MUSIC ZONE
Meatloaf — The Monster Is Loose (Virgin Music)
Saurabh & Gaurav
Twentynine years after the original Bat Out of Hell album, and 13 years after its sequel, Meat Loaf returns with the third installment of the franchise. Produced by Desmond Child, it features the guitar skills of Steve Vai and Brian May and the songwriting of Motley Crue’s bassist Nikki Sixx, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson’s John 5. So from track one, The Monster Is Loose, you’ve got the nu-metal combined with the theatrics of Loaf’s vocals.
Bat Out Of Hell III still fuses moments of baroque, operatic passion and larger-than-life storytelling with kitsch rock-and-roll electricity that gives rise to some extravagant theatrics. And to top it all, it’s delivered with the help of a remarkable line-up of collaborators. Steinman’s contributions, characterised by the towering Seize the Night, which brings a children’s choir into the mix, display all the grandeur that Meatloaf fans have come to expect. Brian May’s distinctive guitar style stands out on the revival of Steinman’s song Bad For Good, while Steve Vai gets to indulge himself on the Gothic blockbuster The Land Of The Pig and The Butcher Is King. That vibe reaches its zenith on It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, a song popularised by Celine Dion but perfected here by the Loaf and duet partner Marion Raven. The Bat Out of Hell series will always be widely regarded as ‘the greatest epic saga in rock history’.
Best track:
It’s All Coming Back To Me Now
Worst track: Monstro
Rating:
***
Scissor Sisters — Ta-Dah
(Universal)
Ta-Dah proves that Jake Shears and company excel in creating catchy and upbeat songs. I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’, the first single off Scissor Sisters’, co-written with Sir Elton John, is among the most tuneful songs to emerge in recent memory. The highlights include Lights, a genuine party-pleaser, and She’s My Man, which recalls the tale of a fictional female pirate in a suitably sassy style. On the flip side, Ta-Dah’s ballads are sublimely lush and romantic — The Other Side quotes Judy Garland, while Land of a Thousand Words and Might Tell You Tonight vie for the title of the album’s best slow-dance number. That’s not to say the album is without missteps. Paul McCartney, for example, is a dismal low point. The song tries too hard to be this album’s headliner, but lacks a catchy melody, sounding tossed-off instead of consistent. Scissor Sisters’ musical sensibilities seem lifted from an array of sources. Throughout the album, shades of Boz Scaggs, the Bee Gees, and KC & the Sunshine Band (as well as their own Laura, Music Is the Victim and Take Your Mama Out) can also be heard, but somehow the band sounds fresher by unabashedly celebrating their retro influences. Musically there’s lots to love — in particular the pacy Boz Skaggs stomp of She’s My Man and excellent strutting basslines and heavy disco drums of Lights. The band’s real talent lies in whipping dance floors into a frenzy while shrouding the often dark lyrics for those who wish to listen carefully.
Best
song: The Other Side
Worst track: Paul McCartney
Rating: ***
Cloudscape — Crimson Skies (NM Records)
The skies above the metal community have again become gloomily overcast, but with a blood red hue. Cloudscape has returned with their second release, Crimson Skies, it seems with a purpose. Their self-titled debut album firmly put them in the upper row of melodic metal with bands like Last Tribe and Royal Hunt. Where those bands have failed, however, is where Cloudscape breaks free of the melodic mould and comes back with something a bit more ominous, a bit darker and definitely with more depth. The darker and more serious soundscape is notable in both the brilliant cover artwork by Mattias Norén and the music. With the opener Shapeshifter, they make a daring and impressive statement with their heaviest song to date that instantly sets the tone for the rest of the album. Songs like 1000 Souls, Will We Remain, The Last Breath, Psychic Imbalance and Breach In My Sanity are perfect illustrations of a band branching out and experimenting with varying levels of progressiveness with mostly positive results. Again, Cloudscape does not release the same sound year after year like many of their peers. The production level on Crimson Skies is massive and considerably darker than their previous work. This talent and keenness will keep the band sparkling for many, many years.
Best
track: The Last Breath
Worst track: Demon Tears
Rating: **
Album of the month
Fergie — The Dutchess (Interscope)
Stacey Ferguson, better known simply as Fergie, joined the Black Eyed Peas in 2003 which really kicked off her career. She made two hugely successful albums with the band and this year released her first solo album, The Dutchess (A tribute to Fergie, the Duchess of York).
