Sound Advice

Joal Rush

Wares

(Independent)

While the advent of inexpensive computer programs has made it possible for just about anyone to record a CD on their own, it is always nice when a local artist goes the extra mile and makes a professional-sounding recording. Case in point is "Wares," the new independent release by Joal Rush. Originally from Camden, Rush has lived here in Charleston for the last few years, and has gained more than a few fans thanks to good honest talent when it comes to both songwriting and performing.

Almost all of the 11 songs on "Wares" demonstrate why Rush's star is on the rise. "Another Start," the CD's kickoff track, seems tailor-made for radio play, and features an undeniably catchy hook that reminds one of bands such as Better Than Ezra or Toad the Wet Sprocket. Elsewhere on the album there are songs such as "Hard to Be (The Heartbreaker)" and "How Do You Feel" that you would almost swear were covers of songs by more established artists, but these are all Rush originals. Jay Clifford pops up to arrange the strings on the lovely "Burdened," and guest musicians such as Robbie Rush, Harris Gardner and Tommy Carnes contribute to other tracks. It is plain to hear that Rush spent a considerable amount of time making sure "Wares" sounded good. As a result, this local release sounds like a major label release, and should definitely get him noticed outside of South Carolina.

Key Tracks: "Another Start," "Hard To Be (The Heartbreaker)," "Burdened"

Megan Jean and the KFB

Dead Woman Walkin'

(Independent)

Listening to "Cemetery Man," the kickoff track on "Dead Woman Walkin'," the latest CD from Megan Jean and the KFB, is like listening to the soundtrack to some long-forgotten Max Fleischer cartoon. Jean has one of those wonderfully husky voices that would be just as at home crooning an R&B tune as it is singing her preferred style, which runs equally between blues, rockabilly and country.

Listening to "Cemetery Man," I could picture the black-and-white Fleischer skeletons dancing in unison to the backup singers' calls of "get up, get up," while Jean does her best to channel a more feminine, less bellowing Screaming Jay Hawkins. Meanwhile, Jean's husband, Byrne Klay, both plucks and bows his bass throughout and even plays some great clawhammer banjo on one of the CD's best tracks, "Hoka Hey." Songs range from slow and lonesome, as on "Northern Winter," to rockabilly fast, as on another of the album's best tracks, "Demons." The spooky "Welcome to the Big Top" sounds as if it would be perfect for one of Tim Burton's earlier, darker films, while "Big Bad Wolf" really allows Jean to show her vocal range. Also notable is the album's abstract artwork, created by Klay. In the few short years Jean and Klay have been making music here in Charleston, the pair have definitely made a name for themselves. "Dead Woman Walkin'" is the next step in that journey. Check Megan Jean and the KFB out for yourself as the band throws a CD release party this Saturday at Eye Level Art at 103 Spring St. at 8 p.m.

Key Tracks: "Cemetery Man," "Hoka Hey," "Demons"

Mumford & Sons

Sigh No More

(Gentlemen of the Road/Glassnote)

Every so often I get a chance to hear an album that stops me in my tracks with its beauty. "Sigh No More" by the English group Mumford & Sons is just such a record. Some have taken the easy way out and called them the U.K. version of the Avett Brothers, and while that might begin to explain the band's sound, it ultimately sells it short. Picture the Avetts joined onstage by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Fleet Foxes, The Waterboys, and the folkier parts of Van Morrison and The Flying Burrito Brothers, and you might get an inkling of the type of sounds that wait for you on this ridiculously gorgeous album. Lead singer Marcus Mumford has one of those voices that make the hair on your arms stand up. Hearing him harmonize with his bandmates on the CD's title track makes for a glorious introduction to the band's sound. The instruments are mostly acoustic, and the entire feel of the album is wonderfully organic, almost as if the band gathered in a living room with a tape recorder running and played some songs in between downing a few pints. That isn't to say that this is an amateur sounding recording. Every note is lovingly and professionally captured on songs that include "The Cave," "Roll Away Your Stone," and "Little Lion Man." This is easily one of the best things I have heard all year.

Key Tracks: "Sigh No More," "The Cave," "Little Lion Man"

Die Antwoord

$O$

(Cherrytree/Interscope)

Like any other style of music, hip-hop occasionally needs an act to come along and cleanse the musical palate. It has happened in the past with acts such as De La Soul, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys and Eminem. Each of these acts managed to turn heads with its debuts because it sounded like nothing else out there. The latest act to shake things up comes straight out of South Africa. To say that Die Antwoord has a unique sound is just getting started on how this act is different. Comprised of a rapper who calls himself Ninja, an albino female singer who goes by Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and a mysterious DJ, "Hi-Tek," who always seems to have a stand-in in the group's videos, this rap act has more buzz surrounding it right now than a nest full of angry hornets. The group's debut, "$O$," features Ninja's rapid-fire raps coupled with Vi$$er's child-like vocals. It's new, it's different, a lot of folks more used to regular everyday hip-hop probably won't be able to handle it, but for the rest the sound of Die Antwoord will likely cause an epiphany. "Enter the Ninja" is the album's centerpiece, but there are other great tracks that prove this group is no one-hit wonder. "In Your Face" sounds like what might happen if Jane's Addiction went hip-hop, while "Fish Paste" and "Beat Boy" likely would get Missy Elliott to nod her head in appreciation. Perhaps this group has spent all its talent on this first release, but I hope not. In an era where 90 percent of hip-hop all sounds the same, it's nice to see someone once again shake things up.

Key Tracks: "Enter the Ninja," "Fish Paste," "Beat Boy"