New album
Black Radio 2
Artist: Robert Glasper Experiment
Label: Blue Note
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
"Black Radio 2" builds on the impressive debut album by the Robert Glasper Experiment, focusing on original material and sample-free arrangements.
Vocal heavyweights Anthony Hamilton, Norah Jones, Jill Scott and Faith Evans lend their lungs to "Black Radio 2," but the members of the Glasper Experiment are the stars of the show. In an age when most albums with even a partial hip-hop pedigree are predominantly computer-generated, the soulful interplay of Robert Glasper (piano), Casey Benjamain (synthesizer), Derrick Hodge (bass) and Mark Colenburg (drums) is an eclectic mix of 1960s Blue Note jazz and 21st century r&b.
Even though Glasper has previously proven he is a master of complex virtuosity of the Thelonious Monk vein, he and his band are equally able to craft accessible melodies and grooves. The off-kilter, late night groove of "Calls" (featuring Jill Scott on vocals) is a moody, mid-tempo piece awash in Glasper's brilliant electric piano work. Scott's vocal lands somewhere between jazz and modern soul. If "Calls" received one-1-tenth of the ink dedicated to Miley Cyrus's tongue, terrestrial radio could be rerouted from the abyss.
Anthony Hamilton could sing the ingredients of Certs and make it sound great, but he has a great piece of music to sing over on "Yet To Find." Equal parts melancholic and hopeful, "Yet To Find" is a great soul anthem in the tradition of "A Change Is Gonna Come." Colenburg's drumming on "Let It Ride" brings to life beats usually left to microchips, and coupled with Norah Jones’ most evocative vocal to date, gives off a lunging, trance-like effect.
Some of the music on "Black Radio 2" is shortchanged by clumsy performances by Snoop Dogg and Common, but what's good here is so good that the missteps have to be forgiven. Hopefully a third installment isn't too far away.
Classic album
Coney Island Baby
Artist: Lou Reed
Label: RCA
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Appearing in 1975, "Coney Island Baby" was Lou Reed's sixth album to be released after he split from the Velvet Underground. After years of genre hopping and trying to establish a solo identity, this album was viewed at the time as a safe landing.
Everything Reed would ever do on his own would be compared to the catalog of his first band, so his efforts to shake any connection to the Velvet was understandable. After tossing his hipster cred by working with members of Yes and later releasing the polished (and successful) live album "Rock And Roll Animal", Reed released a 60-minute album of guitar noise called "Metal Machine Music." With everyone dully perplexed, Reed then decided to return to his New York street poet guise for "Coney Island Baby."
The instrumentation for "Coney Island Baby" falls somewhere between the stripped-down vibe of the Velvet Underground and the virtuosity of "Rock And Roll Animal." The arrangements are sparse but professional — especially the tasteful guitar work of Bob Kulick. Reed would never be accused of being the world's greatest singer, but his half-spoken vocals were a perfect fit for the primitive musicality of the Velvet Underground. Hearing Reed's voice supported by top-level session musicians on "Coney Island Baby" is an interesting, albeit quirky, combination.
Perhaps more than any of Reed's albums, "Coney Island Baby" is full of romanticism. "Charley's Girl" and "She's My Best Friend" are two of the most straightforward love songs in Reed's cannon. He sounds as if he's staring at the ground while singing them, but for a guy who first got noticed for writing about junkies, it's a pretty big deal. These songs don't carry the underground luster of early Reed classics, such as "I'll Be Your Mirror" or "Femme Fatale," but by this point he'd been out of the underground for quite a while.
If you've ever wondered what it would sound like if the Grateful Dead backed up Lou Reed, then check out "Nobody's Business." Although they're not listed in the credits, it sounds as if Phil Lesh and Bob Weir were in the studio for this one. Reed's tight vocal tone is the perfect match for a groove that is eerily similar to The Dead's "Truckin’." The album's title track wraps things up with a laid-back vibe and Reed's most commercial song since 1972's "Walk On The Wild Side."
Reed's "Transformer" album will always be heralded as his greatest solo work, but "Coney Island Baby" at least deserves an honorable mention.
Jon Dawson's album reviews appear every Tuesday and Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com. For more information, visit jondawson.com.