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The Raven
Lou Reed
Warner Bros.
The Raven, the new album from Lou Reed, is his testament to whom he calls the “most classical of American writers,” Edgar Allen Poe.
“I became enamored of Poe — once again — and when given the opportunity to bring him to life through words and music … Why I leapt at it,” Reed wrote in the liner notes for his new disc.” “This is a record made of love.”
The album is an eclectic mix of sounds — from acoustic guitars to swirling horns to a recitation of “The Raven” by William Defoe. Part rock, part poetry, Reed manages to deliver an interesting listen. While the message may take some time to get used to, the messenger is in as fine a form as ever.
Reed gets a little help from Highlights on the CD, including a gospel-tinged plea “I Wanna Know (The Pit and the Pendulum),” the soft piano and distinctly rough voice on “Science of the Mind,” and the balls-out rock of “Blind Rage.”
The instrumental “A Thousand Departed Friends” may be the best eulogy of all time. Be wary of art tracks like “Balloon.” “The Valley of Unrest” is a another nice poetic.
The album takes some time to get used to, but those willing to visit the depths of Reed and Poe minds may well find the trip worthwhile.
-Alex Lehning
Biker Boyz
Music from the Motion Picture
Dreamworks
When a soundtrack offers “bangin’ new tracks by Mos Def, Mystic and Papa Roach featuring N.E.R.D,” one gets a sick feeling in his stomach. When the soundtrack to “Biker Boyz” offers it, one gets an ulcer in his stomach. The album features a mixture of hip hop, rap, and a few soul tracks for good measure — for the sentimental scenes of course.
The first track, “Ride,” by Redman, is a standard piece of work. Any song with a chorus that goes, “Ride, ride, ride, ride, ride, ’till I can’t go no more,” deserves its place on a soundtrack like this.
My least favorite track by far has to be the crossover effort of Metallica and Ja Rule. “We Did it Again” is uneven and features neither artist’s talent. Ja Rule growling at a microphone while interrupting heavy guitar isn’t my cup of tea.
I was nearly impressed with track 14, “Don’t look down,”which featured the crooning of David Ryan Harris’s “Don’t Look Down.” I soon realized that it was only enjoyable in comparison to this dreadful album. It’s easy to tell that this track was only put on the CD so it could be played in the scene where Kid Rock falls in love with a female biker, so the audience gets all sentimental.
Speaking of Kid Rock, he doesn’t have a single song on the soundtrack. Come on, if you’re going to lend your face to a movie that awful, you might as well put your music on the album.
The album ends with the title track by Slick Boyz featuring Mr. Murder. What a great rap name: “Mr. Murder.” The song is pretty awful, but it certainly wins the award for “most motorcycle references in a rap song.” How many times can you use the term “poppin’ a wheelie” in a song? Mr. Murder says three dozen.
-Travis “Biker Boy” Bourass
Some Company
Skott Freedman
Skott Freedman, who visited the University of Maine last October as a part of Coming Out Week, builds upon his previous albums with the release of his newest CD, Some Company.
Unlike his previous album in which he had an assortment of other instruments backing him, Freedman relies solely on his abilities as a pianist and singer to carry the music. Skott’s incredible vocal range is displayed over light, flowing melodies in songs such as “Anywhere” and the title track.
Also included on this CD are two covers; Cat Stevens’ “The Wind” and Marc Cohn’s “Walking In Memphis.” Both covers are exceptionally beautiful in their simplicity.
The only place the album loses some if its power is in some of the longer ballads. Freedman’s power lies in his short, quick melodies, and when he slows his music down, he loses much of the momentum that he builds up in other songs.
Freedman’s lyrics, which on past albums have been especially confessional, continue the trend on many of the songs of Some Company. However, he does not limit himself to writing about the intricacies of love. In the title track, for example, he wrestles with the moral issue of giving money to a homeless man.
Freedman is slowly gaining more national attention for his refreshingly powerful songs. Billboard magazine has begun to recognize the troubadour’s ability to write truly inspiring songs and featured this release in their newest issue.
As the title suggests, “Some Company” seems to be an album designed to be listened to on a lonely, rainy night. This latest album is deserving of any attention it gets, and is a worthwhile album to pick up following its release on Feb. 11.
-Jared Murphy
Bangor Daily News