Kinda Like: David Gray, Ed Harcourt, JamesTaylor meets Tracy Chapman
There was a time when it seemed Jason Mraz was going to lean onhis lungs until they couldn’t carry him any further. That goldenvoice was Napoleon; his songs and guitar-playing were just theFrench. With the release of Sold Out (In Stereo), it’s clear thatMraz’s voice can afford to take a back seat from time to time.
No longer easily labeled as “James Taylor meets Tracy Chapman,” asI once described him to friends, the 11 songs on Sold Out, recordedlive at Java Joe’s in January, finally reflect Mraz’s own taste inmusic. “Curbside Prophet” is white-boy rap by a white-boy who canactually sing, “10,000 Motherf**kers” has the sweeping elements ofJeff Buckley, and “Better” doesn’t sound like anything, but it canmake people cry with wistful guitar plucks and Mraz’s alto-hittingnotes that would make an 8-year-old cringe.
Along with a half-dozen or so new songs — all spectacular — arefour of the best tracks from his past three albums and thelong-unreleased “Sleeping to Dream,” adding up to the best Mrazoffering yet, hurt only by terrible recording that features clinkingglasses and passing motorcycles and audience conversations as backup.As one song starts, someone is heard telling his friend, “I love thissong.” That’s cool. So do I.
–Sam Miller
SUPER FURRY ANIMALSRINGS AROUND THE WORLD
Kinda like: Beach Boys, Olivia Tremor Control,Mercury Rev
There must be something in the water in Wales. For whateverreason, every notable artist that has come out of Wales (Gorky’sZygotic Mynci, Tom Jones) is just too quirky for their own damn good.
Such is the case for fellow Welsh rockers Super Furry Animals.Their latest album, Rings Around the World, the band’s fifth studiorelease, features song titles such as “Shoot Doris Day,” “SidewalkSerfer Girl” and “Receptacle for the Respectable.”
But it doesn’t stop there. They even feature mega high-profileguest stars in silly situations. Sir Paul McCartney is credited aseating a carrot on “Receptacle” while John Cale plays piano on”Presidential Suite,” a clever, if not, well, ridiculous tune aboutBill Clinton.
All that in mind, the album is still a hell of a listen.”Juxtaposed With U” is a beautiful string-laden ballad, while”(Drawing) Rings Around the World” is the summer single thatFountains of Wayne didn’t write.
So, I guess it’s no crime that the Furries are so whimsical, butone can’t help but wonder what’s going on across the pond.
–Jeff Terich
BENKWELLERSHA SHA
Kinda Like: Jonathan Richman, Violent Femmes,Something Corporate
Somewhere along the line, someone discovered that singingbeautifully isn’t the same as singing well. Some of the most emotivebands of the past decade — Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, freakin’Nirvana — have sounded as though their singers took vocal lessonsfrom Bob Dylan. Mariah Carey, on the other hand, obviously doesn’tgive a damn.
Ben Kweller is nowhere near the cat-in-a-garbage-disposalharshness of Cobain, but he comes from a similar tradition. His20-year-old voice won’t stun anybody who hears Sha Sha, and it’s abeautiful thing. Kweller’s second solo album is gripping, hilariousand plumb brilliant.
Kweller was once thought to be the heir to Silverchair’skid-grunge throne, but the comparison is now ludicrous. Most of thetracks here feature rambling pianos, ironically goofy lyrics androots in country, ’50s girl groups and Beck’s eclecticism. “In OtherWords” elevates to Jeff Buckley levels; “Make it Up,” is as good asan Elliott Smith song, in many of the same ways. There’s just nothingbetter than that.
–Sam Miller
