Chris Isaak
Live at the Fillmore
(Mailboat)
Chris Isaak’s 2009 studio release Mr. Lucky proved (again) that Isaak is more than a musician who mines the past and possesses an ultra-smooth singing voice. That album is chock full of tasty, almost U2-flavored guitars, relentlessly catchy tunes, and a varied musical palate that draws from rock, rockabilly, country, and even swing in distinctive style.
On the heels of such a success, this live album is a disappointment, though diehard fans will no doubt love it, warts and all. Here, Isaak’s focused tunefulness gives way to rambling live performances that sometimes descend to half-baked jams. When that happens, Isaak’s band, though clearly talented, steers the proceedings directly away from what Isaak does best: deliver compelling, hook-laden songs. At some point in the middle of this lengthy album, in a wailing cliche of a guitar solo that’s gone on for too many minutes, you may well find your finger drifting to the stop button. —James Heflin
Brandi Disterheft
Second Side
(Justin Time)
Canadian bassist Brandi Disterheft’s second CD shows her emerging as a performer and writer to be reckoned with. Second Side has a number of moments that make the listener want to hear more, particularly on witty jazz like “My Only Friends Are Pigeons.”
Drummer Sly Jubas and Disterheft blend seamlessly as sax players Chris Gale and Shawn Nyquist duel on the melody. The contributions of vocalists Holly Cole and Lanee Lee are also highlights.
However, there is too much stylistic dabbling. In the liner notes, Disterheft expresses love for the music of Milton Nascimento, Simon and Garfunkel and Joni Mitchell, as well as Miles, Mingus and Jackie McLean. The result of trying to pay tribute to all those idols at once is an album with individual tunes that shine, but which fails to hold together. —Jeffrey Siegel
Spouse
Confidence
(Nine Mile)
A few things get established right away on the opening track of Confidence. For starters, this is a rock band that isn’t afraid to really sing, delivering tight harmony on a melody that wafts and drifts in interesting ways, contrasting with the pleasant drone of the instruments. It’s also clear that Spouse has a wickedly sophisticated sense of pop. There’s a tight interplay of instruments that’s never overly flashy, providing commentary more than mere underpinning for the vocal parts. If that sounds like a portrait of a precious brand of pop, fear not: Spouse gets surprisingly noisy at times, too, tangling big guitar sounds with a busy rhythm section, approaching the sounds of heavier Valley benchmarks like the projects of J Mascis. On the other hand, moments like that might well be followed by something akin to radio-ready mainstream sounds. On Confidence, an accomplished band confidently embraces a wide variety of sounds and textures that are seldom less than attention-grabbing. —James Heflin
