MARK EITZEL
Music for courage and confidence
Whether as a member of the group American Music Club or as a solo artist, Mark Eitzel has always been considered as a singer-songwriter. He has quite a considerable recording career behind him and this record sees him rework songs written by other artists. He adds his own personal touch to ten songs chosen as a bridge between his last two records, “60 Watt Silver Lining” and “Caught in a Trap...”. The reason why I say this is that even though the record is released this year, 2002, it was actually recorded in 1998. As far as style goes, it links the jazziness of “60 Watt..." with what he was doing on the last album of his own material, “The Invisible Man”. On the one hand, he retouches the natural jazziness of the some of the songs and on the other, there’s a certain experimentation with electronic elements that later appear on “TIM”. There are songs from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. On this record we can feel the presence and personality of Mark Eitzel on each and every one of these ten tracks. Wonderful stuff.
LOVAGE
Music to make love to your old lady by
Taken as a herbal tea, this is very appropriate for soothing upset stomachs. The information provided by 75Ark Records on Lovage is a bit sparse, but if you take a look at the record you soon come across Dan “The Automator” Nakamura. This highly considered producer and member of Gorillaz has been responsible for bringing this work by Lovage together. The record which is very Trip Hop, manages to work new ideas in a style of music that was already considered dated before this record was released. Although the list of guest artists (Afrika Bambaata, Mike Patton, Damon Albarn...) is not to be sneezed at, it’s better to concentrate on the textures of the song themselves. They’d make up a really good instrumental album. All the same, Mike Patton does great vocal work. The ex-singer from Faith No More uses the same registers used on their “RV” and “Easy”, whispering on one and melodic on the other. Jennifer Charles’s singing is also worthy of a mention. She’s the Portishead School counterpoint on this record that could be classed as having the same seductive power as Barry White.
GILLIAM WELCH
Time (the revelator)
I felt really lucky when this record found its way into my hands rather unexpectedly. That’s how it happens in music at times, and that’s precisely how I came to know Gilliam Welch. One day I got a recording (thanx Jabi) and I was caught hook, line and sinker from the first listening. I wanted to find out more, so I started digging in the American Music sections and I managed to make up a naked yet well dressed picture of the man. I found out that this is his third record and that he’s worked with many of the big names in this line of music. He’s also worked with the recently acclaimed and famed Ryan Adams. Gilliam plays Country, Blues and naked raw Rock with elegance. His amazing voice transports you into the interior of the songs, to images of dry landscapes and to lost or forgotten back roads.
RL BURNSIDE
Burnside on burnside (Live Portland 2001)
Seeing as there is no room whatsoever for young blues artists on the present market, several bluesmen over 60 have been causing a stir. Amongst them are RL Burnside and several others who record on the Fats Possum Record Label. You won’t come across any virtuoso guitar solos on this record (RL Burnside is no Stevie Ray Vaughan). The sounds of Deep Blues by this Mississippi Granddad take us back to the days of rough blues by Robert Johnson and company. Kenny Brown is the second guitar on this bass-less record. His slide work deserves a special mention. Burnsides grandson, Cedric Burnside, takes care of the drumming. From the sounds of the atmosphere, the 74 year-old Burnside was the only one to remain seated in the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. From the opening chords of the powerful “Shake‘em on down”, it’s all go as Burnside thunders through eleven of both his own and traditional songs on a day when the sound technicians were given no chance.
