Short Reviews - 2
| Cover |
Musician |
Title |
Comments |
 |
Diamonds from Heera |
Diamonds from Heera |
lp from the archive: bhangra back in the day... 1986, released in the UK... (a little cheesey, but what the heck!) |
 |
Dwight Mark |
Good Things |
Very tasty licks, delicious to the ears. Unfortunately, at times, the inelegant lyrics don't flow well with the music nor uniquely express the feelings behind them. |
 |
Ray Spiegel Ensemble |
Sum and Kali |
An interesting mix of East-West, that is to say Indian classical and Western popular sounds and forms... One senses a devotion to repetition (perhaps of a spiritual nature?) that can be hypnotic at times, but also boring at other moments...(more to come) |
 |
Yoko Noge's Jazz Me Blues |
yoko meets john |
This Chicago-based chanteuse with a band of veterans present a mix of covers and original songs in a style that might best be described as Dixieland blues... |
 |
Yoko Noge's Jazz Me Blues |
Struttin' with Yoko |
|
 |
Odessa Chen |
One Room Palace |
Unremarkable upon initial and casual audition, this album gradually draws the listener into a distinctive sonic world... |
 |
Joss |
if not for the hovering... |
Joss has a consistant, naked sound that features bandleader Ambrose Liu's world-weary vocals (reminiscent of early Beck) and his jangly, fuzzy electric guitar over the steady rhythms provided by bassist Michael Pasuit and drummer Chris O'Donovan.
Tempos are laid back, perhaps too much so, at times. They're almost tolerable given Liu's flowing vocals, but you have to wonder how the songs might sound at a faster pace. (Wish I had pitch control on my CD player.) With a few exceptions, this is not music to get your blood moving. And that might not matter terribly to those listeners attracted to the album's often dark and gloomy feel.
And just when you think you've got their sound pegged after 4 or 5 songs, Liu throws in new wrinkles (i.e., electronic sounds, singing in key, tempo change). All in all, this release is an improvement over the first one. It has catchier tunes, more inventive embellishments, and louder & clearer tracks... |
 |
Number One Son |
Hockey Night in Chinatown |
...the songs are written by three musicians, with distinctly different styles from one another. It's like getting 3 albums in one. |
 |
Lee Kim |
Lee Kim |
The very polished and radio-friendly production boosts Kim's husky croonings and romantic lyrics. Most of the songs sound the same, though. This is quite evident when listening to the simple melodies and song structures. |
 |
Francis Kim Band |
nobody loves you ep |
|
 |
Alex Yeung & Andre Custodio |
Say Bok Gwai |
Yeung's manic noise (gtr. & Cantonese vocals) seem molded or channeled by Custodio's drumming |
 |
Cynthia Lin |
blue and borderlined |
|
 |
Tatsu Aoki - Hunsinger - Joseph Jarman |
Aoki Hunsinger Jarman Trio |
|
