Archive for June, 2008
On His Own
No longer part of a band, Gavin Rossdale tells HIZREEN KAMAL what it’s like being a solo act.
MORE popularly known as pop singer Gwen Stefani’s other half, songwriter Gavin Rossdale is ready to get out there and play music again with the release of his all-new solo rock album Wanderlust.
This album marks his most recent work since the dissolution of both of his former bands - the multi-platinum selling alternative rock act of the 1990s, Bush, which he fronted, and the less successful, Institute.
From the mid-90s, Rossdale was seeing much of the world from the stage, arenas and even stadiums, as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Bush.
Right from its 1994 debut, Sixteen Stone, Bush connected powerfully with post-Grunge America through a series of infectious hit songs, like Everything’s Zen, Little Things, Comedown, Glycerine, Machinehead, Swallowed and The Chemicals Between Us.
Having lived most of his life in the spotlight with others (releasing five albums with Bush, and one with Institute), this is the first time the 42-year-old is standing on his own.
“It’s a very strange thing. I have always been a band person. I did offer this record to Bush initially, but somehow it didn’t work out. Since I have always enjoyed making music, I went on to release Wanderlust as a solo album instead.
“The album is significant for me. It’s a big step making it out there on my own, but I am ready to take it,” he said in a recent phone interview from London.
With 13 tracks to the album, almost every song is about the tenderness of human relationships.
Besides referring to his roots with Bush, Wanderlust is also a reflection of his life. With a rock-strong marriage and his second child on the way, Rossdale said the tracks touch on love, war and daily struggles.
While the music in the album is more atmospheric and cinematic compared to the previous albums with Bush, Wanderlust is considered by many, as the most personal set of songs Rossdale has delivered to date.
For the album, he worked with legendary producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith) in his home studio in Maui.
“When I met Bob, I knew he was the guy. He is someone with perspective.”
Wanderlust combines a mix of genres and styles - from the anthemic, guitar-driven rock of the first single, Love Remains The Same and Can’t Stop The World to the heavier sounds of Another Night In The Hills and Frontline.
Rossdale also collaborated with some high profile names in the music business. They include drummer Josh Freese (The Vandals, A Perfect Circle), guitarist Chris Traynor (Helmet, Bush), and keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac (session keyboardist credited with working with bands from Fleetwood Mac to Avenged Sevenfold).
Rossdale, who penned the songs in Wanderlust, is planning a series of tours later this year.
“But for now, I am performing at some shows across the US and Europe, and I have been getting a positive reaction for this album,” said Rossdale who enjoys playing dad to his two-year-old son, Kingston.
On the possibility of stopping over in Malaysia, Rossdale hopes that if it happens he could visit his stepmother who lives in Penang.
“I hope we can swing by Kuala Lumpur as I really want to perform in a concert here so that she will be able to come. When I was in Malaysia last year with Gwen who was on The Great Escape Tour, we stayed in Kuala Lumpur for about five days. We hung out with my stepmother’s family members and relatives. It was great fun. Besides, I enjoy Malaysian cuisine, especially its spicy noodles.
“I wish we could have stayed longer, but it was hard to be in one place for too long because of the tour. But, I hope to come back again.”
Asked whether another album is in the works, Rossdale said there would definitely be more albums.
“I’m on a roll now.”
Rossdale, with that distinct and sexy voice, may not have sought out the limelight so much in the early 2000s, but Wanderlust suggests that he has what it takes to stand on his own as a rock star.
New Straits Times
Cinema: Wonder-Fool Action
Jolie plays a sexy assasin who is capable of anything.
WANTED directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Angelina Jolie and Thomas Kretscschmann.
BASED on a comic book series by Mark Millar and JG Jones, Wanted is about a group of assassins known as The Fraternity who are charged with killing individuals for the greater good.
It zooms in on one seemingly insignificant person’s transformation into a “heroic” figure.
Main character Wesley Gibson (James Avoy, Atonement) is bored with his life - a living hell with a tormenting boss and promiscuous girlfriend.
Enter hot Fox (Angelina Jolie) who tells Gibson that his long-lost father was recently killed and the assassin is out to kill him too.
Although the real story revolves around Gibson, Fox seems to take over and is more dominating.
