Saturday, December 2, 2006

Have a Nice Day


  What does a wildly successful purveyor of ‘80s big hair power ballads do in an ensuing decade dominated by fervent shoe-gazing and other attendant alt.cliches? If you’re Jon Bon Jovi, you scale back your band’s ambitions, retool yourself as surprisingly accomplished indie film and TV actor, and (mostly) wait for the pop music tides to turn in your favor again. But JBJ and guitarist/collaborator Richie Sambora didn’t let their band’s lukewarm ‘90s fortunes dampen their knack for hook-savvy songcraft, as this muscular anthem-fest argues at virtually every turn. BJ’s songs here may be as infectious as ever, yet they’re seldom mere confections, often infused with alternating doses of bracing cynicism (the title track’s sarcastic riposte to the ’04 election) and reflective, often bittersweet takes on histories both personal and otherwise. If it sometimes stoops to formula--the droning, metallic ethos of the obligatory big ballad "I Am" can’t overcome some equally perfunctory lyrics–it’s also an album with its share of warm surprises, be they unexpected nods to Dylan ("Last Man Standing," the acoustic idealism of "Bells of Freedom"), the hard-edged "I Want to Live" or a winning duet with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, "Who Says You Can’t Go Home." Bon Jovi may deliver a sonically burnished triumph here by largely going back to the future--yet does it with one ear crucially cocked towards the anxious energy of the recent past. -- Jerry McCulley

Monday, June 26, 2006

Under the Iron Sea


  If U2 hadn't already released a pair of career retrospective discs, this British trio's second album would neatly do the trick in one. Not much of a surprise since Keane spent a good deal of time supporting Bono and company following the release their breakthrough debut, Hopes and Fears. From the melancholic "Crystal Ball" to the sinisterly beautiful "Is It Any Wonder?" (a blatant homage to "Zoo Station"), Keane have perfected their forebear's dark stadium-rock formula on their second album, all the more miraculous considering it was once again done without guitars. If Under the Iron Sea sounds considerably edgier than its predecessor, that's because it was recorded while the band was on the verge of splitting. But the friction has also given Keane a renewed sense of purpose, breaking the mid-tempo monotony with vibrant material such as "Nothing in My Way" and "Try Again": soaring songs that make the band sound unsinkable. -- Aidin Vaziri

Tuesday, June 6, 2006

Songs About Jane


  The boys of Maroon 5 have certainly come a long way since their days in the indie outfit Kara's Flowers. After the band's demise in 1999, frontman Adam Levine surrounded himself with New York City's urban hip-hop culture and found a new musical calling. Maroon 5 was born and their debut album, Songs About Jane, illustrates an impressive rebirth. It's groovy in spots, offering bluesy funk on "Shiver" and a catchy, soulful disposition on "Harder to Breathe." "Must Get Out" slows things down with its dreamy lyrical story, and Levine is a vocal dead ringer for Men at Work's Colin Hay. Don't wince -- it works brilliantly. Songs About Jane is love-drunk on what makes Maroon 5 tick as a band. They're not as glossy as the Phantom Planet darlings; they've got grit and a sexy strut, personally and musically. It's much too slick to cross over commercially in 2002, but it's good enough for the pop kids to take notice. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide

Saturday, April 22, 2006

The Italian


  Style, sophistication, elegance...where can we find that old-school cool in our consumer culture of instantly disposable celebrity? Time to meet Patrizio Buanne. Tall, dark and handsome, perfectly groomed and impeccably dressed, the clean cut Italian with the rich baritone voice is an enigma. Inspired by the singers of yesteryear, Patrizio harks back to a time when a man would not dream of singing on stage in anything less than a suit, shoes, polished, clean-shaven, hair neatly brushed, with a dab of cologne behind the ears. Nothing strange about that, you might say. Except that Patrizio is only 26 years old - and hopelessly devoted to his art - romantic crooning.


  Dean Martin, Paul Anka, Tom Jones, along with the traditional Italian singers - these are the men he idolizes. Unfashionable? Perhaps, on first impression. But as they say: style is temporary and class is permanent. "Less is more - those artists perform great melodies - it's so fantastic to go onstage performing beautiful melodies with an orchestra behind you."

  Raised in Naples, he moved to Vienna at the age of six when his father opened Austria's first pizzeria. But his fiercely patriotic father would play only Italian music at home. When he was 8 his parents bought him a guitar and at 11 years old Patrizio made his first public performance at a talent contest for schools. Patrizio then began to enter more talent competitions - and always won first prize. At the age of 17 Patrizio was invited to sing for the Pope in Poland, performing in front of his biggest audience yet - 85,000 people - which led to a recording contract shortly thereafter at age 17. However, tragedy soon followed when his beloved father died shortly after Patrizio's 17th birthday. But one thing made Patrizio determined to survive. "I had promised my father I would be a superstar and make my name - his name - famous. It is always music that reminds me of my father and makes me happy."

  In 1999 Patrizio took up on an uncle's offer to return to Italy and, after winning yet another talent show, found himself offered a job as a TV entertainer. Soon he was one of the most popular young faces on Italian television, hosting his own show in between studying languages at a university in Rome. But his dream was still to be a recording artist - and most of all to be successful in Great Britain and America.

  In 2003 Patrizio was introduced to music producer Christian Seitz. They both shared the same passion and vision for music, so bravely quitting his burgeoning TV career they went to work on the album - going into London's world famous Abbey Road studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to realize his dream. 18 months later the result is L'Italiano (The Italian), an album mixing traditional Neapolitan romance and singing tradition with Italian standards from the '50s and '60s - songs barely known outside of Italy but destined to become favorites for a new generation.

  To listen to Patrizio is to immerse yourself in the soundtrack of a world familiar from film and television - from Federico Fellini and Sophia Loren to The Godfather, Goodfellas, and The Sopranos. "My music is as Italian as pasta in an Italian kitchen," says Patrizio. "These songs are timeless classics. To me, crooning is more than a way of singing; it's a way of life! And I want to share that with a new audience."