Category: music review

penny loafers – quicksand

A cappella arrangements that are so good they make me want to listen to Coldplay, among others.

One of the things that continue to draw me to a cappella music is the intimacy it conveys. The voice is not hidden behind instrumentation or electronic trickery. It is left exposed in front for the world to hear.

The same is true with a cappella covers of songs that originally used modern instrumentation. Even when the choir of voices behind the lead singer is replicating the instruments and percussion of the original, the lead voice remains bare. Sometimes it takes that bare intimacy for me to realize just how good a song is.

I first had an inkling of this when I heard folk singer/songwriter Rose Polenzani do a cover of Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" some years ago at a live show. I never liked the song as much as I did after I heard her version of it. The same thing happened when I heard the University of Pennsylvania Penny Loafers' a cappella cover of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" last year. Their cover made me give the song and the band a second listen, and now I'm hooked on The Postal Service.

Given all that, it was with eager anticipation that I hit the play button for the first track of the Penny Loafer's new album, Quicksand. Quicksand album coverOnce again, I was both surprised and pleased by how much I enjoy their versions of modern pop radio songs I never would listen to in their original incarnations.

"Swallowed in the Sea" (Coldplay) is a prime example of this. I cannot stand to listen to Coldplay. Maybe they are more interesting now, but their first hit single in the US was so dreary that I was immediately turned off and have not bothered to listen to them since then. However, Sam Cohn's a cappella arrangement and performance as lead vocal has made me think I should try them again. The song has a hint of folk to it, as if it had a history in an old English seaport.

Except for Sia's "Breathe Me" and Amiee Mann's "Humpty Dumpty," all of the songs on Quicksand are new to me. Those two are arranged close to the originals, as far as I can tell, and I can only expect the same is true of the rest of the album. The group has over a dozen arrangers represented on this album, and despite that they have kept the quality consistent. There is not a track on the album that stood out either positively or negatively.

A cappella purists might quibble over the obvious studio tweaking on the recording. There are a few places that stand out as examples of what the human voice cannot do without some digital augmentation. Even so, the quality of the recording is still impressive. The Penny Loafers have followed up Side A with another fine collection of a cappella tunes.

The Penny Loafers CDs (all eight of them) are available only on their website or a few online a cappella distributors. You can preview and download individual tracks or entire albums from acaTunes.

acoustic women

Putumayo World Music takes listeners on a first-class globe-trotting tour of acoustic music performed by women.


by Putumayo Presents

Women of the World: Acoustic (Putumayo World Music) begins with the exquisitely melodic "M'envoyer des Fleurs" sung by French chanteuse Sandrine Kiberlain. The song is in French, and thankfully the extensive liner notes include the English translations of every song on the compilation, which includes languages from all around the world. The liner notes themselves are also duplicated in Spanish and French.

On the whole, Women of the World: Acoustic is a warm and inviting wave of sound lapping at the eardrums. The production quality is high — each instrument and vocal is perfectly balanced to bring out the focus of the songs or musical styles. Of course, this is a Putumayo album, and one expects that sort of quality from it, anyway.

The song order is interesting as it moves from continent to continent, never staying in one hemisphere for more than three consecutive songs. Even so, there is a cohesive flow that renders these musical transitions nearly invisible. My linguistic acumen is limited to American English and some Spanish, so to my ear the languages sung on Women of the World: Acoustic are nearly indistinguishable. They quickly became sounds and vocalizations and lost any sense of meaning. This does not in any way diminish my enjoyment of the recording; it added to the sense of flow and easy transitions.

That being said, there are several tracks on this compilation that I favor over others. Emiliana Torrini's "Sunnyroad" and The Wailin' Jennys' "One Voice" are the only English-language songs, and as a result they are memorable in that I can understand what they are singing about. Also, the performers have fantastic voices. I've been a fan of The Wailin' Jennys ever since I heard them on A Prairie Home Companion a few years ago.

"Não se Apavore" (Luca Mundaca), "Wa" (Kaïssa), "Bida Maridau" (Lura) are all standout tracks because of the infectious percussiveness of the vocals. One of my favorite non-Western acoustic instruments, the bouzouki, makes an appearance on "Ola Ta Aiskola." Combined with the warm vocals of contralto Anastasia Moutsatsou, this track also ranks highly among my favorites.

