MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: BAHAMAS - BARCHORDS

The Bahamas album is like a buffet with some of the best food around, where you grab a little of this, a little of that, and it all mixes great on the plate.  Afie Jurvanen has been a guitar player for hire, with Feist, Great Lake Swimmers and others, and you can hear lots of influences.  There's Feist in her softer, sparer, love song mode.  There's Ron Sexsmith's laconic vocal style, and precise lyrics.  There's Lanois's echo and atmosphere.  There's even latter-period Beatles dramatic simplicity (think Don't Bring Me Down).

All good stuff.  Best though, is how smooth it goes down, how simple and elegant it is, and how strong the songs are.  Each one has an easy gentleness, along with moments that soar, plus grand and soothing melodies.  I wouldn't call these numbers stripped-down, as they all feature guitar, bass, drums and lots of vocals, but there is lots of space, and nothing unnecessary.  The three instruments, especially Jurvanen's guitar, give us everything we need.  This certainly lets the glow of his voice come through, and the notes ring out.  Just the right amount of knob-twiddling gives so much punch and presence.  OK Alright I'm Alive features plunked bass, cymbals taps and guitar chunks in the sparest way possible, but still stays bouncy and funky.

He even manages to make noise sounds pretty.  On the track Never Again, a one-note guitar line becomes fast, distorted, and loud, but still seems to be coming from a wispy cloud rather than a thunder storm.  All this sonic ability serves the words so well, as hushed intimacies and admissions become monumental.  Plus, Jurvanen is a super crooner.  I'd call it ear candy, but the compositions and lyrics are so strong, that's too flippant for this quality disc.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: JOAN OSBORNE - BRING IT ON HOME

Osborne proved herself a strong interpreter of classics on the soundtrack to Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, and most of her past decade has been spent on R'n'B in its many guises.  So this album is a bit of a no-brainer, but it's done the right way.  Osborne covers a variety of tracks by the masters, but, thank God, not the usual ones.  In fact, she's tried hard to pick relatively obscure ones.

Many of the writers' names are well-known, including Willie Dixon, Al Green, Otis Redding, Allen Toussaint, and Bill Withers.  The original performers, for the most part, are famous as well:  Ray Charles, Sonny Boy Williamson, Ike and Tina Turner.  But I can't tell you off the top of my head which album you'll find Green doing Rhymes, or Redding singing Champagne And Wine.  Kudos, Ms. Osborne, because in your hands, these sound like they must have been hits.  Equally adept at big, blustery ballads, and hard-driving numbers, she mixes up the tempos and styles to give a solid overview of everything from Deep South blues and New Orleans boogie, to Chicago electric and Memphis funk.

There are two that stand out however, and oddly they are the best-known.  Dixon's I Want To Be Loved, as done by Muddy Waters, is dark and dirty and sexy, with cooing backing vocals, nasty harp and a killer groove, topped off by her smouldering singing.  And she steals Slim Harpo's Shake Your Hips right back from Mick Jagger, barely changing a lick from the original, but again singing like a powerhouse.  This, lordy mama, is R'n'B like it's supposed to be, all muscle.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: JW-JONES - SEVENTH HOUR

One of Canada's favourite bluesmen gets soulful on his latest.  From Stax to jump blues tempo, this is uptempo stuff for the large part, with JW and his band in upbeat mode.  Are blues albums supposed to be this much fun?  Screw it, why not?

Jones is flying all over this one, with every song a natural for soloing.  Lead cut Ain't Gonna Beg sees him in crisp and clean Steve Cropper territory, with slashing rhythm chords and driving Hammond organ from Jesse Whitely.  It's a take-no-prisoners cut, two verses, and then wow!  What a lead break.  This could have been an Eddie Floyd single in 1967.  Let It Go, one of the eight out of ten Jones' originals here, stomps along with a good-time beat, and a great big riff, kinda what T. Rex might've sounded like if Bolan had gone with the blues instead of boogie.  In A Song is another potential Stax hit, if we wind the way-back machine to the '60's and 70's, maybe when Albert King signed with the label.  Again, like almost all the songs here, JW hits a major, eyebrow-raising solo. 

Vocally, Jones is also getting into the soul crooner mode, and doing it well.  He doesn't have the deep growl or pure tone of others, but he's certainly capturing the energy, and commitment.  With a live-in-the-studio sound, and just the core four-piece grooving away, there's a great energy all the way through.  You can single out every player on every song for excellence, and this one's a winner for sure.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE CRANBERRIES - ROSES

Wow, where did eleven years go?  That's how long it's been between albums for The Cranberries, a band that had almost given up any thoughts of reforming.  But it turns out they weren't sick of themselves, they were very, very tired of superstar culture, and who can blame them.  Lead singer Dolores O'Riordan settled into relative calm, living north of Toronto with her Canadian husband, raising three kids and two solo albums.

