Morissette dazzles on ‘Road’
Excellent comeback
TBy Cristina Jaleru
he piano is back. The voice is back. The angst is back. A genre onto herself, Alanis Morissette comes out in force with her ninth studio album “Such Pretty Forks In the Road”, where she untangles some of the thornier moments of her life since we’ve last heard from her in 2012. Postpartum depression, check. Management embezzlement, check. Music industry fatigue, check. Joy of motherhood, check.
Morissette’s creative companion, the piano, takes us on a journey that’s sometimes dramatic, sometimes somber, sometimes playful, sometimes wistful. But it’s the electric guitar riffs that add a sheen of nostalgia; “Ablaze” and “Sandbox Love” have that sound that perfectly encapsulates a CW show from the mid-aughts.
“Smiling” puts the rictus on the church organ and pulls off a ballad with a twist of register that rocks your rocks off. “Reasons I Drink” has that Billy Joel lilt but more acerbic lyrics about surviving in the music industry for so long, while the harried and troubled piano on “Reckoning” channels empowering anger. “Diagnosis” hits a nerve with its raw lyrics about struggling with postnatal depression.
Despite its unassuming musicality, the 11-track “Such Pretty Forks In the Road” dazzles with its simple comfort charms.
“Made of
Rain” (Cooking Vinyl)
There’s a comforting familiarity to
released.
Malik B, whose real name is Malik Abdul Basit, was a major contributor to the group, which includes Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter.
Malik B
Fabric
“Made of Rain”, the Psychedelic Furs’ excellent new release and their first studio album in 29 years.
The British band made a splash in the mid-’80s with alternative radio hits like “Pretty In Pink”, “Love My Way” and “Heartbreak Beat” before disbanding for nearly a decade.
After some side projects, they returned to the concert circuit in 2000 and issued a 2001 live album with a new studio track.
Until now, 1991’s “World Outside” was the last in a series of studio efforts with many more peaks than valleys, so getting back to recording after such a long a break could have presented the Furs with numerous risks and obstacles, especially how or if to update their sound for this new phase.
Fortunately, and, considering their catalog, even expectedly, “Made of Rain” is immediately recognizable as the work of the Butler brothers’ band, with Richard singing as good as ever and Tim’s bass underpinning their intense melodicism and packed arrangements.
While master guitarist John Ashton from the band’s classic era is not back, Rich Good has over a decade’s worth of experience in the Furs and his layers of strums are a big part of the sonic continuity, as are Mars Williams’ saxophone, Amanda Kramer’s keyboards and Paul Garisto’s drumming.
Songs like the intense “The Boy Who Invented Rock & Roll”, the dramatically alienated “No-One” and the desperate but romantic “Hide the Medicine” are all worthy of inclusion on the Furs’ next greatest hits selection. (AP)
He appeared on four albums before departing the group in 1999. The group won its first Grammy the following year.
The Roots, who also perform as the house band on the Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show”, paid homage to Malik B for his rap talents and faith. “We regretfully inform you of the passing of our beloved brother and long time Roots member Malik Abdul Basit,” the group said on Twitter. “May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam and innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time. We ask that you please respect his family in our time of mourning.”
Malik B returned as a featured guest on the group’s 2006 album “Game Theory” and “Rising Down” in 2008. As a solo artist, he released two studio albums named “Street Assault” and “Unpredictable”. (AP)