Dark New Day - "Twelve Year Silence"(Warner, 2005) DUD

Rap rock is dead. So why do so many people want to dig up the rotted corpse and do horrible dirty things to it? Aren't there laws againt that kind of thing? Apparently not, because Dark New Day, comprised of Clint Lowery (Sevendust) Corey Lowery (Stereomud) Troy McLawhorn (Doubledrive) Brett Hestla (Creed) and Will Hunt (Scrape), tries to do exactly that, and in the process they've created what may well be the worst major-label album of the year.

Their press materials call Brett Hestla's vocals "effervescent". Well, if this Creed touring bassist turned singer is trying to make me projectile vomit whenever his voice (which blends the worst of the vocal sounds of Staind, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park into one horrid mess) is heard, then I suppose he's doing his job. Of course none of the "great" rap rockers of our generation had good voices -- as being able to scream loudly without your vocal chords splitting in twain was usually the only prerequisite to accepting the job -- so I might have been willing to let the band slide on this had they had an interesting musical sound.

Unfortunately they choose to rip off everyone from Korn to Tool without managing to come up with one song that matches what either of these bands were able to do with their music. Couple that with the insipid lyrics ("You're cutting me in two / ripping me in three / you're killing with those words you say to me / how many pieces can you take from me?" is the chorus from the obviously Linkin Park inspired track "Pieces") that make having brain surgery without anesthesia preferable to repeat listening, and you've got yourself an album to avoid at all costs. There should be a punishment worse than hell for anyone who can find this enjoyable.

Dark New Day would be best advised to take another twelve years of silence before even thinking about assailing us with this type of horrid musical necrophilia. Leave rap rock buried six feet under, and for the love of all that is holy, bury the rest of the stock of Twelve Year Silence with it. We'll all be forever grateful.

Nichole Nordeman - "Brave"(EMI, 2005) - * * * *

"So long status quo, I think I'm letting go." So begins Nichole Nordeman's fourth studio album, and it's a wonderful way to start. Nichole has always been known for producing Christian music that is on the edge, but on Brave she takes even more musical risks, both lyrically and musically, telling everyone who will listen that her music is not typical CCM fodder. Her ability on the piano shines through, particularly in the breakdown to "Brave" in which she sounds more akin to Fiona Apple than, say, Jaci Velasquez: "Every storm begins with just a single drop of rain," she sings, "But if you believe in me that changes everything."

As the album develops, through amazing tracks like "Real To Me" which features Nordeman's trademarked rising harmonies: "I don't need to know what I don't know ... be real to me, it's all I'm asking," she sings and I'm convinced that if she keeps writing music on this level, she's going to have a career that outlasts all her contemporaries. The album closes appropriately with the piano-based song "We Build" that ends on exactly the right note. "Did it seem to you like the storm just knew we weren't quite finished with the roof when it started?" she sings. "So we build and we build; we clear away what won't and make room for what will."

You could think both of the lives of storm-ravaged Floridians and the lives of everyday people living everyday lives. "On any given day we could simply walk away and let someone else hold the pieces," she sings in a halting falsetto, and I simply have to hit repeat and let this entire album wash over me again. I can't walk away, and you won't be able to either. Brave is a masterpiece in its genre that simply must be heard and appreciated.

Leela James - "A Change Is Gonna Come"(Warner Bros, 2005) * * * *

Below you'll find reviews of three soul / r&b albums you need to have in your collections. They're all recent releases, making their mark on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, but they're not (as of yet) getting the airplay they deserve. You can help by going to Napster or ITunes to buy them. There is good music being made today, but you just have to dig a bit to find it.



