MUSIC ; Discs
STAIND
“The Illusion of Progress”
(Atlantic)
Grade: B
Aaron Lewis often comes off as a poor man’s Layne Staley – all tortured and depressed and constantly griping about failed relationships in a grunge growl. But even though things are much better for Lewis than they are for the deceased Alice in Chains singer, he’s still got a lot to get off his chest. The sixth full- length from this Springfield band is another batch of sensitive, alt- metal. The tortured soul stuff grows tired, but Lewis has mastered the art of shrouding misery in radio-friendly hard rock. Download: “This Is It.”
– DAVE WEDGE
AMY MACDONALD
“This Is the Life” (Decca)
Grade: A
This stunning debut by a 20-year-old Glaswegian folk-rocker is bold, daring and defiant. MacDonald is blessed with a strong, husky voice and superior guitar skills. She’s also adept at telling a story; every one of these 11 songs could be a hit. The vitriolic “Poison Prince” disses a pop-star poseur and “Footballer’s Wife” sides with the woman, not the immature sports hero. Everything here is download-worthy, but the sweet, hopeful “Let’s Start a Band,” with its muted trumpet and operatic flourishes, will leave you awe- struck. This is the life-changing album you’ve been waiting for.
– BILL BROTHERTON
GLEN CAMPBELL
“Meet Glen Campbell” (Capitol)
Grade: B
Journeyman producer Julian Raymond wants a new generation to “Meet Glen Campbell” with this comeback album, which matches an updated version of Campbell’s late ’60s-early ’70s countrypolitan sound with some almost-modern material by Tom Petty, the Replacements, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Jackson Browne, John Lennon, the Velvet Underground and Travis. Thankfully, Campbell and Raymond go for sincerity, not camp humor. The results have considerable charm, along with a similarity of tone that keeps Campbell locked safely in his comfort zone. Download: “Sing.”
– LARRY KATZ
CRYSTAL SHAWANDA
“Dawn of a New Day”
(Sony BMG)
Grade: B+
With a back story like Shawanda’s – an American Indian raised on the rez in Ontario, classic country prodigy and star of CMT’s “Crystal: Living the Dream” – a terrific debut is almost beside the point. But that’s exactly what “Dawn of a New Day” (the translation of her last name) is. Powered by her bluesy, rasp-edged voice and arrangements freighted with more than a touch of crunching rock, Shawanda triumphs over the more generic material to make a big statement. “Dawn of a New Day” is the ground floor of what promises to be a thrilling ride to the top. Download: “Evolution.” – KEVIN R. CONVEY
GZA
“Pro Tools” (Babygrande)
Grade: A-
GZA’s 1995 debut, “Liquid Swords,” is so iconic that he’s currently performing the entire disc on tour (and in Boston at Harpers Ferry on Sept. 13). “Pro Tools” lacks the melodramatic continuity of that classic, but with exceptionally dark production from Bronze Nazareth, Tru Master, RZA and Mathematics, Wu-Tang’s flagship storyteller comes as close as he ever has to matching his freshman miracle. Download: “Alphabets.”
– CHRIS FARAONE
JULIANA HATFIELD
“How to Walk Away” (Ye Olde)
Grade: B+
Homegirl Hatfield’s music has
always flashed some catchy pop know-how, but this is by far her most listener-friendly, refined work yet. With New York City musician Andy Chase producing, the former Blake Baby and sometimes Some Girl has buckled down, resulting in the crystal-clear focus of tuneful rainy-day gems such as “This Lonely Love,” featuring Psychedelic Fur Richard Butler, and the romantically indifferent “My Baby.” And just when the even pace and impressionistic keyboards have you yearning for an outburst, she serves up the garage-tinted “Now I’m Gone,” an amusing kiss-off to a sorry dude who starches and irons his sheets. Download: “The Fact Remains.”
– CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY
VARIOUS ARTISTS
“Big Blue Ball” (Real World)
Grade: B+
This album sets itself an impossible task in attempting to capture the artistic ferment of three separate Recording Week workshops at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios featuring 75 musicians including Sinead O’Connor, Tim Finn, the Holmes Brothers, Papa Wemba and on and on. Sometimes the results play like a minor lost Gabriel album, wreathing his familiar voice in thundering percussion, ethnic instruments and world rhythms. Other stretches sound more like disconnected tracks of Arab, African and world-pop music. But what makes the album a winner is the ferocious
virtuosity of each track and the sense of total commitment every musician brought to the session. Download: “Altus Silva.”
– KEVIN R. CONVEY
(c) 2008 Boston Herald. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.