Scroll down for reviews of the latest from Switchfoot, Rooney and Bleu.

Richard Thompson
The Old Kit Bag

(SpinART Records)

Release Date: May 6th 2003

www.spinartrecords.com

At a live Richard Thompson concert, a fan yelled out words that aren’t uncommon at such gatherings, words to the effect that Thompson easily outclasses Eric Clapton when it comes to guitar skill. Thompson, affable, gracious and ever modest about his talents, responded kindly: “We don’t speak ill of our fellow countrymen,” he said.

Such is the low-key approach to the musical high road that the masterful Thompson takes, singing quietly while wielding a big axe. In this, his first true studio release since 1999’s Mock Tudor, the veteran Thompson offers up a charmingly understated mixed bag of varied styles and songs with the finesse and grace that makes him dearly loved, if not quite a popular superstar.

That Thompson has not been able to deliver superstar sales numbers is one factor behind his switch from Capitol to independent SpinArt. But regardless of the label, the music continues to shine. Thompson is more comfortable than ever with his musical abilities and songwriting craft, and you hear the experience and the confidence on every track.

The Old Kit Bag is produced by John Chelew, who has taken a similar approach to what he did with John Hiatt, allowing the simple charms of a live performance to come through in the studio. This is minimal Thompson, backed with only the sounds of a trio of close musical friends, most particularly the brilliant expertise of veteran bassist Danny Thompson, drumming by Michael Jerome and vocalist Judith Owen adding the kinds of female harmonies that make Thompson’s songs work best (e.g. the work of Linda and Richard Thompson, or even Sandy Denny’s additions during Fairport Convention). Other than a few select instrumental overdubs, the CD does reflect the feel of an intimate, live show.

Thompson has always wanted people to come to his music without prejudice; he wants to be liked for his songs. And while other musicians continue to discover his work, cover his songs, and praise his expertise, there remains a large part of the public unaware of the prolific Thompson, even after a career spanning 25 albums (and six more if you count Fairport Convention) and several decades’ worth of music.

Yet with twelve new songs that come in at just under an hour, the feeling is that the prolific veteran has nothing to prove to anyone. He seems more at ease and this is reflected in the songs, most of which were composed in the past two years. They are grouped into two chapters: the first six songs collectively are The Haunted Keepsake, the second six are The Pilgrim’s Fancy, but no central theme seems to tie things together - these are individual stories and songs, each a separate gem of sorts, perhaps best summed up by Thompson’s own subtitle for the CD: unguents, fig leaves and tourniquets for the soul.

The epic “Gethsemane” opens the proceedings, building slowly into a grinding blues song of memory and lost innocence, discussing generations that grow from playing war games as boys into soldiers and real wars with the promise to be something fine: “Now there’s a pain in your head puts lead in your shoes/ Better get it seen to, it’s going to be bad news / How did the perfect world get so confused / O Gethsemane.”

“Jealous Words” continues the blues feel, another example of how less is more when it comes to Thompson’s guitar prowess. The guitar is an extension of Thompson, his feelings and moods and voices, and his fills are subtle and masterful, akin to an artist who can dab a bit and improve the overall picture, rather than one who uses a wide brush to fill in spaces. While the interplay with Judith Owen is wonderful (Bonnie Raitt might want to cover this one), the real star here is Thompson’s magical guitar.

“I’ll Tag Along” is another fun song to add to the familiar Thompson canon, a self-professed third wheel who absolves himself of responsibility by hanging in the back, invisible. Again, the guitar sings every bit as much as Thompson. Similarly, “She Said It Was Destiny” should find itself included as a new favorite of devoted fans. It has the classic Thompson sound (courtesy of Owen’s backing vocals and Thompson’s own guitar), and deals again with familiar ground, a destined love that’s perhaps not quite in the stars just yet.

A touching ballad of winning storytelling, “A Love You Can’t Survive” is the remembrances of a peace volunteer who killed a man, served his time, moved drugs and now has got his house on the mountain and his choice of women, yet always thinks of that one woman from the past: “There’s a love you can’t survive, and it burns you up inside.”

The lovely vocals and harmonies of Judith Owen are on display with the traditional-sounding “One Door Opens,” trading on the allure of traditional Celtic folk music. Again, Richard Thompson along with rhythm section Danny Thompson on bass and Michael Jerome on drums display their skills in mastering another style.

The delicate minimal yet epic ballad “First Breath” is a highlight here. The two Thompsons show their expertise, Danny by holding it together with his stand-up bass, and Richard with his delightful guitar finesse. While his voice sings a beautiful celebration of the mature love of survivors, his subtle guitar tones and accents truly make the song uniquely his own. This is a man whose instrument sings out in a way that is never overdone.

