Posts tagged with "June 2011"

BLAKE SHELTON

BLAKE SHELTON Red River Blue [Warner Bros.] Blake Shelton, known outside the mainstream country world as resident cornball on NBC’s The Voice, swarmed to the top of the charts recently with the hillbilly valentine “Honey Bee.” On Red River Blue, perhaps the most pop-sounding collection in his catalog, he works best when exposing the different shades of domestic partnerships. The harmonies of Nashville’s leading women (“I’m Sorry” with... 

GIACOMO GATES

GIACOMO GATES The Revolution Will Be Jazz: The Songs of Gil Scott-Heron [Savant] To be clear, The Revolution Will Be Jazz was not hurriedly assembled to capitalize on Gil Scott-Heron’s death on May 27—work on Giacomo Gates’ tribute to the jazz poet and spoken-word artist had already wrapped by that sad occasion. If the album does point some uninitiated listeners toward the visionary, often controversial work of Scott-Heron, then all the better.... 

SUZY BOGGUSS

SUZY BOGGUSS American Folk Songbook [Loyal Dutchess] Suzy Bogguss has tried out her gorgeous voice on a variety of genre projects lately. There was her 2003 Swing set, as well as a Christmas album. As the title of her new album suggests, she’s now taking on classic American folk songs—and it proves to a perfect pairing. Bogguss doesn’t gussy up these traditional tunes, which span the country from the “Erie Canal” to the “Red River Valley.”... 

DAVE STEWART

DAVE STEWART The Blackbird Diaries [Surfdog/Weapons of Mass Entertainment] You have to wonder how Dave Stewart found time to make a new solo album. Between what might be the world’s busiest production schedule (recent clients include Stevie Nicks and Joss Stone), starting the band SuperHeavy with Stone, Mick Jagger, Damian Marley and A.R. Rahman, and writing music for the forthcoming theatrical adaptation of Ghost, it would seem his calendar is... 

THE VACCINES

THE VACCINES What Did You Expect From the Vaccines? [Columbia] By the sound of it, the Vaccines love a lot of Ramones songs—but if they had to pick a favorite, they might go with the Tom Waits cover “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up.” The title could be a motto for the Vaccines—four good-natured British 20-somethings wary of the adult world. “I’m perfectly aware of what I’m yet to know,” Justin Young sings on “Under Your Thumb,” putting... 

BUDDY GUY

BUDDY GUY Buddy and the Juniors [Verve/Hip-O Select] “Why don’t we play some blues?” Buddy Guy proposes by way of kicking off this 1970 curiosity, now issued domestically on CD for the first time. It’s an unplugged session born of differences between Guy and his record label, which led to the label refusing to provide the budget for a full recording band. So guitarist Guy, his longtime partner Junior Wells on harp, and jazz pianist Junior... 

LIAM FINN

LIAM FINN FOMO [Yep Roc] You’re almost certainly wondering what FOMO means, so let’s clear that up: It’s an acronym that stands for “fear of missing out,” a common affliction of musicians who are always on the road. Liam Finn devotes his sophomore record to combating that feeling with a batch of pop songs buoyant enough to brighten the occasional dark spot. Finn, the son of Crowded House leader Neil Finn, delivers catchy melodies in a strong,... 

JIM LAUDERDALE

JIM LAUDERDALE Reason and Rhyme [Sugar Hill] Jim Lauderdale is the Pixar of Americana: Like the animation giant, he’s had such a winning streak of releases that one can’t help but look for chinks in the armor whenever he resurfaces with a new project (of which there have been many). Fortunately, Reason and Rhyme, his 20th full-length and fourth bluegrass album in as many years, won’t go down in history as his Cars 2-esque fall-off point. Collaborating... 