An invitation to the band to work with her on gigs after the 2nd solo led to a full-blown reunion tour a couple of years back, and now, after figuring out how to deal with it all, the band is completely back with this new album.  The Cranberries always stand out, and that's mostly due to O'Riordan's voice.  Her thick Irish accent is always there, her breathy vocals, often in double-tracked harmony, bring a huge amount of intimacy, and since many of the songs are about romantic tension, well, it's all a potent mix.  Original producer of the early big hits, Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur) is also back, to give it that ringing, rich Britpop shine.

All that ear candy hides some relatively mundane lyrics, and too many melodramatic love songs.  For instance:  "Life is no garden of roses/More like a thistle in time."  Huh?  A cliche and a conundrum.  And in the same song, we get "Life IS a garden of roses/Roses just whither and die."  So which is it, Ms. Metaphor?  And everything is so serious.  Here are some random words from the O'Riordan lyric sheets:  Fire, grave, broken glass, asunder, empty, lonely, cold, die.  Geez, just add vampires, and you've got a hit movie for teens.  But..and it's a big but...  when they come out of that singer, with that voice, and those arrangements, with that gravitas. everyone of those words sounds important.  Throw the booklet away, listen to the sounds and not the words, and you have what makes The Cranberries different.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE B-52'S - WITH THE WILD CROWD (DVD)

A celebratory hometown gig in Athens, Georgia, for the venerable party band, at 34 years of age.  Sure, they aren't the carefree kids of Planet Claire any more, but they can still party out of bounds.  It's remarkable how well their music has stood the test of time, and how well they continue to make those good vibes.  Always oddball outcasts, it must be gratifying to see how much influence and goodwill still comes from their music.

The packed crowd is almost as much fun as the band on the DVD, with aging original fans mixed in with kids that know the legacy, and many of them decked out in outrageous finery, silly sunglasses and whatever colourful contraband they can muster.  They have no problem embracing the newer songs, and in fact those tunes fit in well with the classics, so much so that Love Shack can be left to the end of the set, and Planet Claire and Rock Lobster saved for encores.  Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson prove much better vocalists and performers than you'd think, given the casual atmosphere that's always surrounded the group.  When they sing together, which is often, their voices blend well, the harmonies are strong, and their smiles light up the room and your heart.

Fred Schneider admittedly speaks more than sings his leads, but that's the style that made the group unique.  He's a goodwill ambassador, letting us all know it's a-okay to laugh as well as sing along, and better still, dance. 

There's history in the air through the whole concert, with old Athens haunts in the lyrics getting big whoops, and the fact the group is going strong worthy of a great party.  52 Girls, with its shout-out to the Athens women who were friends in the old days, takes on new importance in this party, and Deadbeat Club, what they used to call each other before they were a band, must feel extra-special to them so many years later.  The accompanying interview with the group has them going through the history, a great story of fun and friendship that proved even freaks and geeks can become the popular kids.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MEATLOAF - HELL IN A HANDBASKET

We all know about One Hit Wonders.  Those are the smash hits that come out of nowhere, become a huge seller and chart-topper, and then the artist in question disappears, never to bother the airwaves and music collections again.  Yet that one hit, and the name behind it, live on.  Debbie Boone, and You Light Up My Life.  Starland Vocal Band's Afternoon Delight.  Carl Douglas with Kung Fu Fighting.  Who Let The Dogs Out.  Whoever did The Macarena.  Norman Greenbaum's Spirit In The Sky.  There are dozens of examples.

Has anyone ever come up with the concept of the One Album Wonder?  Maybe, but I can't recall it.  So wahoo, I get to coin the term (I think) and make up the rules.  So here goes:  A One Album Wonder should be by someone who records one great big hit album, something that was a bona fide smash, so huge that seemingly everyone had it, but then never comes close to matching that success.  I don't care if they had a follow-up that charted well; that's bound to happen, no matter how crappy the album was, because if you sold five million copies, you know that at least one million would have bought the follow-up, hoping for more of the same.  That's okay by my rules, I'm looking for that band with only one album they are remembered for.  Perhaps some examples would best explain my criteria:  Peter Frampton is the most obvious one.  He had a long career before and after Frampton Comes Alive, in The Herd first, then Humble Pie, plus a few solo albums, but really, all he will ever be remembered for is that big double-live disc.  The horrid I'm In You killed his career immediately after.

How about Boston?  Nothing following lived up to that debut, featuring More Than A Feeling.  Christopher Cross makes the list, Ride Like The Wind and Sailing off his self-titled debut becoming huge hits, the album gaining five Grammy Awards, and then ..mostly crickets.  Feel free to make your own lists of One Album Wonders, but be warned I'm rushing to the copywrite office first thing Monday.

