"KILL BILL" (Vol. 1 + 2) (OST)

Original released on CD Maverick 48570-2

(CANADA, 2003)

In its first teaser trailers, when it was still going to be released as a single film, "Kill Bill" was sold with the immortal teaser "In the year 2003 Uma Thurman is going to Kill Bill." Of course, Uma didn't come close to the messy business of killing Bill until early 2004, when the second part of Quentin Tarantino's grindhouse epic "Kill Bill" was released, but she sure started to kill in "Kill Bill, Vol. 1", where the Bride, the character she created with Tarantino, began her arduous revenge upon the five former colleagues who killed her fiancée at her wedding rehearsal, then left her for dead at the altar. As Tarantino plot lines go, this is the simplest yet, but revenge movies shouldn't be encumbered by deep subtext. Instead, he divided the film into chapters, giving him an opportunity to play with both time and location, and then shoot each chapter as an homage to a different kind of exploitation film - something that's reflected in the soundtrack. After Nancy Sinatra's torchy "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" and Charlie Feathers' tough, swaggering rockabilly chestnut "That Certain Female" set the story and the mood, the record is devoted primarily to instrumental pieces that range from surging epics to the calm kitsch of Zamfir's "The Lonely Shepherd" to the intense funk pastiche of Tomoyasu Hotei's "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" (the song that kicks off nearly every trailer and ad for "Kill Bill"). The reduced presence of dialogue from the film - a hallmark of Tarantino soundtracks - is a reflection of the film, which places emphasis on action and visuals. Hell, even the tracks on the soundtrack have minimal lyrics, consisting largely of instrumentals. This gives it more of a meandering feeling, and the soundtrack kind of peters out, ending in two quick excerpts of futuristic electro music by Quincy Jones and Neu!, then a gaggle of sound effects and Kung Fu hits. Nevertheless, its cavalcade of contradictory moods has its own coherence, and it's more musical than most pop music soundtracks. Plus, this has no familiar material, nor does it have anything that would be a single on digital radio, which is why it works as an album on its own - it doesn't just reflect the movie; it follows its own logic, and displays fearless imagination. It makes you hungry for Vol. 2, both the movie and soundtrack. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

Original released on CD Maverick 48676-2

(EU 2004, April 13)

One of the great pleasures of a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack is knowing that it won't be a standard modern-day soundtrack, filled with filler and acts that the label is trying to break. Instead, it will consist of music that even hardcore record collectors will find unusual or at least ripe for revival. The soundtrack to the first volume of his revenge epic "Kill Bill" blended those two inclinations, but the soundtrack to the second film is almost nothing but unusual music. Some names are familiar, but the music isn't - there are three selections from Ennio Morricone, rockabilly cult hero Charlie Feathers makes his second "Kill Bill" appearance, Johnny Cash's latter-day "A Satisfied Man" is here, and Malcolm McLaren's "About Her" is a clever trip-hop spin on the Zombies' "She's Not There." The rest is devoted to music that sounds like the soundtrack to a Mexican spaghetti Western, which really isn't all that far off from what large parts of "Kill Bill, Vol. 2" actually is. This makes for a unified soundtrack album, but one that lacks the immediate impact of "Kill Bill, Vol. 1", since nothing is as gripping upon the first listen as the haunting "Twisted Nerve," the mesmerizing funk of "Battle Without Honor or Humility," or the crazed intensity of the 5.6.7.8's' version of "Woo Hoo." That said, it is cinematic, unpredictable, and absorbing, gaining resonance after a viewing of the film, as all good soundtracks do; it only pales in comparison to its predecessor, which was good not just as a soundtrack, but as an album of its own account. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

NORAH JONES: The Second Album

Original released on CD Blue Note 7243.5.84800.0.9

(EU 2004, February 10)

