxtaposition of title and cover the best possible representation of the music within.

This album is mostly front-loaded with the best tracks, if not the most commercial ones – some of the experiments like ‘Government Hooker’ and ‘Schieße’ wouldn’t be hit singles but they’re exciting and fun to listen to, and I can see them becoming among the songs I come back to most. There is nothing to say about lead single ‘Born This Way’ that hasn’t been said before, other than I still really, really like it. ‘Judas’ is even better and still feels like a masterpiece to these ears, and thankfully it sets the noisy-but-melodic tone for many of the other songs. ‘Hair’ and ‘Marry The Night’ aren’t quite as thrilling as the songs that surround them in the first half, ‘Americano’ is ludicrous but fun, and the slow-motion half-ballad ‘Bloody Mary’ is a bit of a throwback to some of the best moments on The Fame, which, by the way, sounds light years away now, like the work of a different artist altogether.

Those eight songs are the basis for an album that could’ve been perfect. But, on the deluxe edition, which let’s face it, everyone who cares is buying, we’ve still got nine songs to go. ‘Black Jesus † Amen Fashion’ (I know, I know) is a less successful version of the werq-werq-runway-fashion-werq style of tracks like ‘Scheiße’, while ‘Bad Kids’ and ‘Fashion Of His Love’ sort of just float past me, never grabbing my attention in any meaningful way, though they sound fine while they’re playing. ‘Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)’ (again, I know) is a precursor the orgasmic album closer, blending the power-pop of her idol Bruce Springsteen with stuttering dance beats and a Cher-when-she-sort-of-went-hair-metal-that-time vocal.

‘Heavy Metal Lover’ is a more of a mood piece than an album highlight, and ‘Electric Chapel’ is similar in that they both have vocals that are a bit more subtle than usual. All this, including ‘The Queen’, which acts like a bridge between ‘Highway Unicorn’ and what’s to come, feels like a warm up for the finalé, two huge songs that sound even bigger when played back-to-back.

‘Yoü And I’, complete with an umlaut for no reason other than to remind us that even when she’s singing a conventional power ballad like this, Lady Gaga is still wacky and ker-azzayy, is the spiritual cousin of earlier songs ‘Brown Eyes’ and ‘Speechless’. It doesn’t reach the emotional height of ‘Speechless’ but it does a great job of erasing any weakness that may have been made apparent by the preceding few songs. Imagine if the first eight songs had been immediately followed by the final two, to make a ten track album, and the remaining tracks had been above-average B-sides. That would have been too good to be true.

And so, we come to ‘The Edge Of Glory’. My third favourite on the album after the title track and ‘Judas’, it mixes so many amazing things about so many amazing genres: odd Enya-style intro, odd Aqua-style vocals at the start, Eurodance beat, and the ‘Living On A Prayer’/'Song For The Lonely’ hybrid of a chorus that is only beaten by the amazing, amazing saxophone solo. When the saxophone meets the reintroduction of the beat at about 3:30 – fucking hell, that is what music is all about for me. I live for moments like that.

I like that Gaga takes herself really seriously. Pop music is serious business, and I need to believe that because if it isn’t then my life has been a collossal waste of time. But it works against her sometimes, and it feels as though some sections of pop fandom have decided that it is “her time”, and that the backlash is due. I’m glad I don’t devote my time talking endlessly about artists I hate – imagine how fucking boring it would be for me to have to focus on Jessie J all the time – but if that’s what gets some corners of the internet going then good for them. I suppose the point is that Gaga has made an album strong enough to carry her past the hatred, at least through to the next album campaign – what position she’ll be in then remains to be seen.

I don’t think Gaga is an icon on the level of MJ or Madonna. Not even close. I don’t think she’s the saviour of pop music, or the messiah. She’s not my mother and I’m not a little monster. But she makes amazing music and amazing music is what I’m interested in. Born This Way is not perfect, it’s too long and The Fame Monster EP remains her greatest achievement, but my god when this album gets it right it gets it so, incredibly right. Take away the ridiculous clothes, the psycho fans, the psycho haters, the overly serious reviews like this one, the chart positions – does the music stack up? The answer is yes for me and that’s all that really matters.

