Mary Gauthier, The Foundling

“There’s freedom in knowing that you don’t have to know it all,” she says, “which is why to me, a song should end with a question, not an answer.”  It might seem that after six groundbreaking albums of original songs, more than a dozen years of recording and touring around the world, a harvest of music industry awards, and covers of her songs by a roster of great artists – that Mary Gauthier (say it: go-shay) should have a handle on some of the big answers.  Yet with each new album, with each new cycle of songs that illuminate her soul, with each old and new set of characters and life changes she introduces, Mary is always ending up with more questions.  Where do her people come from and where do they go?  How can they find shelter from the storm?  What is the truth? It is said that the master songwriters – the “truth tellers,” as Mary refers to the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith – always put a piece of themselves into every song and first shined light on the truth and lies of her world before she began to put pen to paper herself. It’s up to the listener to imagine what is real and what is a dream.  This sense of autobiography has always loomed large in the work of Mary Gauthier.  On her newest album, The Foundling, her first concept album, Mary opens the door on the defining circumstance of her life, the emotional journey and aftermath of finding the mother who surrendered her in New Orleans after her birth in March 1962 (the month Bob Dylan released his first album, to put a perspective on it). On The Foundling, Mary explains via her website (www.marygauthier.com), “the songs tell the story of a kid abandoned at birth who spent...

John Grant, The Queen of Denmark

One time vocalist with criminally underrated The Czars John Grant had all but given up on the notion of being a musician before he was convinced by Midlake to get back into the studio. Not content with producing one of the albums of this year themselves (The Courage of Others), Midlake offered their services to Grant as his band. The long shot of which is that this collaboration has thrown up yet another candidate for one of the best long players you’ll hear in 2010. Not that there’s anything particularly current about the sound of Queen of Denmark – far from it. This is an album that emulates the smooth sounds of the West Coast circa the early 70′s, and with Midlake being so adept at plundering musical history there’s no better band for such a purpose. Grant’s themes of disappointment, heartbreak, relationships, religious bigotry, and, er…Sigourney Weaver are all subjects that transcend time however. Kicking off with the gentle folk of ‘TC and Honeybear’ Grant deals with heartbreak straight away. Essentially a tale of insecurity, love and loss, it’s a wonderfully warm ballad of epic proportions that throws everything into the mix and never once sounds overbearing. Flutes flitting around like butterflies? Present and correct. Otherworldly mourning backing vocals from something that sounds like an angelic choir? They’re over by the fountain. A massive baritone voice that bursts with emotion over a perfectly executed climax? It’s all right there with Grant’s voice dripping an irresistible warm timbre all over this tale of loss. A perfect opener then, and from here on, Grant and Midlake don’t let up. ‘I Wanna Go To Marz’ is a quirky folk number which is essentially Willy Wonka’s product list coupled with some carefully placed sci-fi imagery. For some reason the mix of the authenticity of folk and the otherworldly imagery inspire a desperate...

Al Stewart, Uncorked (Live With Dave Nachmanoff)

Al Stewart’s first all-acoustic live recording since 1992’s Rhymes In Rooms is a little like reconnecting with an old friend. Although not entirely unexpected, it’s still a welcome reminder of just how fine a talent the one-time “Year Of The Cat” hit-maker really is. Especially when left alone in a room to do his thing unadorned by the strings and over-production of some of those records made back when Stewart filled arenas, rather than the smaller, folkier venues where he was recorded here. On Uncorked, Stewart and his musical counterpart Dave Nachmanoff are simply two guys with their acoustic guitars — but together they create a surprisingly big noise. The smaller arrangements sound every bit as rich and full here, in a small setting, as on their studio counterparts, thanks to both a marvelously clear and crisp recording, and even more to just how well the two jell together as guitarists. And that is really the most delightful surprise here. Although Stewart is known primarily for his songwriting talents, this is as much of a showcase for the guitar as it is for the rich wordplay of his songs. The main disappointment is that once Stewart and Nachmanoff really get going, it’s not often clear just who is playing which part because they blend so well together. “Last Days of The Century,” for example, is at first propelled by what I presume to be Nachmanoff playing the bass part, with Stewart  (again presumably) playing lead. Before long though, the two of them are ferociously trading solos in a blinding blur with all the deftness of Beck and Page in the Yardbirds, causing the audience to break into spontaneous applause at various points. On “News from Spain,” Nachmanoff plays Rick Wakeman’s piano solo from the studio version — an “unenviable task” Stewart jokes — on guitar, and totally nails it. But lest...

