Alice Cooper pays tribute to Detroit in style
New albums
Alice Cooper, “Detroit Stories” (EARMUSIC): Who says you can’t go home? Alice Cooper, one of Detroit’s most famous sons, does it on new album “Detroit Stories,” producing a masterpiece of classic rock, soul and R&B in homage to the city that produced him.
Cooper does it with assists from members of legendary Detroit rock acts including MC5, Grand Funk and the Detroit Wheels.
“Go Man Go” is a full-speed ahead car chase of a song about a parolee and his girlfriend who just doesn’t know when to stop. It’s one of the best tracks on the album.
“I Hate You” features members of the original Alice Cooper band trading insults in a song that has elements of Devo and the Sex Pistols overlaid on its hard rock foundation, and “Detroit City 2021” name-checks Detroit rock legends including Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, Iggy Pop and Suzi Quatro.
Cooper sounds just like Jim Morrison on “Wonderful World,” and he gives voice to millions of fans who don’t care about their favorite singer’s politics, lifestyle or views on world events on “Shut Up and Rock.”
It’s not often when backup singers steal the show, but it happens with glorious results on “$1000 High Heel Shoes,” a funky track about a nearly broke man whose girlfriend’s entire wardrobe consists of the aforementioned footwear and “a tiny dog collar.” Members of ‘70s disco group Sister Sledge provide backing vocals that outshine Cooper, and the Motor City Horns provide the classic soul sound of countless Motown hit singles.
Wayne Parry, Associated Press
Archie Shepp & Jason Moran, “Let My People Go“(Archieball): The same attributes that make pianist Jason Moran one of the most visionary and inventive artists in modern jazz — his expansive interests, perceptive ears and audacious imaginative leaps chief among them — also make him an ideal collaborator. Witness this outing with legendary saxophonist Archie Shepp, a soul-stirring session that brings together classic spirituals and jazz standards.
The Germantown, Pennsylvania-raised Shepp, one of the defining voices of the 1960s New Thing in jazz, may no longer summon the full ferocity of his “Fire Music” past, but what remains is undeniably powerful in its rough-hewn eloquence.
His once-overwhelming sound is now laced with crags and rasps, but he harnesses the power of those time-worn elements to conjure a breathy, strained tone that is even more compelling for its imperfections. That’s also true of the gravelly baritone that Shepp uses to achingly recite lyrics.
Moran accompanies the saxophonist’s keening wails with a serrated lyricism, undergirded by ominous thunder.
The two meet on the common ground of the American spiritual, imbuing even jazz classics like Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight” and John Coltrane’s “Wise One” with a solemn reverence that doesn’t break the spell cast by deeply felt renditions of “Go Down Moses” and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.”
These intimate, moving performances capture the soulful lament and uplift of those songs while inevitably reflecting on their relevance to our times. Shaun Brady, Philadelphia
Inquirer Song of the moment
Middle Kids, “Cellophane (Brain)” (Domino): The Aussie indie rock trio’s third single from their upcoming sophomore album, “Today We’re the Greatest,” shows total mastery of the pop songwriting formula. The track opens with restrained guitar picks and delicate synths as singer Hannah Joy sets the stage. The song slowly builds into a big payoff of a chorus that gets more evocative after every verse.
“I want to make music that loves its listener,“Joy said in a statement, and “Cellophane (Brain)” — with its enveloping melody and open-arms guitar — might be the most honest expression of exactly that.
The follow-up to 2018’s hit debut, “Lost Friends,” is out on March 19 and is produced by Lars Stalfors, who has worked on notable productions for Electric Guest, St. Vincent and others.
Adrian Spinelli, San Francisco Chronicle