Review: Cowboy Junkies: Trinity Revisited

My Cowboy Junkies review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com


Cowboy Junkies
Trinity Revisited
Zöe-Rounder
2008

What is it about 1988's original Trinity Sessions that made an impression on a confused 17-year-old living in San Antonio? It spoke to the need as a misunderstood, wandering spirit searching for a connection with similar souls that could reflect and identify with that yearning that I was feeling inside. Listening to the Cowboy Junkies, it was if this band understood how I felt, being a loner and isolated in the world.

The Cowboy Junkies' Trinity Sessions made me feel less alone. Listening to Margo Timmins, the Canadian chanteuse, was like spending a night in a universe that's eternally dusk, where the stars of hope shine all day and night as she crooned the songs like "Blue Moon Revisited" sings your blues away. There was something about Margo's voice when she sang that reflected the endless yearning, which sent ripples straight through to my young stuttering heart. The song that first grabbed hold of me and shook me was the evocative cover Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane." But that was only the beginning. What kind of album stars off with an a cappella track? The kind of record that's recorded in two days at The Church of Holy Trinity in Toronto with one microphone like they did in the classic recordings in the 1950s.

The Junkies opened me up to a new world of true country standards like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Walking After Midnight" that I never heard as a scrawny bitter rebellious youth. I was intrigued. If it wasn't for Trinity Sessions I may never have begun my journey of appreciation for such artists as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline and Hank Williams.

Trinity Sessions has that classic and timeless feel. If you close you eyes while listening to the album, you can picture yourself there inside the church that captures the sound of the Junkies, the reverberations still in the air, in your ears, capturing the once in a lifetime performance that has been immortalized in that memorable album. Instead of trying to recreate or re-record the album that made them famous, for the 20th anniversary, The Cowboy Junkies invited some of their famous friends to honor the memory of the Trinity Sessions with an intimate performance recorded in the spirit of the original album.

Trinity Revisited is the result of that amazing performance. Natalie Merchant, Vic Chestnutt and Ryan Adams along with multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird came along to pay tribute to the seminal album that influenced their lives. The songs that I first fell in love with have this way of coming alive at The Church of Holy Trinity some twenty years later. The addition of Merchant, Adams and Chestnutt give a new sinisterly seductive, bluesy vibe that reflects the aching from the original sessions.

I hear Trinity Revisited as a tribute to the day when the original sessions came into fruition. The opening number "Mining for Gold" soars just like it did in 1988 with Margo's beautiful a cappella voice letting us inside the aura of this atmospheric album. I believe "Mining for Gold" is about searching for love, which I feel is a theme of the album. Trinity is a solitary journey, a search for love through darkness with Margo and the Cowboy Junkies as our guide.

Natalie Merchant now shares vocal duties with Margo on "Misguided Angel" one of my favorite songs on the album. The song is about a tragic romantic trying to convince her family and friends her imperfect lover is the love of her life. I think it's more like she's trying to once again convince herself that this lover is right one. By the end of the song, Ryan and Vic add their soulful backing vocals to "Angel."

The melancholy classic "Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis)" finds Margo trading heart aching vocals with Vic Chestnutt. If there was one surprise on this album, it's the appearance of Chestnutt himself. His vocals and acoustic strumming on "I'm So lonesome I Could Cry" are such that you can feel the hurt in his voice they add another honest layer of essence and depth to these intimate recordings.

Ryan Adams is all over these recordings. He sings lead in the Southern gem "200 Miles." His guitar and vocals can be heard on "I Don't Get It" and especially "Sweet Jane," which has now become a 21st Century bluesy jam that would definitely make Lou Reed smile a grin of approval.

If you're a fan of the original Sessions, I recommend taking the trip back and revisiting the trinity that was at one time holy to me. Trinity Revisited comes with a documentary and live recording of the sessions so you can so how these sessions came back to life. So make the pilgrimage back to Trinity and sing along to these classic gems in a new light to The Cowboy Junkies' everlasting resurrection reflected in your ears and life for ages to come.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.26.2008

Review: Beck: Odelay (Deluxe Edition)

My Beck review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com


Beck
Odelay (Deluxe Edition)
Geffen
2008

Hearing the opening riffs of "Devil's Haircut" takes me back to time of my not so distant past. I remember staying late at this office in San Antonio, Texas, with a bunch of college compadres gathered together to work on our dream job, publishing our own magazine. Four of us Latino hombres in our mid-twenties, listening to Beck because it was the only artist we all could agree on. Two of the guys loved Prince and the rest of us loved alternative Brit Pop music. So we compromised by listening to Odelay over and over again, Beck's album becoming the soundtrack to our dreams.

To put it in terms of another great, influential piece of art, what I love about Odelay is the same thing I adore about my favorite passage from On The Road:

Guitars tinkled. Terry and I hazed at the stars together and kissed. "Mañana," she said. "Everything'll be all right tomorrow, don't you think, Sal-honey, man?"

