the Color of Context

Jun 26

It’s about fuckin’ time
Saints of Los Angeles, Mötley Records
Release date: 24 June 2008

By Joe DeRosa

If you’ve ever been in a fight, then you’re going to know exactly how this feels: You’re bruised, you’re bloodied, your body is aching and throbbing, and you’re just out of wits. But the adrenaline rush is so intense, it’s amazing. You just got your ass kicked, yet you feel like you’ve conquered the world. This is exactly how a Mötley Crüe record is supposed to feel. After nearly a decade of solo albums, side projects, deceit, speculation and even a couple visits to the New York Times best seller list, Nikki, Tommy, Mick and Vince have reunited for Saints of Los Angeles, the first studio album recorded by the original lineup in almost 10 years. You may ask, “Why now?” Although the band may tell you it’s for the fans, one of the truest and most honest moments in Crüe history came recently on Larry King Live when guitarist Mick Mars answered that very question with one word: “Greed.” Although Mick was clearly being facetious, I can’t help but to believe it was a moment of brutal honesty masked by sarcasm. That being said, when I found out the boys were recording a new album, I didn’t put much stock in it being very good. Not only did my absolute favorite band of the cassette era prove me wrong, they threw dirt in my face to prove it–Neil Strauss’s The Dirt, to be exact.

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Jun 19

Martha Wainwright

Martha Wainwright sings and dances through the rain
“I Know Your Married But I Have Feelings Too”
Release date: 6.10.2008

By Jerilyn Covert

Take it from the man who’s been lauded by critics as the ultimate storyteller: “The story of who you are is never about you,” Rabih Alameddine writes in his new book “Hakawati.” Of this, Martha Wainwright is probably well aware. Daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle and the sister of Rufus, Martha is definitely a person whose story has never been about her, but about her nepotistic relationships with members of her legendary family. As if accounting for this fact, Martha chose to focus her new album, “I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too,” outward, on the people in her life and the events happening all around her, unlike her more introspective eponymous debut. Throughout the album’s 14 tracks, she reflects on past friendships, on casualties of war, on her mother’s battle with cancer and on seemingly scads of former flames (let’s not forget the title, after all). Lines like this from “Comin’ Tonight,” however, take that outward focus to the brink of obsession: “I spend my time trying to forget you with/ Booze and smoke from cigarettes and dope/ I only seem to forget myself/ It’s only you that is left.” Martha was only 1 year old when her parents split up and her mother packed their bags for Canada. Growing up, she was a self-described “lazy student” who showed an interest in song and dance performances. But unlike her older brother, she did not have ambitions to be a star–at least not for a while. “I did initially rebel against joining the ‘family business,’ but I think it just came from a fear that I wouldn’t be good enough,” she told an interviewer for musicOMH.com. In another interview with Rolling Stone, she says, “The bar is really, really f**king high.” Yeah, no kidding. With folk legends for parents and a brother whom Elton John has called “the best songwriter on the planet,” it’s no wonder Martha feels the pressure to be great. A lesser artist might have succumbed under that kind of burden, but Martha Wainwright was determined to overcome it.

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Jun 12

Emmylou Harris

Country music icon glitters to gold
“All I intended to be”
Nonesuch, Release date: 10 June 2008By Joe DeRosa

Setting out to review “All I Intended To Be,” the newest release from Country Music Hall of Famer Emmylou Harris, turned out to be a very difficult task. How do I review the stunning new album from arguably the greatest voice in American music without making it sound like some cheesy love letter? I had to approach “Intended” with complete objectivity. I failed. Miserably. But it was okay, because with the first notes of that voice, which can melt the coldest of hearts, I was once again comforted.

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Jun 6

Joe’s Briefs: Disturbed

Disturbed, Indestructible
Reprise, Release date: 3 June 2008

For any of you who are Disturbed fans, you will be happy to know that their newest CD, Indestructible, dropped on Tuesday. Their most aggressive and hard hitting album to date, Indestructible is also Disturbed’s most well written album and by far the best since they got down with the sickness! There’s no gimmicky ’80s cover songs here, but David Draiman and the rest of Disturbed present pure balls-to-the-wall, ass-kickin’ metal! Ya gotta love that! Check out “Perfect Insanity” and “Deceiver.” —Joe DeRosa

Jun 4

Weezer

Aging rocker nerds finally grow up
“Weezer” (“The Red Album”)
Interscope Records, Release date: 3 June 2008

