Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and Milt Jackson - What's Up? The Very Tall Band

Telarc

When pianist Oscar Peterson, bassist Ray Brown and vibist Milt Jackson convened for a performance at the Blue Note in New York City on Thanksgiving weekend in 1998, the music that emerged was brilliant as it was spontaneous. The performance itself--a landmark collaboration by three jazz giants--garnered critical praise from all corners, as did the resulting record, The Very Tall Band.
But for all it's finery, there was plenty of material from the three-night gig that didn't make the cut. Elaine Martone, Telarc's executive vice president of production and producer of The Very Tall Band, has dug into the vaults and emerged with seven additional tracks from the Blue Note sessions. The result is What's Up?, nearly 60 minuets of upbeat, lighthearted, satisfying jazz.

Fat Freddy's Drop - Based On A True Story

Kartel/Quango

Welcome to The Drop. Fat Freddy's Drop. Come on in, join the family for a home cooked meal. Relax, hang up your coat; stay a while. You're on island time now, baby!
Welcome to The Drop. Fat Freddy's Drop. Come on in, join the family for a home cooked meal. Relax, hang up your coat; stay a while. You're on island time now, baby!
Freddy's hi-tek soul delivery is a specific flavor that is carried on the shoulders of hypnotic and thunderous grooves, a three-strong horn section, vintage keyboards and silky-voiced lyrics. Singularly, each individual may glow bright, together they outshine everyone.

Madonna - The Confession Tour

(CD/DVD) Warner Bros.

Madonna's many career sidelights often obscure the fact that she remains one of the greatest pop acts of all time. Yes, she's made some awful movies but so did Elvis and the Beatles. Simply put, Madonna makes spectacular pop records.
Confessions is like nothing Madonna has ever made before. Pioneer of all things forbidden in Pop affairs, she has continuously kept us on our toes. Once you think you've figured her out, she sheds her skin and emerges--striking fear into the hearts of the close-minded, commanding respect from her advisories and receiving endearing admiration from her many fans.
Madonna never lets her fans down. In The Confessions Tour CD she revisits many of her old classics. But what I find exemplary is her DVD. Madonna performs with extraordinary Cirque du Sole talents on an entire DVD full of interpretive music videos. This is a very unique release, something that only the Queen of Pop could pull off.

Cadillac Sky - Blind Man Walking

Skaggs Family

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." -Marcel Proust
On the inside cover of Cadillac Sky's new release you find a reminder to view life through gentle eyes.
Cadillac Sky ascends beyond tradition, infusing progressive bluegrass with originality and the willingness to challenge their limits. Their music is fueled by chemistry--a chain reaction transpires when Bryan Simpson (mandolin, vocals), Matt Mene (banjo), Mike Jump (guitar, vocals). Ross Holmes (fiddle, vocals) and Andy Moritz (bass, vocals) come together. It's bluegrass alchemy with golden results!
Blind Man Walking features the virtuoso picking and singing you'd expect from a band comprised of two national champion pickers, a respected guitar vet, a standup bass phenomenon and an award winning songwriter. But what is not expected, yet is found, is the thematic range of the record. It plays like a novel with high zeniths and emotional rock-bottom blues.

Rosie Thomas - These Friends of Mine

Sing-a-long/Nettwerk

Cheerful and always charming, Rosie Thomas is back with her fourth album, These Friends of Mine. Written in collaboration with long time friends, Sufjan Stevens and Denison Witmer, this is an album unlike her previous works.
Exhausted from the constant barrage of deadlines, tour schedules and the lack of that simplicity which is achieved from enjoying music--writing, playing, singing, dancing to and hearing--Rosie set out to simply write songs and play music.
Mostly recorded immediately after having been written, these songs did not lose the individuality and fresh quality that gets lost while in a studio. Rosie takes you further into the spirit of these songs with handwritten mini-bios about where she was when she wrote and what she aspires to inspire with her well crafted gems. This album also includes an unique remake of REM's "The One I Love," and Rosie made Fleetwood Mac's "Birdsong," her own with a whimsical version of the classic.
***Shelton's Single of the Week: "All the Way to New York City"***