"Sure, baby, Mañana." It was always Mañana. For the next week that was all I heard - Mañana, a lovely word and one that probably means heaven.

Even if it was only one part of the book, at least it felt like Kerouac was honoring a part of me. It was the language, our language, and culture in my favorite book. This was something new to me, growing up in a largely Anglofied culture where our voices were rarely seen or heard in the mainstream of literature and popular culture. The late '90s was a time when multiculturalism was blossoming in mainstream society and culture, so reading Español in a classic book made me want to find my own voice on the page.

The same goes with Beck—just playing an album called Odelay, a hit during that year, was a huge victory for our culture. Beck was someone, like Kerouac, who appreciated our life and our language. It's amazing how this album was such an inspiration to us cuatro compadres trying to change the world one word at a time. We may have failed as our magazine went under but those dreams sparked on by those late nights still live on inside me and were lit by Beck's beats.

Odelay was an anomaly, part rock, part rap, part disco, part country and 1000% Beck. Beck Hansen grew up in Los Angeles and his upbringing en la ciudad de Los Angeles most certainly influenced the sound of Odelay. There are the rock riffs, disco beats and acoustic strummings and I can't forget Latin flavor that I've already mentioned. I believe that Beck was ahead of his era, a man with a creative multicultural mindset that was still years away. Music wasn't as integrated as it was now; Odelay is the sound of Beck tearing down the walls of music classification. In one song, "Hotwax" goes from electro beats to rap riffs with guitar licks, to a Latino flavored chorus mixed with the exotic samples from the Dust Brothers.

I can't say enough about the influence of the Dust Brothers on Odelay. These are the same guys that helped make Paul's Boutique a hip-hop classic for The Beastie Boys. They helped recreate Beck's personal version of Los Angeles by providing the soundscapes for Beck to sing and rap over. Listening to Odelay now, it's like taking a drive through Hollywood. Back when Odelay was first released the album sounded so universal but now I realize living in the west coast that it's idealized version of the city that Beck grew up in. It's amazing being in the city of "The New Pollution." You can feel the dirty streets, the eccentric people on those streets, the traffic, the smog and the sound from the gutter coming up clearly through the voice of this strange lyrical sage.

I, myself, in essence grew up with these songs. So listening to Odelay now is like reminiscing with an amigo about the old days. The classics are still as here but what I didn't recall was the laid back beauty in songs like "Ramshackle" which foreshadowed the greatness that Beck created in his future melancholy masterpiece Sea Change.

Odelay is the sound of an artist laying down the foundation of his future greatness by creating the vibes that you hear on the airwaves today. Beck always had one foot in past and the other one in sounds of mañana. Disc Two of the Deluxe Edition showcases the remixes, outtakes and B-sides of Beck's unconventional nature. Everything from U.N.K.L.E's 12 minute remix of "Where It's At" to the mariachi flavored version of "Jack Ass" that cleverly closes this two disc set.

We totally would have loved that Mariachi sound of "Burro" back at the office. I still remember all of us editing the newest issue of our magazine singing "Orale…Orale" along with Beck on our crappy old boombox stereo. It was like he was there, just passing through, with us in the room, rooting us on. At the time, Odelay was something so eclectic and strange. An album with a foreign titled that we knew the meaning of. Odelay was a gift to us, our voices, our culture and our sueños. Beck showed us that through words and our own distinct rhythms we could change the world and influence culture.

Each of us in our own way is continuing the tradition that was sparked in that one room over ten years ago. When I went to Amoeba con mi novia to pick up this deluxe edition of Odelay I was more than buying another CD, to me it was recapturing a moment in time that resonates on inside of me today. Beck's music will live on with the beats and breaths that live on past the page through those two turntables and a microphone—and beyond.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.19.2008

review: k.d. lang: watershed

My k.d. lang review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com



k.d.lang
watershed
nonesuch
2008

There is something about a singer, female vocalists to be precise, that have always touched and influenced me in my life. Maybe it was the fact that I was never really popular in the dating scene, and the female voice I heard in song, in my mind, was the closest I would hear to the musings of love in my neglected ears. Singers like Billie Holliday, Patti Smith, Tori Amos, Margo Timmins, P.J. Harvey and Marianne Faithfull, with their sultry croons, would relieve the pain in my naïve heart. It was in my many times of need throughout my young life that when I needed some healing, with a press of a button, a female chanteuse would appear in my headphones to sing my worries away.

I know I am not alone when I am thankful for singers like k.d. lang. Vocalists who share the gift of mending with their soulful voices appear from afar when we need them most. k.d. lang has been lighting our hearts with her timeless voice since the mid-eighties. lang grew up in Edmonton, Canada, idolizing famed country singer Patsy Cline. After a debut album steeped in Nashville tradition k.d. found salvation in a breakthrough hit—a duet in with the late great Roy Orbison on "Crying." That version of "Crying" was one of those songs that I would play after another misstep in dance of love. Whenever I failed in romance after falling for someone, I would play "Crying." Hearing k.d. Lang `s voice, so pure and strong, duet with Roy Oribson gave me faith in love. No matter how down and out I felt, "Crying" would give me hope.