Western audiences tend to associate acoustic music with our folk or old-time traditions, but the broad definition encompasses more than that. Women of the World: Acoustic deftly demonstrates that acoustic music can come in all sorts of shapes and styles, many of which are quite enjoyable to the Western ear.

This is Putumayo's fifth collection in the "Women of the World" series, and a portion of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to the Global Fund for Women. All the more reason to pick up a copy for yourself.

jonathan coulton – seattle, wa – 2/24/07

Geek rock superstar gets a warm reception in Seattle.

Cursing the parking situation in downtown Ballard, my friend and I arrived at the Tractor Tavern a few minutes before Jonathan Coulton's set was supposed to begin. Thankfully he did not hit the stage until ten minutes after the start time, which gave us time to visit the facilities and secure seating.

The small venue was packed, and all of the seats were claimed, but we located to stools and re-positioned them on the other side of a post, thus allowing us to actually see the stage. Other latecomers were not so fortunate, and by the time the show began, the standing-room only overflow area was filled with concertgoers straining to see the stage over the heads of those in front of them.

Continue reading “jonathan coulton – seattle, wa – 2/24/07”

petticoat, petticoat

This up-and-coming pair of singer/songwriters are creating modern tunes that are reminiscent of 1960’s pop, rock, and folk.

cover of Every Mother's ChildYou might not know it, but Lexington and Louisville (Kentucky) are hotbeds of modern music. The bands and solo artists range from country and folk to rock and pop, with all sorts of variations and experimental genres in between. One such group is Lexington-based Petticoat, Petticoat, who create songs that are reminiscent of 1960’s pop, rock, and folk.

The core of the band is Kristin Messina (vocals/harmonica) and Dickie Haydon (guitar/vocals/keyboards/harmonica). The rest of the band members vary over time. For the purposes of this review, you may be interested to know that Scott Overall (drums/percussion) and Jackson Silvanik (bass) appear on Every Mother’s Child (Kalmia Records). Kristin Messina and Dickie HaydonThis is Petticoat, Petticoat’s first album, which surprised me because it is so good I expected that they would have had several previous recordings to fine-tune their studio skills in order to produce this one.

Haydon is the primary lyricist, and he stays firmly in the realm of rock and pop lyrics, never straying too far into the storytelling of folk. Regardless of the style of music that is used to dress the song, Hadyn keeps the message simple and direct. He sings “you’ve got tank tops and orange tans / and we’re bathing all dressed in sand / give me your longest finger / ’cause I’ve got a ring for your hand” in one of the verses of “Crosshair,” and the rest of the album isn’t much more complicated than that. Compared to some of the pretentious lyricism prevalent in indie music, it is refreshing to hear someone writing straightforward lyrics while maintaining the poetry of the form.

One of the highlights of Every Mother’s Child is the waltzing “Love In An Alley,” which shows off the warm tones of Messina’s vocals. Another gem from the album is “We’re Gonna Be Poor.” The song is a blues-rock romp through the economical trials and tribulations of musical couples. “Maria the Tour Guide” is a sun-drenched acoustic pop for modern-day hippies. Finally, “Glittering Heels” concludes the album with the satisfying crash of electric guitar and percussion that is guaranteed to make pop-rock fans squee with delight.

Every Mother’s Child is a promising beginning for Petticoat, Petticoat. I look forward to hearing what they will do next.

If you want a copy of the album, you’re going to have to order it directly from the record label or pick it up at one of their shows.

lovers and stars

This EP is long enough to show off Ivey’s range, but short enough to keep the listener wanting more.

cover of Lovers and StarsThe first thing you notice about Melissa Ivey is that this girl has a fine set of pipes. Inevitably, there will be the comparisons to Melissa Etheridge and Janis Joplin, but Ivey can hold her own with a unique voice. She and her band have put together an EP of tight rock tunes called Lovers and Stars, which was released last fall, and should be getting more attention than it has already.

One of the benefits of a five song EP is that the artist can show off their range without having to include any weaker material in order to fill out an LP. Ivey pulled out all the stops for the tracks on Lovers and Stars, leaving the listener wanting more after the all-too-short 22 minutes have passed.

The title track begins the EP with an energetic acoustic rhythm guitar riff that is soon joined by the rest of the band and Ivey's vocals. It's a toe-tapper of a love song that is reminiscent of late-90s pop-rock bands like Sixpence or the Rembrandts.

