Saturday, November 1, 2003

DIDO projects an understated warmth that is ideally suited to spare electronically enhanced arrangements. Her hypnotic, soothing voice remains coolly effective. Dido seems the same on the surface, yet now she’s more mature and blunt, which adds an intriguing dimension to the blessed-out sound. The obvious singles Stoned and White Flag are engaging. The quasi trip-hop beat on See You When You’re 40 adds to the album’s luster. Sand In My Shoes uses the same approach as the title track, and Dido picks up the tempo early as she talks about not having time. Mary’s In India turns into something intimate, and she’s at her most beguiling with Do You Have A Little Time and See The Sun. The Land Is Mine raises the standard again with its dreamy, mellow sounds. Nothing manages to beat White Flag, but there are still a lot of great songs and potential singles on Life For Rent.

Fallen is an excellent piece of work, poising Evanescence to take rock music to the next level. Bring Me To Life (featured on the Daredevil soundtrack) simply has much more power and sheer emotional force than anything that has come out in the last few years. Lee’s amazing voice is complimented perfectly with the guest vocals of Paul McCoy of 12 Stones. Lyrically, Torniquent is one of the best songs on the album, with words like I tried to kill the pain/ But only brought more/ I lay dying/ And I’m pouring crimson regret and betrayal/ I’m dying, praying, bleeding and screaming/ Am I too lost to be saved.

Robbie Williams Live at Knebworth is a memento of one of the biggest ever live music concerts that UK has ever seen. The Summer 2003 show was witnessed by some 3,75,000 people. Recorded over three nights, the album unfortunately misses out on some of Robbie’s live favourites, such as No Regrets and Rock DJ. However it manages to rope-in some of the finest moments from the mega concert. For many years now Rob’s show has always opened with Let Me Entertain You, and this one’s no exception. The show flows with Let Love Be Your Energy from the Sing When You’re Winning album before moving on in the Queen catalogue. We Are The Champions has now been replaced by the catchy We Will Rock You. Come Undone, Me and My Monkey, and Feel, all come from the Escapology album, soaring the energy level of Robbie’s power-packed performance.

Concussion is Matthew Ryan’s third album and easily his most desolate and bare. The flawless opening trio of Drift, Rabbit and Happy Hour set the tone for what is primarily a starkly beautiful affair. In keeping with his two previous records, Concussion shows Ryan to be world-weary yet hopelessly romantic; constantly searching for hope. Only on Night Watchman and Somebody Got Murdered does Ryan raise his voice above a hoarse whisper. Here Ryan has delivered what may be the perfect morning-after album and an effective lesson in the power of quiet music.

Album of the month

John Mayer chose an alternate route not chosen by most musicians today which is to grow as an artist and not duplicate a very successful debut album. Although Mayer originally made a mark as an acoustic guitarist, on Heavier Things he experiments more with production and arrangements. The album is a dreamy acoustic pop, supported by a tasteful rhythm section cast in spare arrangements. This time around Mayer reaches out to a more diverse age group especially on the track Daughters where he explains the lasting effects that fathers have on a young girl’s life. Mayer changes cords yet again on Come Back To Bed where he tells the story of being left by the woman he loves and begging for her forgiveness. While the sound is classic Mayer circa-Room For Squares, the lyrics again present a marked maturation. The debut single Bigger Than Body is by far the most prominent example of Mayer’s new avatar.