Entertainment :: Music
Dig These Discs :: Keane, Matt Alber, DJ Scotty K, Jo De La Rosa by Michael Wood
EDGE ContributorThursday Oct 30, 2008
Radio favorite Keane releases "Perfect Symmetry", delivering the kind of music they and their fans know and love best. While newcomer, standout Matt Alber releases a great debut album in "Hide Nothing."
Perfect Symmetry
Let’s be honest, it’s hard for Keane to do too much wrong but that doesn’t mean they do it all right, in fact, this Perfect Symmetry is just alright. Maybe it’s unfair to expect more from Keane, but with smash hit albums Under the Iron Sea and Hopes and Fears behind them, one can only imagine and hope what would have been to come. "Perfect Symmetry" employs those driving, piano rhythms ornamented with Tom Chaplains emotive tenor vocals. This is the Keane people know and love, but somehow the band doesn’t push their sound but seems to settle for more of the same. Though "Perfect Symmetry" might not forge new ground for this talented crew, it still serves up fifty minutes of good tunes.
Hide Nothing
Matt Alber has one of those voices, so smooth and perfectly emotive, that it will stop you in your tracks. His debut album Hide Nothing is appropriate not only because of it’s proclaimed autobiographical nature but also because of Alber’s own decision to pursue a career in music as an openly gay man. His track "Field-trip Buddy" shows the fun he has with combining electronic beats and tones while also grounding the music with an acoustic guitar. "End of the World" is a beautiful song, yet underscores how distractingly similar to Rufus Wainwright’s voice Alber’s sometimes is. Tracks eight and nine are both homages to Imogen as he covers "Hide and Seek" in a pared down version and then infuses "Song of the Stars" with an ethereal and electronic cacophony of vocals. Matt Alber is a true talent who is sure to make a splash in the world’s pool of musical talent.
Global Groove 4
DJ Scotty K. earned nation-wide attention as DJ on "The Ellen Degeneres Show" and has come out with Global Groove 4 nonstop (literally) thumping musical journey into the latest mixes. Overall, the disc isn’t terribly memorable. If you remember anything it’ll be Scott J.’s "I Kissed A Girl" remix of Katy Perry’s summer hit. It’s more memorable because of the original song and not the awkward latin drumbeats that enter the mix. The CD would be great for a fun summer party or a way to keep warm in the club on a winter’s night, but as far as any great musicianship being done, I’d look elsewhere.
Unscripted
Unscripted is the new album from Jo De La Rosa. The music on the album isn’t horrible and fits right into what you might expected from any given newcomer trying to make it as the next big pop star. Despite the cliche lyrics and ’pop topics’, De La Rosa falls short of making an earnest bid at imitating J. Lo. Her voice is actually sweet but lacks punch or any distinguishing qualities that would make her a recognizable force on the airwaves. She looks and sounds the part to be one of larger group, but she’s trying to be Beyonce when she was meant to be a Michelle or Kelly, at best.
Michael Wood is a contributor and Editorial Assistant for EDGE Publications.
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