Ivey follows it up with the darker sounding "Eyes on the Door" with its lyrical and musical theme of unrequited longing for someone who is not there. Something about the chord progression reminds me of Amy Ray's "Tether." I think it's that steady driving rhythm that carries an underlying intensity.

"Everywhere and Nowhere" is a head-bopping syncopated introspective pop-rock tune that provides a nice mid-EP lift.

"Far Far Away" kicks off with the energetic punk-influence grind of electric guitars that supports the lyrical theme of separation and longing to be back home with a loved one. This leads into the quietly introspective final track, "No Ties To Break," that begins with the line "she's been a lot of places / seen so many faces / walked across the borders of time," and continues on with the theme of the traveler and his/her relationships with others. It's an old story, but like a good storyteller, Ivey is able to present it in a fresh way.

Lovers and Stars reminds me of my eighth grade English teacher's description of an essay: It's like a miniskirt — long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to be interesting.

Lovers and Stars is available at CDBaby.com.

apples in stereo

This album gives me hope for the future of pop-rock.


by Apples in Stereo

There is a line in the lyrics of The Apples In Stereo tune “Sundial Song” that goes, “you circle me and try to pin me down.” The metaphor aptly describes the experience of trying to pin a genre label on the band’s recent release, New Magnetic Wonder. This album is quintessentially The Apples In Stereo — a band that straddles the line between electronica and sunny pop-rock, and only occasionally do they lean in fully on one or the other.

The Apples In Stereo came together as a band fourteen years ago in Denver, Colorado. Guitarist/vocalist Robert Schneider has been the main creative force in the band, which consists of guitarist John Hill, bassist Eric Allen, and until recently, vocalist and percussionist Hilarie Sidney. New Magnetic Wonder is their eighth full-length album, in addition to many singles and EPs. It is also their most ambitious recording to date.

The album clocks in at a little over 52 minutes with twenty-four tracks. Many of these tracks are electronic instrumentals created by Schneider using multi-layered tracks and mathematics. That’s right, mathematics. photo by Josh Kessler | hosted by Flickr.comSchneider used mathematical equations and logarithms to replace the standard twelve tones in a musical octave with completely different frequencies. You can hear a bit of that in the opening of the first track, “Can You Feel It?,” as well as in the instrumentals “Non-Pythagorean Composition 1” and “Non-Pythagorean Composition 3.”

Musical art aside, New Magnetic Wonder is a fantastic pop-rock record. “Can You Feel It?” repeats the title of the song in the chorus and adds the line, “It makes you feel so good.” It certainly makes me feel good when I listen to it, and the fun doesn’t stop there. Every track on the album grabs my attention, including the quirky instrumentals. I find myself humming little bits and pieces of it at the most random times, and it’s a rare album that will have that much of an effect on me.

For some people, pop-rock has become trite and canned, and it is often used as a derogatory label by indie hipsters. The Apples In Stereo are a shining star leading the masses to the truth and goodness that is intelligent pop-rock. They have not sacrificed creativity and art to produce an album that is very commercially viable, and it gives me hope for the future of pop-rock.

Be sure to catch The Apples In Stereo later tonight on Conan O’Brien. If you miss it, don’t despair. The band will be on tour all around the US over the next couple of months. Also, here’s the video for “Energy,” the first video from the album and actor Elijah Wood’s directorial debut:

mad tea party – big top soda pop

Retro-pop, folk, swing, and ragtime with a dash of circus music to create a unique sound that defies conventional categorization.


by Mad Tea Party

Mad Tea Party is the collaboration of songwriter Ami Worthen, multi-instrumentalist Jason Krekel, and bassist Lora Pendelton (who has since been replaced by Joe Edel). Big Top, Soda Pop is their third album in as many years, and it has received some well-deserved attention from radio and the press. The band combines retro-pop, folk, swing, and ragtime with a dash of circus music to create a unique sound that defies conventional categorization.

The album kicks off with the toe-tapping swing tune "62 Years Ago," which is followed by the eerie and mellow "Space Repair," and then the album shifts gears into the hurdy-gurdy influenced rockabilly title track. Mad Tea Party | photo by Dean LavensonListening to Big Top, Soda Pop is almost like being at a circus. Every song is a new act, and none of them are around long enough to become boring.