The album’s opener, the self-love anthem Fergalicious, doesn’t stray too far from her recent past, with its spare snare-clap beat set behind familiar boasts like “They be linin’ down the block just to watch what I got.” She easily slips into urban-flavoured jams like the coarse, chart-topping single London Bridge and the synth-infused, hip-hop mash-up Glamorous, featuring a catchy cameo by Ludacris. The pretty, acoustic-laced Big Girls Don’t Cry gives her a chance to let her voice shine, and while she’s no Beyonce, she’s also no Ashlee Simpson. She can more than hold her own vocally. Elsewhere, Fergie successfully pushes her creative envelope, going from the punky reggae of Mary Jane Shoes — complete with a sample of No Woman, No Cry and sweet harmonising by Rita Marley and the I-Threes to the John Legend-produced Finally, a sparse piano-kissed ballad that allows her a chance to show off her vocal talent. The album’s highpoint is the bombastic Clumsy, which contains a Little Richard sample over some up-tempo beats. Fergie doesn’t have her independent pop-star persona consolidated yet. Right now she’s somewhere amid funk and R&B balladeer, but she’s on her way.
Twentynine years after the original Bat Out of Hell album, and 13 years after its sequel, Meat Loaf returns with the third installment of the franchise. Produced by Desmond Child, it features the guitar skills of Steve Vai and Brian May and the songwriting of Motley Crue’s bassist Nikki Sixx, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson’s John 5. So from track one, The Monster Is Loose, you’ve got the nu-metal combined with the theatrics of Loaf’s vocals.
Ta-Dah proves that Jake Shears and company excel in creating catchy and upbeat songs. I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’, the first single off Scissor Sisters’, co-written with Sir Elton John, is among the most tuneful songs to emerge in recent memory. The highlights include Lights, a genuine party-pleaser, and She’s My Man, which recalls the tale of a fictional female pirate in a suitably sassy style. On the flip side, Ta-Dah’s ballads are sublimely lush and romantic — The Other Side quotes Judy Garland, while Land of a Thousand Words and Might Tell You Tonight vie for the title of the album’s best slow-dance number. That’s not to say the album is without missteps. Paul McCartney, for example, is a dismal low point. The song tries too hard to be this album’s headliner, but lacks a catchy melody, sounding tossed-off instead of consistent. Scissor Sisters’ musical sensibilities seem lifted from an array of sources. Throughout the album, shades of Boz Scaggs, the Bee Gees, and KC & the Sunshine Band (as well as their own Laura, Music Is the Victim and Take Your Mama Out) can also be heard, but somehow the band sounds fresher by unabashedly celebrating their retro influences. Musically there’s lots to love — in particular the pacy Boz Skaggs stomp of She’s My Man and excellent strutting basslines and heavy disco drums of Lights. The band’s real talent lies in whipping dance floors into a frenzy while shrouding the often dark lyrics for those who wish to listen carefully.
The skies above the metal community have again become gloomily overcast, but with a blood red hue. Cloudscape has returned with their second release, Crimson Skies, it seems with a purpose. Their self-titled debut album firmly put them in the upper row of melodic metal with bands like Last Tribe and Royal Hunt. Where those bands have failed, however, is where Cloudscape breaks free of the melodic mould and comes back with something a bit more ominous, a bit darker and definitely with more depth. The darker and more serious soundscape is notable in both the brilliant cover artwork by Mattias Norén and the music. With the opener Shapeshifter, they make a daring and impressive statement with their heaviest song to date that instantly sets the tone for the rest of the album. Songs like 1000 Souls, Will We Remain, The Last Breath, Psychic Imbalance and Breach In My Sanity are perfect illustrations of a band branching out and experimenting with varying levels of progressiveness with mostly positive results. Again, Cloudscape does not release the same sound year after year like many of their peers. The production level on Crimson Skies is massive and considerably darker than their previous work. This talent and keenness will keep the band sparkling for many, many years. 
Stacey Ferguson, better known simply as Fergie, joined the Black Eyed Peas in 2003 which really kicked off her career. She made two hugely successful albums with the band and this year released her first solo album, The Dutchess (A tribute to Fergie, the Duchess of York). 