Soon after, lang moved up into the realm of the sultriest torch singers. It wasn't until 1992 that k.d. found international success with the sensational Ingénue. Led by the worldwide smash "Constant Craving" and top ten salsa tinged single "Miss Châtelaine," lang was flying high. Although she would never again reach the heights of Ingénue, that success opened up doors for her artistically. She appeared on MTV Unplugged to perform her hits, including one of my favorites, the rarely heard treasure "Barefoot." She also was spotted duetting with Tony Bennett on his very own comeback Unlpugged special. This led to further successful collaboration album What a Wonderful World in 2002.

Throughout, k.d. has never wavered in recording a plethora of critically acclaimed albums and touring sold out shows across the globe. She continued recording some of my favorite songs, including late night sultry ballad "You're Okay," from the underrated All You Can Eat. I can't forget Lang's lush cover of Jane Siberry's "Haint it Funny" on 1997's smoke themed classic Drag, also featured in Pedro Almodavor's Talk to Her. Finally off of her 2001 Live from Request special is my favorite—her short but sweet cover of "Fever." I can't forget her perfect rendition of The Beatles' "Golden Slumbers/The End" on the soundtrack to Happy Feet. The best thing about this movie is this rarely heard number, a perfect tribute to the Fab Four with the grace and honesty as only k.d. can deliver.

What do all of those songs I mentioned above have in common? They all highlight the unique vocal stylings of one k.d. lang. Her voice is the focal point on all of those songs, from her aching wail on "Barefoot" to the low key sultry vocal style of "Hain't it Funny." The music accompanies her voice without overshadowing it. There is nothing worse than session musicians washing out the beautiful voice in my favorite modern day torch song singer. I have said this over and over again—enough with the multi-track productions, I am still waiting for the stripped down album where k.d.'s voice reigns supreme.

This brings us to Watershed. Is this the album for which I have been asking for years now? Not exactly, but with lang producing she makes sure that her vocals are the shining power source on these superb songs, her best and most complete album since Ingénue. From the opening notes and the lyrics "She arrives like autumn in a rainstorm," The voice that I have adored for so many years arrives from beyond to light the way. There's a country vibe, with the steel guitar and lush orchestration in the background, but k.d.'s voice of hope and reason lifts us in the blooming opening number "I Dream of Spring."

What a beginning! The dreamlike wonder of "Je Fais La Planche" follows with the "buoyancy of belief." There is something that I notice about k.d.'s songwriting immediately in Watershed. Unlike some torch song vocalists, lang writes most of her songs, and there's a sense of optimism throughout. Even if there are images of blue, jealousy, fear and pain just about all the songs end in a positive light. "Coming Home" starts off with clever, bouncy strings as k.d. sings "oh sweet sorrow/ let's write the book tomorrow." From the start she's taking the words of a sad song, and in the spirit of Paul McCartney, she's instantly making it better. k.d. never languishes in pools of melancholy, she splashes over them; the hurt might get her wet but she knows that they are just stains that will dry. k.d. doesn't let the anguish inside of her songs weigh her down. So you, as a listener, follow her lead home.

Just in time for the most romantic day of the year is "Once in a While," the perfect ode to the one in your heart. "I'll drive you crazy, baby/ once in a while." I love the fact that k.d. sings about the imperfections of love. Most of us enter romance with unbreakable goggles but "Once in a While" helps us to realize that there will be times that our loved ones will drive us a little mad. It's natural, its human nature and all the part of being in love. k.d. follows this theme of realistic love on "Thread," one of the many highlights of Watershed. "Thread" is one of the few numbers that starts off with a stripped acoustic guitar and follows with a flourishing orchestra strings that flow in and out of the mix without overpowering k.d.'s magnificent voice.

k.d. must have been listening to Mezzanine, because "Close Your Eyes" sounds very Massive Attack-esque. I love the slight trip hop-esque vibe that starts at the beginning. It's not as dark as Massive Attack, for this is a k.d. lang song, but "Close Your Eyes" is seductive number with a beating bassline that would impress Robert Del Naja and Daddy G.

Listen for the loungey title track and the stand-up bass flavored ode to everyone's favorite day of the week on "Sunday." Watershed ends with a stripped down number, "Jealous Dog." Similar to Nick Drake's "Black Eyed Dog," but without the heavy themes of death, k.d. sings about searching for faith through understanding. With just a banjo and a piano as her guide, k.d. lang leaves us looking for meaning through eyes of a jealous dog.

What a way to end this beautiful and moving album. Watershed is something that I myself have been looking to find. You see, I have been in mourning. With the passing of my late Abuelito I went searching for some peace and comfort in a singer. I went through my collection and nothing could cure the pain for the loss I was feeling inside. Last night I discovered the calming beauty of Watershed, which cured my sadness in the voice of one k.d. Lang.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.12.2008