NEW MUSIC REVIEWS

NEW MUSIC REVIEWS

CD SPINS

by Staff

STYX

Cyclorama

(Sanctuary)

Styx has been playing the casino and country fair circuit with two original members for long enough to know that they can issue any old drivel and still pack in a house full of mullets. So that their current studio foray yielded such disposable tracks, is really not at all surprising.

Completely and totally without a hint of the fire the group once had, Cyclorama exists as an example of what over-the-hill rockers shouldn’t do with their time away from milking the nostalgia circuit.

In actual fact, this is a Tommy Shaw solo disc with a few tracks from other band members thrown in. And nowhere in the mix does it ever attempt to be anything else.

The songs are weak, the playing generally boring and lackluster, and the talent of Dennis DeYoung stand in Lawrence Gowan is squandered in all the wrong spaces.

Production is too slick and too sterile to boot. Bland pretty much describes this CD from start to finish.

Somehow actor Billy Bob Thornton was hoodwinked into contributing a spoken word segment but short of Billy Bob-o-philes wanting to collect this there is no reason to get this disc, even for free.

For Christ’s sake fellas, call Dennis and ask him if he has a song or two you can borrow.

– David Lee Wilson

RYAN ADAMS

Demolition

(Universal)

Ryan Adams (Whiskeytown) is by far the most “essential” singer/ songwriter of our time. His ability to continually pour out songs that have an honest foundation and a simplicity that allows these songs to reach into our psyche and touch a universal chord. His latest effort –– Demolition is a noteworthy collection of demos –– a surplus of songs if you will, that keep coming from this guy.

“Nuclear” is the most “pop” like song in the list. Its powerful and plodding with ethereal arpeggios throughout. A song about ending the summer in roman candle fashion. I love this song as it captures what it tries to accomplish.

“Hallelujah” is more of the expected Adams sound – country folk with a wonderful chorus. Harmonica and Hammond B3 organ make this song complete. “Cry on Demand” features his soothing and lullaby-like vocals in a tale about love lost. Beautiful.

“Stating to Hurt” is homage to the late, great, sunburst finish – The Replacements – straightforward rock n roll. “Dear Chicago” is ambient and haunting, wherein Adams lays out a rather lonely and depressing backdrop for this “falling out of love” song. This one is hands down my favorite tune of the disc.

The CD wraps up with the Leonard Cohen-esque tune –– “Jesus (Don’t Touch My Baby)” –– that meanders into absolutely nothing. I guess there have to be some “what was I thinking” demos in one’s songbook as well...but why include it on an otherwise stellar (albeit unpolished) set such as this?

Although not a household name (yet!), Adams will be with us for a long while. Great songwriters keep their songs coming out in one form or another because they have to (Paul McCartney, Van Morrison,

Bob Dylan, etc.).

Demolition really strips away the clutter and lets you see the craft. Looking for something new and a little bit edgy? This one is for you.

– Jon Rice

KENNY BROWN

Stingray

(Fat Possum)

Kenny Brown’s debut Fat Possum disc, Stingray, starts out with a down and dirty “If Down Was Up,” a scorcher that’s filled with chord-churning guitars that set up a strong rocking blues groove right from the start.

Brown gives “Miss Maybelle” some awesome slide treatment, and for me, many cuts on this disc remind me of the high-energy blues work of the North Mississippi All Stars. “Shake ‘Em On Down” may not resemble some of that song’s earlier versions, but I enjoy Brown’s interpretation all the more.

His musical apprenticeship reads like a “Who’s Who” of more traditional Mississippi bluesmen: he’s worked for 20 years alongside R. L. Burnside, who’s enjoyed some well-earned and renewed acclaim. He has also bent notes with Mojo Bufford, Joe Callicott, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Junior Kimbrough, and many others.

Brown’s acoustic chops are in fine form on “Lonesome Katy Blues” and “You Don’t Know My Mind,” but I prefer the higher-octane rip snortin’ blues of “Brought You to the City” and “Going Down South.”