The two of them also show their respective skills on the jazzy blues piece “I’ve Got No Right To Have It All.” Thompson shows he can handle jazz and blues adeptly, with fluid guitar playing that marks subtle points within silences, smoothly, expertly and easily.

This is a tale of a man losing his dream love to another, bemoaning that fact and also knowing he’s got no right to be selfish: “I wish you well and darling keep in touch / And if he loves you, I hope he loves you as much / It’s just my fantasy / You leaving him for me / I’ve got no right to have it all.”

“Pearly Jim” is the story of a man who loses it all to the unsavory title character, “Word Unspoken, Sight Unseen” is a song about throwing out the past and starting anew for the sake of a new love. One interesting surprise lyrically is “Outside of the Inside,” allegedly capturing the viewpoint of the Taliban toward the West. Thompson (a devout Muslim) sees the faults in judging books by their covers, exposing the ludicrous dismissal of giants of science, music, literature and art by such extremist thinking.

The lovely poignant closer “Happy Days and Auld Lang Syne” talks about the comfort music brings to many, even those with empty hearts with loves gone wrong: “And sometimes you never connect with a song / ‘Till it’s telling the way that you feel / Putting words to your story, all the pain and the glory / How can it be written so real.”

Over the years, Thompson has written many such songs that have brought comfort to his listeners. While perhaps destined never to be a superstar, at age 54, he seems more comfortable than ever with his own skills and talents. *The Old Kit Bag* is an aural delight, capturing those varied talents and showing that less can be more. This skilled singer/songwriter and amazing guitarist remains a classic that grows better over time, and his high standards are reflected in the works he puts forth.

These twelve songs capture moods and slices of lives in ways that are remarkably tasteful and restrained. The simple arrangements and clean production serve the songs well, and Thompson remains a clever lyricist and storyteller, unafraid of poetic phrases that complement his incredibly agile guitar phrasings.

The Old Kit Bag may never get the kind of exposure that will win over masses of new fans to the RT bandwagon, but for those who already familiar with the man’s guitar genius and musical legacy, the good news is that his excellence continues unabated.

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Switchfoot
The Beautiful Letdown

(Red Ink/Columbia)

Release Date: Feb. 25, 2003

www.switchfoot.com

Here’s a summer album that’s not really like most others. While others sing of girls and love and heartbreak, Switchfoot uses their infectious anthems to contemplate the human condition, good bad and ugly. Jon Foreman describes it like this: “It’s an honest attempt to reflect on the great and terrible aspects of being human, the tension of existence.”

As such, The Beautiful Letdown is anything but a letdown considering the high quality of these eleven new songs. Jon Foreman continues to write tunes that are catchy enough to make appearances in television and film, yet when not surfing or touring, the San Diego native is more likely than not to be reading philosophy, from Plato to Kierkegaard to Pascal, venturing beyond and challenging his faith.

In the two and a half years since Learning To Breathe, the successful Christian crossover band has gone from a trio to a quartet with the addition of guitarist/keyboard player Jerome Fontamillas. He joins lead vocalist/guitarist Jon Foreman, his brother Tim on bass, and Chad Butler on drums, who have enlisted a skilled team of veteran pop experts to help with their latest effort: John Fields produced, and Chris Lord Alge, Tom Lord Alge and Jack Joseph Puig mixed tracks. Fields and company have done a nice job of making each song here a separate sonic landscape.

“Meant To Live” opens with some pleasantly hard guitar that provides a nice contrast to the smooth tenor of Foreman’s voice. This is about doubt, questioning and fear (as are many of the other songs), the feeling that life has to be more than these daily arguments and failures, that we want it to be more: “Dreaming about providence and whether mice and men have second tries / Maybe we’ve been living with our eyes half open; maybe we’re bent and broken.”

Electronic sounds and synth effects are used to great advantage in these arrangements, complementing the tight band that exists. This is obvious in the sounds of “This Is Your Life, ” a big ballad about living for the day, for the moment, facing up to the facts and letting yesterday go: “Today is all you’ll ever have, don’t close your eyes / This is your life, are you who you want to be?”

One of my favorites is “More Than Fine,” which sounds to my ears much like the sweet songs of Jay Clifford of Jump, Little Children. This, continuing with the theme of examining the human condition, is a call for quality and excellence, something more than just getting by, something more than just okay.

“Ammunition” is a darker song all about blame, desperation and the chaos we’ve made of things here. Humans have corrupted love and that mess we’ve made is inherent in all of us, the human condition: “We are the fuse and ammunition.” Not exactly the typical lyrical fare of that loud, nod -your-head-along-with-it upbeat rocker - and this is what sets Switchfoot apart.

