This week we review the latest albums from David Bowie, Haunted Love, Taking Back Sunday, Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel, and Rob Thomas.
3 stars (out of 5)
The release of this combined eight-track CD and 12-song DVD of David Bowie's 1999 television appearance will have many scratching their heads and asking: why now?
Whatever the answer, it's a pleasure to see and hear a relaxed, hoodie-wearing Bowie perform in an intimate studio setting, singing a handful of tracks from his (then) new album Hours . . . alongside a few oldies and obscurities.
China Girl and the haunting Word On A Wing are the standout numbers in an hour-long mix of music and anecdote-peppered stand-up.
Single download: Can't Help Thinking About Me
For those who like: The MTV Unplugged series
- Jeff Harford
> Haunted Love. Darkness In A Diamond City. Self-release.
4 stars (out of 5)
This Tex Houston-produced five-track release from Dunedin pop-noir trio Haunted Love should set fans all atremble at the prospect of the full album.
Into The Night and Sweet Baby are shiny gems, evidence of how the band's sound has leaned enticingly towards Bacharach-meets-Morricone since the addition of Logan Valentine on guitar.
Vocals by Rainy McMaster and Geva Downey are pristine, as ever, with their spooky intuition for phrasing and harmony developing as cleverly as their writing.
It's only a matter of time before these pop perfectionists attract major-label interest.
Single download: Darkness In A Diamond City
For those who like: Young Marble Giants, electro-pop, close harmonies, graveyards
- Jeff Harford
> Taking Back Sunday. New Again. Warner.
3 stars (out of 5)
Well, it's finally happened; a post-hardcore band with Emo leanings has matured into an angst-less, radio-friendly, pop-rocker.
And, to win over these cynical ears, Taking Back Sunday must be good. The title says it all, really.
With a new guitar-slinger on board and some lingering bitterness parked up, the Amityville five-piece rocks through a tight set of upbeat, bass-driven anthems.
Transcending screamo posturing, vocalist Adam Lazzara knows when to pull the trigger on his impressive tonsils ... and when to put a plug in it. Nailing melodic hooks with ease, the rest of the band drives home the razor-sharp grooves.
Single download: Swing
For those who like: Elemeno P, Foo Fighters, Op Shop, Goo Goo Dolls
- Mark Orton
> Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel. Willie and the Wheel. Bismeaux Records.
3 stars (out of 5)
A little more well-mannered than the old-time Western swing it harks back to, this collection nonetheless serves up a fair helping of free-wheeling feel-good charm.
Some might say too much grit has been dusted off these Bob Wills/Spade Cooley-era standards - the album's more cocktail bar than roadhouse in feel - but with Nelson far more at ease than in some recent outings, and the Wheel holding a line between playfulness and dutiful devotion to the genre, there's enough here to please the purists.
Single download: Sweet Jennie Lee
For those who like: Bob Wills, Spade Cooley, Willie Nelson
- Paul Mooney
> Rob Thomas. Cradlesong. Emblem/Atlantic
3 stars (out of 5)
As lead vocalist with multi-platinum monoliths Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas has proven himself a master of slick balladeering and formulaic soft rock.
Cradlesong, his second solo release, sees him take a leaf out of his day job, with 14 stately songs coaxed along by languid rhythms, purring guitars and swelling choruses.
While the likes of lead single Her Diamonds and the sun-dappled Hard on You are crammed with hooks, it is Thomas' unruffled, resonant croon that carries the day, and makes Cradlesong perfect fodder for the airwaves.
Single download: Her Diamonds
For those who like: Matchbox 20 (obviously), anthemic choruses
- John Hayden
