LEO KOTTKE; "Peculiaroso" (Private Music); produced by Ricki Lee Jones. * * * *
Some songwriters create imagery with the gift of words. For others, it's how they take a simple phrase and twist it into new meanings. For a select few, the imagery requires no words at all.Such is the case with acoustic guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke, who sets another brick in the monument to acoustic wizards with "Peculiaroso" (Private Music), a brilliant demonstration of how music doesn't have to be characterized by flashy word play or dazzling instrumentals to be inspiring.
If Kottke's latest offering could be described in one word it would be "understated," albeit powerfully so. He moves unobtrusively through myriad sounds and musical textures, occasionally even throwing in some gravel-voiced lyrics for effect.
From the Appalachian sounds of "Poor Boy" to the moon-soft orchestral arrangements of "Wonderland By Night," Kottke glides effortlessly through a rich landscape of emotions.
Nowhere is that more evident than on "World Made to Order," a deliciously rich tune that highlights Kottke's guitar work at its absolute best. Another fascinating cut is "Turning into Randolph Scott" and its peculiar lyrics.
"The Room at the Top of the Stairs" also features breathtaking guitar work, along with some killer bluesy vocals, while "Big Situation" takes a complex mix sounds and repeats them to the point where complex appears quite simple.
From start to finish, "Peculiaroso" is an unqualified delight, resonating in beauty through each of the 12 songs. It's the kind of music you want to turn up real loud so as not to miss all the layered textures and subtle nuances.
It's also the kind of music that reaffirms Kottke as a living legend.
- Jerry Spangler
ENTOMBED; "Wolverine Blues" (Earache/Columbia). * * 1/2
Entombed, the melodic-thrash metal band that released the keen six-song EP "Hollowman" last year, has conjured up its first full-length album, "Wolverine Blues." Though the new collection lacks some of the originality present on the EP, there are some excellent ear shattering moments.
One cut, "Blood Song," pays tribute to the Vampire Lestat volumes written by Anne Rice. While the song's lyrics should not to be taken seriously, the music displays the band's talented fury with neck-breaking changes and clever arrangements.
The title cut and "Hollowman," which both appear on the EP, lash out with tight, double-time beats and melodic guitar leads. Each song is topped with angry, rumbling vocals.
But this 10-song album runs a bit monotonous at times. The grinding chug of distorted guitars and nerve-cutting screams tends to get old. The thrashing loses its shock value and originality after the fifth cut. From then on, the remaining songs sound a bit like the first five.
- Scott Iwasaki
RATINGS: four stars (* * * * ), excellent; three stars (* * * ), good; two stars (* * ), fair; one star (* ), poor, with 1/2 representing a higher, intermediate grade.