Soft follows loud, as the pretty ballad “Dare You To Move” welcomes you to the planet and existence, eager to see what happens next. Again, this is a challenge to move, to lift one’s self up off the floor, and to face today as if it were the only day. The tension is acknowledged: “between who you are and who you could be / between how it is and how it should be”, yet there’s nowhere to escape from yourself, which is what Foreman’s saying - there’s salvation in facing the music. And yes, this is a remake of the song from Learning To Breathe.

“Redemption” shows that Foreman and mates have not abandoned their Christian roots. Here we get fears and insecurities laid before the higher powers, looking for answers: “Here I am, won’t you get me?” Similarly, “On Fire” asks for a second chance around, talking about how there’s more to life than what’s heard and found in empty conversations, addressing the fire when “he” speaks, reaffirming belief as a means to salvation.

The title track is the longest song on the CD, a big broody expansive anthem of comfort found in not belonging. Success and riches were not enough, according to Switchfoot: “In a world full of bitter pain and bitter doubt / I was trying so hard to fit in, until I found out / I don’t belong here.” The gist is that hey, there’s more to life than that, I’ll take my faith and my music and thanks anyway, but I’m moving on.

Probably the most infectious tune (and it’s a tough call) is the bouncy “Gone,” a telling revelation of life’s temporary condition and an assurance that life is still so much more, still worth living. First you get the serious news: “We are not infinite / we are not permanent / Nothing is immediate and we pretend like we’re immortal.” Then we get the lighter side of the temporal: “Gone like Frank Sinatra, like Elvis and his mom / Like Al Pacino’s cash, nothing lasts in this life.” Extra points to Foreman here for addressing statements at the song’s close to Bono.

A close second on the “catchy meter,” is “Adding To The Noise,” a compact little ditty that’s radio ready in its anti-radio message, decrying modern humanity’s speed and greed, the endless hype and media noise surrounding us daily. Switchfoot offers sacrifice as solution: “If we’re adding to the noise, turn off this song.”

“Twenty Four” is a ballad closer, a recap of the ground covered here, basically that life and its meaning were questioned but ultimately, there’s still belief: “Life is not what I thought it was twenty-four hours ago / Still I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with you.”

There are pleasant songs here, well executed and well produced. Switchfoot continue to make great strides forward in their music, and obviously, in their spiritual quests as well.
Fans of the group will enjoy it, and I’d expect that mainstream audience to grow as more songs get further movie and television show exposure. The Beautiful Letdown offers a good variety of sounds and tempos all exploring questions about this human condition we call life. When rocking out to them on some beach somewhere, it’s cool to think that some might just stop for a second and ponder the meaning of life.

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Rooney
Rooney

(Geffen/Interscope)

Release Date: June 24, 2003

www.rooney-band.com

Ah, to be young and gifted. Some might balk at the fact that Rooney seem well connected and are making their debut on a major label with a fairly large following right from the get-go, but listen up: without talent and hard work those things would never have come to pass. Rooney is the real deal, and this self-titled debut is perfect summer pop fun that aims to bring a little sophistication to the tried-and-true mainstream boredom, referencing the past and updating it for the present.

The quintet was founded by talented singer/songwriter/guitarist Robert Carmine, while still in high school (way back in 1999), and is comprised of Taylor Locke on guitar, Matt Winter on bass, Louie Stephens on keyboards and Ned Brower on drums. Brower is the senior member at 24, but the average age of a Rooney is only 19. Originally known as Ed Rooney (named for Jeffrey Jones’ frantic principal character in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), the band already has opened for the likes of Weezer, The Strokes, The Donnas, OK Go, Pete Yorn, Phantom Planet and others and is about to head to Europe as part of the Lollapalooza tour.

So let me get all the connections and hype out of the way, so I can tell you about the music. Robert Carmine (formerly Robert Coppola Schwartzman) has already acted in two movies The Princess Diaries and The Virgin Suicides (the latter directed by his cousin Sofia Coppola), but like his older brother Jason (actor/drummer for Phantom Planet), the music comes first. His mom is actress Talia Shire, which means relations to Nicolas Cage and Francis Ford Coppola too. But let’s get back to the music…

Imagine Ric Ocasek and Rivers Cuomo having an illicit love child…no, but seriously, the music of Robert Carmine leans heavily on The Cars and Weezer (who are not unrelated). Throw in a few other classic Brit-pop references here and there and you’ve got the fun sound of Rooney.

