New music

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This article was published 23/04/2015 (4135 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This week’s singles

OMI

Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) (Ultra)

The original version of this fairly obscure reggae-pop track was released back in 2012 and didn’t get a whole lot of attention. That’s all changing thanks to German DJ Felix Jaehn. Stylistically, it’s a gentler dance track, comparable to the Robin Schulz remix of Mr. Probz’ Waves, but with an added bonus: an absolutely irresistible trumpet line that sounds like the very definition of summertime. HHH1/2

 

Major Lazer & DJ Snake feat. M0

Lean On (Frontside)

With a full-length album due out in June, Diplo’s Major Lazer side project teams with the unstoppable DJ Snake and Iggy Azalea collaborator M0 for this super fusion of dancehall, bhangra, trap, and electro-pop. A cool cultural collision of genres if ever there were one, those springy synths will be stuck in your head for days. HHHH

 

Ricky Martin feat. Pitbull

Mr. Put It Down (Sony)

This old-meets-new pairing-of-the-Latin superstars thing has potential in theory, but it’s quickly squandered with a fairly cheesy retro disco vibe and lyrics that even hardcore Pitbull fans will roll their eyes at (he rhymes Ricky with tricky and hickeys, for goodness sake). Put it down, indeed. HH

— Steve Adams

 

Terra Lightfoot

Every Time My Mind Runs Wild (Sonic Unyon/Independent)

ONE of the first things you notice on first listen to Hamilton native Terra Lightfoot’s new 11-tracker is the resonance of her voice. From the off (All Alone), this lady’s sumptuous croon feels like a siren’s call. Built from equal parts blues-belt and controlled moan, her vocals are virtually unique.

Every Time… is her second album and on it Lightfoot indicates, very strongly, that she is an artist to be noticed. No Hurry has the kind of simple arrangement that makes a case for a different kind of Canadian pop-music perfection. “I hear trouble every time you call my name / but I wouldn’t have it any other way / and I’m suffering the consequences… / and I like to waste my time with you” speaks to the dichotomy of attraction, as Lightfoot soars vocally at the bridge. Never Will and See You in the Morning trade on her guitar clout to lift the songs to even greater sonic heights, and Lightfoot’s six-string skills are on full display here.

Interspersed with folk rock-isms that speak to this artist’s range, the album is a feast of delectable treats. HHHH

DOWNLOAD: Never Will, The Truth

— Jeff Monk

 

Dean Brody

Gypsy Road (Open Road/Universal)

ON his fifth full-length recording, three-time Juno nominee and nine-time Canadian Country Music Award winner Dean Brody delivers his most satisfying offering yet.

The British Columbia-born country artist loves to share stories — often they’re fabricated, but sometimes they’re based on truth. One of those stories on Gypsy Road has Brody hitching a ride in a purple (haze-filled) bus with a group of “hippies.” Set to a catchy whistle-filled melody that hooks you immediately and turns you Upside Down, it’s one of the stories based in truth. Another of those is Footprints of a Giant, a sombre, heartfelt song written in the aftermath of last October’s fatal shooting on Parliament Hill.

One that isn’t reality-based is Sweet Lola, a sort of sequel to his hit Bounty, involving vacationing Canadians, Day of the Dead celebrations, donkeys and Mexican jails.

Musically, Brody keeps things animated and fun. That’s especially apparent on Bring Down the House, a funky, hard-driving, banjo-driven stomper that’s guaranteed to lure even the most timid feet to the dance floor. That’s not to say that he doesn’t know his way around a mid-tempo love song — he certainly does — but even then, some, like Love Would Be Enough, build to yet another exercise in banjo intensity.

The Deluxe version delivers three more tracks, offering more traditional fare and an acoustic version of previous hit Trail in Life.

This fall, Brody joins Paul Brandt on the Road Trip tour, which comes to the MTS Centre on Oct. 9. HHHH

DOWNLOAD: Bring Down the House, Footprints of a Giant

— Bruce Leperre

 

Alabama Shakes

Sound & Color (ATO)

ALABAMA Shakes could have played it safe. If this was the 1990s, singer/guitarist Brittany Howard and her bandmates would have followed up their reputation-staking debut album, Boys & Girls, with a wholly commercial second record. Thankfully, the rock biz has changed for the better (esthetically, at least) and Alabama Shakes gets to remain an interesting band.

Yes, this quartet is obviously steeped in the blues-funk-soul tradition its players grew up in but, rather than mining the same old vein, the Shakes have chosen to fully explore their sonic palette, experimenting with hues and shades.

The album’s opening (and title) cut, for example, is almost a shimmering tone poem — keys, glockenspiel and a shuffling drumbeat take hold as Howard’s rich, multi-tracked contralto glides in and out of the rhythms, repeating the song’s title while strings wail and horns moan. Don’t Want to Fight is, by contrast, a slashing, rock/soul track with a fearless falsetto chorus. Then they take a left turn again with a dynamic, Jack White-ish turn on Dunes.

Future People offers up a funky groove, more falsetto (Howard could be a female Prince, her voice is so elastic on this album) and squawking electronic fuzz before the slow blues of Give Me All Your Love offers up swirling Hammond organ fused onto dynamic, rhythmic punches and Howard’s full-throated lover’s call.

Everyone gets to cuddle up with the acoustic blues of This Feeling but the Shakes are soon frothing again — heating things up to Ramones-level fury on The Greatest before departing on a psychedelia-tinged, jazz/blues trip on Gemini and closing proceedings with Over My Head, a coda that ends with Howard admitting she’s “in over my head, it feels good and I’m never saying goodbye.” Amen. HHHH

DOWNLOAD: Sound & Color, Give Me All Your Love, Gemini

— John Kendle

 

Lorenzo Coppola and Andreas Staier

Brahms: Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120 (Harmonia Mundi)

JOHANNES Brahms composed only two clarinet sonatas, dated 1894, that are also his last chamber works. In this release, Italian clarinetist Lorenzo Coppola, with pianist Andreas Staier, tackle the romantic pieces with rugged enthusiasm fuelled by the courage of their own musical convictions.

The opening movement of Sonata for Clarinet and Piano No. 1 in F Minor, op. 120, Allegro appassionato provides the first taste of the soloist’s expressive artistry. Its following Andante un poco adagio teems with lyricism, with Coppola’s languorous phrasing allowing this to sing like an Italian divo. The lilting Allegro grazioso is punctuated by robust folk influences, followed by finale Vivace brimming with sunny optimism.

Sandwiched between the two clarinet works is Sechs Klavierstucke, op. 118, completed in 1893. Staier’s performance on a period 1875 Steinway — one of Brahms’ personal favourites and described further in the liner notes — adds wonderful verisimilitude, while also requiring 21st-century ears to adjust to its more brittle sound. The German artist imbues the second Intermezzo (II) with tender longing albeit, at times, overly rushed. The more rhythmically based Ballade (III) and agitated Intermezzo (IV) fare better, more suited to his percussive sensibility.

This new recording saves the best for last. The second clarinet sonata, Sonata in E flat major, op. 120 showcases Coppola’s skilful ability to leap from his lower chalumeau range to the height of his upper clarion — his tone penetrating and true particularly during the dramatic inner movement Allegro appassionato. HHH1/2

— Holly Harris