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MORRISSEY Low in High School
( Etienne)
In conjunction with his pathetic defense of Harvey Weinstein ' s and Kevin Spacey ' s sexual assaults, Morrissey ' s latest solo album also leaves his musical audience with a bad taste in their mouths from his weird lyrical faux pas(" Israel," " The Girl From Tel Aviv Who Wouldn’ t Kneel ") and water-treading music after he set the bar so high three decades ago. Despite his stellar post rock croon, he ' s in Howard Hughes mode, sealed away in a Hollywood mansion, where his world views are distorted. Alas, Mr. Stephen Morrissey fits the mold. On " I Wish You Lonely," Morrissey seems to know he ' s a flatulent pain in the ass(" Think of yourself only, of everything you demand, you want and need, and to hell with everybody else ") but in the end he seems OK with it. Low In High School has its moments of greatness, like his recent albums over the last decade. " Jacky’ s Only Happy When She’ s Up On The Stage " is the funny tale of an overachieving actor, backed by Bo Diddley drums and ELO influenced strings. Elsewhere Morrissey ' s veteran producer Joe Chiccarelli adds a diverse selection of acoustic guitars, brass and piano, but it all falls flat.
If last months reissue of 1987 ' s The Queen is Dead was Morrissey at his high point musically and lyrically with The Smiths, Low in High School shows him treading water, angry and alienated from the world and his audience.
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- John Vernon
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LOU DIBELLO Heatwave
( Self) Urbana-based guitarist Lou DiBello impresses with his fourth solo album,
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Heatwave. The Musicians Institute graduate has a flair for’ 70s rock,’ 80s metal and the blues, which he demonstrates with top-notch quality over eight tracks, which are half instrumental / half vocal. DiBello takes his musical cue from guitar heroes such as Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth and Jimi Hendrix. By enlisting German powerhouse vocalist Carsten“ Lizard” Schulz and guest guitarist Ross The Boss( Dictators, ex-Manowar, Death Dealer) on one track and bassist Mike LePond( Symphony X) on three tracks, DiBello has created a stellar album. The Instrumental opener and title track has a smooth’ 80s metal meets’ 70s“ Guitar God” appeal. DiBello’ s harmonized guitar melodies are so catchy, they actually“ sing” to the listener. The anthemic“ Let Me Hear You Scream” has a fist-pumping chorus recalling Ronnie James Dio at his best, while the ballad“ When All Is Lost” is a powerful and emotive tune. A riveting cover of Michael Schenker Group’ s“ Into the Arena” allows DiBello to take a few tasteful liberties by ad libbing with a bit of flair of his own, which also includes a killer LePond bass segment that really spruces up the classic track. Heatwave is proof of pure perseverance. DiBello, a true independent artist, has been able to stick it out in this business keeping his honesty and integrity intact.
