The Blacks Ghosts caught a break when they landed their song "Full Moon" on the soundtrack for November's blockbuster "Twilight," which has prompted Universal Republic to re-release the U.K. act's self-titled debut that initially came out in July.
The best part for the duo: "Full Moon" is one of the least memorable cuts on "The Black Ghosts."
Sure, some "Twilight" fans might be a bit disappointed if they take the full "Black Ghosts" plunge based on "Full Moon." That track is an apparition of a song -- folkish and, befitting "Twilight," mystical. The remainder of the duo's release is much more bold, which might spook "Twilight's" tender teen fans who aren't used to such aural aggression.
"The Black Ghosts" is powered by tension, starting with the taut electricity that drives opener "Some Way Through This." Theo Keating and Simon Lord eventually work their release into propulsive and dark electronic rhythms treated with various amounts of friction and beats, flickers and crashes. If "The Black Ghosts" were stripped of all vocals, it would still stand as an invigorating dance album of mostly congruous tracks.
Fortunately, Lord weighs in with stylish and earnest vocals and literate lyrics, shading in a cerebral provocation to match the primal call to arms of the music. For instance, he challenges a lover on "Any Way You Choose to Give It" with "Take some responsibility for your awareness of the levels on which we lie." And his assertion on "I Want Nothing": "I want nothing but the love of the next stranger who walks through that door/I want nothing but to dissolve in the night and to feel direction no more."
"The Black Ghosts" may be too demanding for the typical fan of "Twilight" or techno, but that's all the better.
Rating (five possible): 4
"REMAIN," Tyrone Wells (Universal Republic)
Tyrone Wells is essentially a jingle writer.
His 2007 major-label debut, "Hold On," opened the floodgates for product placement as his songs suddenly found their way into a slew of TV shows, including "One Tree Hill," "Rescue Me," "Ghost Whisperer," "Numb3rs" and "Criminal Minds."
Therefore, it's hardly surprising that the singer/songwriter's new "Remain" sounds like a collection of button-pushing emotional songs that could enhance the drama onscreen without upstaging the actors.
So formulaic is the native of Spokane, Wash., that the first five tracks are nearly interchangeable. Steered by a strumming rhythm, Wells glides through an opening verse on each cut and then powers up to an overwrought chorus about some combination of love, escape and fretfulness.
His lyrics are blunt and unimaginative, whether he's singing "I don't wanna waste another day or night/I know there's something more" on "More" or "Need you to hold me down" on "Losing Ground."
Still, it all has an air of importance, and Wells is an effective singer on his plaintive, if familiar, choruses.
"Remain's" tone softens about halfway through, providing a welcome break from the routine though his brooding slower cuts are more rote and less satisfying than his explosive material. However, it's easy to imagine the romantic songs "This Is Beautiful" and "Enough" playing during a tender onscreen moment, perhaps a kiss, as Wells sings, "If all we had was each other, we'd have enough."
Like what we see on TV, "Remain's" passion is pretty but feels fictional.
Rating: 2-1/2
"TERRA," Mariza (Four Quarters/World Connection)
Mariza is the queen of fado music, not a slave to it.
The Portugal-based singer has mastered the wistful style by playing it straight, twisted and classical, respectively, with her first three releases.
Now with her new "Terra," Mariza is playing fado all ways -- and sometimes not at all. Yet however she and producer (and flamenco guitarist) Javier Limon package her sound, she is consistent with her fado-suited delivery, carefully measuring out her histrionics, typically trumping it up though rarely going over the top.
She's determined and bold on strutting opener "Ja Me Deixou" ("Now It's Left Me") and playful on "Rosa Branca" ("White Rose"), both traditional songs, and on the fado-referencing "Minh'Alma" ("My Soul") and "Recurso" ("Recourse"), the singer barely contains her ardor.
But understandably, Mariza, who was born in Mozambique to a Mozambican mother and Portuguese father, doesn't want to be restricted to one genre, regardless of her mastery of it. So "Terra" goes on a journey with instrumentalists from around the world, fusing Portuguese and Spanish influences on "Fronteira" ("Frontier"), embracing the cozy warmth of piano-bar styling on "Morada Aberta" ("Open House") and the intimate/elegant jazziness of "Tasco Da Mouraria" ("Tavern in Mouraria"). A closing cover of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" is the best surprise.
Perhaps a bit too demonstrative for mainstream American tastes, the vocalist nonetheless refrains from excessive showmanship, and she even graciously steps into the shadows at times to throw focus on her band. As a result, guitarist Limon, pianist Ivan "Melon" Lewis and trumpeter Carlos Sarduy each have multiple noteworthy moments.
"Terra" isn't just about fado, and it isn't even just about Mariza.
Rating: 4
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