4 To Watch For: Ollabelle
“The music chose us more than we chose it,” says Glenn Patscha, keyboardist and vocalist for New York-based sextet Ollabelle, referring to the gospel-heavy roots repertoire on the band’s self-titled debut... read more
Marc Broussard
It’d be easy to pass Marc Broussard off as another young singer/songwriter riding the coattails of Dave Matthews and John Mayer. He’s young, good looking, armed with an acoustic guitar and full of sweet melodies... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
The path leading from Mark Olson’s departure to psychedelic pop and increasingly ambitious songcraft has proven longer than some expected. But with Rainy Day Music the Jayhawks have finally come full circle. Whether a reward to patient fans, or simply a return to the band’s roots, Gary Louris and company wander back into familiar territory with their most conventional set of songs since Tomorrow the Green Grass. Back are the rich harmonies and alternately twanging and chiming guitars that formed their once-definitive sound. New entries like “Stumbling Through the Dark” and “Save It for a Rainy Day” rank among the... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
Ed Harcourt has grown from eccentric indie rocker—champing at the bit to work through a legendary backlog of songs—to architect of the languorously cluttered atmospherics of a solo debut that found his ambitions getting the better of him. But From Every Sphere, only the second proper entry of his recording career, is a comparably cozy revelation from the 25-year-old English upstart. Oft accused of bowing too obviously at the altar of his influences—donning the garb of ragged troubadour when it appeared his strengths placed him more comfortably within the realm of wounded crooner—Harcourt instead grows into his craft on From... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
I’ve always thought of Joe Henry as Tom Waits in cashmere. Minus the gruff, sandpapery voice, Henry, like Waits, bends past the flavescent pages of someone’s old journal and translates them into full-bodied songs. On Henry’s latest and eighth album, Tiny Voices, the autobiographical theme addresses contrasting stories of love. In the opening track, “This Afternoon,” the protagonist is the child of a cleaning lady who is frequently left poolside at the hotel and is, one day, seduced by an Australian businessman. The snapshots of seemingly insignificant objects like “an upset tray” or “an orange cup” are realistically recounted during... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
In 2000, when Shelby Lynne returned to recording after an absence of some five years, she chose to name her comeback I Am Shelby Lynne. The title was a definite statement; a declaration—“this music is who I am.” It doubtless looked back on a time when she was in Nashville making her first records, a time during which she battled with her label over her music's direction. So what can one make of her new record's title, which, thematically, seems a complete reversal from the message I Am conveyed? Why did she choose Identity Crisis? “I didn’t name it,” she... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
The latest rebound in a career that’s been defined by its action/reaction dichotomy, North further cements Elvis Costello’s standing as one of his generation’s most profoundly exploratory songwriters. Proving he wasn’t finished working through his Burt Bacharach fixation, Costello goes full-blown piano balladeer on the new record, the final product falling somewhere between sophisticated pop classicism and a timeless show-tune song cycle. The avid fan will be quick to see evidence of Costello’s romance with jazz-pop princess Diana Krall in both the carefully sculpted arrangements and the hopefully romantic bent of the songwriting. But Costello’s gift for measured idealism,... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
Steven Delopoulos’ familiarity with the stage extends well beyond his years fronting the now-defunct CCM alt-rock group, Burlap to Cashmere. “I was a theatre major in college at Marymount Manhattan,” he explains. “It was an acting college out in New York. But, yeah, my first love was musical theatre.” This little revelation comes as no surprise. Delopoulos has just finished pointing out that his new solo effort, Me Died Blue, was originally conceived as a stage play. “The album was originally supposed to be a 1970s, '60s-based play, full of different characters—I was digging out all those old records. And... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
The emotions Damien Rice sings about on his debut, o, are by no means new, but the intensity of his impassioned voice almost makes you believe he’s the first human being ever to feel the sting of lost love. When he asks, “If it means nothing to you, why’d you stay with me at all?” in the album’s opener, “Delicate,” he delivers those last five words with such breathy, belabored passion that they sound like they’re killing him. And if his voice alone doesn't make you melt, his songwriting will. One moment he lulls you with hushed vocals and the... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
What a year it’s been for Chan (pronounced "Shawn") Marshall—a.k.a. Cat Power—the seductive song deconstructress and occasional model. In the wake of her first record of original material in four years, You Are Free, she toured extensively, appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and was featured in nearly every magazine on the planet from GQ to The New Yorker. It all seems rather amazing for an artist who, on any given night, may not finish—or even begin—a gig because of disabling stage fright and other artistic or personal difficulties. But You Are Free earns the accolades. In one... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