BRIAN ENO

BRIAN ENO Drums Between the Bells [Warp] While he’s never limited himself to a single, easily defined sound, Brian Eno is known for minimalism and electronic texture—hallmarks of his work with such artists as U2, Coldplay and Talking Heads. In that sense, this collaboration with poet Rick Holland is a textbook move from rock’s foremost sonic architect. In keeping with Holland’s lyrics—musings on deep-sea mollusks, the infinite cosmos and... 

GILLIAN WELCH

GILLIAN WELCH The Harrow & The Harvest [Acony] It’s been eight years since the release of Gillian Welch and partner David Rawlings’ last album, Soul Journey, but the darkly written, starkly sung songs on The Harrow & The Harvest are entirely worth the wait. Welch and Rawlings are the only players on this all-acoustic set, their voices often harmonizing in mournful modal fourths and Rawlings’ guitar winding its way around Welch’s studiously... 

BON IVER

BON IVER Bon Iver [JAGJAGUWAR] From obscure indie-folk singer to Kanye West’s secret weapon in a few short years—things have certainly changed for Justin Vernon. He recorded his debut album in a Wisconsin cabin and released it without fanfare under the Bon Iver banner, only to see it become one of the most talked-about records of 2008. Vernon toured hard, contributed to Yeezy’s 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and then got to work... 

BEYONCÉ

BEYONCÉ 4 [Columbia] Of course Beyoncé can move your booty: She is, after all, the auteur behind radio mega-jams like “Crazy in Love” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” But Beyoncé is more interested in moving your heart on her latest, a collection of songs that focuses on her smoldering side with little of the speaker-rattling sonic bombast of previous efforts. She’s coming from the heart on 4, delivering persuasive takes on heartache,... 

PETERSON STOMP CLASSIC STROBOTUNER

PETERSON STOMP CLASSIC STROBOTUNER Finely tuned FOR: Tuning, and so much more. From design to build, the Peterson Stomp Classic is feet down one of the most impressive products we’ve seen—or heard. The Stomp Classic picks up where Peterson, the world’s oldest tuner manufacturer, left off with the immensely popular StroboStomp line. While the buttery smooth Virtual Strobe tuning is fast and accurate, Peterson has gone to town extending the feature... 

AURALEX PEAK PYRAMID & WAVEPRISM SOUND DIFFUSION PANELS

AURALEX PEAK PYRAMID & WAVEPRISM SOUND DIFFUSION PANELS Sound worth reflecting upon FOR: Colorful sounds. Auralex has been in the business of creating acoustic treatments since 1977. The new Sustain line of bamboo sound diffusors is sonically lush, environmentally conscious and an excellent tool for treating your room to a sound makeover. Imagine setting up your DAW in the middle of a high school gym and you’ll understand how important room... 

TOONTRACK MUSIC EZ DRUMMER PLUG-IN

TOONTRACK MUSIC EZ DRUMMER PLUG-IN Drums on demand FOR: Drama-free drums. While some plug-ins are one-trick ponies, Toontrack’s EZ Drummer is anything but. Expandable via an ever-increasing library of EZX sound packs and MIDI loop packs, EZ Drummer has something for everyone. EZ Drummer ships with the Toontrack Solo player, allowing you to run EZ Drummer as a stand-alone application, perfect for jumping in and getting your groove on. The MIDI-driven... 

SONIC EDGE TUMBLEWEED COMPRESSOR BOOST PEDAL

SONIC EDGE TUMBLEWEED COMPRESSOR BOOST PEDAL Step into serious country FOR: Twang with a bang. Renowned for his amp work for the likes of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, Sonic Edge’s Ben Fargen also makes one mean pedal. Built with the modern rocking country player in mind, Tumbleweed blew us away with the massive range of dynamics and tones. The independent compressor and boost circuits sound impressive alone and even better together. The compressor’s... 

AEA R92 BIG RIBBON STUDIO MICROPHONE

AEA R92 BIG RIBBON STUDIO MICROPHONE Amped up sounds FOR: One hundred and eighty degrees of separation. With fans as diverse as Kevin Bacon and the late Les Paul, AEA mics are deservedly known for their outstanding design and tone. The R92 studio mic excels in its ability to be placed in the path of a blaring guitar amp and deliver a remarkably accurate sonic snapshot. It captured the purr and bite of a Victoria 20112 while performing an equally... 

