New music

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This article was published 22/11/2018 (2842 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Anderson .Paak
Oxnard (Aftermath/12 Tone Music)

Anderson .Paak isn’t far from the beach, but he’s certainly left the shore. His latest set, Oxnard, whisks fans from the ocean breeziness of his Grammy-nominated second album Malibu, and waves them into the passenger seat for a gritty, funk-filled ride further inland to his hometown in Southern California, for which the new album is named.

The trip is nothing short of thrilling. Paak’s collaboration with executive producer Dr. Dre is a beautiful thing, with their expert wielding of a seemingly endless range of instruments, including high-flying flute, chimes and drums. And that’s just to name the pieces that come together on album-opener The Chase, which sounds perfectly fit for the soundtrack of a 1970s blaxploitation film.

Paak dons a ’90s vibe on the Snoop Dogg-assisted Anywhere, and he takes cues from other genres, too, like on the island-tinged Saviers Road, where he shouts out his doubters and details the struggle of his come-up. “I was somewhere in between giving up, and doing a sentence,” he raps of life a decade ago.

Upbeat singles Tints featuring Kendrick Lamar and Who R U? are no-brainer wins for Paak, and with guests like J. Cole on the lovely, soulful Trippy, the odds are in Paak’s favour. But he succeeds when he pushes the envelope, too, like on 6 Summers, where he delves into the issue of gun violence. “There’s money to be made in the killing spree/that’s why he trying to start a war on the Twitter feed,” Paak spits, before he returns to his refrain: “Pop, pop, pop goes the shooter/reform, reform shoulda came sooner.” And, if it is not clear who Paak is addressing, he makes it obvious, adding: “Dear Mr. President/it’s evident that you don’t give a damn…”

Even with a house full of guests, and veteran Dre at his side, Paak seems to be in control, revealing new sounds and layers, serving up a solid (and-then-some) set.

★★★★ out of five

Stream these: The Chase, 6 Summers

— Melanie J. Sims, The Associated Press

 

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POP & ROCK

Mother Mother
Dance or Cry (Universal)

If Mother Mother was a pro sports team, knowledgeable pundits would be saying it’s perennially underrated — a band that consistently flies beneath the radar, yet always shows up at clutch times with impressive songs and performances. Over the past 15 years or so, while acts such as Metric, New Pornographers or, more recently, Arkells have grabbed headlines with their takes on new wave-tinged rock, Mother Mother has slowly but surely transformed from folkish pop ingenues into a polished pop/rock act capable of transforming the biggest stages into rousing, stomp-along dance parties.

Dance or Cry, the Vancouver quintet’s seventh studio album, may change many people’s perception of the group led by singer/guitarist Ryan Guldemond, which also features his sister Molly (keys/vocals), Jasmin Park (keys/vocals), drummer Ali Siadat and bassist Mike Young. The dozen tracks show off Guldemond’s elastic voice (which ranges from sweet falsetto to angst-ridden shriek), the huge-chorus gang vocals of the Guldemonds and Parkin, and the group’s penchant for blending sharp, catchy melodies, singalong harmonies and big, danceable beats with moments of acoustic tenderness.

The album also features some of Ryan Guldemond’s most vulnerable lyrics. He’s never been shy of admitting sadness and depression, but album opener I Must Cry Out Loud begins with an Alex Turner-ish croon before building to a crescendo which suggests that release of sadness should be as much a cause for celebration as joy. The title track and first single Get Up underscore that point, telling listeners you’ll never feel as alive as when you get up and get moving. Simple sentiments, to be sure, but Mother Mother has a knack for turning these into rousing, Killers-like anthemic statements.

★★★★ out of 5

Stream these: Dance and Cry, Get Up, Give Me Back the Night

— John Kendle

 

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COUNTRY

Buck Owens
Country Singer’s Prayer (Omnivore Recordings)

Country music legend Alvis Edgar (Buck) Owens had an astonishing music career that spanned more than 60 years, and when he died in 2006 at age 76, the music world lost a true original. Country Singer’s Prayer is a late career offering originally slated for release in 1975, but due to many unfortunate circumstances with his record label at the time, the album has not seen the light of day until now.

