Alice In Chains Makes Return With Powerful, Grungy Sound
Alice in Chains
Columbia
Fans of early Alice In Chains will be delighted to know that the Seattle band has returned to its trademark grungy sound, following a detour into more melodic terrain on the “Jar Of Flies” E.P. Lead single “Grind” and similarly styled tunes like “Brush Away,” “Sludge Factory” and “Shame In You” typify the “new old” sound. Occasionally, the self-titled album veers into the R.E.M.-style acoustic guitar arrangements of “Jar Of Flies” (see “Heaven Beside You”). Otherwise, it’s a characteristically heavy, plodding and powerful album that Alice aficionados will embrace as a work that speaks to them.
Fleetwood Mac
“Time” - Warner Bros.
In its 30-year history, Fleetwood Mac has had its share of personnel changes. Each time the group has added members, it has sought out the best undiscovered songwriters on the planet. Now it has added Dave Mason and Bekka Bramlet (Delaney & Bonnie’s daughter), who share songwriting duties with Billy Burnette, despite the fact that neither has a particularly fresh songwriting voice these days. Even the legendary Christine McVie’s contributions lack the fire of her past work. A disappointing effort.
Quincy Jones
“Q’s Jook Joint” - Qwest/Warner Bros.
The man who assembled the “We Are The World” choir outdoes himself with an album with cast and credits that read like a compendium of late 20th-century popular music. Most important, “Q’s Jook Joint” is a fantastic piece of music, encompassing R&B, rap, soul, jazz, pop and rock - and featuring living legends and rising stars, from Ray Charles to Babyface to newcomer Tamia. Material ranges from Duke Ellington’s “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me” (with Phil Collins) to remakes of “Rock With You” and “Stuff Like That” to new tunes including the title track, R. Kelly’s “Heaven,” and “You Put A Move On My Heart,” featuring Tamia. One of the most ambitious projects in recent memory and another feather in the cap of a gifted, unfathomably accomplished music man.
Dwight Yoakam
“Gone” - Reprise
Country music’s conscience continues to uphold traditional standards while pushing the envelope of the future. The ghosts of Bob Wills, Hank Williams, and Lefty Frizzell brush against Mexicali rhythms and R&B grit. Full-tilt country at its best. When’s the last time a country album boasted a sitar alongside a pedal steel and trumpet, sax, and trombone?
Asante
“Asante Mode” - Columbia
Quartet delivers soothing vocals capable of pleasing classic R&B fans as well as new-jack hipsters. Select tracks yield a classic soul sound, especially “Look What You’ve Done” and the Isley Brothers cover “Don’t Say Goodnight,” yet incorporate enough original elements to fend off rip-off notions. Other tracks offer smooth grooves in the G-funk vein, such as “Don’t Push Me Away” or the near-retro sounding “Why?” Act’s diversity could spell career longevity - a rare commodity in R&B these days.
Toad the Wet Sprocket
“In Light Syrup” - Columbia
Toad - whose success presaged the breakthroughs of such similarly styled bands as the Rembrandts, Gin Blossoms, and Deep Blue Something - issues a timely collection of non-album tracks, including singles, B-sides, bonus cuts, soundtrack entries, and previously unreleased material. Among the highlights are “Friends” track “Good Intentions,” “Brother” (from “So I Married An Axe Murderer”), and the XTC-inspired “Hobbit On The Rocks.” A pop feast.
Chavez
“Gone Glimmering” - Matador
No debut of late combines guts and gray matter quite as fluently as this New York quartet’s killer blast of postnoise rock. Live-wire guitars vie with a marrow-shredding rhythm section to produce an absolutely staggering wall of sound. But unlike lesser bands, Chavez uses volume to pump up ingenious songwriting. On “Break Up The Band,” the novel melody insinuates as much as the roar resonates. It and “Pentagram Ring,” another standout track and the best song the Pixies never wrote, head up an EP that includes four more-than-worthy non-album cuts. Heavy rock of a high order.
Bailter Space
“Wammo” - Matador
These New Zealanders regularly yield a strange fruit of arty noise in which industrial-waste guitars contaminate batches of inspired tunes. The newly refined sound of “Wammo” reflects Bailter Space’s continued songwriting growth, improving even on the band’s excellent “94 album, “Vortura.” As improbable as it sounds, the mental toughness and haunting melodic imprint of tracks like “Untied,” “Splat,” and “Glimmer” evoke nothing so much as Sonic Youth covering the Church.