 |
CD Reviews
 |
Al Green
The Immortal Soul of Al Green
(The Right Stuff)
The world's greatest living
soul singer is unlike many of his late, great peers -- Sam Cook,
Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye -- in that he came late to gospel
instead of early. He ditched his secular career at its peak,
and became a highly successful gospel artist and reverend (his
services at his church in Memphis, it is said, really packs
'em in).
Green's secular has been well
chronicled and anthologized, which is why it's so curious that
his soul output is once again repackaged by The Right Stuff
(which owns his Hi Records catalogue) in the soon-to-be-released
The Immortal Soul of Al Green. Since 1997's magnificent,
Bible-packaged Anthology -- a four-disc set that is as
good a box set as you'll find -- Green's work continually gets
repackaged. And while The Immortal Soul doesn't break
much new ground, the four-disc, 75-song set still doesn't fail
to amaze in capturing the depth of quality and quantity of Green's
soul years.
Perhaps Green is so linked
with soul because of the way he would completely lose himself
in his songs; in Hi Records producer Willie Mitchell's seamless
orchestrations marked by their high-hat drums, soothing Hammond
B-2 organ and economic guitar chords, Green was free to float
over the arrangements as he saw fit. Listen to how he uses his
vocals to completely restructure pop standards like "Oh, Pretty
Woman" or "Two Sir, With Love" and you hear a preacher sermonizing
more than singing. -- Simmons
Al Green plays "The Legends
Series" at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, at House of Blues (225
Decatur St., 529-BLUE). Tickets $125 include open bar and buffet.
 |
Terence Blanchard
Bounce
(Blue Note)
"When I was a kid growing
up, I was always into the notion of collaboration," trumpeter
Terence Blanchard once said. "... [I]t's always interesting to
me to get somebody else's take on the same issue." Despite his
tremendous sense of power, tone, color and texture as a trumpeter,
Blanchard remains, if nothing else, a collaborator, which he puts
to great use on his recent debut release for Blue Note, Bounce.
You can barely sense his presence
on the third track, "Fred Brown"; by then, you know more about
his stellar backup band -- saxophonist Brice Winston, pianist
Aaron Parks, keyboardist Robert Glasper, guitarist Lionel Loueke,
bassist Brandon Owens and drummer Eric Harland -- than you do
Blanchard himself. Maybe it's a set-up, a tease; when Blanchard
announces himself, it's with a modulated fury. And just as soon
as he blasts onto the scene, he dims the lights on the ensuing
track, Ivan Linn's bossa nova "Nocturna."
At once smooth jazz and neo-bop
(depending on how many times you listen to it), Bounce
once again underscores a the versatility of one of New Orleans'
great trumpeters, moving once again from standards (2001's Grammy-nominated
tribute to Jimmy McHugh, Let's Get Lost) to mostly original
material. Open and expressive, Blanchard can take charge on
solos without ever showing off (something younger trumpeters
should emulate) as he does on the lazy swing of "Footprints."
Keep an ear open for such tasty surprises as Loueke's African
chant on "Azania." But don't worry; there's plenty of Blanchard
to go around for everyone on this album. He just knows his place.
-- David Lee Simmons
Terence Blanchard kicks
off his Jazz America Series with shows at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp
St., 528-3800).
 |
Robert
Randolph & the Family Ban
Unclassified
(Warner Brothers)
Ever since pedal steel guitar
prodigy Robert Randolph brought his music out of the House of
God Church and into the clubs, he's been making the spiritual
secular, and vice versa. His major label debut, Unclassified,
follows up his debut release Live at Wetlands with a
crop of new songs and all the cathartic energy of his incredible
live show.
Randolph is a master jammer,
and he doesn't hold back much here. Seventies funk undertones
set the scene for his instrumental gymnastics. "I Need More
Love" could be a Sly and the Family Stone sing-along, and "Squeeze"
sounds like the Meters in warp speed with its relentless, looping
bass line. On the other hand, Randolph isn't a great singer,
but he does well when the lyrics are few and the melodies are
beltable. The contemporary R&B croon tunes here are almost grating,
like "Smile," an awkward attempt at a Stevie Wonder-style love
song. A few tracks later, another slow flop. "Problems" leaves
us longing for the scorching instant classics that started off
the album.
Despite its inconsistencies,
Unclassified has many tracks that remind us why Randolph
blew up in a matter of months in 2001, most of them instrumental.
The album wraps up with another over-the-top track of superhuman
Randolph feats. The one-chord, train-like workout finds Randolph
looping, trilling, and wailing until it draws to a close with
a big, dramatic three-drumroll fanfare of syrupy cadences and
range-spanning filler. In Robert Randolph's book, more is, indeed,
more. -- Cristina Diettinger
Other Stories This Week in Features:
Cover Story
New and In Groove
Blake Pontchartrain™
New Orleans Know-It-All
Shoptalk
Covering the Bases
Recently in Feature:
Feature 09 09 03
Feature 09 09 03
Feature 09 09 03
Feature Archives
|
|