Nikki Puppet - Puppet On A String

Locomotive/RYKO/Armagedon

There is a new M.O.M on the block! Mistress of Metal herself, Nikki Gronewold, brings all of her PMS-rage to Nikki Puppet as she tears apart the mic with her ferocious vocals. The blazing fury of Greek guitar god, Christos Malnalitsidis assaults your ears. Primed and ready to rock bassist Anke Sobek and drummer Michale Wolpers give diligent efforts. POS is full of Euro-metal, ageless hard rock and power ballads--lot's of 'em!

Peel - Peel

Peek-a-boo/Revolver

"If I had my way, I'd demolish every building of rock polished to shine so bright, like headlights in the daytime." Such seemingly nihilistic lines open the debut album of Peel. These Austin, TX natives have learned to create music that is brimming with colorful tangy-tart hooks.
And what a variety of flavors they make with their instruments! They have come far from their early days of uncertainty, and self doubt. Peel is the album that you want to pick up and squeeze the juicy goodness out of. Best of all--when your cup empties, all you gotta do is push play!

Mew - Frengers

Columbia/Sony BMG

Getcher fresh, hot Frengers! What the hell are Frengers? Contrived from the words "friends" and "strangers," Frengers--not quite friends but not quite strangers--is the American edition of the breakthrough album from Danish rock-poppers Mew.
Originally released in the U.K. and Europe in '03, Frengers featured new recordings of the best songs from Mew's first two indie albums, A Triumph For Man and Half The World Is Watching Me. Each and every song is like phonic-stargazing. Cutting-edge and ambitious Mew has it going on. Now that half the world is actually watching them, where will Mew go from here?

Ten West - Ten West

Blue Label

The best way to explain my delight when I first came across Ten West is that I can not wait until I can see them live! Ten West is being hailed as the hypothetical love child of Dave Matthews, Matchbox 20 and Jack Johnson. Their music is simply awakening--uplifting songs, real messages, all over good grooves.
With songs like their debut single "Amazing,"--a straightforward reflection of the reasons why people should not take even the simplest things for granted--they have it. It goes without saying that these guys have figured it out. And evidently Ronnie King, the legendary modern punk, pop and hip-hop producer, agrees, having helped produce this album.
Ten West helps you feel alive. So alive you've gotta get up and share a smile with someone close.

Placebo - Meds

Virgin/EMI

"Baby, did you forget to take your meds?" What a way to write a song! But that is to be expected from the British alternative band that has inspired countless bands from AFI to MCR! Not to mention that they have been making razor-sharp hits for more than 10 years.
Meds, Placebo's fifth studio album, is their return to where they came from. Resonating with hard, distorted guitars and heavy electronic experimentation, Placebo has come full circle with a sound reminiscent of their first release. From where I stand they have aged gloriously, and the proof is in the music.

Kenny Dorham - Quiet Kenny

Prestige/New Jazz/Concord

Throughout his career Kenny Dorham was almost famous for being underrated since he was consistently overshadowed by Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis etc. on the trumpet. Dorham was never an influential force himself but a talented bop-oriented trumpeter and an excellent composer who played in some very significant bands.
One of the problems with album titles is that the jazz public often takes them too figuratively. Quiet Kenny could be considered 45 minuets of silence, or perhaps an indication that Kenny Dorham spoke softly. Or it could mean that this album is chock-full of lethargic ballads.
None of these being true, Quiet Kenny, simply means that trumpeter Kenny Dorham had gotten the chance to relax and record some songs that he had feeling for. Fronting, for the first time, a quartet all his own, Kenny proved that he was one of the most poetic of modern jazz trumpeters. It is only too sad that he never got the recognition that he deserved during his too-short life.

