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Nonpoint: Recoil
Nonpoint has been around for a while, and has developed quite a following in and
outside their native Florida. This is their third release, and first on a major
label. Heavy, melodic, and arranged/produced with precision, Recoil was made to
be played alongside Linkin Park, Slipknot and Disturbed but certainly doesn’t
rise above any of them. Fave tracks are the first single, “The Truth,” and a
very cool cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.”
Stockholm Syndrome: Holy Happy Hour
Stockholm Syndrome is the brainchild of Widespread Panic bass player Dave
Schools, and Holy Happy Hour is the band’s debut release. Naturally the
musicianship is stunning here, and the influences range from rock to pop to funk
to blues to jazz to folk. Lead singer Jerry Joseph has a rich, textured, though
at times off-key voice, but this is one of those bands that you just know is
best experienced live. Though an epic seven minutes long, “White Dirt” is a
great track as well as a remake of the Climax Blues Band’s “Couldn’t Get it
Right.”
The Benoit/Freeman Project 2
The smooth jazz genre is one you have to admire, kind of like respecting your
elders. It’s the perfect music for a Sunday morning at home with a plate of eggs
and the newspaper. But more than that, David Benoit and Russ Freeman (of
Rippingtons fame) show off their musical brilliance here with a project that
infuses Latin and soul flavors, as well as an amazing track, “Two Survivors,”
sung by country legend Vince Gill.
Uncle Kracker: 72 and Sunny
72 and Sunny might be a moniker for the word “pleasant,” and that’s what
I think when listening to the new release from singer/songwriter Uncle Kracker.
This is the stuff that adult contemporary radio is championing these days,
formulaic pop/rock that is melodic and country-tinged, but aside from a Diane
Warren-penned single, “Rescue,” there’s nothing on here that will raise anyone’s
mercury levels beyond room temperature.
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The Graze: Iowa Anvil
Out of Seattle comes the solo project of singer/songwriter Louis O’Callaghan,
The Graze. True to his Northwest roots, there are dissident melodies and chord
progressions here associated with early grunge, but in an acoustic base that
draws comparisons to Elliott Smith as much as unplugged Nirvana. The mainstream
will not be able to sink its collective teeth into Iowa Anvil, but if you
like the above-mentioned artists, or even Radiohead, you will find something you
think is cool here.
Larry Coryell: Tricycles
This is old-school jazz, as guitar legend Larry Coryell teams up with Pat
Metheny sidekick Mark Egan on fretless bass and Paul Wertigo on drums. If you
are a musician or someone who appreciates good musicianship, there’s no way you
can’t like Tricycles, or at least give it its due props. The best track here is
a stunning instrumental version of the Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home.”
~Mike Farley
mfarley@bullz-eye.com
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