Club Dogo IN Sbatti

HELL IN THE CLUB from Italy feature members of ELVENKING and SECRET SPHERE, from bands which play a totally different genre, though, but the songs delivered here on their fifth album to date are pure hard rock with lots of party attitude including hooks that can mostly be called anthems. CRAZY LIXX, CRASHDIET, (more recent) H.E.A.T. or even MÖTLEY CRÜE seem to have been major influences here. Luckily, the modern sounds – whatever this means – mentioned in the info sheet provided by the label can’t (hardly) be found at all. And “Lullaby For An Angel“ is a great ballad with a lot of eighties DNA. Nevertheless, there are a couple of songs which can’t fully meet the quality of highlights like the mentioned tracks or “Nostalgia“ and “Tokyo Lights“. A pretty solid album, though. An album with an honest and down-to-earth production which does want to sound perfect…

This aptly titled release from '80s art rockers and Talking Heads side project Tom Tom Club is indeed good, bad, and funky. Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz have explored a stunning amount of musical styles within the confines of this album, with every song sounding like it was produced by a different group. The use of a variety of vocalists, including Weymouth, who at times sounds like a 16-year-old Japanese girl instead of her more mature self, as well as Mystic Bowie and Charles Pettigrew only seems to heighten the variety of sounds offered. The lyrics are simple, yet clever, and laid over a variety of sampled tracks, scratching, and other turntablism and live instrumentation. The resulting sound ranges from dub to dance-pop to spacy funk. The variety does allow for some unevenness, however, though duds like the repetitive and spare "Time to Bounce" are more than balanced by gems like "Happiness Can't Buy Money" and the instrumental cleverness of "Lesbians by the Lake," among others.

In the summer of 1999, Steps Ahead founder/vibraphonist Mike Mainieri joined Eliane Elias, Bob Berg, Marc Johnson and Peter Erskine for a reunion tour of Europe. They recorded several of those shows but Mainieri didn’t listen to the tapes for two years. He eventually did, and the result is the two-CD set Holding Together (N.Y.C.). The musicians perform the tunes with great sensitivity to one another, both as an ensemble and in solo spotlights. “Uncle Bob” just swings along, while Mainieri’s gliding vibes impart an almost magical quality to a lovely version of Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood,” and “The Time Is Now” is a 22-minute-plus opus that gives everyone a chance to shine. There are too many high points on this solid set to mention, but it should be noted that Berg’s playing is vigorous and inventive throughout and provides a poignant reminder of the profound loss the jazz world suffered when he was killed in a car accident.

American guitarist Frank Vignola fronts this contemporized version of the classic Django Reinhardt-Stephane Grappelli combo, joined by 58-year-old Uruguayan violinist Federico Britos, second guitarist Eric Bogart and bassist Phil Flanagan. They swing through several of the original Hot Club's classics, American popular standards, and a couple of unexpected asides. Of the repertoire joined at the hip to Reinhardt and Grappelli, the well-swung "Djangology" shows Vignola as a mad hatter with triple time and twiddling phraseology, even at slower tempos. The gypsy anthem "Dark Eyes" has the two guitarists rumbling in flamenco style, Britos soloing all alone before Vignola wrests the swing away from him. Vignola is a furious demon of strummed chords, churning up a storm during the bookended selections "I Found a New Baby" and the hot, hot, hot "Stompin' at Decca"…

Club des Belugas is one of the leading Nujazz bands in Europe, perhaps in the world. They combine contemporary European Electro, Lounge & Nujazz Styles with Brazilian Beats, Swing and American Black Soul of the fifties, sixties and seventies using their unique creativity and intensity. Since 2002 they released 10 studio albums, a 2CD live album, a live DVD, 10 singles and 1 EP.

"This was one of a bunch of CD's that got lost in the alterno-shuffle of the mid-90's. Bands put out albums at such a rate that it was easy to miss good ones. This album is quite engaging - think of Garbage but generally poppier. The songwriting is never less than interesting, and the music and singing are very enjoyable. Highlights include the single "Sick & Beautiful" (with its strange list of metaphors for a love [?] affair), "Psychic Man" and "No Shame" (great couplet:"I like to dream about the Beatles/I also ponder issues like Pete Best"). Highly recommended to pop/rock and alternofans."