New Music - This week's CD releases

ADRIEN SALA / Diamonds in the Mind (Dollartone)

But Diamonds in the Mind isn't totally in the rough. D. Ranger Jaxon Haldane (who co-produced with Sala) sends up some sharp and tasteful electric guitar riffs throughout the nine-song disc, while Ashley Roch tickles out subtle, snaky bar-room piano, most enjoyably on the otherwise well-worn Fish Lung Balloon and the laid-back Used Car. It contrasts nicely with Sala's vocal and lyrics grit. That said, not all of Diamonds' tunes are so nicely balanced -- City Lights' song structure is buried under the weight of heavy guitars. And one can't help but suspect that Sala could push himself further, break into more original ground, and work that voice of his into something wicked and dangerous.

So there's not tons of variety on Diamonds. But of course, indie recording budgets rarely allow for much of that, and this album is solid and genuine outing from a solid 'Peg talent. Sala's definitely worth a trip to the Times Change(d) to see, even if you missed his CD release party last night. 3¹/₂ stars

-- Melissa Martin

Mika / Live Parc des Princes DVD (Universal/Casablanca Records)

With only one real album under his belt, 2007's Life In Cartoon Motion, it defies logic as to how England's Mika Penniman filled this gargantuan stadium in France with 55,000 maniacal fans. But he did. This documentary making of the concert reveals that Penniman is one of those inspirationally gifted artists. He has the artistic vision to match his nearly five-octave voice, the support team to realize his wildest conceptual stagecraft and the kind of musical drive and heart reserved for the truly gifted. Sure, his music is a bit light in the old loafers but witnessing his endless energy at work here is pretty mind-blowing. The concert itself is a visual cornucopia of colour and sound like no other and in the end its obvious he's truly deserving of the highest praise for building such a cool musical spectacle. 4 stars

-- Jeff Monk

Saliva

Cinco Diablo (Island Records)

If you follow current mainstream musical trends at all you know that there are only about five genres that major record labels really get behind. Saliva falls into the neat slot of post-grunge, medium-weight metal with devils horns intact and that will likely mean some level of commercial success at the cost of any new musical ideas. Band members have steered away from their previous rap-metal leanings for the most part and while they don't do a particularly poor job on Cinco Diablo it is patently obvious they don't have one original bullet in their collective belt. Hunt You Down, with all its badass intentions is less worrying in tone than most gangsta rap. One can only guess when this particular bowl will achieve its final swirl. 3 stars

-- Jeff Monk

Lee Ann Womack / Call Me Crazy (MCA Nashville/Universal)

Call Me Crazy is Lee Ann Womack's first new album in over three years. Womack's vocals still evoke Dolly Parton and she shares Parton's adventurousness. Anchored by Tony Brown's exceptional production and inspired arrangements, Womack delivers powerful performances while ignoring late-night booty calls (Last Call) and ponders what contributed to the demise of Cash, Hank and Keith Whitley (I Think I Know). Elsewhere she seeks a better way of life (The Bees) and indulges in some lonesome drinkin' on standout Solitary Thinkin'. Womack expertly channels Tammy Wynette on Either Way but tries again three more times with only a fraction of the success. Even a duet with George Strait (filling in for another George?) sounds stale.

Womack has returned to remind us what true passion sounds like. Forget Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. They may have big sales now but Womack will still have a career tomorrow. 3¹/₂ stars

-- Bruce Leperre

Lambs Anger / Mr. Oizo (Ed Banger Records)

Has it been nearly 10 years since Mr. Oizo's classic Flat Beat? Since then, the prolific French artist directed his first feature film, 2007's Steak, as well as released a slew of albums, singles, and remixes. As one of the Ed Banger godfathers, Quentin Dupieux is pretty much untouchable when it comes to combining glitch noise with disco and electro. Mr. Oizo is not one for radio-friendly tracks. However, Lambs Anger features more than its fair share of club-friendly tracks featuring a sick sex-disco remake of the classic hip-hop anthem, It Takes Two, featuring a very raunchy set of verses from Carmen Castro. Mr. Oizo also goes off the Aphex Twin end with Rank, an ambient tune featuring off-key melodies. This leads into this summer's single, Bruce Willis is Dead, which matches 1992 acid house with 2008 jack-house beats. Perhaps his recent collaboration with electro artist SebastiAn and singer/producer Sebastien Tellier may be the inspiration for this recent release, as Mr. Oizo gets more coherent with his tracks, focusing on proper song structure while leaving less to experimentation. 4 stars

-- Taz Dharliwal, Canwest News Service

Amina Figarova / Above the Clouds (Munich Records)

She was classically trained in Baku, Azerbaijan, moved on to study jazz performance and composition at Berklee College, and now based in Rotterdam, pianist/composer Amina Figarova delights with her light and airy keyboard touch and post-bop writing flair. Her leitmotif is "no worries, no darkness, chrystal (sic) clear skies above the clouds." The spelling may be off, but her pianism reflects this outlook precisely on 12, mainly upbeat and up-tempo originals. Her ensemble includes a terrific pair of Dutch trumpeters, Ernie Hammes and Nico Schepers, who inject lustre to the mix while husband Bart Platteau softens the timbres on flutes. All in all, a delightful antidote to these harsh times. 4 stars

-- Irwin Block, Canwest News Service

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop / Copland: Symphony No. 1; Short Symphony; Dance Symphony (Naxos)

Aaron Copland's ballet scores (Rodeo, Appalachian Spring) are core Americana as is his massive, optimistic Third Symphony of 1946 which has secured a place in the repertoire. Not so for the three works here, though they are very nearly as good and are conveniently grouped in this important budget release.

Symphony No. 1 (1928) is a reworking of Copland's earlier Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, the organ part given mostly to winds. It's a fine work whose spiky accents and edgy harmonies give nods to Stravinsky and Schoenberg at times. Short Symphony (1933) is better known in the sextet form with clarinet and impresses mostly through its deft rhythmic language. Dance Symphony is a lively atmospheric outing and Copland's first orchestral work, compiled from a ballet score inspired by the 1922 silent vampire film Nosferatu. All three pieces deserve much wider circulation. Good performances if missing a degree of bite at times. ' 3¹/₂ stars

-- James Manishen

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 10, 2009 C4