Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 21, 1991, edition 1 / Page 13
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
DTH Omnibus Page 5 Thursday February 21, 1991 MUSIC No '60s retread, their folk rock has power Nikki Meets the Hibachi the bluest sky Bated Breath Records OOO 12 P ikki Meets the Hibachi's l first full-length release should turn heads for both members of the dynamic J VJ duo of John Gillespie and Elaine Tola as well as give a fresh breath to the small but growing local music industry. The 1 1-song acoustic picnic treasures life's simplest plea sures in a quaint but inspiring fash ion. Neo-folk rock couldn't be much more entertaining especially with an added array of instrumentation and fully packaged production work that spins it out of a narrower local context. Traditional folk that hibernates in the '60s can become oh-so boring, and the duo seems to have come to grips with the fleeting appeal of the retro-folk that continues to bring back the heyday of the late '60s. Though any sort of folk ninaround simply can't break new ground, this record broods a little heavier within the Charles Marshall bright and feathery lyrical overtones. While the band's first record," Hanna's Amorphous Hat, clinched their acoustical origins and earned them wide local praise, the bluest sky takes a more professional outlook fea turing more diligent writing and stronger song structures. The heavier licks that accompany songs like "Outside Looking In" have a more noticeable staying power, while the supple, caressing-style of songs like "Running in my Sleep" lend plausi bility to Tola's dreamy vocals. The attitude of the two musicians is one of self-assured, simple happiness easy to tell stories about childhood , adulthood and friendship without a lot of abstract nonsense and go-figure nonsequitors. "Song" opens the album with a brief vocal synapse that awakens the listener and sets the stage for what lies ahead: "When everyone has com promised you what you need is someone who will fight for you," Tola and Gillespie take turns singing, "the bluest sky" entertains this idea fur ther, projecting a clean, wispy, inspir ing melody, though snatches of redundance creep into its final stages. "Shake off the Cold" crackles and purrs with fireside energy as the duo sings: "Can I pick off the dust on my shoes and warm my feet by the fire and shake off the cold T "Peacemaker" brews with the potential to break into an electric rage, but there are no drums or Marshall stacks, so the fire is nonetheless quelled by circumstance. The addition of piano, especially on the first side, adds the delightful touch of tranquil poise and broadens the record's musical perspective. The banjo in "days like these" sets up a country flavor, but the band never quite turns the trick, opting instead to straddle the fence. The hooks of "Words and Paper" from Hanna, and the band's Indigo Girls' influences, however, don't al ways fall so easily by the wayside. "Love" breaks in with familiar riffs and twangy energy. It represents the tension between the faithful sounds of the last record and the crispy el-. egance of this one. The final rendition of the record's revealing content is found in "bigger." Simple melodic staples absorb the lyrical element of growth: "little boys play war little girls play house ... do you want to play war do you want to playhouse?" 1 i gan V . . , ' I w, M i Ji f A II II II , .Ill, - III''' - I h z t "We've got our whole lives in front romanticism creeps all through the of us," John Gillespie said about the bluest sky . theme of the bluest sky before their Light on the outlook, but heavy album release party at the Cat's Cradle on content. A healthy, albeit hearty in January, The notion of an idealistic combination. Sting's still dreary, but there's a glimmer of hope Sting The Soul Cages Island Records oooo Tevi Little T n first listening, The Soul I 1 Cages, Sting's third solo al- I bum and first in three years, 11 seemed as if it was finally V- -J the bad album that every artist makes because the songs didn't jump out and enlighten instanta neously. It obviously meant that the success he had in the past was catching up with him and now was the time for failure. Wrong. After listening to his precise arrangements and creative melodies a few more times, the con cession is now that once again Sting has proven himself to be one of the most versatile and moving musical artists in the modern era. Don't get a different image now the album does drip with dreariness, but at the same time, it gives a sense of illumi nation. The theme running throughout the nine-song album is about the re lationship between Sting and his late father. The lead-off track, "Island Of Souls," symbolizes the theme as it details the situations between a shipbuilder's son and his father. Mixed with both a haunting key board melody and a distinct beat, it perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the album. Falling away from his jazz ven tures, Sting puts new band members and several different styles in Cages. Keyboard extraordinaire Kenny Kirkland and saxophonist Branford Marsalis remain, but in come Manu Katche on drums and Dominic Miller on guitars. s Sting also goes a little into the realm of the peculiar as he includes oboes, synclaviers and even northumbrian pipes in the instru mental work. The pipes wonderously flow in and out of the album, which proceeds to give an image of the shipyard, the father, and his son. The oboes also work out well on the album as they back up the pipes perfectly. One song that differs from many on the album is "Mad About You," which sounds as if it was a track off Sting's secong album, . . .Nothing Like The Sun. It calls to mind aspects of "Sister Moon" and "Be Still My Beat ing Heart," and it also shows that Sting is still a flexible artist one that can relentlessly craft original melodies for new material. Another song that is similar to an old Sting song is "The Wild Wild Sea," which is quite like "Tea In The Sahara." The song is like a journal of a dream that comes to a great climax when Sting sings that upon a black vessel of death underneath the sailor's hat he saw his father's face. One of the best songs on the al bum, "Jeremiah Blues (Part 1 )," breaks away from the grey mass and show cases an uplifting jam session. Kirkland shines most on this song although Miller's guitar work at the song's con clusion is the tune's most pleasant ingredient. Sting also provides unusual lyrics in the musical mayhem: "It was mid night, midnight at noon Everyone talked in rhyme Everyone saw the big clock ticking Nobody knew, nobody knew the time." Other gems include: "Why Should I Cry For You," "All This Time" and the instrumental, "Saint Agnes and The Burning Train." Though short, "Saint Agnes" is an acoustical master piece probably the best instrumen tal Sting has ever recorded. But what might be the only thing that doesn't make this album perfect is the lack of the definitive sound of Marsalis. The brilliant saxophonist did perfect complemental work to Sting's music on Dream Of The Blue Turtles and . . .Nothing Like The Sun, but on Cages, his musical perfor mance is somewhat wasted. Marsalis only gives distinct, quality saxophone backdrop on a couple of tracks and is sorley missed on others. Overall, though, the album is a winner simply because the artist has turned so much of his life's despair into beautiful music. It's usually said that the best musical work is done when the artist is full of sorrow The Soul Cages proves this to be true. P08TER&CT5HIRTC IMPORT 4VINTA&E-SCeDi-IC IMprMQr Guatemalan sffijfc i gB i STICKERS WWtFUL DEAD-INDIA PRINTS sees jscs'iwttra JPXhi V? USED BOOKS, LPi & TAPES WSHDYI V GARRBORO 906 W. Franklin SL, Chapel HIH Call 967-9033 SS1 (Thursl Vo La Tango wQuccn Sarah Saturday SSS (Fri) Miish 993 (Sat) Mary on the Dash 99 rSun) Two bands; Pure Finger 995 (Hon) Vic Chesnutt t16 (Tuts) Goo Goo Dolls 997 fWmd) Indecision 99M fTkars) Flat Duo Jets (It and ower admitted) - r L CELEBRATE THE YEAR OF THE RAM AT The Golden Dragon $1.00 OFF Your order of any combination plate when presenting this coupon "The first fast-service Chinese restaurant in the triangle" FRANKLIN CENTRE EXPIRES 22491 DOWNTOWN CHAPEL HILL 929-5728 J
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 21, 1991, edition 1
13
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75