No, it's not a prog-jazz concept album about the famous mountaineer - Genesis meets Benny Goodman in an alleyway off Broadway - but the third album from the quirky American combo who have sold bucket-loads of records despite their apparent fringe appeal. Led by the ironic, ivory-tinkling Ben Folds, this alterno-jazz trio have more in common with Eels than Ellington, and songs such as Don't Change Your Plans, Mess and Hospital Song are sad, syncopated odes to discordant lives and dysfunctional relationships. The Opening track, Narcolepsy, is a Paranoid Android for the jazz club set, and Army is a hilarious, upbeat lounge anthem for losers, while Your Redneck Past sees Folds unleashing his vocal vitriol on the American dream.
By Kevin Courtney
Melky Sedeck: Sister & Brother (MCA)
The big, big sound of Fugee Wyclef Jean's young brother and sister, Melky Sedeck's debut swings and swaggers with a confidence which brings everyone from Erykah Badu to the Roots to mind. Soul music which is inspiring, uplifting and groundbreaking, Sister & Brother has moments which makes much of the new-school look decidedly old hat by comparison. Take Raw, for instance, where Melky's voice moves effortlessly between soul growl and operatic scat before a loping Satie-like piano takes it all away. Their version of an old Cher b-side, To Sir With Love is as playful and giddy as covers go these days, while Diva simply confirms all that has gone before it. A must-hear album.
By Jim Carroll
Robert Cray: Take Your Shoes Off (RYKO)
This album sees Robert Cray move away from his familiar upbeat, rock-driven blues towards a considerably more chilled-out soul vibe. He is aided and abetted by a range of talented players, including his regular key-boardist, Jim Pugh, on 12 laid-back tracks, of which the opening Love Gone to Waste, a meditation on life turned upside down by a whirlwind of emotion, and 24-7 Man, an anthem to uplift anyone beaten down by the dubious joys of job satisfaction, stand out. The kid seems to have grown up here, or at least matured enough to take his place alongside his friends and mentors John Lee Hooker and Eric Clapton - so do what the title says, get those shoes off, and enjoy.
By Colm Banville
