MUSIC ZONE
Saurabh & Gaurav

The former No Doubt lead singer showed with her debut solo album Love Angel Music Baby that she had what it takes to compete at the forefront of the mainstream music scene, mixing it capably with the likes of Madonna, Pink and Beyonce yet delivering things in a style that was distinctly her own. Gwen Stefani’s new album The Sweet Escape is a large affair full of funky, varied influences. Fluorescent merges Prince’s Purple Rain and Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation into a seductive world of sultry music and sassy lyrics, while 4 In The Morning marks a great moment in pop, produced and co-written by Tony Kanal. The hip-hop beats that propel Now That You Got It will fill many a dance floor, and standout track Yummy is an infectious offering of simple percussion, synthesised effects and a duet with rapper Pharrell. Early Winter, written by Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley, is a thrilling keyboard-based ballad, while Akon’s distinct rapping style works well on the album’s title track, the delightful Sweet Escape. The album’s final track, Wonderful Life, features the lush soundscape of Nellee Hooper, whisking us back to the late 1980s.

Best track: Early Winter

Worst track: You Started It

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice gifted the folk world a gem titled O, back in 2003. Despite the abundance of mediocre numbers, Rice succeeds more than he fails on the effort. The same bare emotion and stunning acoustic folk that made O work so well is also at the heart of Rice’s latest effort. Opening the album in haunting fashion, 9 Crimes is an intense piano duet with Lisa Hannigan: "Leave me out with the waste / This is not what I do / It’s the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you / It’s the wrong time for somebody new / It’s a small crime, and I’ve got no excuse". Grey Room is a gorgeous ballad, while the bellowing vocals on slow-burn Rootless Tree show just how powerful Rice’s vocals can be when he pours himself into a song. While 9 doesn’t differ drastically from Rice’s debut, it does find him chasing some of his old works and reeling them in with great enthusiasm on songs like the swelling, cello-laced Elephant and the majestically orchestrated The Animals Were Gone. Graceful instrumentation against wonderfully written soul-baring lyrics is what Rice does best, and the album has enough here to keep fans in awe.

Best track: Rootless Tree

Worst track: Accidental Babies

Rating: **

My Morning Jacket is one of the most interesting bands today, revitalising the Southern/ Classic/ Arena Rock sound in a way that appeals to hipsters and jam-bands alike. Even before their breakthrough, It Still Moves, My Morning Jacket had established a name as a great live act. The band shifts effortlessly from joyful What a Wonderful Man to mild country-flavoured acoustic ballad like Golden to guitar jams like Steam Engine. The band’s performance overall is simply perfect and deserving of much praise. Rockers like Dancefloors and Anytime bring the house down. The feel-good rhythm country-rock Mahgeetah grooves out so naturally that it’s no surprise that the audience and the band bond so well. The sheer musicianship that My Morning Jacket put on display on this intense, diverse, and focused live show recording is rather astonishing. The band sound like no one but themselves. Frontman Jim James is as charismatic and modest as ever. Guitarist and saxophonist Carl Broemel is a lyrical prodigy as well as a fine melodic improviser. Listen to the way he handles Gideon and Lowdown, and blows sax at the end of Dondante. Even with James’ vocals failing to register their usual power and the band’s lack of improvisation, My Morning Jacket still make incredibly enjoyable music.

Best track: What A Wonderful Man

Worst track: Run Thru

Rating: **

After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus since their last album, A Crow Left of the Murder, Incubus is back with their sixth full-length album: Light Grenades. The album has turned some of Incubus’ best attributes, crashing guitars, funk-inspired rhythms and Brandon Boyd’s mellow vocals into one pretty decent album. Quicksand lures the listener with faux loudspeaker vocals, Anna-Molly tells the story about a woman who is having a problem figuring out if the world she’s living in is real or fake. The new sound of Incubus is showcased here and gives us hope that the band has not gone overboard with this conceptual album. With A Kiss To Send Us Off, the band serves a slice of sound very reminiscent of the feelings conjured up by their last album. DJ Kilmore is especially impressive with an inspired selection of sound samples, adding an extra dimension. Lyrically interesting composition Earth To Bella, Pt. 1 surprises with a fine contrast between relatively light verses and a powerful hurricane chorus, whereas classic rock number Diamonds And Coal is perfect in its simplicity and bluntness. Another characteristic of Incubus’ later albums are the great ballads, and Light Grenades does not fail to produce these — Dig, Earth Bella, Oil and Water and Love Hurts are fine examples, which show that Boyd and the boys still know how to woo in a classic and divine way. Overall, this is a great comeback album with many highs and the occasional low.`A0

Best track: Quicksand

Worst track: Pendulous Threads

HOME