By Jerilyn Covert

By the time I really got into music, the ’90s had nearly come and gone, but I imagine the response to Weezer’s “The Blue Album” in 1994 must have gone something like this: In the wake of a grunge-obsessed music scene, the sweetly unrefined voice of Rivers Cuomo, every bit as exposed and threadbare as the sweater he sings about in “Undone,” begins suddenly to emanate from the airwaves, like a “Hallelujah” angel chorus from above, and angst-ridden teens everywhere stop dead in their Doc Martin tracks to enjoy a rare moment of pop-induced repose. At least, that visualization roughly illustrates of impact Weezer had on me. Their songs were unlike anything I had ever heard before–quirky but catchy, with lyrics that ranged from amusingly tongue-in-cheek to dreamily evocative. Even “Pinkerton,” 1996’s concept album about Weezer’s quick and bittersweet rise to fame that initially received poor reviews, turned out to be ahead of its time and went on to achieve cult status. Since then, Weezer has come out with four more full-length albums, none of which has quite been able to recapture the magic of those first two. Still, the most recent addition, “The Red Album,” which came out on Tuesday, is head-bobbing, fun, adventurous and often heartwarming. Compared to the greatness of 15 years ago the album hits some of the same notes, but also reaches into new territory by virtue of looking back to that bygone era in which Weezer first rose to stardom.

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May 28

Cyndi Lauper

“The album that broke my heart”
Epic Records, Release date: 27 May 2008

By Joe DeRosa

Think back for a moment, if you will, to the last time you broke up with someone after being together for a long time. It was sad that someone who once brought so much joy to your life was no longer capable of providing you with those same feelings. That’s how I feel about Cyndi Lauper’s newest release Bring Ya to the Brink. Maybe it’s her attempt to reinvent herself as a dance-floor diva (a la Cher), or maybe it’s the shock of seeing a parental advisory label on her CD. Whatever the reason, listening to Lauper on Brink is kind of like seeing your ex for the first time after a breakup: You want to remember all the good times you’ve shared, but the truth is, it’s just not the same anymore.

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May 21

The Dresden Dolls

The Dresden Dolls: For this dynamic duo, life is a cabaret
No, Virginia, Roadrunner Records
Release date: 20 May 2008

By Joe DeRosa

“Long live Punk Cabaret!” Such is the mantra of The Dresden Dolls, a Boston-based duo who burst onto the music scene in 2003 with their self-titled release. They’ve spent the past five years carving out their niche in the ever changing soundscape of the music industry. With influences ranging from The Beatles, the Stray Cats and The Cure, to Bon Jovi, Elvin Jones and John Coltrane, the talented Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione have created a style of music that is very much their own.

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May 7

Mindi Abair

Mindi Abair
Stars: New album really shines
Peak Records, Release date: 6 May 2008

By Joe DeRosa

Each week millions of people tune in to shows like American Idol to watch “nobodies” compete to become “somebodies.” Those somebodies then go on to sell millions of records–inexplicably, in some cases. Yet year after year, truly talented artists continue to put out good, often great, music that is unheard by the masses. Some get labeled or grouped in with a certain style of music that immediately causes some audiences to tune out. Such is the case with Mindi Abair. You may find her music coded under “adult contemporary” or “contemporary jazz,” but with her newest release, Stars, Abair has crafted a truly exceptional–pop–record. Read the rest of this entry »

Apr 29

Portishead

Portishead
Third: Not quite the charm, but still charming!
Mercury Records, Release date: 29 April 2008

By Joe DeRosa

By today’s record industry standards, 10 years can be a lifetime. Yet that’s how long it’s been since we’ve heard from Beth Gibbons, Adrian Utley and Jeff Geoff Barrow, the once holy trip-hop trinity collectively known as Portishead. In 1998, the group’s stellar live album from NYC not only highlighted the best moments from the previous year’s self-titled album and 1994’s Dummy, but showed us what this U.K. trio was truly made of. Live: Roseland NYC really captured Portishead’s essence, from the haunting vocals to the sweeping symphonic song structures to the scratching and sampling of the DJ, which was such an interesting contrast against the often hypnotic melodies. Alas, gone is the DJ from the group’s latest release, Third. But the band’s overall mood and tone has remained in tact and is sure to be pleasantly familiar for fans who’ve remained loyal despite the inexplicably long hiatus.

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Apr 22

Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee Simpson: Just bein’ herself?
Bittersweet World, Geffen Records
Release date: 22 April 2008

By Joe DeRosa

Let’s face it. There are three things that come to everyone’s mind when you mention Ashlee Simpson: one, that embarrassing lip-syncing fiasco on SNL; two, all the pretty pictures of her lovely new nose in the ragtag mags; and three, she’s Jessica’s little sister. Now, in Simpson’s defense, she has been trying desperately to overcome all that rigmarole and establish herself as a solid artist. Adopting a slightly edgier tone than her sister, Simpson’s first two releases in just the names alone – Autobiography and I Am Me — were attempts to plead her case. Now with her newest and most versatile release to date, Bittersweet World, Simpson proudly steps out from behind her more-famous sister’s shadow. Still, the album comes off as more of a Gwen Stefani retrospect, rather than a breakthrough in self definition. Read the rest of this entry »

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