The Rapture - Pieces of the People We Love

Mercury/Universal Motown

New York City's post millennial music scene was divided between punk, indie and electro. With House of Jealous Lovers, the Rapture combined each style earning the groups spot on seemingly every DJ's rotation, and on every critic's year-end list, as well as spreads in hipster lifestyle magazines.
The Rapture put out the revelatory, House of Jealous Lovers, 12-inch, which drops an absolutely frantic chorus into a rubbery cow bell accented groove, along with another single, "Olio," a sleek electronic ode to the Cure, positioning themselves to be on the front-line of the electro music revolution.
Pieces of the People We Love, is further proof that the Rapture deserve all the acclaim that they've been earning. The beats are infectious, their sound is addictive. The Rapture has found the secret to creating dance hall worthy hits with meaningful lyrical content. A crafty blend of disco-electro, indie-punk, the Rapture are the living end.

Rosalie Sorrels - No Closing Chord: The Songs of Malvina Reynolds

Red House

Rosalie Sorrels' collection of the songs of Malvina Reynolds is inspiring, up lifting and provocative. Rosalie's striking renditions lend an immediacy to the lyrics--some political, some personal--and are a great contribution to the musical and social history of the 60's.
A topical songwriter who came to prominence in the 60's when she was at an age when most are ready for retirement. Malvina Reynolds is best known as the author of the great satirical song "Little Boxes," which was Pete Seeger's only hit.
She also write "What Have They Done to the Rain," a hit for the Searchers in 1965. Her songs have been covered by Joan Baez, Judy Collins and many more. Her uncompromisingly political songs mark Reynolds as on of the greatest topical songwriters of her time, and ours as well.
No Closing Chord is a pertinent reminder to today's audience that we haven't improved much. The 1960's was a time torn between peace and fear. People were tense, so afraid to accept each other's differences or their similarities. McCarthyism!--that nasty presumptuous disease that has demolished civilizations, nations, communities, families, friends, children, generations. Where did our minds go? Why haven't we learned?
Have we given up our right as a Democratic Republic to put into office those who will up hold our nation's Preamble? Let alone our Constitution.
Editor's Note: You must check out the song Rosie Jane. It is a powerful statement about abortion and nobody will talk about a women's right to choose. It is dangerous. It is frightening and it can in deep trouble.

Big D & The Kid's Table - Strictly Rude

SideOneDummy

Rude Boy is back with a suped-up makeover. It is about time that Ska gets a new hero. This is the most mature work to date both lyrically and musically for Boston's Big D The Kid's Table. No newbies to the scene they bring the sounds of piano, organ and melodica rub up against the familiar horns and guitars. With energy comparable to Op Ivy's Energy, Strictly Rude is youthful and fun while calling out to "Try Out Your Voice." Oi! Oi! Oi!

Audrey Auld Mezera - Lost Men and Angry Girls

Reckless

Lost Men and Angry Girls, chronicles the past three years Audrey Auld Mezera has spent living on the coast of Northern California. Having made the move from Australia on the heels of being wed, many adventures and challenges have met Audry.
In Lost Men and Angry Girls, she has taken a look beyond her heart and into the social-political issues we all experiences as co-inhabitors of this Earth. You will find no finger pointing, only Audrey's solid, harmonious voice against acoustic melodies, as she explores our society's upheaval.
***Love's Single of the Week: "Down in a Hole"
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

Ron Franklin - City Lights

Memphis International/Merless

Ron Franklin is an energetic, self-taught musician whose music immediately comes off raw and polished. A multi-instrumentalist he has a broader horizon than most musicains. The original songs he writes are evocative gems of folksy-blues.
Yet, Ron Franklin is not bound to labels'. City Lights is a versatile collection of covers and originals. From the traditional hillbilly tune "Lula Wall," to the rocking "Little Susie," with the Bo Diddley beat, Franklin has given us more than just good faith that he will be back with more musical delights.