Seth Swirsky, Watercolor Day

Seth Swirsky just wants to make the world whistle and hum, and that’s just what he does on his new, second solo album, Watercolor Day. Swirsky’s love of classically constructed pop songs continues from his winning solo debut, Instant Pleasure (Best Pop Album 2005, Los Angeles Music Awards) through his deliciously retro, British Invasion-minded project with Mike Ruekberg, The Red Button, whose 2007 release, She’s About to Cross My Mind, was both a critical and commercial success. “If The Red Button was around in the ‘60s,” said legendary Beatles recording engineer, Norman Smith, “I would have signed them to EMI!” Now, just two years later, comes Swirsky’s highly ambitious (18 songs in just 43 minutes) Watercolor Day. To borrow a phrase coined by the great Nick Lowe, this is truly an album of pure pop for now people. Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles agrees: “Watercolor Day is a sonic banquet of delicious melodies, melt-in–your-mouth harmonies, warm butterscotch guitars that jangle and shine — made with love and reverence for the music of the golden age of pop — guaranteed to raise a smile!’” Swirsky’s songs have their roots in the most blissful work of Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney’s Wings, ELO and the smart style of Burt Bacharach. Some highlights include the 10cc-inspired, “Matchbook Cover,” the baroque “Song for Heather,” the sunshine-y “Summer in Her Hair” and the cheeky “Big Mistake.” But to Paul Ellis, music-historian and member of the highly acclaimed rock group, Pop Archaeology Transmission, the songs on Watercolor Day can be compared with the best in the pop genre: “I was going to say that Seth has created one of the best current retro ‘60s Sunshine Pop albums out there, but that’s not the whole story. What he’s actually created is one of THE best albums in that style, ever. Period. Regardless of the “when” aspect, this...

Josh Rouse, El Turista

Tourists get a bum rap. They’re loud, invasive and wear ugly clothes — at least according to caricature. Cultural tourists endure an even worse rep. They’re exploitive, clueless and downright racist — if only to purists who look askance at anyone who dares annex the art of a land other than his own. (Prime targets of wrath from the intolerant range from Paul Simon to Vampire Weekend.) Given all this, you have to admire the guts of singer-songwriter Josh Rouse. Not only did he plunge headfirst into the controversy, he gave his efforts the asking-for-it title “El Turista.” The new CD from this well-respected performer finds a guy raised in the ultimate Midwest state of Nebraska singing songs heavily influenced by the balmiest rhythms of Brazil. More, he chose to sing them in Spanish rather than Portuguese. And, oh yeah, he recorded it all inNashville. Then again, Rouse isn’t a total outsider to the cultural flavors he’s tasting. Five years ago, Rouse, who’s from Brooklyn, moved to Valencia, Spain, where he lives with his native-born wife and their 1-year-old son. Rouse speaks Spanish in his adopted home, but you don’t have to be a Catalonian to know his accent isn’t quite on point. He goes out of his way to pronounce the local “th” accent (especially evident in a track named for his chosen home). But when he croons Spanish in the cover of “Duerme” (made famous by Cuban singer/pianist Bola de Nieve) he sounds like someone who learned the language in a crash course. Then again, Rouse sings as often in English as in Spanish, and the instrumental aspects of the CD prove as impressive as anything sung. The opening instrumental, “Bienvenido,” features wafting strings that flow with a jazzy flair. Strings enliven the whole CD, giving it a breezy feel that’s in no way flighty. Rouse’s boyish voice has the right light touch for...