CD / DVD reviews: From Meat Loaf to rock chick . .

Published on Friday 12 June 2009 14:02

AFTER disbanding The Distillers, Brody Dalle seems to have finally found her feet with new project Spinnerette.

Elsewhere, with Father's Day in mind, there are a number of soul compilations to look over and a Meat Loaf 'Best Of', which all come highly recommended.

CD: Spinnerette - Spinnerette

Forget the Courtney Love comparisons, punk pin-up Brody Dalle, of The Distillers fame, is this generation's rock chick par excellence - the polar opposite to the music industry's ideal of the perfectly coiffed, meticulously made-up waif.

The wild-living Las Vegan's latest project sees her enlist former bandmate Tony Bevilacqua on guitar and ex-Red Hot Chilli Pepper's sticksman Jack Irons. Completing the line-up is Alain Johannes, who Dalle borrows from husband Josh Homme's Queens of the Stone Age. While such personnel points to a heavy-rock outing, this album is less full-on than you might think. Not to mention a lot more radio-friendly than anything Dalle has put her name to in the past - not that we're suggesting she's suddenly come over all pop. As for the tracks, Ghetto Love is a sleazy disco anthem in the making, Baptized By Fire wears Depeche Mode influences on its sleeve and Distorting A Code shows the QOTSA links. A strong release from an outfit you'll be hearing a lot more of.

Gary Flockhart

CD: Bert Jansch - LA Turnaround/Santa Barbara Honeymoon/A Rare Conundrum ***

Anyone frequently name-checked by Jimmy Page and Neil Young as a key influence, as Bert Jansch is, has got to be something pretty special, right?

These reissues of three of Jansch's mid-1970s albums don't in themselves give much away in terms of why he carries so much cred with top-shelf rock legends, except that he's a guitarist's guitarist (a subtle acoustic stylist rather than a shredder) and a pillar of British folk. Picks of the bunch here are LA Turnaround, which courts JJ Cale-style smooth country rock, and the stripped back A Rare Conundrum. These releases will be big news to existing fans, and well worth investigating for fans of Fairport Convention, John Martyn, et al.

Gary Flockhart

CD: Meat Loaf - Hits Out Of Hell

Billed as the definitive greatest hits, this single CD promises all the Meat Loaf you could possibly need.

It's hard to argue with the summation too: all the ones you know are here, from Read 'Em And Weep and Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad to Dead Ringer For Love, I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) and of course, the hit that started it all, Bat Out Of Hell. Fans will own all his albums, but for those who couldn't stomach the drama of a whole one, this might be just the ticket.

Andy Welch

CD: Various - To Dad From Motown

With Father's Day on the way, it's no surprise there are a few compilations knocking around.

This one takes a different route to the 'Dad's Best Driving Anthems' box sets that you normally get. Granted, it has one of the worst titles of any album out there, but it is redeemed by some of the best songs ever written. Opening with The Temptations's Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, the album continues with Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops and, of course, Marvin Gaye. If your Dad is a fan of soul and is looking for a solid collection, you'll not go too far wrong with this. However, there are probably plenty more Motown collections out there of a similar quality, so shop around.

Polly Weeks

CD: George Harrison - Let It Roll: The Songs Of George Harrison

This album is a collection of solo hits from the Beatles' lead guitarist. Selected by his widow Olivia, it covers tracks from 1970's All Things Must Pass to 2002's Brainwashed, including live songs from 1971's Concert For Bangladesh.

The quality of the songs is, of course, excellent. They include the inspirational My Sweet Lord and All Things Must Pass, the 1960s-inspired When We Were Fab and poignant Marwa Blues, written as he was suffering with cancer, and What Is Life, which showed off his rockier side. The problem is the selection of songs. It's ideal for new Harrison fans as it gives a good taster of what to expect from his solo catalogue. But it will disappoint long-standing fans, who might be expecting something along the lines of Paul McCartney's solo retrospective Wingspan, which featured his hits alongside rarities. Songs from 33 & 1/3, Gone Troppo, Extra Texture and Dark Horse have also been left out, but would have shown more of Harrison's versatility and humour.

Laura Wurzal

CD: Various - 101 Northern Soul Anthems ****

Compilations like this are hard to argue with. The title is a giveaway for starters: there are 101 Northern Soul Anthems spread over four discs.

It starts well, with Dobie Gray's Out On The Floor, and features everything you might expect - Little Anthony & The Imperials' Better Use Your Head, Jackie Wilson's Sweetest Feeling, You Get Your Kicks by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, and the original stomp of Gloria Jones's Tainted Love. Where this differs from, say, the benchmark Soul Survivors compilations, is in the lesser-known tracks included, making for a thorough look at the genre. Get out the talcum powder and start practising those back-drops.

Andy Welch

CD: Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash Remixed

While the idea behind this album is noble - getting new artists to remix Johnny Cash songs to make them relevant to a new generation - the execution is unsuccessful. Count De Money's remix of Big River brings the jaunty classic up to date, but most of the other tracks both fail to capture the spirit of the original or to be stand-alone dance tracks. In Snoop Dogg's remix of I Walk The Line, Cash's voice is slowed down to a lazy drawl and, if you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of him turning in his grave in the background.

Lisa Williams

DVD: He's Just Not That Into You (Cert 12)

Mary (Drew Barrymore) has an array of caring men around her. Unfortunately they are all gay co-workers on the Baltimore Blade newspaper, and she fares less well when it comes to forging connections with straight men. Mary is friends with yoga instructor Anna (Scarlett Johansson), who is stringing along real estate agent Conor (Kevin Connolly) but would rather be sharing the bed of businessman Ben (Bradley Cooper). Unfortunately he is married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly) who works in the marketing department of a spice company with Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin). Beth is frustrated that long-term beau Neil (Ben Affleck) refuses to go down on bended knee after seven years together. The film feels considerably longer than 124 minutes, which isn't sufficient time to flesh out so many characters for us to truly care about their fates. One thing is clear from Ken Kwapis' film: men and women are clueless when it comes to making ripples in the dating pool.