It may be far too obvious to even mention that Norah Jones' follow-up to her 18-million-unit-selling, eight-Grammy-winning, genre-bending, super-smash album "Come Away with Me" has perhaps a bit too much to live up to. But that's probably the biggest conundrum for Jones: having to follow up the phenomenal success of an album that was never designed to be so hugely popular in the first place. "Come Away with Me" was a little album by an unknown pianist/vocalist who attempted to mix jazz, country, and folk in an acoustic setting - who knew? "Feels Like Home" could be seen as "Come Away with Me Again" if not for that fact that it's actually better. Smartly following the template forged by Jones and producer Arif Mardin, there is the intimate single "Sunrise," some reworked cover tunes, some interesting originals, and one ostensible jazz standard. These are all good things, for also like its predecessor, "Feels Like Home" is a soft and amiable album that frames Jones' soft-focus Aretha Franklin voice with a group of songs that are as classy as they are quiet. Granted, not unlike the dippy albeit catchy hit "Don't Know Why," they often portend deep thoughts but come off in the end more like heartfelt daydreams. Of course, Jones could sing the phone book and make it sound deep, and that's what's going to keep listeners coming back.

What's surprising here are the bluesy, more jaunty songs that really dig into the country stylings only hinted at on "Come Away with Me". To these ends, the infectious shuffle of "What Am I to You?" finds Jones truly coming into her own as a blues singer as well as a writer. Her voice has developed a spine-tingling breathy scratch that pulls on your ear as she rises to the chorus. Similarly, "Toes" and "Carnival Town" - co-written by bassist Lee Alexander and Jones - are pure '70s singer/songwriting that call to mind a mix of Rickie Lee Jones and K.D. Lang. Throw in covers of Tom Waits and Townes Van Zandt along with Duke Ellington's "Melancholia," retitled here "Don't Miss You at All" and featuring lyrics by Jones, and you've got an album so blessed with superb songwriting that Jones' vocals almost push the line into too much of a good thing. Thankfully, there is also a rawness and organic soulfulness in the production that's refreshing. No digital pitch correction was employed in the studio and you can sometimes catch Jones hitting an endearingly sour note. She also seems to be making good on her stated desire to remain a part of a band. Most all of her sidemen, who've worked with the likes of Tom Waits and Cassandra Wilson, get writing credits. It's a "beauty and the beast" style partnership that harks back to the best Brill Building-style intentions and makes for a quietly experimental and well-balanced album. (Matt Collar in AllMusic)

A HERANÇA MUSICAL DE JOSÉ AFONSO

ONE MORE COHEN'S MASTERPIECE

Original released on CD Columbia CK 92891

(US 2004, October 26)

There is an air of finality on Leonard Cohen's "Dear Heather". Cohen, who turned 70 in September of 2004, offers no air of personal mortality - thank God; may this elegant Canadian bard of the holy and profane live forever. It nonetheless looks back - to teachers, lovers, and friends - and celebrates life spent in the process of actually living it. The album's bookend tracks provide some evidence: Lord Byron's bittersweet "Go No More A-Roving," set to music and sung by Cohen and Sharon Robinson (and dedicated to Cohen's ailing mentor, Irving Layton), and a beautifully crafted reading of country music's greatest lost love song, "Tennessee Waltz." Cohen's voice is even quieter, almost whispering, nearly sepulchral. The tone of the album is mellow, hushed, nocturnal. Its instrumentation is drenched in the beat nightclub atmospherics of "Ten New Songs": trippy, skeletal R&B and pop and Casio keyboard and beatbox-propelled rhythm tracks are graced by brushed drums, spectral saxophones, and vibes, along with an all but imperceptible acoustic guitar lilting sleepily through it all. But this doesn't get it, because there's so much more than this, too. That said, "Dear Heather" is Cohen's most upbeat offering. Rather than focus on loss as an end, it looks upon experience as something to be accepted as a portal to wisdom and gratitude. Women permeate these songs both literally and metaphorically. Robinson, who collaborated with Cohen last time, is here, but so is Anjani Thomas. Leanne Ungar also lends production help.

