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Saturday, November 20, 2004 |
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Saturday, November 20, 2004 |
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Best track:
I Saw Red Alter Bridge — One Day Remains (Wind-Up)
Ian Brown — Solarized (Polydor)
This feature was published on November 6, 2004 |
With
Living Things, Matthew Sweet abandons his foray into harsh electric
sound in favour of the acoustic guitar. He cleans up the rough edges
found on Girlfriend and 100% Fun yet sticks to his
characteristically simple lyrics and tight harmonies. Dandelion
drops the reliance on major-to-minor chord progressions, instead of
centering on a single repeating bassline allowing the vocal melody to
organically take shape. Cats vs Dogs is like a lost Ringo tune,
while You’re Not Sorry is an instant classic, one of Sweet’s
trademark ballads. Sweet doesn’t change his songwriting style for Living
Things. This is an album that isn’t very catchy, but makes up for
that by being tighter, more refined and mature.
The
first single Open Your Eyes, One Day Remains offers
evidence that Alter Bridge is a more expressive unit without the
oppressive presence of lead singer Scott Stapp. Other songs are
characterised by Tremonti’s delicate guitar technique, which goes
beyond sledgehammer attacks into surprisingly melodic territory.
Since
the days with Stone Roses, Ian Brown has sustained a successful and
highly influential career. His fourth solo effort, Solarized
serves up another dose of Brown’s trip-hop rock, with plenty of
eastern, reggae and hip-hop influences thrown in for good measure.
Opener Longsight M13 builds on the white funk of the Golden
Greats era, while Time Is My Everything pulls in the sound of
Tijuana brass. The Mexican trumpet-fanfare that heralds the arrival of Time
Is My Everything is a nice touch, particularly as it gives way to a
suitably trendy beat for Brown’s laidback vocal style. The album will
probably remain most notable for Keep What Ya Got, co-written
with another Manchester music legend Noel Gallagher.
The
height of Anita Baker’s success came in 1986 when the Grammy award
winning Rapture was released, which included the classic Sweet
Love. My Everything is her first studio outing in a decade. The
lead track You’re My Everything is the closest she comes to
her older pop hits, but best of the lot is the mildly adventurous I
Can’t Sleep. My Everything also includes Revisited, a
jazzy interpolation of the aforementioned single. Kenneth "Babyface"
Edmonds joins Baker for Like You Used to Do. Thankfully, that
voice, instantly recognisable and wonderfully rich, has not been
diminished by the passage of time and My Everything is a brilliant
return to form.