The single “Blueside” opens the CD, stylistically recalling The Beach Boys in an obvious way, the shuffling chorus and sweeping background harmonies hiding the darkness of the song itself, a veiled metaphor about suicide.

“Stay Away” is more traditional lyric fare. He loves her, she doesn’t know, he wants her to make the first move, he wants his friends to leave them alone. The Weezer vibe is most pronounced on “If It Were Up To Me,” a traditional love song arranged in the manner of a “Buddy Holly.”

I would say The Cars is the most dominant influence here, though there are hints of Phantom Planet and others at times. “I’m Shakin’” is a very Cars-like tune, examining fears and nightmares in a light musical manner that belies the weight of the lyrics. “Simply Because” is another Cars-like tune, a clever rejection song, featuring fine organ from Louie Stephens and a great guitar lead from Taylor Locke. “I’m A Terrible Person” is very infectious (and check out that melody counterpoint at song’s end), and Carmine’s vocals really shine here.

Perhaps my favorite here is the acid indictment of “Popstars,” wherein Carmine and company take on Britney and Justin and N’Sync, etc. as “unsophisticated money machines for the killers of rock and roll” in an affecting emotional manner.

“Daisy Duke” again uses The Cars’ musical vernacular to get across a quite wonderful song that explores the romance behind a dominant/submissive relationship: “Bow down Daisy Duke, I’m much too rough with the way I phrase things / I’m sorry for cuffing you to my bathtub.”

“Sorry Sorry” is just good summer fun, any way you slice it. It’s the tale of modern young romance (she’s sitting all alone on a Saturday night with a Shirley Temple and a cellular phone) where he apologizes for making her life a living hell, right from the start.

Love songs are what this season is about, and “That Girl Has Love” is a memorial for a very special girl and their real love prior to her taking her own life, awash in Cars/Weezer type harmonies.

“Losing All Control” is a little more sophisticated and lengthier ballad that closes out the CD, featuring nice rhythm section work from Matthew Winter on bass and Ned Brower on drums.

On the strength of Robert Carmine’s vocals and songwriting abilities alone, things look auspicious for Rooney. The L.A.-band (whose cover art is a rendition of the California State Flag) already is known for its hard work and entertaining live shows. With this impressive eponymous CD rife with sunshine and retro-rock feel and ripe for the hot beach days ahead, they should have a long career to come.

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Bleu
Redhead

(Columbia/Aware)

Release Date: June 17, 2003

www.bleutopia.com

Good things come to those who wait, and I’ve been waiting for this one’s official release just this side of forever. Now that it’s here, I will do my level best to convey in words the kind of immense talent that Boston native Bleu (nee William James Mcauley III) has; he’s a very strong singer/songwriter with an old-fashioned sense of craft to the way he puts together songs. Add to that an amazingly expressive voice and lyrics that capture teenage angst in a perfect mix of emotion and intellect and you still only get a poor approximation of the whole - to get the big picture you really need to hear this music.

Redhead recalls passionate days gone by of crunchy harmony-guitar leads and wonderful sing-along melodies and infectious choruses, but it’s so much more than mere nostalgia, it’s the joy of discovering a legitimate heir to that abandoned rock crooner throne. This is an instant classic; an album so strong and well put-together from start to finish you only hope there’s some sympathetic justice to be found with the listening public.

Bleu has grown a bit in the time making this CD. In the growth process there’s less of the quirky electronica Bleu favored in albums past, replaced now with a true cohesive band feeling and a powerful sound to match. Bleu remains humble and lovable, a regular guy with his mutton chop sideburns and tattoo that says merely “tattoo,” but he’s now accompanied by a stellar band: Bill Guerra on guitar and background vocals, Max Toste on bass and Dustin Hengst on drums.

Part of what keeps the sound fresh is the number of collaborators with whom Bleu works.
Though fully capable of writing great songs alone (five such songs here), he’s also able through collaboration to make an end product even greater than the sum of its parts.

The revamped album opens with the infectious “Get Up,” a dramatic call to action from a concerned friend: “Get up you’re stuck in a slump / Get up you’re stuck in a rut / Get up before you lose touch / Get up.” Guerra and Mcauley deliver harmonized lead guitars and the band offers rousing background “bah bahs” that become impossible not to join in on.

This is one of the newer song additions (not available on the previous Aware records version of *Redhead*), along with “That’s When I Crash,” a great moody and poetic song about not being able to let go of the past. Bleu sings this with aplomb, his emotive tenor really selling the song to the listener (and wonderful arrangements and guitars aiding the effort).

