B is for Bob

Many years after his untimely death, Bob Marley is still putting out “new” records (just like Elvis and Tupac and, in the years to come, Michael Jackson.) B is for Bob takes some of Marley’s tunes and remixes and re-imagines them for a younger audience (Bob’s son Ziggy, the executive producer of this set, stated aim was to “give the youngest their very own Bob Marley record”.)

This sort of remix business can be problematic sometimes but not so in this case, B is for Bob is a charmer for children of all ages (my own maturity level can be brought into question but, that said, I enjoyed it immensely.) Ziggy Marley adds additional production to a lot of the tracks here aided and abetted by Takeshi Akimoto (acoustic and electric guitars) and Daniel K. Mandelman (piano and percussion.)

Some of the songs are stripped down to the put the focus squarely on Marley’s soulful vocals (and the equally effective backing vocals by the I-Threes) such as on the delicate, yes still evocative versions of “Three Little Birds” and “Redemption Song” that open the disc.

The Wailers’ irresistible reggae beat and throbbing horns) are not absent from the disc as evidenced by the churning “Wake Up and Live”, the gentle remix of “Satisfy my Soul”, and the loping “Lively Up Yourself” (featuring some nice guitar work.)

“Jamming” is stripped down to its vocals and then built back up with percussion and acoustic guitar which gives it a more intimate feel than the original.

A children’s chorus is added to a couple of tracks: the sprightly piano-driven “Bend Down Low” and the delightfully infectious “Small Axe”.

“Could You Be Loved” is presented in the original (and incredibly potent, incredibly danceable) mix while “Stir it Up” is given almost lullaby feel (albeit a lullaby with a groovy beat) with new guitar and grand piano parts.

The disc finishes off nicely with the soothing “High Tide or Low Tide”.

Is this an essential Bob Marley record? Nah. But just the same it’s sweet without being saccharine and you don’t have to be kid to appreciate and enjoy it (though hopefully some young folks will be introduced to Bob and the Wailers by the grand music here.)

Man in the Mirror

Michael Jackson's life was Michael Jackson's life but whatever one thought about as his eccentricities the man could sing and dance his butt off. Rest in peace.

American Idol Finale

Not for nothing but the American Idol judges spend the season gassing on about how they want things to fresh and CONTEMPORARY and then, inevitably, they turn the season finale into a march of classic rock golden oldies.

Rod Stewart…Carlos Santana…KISS…Lionel Richie…Cyndi Lauper…Queen Latifah…Steve Martin…Queen…seriously? Look I love most of these folks…but then I’m not in the demographic group the American Idol producers are supposedly going for. I just don’t get it (yeah I know Jason Mraz and Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas and Keith Urban were there too but still…)

ANYWAY, the finale was, as usual, entertaining in spots and incredibly cheesy in a lot of others (they really need to dispense with those stupid “awards”…those folks weren’t funny the first time and bringing them back doesn’t make them any more interesting.)

This season was kind of a hot mess…too many judges (thank you, Kara, but you really didn’t bring anything interesting to the table….we’re already full of pointless, misinformed inanity from our Mr. Jackson…so here are some nice parting gifts), too much distracting nonsense from the judges (folks it’s really supposed to be about the contestants), too many ill-conceived attempts to spice up the show (gee I really hope they bring that “exciting” judges’ save thing back next year…), and, again, a truly lame song that the winner is forced to release as his first single (thanks again, Kara…)

But in the end you had a handful of good performers (take a bow, Adam, Allison, Kris…) and two finalists who deserved to make the cut.

And, perhaps best of all, a winner than flew in the face of all of the blatant pimping that the judges…who seemed to have picked an Adam-Danny finale so many weeks ago that the other contestants must have felt like cannon fodder.

I have been enormously impressed with Adam all season…he may be the most daring artist Idol has ever had (well him and Chris Daughtry)…but Kris was, in a less flashy way, just as artistic and he quietly flew under the judges’ myopic radar and his victory wasn’t really the “incredible upset” that some might label it.

I am interested to hear the record Kris will make (the woeful “No Boundaries” excepted) and I’m also very interested to hear what Adam and Allison will do. Everybody will be fine (and Adam may be better off not having to toe the Idol producers' tone-deaf line...ooo, that was an ugly mixed metaphor, wasn't it? Ah well...:-)

Not the best AI season ever but, in the end, it wasn’t particularly egregious either.