Neil Young vs. Jimmy Page? I’ll take Neil Young at his soulful, ragged best any day, although he doesn’t have half the guitar technique of the Led Zeppelin maestro. And although Jack White of The White Stripes is frequently compared to Page, he has more Neil Young in him than most critics want to admit. A limited technician, White manages to do more with less than almost any guitarist in contemporary music. Those minimalistic techniques are displayed gloriously on Elephant, The White Stripes’ fourth CD release. Recapturing the raw blues power and wattage of classic Zeppelin and Stones albums, White’s... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn has been steadily producing intelligent folk music for 33 years by staying open to the idea that life is a renewable resource. Which doesn’t make Cockburn particularly optimistic on this year’s, You’ve Never Seen Everything, at times a difficult look at “All Our Dark Tomorrows.” The blighted injustice of “Trickle Down” economics, and memories of human atrocities in “Postcards From Cambodia,” recall Cockburn’s '80s political treatises, like “Call it Democracy.” Musically, Seen Everything, like '99’s Breakfast in New Orleans explores the many strengths of Cockburn’s work: his excellent guitar playing, his smart sense of melody, a... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
Fifteen years ago, Rodney Crowell’s Diamonds and Dirt finally exposed him directly to the country mainstream. They had long loved the songs Crowell wrote for other artists but largely failed to acknowledge him as anything more than a name in the liner notes. It must seem ironic to him now that the country music establishment is again unwilling to recognize him as he delivers his best work since that landmark release. Crowell returned to relevance with a decided sense of purpose on 2001’s The Houston Kid, a poignant examination of his youth. But with Fate’s Right Hand, Crowell roars into... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
Sweet, sad harmonica and delicate tremelo guitar echoing from a rotating speaker, the soft sound of brushes against a snare and then… that voice. God, that beautiful aching drawl that lets you know—if you’re feeling bad, if you’re hurting, if you’ve got nowhere else to go—don’t worry, I’ve been there, too. Lucinda Williams' music—simple but profound. Painful but cathartic. Heartbreaking and full of life. It’s hard enough to imagine someone can feel this much, but its even harder to imagine someone can convey this intensity of feeling simply by stepping up to a microphone and letting go. “She’s somebody I... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
Fountains of Wayne make superb power-pop music, and in spite of a few stylistic embellishments—a pedal-steel-guitar-driven country weeper here, a Simon and Garfunkel impersonation there—Welcome Interstate Managers isn’t a radical departure from previous albums. But when more of the same includes the infectious hooks, ringing guitar anthems and beautiful power ballads for which the band is justly famous, it’s hard to grouse about stagnation. Playing to their obvious strengths, Fountain heads Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger graft impossibly ingratiating melodies and sing-along choruses to witty tales of lost, disenfranchised souls. With the exception of the leering hit single “Stacy’s Mom”... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
Lying on my back, post-midnight, atop the roof of the Paste office—Ryan Adams' new album blaring in my headphones—staring up at the dark-black sky as tiny beams of light filtered down from distant stars, I finally got it. Now, I don’t know about the backwards part, but this damn sure is rock’n’roll (wailing distorted Telescasters included) but that’s not the only reason this is a great album. Yes, the production sparkles, the songs are well-written and Adams has ventured into new sonic territory, but equally striking once you get to the heart of the record is his ability to capture... read more
20 Signs of Life From 2003
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Streetcore With its Marley-esque reggae filtered through fermented British trip-hammer punk, its subtle, sometimes menacing dashes of elctronica, and its thoughtful rock’n’roll—poured out by a wise old luminary with a voice burning like a 1,000 packs of Camels, Streetcore proves Joe Strummer still had it. Still had Something to say. Still had the same fire within—only it had been stoked by the wisdom of 50 years on this planet. He will be greatly missed.—Steve LaBate Rosie Thomas - Only With Laughter Can You Win No longer the endearingly optimistic ingénue of her debut, Thomas... read more
20 Signs of Life in 2003
We like The Jayhawks, Over The Rhine and Rufus Wainwright; you like The Jayhawks, Over The Rhine and Rufus Wainwright. Beyond that, things get interesting. Check out our 20 favorite CDs from 2003 and the Final results from our readers' poll. read more
Results From the 2003 Reader's Poll
Voting has ended, and our readers have spoken. Unlike last year, when Wilco ran away from the pack, only a handful of votes separated the top four spots this year. The number in parenthesis is where we ranked the album. (HM) denotes an honerable mention. 1. The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music (7) 2. Over the Rhine - Ohio (2) 3. Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears (18) 4. Damien Rice - o (13) 5. The White Stripes - Elephant (15) 6. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief (HM) 7. Rufus Wainwright - Want One (1) 8. Ryan Adams -... read more
Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville’s solo vocal performances take a more tender tone than the fiery funk he cranks out with The Neville Brothers... read more
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