Sunday, April 28, 2013

CD Review – Scorpion Moon, by Sora


The Canadian songstress’s latest album is a great showcase for her vocal and compositional abilities, taking pages so to speak from sources as diverse as ancient myths and children’s fairy tales.
 
Sora’s lyrics are full of vivid imagery and heartfelt emotion, inspired as they are by her passion for literature and her strong stance on love and relationships.
 
Sora breathes life into these poetic musings with her supple voice, which commands your attention with its stream-like fluidity and in-your-face (in a good way) urgency. She has a unique style all her own, which is refreshing in the current climate of unreasonable facsimiles and unflattering imitation.
 
The songs are also richly adorned with solid, sparkling instrumentation. In addition to playing piano on one track, Sora has assembled a fine ensemble of musicians. This exquisite group takes the music effortlessly through a variety of genre forms, including pop, new age, Celtic, classical, and orchestral.
 
For those looking for a different listening experience, the CD provides a welcome detour from the usual expectations.
 
--Raj Manoharan

Sunday, April 21, 2013

CD Review – Hidden Journey, by Scott August


The latest release by award-winning and chart-topping Native American-style flutist Scott August features music that is as grand as the awe-inspiring majesty of the Southwestern landscapes that inspired it.
 
August’s various flutes are the heart and soul of the album, weaving a thread around which August adds guitars, sitar, keyboards, synthesizers, and percussion to create a mystical desert symphony.
 
Cliffs, canyons, and red rocks are the stuff of this CD’s dreams, conjured not only by the impressionistic music but also by the beautiful photography that permeates the CD jacket. The album artwork and the music both serve as a portal to a world of natural beauty.
 
Tracks such as “Summer Horizons,” “Turquoise Trail,” “Red Rock Crossing,” and “Searching for the Ancients” capture the sweeping mystique of the American Southwest’s vast expanse, making this a hidden journey well worth taking.
 
--Raj Manoharan

Sunday, April 14, 2013

CD Review – Red, by Isadar


Although Isadar’s latest solo piano album was timed to release around Valentine’s Day because of its love-inspired themes, the music is wide-ranging and versatile enough to be enjoyed all year long.
 
The real love that comes through on the CD is that which Isadar clearly has for music and the piano, as evidenced by his brilliant and quirky songwriting and passionate performances. Some of the tunes are subtle and intimate, and others are grand and sweeping, but they are all clever and original thanks to Isadar’s convention-defying compositions. Sometimes you think you know where the music’s leading you, and then all of a sudden it comes at you out of left field, making it lively and engaging.
 
This writing style keeps Isadar’s fingers on their toes, so to speak. Isadar’s mastery of his craft is apparent in the seemingly effortless ease with which he can go from light to dark and from understated to emphatic. His phrasing and chord progressions are also smart and snappy.
 
This is a rewarding experience for those who are willing to accompany Isadar on his musical journey of love.
 
--Raj Manoharan

Friday, April 12, 2013

CD (Fan) Review – Long Wave, by Jeff Lynne


If you’re a fan of Jeff Lynne from his days as the lead singer of and creative force behind 1970s super-group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), or from his work as a producer on the solo albums of his fellow Traveling Wilburys George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty in the late 1980s/early 1990s (this is how I first learned of Lynne), then this album is an absolute must-have.
 
This CD is a collection of covers of 11 early rock and pre-rock standards that influenced Lynne over long-wave radio when he was growing up in Birmingham, England, from artists as diverse as The Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, and Rodgers and Hammerstein.
 
The disc is a testament to Lynne’s formidable studio production prowess, as evidenced by the fact that Lynne performs lead and background vocals and plays electric and acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums (as he also does on Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, his recently released rerecording of ELO’s greatest hits). Additional musicians contribute strings and shakers and percussion.
 
Every track is brilliant, but Lynne’s renditions of Charles Aznavour’s “She,” “Smile” (co-written by Charlie Chaplin), “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing,” and “Beyond the Sea” are simply stunning. My favorite is “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing,” which is truly a revelation. Lynne’s vocals are as sprightly as ever (especially amazing considering that Lynne was 63 to 64 years old when he recorded the CD two to three years ago) and the guitar work is superb. Overall, the album proves how underrated Lynne is as a passionate, earnest vocalist and sensitive, thoughtful guitarist.
 