Cohen blatantly sums up his amorous life in "Because Of": "Because of a few songs/Wherein I spoke of their mystery/Women have been exceptionally kind to my old age/They make a secret place/In their busy lives/And they say, 'Look at me, Leonard/Look at me one last time.'" "The Letters," written with Robinson, who sings in duet, is a case in point, reflecting on a past love who has been "Reading them again/The ones you didn't burn/You press them to your lips/My pages of concern...The wounded forms appear/The loss, the full extent/And simple kindness here/The solitude of strength." "On That Day" is a deeply compassionate meditation on the violence of September 11 where he asks the question: "Did you go crazy/Or did you report/On that day...." It is followed by the spoken poem "A Villanelle for Our Time," with words by Cohen's late professor Frank Scott that transform these experiences into hope. "We rise to play a greater part/The lesser loyalties depart/And neither race nor creed remain/From bitter searching of the heart...." On "There for You," with Robinson, Cohen digs even deeper into the well, telling an old lover that no matter the end result of their love, he was indeed there, had shown up, he was accountable and is grateful. Cohen quotes his own first book, "The Spice Box of Earth", to pay tribute to the late poet A.M. Klein. "Tennessee Waltz" is indeed a sad, sad song, but it is given balance in Cohen's elegant, cheerful delivery. If this is indeed his final offering as a songwriter, it is a fine, decent, and moving way to close this chapter of the book of his life. (Thom Jurek in AllMusc)

"The Phantom Of The Opera" OST

Original released on CD SONY Classical SK-93521

(US 2004, November 23)

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical adaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1911 gothic mystery novel "The Phantom of the Opera" proved to be at least the composer's second most successful project, behind only "Cats", and with the potential to outdo even that blockbuster. The musical opened in London in October 1986 and in New York in January 1988, and both productions were still running (along with many others around the world) when the film version finally premiered in December 2004. Because the same starring performers, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, moved from the West End to Broadway, there was no original Broadway cast recording, the original London cast album serving to represent both stagings. In line with the success of the show, that album, a double-disc set, was also a hit, selling four million copies in the U.S. alone by 1996, with another four million copies of a single-disc highlights version as well. Although there was also an original Canadian cast album (not to mention foreign language versions from such countries as Japan and Austria), the movie soundtrack represents the first major re-recording of the score since 1986. Again, Lloyd Webber has opted to issue it in two versions, but this time, the 63-minute single CD is considered the standard release, with the double-disc set billed as the Special Edition version. Even fans of the show and the film may want to stick with the shorter one, however. The two-hour special edition is that rarity, a soundtrack album that actually contains the complete, unedited film soundtrack, including dialogue, incidental background music, and sound effects. This, of course, makes it something of an odd listening experience, especially because there doesn't seem to be any reason why some dialogue is spoken and some is rendered in singsong recitative. Lloyd Webber has written some extra background music here and there, as well as one new song, and that's an oddity, too. Minnie Driver, who plays the prima donna Carlotta, had her singing dubbed by Margaret Preece, but she turns up at the end and, over the closing credits, sings "Learn to Be Lonely," an irrelevant and musically out-of-place song clearly composed just to have a new tune that would be Academy Award eligible. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

DONOVAN's "BEAT CAFE"

Original released on CD Appleseed APR CD 1081

(UK 2004, August 27)

"Beat Cafe" is Donovan's first record in nine years. His last, the Rick Rubin-produced "Sutras" was issued in 1993 and was hopelessly misunderstood — especially coming as it did on the heels of Rubin's first collaboration with Johnny Cash. This side, produced by the rootsy yet eclectic John Chelew who has worked with everyone from Richard Thompson to the Blind Boys of Alabama and John Hiatt goes right to the heart of Donovan's particular musical esthetic. The title on this set is significant. The instrumentation is spare, with drums by Jim Keltner, acoustic, upright bass by the legendary Danny Thompson, and keyboards by Chelew. Donovan handled the guitar chores. In other words, small combo, cafe style. . . Atmosphere is everything in these songs; they are intimate, rhythm-conscious, tuneful, and lyrically savvy. In addition, they're inspired by that eternally present, romantically eulogized generation of poets, dope fiends, midnight travelers, and coffeehouse sages, the Beats. The set features 12 new songs; ten of them are Donovan Leitch originals. The covers include a compelling read of the mysterious and traditional "The Cuckoo," and a jazzy spoken word take on Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle." There are some flashes of the hippy mystic of old here, but mostly, this is a fingerpopping set by Donovan the enigma as well as Donovan the songwriter. 

