Published December 04, 2003. Me’Shell Ndegeocello Comfort Woman (Maverick) Simply fucking brilliant! Incorporating all the best aspects of R&B, soul and Prince’s contemporary funk with a kick in the ass from George Clinton and Funkadelic, the disc is a rousing surprise in the world of contemporary R&B. While the public gets flooded with industry-remodelled moneybags, […]
Trevor MacLaren
Posted inArts + Music
The Sadies
The SadiesIn Concert Volume One(Outside)One of Canada’s greatest live bands finally commits its show to tape. Taken from over two nights at Lee’s Palace in Toronto, these two discs are smoking! Helping the band are a slew of guests including The Good Brothers, Blue Rodeo, Neko Case, The Band’s Garth Hudson, Jayhawks’ Gary Louris and […]
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The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky
The Films of Alejandro JodorowskyDirected by: Alejandro Jodorowsky(Starz/Anchor Bay)Alejandro Jodorowsky has fought Allen Klein and ABKCO Films for the release of his films for over 30 years. With their differences behind them, beautifully restored versions of Jodorowsky’s first feature, Fando y Lis and the lost short La Cravate can emerge. The crown jewels of the […]
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PJ Harvey
PJ HarveyUh Huh Her(Island)After Harvey’s most commercial sounding record Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, she is back with a vengeance. Uh Huh Her is a yin and yang of the raw lo-fi aggression unleashed on Rid of Me, coupled with the subtle beauty of songs such as “Water” from Dry. This is […]
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The Misfits
Published August 21, 2003. The Misfits Project 1950 (Misfits Records/Ryko) With yet another personnel change and Jerry Only (the only original member) taking over vocal duties, Project 1950 is a sad rip-off of what Glenn Danzig’s Misfits were. These covers of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll are more or less a solo project by Only. While […]
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Jill Barber
Jill BarberFor All Time(Dependent/Baudelaire)At times Barber evokes a cabaret style while keeping rooted in folk, a sound that is hard to categorize. One thing is for sure—-Barber’s music is all heart, whether on her sleeve or breaking in two. Glorious melodies and soul-felt songs don’t get any better than this.Trevor MacLarencategories: Local artist,Canadian artist,Best of […]
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The Dead 60s
The Dead 60sThe Dead 60s(Epic)If you own Black Market Clash and Combat Rock, you have basically already heard what British outfit The Deads 60s has to offer. The sound isn’t so much influenced by the ska/dub/reggae Clash as it is an out-and-out rip-off. But if the listener can get past this or has never really […]
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Kate Rusby
Kate RusbyUnderneath the Stars (Compass)Kate Rusby is a brilliant singer-songwriter who evokes the various traditional British folk styles, a UK equal to Gillian Welch. Armed with the greatest voice and phrasing since Fairport Convention goddess Sandy Denny, Rusby takes on the path set out by the Convention. Underneath the Stars continues her brilliant take on […]
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Marjoe
Marjoe Directed by: Sarah Kernochan and Howard Smith(Docurama)Winner of the 1972 Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary, Marjoe finally makes it to DVD. It tells the story of Marjoe Gortner, who became the youngest ordained minister ever at the age of four. His parents were tent-revival evangelists who trained Marjoe to be a money machine […]
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Josef K
Josef KEntomology(Domino)Aside from putting out great bands like Artic Monkeys and Clearlake, Domino has been releasing some much-needed re-issues. None is needed more than Scotland’s great and sadly overlooked Josef K. Though the UK had seen the band’s rumoured unreleased debut plus its only official release in 2002, North America hasn’t been blessed with any […]
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Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFrancoKnuckle Down(Righteous Babe)Knuckle Down is a good record, but more of the same. Most great songwriters have sought to change their sound and style to get away from becoming stale. Ani really hasn’t changed in the past 15 years. Since her peak in the early ’90s, she began her decline with Dilate and the […]
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Emmylou Harris
Published November 27, 2003. Emmylou Harris Stumble Into Grace (Nonesuch) Emmylou Harris is many things to American music. She began as torchbearer for Gram Parsons’s Cosmic American Music, helped revive the traditionalist movement and in- spired the roots and alt-country genres. Since Wrecking Ball she has become one of the most eclectic voices of the […]