This 12-tracker (including two bonus tracks) reveals Owens trying his best to keep the classic Bakersfield country music sound alive to mixed results. Owens’ partner-in-crime, guitarist/fiddler and singing partner Don Rich, had died in July 1974, leaving a gaping hole not only in his backing band the Buckaroos, but also in Owens’ heart. Rich does appear on two tracks here, but by the time these songs were recorded, Rich’s upfront twang was also gone.

Owens was heavily involved in the rather ridiculously popular Hee Haw television program at this time as well, and this, too, led to these songs being somewhat less than stellar. John Law is a remake of sorts of Chuck Berry’s Promised Land and has an abundance of energy to open the set. Owens’ honky-tonk side is most prevalent on the poignant story songs A Different Kind Of Sad and How’s Everything, and he kicks up the tempo suitably on The Battle Of New Orleans and Meanwhile Back At The Ranch.

The gospel music attuned Drifting Away has some sweet backing vocals, while He Ain’t Been Out Bowling With The Boys would have sounded great sung by George Jones. Worth a listen if you are a fan, but neophytes should start with Owens’ work from about 10 years earlier.

★★★ out of five

Stream these: Run Him To The Round House Nellie, Drifting Away

— Jeff Monk 

 

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JAZZ

Stefan Bauer
Voyage West (Dot Time)

Vibraphonist/marimba player Stefan Bauer was born in Germany, but lived in Winnipeg from 1990 to 2001, during which time he was an important part of the city’s jazz scene. He also got married here and two of his children were born here. He still maintains many Winnipeg contacts.

Now living in New York, his new album by his band Voyage (he uses the French pronunciation) is called Voyage West and includes singer Tammy Scheffer, Chris Bacas on saxophone, longtime colleague Jim Vivian on bass and drummer Greg Ritchie. The mood is mainly gentle and beautifully melodic, with several edgier tracks like Echoes that still maintain that melodic base.

Scheffer uses mainly vocalese, except on In The Town Of Springhill Nova Scotia and the lovely version of Some Other Time that ends the album. Opinions are often mixed about vocalese over instrumental tunes, but the arrangements allow Scheffer to work closely with the instrumentalists. Stefan has purposely included tracks that reflect his connection to Canada — like the aforementioned In The Town Of Springhill, and a quiet and reflective track called Gimli. Flâneur was part of an album recorded in Winnipeg in 1996 with legendary trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and Winnipeg-born pianist Bernie Senensky.

There aren’t a huge number of vibraphonists in the contemporary jazz world, but without doubt, Bauer belongs in the top rank of current players. The original compositions are complex while remaining accessible, and the cover tracks (like the standard Caravan) offer fresh views of the tunes. This is Bauer’s first new album in a while, and hopefully there will be more releases soon.

★★★★ out of five

Stream these: Gimli, Caravan

— Keith Black

 

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CLASSICAL

The London Haydn Quartet
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 64 (Hyperion)

The world-renowned London Haydn String Quartet continues its series of recordings of its namesake composer’s refined chamber music, with this new two-CD release featuring his String Quartets, Op. 64 performed on period instruments.

The ensemble brings new life to each of the six works teeming with Haydn’s customary clever wit and good-hearted humour, as heard during No. 1 in C Major and No. 3 in B flat major, including the latter’s haltingly lopsided theme during its opening movement Vivace Assai. But there are also hints at the 18th-century composer’s more darkly hewn inner landscapes, as during No. 2 in B minor, notably the sole quartet in the series penned in a minor key.

An album highlight is No. 4 in G major, that teems with jagged syncopations and folksy charm during its opening Allegro con brio. This is heightened further during the subsequent Menuet and Trio, featuring the violin’s rendering of a rustic Landler melody accompanied by yodelling-style pizzicato, before easing into the Adagio performed by the players with buttery-smooth phrasing.

No. 6 in E flat major becomes another showcase for the group’s simpatico artistry, capped by the intrepid foursome collectively hurtling toward the finish line with blistering speed and boisterous energy during the finale Presto, that even “Papa” Haydn would surely have approved.

★★★★ out of five

— Holly Harris