Another bluesy, angst-ridden tune here is “You Know, I Know, You Know,” a great example of someone fooling themselves into believing they’re fine after a relationship has crumbled: “I’m doin’ fine/ my friends all say so / I’m doin’ all right / but that don’t mean dick unless you know I know you know / I got my good days, I got my bad days / I know that everyone does / and I know one day / I’ll be like I was.”

One of Bleu’s talented collaborators is David Bassett, and two of their compositions are here. The wonderfully melodic “I Won’t Go Hollywood” is a musical promise not to compromise one’s self when living out on the west coast: “No one here is where I’m from or where I wanna be / we all get drunk from too much sun and don’t know who to be / don’tcha worry I won’t let them sell me out, sell me in, color me misunderstood / but I won’t go Hollywood.”

The other Mcauley/Bassett song is “We’ll Do It All Again,” which rides the tom-toms of Dustin Hengst from an acoustic guitar verse to full string accompaniment (well-arranged by wunderkind pop producer John Fields), sending the needle high on the catchy-meter.
This song perfectly captures the inherent fights that are a natural part of any relationship: “We’ll do it all again / stumble and fall / then do it all again.”

Four songs have been updated from Bleu’s previous *Headroom* CD. “Searchin’ For The Satellites” is a wonderful ballad about that tough stage when you look into the sky and try to make sense of your life; you drink a bit and can almost feel innocence fleeing the scene. Bleu’s wonderful vocals and John Fields’ superb production set up great lyrics like this: “Lyin’ on our backs / we were swimmin’ in the grass holdin’ hands/ undressin’ all the stars / making constellations right in my backyard / everything connected easy then.”

Also updated is the lovely and eerie “Watchin’ You Sleep,” perhaps the definitive stalker song. Bleu tells this creepy yet endearing story of a man obsessed with another: “Watchin’ you sleep / right outside your window / inches away from sleepin’ with you / and you don’t even know it / watchin’ you sleep all night.”

Another of Bleu’s collaborators is Semisonic’s Dan Wilson, and together they’ve written one of my favorites. “Somethin’s Gotta Give” does a great job of relating all those horrible feelings and thoughts that survive a recently ended relationship: “Since you left me, I’ve been almost fine/ back to normal, back to boring life / drama’s over since we dulled that shine / I saw your mom at the mall just the other day buyin’ you a brand new bed / said she missed havin’ me around / I could only die as I nodded my head / If ya wanted me back I know I’d go and letcha do it / If ya wanted me back I know somehow we’d wander through it / If ya wanted me back I know I’d go but someday somethin’s gotta give.”

Also included here is the lush Peter Moore collaboration from last year’s Spiderman soundtrack, “Somebody Else.” This dramatic yet quiet song contemplates teenage identity angst: “Why can’t I be somebody else? / somebody who isn’t too cool to believe it’s okay to be just me.” It features a guitar solo from The Rembrandts’ Phil Solem and for many, was an introduction to the music of Bleu.

Jellyfish fans can take solace in the knowledge that Andy Sturmer is among Bleu’s collaborators too. He contributes backup vocals to their infectious “Could Be Worse,” an upbeat ditty that features wonderful dual-guitar harmonies, and guest drumming from Jamie Vavra.

Mcauley teams with Alex Scutro in writing the mid-tempo rock anthem “Trust Me” with its “nah-nah-nah-nahs” that invite you to sing along. Again, the vocal performance here is honest and compelling.

The album’s last listed track is the updated “3’s A Charm,” enlisting the services of digital Dorris as his mom’s haunting voice on an answering machine, telling him “never you worry.” Max Toste and Bill Jones provide some fine bass lines here.

The two hidden tracks (surely Bleu wouldn’t only give you twelve songs) involve dancing. In the updated “Feet Don’t Fail,” heavy guitars lunge forward in a song about a guy eager to dance rather than be alone (that ironically or intentionally is near impossible to dance to). “Dance, Dance Baby Doll Dance” is another fun Andy Sturmer collaboration, an ideal mix of that sort of light Jellyfish whimsy meeting Bleu’s expressive vocals (and there’s a common Queen influence to the music of both).

Redhead is an old-fashioned epic, a classic pop album chock full of good tunes from start to finish that I recommend strongly. For those who scoff at the current music scene’s lack of songwriting craft, Bleu is a revelation: great emotional lyrics that capture feelings succinctly in interesting, well-structured melodies guaranteed to have you singing along for a time to come.

If there’s any musical justice, Bleu’s many talents won’t remain a secret for long and Redhead will catapult this unassuming star into the actual limelight. His songs are big and soulful enough to rock the largest arenas; now he just needs to wait for his audience to arrive. Which brings me back to my original premise: good things do come to those who wait.

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