Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Monday 17 April 1995, page 30


HOME ENTERTAINMENT Reward for the faithful

CDs

King For A Day Fool

For A LifeTime. Faith

No More

(Slash/Liberation)

THE WAIT has been well worth it — Faith No More's new album is out on the shelves.

The release is burst-ing at the bind with a huge collec-tion of 14 tracks, opening with the tight and punchy song Get Out.

It chants the sombre words: "It

is the hardest thing to do, to watch it grow on top of you and see you're just like everyone ... no fun".

The album is an open forum of words echoing the band's simple yet ingenious brand of rock.

Faith No More wrote most of the album without a guitarist af-ter Jim Martin left, but Dean Menta has filled the void and was obviously keen to make his own contribution to the new work.

The release was recorded in up state New York towards the end of last year and, living up to its reputation, the latest line-up proves the band still has plenty of attitude.

The Sweetest Days. Vanessa

Williams (Wing/Mercury)

THIS is the third product in Williams' solo career since it

was launched in 1988.

Although the project's distinct love-song theme is nothing ground breaking, the singer's simple vo-cal style and urban rhythms are worth a listen.

Skimming over the surface of jazz, soul and pop, she creates a skewered effect.

Fans of Sting will be pleased to

hear Williams' version of his hit Sister Moon and his occasional vo-cal appearance.

The sixth track, Ellamental, is a tribute to the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald.

Faith No More: A generous new CD from this band's latest line-up proves it still has plenty of attitude.

The title track was written by Wendy Waldman, Jon Lind and Phil Galdston and produced by Keith Thomas — the same team responsible for her hit Save The

Best For Last.

The Latin-tinged Constantly is a remake of Patti Austen's You Don't Have To Say You're Sorry.

The Table And Dreaming. Dave

Matthews Band (RCA)

THREE years since its forma-

tion, the quintet has been en-

joying quiet success.

Frontman Matthews guides the band with his expressive voice weaving a mesh of sounds that are at times unpeggable.

Each instrument in the band takes turn in leading the way — be it Carter Beauford on drums and percussion, Stefan Lessard on bass, Leroi Moore on alto and so prano sax and flute, or Boyd Tinsely on acoustic violin there are many things to listen to at the one time.

Harmonic and rhythmic shifts bloom into other styles including, pop, folk, blues and folk.

The band's first major record release is refreshingly clear of cli-ches.

Under The Table And Dreaming may not be the most ambitious re-lease for the year but it's early

days yet.

Let's Ride. Frontend

Loader (Shagpile)

FRONTEND Loader's

latest album deserves

a second hearing before you decide if it's going in the collection or not.

To ears unfamiliar with the hardcore scene it may sound like an uncontrolla-ble spewing of undefined noise.

But a second, closer lis-ten takes the fearless on a 13 track full-strength ad-venture of emotion and power.

The release is the band's first product on Shock Records after its tour of Europe and this year's Big Day Out con-

certs.

Let's Ride is a humor-ous and frenzied perform ance stitched up with tight playing.

— RACHEL HILL

Folk

My Skies. James Keelaghan (Green

Linnett GLCD 2112)

JAMES Keelaghan is

a wonderfully tal-ented Canadian singer/songwriter who should be a lot more fa-mous than he is. This is his first record to be available outside Canada

with any ease, and he starting to crack the US

and European markets on the strength of it.

He won a lot of fans when he was out here in 1992, and this CD reinforces the impression he left then.

And this record has lots of strengths.

Keelaghan has a fine ear for a melody and an ability to string words together so that tune and lyrics work as a song.

The arrangements support the songs rather than overwelm them, with some very tasty playing from all the backing musicians.'

Keelaghan's other great advan-tage is his voice. It wraps itself around the words with conviction and passion.

There are lots of singer/song-writers around, especially in North American. Keelaghan is one of the best, and this CD is worth asking for.

Green Linnett is now distribut-ed by Movieplay. out of Sydney, so getting them shouldn't be too hard. — GRAHAM MCDONALD

Desert Lady/Fantasy. Toshiko Akioshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin (Columbia, Sony,

CK 57856)

OVERS of big bands may re-joice. The lady has perse-vered with her bands through nearly 30 years, and through the move from the West Coast to the East, New York to be precise.

She has also persisted through the personnel changes and the need for musicians to live by working in other groups or on their own accounts.

This album was recorded in New York, the day after this band returned from a 10-night engage ment in San Francisco, so re-hearsals and personnel and famil-iarity with the book were never problems.

The result is an album of six numbers which explore the gamut of emotions of big-band jazz, from down-tempo, deeply reflective bal-lads to penetrating excursions through up-tempo inventiveness.

There is, at the same time, much of the feel of Ellington, Mancini, Kenton, the Boss Brass,

Jazz

the sound about which people like myself are so passionate.

It demonstrates vividly how those who care and understand can broad-brush a musical canvas and fearlessly daub in the vibran-cy of individual instruments (not least Akioshi's piano and Taback-in's tenor in Hangin' Loose), of sections and of the band itself.

There is balance, harmony, rhythm, melody, and above all,

swing.

It is a lovely album, beautiful music, the sounds to which one can return again and again with

no fear of boredom.

The tribute to Hiroko Onoyama, assistant to the Sony chairman, who was instrumental in persuad-ing Sony to record this band, de-serves the mention in the notes, and the dedication to her of the

delightful-indeed Hiroko's Delight — MICHAEL FOSTER

Classical

Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini - Bel Canto Arias. Dmitri Hvorostovsky (baritone) with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Ion Marin. (Philips

434 912)

Hvorostovsky is the out-

standing young Russian baritone who has created something of a sensation on the international music scene in the past couple of years.

Here he sings 12 arias from Ital-ian bel canto operas from the ear-ly years of the 19th century, some familiar, others not as

well-known.

He starts with Largo al facto-tum from The Barber of Seville, which immediately establishes the quality of his voice and his fine

interpretative presence.

He also includes the Resta im-mobile from Rossini's last opera William Tell, and examples from Bellini's I Puritani as well as from the same composer's lesser known opera I pirata.

Donizetti has the greatest repre-sentation, from his more popular operas such as Lucia di Lammer-moor, Don Pasquale and L'elisir d'amore, to arias from La Favori-ta, II Duca d'Alba and Don Sebas-tiano. With excellent support from conductor Ion Marin and the Phil harmonia Orchestra, and a bright forward recording quality, this is a most attractive grouping of bel-canto arias, sung in great style and with notable expression.

It is a disc to give much joy to lovers of fine singing.

Lynn Rogers at the School of

Arts Cafe. (Larrikin LRF 352)

THIS is the fourth in the cur-

rent series of "legends" of Australian show-biz recorded live in the Queanbeyan School of Arts

Cafe.

Lynn Rogers is not as widely known as the three ladies who preceded her in this series of re-cordings — Nancye Hayes, Jeanne Little and Toni Lamond — be-cause, although a home-grown tal-ent, her career until of late has been entirely overseas with 15 years in London and five years in

the USA and Canada.

She has played in venues from London's Palladium and Victoria Palace Theatre, to New York's Latin Quarter and the Las Vegas

Stardust.

She is a truly international en-tertainer, and this wide experi-ence is apparent in her one-wom-an cabaret show What's A Woman? which is excellently cap-tured here on this recording.

Those who enjoyed her show a few weeks ago will certainly want this disc as a reminder of the live performance and to add to the three earlier At the School of Arts

Cafe discs.

— W.L.HOFFMANN