Audio Files

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, BRIAN ORLOFF and PHILIP BOOTH
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 9, 2003

SUM 41, DOES THIS LOOK INFECTED? (ISLAND/DEF JAM) This Canadian quartet remains as disaffected as ever on its sophomore release, Does This Look Infected? Thank goodness, it does so with the unbridled, over-the-top energy that marks its live performances rather than the Blink-182-inspired pop punk that drove All Killer, No Filler, the group's major label debut.

The band has dropped the pseudo ska sound for incessant, guitar-driven and drum-driven rock -- lots of solos here and not a single hip-hop chant to be found. The up beat almost makes you forget that vocalist Deryck Whibley is singing (shouting?) "I just feel helpless" and "Thanks for nothing / and nothing is going to change."

The 12-track CD is just 33 minutes long -- actually a couple of minutes longer than the first one -- and it flies by. There's also a bonus DVD. Especially if you're tired of the garage band revival, this is worth a listen. B+

-- JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times staff

SUSAN TEDESCHI, WAIT FOR ME (TONE-COOL RECORDS) Blueswoman Susan Tedeschi, who snagged a surprise Grammy nomination three years ago for best new artist, took her own sweet time completing this followup to the rollicking Just Won't Burn (1998).

It's worth the wait.

Like Bonnie Raitt, to whom Tedeschi often has been favorably compared, Tedeschi has a powerful voice and puts together the right mix of slow burns and sizzling romps for a great listen.

From the rock-tinged gospel of The Feeling Music Brings to her gentle version of Dylan's Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Tedeschi has created an inviting collection that is at once reflective and rocking. Her husband, Allman Brothers guitarist Derek Trucks, adds some licks, but the sound remains pure Tedeschi as she sings about love, loss and music.

Take a listen. You won't be disappointed. A

-- J.S.

LOU REED, THE RAVEN (REPRISE) Lou Reed's new album, The Raven, tackles literature, poetry, jazz and rock 'n' roll, amalgamating it into a passionate -- if not a bit pretentious -- whole. Inhabited by the specter of Edgar Allan Poe's literary legacy, Reed's album is a retooling of a theatrical work by Reed titled POEtry, which debuted in Germany last year. Guests abound on The Raven, including the Blind Boys of Alabama, frequent Reed-collaborator (and companion) Laurie Anderson, Ornette Coleman and David Bowie.

The album is a sprawling, sometimes frustrating, but always compelling double-disc collection of dramatic renderings of Poe's work and Reed's own artistic commentary, performed by actors Willem Defoe, Steve Buscemi and Amanda Plummer, among others.

The City In the Sea/Shadow is a tour de force, pasting the performers' voices over each other, backed by airy synthesizers and harmonizing by folksters Kate and Anna McGarrigle. All poetic performances are met with musical accompaniment ranging from minimal electronica to kinetic rock.

Highlights include A Thousand Departed Friends, an instrumental rave-up between guitar and brass, and a relentless rhythm. Change finds Reed pontificating on life's passages with jazzy accents. And Perfect Day shines with the singularly named New York singer Antony's chantlike delivery, disquieting and yet also calming.

Edgar Allan Poe is rife with banalities, including the claim that Poe is hardly the "boy next door." And the Buscemi-sung Broadway Song feels like a lounge act gone terribly awry. But tunes such as Vanishing Act and the superbly honest Who Am I? (Tripitena's Song) more than compensate, as does Dafoe's brilliant delivery of the title track, one of Poe's most sterling poems. B.

-- BRIAN ORLOFF, Times correspondent

JACKY TERRASSON, SMILE (BLUE NOTE) Jacky Terrasson, a rising-star jazzer of the 1990s, on his eighth Blue Note release comes home to the piano-trio format, the setting for some of the French musician's most supple, creative work. It's an impressive return to form, after several detours in recent years, including the larger ensembles and occasional electric textures of 2001's A Paris and 1999's What It Is.

The pianist, working with bassist Sean Smith and drummer Eric Harland, emphasizes his abilities as an arranger, particularly on the title track, reborn in 5/4. Smile, a beautiful ballad written by Charlie Chaplin, opens with a singing, open, resonant pattern reminiscent of a Pat Metheny theme before proceeding to the delicately stated melody. Terrasson brings out all the melancholy and beauty of the piece, several times returning to the opening riff. His improvisation on the changes is dramatic and carefully designed.

He takes on several other familiarities, including a whirling, pastel-hued version of Bud Powell's Parisian Thoroughfare, which slips into a spirited blues blast; a moody examination of Miles Davis' Nardis; a solo-piano workout on Autumn Leaves; and a playful rendition of My Funny Valentine, complete with a dazzling double-time section.

Terrasson touches on contemporary material, too, incorporating drum 'n' bass rhythms on a groove-digging, spare approach to Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely?, and emphasizing the folk-ish textures of the title song from the 1990 Spike Lee film Mo Better Blues. Terrasson, a gifted, instinctive player, also has a keen understanding of the art of album programming, handily demonstrated by the intriguing flow of his latest album, recorded in France. It's a talent too often taken for granted. B+

-- PHILIP BOOTH, Times staff writer

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