In addition to the entertaining musical arrangements, Mad Tea Party keeps the listener's attention with witty and creative lyrics. This is not an easy thing to do. I have heard far too many introspective singer/songwriters to take this gift for granted. However, it is disappointing that the band went with economy and did not include a lyrics sheet in the digipak. Hopefully they will come around to reason and post them on their website soon.

I highly recommend Big Top, Soda Pop to fans of The Ditty Bops or Erin McKeown. It's a good antidote to the over-produced and over-sexed pop being pumped out of top 40 radio.

folk in the city

This collection runs the gamut from solo acoustic singer/songwriters to blues to alternative rock, and nearly everything in between.

For some people, the words “folk music” conjures up images of old white guys with acoustic guitars singing squared up traditional tunes. The listeners of Forham University’s WFUV (Bronx, NY) are among those who know better. Every week day they get fifteen to seventeen hours of music in a program block called City Folk.

In the industry, the genre is known as adult album alternative, but for the common people, it’s just folk music; as in music about the common person and for the common person. Stylistically, this can range from solo acoustic singer/songwriters to blues to alternative rock, and just about everything else in between.

Along with playing recorded music, the station hosts and broadcasts concerts performed at Fordham University and local New York venues, as well as in-studio interviews and performances. Since 1998, WFUV has been putting together annual compilations of the in-studio performances, and last fall they released City Folk Live 9.

This collection is music-only, which is a pity since some listeners would probably enjoy hearing snippets of the interviews as well, but the trade-off is worth it. Eighteen live tracks by eighteen very different artists and bands results in 72 minutes of music that keeps the listener’s attention. As with listening to the radio, if a particular song does not appeal to you, just wait a bit (or skip it) and something different will follow.

The performances and production are so spot-on that except for a bit of reverb to give it a concert hall feel, it almost sounds like slick multi-tracked studio production. The sheer volume of in-studio performances allows the City Folk Live producers plenty of options to avoid weak recordings while still selecting tracks from both this year’s darlings as well as long-established musicians.

City Folk Live 9 has something for everyone. My personal favorites are Brandi Carlile’s “Throw It All Away,” Rosanne Cash’s “House on the Lake,” and Alejandro Escovedo’s “Arizona.” All of the other tracks are quite listenable, including the blues and soul tunes, which are outside of my usual genre preferences. One of the advantages that a live recording has over a studio recording is the energy and presence of the musicians. This can draw in listeners who may not have otherwise paid attention to the performer.

Fortunately for WFUV, but perhaps not quite so fortunate for those outside of its listening area (and who are unable to listen online), the only way to get a copy of City Folk Live 9 is to become a member of the public radio station. It seems a small price to pay for a strong folk compilation such as this.

Track listing:

  1. David Gray, "The One I Love"
  2. James Hunter, "No Smoke Without Fire"
  3. Wood Brothers, "Luckiest Man"
  4. Rosanne Cash, "House on the Lake"
  5. Alejandro Escovedo, "Arizona"
  6. Mason Jennings, "Be Here Now"
  7. Gomez, "Girlshapedlovedrug"
  8. Nicolai Dunger, "My Time is Now"
  9. Ben Taylor, "Nothing I Can Do"
  10. Brandi Carlile, "Throw it All Away"
  11. World Party, "Is it Like Today"
  12. Sonya Kitchell, "Train"
  13. Dr John, "Such a Night"
  14. Ben Harper, "Morning Yearning"
  15. Lewis Taylor, "Stoned"
  16. My Morning Jacket, "Off the Record"
  17. T Bone Burnett, "Baby Don't You Say You Love Me"
  18. Josh Ritter, "Thin Blue Flame"

singin’ & sinnin’

This singer-songwriter’s latest project pulls together a unique collection of jazz standards, but be prepared for the unexpected.


by Erin Mckeown

Erin McKeown is hard to pigeonhole. When she began her career in music, it was her guitar skills that distinguished her from the flocks of folky New England singer-songwriters. In the flood of coffeehouse troubadours, McKeown was able to rise to the surface with what seems like a mixture of skill, planning, and luck. Fate brought her together with fellow Voices on the Verge members, and it was then that enough national attention was drawn to McKeown that she was able to launch a succession of highly lauded albums on major independent labels (Signature, Nettwerk). Her fifth album, Sing You Sinners, was released this week, and if listeners expect more along the lines of the last three, then they will not be disappointed.

