I can’t imagine how this thing ended up on a major label (and, even more) how it sold as well as it did. Apparently, JB holed up in his bedroom to create this thing. For the most part it is extremely minimal drum machine over over-wrought vocals that are endlessly repeated through an electronic distortion device. By accident, JB actually finds a groove on “Lindisfarne II” over the dorky vocal “Beacon didn’t fly too high”. A good recording to buy if you want to feel depressed. (B-)

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TS comes up with Volume 2 of her money-raking series “Hi-Skool Romance”. On the positive side – most of these songs are pretty well written and fit TS’s mediocre voice. But, so what? There is no real anger at the relationship experience (see Todd Solondz ‘Dollhouse’) and absolutely no sign of anything related to “education” – learning or teachers. What this tends to show is that young females have not changed at all from the mid 60’s (see J.-L. Godard’s ‘Masculine-Feminine’.)  This one is docked a notch for the highly cretinous video “Change”. (C+)

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This is JA’s first recording from 1993. Already she had developed the persona that she has shamelessly flaunted for nearly 2 decades – new age hayseed. Imagine any of Canada’s famous Sarahs: McLachlan, Harmer, Slean developing hayseed inflections and singing their dime-store sentiments over hayseed lite instrumentation. Other than the voice being a bit thinner, there is little to choose from this one and the much later, but no better, “Free”. (D+)

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This is the first Healey disc I’ve heard since 1990’s “Hell to Pay”. This batch of covers seems to be stuck in the same vein – 80’s hard rock played over second rate slide guitar. Most of these things could be done by any second rate bar band – only Jerry Rafferty’s “Stuck in the Middle with You” is at all memorable. The band mostly makes a mess of “Run Through the Jungle” – Healey should have looked to Killdozer for inspiration. (B-)

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Beth Gibbons croaks out atonal dirges on personal subjects – some of them interesting, others pretentiously boring – over mainly dissonant instrumentation.  On one track, “We Carry On” they try to approximate Joy Division with some success. For the most part, I admire what they are trying to do, but don’t care to listen to them for extended periods. (B)

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Mr. Weller has been around a long time, playing the main man in two bands (The Jam, The Style Council) that I never paid much attention to. Here, he deals up a mish-mash of styles – the clunky rockers being the only ones of (slight) interest. The slower ones are mostly unbearable. And, of course, his credo is “Although I’m old and gray, I still got nuthin’ to say”. (C)

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This is the second KoL long-play from 2004. It is a lot more basic than “Only by the Night” recently reviewed. The rhythm section is pretty good, but the vocalist, Caleb F. doesn’t sing very well (Taper Jean Girl could have Lester Bangs as the singer.) Unfortunately, CF doesn’t have Lester’s way with words and his mostly forgettable lyrics make this a minor effort. (B-)

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About 6 years ago, Stevens came up with “Illinoise”, an album that was loved by the alternate crowd, although I was unimpressed. I would think there would be a limit on how long he would be able to get away with dime store personal philosophizing croaked over rhythmless cutesy-poo clatter. And, does he ever get verbal – there is enough yap on this thing for 3 albums. Perhaps it’s good that he blurted it out now and (hopefully) not later. (C-)

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After winning the legendary “American Idol IV” in 2005, Carrie got handed to hotshot producers Marky Bright & Danny Huff. Danny and Marky dredged up a sack of cretinous hayseed songs (eg) “Jesus, Take the Wheel” by unknown writers, mixed them with three by schlock maitresse Dianne Warren (of Mariah & Whitney fame) and let Carrie do her one dimensional show of emotions – namely screaming at the top of her lungs. (D-)

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This oldie from 1966 sure doesn’t date well. As should be expected it sounds like a 60’s folk album with Beatle influences. Only one track, “For What It’s Worth” is memorable – and it’s quite probably Steve Stills’ best song. All his others on this recording are throwaways. The Neil Young items aren’t much better. (B-)

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