Local CD Reviews
“Around Hear” is a monthly feature where a stable of IE writers review albums sent to us by local musicians. If you are interested in having your CD (must have a minimum of three songs) reviewed and are Illinois-based, mail it and any other media materials to 657 A W. Lake St., Chicago IL, 60661. Everything that meets the aforementioned guidelines will be reviewed in the order received. This may take several months.
Emotive and heartfelt, singer-songwriter Jeffrey Altergott‘s music expresses intensely personal sentiments in an acoustic-guitar-based format on his latest, Don’t Be A Stranger. Though he enlisted a few special guests for these sessions, Altergott and his guitar are the focus, especially his smooth vocal delivery, which ups the listenability quotient quite a bit. His songs speak from his heart and are successful at what they are trying to do. Especially snappy is Altergott’s cover of “Over The Rainbow,” which takes the song in a fun folk-pop direction. (www.jeffreyaltergott.com)
– Mike O’Cull
The music featured on Lindsay Anderson‘s If is the kind that breaks your heart with every listen, leaving an indelible impression in much the same way. Recalling Tori Amos on the piano-driven “Two Steps” and Lori Carson on the fragile “Sweetness And Light,” the album’s standouts, though, have to be the playful and whispery “Here And Now” and the ’70s-tinged break-up song “Give You Away.” Much like the fond memories of the one that got away, If is an album you’ll want to remember. (www.lindsayanderson.net)
– Dean Ramos
From the picture on the cover of his new seven-song CD, Welcome To The Show, to the track titles and lyrics, it’s clear Vince SanFilippo, performing as The Artist Formerly Known As Vince, has a warped sense of humor. Fortunately he also has the chops to support his audio antics, as tunes like “Come & Touch Me” and “Bimbo Du Jour” fuse campy pop hooks with punk sensibilities. It’s honest-to-goodness aural vaudeville. (www.vincerock.com)
– Jeff Berkwits
Jimi Hendrix is alive and well and living in Milwaukee. At least that’s what it sounds like on the Bryan Cherry Band‘s new CD, Now You Know, as Cherry uncannily channels the guitarist’s voice and sound on such tunes as “Spiderwebs” and “Distrust.” All 12 tracks are solid blends of rock and soul that, while obviously a tad derivative, nonetheless serve as remarkable (albeit perhaps unintentional) tributes to the long-gone legend. (www.bryancherry.com)
– Jeff Berkwits
Deep Cricket Night‘s Honeymoon Tattoo is a concise document spelled out with low-slung moodiness and a delightfully crooked sense of melody. The slightest country twang encroaches upon the faint folk-rock rustle of “White Light Horses.” The Middle-Eastern ambience present in the percussion and plucking on “Is This It?” is a surprising, even jarring juxtaposition, nestled next to the keening cello in “Oh Yeah.” Lane Drake’s withering vocals cut through the mix with the right touch of sawn-edge rawness, giving the album an emotional foundation and sonic anchor. (www.deepcricketnight.com)
– Patrick Conlan
Jordan Catalano’s ghost is all over Springfield trio Enamel. On the group’s second disc, Stray This Way (and the first with a new lineup composed of newcomers Zack Gray on bass, Sam Ganci on drums/piano, and sole original member Kevin Wamer on vocals/guitar), echoes of actor-turned-musician Jared Leto’s band 30 Seconds To Mars take centerstage. Soaring vocals and sludgy guitars on “Beat It Out” open this sophomore effort with aplomb. Eat your heart out Angela Chase. (www.enamelband.com)
– Janine Schaults
While the musicianship is rock solid on Beware The Foot, Vol. 1, the debut from Happy Butterfly Foot, the real standout is Rachel Katzman’s sultry voice. A former student of sacred Hebrew music, her Bonnie Raitt-like vocals enliven nearly every cut on this soul/funk jaunt. “Back In Time” and “Who Knew” are especially sweet, but all 10 songs are across-the-board appealing. (www.happybutterflyfoot.com)
– Jeff Berkwits
Hurtlocker‘s tough-as-rocks Embrace The Fall doesn’t care about metalcore’s diminishing returns any more than it cares about staying true to the subgenre. Where Hatebreed puts a breakdown, Hurtlocker puts a schizo guitar solo, then brags about it like the heavyweight champion of the world: “I am Napalm!” yells vocalist Grant Belcher on “I Am Napalm.” Yes, Hurtlocker is signed to Austrian metal label Napalm, but can the band flex less and shred more? The contorted, Buckethead-type bridge on “At Last” makes anything possible. (www.hurtlocker.biz)
– Mike Meyer
Indignant‘s What Is & What Was aren’t as preoccupied with hard liquor as their image suggests. They like beer, too (“Chasing Myths”). And they’re family men, as the C&W rocker “Little Sister” so humorously details: “I got me a little sister/Lord, she’s just like me/drinking, smoking, cussing, fighting now/they’ll lock her up and lose the key.” When city slickers play outlaw country, they need to be convincing. Indignant have that covered. (www.indignantmusic.com)
– Mike Meyer
Category: Around Hear, Columns, Monthly