Even if you’re not a fan of or are not acquainted with Jeff Lynne, you should strongly consider adding this CD to your playlist. It is captivating, enthralling, and mesmerizing. It is one of the best albums of all time.
 
--Raj Manoharan

CD (Fan) Review – Fundamental, by Andy Summers and Fernanda Takai

Andy Summers’ latest album – his first with a band in nearly a decade (aside from The Police) and his first with vocals throughout (although not his) since his 1987 solo debut – is an excellent addition to his catalog.
 
The songs, written by Summers with the exception of the non-English lyrics on about half of the album, are a mix of bossa nova, pop, rock, and jazz, and are sung by popular Japanese-Brazilian singer-songwriter Fernanda Takai, whom Summers met while working on the United Kingdom of Ipanema concert/documentary DVD with Brazilian guitar legend Roberto Menescal.
 
Takai’s warm, sultry vocals blend perfectly with Summers’typically brilliant and complex fusion guitar leads, rhythms, and solos, and the balanced sound mix allows both the vocals and the guitars to shine without drowning each other out.
 
In addition to acoustic and electric guitars, Summers plays keyboards and synthesizers, and his tight, solid band includes longtime collaborator Abraham Laboriel Sr. on bass and Marcos Suzano on drums and percussion.
 
Every track is wonderful, but my absolute, instant favorite is“Falling from the Blue.” This is what The Police might have sounded like if Takai were the vocalist instead of Sting (I’m sure Sting still would have been the bassist). Luckily for Sting, Takai was just a little girl when The Police first came together.
 
The melting pot of musical cultures and the outstanding performances of everyone involved make this an exhilarating and rewarding listening experience. Andy Summers’ fans certainly will not be disappointed.
 
--Raj Manoharan

TV – Weekly William Shatner Double "Bill": Double the Bill, Double the Thrill

If you’re as much of a Shatfan as I am, then you’ll be thrilled to know that you can watch William Shatner every Monday through Saturday in all his scenery-chewing and over-the-top gut-busting glory in two different decades in two different uniforms in two different hairstyles (or hairpieces?).

First up, Shatner’s heyday (shortly before he became a self-parodying, perpetually wealth-generating cottage industry unto himself) came in the 1980s, when—at the same time he was reprising his role as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movies—he pounded the pavement and cleaned the streets of slimy scum as the titular no-nonsense police sergeant in T.J. Hooker, airing most weeknights at 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday after midnight, and Fridays at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Universal HD.

Shatner as a uniformed police officer is about as high-concept as you can get, making this the best cop show of all time. Shatner often gets touted for his peerless hood jumping, but he was quite adept behind the wheel as well. He could drift (brake-skidding the car on fast turns) with the best of them. And who could forget that Shatastic ‘80s perm? (Was it real or was it a hairpiece? Find out at www.shatnerstoupee.blogspot.com.) The series also stars the adorably smug Adrian Zmed, a very fresh-faced Heather Locklear, and Shatner’s fellow aging pretty boy James Darren.

Then, catch Shatner two decades earlier in his first iteration of Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek television series, which airs Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. on Me TV (Memorable Entertainment Television). Nothing beats Shatner hamming philosophic about the quandaries of mankind’s place in the universe, all the while sporting a ‘60s-style“straight-laced” coiffure (again—real or fake? Check out www.shatnerstoupee.blogspot.com). Shatner’s partners in pop cultural perpetuity include Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, and George Takei.

So don’t forget to enjoy William Shatner in two of his most memorable TV roles. Tune in five nights (and four early mornings) a week, same Shat time, same Shat channel! (Actually, that's five different times on two different channels.)

--Raj Manoharan

TV – Retro TV Roundup

If the current slate of programming on broadcast, cable, satellite, and pay TV hasn’t caught your fancy, there are plenty of old favorites to catch up and relive the good old days with on the slew of retro television networks that are booming in popularity.