JC and the Jazz Hoppers - Chillin' at Home

Jazz-Hop

It hasn't always been easy going for J.C. and the Jazz Hoppers. But it has been well worth all of the hard work and effort they've put into creating Chillin' at Home. Here you find yourself emmersed in rat-tat-tappin and boom boom bopping of the Australian trio. Chillin' at Home incorporates tunes of today by artists like Bobby McFerrin, Norah Jones and others into their repertoire. By combining jazz with modern music they will hopefully delight a wider range of audience with this album!

Lily Allen - Alright, Still...

Empire/Capitol/EMI

She has become the imperious Brit pop princess. Lily Allen is the girl-next-door, Punky Brewster meets Gwen Stefani in all the right ways kinda girl. Her music is filled with ballads of two-facing girlfriends and a mix of self-doubt and panache, chaos and cool control. Lily has emerge strong and determined. She has taken us into her own world full of grannies that haven't got a clue, and douche-bag ex's that weren't worth the tears. Will she go farther than any of her predecessors, I think she's got the gusto to "Knock 'Em Out."

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - 10 Days Out, (Blues From the Backroads)

CD/DVD Reprise/Warner Bros.

Just as the mantle of "next Dylan" has been placed on the shoulders of countless unlucky folk singers, the term "next Stevie Ray" has been thrown around carelessly in blues circles. And the one man who just keeps on having his name pop up is the young gun, Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Maybe it's their use of middle names that strings them together, or perhaps it is the shadow that Vaughn's ghost casts over Shepherds playing, in terms of tone, feel, and phrasing. But there is more than just a little park of originality in Kenny's playing, hell, he is still young
In 10 Days Out Kenny and his rhythm section, the esteemed Double Trouble (Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon), Stevie's very own heartbeat and longtime band members, hit the back roads traveling from back porches to run-down churches to crowded kitchens in search of the remains of the blues legacy.
In the DVD, which includes the live footage of all the album cuts, Kenny ably walks the line between lead and rhythm, playing alongside some of the oldest and best-known names in the biz. His renowned guests include B.B. King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Pinetop Perkins, Honeyboy Edward, Etta Baker and many more. And for a career highlight that tops the rest, Shepherd plays with the survivors of the Howlin' Wolf Band and the Muddy Waters Band.
This is a rare find, and almost as if it were prophetical, Kenny was able to preserve a history reaching back into the early half of last century and create an album that will be played for year to come. Since the recording of 10 Days Out, five of these blues legends have left us. This album is emotionally powerful, honest and and compelling, It is a must have for any music fan.

Various Artists - An 8-Bit Tribute to the Music of Kraftwerk

Astralwerks

When Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider formed Kraftwerk in 1970 in Dusseldorf, Germany, the concept of an all-electronic pop band was still revolutionary. Since then Kraftwerk's mechanistic minimalism has gone on to shape the course of dance music, rock, modern classical and hip-hop. Indeed, anyone who uses a drum machine owes Hutter and Schneider big-time!
After many years of work-in-progress, this labor of love is available for fans of Kraftwerk and Industrial alike. This is an entire collection of lively interpretations of classic songs. If it sounds like you have stepped into an arcade, don't be alarmed, most of these songs were arranged primarily on Lo-bit microchip and handheld controlled synthesizers like, Gameboys, Atari and NES systems. With this set of innovative songs the bands featured here have made Kraftwerks phrase "...I'm the operator with my Pocket Calculator..." more appropriate than ever before!

Pepper - No Shame

Law/East West/Atlantic

This is the fourth studio album for Pepper. For having done nothing more than continuing to be themselves, this Hawaiian trio understand the charm of effortless hooks and buoyant melodies. They uphold the laid-back spirit of fun under the sun that their fans have come to expect from them since the mid-90's.
No Shame is a frothy, gentle blend of their ska-pop-rock-reggae. It is a simple album with bright masterful pieces of sunshine and pina coladas. Although the randomness of their "funny" skits (?) is almost like sitting in the back of a 9th grade health class. This is overall a light, happy album, full of bright and shiny songs about hanging out with those you love,--howsit?!

