8 Tracks On The Download

by Cathey Stamps

"Never Again"
Kelly Clarkson
This song is just one of many on Clarkson's new CD "My December" that delivers nuclear-powered break-up anger in a radio-friendly pop rock package making this a cathartic dream you can dance to.  I'd give it an 85....

"Do I Disappoint You" Rufus Wainwright Cabaret style and overwrought mid-sixties soundscapes lay the groundwork for Wainwright's continuation of retro styles that somehow keep working for him.  On this track, the soulful songster asks "Do I disappoint you by just being human?"  This track won't disappoint anyone.

"Sweet Poison"
David Olney
The master of dark lyrics and early 2oth century blues sounds has found a perfect blend in this tale of love and the craving for the things that can destroy us.  Olney is both simple and deep without breaking a sweat on his new CD "One Tough Town," which includes this rockabilly shaker and features Johnny Cash sideman Dave Roe thumping bass for good measure.

"That Was Me" Paul McCartney On the long-awaited release "Memory Almost Full," McCartney finds his way back to relevant music. This CD has Sir Paul looking over his life and into his future with the eye of a realist, stripped bare of the false images and media hype. Oh, it's still McCartney, But the sugar factor has been greatly reduced even while the sunny outlook still shines in spite of loss, aging and Heather Mills. This is the first full MCartney solo album I've ever liked.

"Instant Karma-the Campaign to Save Darfur"
Various Artists
Leave it to John Lennon to keep leading the political charge from the grave. This collection of his songs as performed by other artists for this compilation is as relevant as ever and the artists involved do their best to bring their A games. I couldn't really pick one track to recommend, but Lenny Kravitz, Aerosmith, and Corinne Bailey Rae all sound mighty comfortable on their tracks – and I mean that in a good way. You even get to compare arrangements. Do you like "Instant Karma" better as done by Duran Duran, U2 or Tokio Hotel? All net proceeds go to Amnesty International's efforts to help the war ravaged people of Darfur. Google it and see what's really going on in your world.

"Angel's Doorway" Suzanne Vega Vega is back with a new release on Blue Note records and a new sound that puts a little crunchy rock into the mix with fabulous results. Oh sure, there are still plenty of songs on "Beauty & Crime" that hearken back to vintage Vega, but overall this disc rocks along under Vega's poetic lyrics as naturally as The Heartbreakers did as Dylan's backing band. "Angel's Doorway" gives a great shot of this welcome new feel.

"I Don't Want To"
Example
You've got to admire a guy who will actually admit that sometimes the call of a soft pillow on a late night is stronger than the call of the wild. U.K. MC Example has a grooving sample of Muddy Waters underlying his woeful tale of a drunken hook-up and the inevitable results. Hey, maybe he's the guy Kelly Clarkson is so pissed off at....

"Wanna Be" Dizzee Rascal featuring Lily Allen Well, I guess the Brits have it this month with some twists for the rap school crowd. On his 3rd CD, Dizzee Rascal has plenty of the usual, but this track with songstress Lily Allen has him cutting a poser off at the knees with words instead of bullets. My favorite? How about "your mama buys all your bling?"