Trax
By Bliss 10/23/2008
VARIOUS ARTISTS, Little Steven’s Underground Garage Presents Halloween A Go-Go (Wicked Cool) (3 stars out of 5)
Leave it to Little Steven to produce a Halloween comp that’s about more than the standard ghosts ‘n’ goblins fare — and fun. In throwing together light-hearted rockabilly (Carl Perkins), can’t-miss blues (Howlin’ Wolf), restless rockers (Bruce Springsteen, Minus 5, British mod revivalists Jarvis Humby), pop curveballs (Tegan & Sara) and psychedelic garage-rock gems (Roky Erickson, the Pretty Things, the Chesterfield Kings, Finland’s Sweatmaster), the disc aims straight for the underlying fears that give the holiday its spooky allure. www.littlestevensundergroundgarage.com.
IKE & TINA TURNER,Sing the Blues (Acrobat) (3.5 stars out of 5)
Those who witnessed Tina Turner’s recent concert acrobatics at Staples Center, or who’ve been only dimly aware of her beginnings as Ike Turner’s shimmying muse, would do well to check out this 18-track compilation of their early Blue Thumb recordings — or 1997’s “Bold Soul Sister,” which boasts almost all the tracks here. This new UK offering’s liner notes reassess Ike Turner’s musical significance, but the honest revelations are in Tina’s searing performances. There’s nothing like the miasmic funk of, say, “Funkier Than a Mosquita’s Tweeter,” but these are the truest blues she ever sang. www.acrobatmusic.net.
THE BITTERSWEETS, Goodnight, San Francisco (Compass) (3.5 stars out of 5)
his former Bay Area quintet’s Shawn Colvin-style folk-pop’s lost none of its melodic bounce since downsizing to a trio in Nashville. Guitarist/keyboardist Chris Meyers drives poetic lyrics (“The fog creeps in like a silent thief/ Stealing the sunlight off my cheek”) with powerful hooks, from the single “Wreck” to touching fare like “Is Anyone Safe?” and the suicide lament “45.” Melodic melancholy sounds hopeful when given wing by Hannah Prater, whose haunting soprano’s reminiscent of Kathleen Edwards or an airier Jenny Lewis. At Hotel Café Wednesday. www.thebittersweets.com.
VARIOUS ARTISTS, Sound of the World Presents Beyond the Horizon (Warner Classics & Jazz) (3 stars out of 5))
BBC Radio DJ Charlie Gillett’s eighth compilation’s another outstanding introduction to global artists and styles. This two-disc collection’s value lies in its juxtaposition of trusted entities such as Manu Chao, Dengue Fever, DeVotchKa, Lucky Dube, Toumani Diabate, Youssou N’Dour and CéU with entrancing lesser-knowns such as Trinidad’s Kobo Town, Uzbeki Sevara, French vocalist Soha, Russia’s Zulya, DJ Rupture’s Zimbabwean-influenced mix of Fósforo and British guitarist Justin Adams’ inspired collaboration with Gambian griot Juldeh Camara. www.soundoftheworld.com.
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