Brian Wilson, “Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin” (Disney)
In the liner notes to we learn that American songwriter George Gershwin was Wilson’s first musical hero. Thatap no surprise to any serious Wilson fan. The former Beach Boy is as celebrated for his undeniable ear as he is for his musical tenacity — and the same could be said of George and Ira Gershwin.
That said, does Wilson’s love of the Gershwin’s extensive catalog warrant an entire LP of tribute? Not really. This is a CD that should be sampled — and then the Wilson or Gershwin fan can download the few must-have tracks.
Unsurprisingly the instrumentals stand out on first listen, and so the first “Rhapsody in Blue (Intro)” is a thing of Wilson-fueled goodness. Using his multi-tracked voice for that ubiquitously soaring piano line creates a gorgeous texture familiar to any fan of “Smile.” The backing orchestra is smartly mixed into the background, and the one-minute opener is a beautiful way to get into the groove.
Most other compositions here are unfortunately straightforward in their presentation — almost as if this record was made to appeal to Gershwin fans and not Wilson fans. His “Summertime” lacks soul, and his “S Wonderful,” set against a pandering bossa nova beat, lacks swing. “Someone To Watch Over Me” has some nice instrumental flourishes (that harpsichord!), but otherwise it falls flat.
But Wilson’s no-frills “Love Is Here To Stay” is a lovely, if sometimes too-faithful, homage to the original. And his instrumental composition on “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’,” accented by banjo, harmonica and trumpet, is an imaginative triumph, a silly romp that was clearly born in Wilson’s pool of creativity. — Ricardo Baca
Lana Mir, “Lana Mir” (Unfiltered)
Itap easy to fall for , a Ukranian-born singer-songwriter who finds herself a New Yorker as she releases her debut record today. Mir’s a beautiful woman, yes, but she’s also a strong writer with an assertive sense of grace.
When she coos “I wanna be adored” in a track of the same name, her desire of love is as honest as anybody’s. When she muses “Never let the summer end” in “Summertime,” itap clear she understands that distinctly American point of view on the warmer months.
When you see the track “These Days” on her CD, you might get excited to hear her take on Jackson Browne’s great track, which was famously covered by Nico. In truth, this “These Days” is Mir’s own composition, and itap a lovely meditation along the same lines of Browne’s version: “These days, I know, they weren’t meant to last forever.”
Mir’s plaintive vocals are smartly countered by lush production that recalls Serge Gainsbourg’s catalogue. Her songs are bouncy and warm, but they’re also uncomfortably straightforward in their intensions. When Mir starts the CD off with the ’60s girl group-inspired “Say You Need Me,” she couldn’t be any more clear about her ultimate desires. — Ricardo Baca
Ra Ra Riot, “The Orchard” (Barsuk)
Remember when music was not accessible over the web and you eagerly anticipated the new releases of your favorite bands? There were no leaked copies; only midnight sales provided salvation for those who wanted to get a few hours jump on the rest of humanity. Most of the time there would be a feeling of regret as the album never lived up to the hype that had been built up inside my head. I continued to attend midnight events as occasionally there were those eureka albums which made a little less sleep easily justifiable.
latest, “The Orchard,” is one of those albums.
The Syracuse, N.Y.-bred band toes that line in synthesizer infused pop-rock. They offer listeners sweet pop melodies paired with a cello, violin and a hint of ’80s synthesizer without going too over the top. The placement of the cello and violin are what separate “The Orchard” from other recent releases of the same genre.
Rather than simply harmonizing with the guitar, bass, drums and keyboard, the cello and violin are out in front, which continues a tradition established on the band’s first two albums, “Ra Ra Riot” and “The Rhumb Line.” “The Orchard” stays on track with “The Rhumb Line” but feels a bit mellower and tighter as the tracks do not wander. The refined sound on “The Orchard” not only makes this the strongest Ra Ra Riot album to date but also one of the best of the year. — Greg Stieber
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Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post.
John Wenzel is the co-editor of Reverb and an A&E reporter for The Denver Post. His book was recently published by Speck Press. He also maintains a of random song titles.
Greg Stieber is a Denver freelance writer and regular contributor to Reverb.
