4Play

June 14, 2006

Jewel - Goodbye Alice in Wonderland - WEA/Atlantic
It’s become apparant from her many left turns (coffeehouse folk, country-western, dance) that Jewel’s talents are best applied to the unique brand of folk-pop that she began with and that she picks up again, for the most part, with her latest effort.  Working with a studio band of Nashville professionals, she’s gone back to the confessional tracks that first garnered her attention back in the mid-90s, which proves to be a good choice.  Utilizing both a folkie’s introspection and a jaded pop star’s feel for beats and hooks, Jewel crafts songs like “Fragile Heart,” “Again and Again” (complete with Jewel’s signature yodel), “Drive To You,” and “Only One Too” with its earworm refrain.  There are a few more country-based tunes here, too, but they pale in comparison to the pop tracks, which show growth yet retain Jewel’s sound.  It’s always good for musicians to grow - but sometimes, you just don’t need to go that far in order to fix what isn’t broken.

Various Artists - Grey’s Anatomy Original Soundtrack - Hollywood Records
Opening with the fave track “Such Great Heights” from indie-rock darlings The Postal Service, this collection of songs put together to accompany the Grey’s Anatomy TV show is almost too hip for the television-acquainted room.  This set of music easily stands alone for those who are not interested in the program (although, of course, for fans of the show, it’s a nice accompaniment) and is also a good introduction to some of the newer and more underground groups around - great groups and artists that you will sadly likely not hear on mainstream radio anytime soon.  In addition to the Postal Service track, you’ll find songs here from Mike Doughty (his self-deprecating “Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well”), London electropoppers Psapp, singer-songwriter Ben Lee, the underrated Rilo Kiley, Get Set Go, and plenty of others - play it at your apartment, play it on your car stereo, and chances are your friends will soon be asking, “hey, who’s that?”

Duncan Sheik - White Limousine - Zoe Records
Where, oh, where, has Duncan Sheik been?  The talented singer-composer seems to have been relegated to the status of one-hit wonder (1996’s “Barely Breathing”), but he’s actually been pretty busy over the past, oh, ten years or so.  He’s done production for other artists, has spent some time touring, and has also done scoring for film and stage productions;  and now he’s ready to return with more of his own songs in quite a unique format.  ...Limousine offers not one, but two discs - one labeled MINE and one labeled YOURS.  MINE features Duncan’s versions of his latest songs, while YOURS is a special DVD-ROM that lets fans create their own versions of his tracks.  And what tracks - Duncan’s reedy, distinctive vocals and songwriting skills are both showcased quite well on such tunes as “Hey Casanova,” “Land,” “I Don’t Believe in Ghosts,” “So Gone,” “Nothing Fades,” and the title song.  Welcome back, Mr. Sheik.

Goo Goo Dolls - Let Love In - WEA/Warner Bros.
‘90s hitmakers the Goo Goo Dolls are often dismissed as fluff pop, which is a shame.  Yeah, they’re produced by the slick Glen Ballard, yeah, AOR radio digs the Goos - but upon closer listen, it’s still evident that singer Johnny Rzeznik and his bandmates are writing some heartfelt, thoughtful songs, even if those songs are usually buried under an overblown layer of studio polish.  Not much has changed on this album, although there are two songs on this release sung by Goo Robbie Takac as opposed to Rzeznik.  The songs kind of run together, from “Stay With You” to “Better Days” but the underlying melody lines are good, as are Rzeznik’s vocals.  Perhaps a different producer - one with a rawer ethic and an ability to push the Goos to switch up some of their tempos and rough things up a little -  will serve the band better on their next effort, so that their songwriting can take center stage for once.