Album Reviews - Oct 30

Pink
Album: Funhouse
Label: Sony BMG
Rating: ***

We’ve always been able to rely on Pink to keep the rest of the corporate pop stars honest. She turned both barrels on them with Stupid Girls. Now she does the same thing to herself with So What, lead single off Funhouse. The marriage breakup with Carey Hart seems to have left her ... vulnerable. It works surprisingly well on I Don’t Believe You (which is believable), but fails on Please Don’t Leave Me (which isn’t). The feisty in-your-face Pink returns on Bad Influence and the title track, Funhouse. But there’s just not enough of that old attitude. Come on, Pink, get over it. Time to kick some butt out there.
– Graham Rockingham/for Metro Canada

Lordi
Album: Deadache
Label: The End/Sony BMG
Rating: ***

Lordi is big in its native Finland. Freaking huge, actually. The mask-wearing theatrical rockers have their own credit card through Sampo Bank, as well as their own pop (Lordi Cola). The five-piece band’s stage show combines horror-flick theatrics with arena-friendly rock. Hey, there’s a market for this stuff. Alice Cooper and GWAR can’t be everywhere at once. Stage dramatics aside, Lordi write steady, heavy, pop-friendly tunes. And — as you would hope with this type of material and presentation — the band has a sense of humour. The biggest knock against Deadache is the silly, growl-y vocals. They don’t add to the drama.
– Jim Reyno/Metro Canada

Bloc Party
Album: Intimacy
Label: Atlantic/Warner
Rating: *** 1/2

Bloc Party shows a lot of range on its third album, Intimacy. In the case of vocalist Kele Okereke, sometimes a little too much range. With a thick British accent (almost unbelievably thick in some spots), Okereke can sound like a whinier Andy Partridge of XTC. But when he stays mid-range and doesn’t sound like he’s putting on, Okereke delivers heartfelt, intimate vocals. Okereke, and the entire band for that matter, thrive on the ballads and darker songs (and there a lot of those). Don’t be fooled by the raucous kickoff track Ares: Intimacy is a personal, introspective album.    
– Jim Reyno/Metro Canada

Eva Avila
Album: Give Me the Music
Label: Sony BMG
Rating: ***

Our cute little Canadian Idol (2006)  has turned into a steamy dance club seductress. Well, that’s what it looks like on the cover. Yeah, they’ve made her look like all the other pop stars they’re pushing. And guess what? She sounds like them too. I dare anyone to pick this voice out of a lineup. But it’s not easy to scratch out a personality for yourself when you’ve got a veritable army of songwriters trying to do it for you. Check out the lyrics on Damned. I count at least a dozen clichés in there fighting each other for  space. There’s talent here. Let it breathe.
– Graham Rockingham/for Metro Canada

Snow Patrol
Album: A Hundred Million Suns
Label: Fiction/Universal
Rating: **

This Northern Ireland-based outfit hinted at setting this fifth album apart from its previous anthemic, alt-soft-rock output. Just don’t bank on as radical a departure as, say, recent Coldplay or Keane. Aside from one decent pulsating rocker (Disaster Beaten), an early ‘70s Pink Floyd-esque softie (Set Down Your Glass), a paltry Radiohead imitation (The Golden Floor) and a three-part closing epic that transports you to the ‘zzz’ zone (The Lightning Strike), the rest is snooze-inducing business as usual.
– Ian Nathanson/for Metro Canada

John Legend
Album: Evolver
Label: Columbia/Sony BMG
Rating: **

It’s clear when you hear Evolver — John Legend’s latest — that the neo-soul pianist is trying to well, evolve. But while this record is a departure from previous efforts, it’s more of a step back than a leap forward. The crooner’s third full-length is filled with upbeat R&B synth tracks and guitar riffs, which could have been interesting if only they weren’t so bland. There’s barely an infectious chorus here, and cliché lyrics about his ex on This Time will make you long for the usually thoughtful singer’s back catalogue.
– Bryan Borzykowski/for Metro Canada

Kaiser Chiefs
Album: Off With Their Heads
Label: B-Unique/Universal
Rating: ***

Now that the excitement of Franz Ferdinand-era rock ’n’ roll has waned, only the strongest acts have survived. One of those bands, The Kaiser Chiefs, continues to make spiky amped up music that pleases punk fans and Beatles lovers alike. Their latest, produced by Mark Ronson, is another entertaining blast of spiky pop music. It’s doesn’t deviate much from their previous efforts, but this is one band where reliability is welcome. Despite a few lackluster moments, Off With Their Heads, is another enjoyable disc from these feisty Brits.
– Bryan Borzykowski/for Metro Canada

Kenny Chesney
Album: Lucky Old Sun
Label: Sony BMG
Rating: ** 1/2

When life gets tough for Kenny Chesney, all he has to do is slip off the cowboy boots, hop on a boat and sail off to Jamaica for some quality time on the beach ... and, hey, maybe jam out with  Bob Marley’s old band to help make him feel at one with the world.

His current hit is called Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven. It’s the one with the Wailers backing him up. And the chorus is as true as true can be. Everybody does, indeed, want to go to heaven. It’s just that your fans probably can’t afford to do it, Kenny, in the style to which you’ve become accustomed.

Now pass that salt shaker and sail on over to Margaritaville.
– Graham Rockingham/for Metro Canada