Coop's Corner - Slobberbone, Blockage, and Nelly Furtado!

By Yvonne Cooprider

Slobberbone - Everything You Thought Was Right (New West Records)

Instrumentation makes this album. The first track, "Meltdown," a wonderfully folksy sound, full of luscious strings to offset the gritty and weary-sounding voice of lead singer Brent Best, sets the tone for the rest of the album. In marked contrast to the first song, the second track, "Placemat Blues" says - "Hey! We can rock too." Well now. Highlights of the disk include "Trust Jesus," just ripe for a bar sing-along, which features banjo and harmonica work along with some backing horns, to very nice effect. The middle section of the CD slows down quite a bit, however - "Gimme Back My Dog" is not at the same level of quality as the other songs, and two songs later, at seven minutes eleven seconds, the meandering song "Josephine" is way too long. "Lazy Guy" thankfully comes next in the CD, with super steel guitar work and some slick chord changes that make you want to dance. The rest of the album is servicable, full of finely-written tunes that feature elements of rock, country, folk, and the blues. Bottom line: Slobberbone is not breaking any new ground here, but there's good reason these genres are explored again, and pretty damned well at that.

Blockage (self-released):

Live, this band flat-out rocks - no weak links between the song writing, the band, or their stage presence. Blockage is not so well-represented on this 4-song EP, but you can hear the same elements that come across so well in a live setting - the raw energy that is missing from so many other punk bands with an affection for pop melodies. The third track on the CD, "Song You Never Knew," is definitely the strongest and catchiest of the offerings. The 4:18 playing time could be considered long for this kind of music, but a testament to the quality of the work is that it does NOT get tired before the end. A much faster, less melodic number closes the EP, "Plasticha," which hints at the power behind this band. Bottom line: See this band live, and hope for a label release with a bit more production value behind the deserving foursome.

Nelly Furtado (Dreamworks):

I want to be Nelly Furtado. Listening to her album, I imagine that every day I would wake up to fantastic white fluffy clouds going by at time lapse photography speed. I would go running barefoot through the grassy field filled with wildflowers, and small animals would frolic around me, oblivious to my presence. As afternoon turned to night, I'd put on a sassy yet innocent dress and go out on the town with my fantastically artsy and witty male friend. We'd share a history of course - laughing now about the intensity of our feelings for one another mere months previously. By night, I'd dream the songs on "Whoa, Nelly!" and arrange them in the days

But all is not perfect in FutadoLand, as many of the soulful songs about love and loss demonstrate (Side note: How the HELL does a 19-year-old get so much living in to so few years?!). Combing synthesizers, guitars, percussion, and traditional Portuguese instrumentation in differing parts throughout the album, Furtado's innovative and fresh music could carry the album, but the lyrics show a surprising maturity and an ear for the poetic, without relying on trite conceits. Even through songs about heartache, Furtado's lyrics are never cynical. "Whoa, Nelly!" is a wonderful collection of ephemeral songs, tied together with Furtado's sultry, jazzy vocals; she does owe more than a little bit to Beth Orton and Portoisehead. She gets a little cloying around track 7 - "Trynna Finda Way," but all is quickly forgiven on the next track, a latin-sounding number with an acoustic guitar and a simple electronic background to accompany Furtado's vocals. By the last track of the album, Nelly is singing in both Portuguese and English about the impossibilities of a relationship, of breaking someone's heart and still wanting them - the music, the lyrics, and Furtado's expressive voice and phrasing come together to make you wish you were Nelly Furtado, even when that's painful.