As Nirvana's happy-go-lucky drummer, David Grohl was the only member of the Seattle grunge-rock trio who seemed to be having any fun.
No more, apparently. This, his second album with his post-Nirvana band, is definitely one jagged little pill. "What do you do when all your enemies are friends?" the now-guitarist growls over the din of chain-saw riffs and thunderous drum rolls on "Monkey Wrench," the album's kick-off tirade.
Brasher and more four-on-the-floor assertive than their 1995 debut CD, Foo Fighters, The Colour and the Shape also contains some of modern rock's most melodic tantrums since Nirvana's Nevermind. But this is no one-note hissy fit: "February Star" and "Walking After You" are positively tender, and "See You," with its resigned, wistful aura, proves that heartbreak can indeed be beautiful. (Roswell/Capitol)
Various Artists
In 1993 jazz pianist Oscar Peterson suffered a mild stroke that might have destroyed his career. But he kept right on playing, recording with classical violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman and later with Roy Hargrove and Ralph Moore, two contemporary jazz talents who weren't even born when Peterson burst onto the music scene in the late '40s.
This tribute to Peterson at Manhattan's Town Hall, held in October 1996, features old pros Milt Jackson, Clark Terry, Shirley Horn and Stanley Turrentine and new pros Roy Hargrove and Benny Green.
But at the center of it all is Peterson himself (still playing better than the majority of pianists in jazz) and his quartet. While this offering doesn't have the turbocharged velocity and often breathtaking authority of his earlier recordings, it doesn't really have to—there are enough of those to fill a moving van. But A Tribute...is much more than a sentimental pick: With Oscar Peterson it's a given that the music also happens to be very good. (Telarc Jazz)
James Taylor
Anyone with a radio will be familiar with Taylor's skillful blend of complex, often dark, lyrics and instantly familiar melodies. But what makes Hourglass so special—and JT's best work in 20 years—is its emotional depth.
As accessible as ever, these are compelling songs about death, disappointment and the quest for meaning. The wry "Line 'Em Up" casts a sharp eye on conformity; the limpid melody of "Gaia" hides an ominous environmental warning; the sacred Chinese mountain he climbs in "Up Er Mei" restores hope. "We could never have guessed/ We were already blessed," he sings, and it's a lovely moment indeed. (Columbia)
Etta James
Forty-three years after making her recording debut, James still sounds as if she's living, eating, breathing and dying every syllable she sings. Which is to say she remains a truly great soul singer. On Love's Been Rough on Me, James digs deep into a bag of southern soul tunes filled with heartache and regret, including a pleading, desperate run through Otis Redding's "I've Been Lovin' You Too Long." A weary but determined strength somehow shines through all the words of sadness, leaving no doubt that however rough love or life might be, James is sure to survive with a song on her lips. And that you'll want to hear it. (Private Music)
The Brand New Heavies
The Brand New Heavies' fourth U.S. studio album, this is in many ways a brand-new beginning for the group. That's because the London-based acid-jazz combo has a brand-new singer. Gone is N'Dea Davenport, who has been replaced by Siedah Garrett.
A seasoned session singer best known for her work with Dennis Edwards and Michael Jackson, Garrett is no slouch in the pipes department. On such cuts as the playful "I Like It" or the moody "Crying Water," she slides into the Heavies' sinewy grooves as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Yet despite her talent, Garrett still comes across like a session singer; she rarely breaks out and establishes her own identity. And that may explain the band's more radio-friendly sound as well as underscore their basic flaw: Without a distinctive diva at the helm, they're not much more than a hip lounge act. (Delicious Vinyl)
Various Artists
Those who think that gay and lesbian music lovers listen only to the likes of k.d. lang and Barbra Streisand will quickly learn otherwise with this enlightening four-CD collection. In assembling this anthology based in part on music historically popular with the homosexual community, compilers Marshall Blonstein and Richard Oliver have reached beyond the songs of those modern gay icons for gems like the percolating "Masculine Women, Feminine Men" by an obscure flapper-era band, Merritt Brunies & His Friars Inn Orchestra, and "I'll Try for the Sun," with '60s folkie Donovan singing of the love between two males.
Verboten's eclectic charm also has blues by Bessie Smith, some Sondheim ballads, a full disc of classical music (albeit with opera—embraced by many gays—barely represented) as well as the thumping disco of Sister Sledge. It's entertaining listening, no matter what your lifestyle preferences. (DCC Compact Classics)
>Steve Winwood
BACK IN THE POP LIFE AGAIN
Steve Winwood should be a whole lot older than 49. From his teen years as lead singer in the Spencer Davis Group through several versions of the classic jazz-rock band Traffic (most recently in a 1994 reunion), charter membership in perhaps the first "supergroup" Blind Faith and a 20-plus-year solo career, Winwood has been around. Correspondent Bryan Alexander caught up with the British multi-instrumentalist in London as he was about to release Junction 7, his first solo album in seven years.
You could be ID'd at a bar. How do you keep your years from showing?
I am not a workaholic. I like to get out and walk for an hour or two every day. And I've got a young family [four children—Marie Claire, 9; Eliza, 8; Cal, 4; and Lilly, 21 months—with his wife of 10 years, Eugenia].
The current tour features some intimate settings—clubs, even.
I think it suits the music. The band has this high-energy R&B thing. I do "Gimme Some Lovin' " and "I'm a Man." I wrote them—and they stand up very well today.
Your wife cowrote some of the new songs, and she's also your business manager. Is she fair to deal with?
It depends if I behave myself. Sometimes I will take her out to a nice dinner and then bring up the publishing rights—which is against the rules, of course.
What advice would you give newcomers like the Spice Girls?
The Spice Girls? Whatever you are doing, keep doing it [laughs]. It seems to be working.
- Contributors:
- Jeremy Helligar,
- John Richardson,
- Peter Ames Carlin,
- Alan Paul,
- Amy Linden,
- Randy Vest,
- Bryan Alexander.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
