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Jason Thompson
Reviews: August,
2001
Scroll down for the latest from Sophia Ramos Dupre
Nate Ashley
Darling, I’m Your Devil
(Left-Handed
Label)
Nate
Ashley. A man out in the wilderness with his own sound that
begs you to listen, even if that sound is one that you can’t
pinpoint. A voice issuing forth from an echo trapped in a
bottle at the bottom of a well that is wrapped tightly inside
a vacuum in the middle of some constellation many millions
of miles away. Darling, I’m Your Devil is all
this and more. Something so unique and spectacularly original
that sometimes I can’t even begin to comprehend what
goes on in Nate’s mind when conjuring up this beautiful
music, this howl from the fringe.
Fifteen
songs are here. Some of them are what you would probably call
“complete” songs in that they span three or so odd
minutes and have at least one verse and a chorus. Others are
what you might consider windows into a song that is embryonic
yet still complete unto itself. Some of these start up from
out of the blue and then suddenly end just like that. But
it’s all part of what makes this album so damn good.
Ashley
plays pretty much everything here, save for an odd clarinet,
Dumbek, or a bit of drum programming every now and then. But
the sound here is completely organic…I think. I mean
there’s real drums, and guitars and everything else that
one would consider “real.” But what is reality within
the scope of this work? The opening “Blue As My Eye”
simply confounds and fascinates as Ashley’s distorted
voice floats over some drums that sound like they’re
coming out of a room down the hall and a compressed lead guitar
line that feels like it might pop at any moment. Nate plays
it coy as he seductively sings his song, when all of a sudden
you catch someone laughing in the background halfway through.
Should that have been there? Are you even there when listening?
Who is this that has invaded your room?
“No
Other Love” sounds like some great-lost Radiohead tune.
Mind you, Radiohead when *I* think they were still
great, circa The Bends, not Radiohead circa now with
all their weird-ass ramblings that for one reason or another
manages to suck the green out of all the kiddies’ wallets
and purses. Then there’s the creepy “Undercurrents”
which sort of sounds like the Beach Boys meet Satan. It’s
haunting and grotesque and perfectly makes sense. Bongos,
harmonies, a wrenching guitar riff and Ashley just freaking
out under some clarinets.
“Sirens”
goes the freaky funky route. Nate slithers and sneaks around
the track as the bass line makes you shake your ass uncontrollably.
“How would that man look in a suit?/How would that man
look with some food?/This man with a paper bag he don’t
need no name tag” goes the words as the song disappears
as quickly as it was formed. Beautiful. So is “Glayva”
that only has two lines of lyrics and sounds kind of like
“Eminence Front” meets There’s A Riot Goin’
On. If only I could get into Nate’s head and figure
all this out for myself. Is this the Devil’s music itself?
Has some darkened creature from the pits of despair taken
over? One can only laugh at the antics of death metal bands
when there is music so inherently beautiful and creepy like
this that feels so seductive and works as magically as the
Forbidden Fruit in Eden.
Personally,
I love the song “Drive” best from all the songs
here. Scary guitar lines, far away drums that start and stop.
Backwards noises, odd percussion noises, weird electronic
sounds, tinkling piano notes, crazy flue madness, buzzing…and
whatever else that’s in there. Ashley is a master of
his own mayhem, the likes of which have never been heard.
So listen to this. Go out now and listen. Fuck, it’s
this year’s Sgt. Pepper, all right? It’s
this year’s whatever great album you love most in your
life from ages ago.
You
can’t put a label on any of this. From the sly funk of
“Vehicle Of Groove” to the ornate silky fabrics
that adorn “Who Left The Candles On?” I can’t
tell you. You have to listen and experience this. Maybe it’s
like the first time someone introduced you to some feeling
or some drug or some thing that made your life a little more
interesting. The first time you felt the rush of sexuality
or won a great prize or stole something and didn’t get
caught or finally discovered that reality is maybe just a
dream, anyway. I don’t know. This is the soundtrack to
all of those moments. Songs like “Prey Like You”
and “It’s Sick The Ways” are personal portraits
of Nate Ashley, but they’re also snapshots from your
own psyche that perhaps don’t always get to see the light
of day. Well, listen to Darling, I’m Your Devil
and let them dance. Experience a side of musical originality
that no one else is even touching. Nate Ashley is seriously
spooky, and I wouldn’t have him any other way.
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Sophia
Ramos Dupre
s/t
(self-released)
I’d
like to start this review off by noting that this is not the
current self-titled EP of Sophia Ramos Dupre’s that is
currently being offered on Amazon.com. The great Rhonda Kelley
from Rainmaker Publicity sent me this disc of Sophia’s
that contains four of the best flat-out rock and roll songs
that I’ve heard coming from a female performer in ages.
That’s
right, I said rock. The companion press kit to the
disc features such quotes from Vibe that read “Brash
wit and intelligence…Janis Joplin-meets-Gladys Knight…”
That’s somewhat of a starting point to describe Dupre’s
music, but then again it seems like it’s more or less
just an attempt to describe how great Sophia’s music
is. As it stands, I think it’s far greater than either
of those two performers and is an original sound of its own.
Yeah, Dupre can belt em just like Joplin, but her voice isn’t
as ragged (a great thing, in my book), allowing her to tackle
the gutsy rave ups while at the same time maintaining a strong
sense of control that a well-trained vocalist has. And yes,
Dupre has a great soulful side to her like that of Knight’s,
but again it’s clearly her own voice, her own song we
are hearing here. Knight would be on top of it all again if
she were lucky enough to be handed material this good.
Four
songs might not seem like enough, but when you’re an
artist as skilled as Dupre, that’s exactly the way you
want to start your career. Just give the people enough to
stun them right away and beg for more. The production by Billy
White here is big and loud, just the right complement to Sophia’s
own larger than life performance across each track. Anyway,
you name me another female currently out on the music scene
that kicks this much ass and rocks this furiously. I can’t
name one. The opening track “Esperanza” proves this
right out of the gate as Dupre’s vocals battle it out
with the guitar riffs in a musical version of King of the
Hill. Tasty and righteous.
From
there, “What Do I Know” pulls the listener into
a sort of sinister/sensual groove that unfolds delicately
and then brutally at the choruses. “What I do know/Is
if you feel it, won’t you show me” demands Sophia,
giving a new strong voice to the women out there who may have
been feeling left out in the cold lately now that Alanis Morrissette
is yesterday’s papers and Jewel Kilcher is still playing
the sweet yodeler from Alaska who suddenly thinks she’s
an author. Move over, god damn it. Sophia Ramos Dupre is here
to claim the music back from all that simpering hoo-ha and
shred it into x amount of pieces that no other can touch.
She
does the same all over again in the aching pulse of “Shining
Still” that has one of the holiest melodies at the chorus
that I have ever laid ears on. One of those indescribable
events that you must just hear to believe. So I shan’t
give it all away. What I can tell you is the closing number
“Stay Here With You” is a new soul defined. Spilling
over with passion and honesty, it’s the perfect closing
to what must certainly be considered an all-around contemporary
masterpiece in rock and roll. Bow down to Sophia Ramos Dupre
and her uncanny style with words and music.
All
I can say is that Dupre is a most welcome and much needed
new voice in the rock genre. Her performances here go above
and beyond everything else that’s currently being spun
for fun and profit out there on your favorite Top Forty radio
station. Now if everyone else just shuts up for a moment and
takes the time to notice Sophia as well, then all may be right
in the world after all. However, I get the feeling that Dupre
is one of those types who can probably hold anyone’s
attention at any given moment. Yeah, she’s that damned
good. Take that, Alanis.
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