Bonnie Raitt
Silver Lining
Fellow boomers, I feel your pain. Given the current state of popular music, I don't blame you for plugging a succession of classic rock CDs into the player, or switching to AM talk, or really throwing in the towel and locking into a damn smooth jazz station. I haven't reached such a desperate state, but if it wasn't part of my job to keep relatively current on music via the deluge of promo discs that come my way, I just might.
Britney Spears, Linkin Park, Jay Z, Jewel — these are choices?
Remember Bonnie Raitt? Cult act in the '70s, big breakthrough in the late '80s, haven't heard much from her in the last half decade. Folks, she's still got it. If, as a boomer, you pine for bygone days (no, not "back in the day") when acts like Little Feat, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac and others made catchy, intelligent music not completely tethered to format, then go out and purchase Silver Lining. It'll give you comfort. It'll give you a boost. I'd like to say it'll give you hope, but let's not get carried away.
Raitt's new disc, her sixth for Capitol since breaking out with Nick of Time, does not simply reprise the heyday of '70s blues-based rock, but it does capture the spirit. Co-produced (with Raitt) by Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, Silver Lining combines crisp sonics with honest, unfettered arrangements. Although a slew of guest artists are featured, the core of the tracks were recorded by Raitt's touring band, and as such the music resonates with a kinetic intimacy.
Never a prolific songwriter, Raitt pulls material from a variety of sources, lending the album a pleasing eclecticism that never thwarts its continuity. The opener, Jon Cleary's "Fools Game," is a bawdy New Orleans romp, followed by an engaging slice of adult-contemporary fare called "I Can't Help You Now" and the sultry, David Gray-penned title track. Raitt and company really step out with "Hear Me Lord" — written by Zimbabwean world-beat artist Oliver Mtukudzi, it features an ebullient Afro groove, cascading guitars and celebratory melody. "Back Around" sublimely fuses delta blues with the simmering African influence of its co-writer, Malian artist Habib Koite. Raitt's own "No Getting' Over You" is an intoxicating blast of porch blues, all sparring acoustic guitar, dobro and barrelhouse piano.
The glue throughout is Raitt's voice. She sings like a wounded angel. At 52, her chops have not diminished an iota, and her interpretive powers have deepened. Silver Lining is proof, however fleeting, that there is music out there for grownups with discriminating tastes. (Capitol)
—Eric Snider(3 1/2 planets)
Tullycraft
Beat, Surf, Fun
Fountains of Wayne and The Dead Milkmen never have to get together and record an album's worth of Casio-inflected sunny California indie-surf pop, because there's Tullycraft. Clever, airy and utterly infectious, the songs on Beat Surf Fun meld clean, timeless guitar to low-budget keyboard tomfoolery to create a smiley good time for all within earshot; depressed listeners will be powerless against the disc's undeniable gift to uplift. The Seattle band (featuring former members of underground pop/punk/indie stalwarts Crayon) recorded Beat, Surf, Fun live, and it is what it is — a sweet, organic little distraction. (Magic Marker, www.magicmarkerrecords.com)
—Scott Harrell(3 1/2 planets)
Sun Ra Arkestra
Sunrise in Different Dimensions
In February of 1980, Sun Ra embarked on a three-month European tour with a nine-man ensemble. A few members were to join the group later. Sunrise is an intoxicating document of the scaled-down band playing the opening date in Switzerland. Ra, whose angular, percussive piano work is a constant feature here, is joined by two drummers, trumpeter Michael Ray and five saxophonists, most notably tenor man John Gilmore and altoist Marshall Allen. The 15-song program bounces between Sun Ra's open-ended originals and the band's playful versions of such classics as "King Porter Stomp, "Take the A Train," "Lady Bird," "Half Nelson" and others. A randy version of Monk's "Round Midnight" finds a core of saxophonists playing the melody, while others flit around and ornament the tune into a kind of woozy stroll. The Arkestra plays a series of frenetic arrangements from the early swing band era that threaten to fly apart at the seams. They're fun, demented and also very musical. (Hatology, www.hathut.com)
—Eric Snider(3 1/2 planets)
Dan the Automator
Wanna Buy A Monkey?
Automator has to be the hardest working DJ in the biz. After helping mold alternative hip-hop over the past two years through his production credits, the San Francisco-based Dan Nakamura found time to crack open his record collection for this new mix tape. He covers underground hip-hop with recent 12-inches from Jigmastas and Masta Ace, as well as joints from the latest DeLa, Dilated and RZA albums, among others. He jazzes it up with instrumentals from Tortoise and The Doves, and even throws in some of his own productions from Deltron, Gorillaz and Black Rob. And while he does blend about half the album flawlessly, there's not a lot of turntablism on display. In all, Monkey is a worthy collection of nice jams. (Sequence, sequencerecords.com)
—Dan Fenwick(3 1/2 planets)
Medeski Martin and WoodUninvisible Back in the groove. After 2000's abstract acoustic live set Tonic and overly dense The Dropper, America's prototype groove-jazz act is back on the good foot with Uninvisible. John Medeski grinds away on his bevy of analog keyboards — every one, it seems, cranked to distortion-inducing levels; bassist Chris Wood lays down fat lines on acoustic and electric bass; and drummer Billy Martin drives the funk with his inimitably loose-limbed style. And, as usual, MMW don't carve it all up into tidy solos, but instead blur the lines between tune and improv, meandering willy-nilly, in, around and through. Uninvisible does, however, feature some truly grabby, riffy songs, which set the disc apart from the last couple. (Blue Note)
—Eric Snider(3 1/2 planets)
