Del
Go All Night
Light Year
From the looks of the press packet, Charlotte native Del is as interested in stardom as he is in music — expect him to go far. And expect his “Charlotte native” status to last as long as the average Green Card marriage. The Miami-born performer declared our dance-friendly city his home base last year just before his single, a remake of WHAM!’s “Careless Whisper” (or “Carless Whisper” according to the CD misprint) was released. Why grace us with his presence? Well, probably because New York was too big for a piker like Del, while Myrtle Beach (his previous “hometown”) was definitely too small. After a decade behind the scenes in the music industry as a producer, drum programmer and — we are not making this up — “music video eye candy” for the likes of Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin and Shakira (soooo hot), the photogenic 27-year-old must have grown tired watching the A-talent leave with the hottest tail. So, backed by a full-scale media assault from Madonna’s old PR crew, Del has begun his grueling models/champagne/limousines-filled climb up that gilded ladder of success — and by any means necessary. Del appears in upscale fashion glossies like Upscale and Charlotte’s own Elevate, New York City society pages, and, somewhat incongruously, The National Enquirer (“It’s no careless whisper: Del-ightful musician will be a big-time star!”). But what about the music? Del’s debut, Go All Night, is an uneven R&B affair peppered with predictable programmed breaks, tired booty-licious raps, and some of the most off-key backing vocals this side of William Hung. Del claims as influences performers like Prince and James Brown, but he lacks the former’s musicality or imagination and the latter’s passion (or insanity); any comparison is, contrary to the record’s suggestive title, premature. Nevertheless, Go All Night is not without its charms. Remember: These songs are designed to 1) get people to dance and, 2) get people naked; the title track, “Sum O’ Dis,” “Hot Box” and “Outrageous” seem as though they’d be quite effective — hell, I’m down to my socks and a watch…sleep tight, Charlotte!
Track to Burn: “Outrageous”
Grade: C–John Schacht
The Finn Brothers
Everyone Is Here
Nettwerk America
After a spin or two, it becomes obvious that the title of Tim and Neil Finn’s new disc, Everyone is Here, could easily have had the subtitle …And Then We’re Gone.
Equal parts meditation on mortality and love song to life, Everyone Is Here stands with the best work the Finns have ever done. “Won’t Give In” isn’t so much a middle finger to mortality as it is a come-on. The upbeat “Luckiest Man Alive” is tailor-made for attracting NPR nookie, while “Disembodied Voices” and “Edible Flowers” (the latter of which may perhaps be the most beautiful song the pair have ever put to tape) utilize strings and thoughtful guest nods (most notably Mitchell Froom and Jon Brion) to gorgeous effect.
Few on the current musical landscape have the track history of The Finn Brothers, one that includes stints in Split Enz and Crowded House, two bands with but a few American hits — “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Something So Strong” being the biggies — but more chops than your local carniceria. Like Squeeze, they’ve made a nice living recording the music they enjoy — mature, literate, short on bells and whistles but long on whistleability — and letting the resultant marketability determine itself. Novel concept, ain’t it?
Track to Burn: “Edible Flowers”
Grade: B+–Timothy C. Davis
The Sadies
Favorite Colours
Yep Roc
Mmm-mmm, Good. Twice as Good. Good ‘n Plenty. Good God! Alas, use all the Good punnage you want to praise the Sadies’ Good Brothers, Dallas and Travis, and you still won’t come close to describing how great the tall and shadowy Canadians are on this, their 5th record. More accomplished, tighter, and closer to greatness with each successive release, Favorite Colours has to be the pinnacle of this criminally underrated band’s career — any higher, and we’re all going down with altitude sickness. Kicking off the record with a blistering Dick Dale-meets-Clarence White guitar solo from Dallas on “Northumberland West,” a psychedelic garage rock masterpiece in “Translucent Sparrow,” and a reverb-drenched country-noir lament in “1000 Cities Falling (Part 1),” the Sadies’ versatile arsenal is clearly intact. “The Curdled Journey” is a spaghetti-western panorama Calexico would admire — hence Joey Burns’ memorable bowed cello on it. “Why Be So Curious (Part 3)” is 12-string Rickenbacker heaven. “Why Would Anybody Live Here?” is vintage early Stones/Kinks. On and on through 13 pitch-perfect all-over-the-rock-map cuts, the Sadies are in and out in under 32 minutes, leaving the listener spent and exhilarated and feeling really Good about rock & roll all over again.
Track to Burn: “A Good Flying Day”
Grade: A–John Schacht
This article appears in Aug 18-24, 2004.