Here's another:  Meatloaf.  Sure, he's continued his career from the 70's until today, but he'll always be that Bat Out Of Hell guy.  Oh, and doesn't he know it?  Even though Mr. Marvin Aday has had an enviable sales record since, with multi-platinum releases and epic concert tours, he's always really been trading in on that initial success.  It's no surprise his biggest hit since the first Bat took flight in 1977 has been Bat Out Of Hell 2:  Back Into Hell, from 1993.  Remember that?  Perhaps hazily.  Yet it was a number one album around the world.  Even Bat Out Of Hell III:  The Monster Is Loose, from 2006, went platinum in this country.  Its follow-up, Hang Cool Teddy Bear?  Not a trace of that one around.

It seems the key to Meat's success is to remind us of his One Album Wonder status.  That means he has to stick the word Bat Or Hell in the title somewhere, but he can't go back to that well too often.  Which leads us to a new ploy for this album, with a more subtle reference here, calling it Hell In A Handbasket.  Sounds an awful lot like ..you-know-what.  Oh, and there are skulls all over the album graphics.  I'm not really sure why, as the album is largely a bunch of love ballads, done up in typical bombastic Meat Loaf music.

Don't be fooled by any of this, even if you are a huge Bat Out Of Hell fan.  There's no storyline or theatrical concept going on.  It's a collection of substandard old-style rock songs, which for the most part sound like nostalgia for a time when music sucked.  The production is to blame as much as the poor writing.  The guitars sound like they are being played by old bar-band veterans who never upgraded and are still using the same pedals.  The backing vocals are a homage to the work of Patti Smyth and Scandal (speaking of one hit wonders).  To blame is someone named Paul Crook, who seems to have spent a lifetime studying the studio mastery of Journey, and still getting it wrong.  For those who loved corporate rock, we salute you.

Meat sounds exactly the same, so it can't be him that's wrong here, unless he's completely calling the shots.  Certainly bad choices abound, including the ridiculous inclusion of Chuck D, on a song that couldn't be less suited to rap.  Oh, I'm wrong, because they do the same trick later, only this time it's the unholy trinity of Lil Jon, Mark McGrath and Trace Atkins.  Hell, indeed.  It's called Stand In the Storm, and wow, they used thunderstorm sound effects.  As for covers, Tom Cochrane might wish he hadn't written a number called Mad Mad World, because the title caught their attention.  It's no worse than anything else here.  But surely someone must be held accountable for the inexplicable and inexcusable murder of California Dreamin'.  The poor thing barely had a pulse as it is, having been beaten senseless by The Beach Boys and dozens of others over the years.  This is the worst ever.  It also has nothing to do with hell, bats, or skulls, so I'm really not sure why it was sacrificed.  Hell, Meat could've done Ride Like The Wind, which would have, given my theories and inventions, totally just.

MUSIC REVIEW + CHAT: GORD BAMFORD - IS IT FRIDAY YET?

Gord Bamford couldn't look less like a country star this morning, as he drops by to promote his new disc, Is It Friday Yet?  No cowboy hat, no boots, and certainly no star threads; he's wearing a hoodie, and one that's seen its share of wear.  But that fits Bamford to a T.  Hard-working, humble and level-headed, he does what he does, and you get what you see, and hear.  And what Bamford does is make country hits.

Just how seriously does he take the job?  Well, he shouldn't be on the road right now, or on the stage.  Or even out of bed, really.  Two weeks before I talked to him, Bamford was in hospital, having emergency gall bladder surgery.  I've had that operation, it's not huge, but you don't bounce out of bed the next day, it was three weeks recovery for me.

Umm, Gord Bamford bounced out of bed the next day.  He had to be on-stage, promoting the new album.  "There's nothing you can do in that situation," he laughs.  "You just have to do it.  And it was okay, that first night was a little tough but the album was coming out, and there was no way to cancel things."  Well, I beg to differ.  Performers cancel whole tours due to throat problems, or take a week off to deal with laryngitis or whatever.  I'm just saying, the guy has some work ethic.

Bamford likes to make songs that could be hits, and his new album is full of them.  Of the thirteen cuts, I tell him twelve of them could be singles.  "I'm glad you feel that way," he beams.  "That's what I set out to do.  It's the kind of music I want to make, and the kind I always liked."  Now, that doesn't mean he writes cookie-cutter material, mimicking what's on radio already, or re-writing the same Gord Bamford song over and over.  In fact, he takes more chances than not.  Farm Girl Strong does a gender-reversal on the typical macho rural theme.  You Make It Better is steeped in old-school Western sounds, like something that could have been recorded in the 50's.  There's always a thread of legitimate, Western sound to this Alberta boy's music, and you just aren't going to hear him try to crossover to slicker stuff.

The chances continue with Now That You're Gone, a song that imagines what it would be like if a wife, mother and partner dies.  "I was just thinking how that would be, and how someone could go on," he explains.  "It was tough to write, but maybe somebody will be affected by it.  I thought it was important to write."  Of course, it grabs you by the heart.  That's another big part of what Bamford does.

The title cut is the first single, lots of fun and working its magic for him already.  It may hit home with most of his fans, out there waiting for the weekend.  But Friday holds no magic for Bamford.  He's going 24-7 right now, and I really don't think he ever stops.