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Handsome Devils & Girl Fridays
Tony Peyser
Mirror contributing writer
Handsome Devil is L.A.-based troubadour Jim Bianco’s second studio
album. It’s like a raucous party at the end of your street. You didn’t
get an invitation but somebody at a second floor window tosses you
down a beer and waves for you to come up. “So Far So Good” is a
celebratory shuffle that will follow you around like a lost dog and
the mood-shifting “Tennessee Wedding” conjures up more intra-family
mischief than seven Jerry Springer shows.
Laura Cantrell’s The Hello Recordings is like sipping lemonade while
sitting in a hammock on a cool afternoon with your cat purring on your
lap. This was the first recording by the Nashville-born singer who now
lives in New York and hosts the influential Radio Thrift Store show on
WFMU in New Jersey. This EP showcases Cantrell’s old school country
songs, which somehow have an urban spin to them. If you were a fan of
“O Brother,” this sister is singing to your choir.
“Christ On A Crutch,” the opening track on Buckskin Stallion’s Blue
Ribbon Buzz, has the irreverent spirit of The Bobby Fuller Four’s
classic “I Fought The Law.” These Colorado-based boys play roots rock
shellacked with a traditional country finish. “W.W.W.D.” is an upbeat
shout-out to one of their influences: the letters stand for What Would
Woody Do. (That’s Guthrie, not Allen.)
There has been some memorable music inspired by 9-11 that will be
written about and listened to for years to come. But it’s indie
performers and bands —- not the flag-waving ones from the mainstream
—- who are doing the heavy lifting. Danny Schmidt, a singer-songwriter
out of Austin, movingly addresses the 2001 attacks in “Already Done.”
It’s one of 11 tracks from Make The Right Time, a quiet but stirring
album of deeply felt contemporary folk that fans of James Taylor and
Neil Young can easily embrace. These lines really hit me: “If you’re
gonna fly your flag my friend be mindful how it’s made/And see it’s
got six billion stars and stripes of every shade.” It’s Schmidt’s way
of singing locally and thinking globally. I’d like to see him perform
it at Ground Zero when the new buildings are finished.
Silver Or Gold is more keyboard-driven pop from Goodbye Girl Friday in
the Ben Folds mode. On this sophomore effort, this New York-based band
boldly tosses a sitar and some pedal steel into the mix. It all works.
“To Be Cool” is a lively portrait of leaving The Small Town and
arriving with only dreams lugged in luggage to The Big City. “Are You
Serious?” and “Married Man” ably prove that requited love is nice but
the unrequited variety is far more effective in inspiring songs.
* Miles Of Music has The Hello Recordings for $5.99 and Blue Ribbon
Buzz for $12.99. CDBaby has Handsome Devil for $13.99, Silver Or Gold
for $10 and Make The Right Time for $14.
* The Goofy Band Name Of The Week is …The Inevitable Break-Ups. |
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