The cover notes contain commentary by Scarlett Johansson and producer David Andrew Sitek, telling how the original songs influenced and touched them, and why they were included on the album. This could be truthful, or it could be, as it seems to me, complete lip service to shore up what amounts to a vanity project. I get the impression that Scarlett Johansson likes Tom Waits not because of his songs, but because it’s just kind of cool and off-beat to do so. …
Barenaked Ladies - Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan
Shout Factory (11/6/07)
Unrated
67 minutes
Barenaked Ladies (no “The” necessary) are a band that thrives on their live performances. While performing live, at times they seem more like a comedy troupe that learned how to play instruments than an actual pop band. In saying this, and as somewhat [...]
Prince - Planet Earth
Sony Music (7/24/07)
Pop / R&B
I enjoy Prince’s hits, let me say that. I’m not a hardcore fan, but I enjoy the songs you hear on the radio. I’ve enjoyed them since I was a kid in the ’80s, thinking Prince basically as a funky alternative to Michael Jackson on the R&B/pop [...]
Cake - B-Sides and Rarities
Upbeat Records (6/19/07)
Rock / Alternative
Purchase it at CakeMusic.com
California band Cake (or CAKE, as the kids say) have been producing their unique blend of alt-country-rock with undertones of 1940s jazz-pop since 1995. Through six albums, they have carved out a niche almost exclusive to themselves and have attracted a loyal, if not [...]
Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55
Vice Records (North American release 4/24/07)
Rock / Pop
My first thought when listening to this album was that Charlotte Gainsbourg is trying to prove something. There was a subtext throughout the eleven songs of 5:55 that spoke, at least to me, of a breaking away of chains. It was clear I was going [...]
Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked Ladies Are Men
Desperation Records (2/6/07)
Pop / Rock
They’ve gone from singing about macaroni and cheese, underwear jokes and chimpanzees to singing about marriage, perils of success and politics. After seventeen years as a band, Canada’s Lost Boys of pop have grown up. But is that a good thing?
Well, yes and no.
Barenaked Ladies [...]