"I can't even turn on my radio without somebody hollerin' about a bitch or whore," Leela James sings early on her album. "Right now I'm missing music." Right on, Leela. This is soulful r&b that pulls from influences ranging from the likes of Tracy Chapman to more modern artists such as Alicia Keyes. And she blends everything well, creating a sonic landscape that is unlike anything else on the charts today. Leela wants to know where the soul's gone, and I can't answer that question. But perhaps she's answered her own question, when the whole album sounds like she's taken everything that was great about soul and r&b (everything that's been missing in the hip hop meets pop radio world) and brought it into 2005. All while making it sound new. It's no short order, but she pulls it off like she's been doing it for decades. I'm going to lay it out straight. Buy this album now. It needs to be heard. "They say you don't know a good thing til it's gone," she sings on "Ghetto". It would be a horrible waste if this becomes an album that's so great no one heard it.

Raul Midon - "State of Mind"(EMI, 2005) * * *

A few days ago my mother was reading the latest People magazine and made a comment to me about a blind guitarist I should check out. Apparently there'd been a feature on a man from New Mexico who had a new album out, she told me. "Have you heard him?" she asks, and I just brush her off. "Sure, mom, whatever." And I went back to whatever I was doing at the time, without even asking her his name. I regretted ignoring her, however, when I accidentally found this album on Napster. Blindness may not be a prerequisite to be able to mine the well of such amazing r&b artists as Stevie Wonder, but the talent shown on State of Mind puts Ray Midon in exquisite company. His music is rich with evocative guitar and smooth sultry vocals, making him a true artistic find and a hitmaker's dream. Songs like "State of Mind" and "Everybody" are the perfect mix for fans of the genre who may be tired of hearing R. Kelly hyped as "modern" r&b. But I don't think he's striving for Kelly-like success. Rather, he's putting his unique musical vision out for us to hear, and if someone likes it, all the better for us. "I don't want to be rich, I just want to be happy," he sings. And I believe him.

Amos Lee - "Amos Lee"(Blue Note, 2005) * * *

Norah Jones meets Bill Withers with a touch of Ray LaMontagne on the side. This wonderful album from an astounding talent you've likely never heard is well worth spending $10 to hear. Smooth jazzy vocals meet soulful instrumental arrangements on the singles "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight" and "Arms of a Woman" and urge you to keep listening. "I am at ease in the arms of a woman," he sings, while his listeners are completely at ease letting his smooth voice wash over them. Albums like tihs one don't come along every day, but it appears Blue Note's A&R folks are on the right trail. If you're a fan of jazz, soul, blues or r&b you should give Amos Lee a listen. There's bound to be something you'll like mixed in here. After 19 weeks on the Heatseekers chart the album has risen to #13, and with the Billboard 200 not too far away, I suspect you'll be earing a lot from this "artist to watch" in the future. With tracks like the bluegrass-tinged "Bottom of the Barrel" mixed in, blending soul with down home country sounds, it's hard to find fault with this audacious debut.

Tegan and Sara - "So Jealous"(Vapor, 2004) - * * * *

The Music
Tegan and Sara - "I Know I Know I Know"

To find the music of Tegan and Sara is a find you'll thank yourself for later. With musical backdrops that blend early Cranberries with the more modern tuneful nature of Rilo Kiley, So Jealous is more than the average indie album. The Calgary (Alberta) band has a strong ear for earcatching hooks, even when their songs are written in minor keys ... which makes for an unusual listening experience. "I Know I Know I Know" is one of their more accessible tracks, blending a synth-filled backdrop with early-nineties alternative vocals that evoke comparisons to a more alt-punk version of the Indigo Girls. But the album's most prominent anchoring track is "Walking With A Ghost," which opens with a three-chord acoustic guitar intro, then hits you with distorted vocals that immediately hit the listener with the force of a set of brass knuckles: "No matter which way you go / No matter which way you stay / You're out of mind, out of my mind, out of my mind, out of my mind!" the singers intone, followed by the chorus. You'll soon be singing along in all your alt-rock-shower-singing glory. "I was walking with the ghost / I said please please don't insist!" With songs like this, I'll be following Tegan and Sara wherever their indie career takes them. And you should too. Buy this album, then tell your friends to, because you're not going to want to let it out of your sight.