8/10

Album Review: Kate Bush – Director’s Cut

This is such a big deal that I hardly know where to begin. A new Kate Bush album. Is there an equivalent of “shaking and crying” for fans of 52-year-old alt-pop recluses? “Smoking bongs and meditating”? Whatever it is, I’ve been doing it ever since the announcement of Director’s Cut, in which Dame Kate Of Bush travels back in time to the final two albums of her classic period as an active force in popular music. The Sensual World, in 1989, was a light, sexual companion piece to the heavy, dark albums that came before it. In 1993, it was followed by The Red Shoes, an overlong, confused album that contained amazing songs but was weighed down by an artist who didn’t have the same vision she had before.

And so, about twenty years later, eleven songs have been re-recorded, reswizzled and remixed, with many vocal and instrumental performances being completely redone. At first it can sound jarring, especially when you live and breathe the originals – the new version of ‘The Sensual World’ sometimes sounds like somebody singing along to the ’89 version but making up their own new words because they can’t remember the lyrics – but after repeated listens, Director’s Cut really comes together as a unified album.

The album was preceded by a new version of ‘Deeper Understanding’, which was always one of my favourite Kate album tracks. The new mix still sounds excellent, highlighting how ahead of its time the original was, and allowing Kate more time to explore the themes of isolation and loneliness. The middle of the album contains three of Kate’s all-time greatest achievements, ‘This Woman’s Work’, ‘Moments Of Pleasure’ and ‘Never Be Mine’, with all of them now made even more devastating than they were originally, the work of an artist looking back on songs about looking back, watching the years go past as she becomes further and further away from the parts of her life that were immortalised in these songs. Her vocals are still incredible, a real reminder that alongside her songwriting and production skills, it was that voice that pushed her from pioneer to visionary. ‘This Woman’s Work’, especially, has made me realise all over again that the song itself is one of the greatest ever written. Perhaps these updates will prove (once again) how much of Kate’s influence can be felt in the “pop weirdo” scene of the past few years, from the visual image of Florence + The Machine to the sense of drama that Hurts know all too well.

Some of the other versions are less breathtaking but still very interesting, a lot of the tracks sounding like they’ve been filtered through the style of Kate’s last studio album, Aerial. The only real misstep is ‘Rubberband Girl’, which positions Kate as she would have sounded in a garage-rock collective (or as part of the Plastic Ono Band), and while it doesn’t quite work, at least she’s still trying new things.

Director’s Cut feels like an old friend who you haven’t seen in ages, popping in to say hello. None of these revisions are improvements on the originals, but honestly, it’s just nice to know Kate is still alive and making music. The new versions are great to hear and to appreciate, and I’m satisfied that this album is reason enough to wait for a new proper studio album. Recording for that next record is apparently underway, and Director’s Cut proves that there is still a lot to look forward to.

8/10

Album Review: Jamie Woon – Mirrorwriting

Jamie Woon is one of those names that I’ve heard thrown around in “next big thing” pieces for months, but it took me forever to get around to listening to him. When I finally sought out ‘Night Air’, his debut single, to see what all the fuss was about, I was sold instantly. The song is so removed from any commercial aspirations, standing up only on the strength of the songwriting, production and vocals. No gimmicks, no tricks, no fancy video (though the video is effective).

So with ‘Night Air’ quickly becoming one of my favourite songs I’ve discovered this year (it came out in 2010, otherwise it’d be a must for my eventual best-of-2011 lists), the next step was obviously to pick up Mirrorwriting, Jamie’s debut album, released about a month ago. And what a weird album it is.

One thing that strikes me about Jamie Woon is that his music feels to me as if it comes from the pop scene of 1999-02, where he would have been lumped in with acts like Kosheen and Jamiroquai despite not sounding like either. ‘Lady Luck’, for example, has almost nothing in the song or video to indicate that I couldn’t have seen it while staying up late to watch Rage, on some night in 2001. This isn’t a good or a bad thing, it’s just something that I noticed, and perhaps will impact how much Jamie will be able to penetrate the mainstream.

Mirrorwriting is a minimal record. The vocals are often hushed, the beats are slight and the listener finds themselves searching for hidden meaning in a song about what to do on a city street (“you can try on anything for free/pick up anything you need”). Upon first listen I didn’t quite know what to make of it – ‘Night Air’ and ‘Lady Luck’ were great songs but what about all these others? Are they quiet masterpieces not unlike a cool young Enya with beats, or are they the work of an artist who often seems unsure of how to beef up a song that is good but not yet amazing?

I think how I listen to Mirrorwriting will depend on my mood. It seems like a good album to fall asleep to – which I swear is a compliment, my favourite album of all time, Hounds Of Love, is also helpful for inducing sleep – and time will tell if the album becomes an unexpected favourite or a disappointment. Either way, it certainly is an interesting debut, with several great songs, and I’m eager to see the direction of the follow-up.