Okay that’s done…bring on So You Think You Can Dance!

Community

Joel McHale is a hoot on The Soup and now he has a sitcom being picked up by NBC for the fall. From the preview below it has potential to be pretty cool.

ABC's Canceled Series Finales

Ah ABC I guess I should thank you for throwing a poor deprived television viewer a bone. The alphabet network has announced when they're going to burn off the remaining unaired episodes of three interesting shows cut down before they had a chance to really hit their stride.

They're going to use that choice viewing hour...Saturdays at 10 P.M....to present the swan songs during the summer.

The utterly charming Pushing Daisies (see above) is first up airing its final three episodes starting on May 30th.

The quirky Eli Stone, which was shaping up to be something quite engaging after a tentative start, will occupy the hour starting on June 20th.

The soapy fun and intrigue of Dirty Sexy Money will pick up the baton starting on July 18th.

At least they didn't make us wait until the DVD sets came out to see these final episodes...

Monsters Vs. Aliens

Plot? Well, the title pretty much sums it up (I guess you could read some tolerance stuff in the subtext...but this isn't really a "subtext" kinda movie.) But that doesn't matter...Monsters Vs. Aliens is fast paced and beautifully rendered with enough slapstick and high-jinks to keep the kids happy and just enough jokes that will sail over the heads of the youngsters to keep the adults engaged (and stuff blows up...who doesn't like that? :-)

Keifer Sutherland is a hoot (and all but unrecognizable) voicing the the hard-bitten General W.R. Monger who has been keep the existence of monsters away from the public for 50 years, Stephen Colbert has a daffy turn as the clueless President, and Reese Witherspoon is at turns winsome, befuddled, and determined as Susan who is turned into a 50-foot woman ("Gigantica") after being exposed to a meteorite on her wedding day.

Hugh Laurie is grand as Dr. Cockroach, a mad scientist who turned himself into...well...a giant cockroach, Will Arnett is fine as the stalwart and prideful Missing Link, and Seth Rogen steals the show as the affable but brainless gelantious blob named Bob.

The movie wears its influences on its proverbial sleeve unabashedly...I saw winks to Star Wars, Men in Black, Independence Day, The Day the Earth Stood Still...and, of course, The Fly, Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Blob... among others...but it does so with such charm, verve, cheekiness, and good nature that you just go with it.

In the vein of full disclosure I eschewed the 3-D version in favor of a regular 2-D showing...eyes as old as mine weren't meant to try to cope with 3-D for an hour and half...but I could see many of the shots that probably really popped in three dimensions.

Is this a great movie? Nah. But it's a heckuva lot of fun and what more do you want from a cartoon?

Bare Bones

I had to live with the new Madeleine Peyroux CD for a while…listen it to more than few times…before its charms revealed themselves to me more fully. Bare Bones is not as immediately accessible as her previous two collections (Half the Perfect World and Careless Love) but its highpoints are on par with the best tunes from those two delightful albums.

Unlike her past couple of albums, which featured a mixture of original tunes and cannily chosen cover songs, this one consists completely of original tunes (all of which were written or co-written by Peyroux.)

The first few tunes…the wistfully optimistic “Instead”, the quietly lilting title track, and the rueful “Damn the Circumstances”…have the same downcast, plaintive feel and that threatens to weigh down the proceedings with a brooding sameness. But, in all the cases, the strength of the lyrics (musical hooks are hard to come by) makes the songs work. The same is true for “River of Tears”.

The sprightly…and devilishly witty…”You Can’t Do Me” is a welcome change of pace when it turns up.

The second half of the CD glides sweetly between somber numbers…”Love and Treachery” and “Homeless Happiness”…and more upbeat tunes…”To Love You All Over Again”…with Peyroux’s charming and evocative vocals (yes, she has distinct reflections of Billie Holiday in her voice…that’s going to come up every time she puts out a record…but hey in her case it’s definitely a good thing.)

I had to live with it…play it while snuggled next to a friend…dance idly to it…find echoes of my own experience in the world…but Bare Bones proved worth the investment of time and attention. It’s not perfect…several of the songs would have been better served with shorter running times and tighter hooks…but it is, to quote the marvelous closing song, “Somethin’ Grand” just the same.