First up, you can watch William Shatner in all his scenery-chewing and over-the-top gut-busting glory in two different decades in two different uniforms. Shatner’s heyday (shortly before he became a self-parodying, perpetually wealth-generating cottage industry unto himself) came in the 1980s, when—at the same time he was reprising his role as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movies—he pounded the pavement and cleaned the streets of slimy scum as no-nonsense police sergeant T.J. Hooker.

Shatner as a uniformed police officer is about as high-concept as you can get, making this the best cop show of all time. Shatner often gets touted for his peerless hood jumping, but he was quite adept behind the wheel as well. He could drift (brake-skidding the car on fast turns) with the best of them. The series, which also stars the adorably smug Adrian Zmed, a very fresh-faced Heather Locklear, and fellow aging pretty boy James Darren, airs most weeknights at 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday after midnight, and Fridays at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Universal HD.

Then, catch Shatner two decades earlier in his first iteration of Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek television series, which airs Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. on Me TV (Memorable Entertainment Television). Nothing beats Shatner hamming philosophic about the quandaries of mankind’s place in the universe. Remarkably, 47 years after the show’s debut, with the exception of DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy) and James Doohan (Scotty), the other five main cast members are still with us.

By the way, if you love classic television, Me TV should be your first and last stop on the dial. In addition to featuring scores of classic television shows, the network features brilliant commercials touting its various slogans composed entirely of expertly spliced-together clips from all of its shows. This is the ultimate TV channel for the ultimate TV fan.

Between Me TV and Antenna TV, weekend afternoons and evenings make for a veritable bonanza of retro classics. Saturdays and Sundays on Antenna TV, Martin Milner and Kent McCord patrol the streets of Los Angeles as Officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed on Adam-12 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Then, Jack Webb and Harry Morgan take over as Los Angeles plainclothes detectives Joe Friday and Bill Gannon on Dragnet from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays on Me TV, Adam West and Burt Ward star as the caped-crusading dynamic duo Batman and Robin, who race in the Batmobile to save Gotham City from a comical cavalcade of costumed crackpots, with little help from a hilariously inept police force, in the 1960s pop cultural phenomenon Batman. The show airs at 7:00 p.m. and is followed by Irwin Allen’s Lost in Space at 8:00 p.m. and Star Trek at 9:00 p.m.

You can take your pick of Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, or Christian Bale as the various Dark Knights (Keaton and Bale are my personal favorite modern movie Batmen), but no matter what the fanboys naysay, Adam West (who also played Batman on the big screen) made the most indelible and lasting mark of any of them on pop culture. He is the one Batman to rule them all.

Check your local listings or go online to learn about all the great classic shows airing on Antenna TV, Me TV, TV Land, and Universal HD.

--Raj Manoharan

Sunday, April 7, 2013

CD Review – Visions, by Uwe Gronau


Keyboardist/composer Uwe Gronau delivers yet again on his third major international release.
 
Inspired by a nocturnal sojourn through the streets of Paris, Gronau uses his synthesizers to create a whirlwind of visceral, layered sound that weaves its way through a multitude of musical genres, including progressive rock, jazz, fusion, and New Age, all the while enrapturing listeners in its intoxicating spell.
 
In addition to a Yamaha piano and a Hammond B3 organ, Gronau plays Virus synthesizers and a Mini Moog Voyager, generating searing electric guitar tones, pulsating bass lines, and kinetic percussion over lush, ethereal textures. The CD also features guest performances by guitarist Pete Sayer and saxophonist Matthias Kreidel, who contribute their talents to one track each.
 
The album package is exceptional as well, featuring stunning French-inspired artwork, crisp artist portraits, and breathtaking nighttime photography. The high quality design and layout are worthy of the excellent music contained within, making the overall presentation very attractive.
 
If you dig the sounds of Phil Collins, Genesis, Jan Hammer, Michael Stribling and David Mauk and appreciate fine CD cover/booklet visuals, this album is right up your alley.
 
--Raj Manoharan