Check out Stingray for some traditional blues renewed with the fire that inspired some of Mississippi blues’ best. I’d add Kenny Brown’s disc to energize my blues “house party” any night of the week.

– Eric Steiner

MAGNA-FI

Burn Out The Stars

(Indie)

From out of the desert oasis of Las Vegas, by way of the Rust Belt comes Magna-Fi, and the debut disc Burn Out the Stars.

Magna-Fi is a guitar-oriented rock band driven by strong melodic sense and a bevy of emotion from frustration, anger and angst, to poignant remembrances of lost love, lost youth, and a driving desire to achieve despite life’s set backs.

Produced and Mixed by Paul Lani (Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Megadeth) with some help from Mark Trombino (Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World), this independent release can run with the slickest of the big label offerings.

Built around the fraternal force of Mike and CJ Szuter (vox, b-vox and guitars) and rounded out by the strength of a rhythm section consisting of Rob Kley (bass/b-vox), and Charlie Smaldino (drums), Magna-Fi brings it all to the table. Mike Szuter’s rasp-filled vocals deliver the stories with a raw honesty and integrity. Rich, powerful guitars help to set the moods, and punctuate those messages along with a dynamic and solid rhythm section. And strong harmonies help to temper the anger, and bring the heart-heavy emotion home.

Burn Out the Stars is a 40-minute musical and emotional journey with an authenticity that moves the listener through each musical theatre, and drenching them in the pervading mood of that song.

The disc begins with the power pop punch of “When I Leave You” and lyrics filled with the biting sarcasm and hurt of a relationship gone wrong. The second cut, “Where Did We Go Wrong,” somehow manages to express tortured frustration with groove and melody. The verses move from “matter of fact” resignation, through sarcasm, to the full blown screaming frustration of the chorus and the eternal question, “Where Did We Go Wrong?”

“Down In It,” continues with lush, hypnotic versus, lulling the listener into an opiate-like stupor only to be dragged from this place of comfort to a place with angry guitars, thunderous percussion and “in your face” screams. Magna-Fi manages to paint even the ugliest emotions with melody and harmony.

This cut leads masterfully into “Drown,” a rock ‘n’ roll love song oozing with heartfelt emotion, without being sickeningly sweet. “Drown” could easily be the song to “break” this band, not because it is the best cut on the disc, but because of its accessible and familiar feel.

“Ex Ok” is my favorite tune on the album. It sets such a cool, if not blue, mood. Even though the emotion is heavy, there’s a confident resignation that is empowering. The chorus screams with thick powerful, driving guitars and the reassuring affirmation – “everything’s ex ok.”

Burn Out the Stars ends with the hypnotic, melancholy “Bradbury Heights.” It feels dark, but misery loves company, and I found some comfort in Bradbury Heights.

Magna-Fi have given the musical world a truly great disc. But do not just take my word for it. You can preview the CD before buying it (and buy it you will!) by logging on at: www.magna-fi.com.

– SMF

MAKTUB

Khronos

(Ossaia Records)

Seattle’s Maktub is one of the hottest acts out of the Pacific Northwest in years. A high-energy mixture of funk, soul, and jazz, this five-piece band is on its way up.

Maktub (Arabic for “it is written”) features Reggie Watts on lead vocals and synthesizer, a rock-steady rhythm section of Kevin Goldman on bass and Davis Martin on drums, Daniel Spils on Hammond B3, and Thaddeus Turner on guitar.

Preview “You Can’t Hide” and “Just Like Murder” from the band’s website, and you’ll see why this band is generating quite a buzz on nationwide tour that includes a stop at Chicago’s House Of Blues on April 18 (with Soulive).

Seattle Weekly readers have voted Maktub “Best Local Band 2002,” and they have got some worldwide buzz thanks to Starbucks and National Public Radio. Coffee houses around the globe will feature many Maktub songs piped in along with the caffeine, and NPR’s feature is online at the band’s website, www.maktub.com.

I stray away from the blues only now and again, but I’m glad I’m getting a little more funky with Maktub. I may not grow a big Afro like lead singer Reggie Watts, but I sure like the way these Seattle boys play.

– Eric Steiner

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