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“Careless Love”
Madeleine Peyroux
Rounder Records
The title may have the word “careless” in it, but the album itself is anything but.
After returning from a nine-year hiatus while traveling across the globe, jazz vocalist Madeleine Peyroux recently released her second album entitled “Careless Love.” Despite her long removal, Peyroux has made some noticeable differences compared to her debut effort, “Dreamland.”
With this album, the Georgia native has more of a jazz sound as she provides a voice that eerily sounds like Billie Holliday. Unlike Holliday, Peyroux plays acoustic guitar on most of the tracks.
Even though the album has not gotten much airplay one of her songs has already had some success. The second track is “Don’t Wait Too Long,” was used in the Dockers “San Francisco” advertising campaign. Not only has the clothing company used her sound but for those who saw the summer flop “Monster-In-Law,” the track was also used.
The track itself has steady beat that mixes Peyroux’s voice and guitar with an organ and snare drum. With the consistent beat that only changes when the chorus comes, the lyrics stick to the title about how certain things can last for a while before time changes everything. One thing that does not change is the influence of the guitar on this song. Although her voice is prevalent, there is a point where for 20 seconds, the sounds gives it a blues-like feel. The track was produced by Grammy-award winner Jesse Harris. Harris also worked with another jazz vocalist, Norah Jones, on her breakout album, “Come Away With Me.”
On “Careless Love”, she brings a remake of “J’ai Deux Amours” translated in English to “I Have Two Loves.” a song that Josephine Baker performed to French troops during World War II. When asked about why she chose to cover the song, Peyroux stated that Baker embodied the song because she represented an alliance between the U.S. and France during the war.
This album is a must-buy for anyone wanting to see how good vocal jazz can be.
-Ryan Clark
“Curtain Call”
Eminem
2005 Aftermath Records
Eminem’s new CD “Curtain Call” hit the shelves on Dec. 6. This CD is a collection of Eminem’s greatest songs, including nearly every single he has ever released.
If you own his previous CDs there is really no reason to snatch this one up, even though it does contain three new releases – “Fack,” “Shake That,” featuring Nate Dogg and “When I’m Gone,” all of which are sad representations of Eminem’s career.
“Fack” is a tacky, disgusting song about, well, by the name you can just guess. It lacks Eminem’s hilarity and the skillful obscenity that has become one of his main trademarks. It seems as if he’s trying too hard to push the limits.
“Shake That” has a catchy beat, but it sounds just like any other song you’d hear at the club. This song is missing the flow and edginess that Eminem has incorporated in his earlier work.
The third, “When I’m Gone,” is the one new release that has earned praise. This song demonstrates Eminem’s flawless flow and masterful beat that rocketed his rap career in the first place.
You can’t please everyone, and this rings especially true for the most controversial artists of the past decade. His following is divided between those who love the hits and those who feel the true artist can be found only on more obscure album tracks. Allan Wigney, journalist for Ottawa Sun, said, “For those who want a handy one-stop-shopping overview of the career of one of the most important artists of the past decade, ‘Curtain Call’ holds the answers to all your questions.”
This CD is mainly for people who have yet to witness Eminem’s legendary career, with classics such as ” My Name Is,” “Lose Yourself” and “Stan.”
It’s still uncertain as to whether this larger-than-life artist is really putting down the mic, but if he is, this CD is the perfect representation of the highlights of Eminem’s career. He’s sold over 65 million albums worldwide and, from the looks of it, “Curtain Call” promises to add to his overwhelming album sales.
-Hillary Dugas
Bangor Daily News