Chelew and band do a wonderful job of illustrating this juxtaposition. With this band tight, deeply in the groove at all times, the tunes open up and out as if the group were on the barroom stage, and extended the dancefloor jumping and jiving into the street on a delirious, humid moonlit night of uncontainable joy. "Poorman's Sunshine," with its skittering brushed snare drums and a B3 tracking the melody with Thompson's bass pushing the rhythm, jumps out at the listener, as does the title track with Thompson driving the whole engine. "Yin My Yang" may have a seemingly ridiculous title, but it's not in the context of what this album tries to achieve. Donovan is celebrating the self-referential, "anything-is-possible" revelation that fuelled the language and spirit of his heroes of yore, and propelled his own romantic, "everything-is-love" aesthetic. The shimmering, dark, Eastern minor-key psychedelic spoken word/sung ditty of "Two Lovers" is one of those poems that makes Donovan so unique (think, "Atlantis" here). The organic jazzed-up funk of "The Question" is one of those crazy moments that makes the whole world open and the body twitch in time. The album ends with the whispering "Shambala," a tender, blissful dirge that is utterly moving and hauntingly beautiful in its optimism and hope. If anything, if albums are "needed" anymore, the spirit in this one is. Donovan reminds listeners that possibility and hope are not passé, but as full of chance and wild grace as ever. Welcome back, Donovan; you've been missed. (Thom Jurek in Allmusic)

PETER CINCOTTI - "On The Moon"

Original released on CD Concord 9826136

(2004, September 14)

Vocalist/pianist Peter Cincotti burst onto the jazz scene in 2003 as an 18-year-old wunderkind much in the same way that Harry Connick, Jr. positioned himself as an updated crooner with a debut album of enjoyable if predictable standards from various decades. Interestingly, Cincotti's follow-up, this "On the Moon", finds him exploring funk and soft rock balladry. Similar to his British contemporary Jamie Cullum, Cincotti seems intent here on mixing a radio-friendly melodic pop aesthetic with his jazz chops. In fact, the title track sounds a lot like Cullum's single "All at Sea," which is not to say that Cincotti is ripping anybody off. On the contrary, while there are touches of David Gates, Barry Manilow, and even Coldplay, it is hard to pinpoint any concrete influences for Cincotti's singer/songwriter style. While original songs are the focus this time around, there is also a bevy of inspired standard tunes. To these ends, he opens the album with a funky, hip-hop-influenced take on "St. Louis Blues," gives "Bali Ha'i" a bluesy Sting-influenced vibe, and turns "Up on the Roof" into a cinematic ballad. Adding to the lush atmosphere are full string arrangements and guest spots by such sought-after New York artists as keyboardist Sam Yahel, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and drummer Kenny Washington. (Matt Collar in AllMusic)

MADELEINE PEYROUX - "Careless Love"

Original released on CD Rounder 11611-3192-2

(US 2004, September 14)

Why it took vocalist Madeleine Peyroux eight years to follow up her acclaimed "Dreamland" album is anybody's guess. The explanation from her website bio claims, «I could have kept running with it, but I took a breather.» Really it hardly matters, since there have been plenty of capable singers to fill that void. Produced by Larry Klein, "Careless Love" is essentially "Dreamland" part deux. She lost Yves Beauvais and Atlantic Records, as well as a stellar cast of edgy jazz and rock session players, but she did gain Larry Klein. There are some fine players on this album, including Larry Goldings, Scott Amendola, David Piltch, and Dean Parks, and it's a much more focused set than "Dreamland". That she's on Rounder is just an "oh well." Since Klein is not reined in by having to be a "jazz" producer, his sense of restrained and subtle adventure is a perfect foil for Peyroux's voice and phrasing, which is still too close to the Billie Holiday model for comfort. The material is a curious collection of modern pop songs, country tunes, and old nuggets. There's an original as well in "Don't Wait Too Long," co-written with Jesse Harris and Klein. Peyroux's reading of Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" that opens the disc is radical, sung like a German cabaret song, and lacks the drama of the original, which is on purpose but it's questionable as to whether it works.