5.5/10

Album Review: Adele – 21

So I’m quite late to the 21 party, but I think this album, released way back in January (ah, memories of a simpler time), is still doing well enough to be counted as a “current release”. In fact, as we speak it sits at number one in the US, the UK and Australia. It’s been number one in the UK for thirteen weeks, while ‘Someone Like You’ spent five weeks at the top of the singles chart. Impressive.

My interest in Adele before picking up 21 was minimal, though not because I didn’t like her, just because she’d always been slightly off my personal radar for whatever reason. Her debut 19 is a great record filled with excellent songwriting and even better vocals, so all eyes were on the follow-up: would she pull a Duffy (incredibly disappointing sophomore slump) or an Amy Winehouse (incredibly successful triumph)? Thankfully for Adele it’s the latter.

‘Rolling In The Deep’ acts like a bridge from 19 to 21, with soaring vocals and a sixties throwback feel helped along by those backing vocals. It feels just as good as the biggest pop moments on the debut, ‘Chasing Pavements’ and ‘Cold Shoulder’. The bombastic tone sets the standard for much of 21, with ‘Don’t You Remember’ and ‘Set Fire To The Rain’ packing an incredible one-two punch right in the middle of the album. ‘Set Fire…’, in particular, is a huge, powerful ballad that feels classic without being cynically retro, with lyrics full of epic imagery and, as is to be expected, an ambitious vocal performance.

21 continues on nicely from there but slows down in the second half, with fewer breathtaking moments. These are traded in for a pleasant flow of great songs that keep the album going strong without reaching the heights of those aforementioned standouts. Of course, the final track, ‘Someone Like You’, may be Adele’s greatest achievement so far and is surely one of the defining tracks of 2011. It doesn’t sound like a typical number one single, doesn’t sound like something that fits easily between ‘Judas’ and ‘S&M’ on radio, yet becoming the longest-running UK number one of the decade so far seems completely natural. ‘Someone Like You’, ‘Rolling In The Deep’ and ‘Set Fire To The Rain’ are the anchors of a well-constructed and professional album, built for commercial success but also built to be appreciated for many years to come.

8/10

Album Review: Paul Simon – So Beautiful Or So What

Paul Simon has had one of those ridiculously long careers that stretch back to the 1950s, but rather than falling into obscurity or retirement, he is still releasing new material that causes excitement. So Beautiful Or So What, his first album since 2006′s Surprise, has been hyped as a return to the basics and as a return to his traditional style of songwriting. Simon & Garfunkel are one of my all-time favourite acts, but Simon’s career as a solo artist is a different beast entirely, and So Beautiful Or So What certainly does remind me of his most famous and enduring solo moments.

Slice-of-life songs with catchy melodies – ‘America’, ‘You Can Call Me Al’, ‘The Boxer’ – are what Paul Simon built his legend on, and the new album doesn’t disappoint, even if there is nothing here that immediately presents itself as worthy of standing alongside those classics. ‘Getting Ready For Christmas Day’, first released last year, samples a sermon by Rev. J.M. Gates and mixes this in with Simon’s trademark everyman lyrics and simple rhythms. The other songs follow suit, uncomplicated and never overbearing, with most of the focus on the lyrics while never forgetting to make the instrumentation interesting and appealing.

One of the standout tracks is ‘Rewrite’, about a Vietnam veteran who now works menial jobs while working on a book. These verses are perhaps the most “classic Simon” to be found on So Beautiful Or So What:

“I’ll eliminate the pages
Where the father has a breakdown
And he has to leave the family
But he really meant no harm
I’m gonna substitute a car chase
And a race across the rooftops
When the father saves the children
And he holds them in his arms”

The audience is never underestimated. We’re free to figure out the meaning of those lines ourselves while never being hit over the head with the “Look! He’s talking about himself! Poor Vietnam veteran wants to go back and change his life!” that a less skilled lyricist might needlessly insert.

The rest of the album has it’s share of pretty melodies (‘Dazzling Blue’) and mature, well-crafted lyrics (‘Questions For The Angels’, including an unexpected Jay-Z reference). This record sounds like classic Simon yet the way he approaches all of his songs mean that it doesn’t sound like we’ve heard it all before. Almost 70 and still making music as worthy of attention as the songs he sang when he was 25, Paul Simon’s So Beautiful Or So What is a remarkable late-in-life album from one of those precious living legends who are still adding to their legacy.

7.5/10