Mike Errico – “Skimming” (Velour Recordings)
I have terrible news: Mike Errico has released his debut CD. But that’s not the worst of it–he’s also coming to Maine next week. The rock singer/songwriter, a native of New York City, seems determined to spread his music, apparently oblivious to its detrimental effect on listeners. If his lyrics–wide-eyed, earnest and sung with stubborn devotion–are any indication, it will be very difficult to convince him of his errors. The best we can hope for is that maybe if we ignore him he’ll go away.
His CD “Skimming” is mainstream rock with occasional folky interludes and some distinctly unfunky attempts at funk. Though some of it can be catchy after a few listens, you still have to contend with his voice. Errico’s inflection is reminiscent of fellow New Yorker John Sebastian, but his singing isn’t nearly as pleasant, coming off whiny and awkward.
Instead of masking or downplaying this vocal weakness, Errico chooses to highlight it as a matter of principle. His attitude seems to be, “This is me, warts and all,” which may be admirable from a personal standpoint, but we are still expected to listen to this. Likewise with his words: it takes a brave man to release to the public a lyric like “You’ve got nature’s candy wrapped up in your pantyhose,” but it also takes a strong stomach to hear him sing that without wincing.
Errico plays at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5 at Bates College in Lewiston. I admonish you not to attend this show. Please don’t encourage him; have some sympathy for the rest of us.
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IRS – “Welcome to Planet IRS” (Avatar Records)
The Toronto rap trio IRS (Korry Deez, Black Cat and DJ T.R.A.C.K.S.) complain that other rappers don’t “rock it right” and brag that they can rap “without even breathing” on their American debut, “Welcome to Planet IRS.”
Their sound has a lot going on at once, with two of them rapping separate lines at the same time over busy record-scratching and samples. It’s so cluttered, in fact, I would venture to say that IRS is to rap what Gentle Giant was to rock, seeming to value complexity and dissonance for their own sake.
As for their boasting about “rhymes so strong,” which they attribute to a “gift …only God could give,” I beg to differ. Saying how great a track is doesn’t make it great. And if it’s lousy, saying that only makes you sound like a jackass.
IRS’s grooves aren’t bad–they are fairly assertive–but nothing is there to grab you. If you like cluttered, fast, confusing hip-hop with a weak wit, “Welcome to Planet IRS” is for you.
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Professor and Maryann – “Runaway Favorite” (Happy Thighs)
Songwriter/guitarist Ken Rockwood and singer Danielle Brancaccio have been working together for over a decade as Professor and Maryann, releasing their debut in 1994. On their latest, “Runaway Favorite,” the New York duo present a folk rock sound with a strong bent toward 1960s production styles.
In fact, they are marketed as a sort of modern-day Sonny and Cher. The peg fits, although to my ears Brancaccio sings more like Stevie Nicks than Cher. Rockwood’s songs have a circular musical structure, swirling and repeating with acoustic guitars, strings and ’60s-style drumming.
The lyrics are pretty good. The opener, “Bible and a Gun,” is a fatalistic but exuberant story of a pair of criminals on the lam, ending with “We’re going to greet the devil with a Bible and a gun.” Most of the songs have a melancholy tone to them, and the swift tempos and pop melodies provide a pleasing contrast to that mood.
Professor and Maryann’s music has some flaws. Danielle Brancaccio’s singing is an acquired taste, and at times her overdone delivery and heavy vibrato overwhelm the lyrics. She’s the kind of singer that is more concerned with sound than with meaning, and she can make it hard for the listener to concentrate on the words. Her vocal style implies passion, but she mostly sings everything the same way, which raises the question of whether she cares what she’s singing about. On the other hand, Rockwood’s slight but charming singing provides a change of pace in a few of the songs.
Though “Runaway Favorite” is a pleasant and interesting album, I can’t fully recommend it to anyone but diehard folk rock fans, who will probably enjoy it quite a bit. It’s a genre album, but a solid one, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s better than a lot of the original folk rock records that came out in the ’60s.
Brian O’Keefe can be contacted at [email protected]