Quickies- CD’s

Patty Griffin, Children Running Through, B
Good, solid Patty, but not spectacular and hardly the crowning achievement some have made it out to be. Many of the songs maintain the solid roots’ backbone Griffin regulars are familiar with, but this set also contains several piano ballads (Burgundy Shoes, Someone Else’s Tomorrow) and shuffling jazz numbers (You’ll Remember) that highlight her gorgeous vocals. At her best Griffin deftly explores the big themes of death, sin, God, redemption, and love through story songs that ring true in the details and never seem clichéd. These aren’t her best, but they’re still awfully good. B

Feist, The Reminder, C
The Indy world’s going nuts over Feist, and I don’t have a clue why. Granted, her airy voice and quirky delivery is something special, but there’s nothing else going on in this collection of more-or-less identical mid-tempo electronica numbers. The exception is “1 2 3 4”, which you will already know from it’s inclusion in the ubiquitous Apple Nano commercials (that also feature her video). The songs are darling but forgettable. C

Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, Follow the Lights, B
Good to see that Ryan and band The Cardinals (his label insists he release his “major” CD’s under only his name, but Ryan has repeatedly declared himself part of The Cardinals) are already back in the studio. This EP has two brand new songs (Follow the Lights and My Love for You is Strong), both solid if not spectacular, and an official release of Blue Hotel. He also has an alt-country version of Rock N Roll standout track This is It, better on the original but interesting here. The best song of the bunch is a cover of Alice in Chains’ “Down in a Hole”, which highlights the solid lyrics and Adams’ haunting voice which seem perfectly married on lines like, “See my heart, I decorated it like a grave”, and “Down in a hole, losing my soul, I’d like to fly but my wings have been sold tonight.” Better than just a completists’ obligation, fans will want to pick this up. B

Mick Jagger, The Very Best of Mick Jagger, B+
Mick has managed to kick out four solo albums besides contributing to a number of soundtracks and tribute albums when not busy recording and touring with The Stones (and knocking up barely-legal models). The Very Best culls, well, the very best from those projects, which turns out to be very good indeed. Dancing in the Street with David Bowie is the closest thing to a bona fide hit in this group. Rocker lead off God Gave Me Everything sets the tone early. Standouts include Sweet Thing, Old Habits Die Hard with Rod Stewart, Memo from Turner, gospel duet Joy with Bono, and Elton John-tinged country ballad Evening Gown (my favorite of the bunch). B+