the guitar-centric-CD course, but spinning
the disc raised my eyebrows: Grubbs can
shred like crazy—Steve Vai’s influence is
evident on solos throughout, including on
“I Am Not a Commentator” (which also
has tasty harmonized parts reminiscent of
Time Odyssey-era Vinnie Moore)—but he
also has a knack for engaging soundscapes
(“ 5 After 4 in the Morning” begins with
relaxing crickets and cinematically panned
train and barking-dog clips, in addition to
ethereal chords awash in lush reverb) and
a penchant for quirky sound bites. Besides
being able to rip like noteworthy guitar
gods, Grubb also doles out convincing
funk, neck-pickup blues (“You Can Do
It”), and jam-band (“Number Station”)
vibes. Overall, the difference between
Grubbs and some of the other dexterous
players we get discs from is that he seems
to pay as much attention to tones, chord
progressions, phrasing, and injecting his
own personality into things as he does to
jaw-dropping licks. Kudos, Todd!
—Shawn Hammond
“Todd Grubbs’ latest effort is a perfect example
of why I give everything a shot: The [artwork is] …
par for the guitar-centric-CD course, but spinning
the disc raised my eyebrows.” —Shawn Hammond
ALBUM
Raphael Saadiq
Stone Rollin’
Columbia
Since his days as
bassist/vocalist
in the soul/R&B
group Tony!
his work with Donna and Sandra Rhodes
in “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”
With “Radio,” Saadiq goes into early
Euro-invasion territory—think Beatles’
“Twist and Shout”—with a hypnotic
guitar rundown groove. Other standouts
include the Dixieland boogie-woogie “Day
Dreams,” a track that’s driven by guest
steel guitarist Robert Randolph’s vocal-like
runs and Saadiq’s bouncing piano parts,
while “Good Man” is a slow-and-steady
song that reverberates attitude thanks to
the authoritative walking bass, as Saadiq
emotionally pushes his raspy vocals over
the song’s aorta. And the reprisal of “The
Answer” showcases some wah-riffing that
Wah Wah Watson and Skip Pitts would
get down with.
Overall, Stone Rollin’ is a stone cold
album that lets loose the undeniable
talents that Raphael Saadiq possesses
as a musician—playing bass, guitar,
Mellotron, keys, and drums on most
tracks—and as a slick producer bringing the raw power, groovin’ energy, and
Twist-approved vibes of 1962 into the
21st century. —Chris Kies
ALBUM
Ben Allison
Action-Refraction
Palmetto Records
Combining seem-
ingly unrelated
genres or inter-
preting songs in
an unusual way
is nothing new or groundbreaking, but
bassist Ben Allison’s new release, Action-
Refracton, is full of musical oxymorons that
blur the line between alt-rock, jazz, and
even classical music. Allison established
his name as a composer with his previous
albums, which contained mostly original
material done in his unique and sometimes
quirky style. For this release, he decided
to take a collection of tunes that have
inspired him over the years and turn them
on their head.