McKeown is still exploring her love of the style of pop/jazz standards from the 1930s-50s, but this time around she's covering the work of songwriters from those eras, rather than writing her own compositions.Erin McKeown | Photographer: Marcelo Krasilcic With the exception of one song ("Melody") all of the tracks on Sing You Sinners are covers, but even that one song blends in so well that one would never know it was a McKeown original unless the liner notes were consulted. Even though these are not her songs, McKeown and her band have created an album that is just as unique and fresh as her previous ones. Yes, it is a collection of standards, but there are still plenty of surprises.

The liner notes of Sing You Sinners includes an interview with WFUV Music Director Rita Houston. In that interview, McKeown shares that Judy Garland was her window into this style of music, and no standards project would be complete without her. Thus, it is appropriate that the album would begin with "Get Happy." For the unaware such as myself, the opening piano flourishes leading into a very gospel tune is not what one expects to hear on an Erin McKeown album, but soon the song shifts into the sunny/bouncy style that longtime listeners have grown accustomed to.

Two of the most entertaining songs on the album are Dietz & Schwartz's "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" and Evans & Livingston's "I Was A Little Too Lonely (You Were A Little Too Late)." Both have just the right touch of camp and clever lyrics to fit McKeown's sense of humor and delivery. The former is a fan favorite and is requested frequently at her live performances. Given the added layer of Rhode Island being McKeown's home residence, one can understand why she would be drawn to the song in the first place.

Sing You Sinners was recorded live in four days and retains the energy and spontaneity that this type of recording process can create while at the same time maintaining the production quality listeners have come to expect from McKeown. This is also her first project as a solo producer, and it seems she has learned well from mentor Dave Chalfant, although it remains to be seen if she can be as democratic and even handed with an album of her own material. Regardless of what is to come, McKeown continues to prove that she can create high-caliber music and find the right people to help her get it out there.

celtic woman

If you are looking for a Christmas album with dramatic orchestration and dulcet vocals, then you have found it.


by Celtic Woman

Celtic Woman is the creation of composer and director David Downes and producer Sharon Browne. They pulled together four young Irish female vocalists (Chloe, Lisa, Meav and Órla) and a fiddle player (Mairéad) to create the production. And this is very much a production entitled Celtic Woman, rather than a group of Celtic women, which may confuse unaware listeners.

In addition to their eponymous release in 2005, each member of the group is featured on a solo album. Just in time for the holidays, they have released their second collective album, A Christmas Celebration.

Aside from the members and composer being Celtic themselves, there is very little about this album that sounds Celtic to this American ear. If you are looking for an album of Christmas or winter songs sung in Gaelic, or even with a noticeable brogue, this is not the album for you. However, if you are looking for an album with dramatic orchestration and dulcet vocals, then you have found it.

A Christmas Celebration is a collection of traditional Christmas hymns and carols. It begins with the quiet and reflective songs "O Holy Night" and "Away In A Manger," but the excitement picks up spectacularly on "Ding Dong Merrily On High." The choir singing a "ding dong" descant behind the vocals of the women sends shivers of joy down my spine every time I hear it. This effect is replicated on "Carol of the Bells," which is generally guaranteed to make me tingly when I hear it. The percussive element in the vocals on the chorus "Christmas Pipes" makes that song stand out, as well.

Christmas publicity photo of Celtic Woman"Silent Night" is a song destined to be translated and sung every spoken language. Meav sings it sweet and clear in both Gaelic and English.

The a cappella arrangement of "The Wexford Carol" is another spine tingling track from A Christmas Celebration. The blend and tone of the vocals are so perfect that at times it seems almost supernatural. When the last note is sung, one is left sighing in pleasure.

Then all hell breaks loose with the first crash of the cymbals on the jazzy arrangement of "Let It Snow!" that closes out the album. This is the only track that feels out of place, although it is understandable that the producers would want to emphasize that Celtic Woman has a broader range of styles than what one might think. However, it still feels wrong to me, and is likely to be regularly skipped on shuffle, or removed entirely from rotation, depending on the mood of the listener.

On the whole, A Christmas Celebration is a fine addition to the assortment of seasonal music. I highly recommend it to anyone who is weary of hearing tired pop/rock renditions of carols and is looking for something fresh yet reverent.

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