TonyDoug's CD Reviews

by tonydoug wright

Outrageous Cherry, Stay Happy (Rainbow Quartz)

The Band: Matthew Smith, Larry Ray, Carey Gustafson, and Courtney Sheedy

The History: These Detroit rock scene alums have been rocking out in the Motor City for over a decade.

The Review: For me, the late 90s were filled with some memorable road trips to see Guided by Voices. The excursion usually involved a Friday show in Cleveland followed up by a Saturday show in Detroit. It may have been an October 1997 gig when I saw Outrageous Cherry open for Guided by Voices at the Magic Stick in Detroit. Honestly, I don’t remember much about Outrageous Cherry’s performance, but I do recall a friend was smitten with their female drummer.

Stay Happy by Outrageous Cherry is a fine garage-glam album. Sometimes people are annoyed with artists who take the throwback route, but Outrageous Cherry is one of those bands that can balance the throwback rock with modern rock. ‘The Illuminated Council for World Destruction’ and ‘Memphis Stereo’ are two standout tracks that bring back the goodtime days of David Bowie and Mott the Hoople. There are times when you listen to an album and it’s obvious that the band has been well-schooled at a rock and roll university and Stay Happy is the result of a great Detroit rock education.

Website: www.myspace.com/outrageouscherry

Doug Powell, Four Seasons (The Paisley Pop Label)

The Artist: Doug Powell

The History: Journeyman Doug Powell has bounced from major label to major label, opened for Todd Rundgren, and served as an executive producer for a Jeff Lynne tribute album.

The Review: It seems that the second coming of Hendrix (a.k.a. Spiv) is not the only multitalented artist to grace the pages of my CD reviews. Our man Doug Powell is not just a musician but the author of a Christian book titled The Holman Quicksource Guide To Christian Apologetics. Looks like Spiv should to get busy writing that autobiography. Powell’s Four Seasons is a collection of music from various demos and EPs. What’s interesting about this album is that Powell has provided the fans with information concerning the songs. The first six tracks, listed as Car Tunes, were recorded in 2004 when Powell was approached to join a Cars reunion sans Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr. The resulting tracks are definitely Cars inspired, but come off as post-Zeppelin Robert Plant fronting a Cars tribute band. Poppy and upbeat, these would-be Cars songs are very dated although you can’t go wrong with ‘Feel for You’.

Venus DeMilo’s Arms are next and are four songs from a long lost EP that was initially recalled because the EP was credited to one “Dong Powell”. Unlike the synth-driven Cars tunes, these tracks from Powell have a psychedelic folk-rock influence especially ‘Do You Know Mary?’, which sounds like something from The Electric Boys circa 1990.

Dolce Vita is the third section featuring two songs from an unfinished album. There is nothing special with ‘The Same Divide’, a Queen inspired song that is more Broadway than rock and roll. The album ends with ‘God Bless Us All’, which Powell wrote for a 1999 Ringo Starr Christmas CD. Sadly, Ringo passed up on this one, but kudos to Powell for writing a song that takes a slight jab at the commercialization of Christmas.

Website: www.dougpowell.com

Shipwreck, House of Cards EP (Self-Released)

The Band: Vladimir Brilliant, Harman Jordan, John Owen, and Christopher Waage

The History: Shipwreck is straight out of Champaign, IL and they have released four EPs since forming in 2003.

The Review: Remember the Brady Bunch episode where the boys challenged the girls to build a house of cards in order to determine who would get the trading stamps from Alice? The Brady kids had a book of stamps that could be traded in for various prizes. The boys wanted something like a canoe, the girls wanted a sewing machine, and chaos ensued. Sadly, the girls lost the house of cards competition, but the Brady boys wised up and used the stamps to buy a gift for everyone.

Shipwreck’s House of Cards is a four-song EP that is truly a potpourri of rock tunes. ‘House of Cards’, the EP’s opening track, is a great opening track with a beat that can be best described as a cool strut. ‘Atlantic’ breaks away from cocky rock beat and goes into a calm atmosphere reminiscent of Pink Floyd. ‘Alias’ has the makings of an Urge Overkill hit, while ‘Black Moon’ is another Floyd-influenced track that ends the EP on a high note. House of Cards is a good EP by Shipwreck, but hopefully there will be a full-length out sometime to showcase the true potential of this talented band.