Her cover of Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" works much better. It keeps the breeziness of the original but focuses on the object of the song still being very present to the protagonist - delighting in the presence of the Beloved. Parks' guitars play sparely and pronouncedly in the mix, as Amendola's brushwork complements the spare cymbal and tom-tom work of Jay Bellerose as well as Goldings' in-the-groove organ and piano. The hinge track on this record is the empathic and moving version of Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars." With tense sound effects whispering in the backdrop and Goldings' celeste setting the atmosphere, once again Amendola's brushes whisper and shimmer, giving the singer an anchor in the depth of the song's melancholy. It's simply awesome. The sparse haunted treatment of Hank Williams' "Weary Blues" is devoid of its country trappings and rooted firmly in the uptown blues tradition of Holiday's 1940s. Likewise, the title track, a classic standard by W.C. Handy, is turned inside out and made a gospel-flavored R&B tune, driven by Goldings on the organ and a Rhodes piano - an instrument that makes a frequent appearance here. Parks' subtle yet dirty guitar gives the singer a platform and she swims inside the lyric, letting it fall from her mouth. The tune's swing quotient is formidable. In all, this is a stronger record than "Dreamland", in part because Klein is obviously sympathetic to singers and because Peyroux is a more confident and commanding singer. It's a welcome addition to the shelf, but if she waits another eight years, that space reserved for her may disappear. (Thom Jurek in AllMusic)

"MODIGLIANI" OST

Original released on CD Milan Records 301 705-5

(FRANCE 2004, October 4)

Set in Paris in 1919, biopic centers on the life of late Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, focusing on his last days as well as his rivalry with Pablo Picasso. Modigliani, a Jew, has fallen in love with Jeanne, a young and beautiful Catholic girl. The couple has an illegitimate child, and Jeanne's bigoted parents send the baby to a faraway convent to be raised by nuns. Modigliani is distraught and needs money to rescue and raise his child. The answer arrives in the shape of Paris' annual art competition. Prize money and a guaranteed career await the winner. Neither Modigliani, nor his dearest friend and rival Picasso have ever entered the competition, believing that it is beneath true artists like themselves. But push comes to shove with the welfare of his child on the line, and Modigliani signs up for the competition in a drunken and drug-induced tirade. Picasso follows suit and all of Paris is aflutter with excitement at who will win. With the balance of his relationship with Jeanne on the line, Modigliani tackles this work with the hopes of creating a masterpiece, and knows that all the artists of Paris are doing the same.

Music Composed and Conducted by  Guy Farley

Recorded at Air Studios, London

Score Recorded and Mixed by Ben Georgiades

Music Associate Adrian Thomas

Orchestral Contractor Cool Music Ltd.

Orchestra Leader Janice Graham

Orchestrations by  Andy Pearce

Music Preparation Gary Spolding

Music Supervisor Simon White

Assistant Music Supervisor Arnold Hattingh

Ethnic Music Recorded at Sphere Studios, London

Piano  Ian Brown,    Solo Cello Tim Hugh

Solo Violin Janice Graham,    Ethnic Percussion Paul Clarvis

Algerian Voice Ali Slimani,    Female Voice Emer McParland

Vocal Contractor Bob Johnson for R'SVP

Assistant Engineers Stewart McPherson, Jake Jackson & Alex Modiano

Album Mastered by Ben Georgiades at Sphere Studios, London

'Modigliani Suite' Recorded and Mixed by Mike Ross-Trevor

'Ode to Innocence' and 'Angeli' Performed by Sasha Lazard.

Original Production by Frank Fitzpatrick

Remixed by Craigie and Guy Farley

Programmer Dean James

Cello Kendall Reid

Mixed by Nick Friend at Sphere Studios, London

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