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Spin This: CD Reviews
CD reviews from The Tampa Tribune
Published: July 1, 2010
THE ROOTS:
'HOW I GOT OVER'
(DEF JAM) ***½
Jimmy Fallon stabilized The Roots.
Before joining the "Late Night" show in 2009, rap's best band had been on the road at a pace of close to 200 dates a year. The show has grounded the group, and it shows in their ninth studio album, which is their most consistent and optimistic in years.
A brooding spirit of lifting oneself up by the bootstraps pervades the CD, with frontman Black Thought assisted by a diverse group of guests that includes harpist-vocalist Joanna Newsom and John Legend.
Bandleader-drummer Questlove keeps a consistent vibe that's not as eclectic but not as scattershot as the group's recent CDs.
Download this: "The Fire"
Joinville Michel
MICHELE ARI:
'MAL A'PROPOS'
(www.micheleari.com) ***
Michele Ari has relocated to Nashville, but Tampa area fans remember her as a vital part of the scene when she lived here. Compared with her 2005 EP, "85th and Nowhere," "Mal A'Propos" shows significant growth - tighter songwriting, more adventurous arrangements and stronger vocals.
Opener "6 AM" concerns the bad-for-you lovers you can't seem to let go of. "Boxes" shows off some punky anger and energy, and "Transatlantic Love Affair" and "Atom Bomb" draw inspiration from Ari's time living in London. "Mal A'Propos" defies the girl-with-acoustic-guitar image while capturing some of the spirit of Ari's live performances.
Download this: "6 AM"
Curtis Ross
WOLF PARADE:
'EXPO 86'
(SUB POP) ***½
Breathtaking moments aside, Wolf Parade has always sounded more like a curious project than a cohesive band, its songs awkwardly rubbing elbows at some surreal cocktail party. With "Expo 86," they finally find common ground, Dan Boeckner's oddly charming nihilism serving as an ennobling foil to Spencer Krug's cryptic introspection, and vice versa.
Musically, that spark translates into a denser, noisier and more consistently upbeat sound. It's indie-rock, but somehow more exotic or alien, whether that's due to Krug's dramatic, skittish hiccup of a voice or the new wave keyboards befitting the album title's '80s reference.
Download this: "Cave-O-Sapien"
Rommie Johnson