Website: www.shipwreckband.com

Tom Brosseau, Grand Forks (Loveless Records)

The Artist: Tom Brosseau

The History: Tom Brosseau is a respected member of the Los Angeles folk circuit.

The Review: Grand Forks, North Dakota was crippled during a disastrous April 1997 flood. The city was crippled and eleven buildings were destroyed in the downtown area due to a fire that broke out. The Grand Forks community was able to rebuild, but the flood will never be forgotten.

Call it bluegrass, country, or Americana but Tom Brosseau’s Grand Forks captures the depression and despair of a forgotten American state affected by a natural disaster. Brosseau’s delivery is similar to artists like Will Oldham, where the biggest obstacle is conquering the unique falsetto vocals, which at times can be a little tough on the ears. But when you get past the vocals there is that moment of appreciation where the mystique of the Red River captures your attention and you are sucked into a time of misery. The liner notes for Grand Forks include reflections from Patricia Owens, former Grand Forks Mayor, and Ed Schafer, former Governor of North Dakota.

Website: www.tombrosseau.com

Jeffrey Luck Lucas, What We Whisper (Antebellum Records)

The Artist: Jeffrey Luck Lucas

The History: A former member of The Morlocks, Jeffrey Luck Lucas is a solo artist who debuted with the album Hell Then Divine.

The Review: When I first glanced at the cover of What We Whisper, I noticed the picture of Jeffrey Luck Lucas and thought to myself “That guy has been there and drank that”. This album definitely reflects upon a hard life and What We Whisper moves slowly like the fog carrying a sound of despair and regret. Lucas, at times, sounds like a defeated man, as he goes from song to song trying to remember a better time and place. What We Whisper is one of those albums that are placed on a musical cruise control setting where the accelerator is never punched and the end result is something similar to Smog to Tom Waits.

Website: www.antebellumrecords.com

Michael Zapruder’s Rain of Frogs, New Ways Of Letting Go (Howells Transmitter)

The Band: Jeff Anthony, Yair Evnine, Steve Hogan, Kurt Kotheimer, and Michael Zapruder

The History: Michael Zapruder, a well-known San Francisco musician, recruited artists from The Decemberists, Camper Van Beethoven, Pink Mountain, and Tiny Telephone to form Michael Zapruder’s Rain of Frogs.

The Review: Sometimes I bring CDs for review to work and let my co-workers listen to what I’m reviewing to amuse them and sometimes torture them. My boss hates everything I bring in for reviews and he generally takes the time to rip every album to shreds with an analysis that can be best described as “Cold as ice”. Complements are nonexistent and the only thing he could say about Michael Zapruder’s Rain of Frogs was something along the lines of “Like the Zapruder film, this album has captured something horrific for all eternity”.

I’m not buying the new indie chamber or baroque music style where twenty people get together to record some foo-foo album featuring French horns, triangles, glockenspiels, tubas, cellos, and lutes. Say what you will, but there are some of us out there in the indie universe that are awaiting a return to noise and angst. OK, Michael Zapruder’s Rain of Frogs' New Ways Of Letting Go is a good album, but it’s in that familiar territory of the chamber/baroque indie universe. Consistent from beginning to end, New Ways Of Letting Go appeals to those who need an English horn and alto saxophones with their albums.

Website: www.michaelzapruder.com

Goodmorning Valentine, Steady Your Hands (Collectible Escalators)

The Band: Brody Rauschenberger, Elizabeth Allen, Joey Beltram, Matt Haas, and Dave Rich

The History: STEADY Steady Your Hands is the second album from this Akron, OH band.

The Review: The record label placed a sticker on Steady Your Hands and it reads: “An eclectic Americana that embraces Motown and ‘60s pop, with unforgettable melodies and detailed arrangements.” Labels like this are usually wrong, but this time, the label is right. Goodmorning Valentine has a smooth pop style that does embrace the ‘60s sound but also embraces a sound similar to post Summerteeth Wilco. There are plenty of great tunes on this album, like the upbeat ‘Tiger and the Leper’, the refined pop number ‘City Lights’, and the country inspired ‘Invitation’. Steady Your Hands embraces a potpourri of sounds and the final result is an extremely wonderful album.

Website: www.goodmorningvalentine.com