WCR AMERICAN STEELE PICKUPS

WCR AMERICAN STEELE PICKUPS Mean tone machines FOR: Rocking guitar tones. WCR founder and designer Jim Wagner knows great tone and how to create it, crafting boutique gear that answers to his own demanding ears. We tested the American Steele on an Ibanez Les Paul copy cursed with bum pickups—and if we were to say that the American Steele radically transformed this guitar into a wicked tone machine we’d be grossly understating the fact. The Steeles... 

FISHMAN SA220 SOLO PERFORMANCE SYSTEM

FISHMAN SA220 SOLO PERFORMANCE SYSTEM Take yours to go FOR: Electrifying acoustics. For the past 30 years Fishman has been making its mark with an ever-increasing line of products supporting acoustic instruments onstage and in the studio. The SA220 packs that experience into a smart all-in-one PA and monitoring system for singer-songwriters. Weighing in at a mere 25 pounds, the SA220 makes for easy load-in with the included rolling bag. Sporting... 

CELESTION ALNICO G10 GOLD SPEAKERS

CELESTION ALNICO G10 GOLD SPEAKERS A precious element FOR: Electrifying guitar tone. Since most guitar cabinets are designed for 12-inch speakers, many players have not spent a lot of time playing through 10s. While iconic Fender amps like the Super Reverb and the Vibrolux Reverb are shining examples of the beauty of what a 10-inch speaker can do, there are few higher-gain examples to which one can point. The 40-watt G10 puts everything we love... 

THE SWIPE GUITAR CLEANING KIT

THE SWIPE GUITAR CLEANING KIT Clean up your axe FOR: The post-grunge era. The Swipe takes a stab at the age-old problem of grungy strings and the murky tone they create—and comes out shining. The Swipe kit includes a micro-fiber coated “swiper” the size of a credit card and a polish cloth. One end of the Swipe tool is raised about 45 degrees, enabling easy access under strings. A good Swiping along the entire bottom side of each string quickly... 

TECH 21 BOOST CHORUS PEDAL

TECH 21 BOOST CHORUS PEDAL Chorus you can step into FOR: Preaching to the choir. Tech 21 pioneered tube amp emulation with their legendary Sans Amp. Since then they’ve rolled out a series of smart products, which now includes the Boost Chorus. In classic Tech 21 style, the Boost Chorus does a brilliant job of emulating a number of the most significant chorus pedals of yesteryear, while also providing a wide range of features to craft your own sounds.... 

GEAR – AMP IT UP!

From monster stacks to boutique boxes, here’s everything you need to get loud In a memorable scene from the classic comedy film This Is Spinal Tap, Christopher Guest (playing the titular fictional band’s guitarist Nigel Tufnel) proudly unveils his new amplifier—one whose maximum volume isn’t 10, but 11. “Well, it’s one louder, isn’t it?” he reasons. “It’s not 10.” Poor Nigel may not have understood physics, but on a deeper level... 

JOURNEY

JUNE 2011 COVER STORY: JOURNEY FEATURE: SURROUND SOUND MUSICIAN: BÉLA FLECK, DEF LEPPARD Q&A’s: MY MORNING JACKET, COLBIE CAILLAT, JOSS STONE, MARC BROUSSARD, ADAM ANDERS, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC SPOTLIGHT: THE GREENCARDS, THE JOLLY BOYS, MATT NATHANSON, CHRISTINA PERRI, GOMEZ, YOUSSOU N’DOUR, BATTLES WHO’S NEXT: KATIE COSTELLO, AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE, XIMENA SARIÑANA INDIE SCENE: GARLAND JEFFREYS BEHIND THE CLASSICS:... 
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