Fox and Gibson are featured in most scenes. However, it is hard not to focus more on her, especially in the fighting and action-packed scenes.
At one point, in a high-speed car chase, Fox climbs out of the driving seat only to lie down on the car, looking every bit the sexy bombshell that she is, as she tries to get rid of the chaser.
She also hops atop a subway train with feline grace and drives like a maniac!
She looks great from almost any angle so much so that at times I thought I was watching a TV commercial. Thankfully, Jolie does have some talent in acting and her sexy image goes well with the character she’s playing.
Action and stunt work are aplenty with lots of CGI effects. Watch cars vault through space, shooters bend their bullets’ trajectories and trains falling into gorges with a crunch.
But haven’t we had enough with the slow motion?
The movie’s strength lies in its techniques. Defying all the known rules of physics, biology, psychology and society, it’s absurd in a very clever sense.
Although humans can’t fly, in this flick they can do anything.
Some scenes are ridiculous and don’t make much sense. Then again, this is filmdom where everything is possible.
New Straits Times
Mariah Carey Masih Bertenaga
LABEL: The Island Def Jam Music Group
JUDUL: E=M2
ARTIS: Mariah Carey
GENRE: Pop, R & B
Kesian Mariah Carey, kebelakangan ini terlalu banyak kritikan dilemparkan terhadap penyanyi seksi ini. Semuanya gara-gara kerana dia gagal menghasilkan penerbitan album studio yang solid serta mampu memberikan impak yang kukuh.
Bagaimana dengan album terbarunya, E=M2? Ia sebenarnya macam Mariah Carey yang dulu-dulu. Ramai menyifatkan bahawa penghasilan album E=M2 adalah lebih kurang sama saja dengan apa yang pernah dilakukannya dalam album terdahulunya, Emancipation For Mimi (2004).
Namun, percayalah. Mariah tidak mungkin akan gagal lagi pada kali ini. Walaupun albumnya masih lagi tidak boleh dianggap sebagai terlalu compact dan pada masa yang sama dia lebih banyak bermain dengan tahap vokal yang ringan, namun ia antara yang terbaik.
Ekspresi serta semangat baru Mariah itu nampaknya lebih banyak bergantung kepada lagu yang boleh dikategorikan sebagai easy listening tetapi catchy, sultry, sensual, seksi serta groovy, namun pada masa yang sama memiliki kekuatan lirik yang tidak kurang hebatnya.
Misalnya lagu Side Effects yang menampilkan Young Jeezy sebagai rapper. Lagu ini menceritakan mengenai luahan Mariah terhadap seorang lelaki yang amat dipercayainya tetapi lelaki itu akhirnya menikamnya dari belakang.
Jelaslah ia benar-benar ditujukan buat bekas suaminya, Tommy Mottola dan ia cukup tergambar menerusi bait-bait yang terdapat dalam lirik lagu tersebut: “I was a girl/ You were the man/ I was too young to understand/ I was naive/ Believing everything you told me/ Said you were strong/ protecting me/ then I found out that you were weak/ keeping me there under your thumb.”
Selain itu, anda mungkin akan tertarik dengan lagu I Stay In love. Secara peribadi saya rasa ini adalah lagu ballad yang paling mantap dalam album ini. Melodinya dan liriknya saling melengkapi antara satu sama lain.
Kalau anda suka dengan lagu duet Mariah Carey, One Sweet Day bersama Boyz II Men, hayatilah lagu Bye Bye. Liriknya nampak ringkas tetapi cukup bermakna terutama apabial ia memperkatakan soal kehilangan orang-orang yang terdekat atau pun yang kita sayangi selama ini.
Kalau anda mahu melihat Mariah bermain dengan range vokalnya di tahap terbaik, anda harus putarkan lagu Wish U Well. Ia mempunyai irama blues yang disampaikan secara gospel bersama melodi yang cukup mengesankan.
Mungkin bagi yang lebih menyukai Mariah dengan lagu-lagu ballad yang tipikal mungkin akan berasa bahawa mereka langsung tidak dapat menerima perubahan muzik Mariah akhir-akhir ini. Namun, sebagai penyanyi yang sudah sekian lama established, Mariah ternyata memerlukan energy serta spirit menerusi nuansa lagu yang lebih pelbagai.
Murai