Cold
Year of the Spider
Geffen Records
Take some of the best hooks from metal,
throw in some of the piercing and tattoos blasČ of grunge, mix with
some alternative college-style social attitude and you get an idea
of what the red-hot group Cold is all about.
Vocalist Scooter Ward has a voice and fashion sense not unlike an
‘80s Bono-type lead singer, (but manages to be a little less
annoying). The 13 tracks of their newest album year of the spider
are as far as you can get from the standard release of slapped together
tracks destined for mega-corporate radio play, although “Stupid
Girl” has already done well on the airways. The sound is well
constructed and layered, creating a slick and hefty collection that’s
ready to be slid into the CD player before you even leave the parking
lot, no matter what temperature these guys might be. —Brandon
Whitehead
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Bob Walkenhorst
The Beginner
Bat Records
Back a few lifetimes ago, Bob Walkenhorst
was the lead singer for alt-country rockers the Rainmakers, and his
solo debut The Beginner carries on their fine musical tradition
with gusto.
Far from any beginner himself, Walkenhorst shows that his song-writing
ability is as strong as ever, particularly on tracks like “Jan
Vermeer” and “Call a Wrecker.” KC’s own cloud-shaker
has grown considerably in his affinity for citified-country melodies,
and ballads like “Life Can Turn” and “Proof” are
elegantly poignant and heartfelt.
Often found playing these days at Malloy’s Bar in Westport (call
for times), the Mississippi River’s favorite son has once again
brought some much-needed muddy waters from the bank for us all to
share, so drink up — and leave your umbrellas at home. —Brandon
Whitehead
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Jewel
0304
Atlantic Records
Is this album really Jewel? From the synthesized keyboards in place
of her acoustic guitar to the clapping track, 0304 at first
listen plays like the mainstream pop of the radio today — even
more so than This Way. It would be a great injustice to Jewel
to even attempt to compare it with her previous acoustic-guitar driven
style.
Tracks which stand out include the disturbing “Haunted,”
in which the listener sees the stalking of a woman from a male perspective,
and “Leave the Lights On,” whose chorus’ syncopated
and funky rhythm sets itself apart miles away from other cuts. And
while mixing in whistling, an accordion, trumpet, snare drum and chamberlain,
it seems Jewel still has something up her sleeve to keep us guessing.
But Jewel is Jewel is a jewel. She has a rocking voice, whether singing
the soulful ballad “Who Will Save Your Soul” from Pieces
of You to the commercial America “Intuition” from 0304.
—Jessica Chapman
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Vigalantee
The $5 Likk
Phatadat Records
Local musicians often fail to get all the details ironed out
for their first CDs, often resulting in poorly engineered tracks,
bad vocals or flat tones. Vigalantee’s debut album The $5
Likk licks right through all that with skill and ease, resulting
in a surprisingly wide-ranging selection of fast hard-thumpin’
rap, funky love ballads and soulful hip-hop that sounds far more like
somebody’s third or forth album rather than their first.
The tracks are crisp, the vocals catchy and the beat is wonderfully
simple, enhancing instead of overwhelming the slick melodies. Songs
like “Lies” and “Permission” (hmm, guess what
that one’s about…) sound like top-ten stuff and are worth
a hell of a lot more than a five bucks.
—Brandon Whitehead
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