hand written song notes and photos.
– Jeff Elbel
8
USHER
Hard II Love
(RCA)
You don't argue Usher Raymond. In
contrast to the tousled, jilted and increasingly militant Beyonce, R&B's biggest
male celebrity is almost aloof. (To wit:
though written for a film, the inclusion of
"Champions" is curiously BLM tone deaf.)
The Hard II Love cover image – Usher cast
as a damaged, Greco statue -- certainly
refers to the infidelity that undid his marriage, but the blemishes can't shake the
impression that he's as solid as R&B lovermen get. The new album delivers dependable could-be hits, some of which are fairly anonymous and overly reliant on
creeping basslines but all are delightfully
free of schmaltz: Usher eschews vocal
trills, curses casually not forcibly, and
guests know their place. Even when he
stretches out, as on the 8-minute, potential-dealbreaker "Tell Me," his execution is
flawless, even economical.
– Steve Forstneger
7
DAVID BOWIE
Who Can I Be Now?
[1974-1976]
(Rhino/Parlophone)
Who Can I Be Now? collects David
Bowie’s “Thin White Duke” years. It was
a productive, if infamously self-destructive, period. After shedding Ziggy
Stardust’s glam-rock, Bowie explored
American soul music before launching his
innovative Berlin trilogy with 1977’s Low.
This 12-disc box includes updated masters of Young Americans, Diamond Dogs
(home to “Rebel Rebel”), Station to Station
(featuring “Golden Years”), David Live
and Live Nassau Coliseum ‘76.
The box’s centerpiece is The Gouster, a
seven-track “unreleased album” docu-
menting the soulful experimentation leading toward 1975’s Young Americans. In
addition to different versions of three
songs appearing on both records, The
Gouster culminates with Young Americans’
familiar title cut, giving fans an alternatereality glimpse of how Bowie might have
scripted his new era. The Gouster also
marks the beginning of Bowie’s long association with guitarist Carlos Alomar.
“Who Can I Be Now?” and “It’s Gonna Be
Me” previously appeared on reissues of
Young Americans, but were never presented within the context of an artistic statement as done here. “It’s Gonna Be Me” is
impassioned Philadelphia soul and piano
blues, wherein Bowie emotes and spars
with gospel vocalists for a spine-tingling
performance. Surprisingly, this was one of
two songs dropped in favor of the unnecessary Beatles cover “Across the
Universe” and the better Beatles-related
duet “Fame,” although chart success for
the foot-stompin’ “Fame” (co-written
with Alomar and John Lennon) would
suggest Bowie’s
camp made the savvy move. Still, if
you’re aching for one damned song that
can make you break down and cry, “It’s
Gonna Be Me” may just be it. Mike
Garson’s jazz-inflected piano offers a
heightened sense of sophistication to
“Somebody Up There Likes Me,” a six
minute blue-eyed soul workout pairing
Bowie’s croon with David Sanborn’s wailing saxophone. Sanborn is given free
reign to solo unfettered throughout. The
emphasis on sax draws a line to Bowie’s
final studio album Blackstar, released this
January. Tony Visconti’s production of
both albums provides additional connection. Listening to The Gouster and Young
Americans reveals the influence of even
Bowie’s deepest cuts. The main guitar lick
from Bowie’s “Can You Hear Me” was
borrowed by The Edge for U2’s Pop B-side
“North and South of the River.” The compact Aladdin Sane-era single “John, I’m
Only Dancing” was revisited as the
expansive “John, I’m Only Dancing
(Again).” Revamped lyrics shed the sexual ambiguity of the original, while the
band’s bright funk emphasizes a more
carefree, disco-friendly vibe.
Re:Call 2 includes treats like the original single mix of “Rebel Rebel,” an
obscure edit of “Diamond Dogs,” and a
single edit of “Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me”
used to promote David Live. Also fascinating is a book full of interviews, essays,
26 illino