I've been waiting
Nothing's changing
I feel smaller than I am
People saving
All their wages
Just to keep the house
from falling in

Innocence will fall victim to the sword
How many lives can we afford
A question answered not ignored
now that's what I'd be fighting for

I can't ever
seem to gather
Lost my since of humor
now that's not right
Say I'm lazy
or I'm crazy
Just a radical
who's lost his mind

Everyone wants an answer
every race
We haven't room for more mistakes
answer when questioned
don't ignore
and tell me what we're fighting for

I don't claim to be the only one
I don't claim to be this nations son

No one wants to lose the ones they love
Well I don't care I don't love
Spend my time relaxing in the sun

I've been waiting
Nothings changing
I feel smaller than I am
People saving
All their wages
Just to keep the house
from falling in

Everyone wants an answer
every race
We haven't room for more mistakes
answer when questioned
don't ignore
and tell me what we're fighting for

I don't claim to be the only one
I don't claim to be this nations son

No one wants to lose the ones they love
Well I don't care I don't love
Spend my time relaxing in the sun

Political Article: Oily Truth Emerges in Iraq By: Juan Gonzalez Back To Top Throughout nearly four years of the daily mayhem and carnage in Iraq, President Bush and his aides in the White House have scoffed at even the slightest suggestion that the U.S. military occupation has anything to do with oil. The President presumably would have us all believe that if Iraq had the world's second-largest supply of bananas instead of petroleum, American troops would still be there. Now comes new evidence of the big prize in Iraq that rarely gets mentioned at White House briefings. A proposed new Iraqi oil and gas law began circulating last week among that country's top government leaders and was quickly leaked to various Internet sites - before it has even been presented to the Iraqi parliament. Under the proposed law, Iraq's immense oil reserves would not simply be opened to foreign oil exploration, as many had expected. Amazingly, executives from those companies would actually be given seats on a new Federal Oil and Gas Council that would control all of Iraq's reserves. In other words, Chevron, ExxonMobil, British Petroleum and the other Western oil giants could end up on the board of directors of the Iraqi Federal Oil and Gas Council, while Iraq's own national oil company would become just another competitor. The new law would grant the council virtually all power to develop policies and plans for undeveloped oil fields and to review and change all exploration and production contracts. Since most of Iraq's 73 proven petroleum fields have yet to be developed, the new council would instantly become a world energy powerhouse. "We're talking about trillions of dollars of oil that are at stake," said Raed Jarrar, an independent Iraqi journalist and blogger who obtained an Arabic copy of the draft law and posted an English-language translation on his Web site over the weekend. Take, for example, the massive Majnoon field in southern Iraq near the Iranian border, which contains an estimated 20 billion barrels. Before Saddam Hussein was toppled by the U.S. invasion in 2003, he had granted a $4 billion contract to French oil giant TotalFinaElf to develop the field. In the same way, the Iraqi dictator signed contracts with Chinese, Russian, Korean, Italian and Spanish companies to develop 10 other big oil fields once international sanctions against his regime were lifted. The big British and American companies had been shut out of Iraq, thanks to more than a decade of U.S. sanctions against Saddam. But if the new law passes, those companies will be the ones reviewing those very contracts and any others. "Iraq's economic security and development will be thrown into question with this law," said Antonia Juhasz of Oil Change International, a petroleum industry watchdog group. "It's a radical departure not only from Iraq's existing structure but from how oil is managed in most of the world today." Throughout the developing world, national oil companies control the bulk of oil production, though they often develop joint agreements with foreign commercial oil groups. But under the proposed law, the government-owned Iraqi National Oil Co. "will not get any preference over foreign companies," Juhasz said. The law must still be presented to the Iraqi parliament. Given the many political and religious divisions in the country, its passage is hardly guaranteed. The main religious and ethnic groups are all pushing to control contracts and oil revenues for their regions, while the Bush administration is seeking more centralized control. While the politicians in Washington and Baghdad bicker to carve up the real prize, and just what share Big Oil will get, more Iraqi civilians and American soldiers die each each day - for freedom, we're told. Juan Gonzalez is a Daily News columnist. Ê

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