CHRIS ISAAK
Forever Blue
Reprise
Four Stars
IF A BETTER album comes out this year, I'll eat this CD. And then I'll run out and buy another copy.
It's reminiscent of K.D. Lang's monumental Shadowland album of '89. That disc was an eternally haunting, divine tribute to Patsy Cline.
This one is Isaak taking his melo-romantic Elvis and Roy Orbison touches to a higher plane; one that glides above the clouds and around the feet of the two giants.
There are too many great cuts to single out any one or two--just get it and enjoy it forever.
--Michael MetzgerBONEPONY
Stomp Revival
Capitol
Two Stars
THEY'RE PROBABLY A fun live band. Bonepony stomps on boards wired with transducers so their stalking, big-booted backbeats hit their audiences right in the chest.
It's Southern rock and roll drawing from the usual influences, freshened with unexpected soft cries of dobro and dulcimer.
They spraypaint clichés when trying to daub the sky with love's pain a lá the Allmans--Bonepony is best stompin' out their good new boy boogies: "Soap," "Poor Boy Blues" and "Bleeker Street."
--Michael MetzgerGUY CLARK
Craftsman
Rounder
Three Stars
THE SHOW THAT Guy Clark and Peter Rowan put on to reopen the Temple Of Music and Art is one of the highlights of Tucson's musical history.After switching labels in '78, the unsung epic performer made three less-heralded albums: Guy Clark, South Coast Of Texas and Better Days, all of which have been out of print until now.
Here Rounder has resurrected the lost trio and put them out on a two-CD set for a bargain price. Clark's Texas troubadour song stories are rich throughout in tunes like "Comfort and Crazy," "Homegrown Tomatoes" and "Heartbroke."
--Robert BairdVARIOUS ARTISTS
Mo Cookin'
Ubiquity
Three Stars
THE TERM "Acid Jazz" is one of the most misused in pop music. The music's improvisational nature defeats any precise definitions but in general it's a sweet, funky blend of hip hop and jazz horns. Not acidic at all.There are, however, a few genuine articles scattered among the pretenders. For a taste of the real thing try out anything on S.F.'s Ubiquity label. Made up of groups from the Bay Area and England, Mo Cookin' is Acid Jazz at its best--live drums, rhythms going beyond hip hop, inventive horn riffs and vocal samples mixed into a deeply, deeply funky whole.
--Robert Baird
