THE WALLFLOWERS; "Rebel Sweetheart" (Interscope Records)** 1/2
The Wallflowers seem to have found a renewed sense of purpose with the band's newest album "Rebel Sweetheart." This new maturity calls not for social change but for social reflection.
"Rebel" is full of bouncy mid-tempo sing-a-longs that are surprisingly full of social defiance and political angst. The entire album was written by front man Jakob Dylan, son of Bob Dylan, whose lyrics passionately reflect on the complex, dark times facing today's world.
Unlike some bands that try to push too many things into a single album, "Rebel Sweetheart" seems focused — maybe too focused — on emotional complexities. Dylan sings these adult tales of disillusionment and perseverance with sad reflection. But on an album, where every track — including the love songs — is full of conflict, these depressing feelings become oppressive.
Most of the songs are downers. Brooding lyrics like "Seems like the world's gone underground/Where no gods or heroes dare to go down/As teardrops from a hole in heaven come/Overhead lie ravens dropping down like bombs," are not something casual listeners want to hear.
It's nice to see a band that doesn't try to impress the masses by following the latest hippest trends. But because of that, you won't hear much radio play from this one.
COURTNEY JAYE; "Traveling Light" (Island Records)* 1/2
"Traveling Light" is an appropriate title for Courtney Jaye's debut album. It's like light ice cream — good in theory but lacking the rich and creamy taste you're expecting.
The album starts out promisingly, with three catchy, somewhat generic pop/alternative songs, including "Lose My Head" and "Permanent." Both have decent hooks and memorable lyrics.
This trend unfortunately does not carry through to the rest of the album. In a risky move for a debut, Jaye co-wrote all the tracks — which becomes obvious as the sound quickly changes from mildly entertaining to painfully boring. With the exception of "Can You Sleep," the last nine tracks blend into each other with mind-numbing, redundant tempo and lyrics.
Jaye, whose style is an indiscernible mix of pop, alternative, folk and country, doesn't have the strongest voice — some of the long high notes are a stretch. And at times she sounds more like a whiny kid than a musician — think a cross between Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan with a pinch of Britney Spears.
Despite all of the problems, it is obvious that Jaye is talented. In her one success, "Can't Behave," a song reminiscent of Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do," everything comes together. Here she totally commits to creating a mature and polished sound. This form of country/rock is where she should focus all of her singing and songwriting ability in the future.
E-mail: jharrison@desnews.com