Sound Off - Music CDs

The Hold Steady

'A Positive Rage'

(Vagrant)

If you were lucky enough to catch The Hold Steady's performance last year at the Pour House on James Island, then you know what a great show those guys can turn in.

On the heels of "Stay Positive," the band's most successful studio album yet, The Hold Steady has just released a live recording that focuses on the tour the band took prior to that most recent CD's recording and release.

The 2006 Boys and Girls in America tour was where things really began to happen for The Hold Steady, and on "A Positive Rage," fans get a chance to not only hear a live performance by the band recorded at The Metro in Chicago, but, thanks to a bonus DVD included in the set, they also get to watch the band cut across America on that tour.

The DVD is quite entertaining, featuring a documentary, complete with performance snippets, candid moments with the band, and fan interviews. The CD is 16 songs with the emphasis heavy on what was then the band's most recent release, "Boys and Girls in America."

Highlights include "Stuck Between Stations," "Ask Her for Adderall" and "You Can Make Him Like You." It's a great way to be introduced to one of the best live bands out there. (B+)

Download These: "Stuck Between Stations," "Ask Her for Adderall," "You Can Make Him Like You."

Neko Case

'Middle Cyclone'

(Anti)

Although she originally rose to prominence while writing and recording with The New Pornographers, Neko Case also has managed to become a respected solo artist.

With past releases such as "Blacklisted" and "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," she has managed to steadily increase her fan base while maintaining her musical integrity.

On "Middle Cyclone," Case's first CD since 2006's "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," Case still sounds fresh, and the album is remarkably bereft of studio magic.

The CD has a very organic feel, thanks to touches such as strings on some songs and a "piano chorus" on one tune that features Garth Hudson, Kathryn Calder and John Collins among others. The feeling of the music and lyrics on tracks such as "People Got a Lotta Nerve," "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth," and "Magpie to the Morning" is introspective and grown-up, and Case has a voice that seems to enter your ears and then proceeds to explore your soul.

To compare her to anyone else would be pointless, but once your hear it, you'll have trouble forgetting its richness. The best song on "Middle Cyclone" has to be "Prison Girls," but truthfully this CD is yet another step forward for Case in terms of quality, and with each new album released it becomes more and more interesting to see what Case will do to keep the streak alive. (A)

Download These: "Prison Girls," "People Got a Lotta Nerve," "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth."

Jake Shimabukuro

'Live'

(Hitchhike)

A year or so ago, a friend sent me a link to a YouTube video that featured a young man sitting in Central Park playing a ukulele.

As the video unfolds, he begins to play The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and in the process he changes every preconceived notion anyone has ever had about the uke.

If you don't believe me, check the link out for yourself at www.youtube.com/watch?v=puSkP3uym5k.

The guy in the video, Jake Shimabukuro, is a talented musician who plays the ukulele like Eddie Van Halen plays electric guitar.

On "Live," his new CD that collects 16 live performances from both the U.S. and Japan, Shimabukuro wields his ukulele magic on everything from Bach composition to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," which, incidentally, isn't as bad as it might sound.

Standout performances include a great cover of Chick Corea's "Spain," as well as original pieces such as "Trapped," "Let's Dance" and "Sakura Sakura." The CD even features a beautiful version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and prior to performing that song, Shimabukuro tells the crowd that he owes a large part of his musical success to that YouTube video.

Shimabukuro's playing has to be heard to be believed, and local ukulele enthusiasts will get a chance to check him out live when he performs on May 30 during the Spoleto Festival. (A)

Download These: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Spain," "Thriller."

Contact Devin Grant at chucktowncritic@yahoo.com