Bublé confuses, Cohen goes darker
MUSIC MONDAYS: Burnaby crooner’s latest mixed bag of songs sounds like it was recorded by someone else
MICHAEL BUBLÉ Nobody But Me (Warner) When the opening track of the Burnaby crooner’s new release began with strummed acoustic guitar and an almost new country pulse, I thought the label had sent the wrong album. This impression never really left.
Nobody But Me is a mixed bag. That first track, I Believe In You, turns out to be just what it sounded like, countryish crossover pop. Then it’s back to Sinatra and Basie bread-and-butter basics with a decent version of My Kind Of Girl.
However, Bublé has been moving away from Frank in pursuit of the Top 10. The title track, with guest spots from members of the Roots, is one of the best songs he has ever written to get him there.
While some of the pop is catchy — Today (Is Yesterday’s Tomorrow) swings — some covers are headscratchers. On An Evening In Roma (Sotter Celo De Roma), The Very Thought Of You and I Want to Be Around are textbook and rather yawn-inspiring. Someday by Meaghan Trainor and Harry Styles features Trainor in a duet that was widely reported. After listening to it, the name dropping turns out to be the track’s best impact. A fine cover of This Love Of Mine displays some sweet, deeper-register phrasing and a string backing that would make Nelson Riddle smile. LEONARD COHEN You Want It Darker (Sony) First his letter to the late-Marianne Ihlen earlier this year professing “I am so close behind you” is leaked. Then the title track arrives with lines about being “broken and lame.” And now an entire album of tunes such as Leaving The Table (“I’m out of the game”) and It Seemed The Better Way (“Now it’s much too late to turn the other cheek”), appear to make clear that this could be his last release.
Of course, Cohen has been musing on love, death and life and coming to terms with God since his twenties. But he’s 82 now and everything about this seems to be set deep in the night, leaving all light behind. Instrumentation is incredibly sparse in comparison to the orchestral Old Ideas. His voice is very bright in the mix, yet it’s never sounded more deep or haggard.
But even with all those potential downers, his lyrical genius and precociousness still ring through it all. Here’s hoping he gets the next Nobel handed out to a singer/songwriter.
And if you are looking to hear some Leonard songs done differently, local musician Reid Jamieson has released DEAR LEONARD: The Cohen Collection. OPETH Sorceress (Nuclear Blast) The transformation from death metal to full-on progressive metal that Opeth leader Mikael Akerfeldt began back in 2011 with Heritage takes the band on new directions in its latest.
The title track is a total burner, blending Joakim Svalberg’s vintage Uriah Heep-ish keyboard stylings with Sabbath-style lockstep guitar and bass for one of the heaviest tracks the band has released in a decade. But there is also the flute and acoustic folk/rock of Will O The Wisp, exotic Mideast tunings in The Seventh Sojourn and math-like metre mania of A Fleeting Glance.
In other words, something for a fan base that now ranges from septuagenarian King Crimson heads to tween headbangers. THE FUNK HUNTERS & CHALI 2NA
ILLectric EP (thefunkhunters.com)
Festival and local live show faves The Funk Hunters did right bringing in former Jurassic 5 rapper 2na on the mike for its latest record. His staggered flow pairs perfectly with the group’s mix of EDM, hip hop and vintage electro-funk rhythms.
The best track is probably the opener, Oh S--t, which has a spectacularly old-school robot pulse hook that will make the party go off. Other highlights include the slower burning Word To Spread with guest Tom Thumb, which is more of an electro-blues workout.