– Kelley Simms
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THE ROLLING STONES Their Satanic Majesties Request- 50th Anniversary Special Edition
( Abkco)
Following Between the Buttons songs like“ Yesterday’ s Papers” and“ Ruby Tuesday,” the Rolling Stones’ psychedelic peak arrived with this 1967 album. Majesties followed major psych-pop efforts of the era including The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’ s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd’ s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Love’ s Forever Changes. The Stones would return to their edgy, blues-based wheelhouse the following year with Beggars Banquet, but Majesties finds the band experimenting with a menagerie of exotic new sounds and determined to speak the language of the age. The album’ s title is possibly not as hedonistically dark as many might have assumed at the time, being drawn as a cheeky but politically pointed play on words from the musicians’ British passports reading,“ Her
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Britannic Majesties Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs requests and requires …” Reports by bassist Bill Wyman reveal that the recording sessions were creative but unfocused, with singer Mick Jagger and guitarists Keith Richards and Brian Jones arriving unreliably in various states of drug-induced disrepair, often accompanied by a distracting entourage. Eventually released as Majesties’ trippy first single, Wyman’ s“ In Another Land” was recorded on a day when only he, drummer Charlie Watts and session pianist Nicky Hopkins had arrived for work, aided by members of The Small Faces from the studio next door. Producer / manager Andrew Loog Oldham quit the project in the wake of drug busts and courtroom scrutiny. Jagger himself later told one biographer that due to the excess and the resulting lack of control,“ There’ s a lot of rubbish on Satanic Majesties.” Richards eventually called the album“ a load of crap.” Nonetheless, Majesties offers a window into an eventful period for the band’ s original line-up, and includes roadworthy gems like the spacefaring“ 2000 Light Years from Home” and the lovestruck and celebratory“ She’ s a Rainbow.” Rocker“ Citadel” is another highlight. Jagger and Watts play tabla on the meandering“ Gomper.” Communal and welcoming“ Sing This All Together” follows the lead of the Beatles“ All You Need is Love,” albeit with less traction. String arrangements are provided by John Paul Jones, who would help found Led Zeppelin the following year. The handnumbered anniversary edition includes mono and stereo LPs, mono and stereo remastered Super Audio CDs, a fold-out cover with 3-D lenticular artwork, and a 20-page essay by rock historian Rob Bowman.
- Jeff Elbel
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CHRIS BARRON Angels and One-Armed Jugglers
( Chrysanthemum)
Spin Doctors vocalist and co-founder Chris Barron is like the guy who woke up from amnesia and is a changed person. Having lost the use of one of his vocal cords for a time, his voice is remarkably more resonant than his early days with his band, like hearing music on vinyl versus a harsh old early recording on CD. His newest solo album was recorded while on sabbatical from the Spin Doctors and he assembled a stalwart group of NYC studio musicians( including Saturday Night Live drummer Shawn Pelton) to make his solo record. Though he spent most of his time off writing songs on an acoustic guitar, Angels checks all the boxes of America ' s musical catalog from the 20th Century including Dixie blues(“ The World According to Garp”), Jazz(“ Till the Cows
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Come Home”) California yacht rock(" Too Young To Fade ") and a dash of White Album-era Beatles(" Still A Beautiful World "). A mix of horns, organ and modern guitar makes the album diverse thanks to co-producer Roman Klun ' s deft touch. Barron comes closest to his Spin Doctors roots on " April and May " with super tight staccato harmonies and catchy choruses. Lyrically Barron acknowledges the strange times the world is in politically and environmentally with never ending rain as a metaphor(" April and May," " Raining Again "). Despite the washout, Barron shows his fighting spirit through every musical mood on Angels and One Armed Jugglers.
– John Vernon
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DAVID BOWIE ANew Career in a New
Town [ 1977-1982 ]( Parlophone)
New Career celebrates a critical period in David Bowie’ s catalog. Stopping just shy of his commercial explosion with 1983’ s Let’ s Dance, this set focuses on the singer’ s most daring musical reinvention. The so-called Berlin trilogy of Low, Heroes and Lodger represent a uniquely satisfying stretch of work that contrasts sharply with Bowie’ s more commercial‘ 80s output. These deliberately experimental albums made with Brian Eno may not have been as hit-packed as Young Americans, but Bowie trusted the commitment of his core audience even as he gave his record label executives nightmares. Bowie sings on only five of Low’ s tracks, with“ Sound and Vision” coming the closest to conventional pop. The album’ s instrumental second side features pioneering electronic sounds and Bowie’ s interpretation of Eno’ s ambient music. Bowie’ s second release of 1977 was Heroes, with further sonic explorations like“ Neukoln” alongside the standout title track that features the infinite tone of King Crimson bandleader Robert Fripp’ s avant-prog guitar. A companion EP celebrates the song’ s 40th anniversary with German and Frenchlanguage versions. A 128-page hardback book includes photos, sleeve notes, critical essays, recording notes, and an interview
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