Comments

There are no comments yet. Click here to start the conversation!

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Printer friendly

More Music News

• Who's afraid of puberty? Not Justin Bieber
• Fred Eaglesmith happy to keep rough edges in shows
• Jo Dee Messina's music is no longer held hostage

Share and Enjoy

The-Dream’s battle isn’t about love or money

“LOVE VS. MONEY,” The-Dream (Radio Killa/Def Jam)

A release’s title track usually showcases an artist’s strengths, so it’s curious how the title cut of The-Dream’s “Love vs. Money” underscores his weaknesses.

The-Dream, also known as Terius Youngdell Nash, is a prolific Atlanta songwriter who has penned hits for Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Beyonce and J. Holiday. Therefore it’s surprising he can’t articulate emotion any better than, “I’ve got heartache like you wouldn’t believe” on the song “Love vs. Money.” His singing is even more troubling, however, because The-Dream has a weak delivery, and nowhere on his new release is that more apparent than on the title cut, where his lame voice is a poor vehicle for the anger in his lyrics, and his vocals are overwhelemed in the tense arrangement.

Fortunately, “Love vs. Money” displays admirable characteristics to offset the flaws. It’s an ambitious project that frequently sets aside formula, and although the songwriter could have called on an army of guest vocalists, he only uses three. They’re a key trio, though: Kanye West breezes in to airlift the peppy “Walkin’ on the Moon,” Mariah Carey adds much-needed oomph to the ornate stylings of “My Love,” and Lil Jon whoops it up to the whirling lust of “Let Me See the Booty.”

The-Dream follows the success of his 2007 release “Love Hate” (featuring the singles “Shawty Is a 10,” “Falsetto” and “I Luv Your Girl”) with an able assortment of contemporary hip-hop, from the meditative dreaminess of the keyboard-oriented “Fancy” to the grinding eroticism of the chunky single “Rockin’ That Thang,” which has an explicit version with a slightly different name.

Plus his voice isn’t awful, it’s just too high and too limited (i.e. whiny) to sustain interest over 14 tracks.

There’s enough nicely packaged romance and hedonism here to generate more hits for The-Dream, but ultimately “Love vs. Money” proves he may not be the best man to express his own words.

Rating (five possible): 3

When big isn’t big enough, go bigger

“TO LOSE MY LIFE,” White Lies (Geffen/Fiction)

Funny how today’s Next Big Thing sounds like the Next Big Thing from a few months ago as well as the one from a few years ago and so on back through decades. Such is the case for London-based White Lies and its new and ballyhooed “To Lose My Life,” which sounds like Arcade Fire, Muse, Depeche Mode, The Cure and so on back to Joy Division and beyond.

White Lies’ primary contribution to the stirred-up pop/rock/dance genre is high drama, because folks just can’t get enough of emotional overdrive, right?

So White Lies singer (and guitarist) Harry McVeigh obliges by arching his voice into the stratosphere, along the way delivering such lyrics as, “This fear’s got a hold on me!” (“Death”), “Let’s grow old together — and die at the same time!” (the title track), “You’ve got blood on your hands, and I know it’s mine … Let’s kiss like we used to!” (“Unfinished Business”) and, “I wish I could say that I’ve got no regrets!” (“Nothing to Give”), with the latter line worthy of several exclamation points after each word.

Every track is an event on “To Lose My Life,” but it works — not because it’s all so trumped-up, but because the music is tight and melodic, and bassist Charles Cave and drummer Jack Brown concoct some stirring grooves, like a sinister go-go buzz for the title track, a Gothic chug for “A Place to Hide” and a heartbeat rhythm for “The Price of Love.”

Meanwhile, the electric-smacked arrangements shimmer and swell to match the demanding theatrics of McVeigh.

The sheer voltage of “To Lose My Life” makes it feel important, if not fresh. And the sharp hooks and rhythmic nuances will keep many listeners plugged in for the long haul.

Rating: 3-1/2

Singer not haunted by extra weight

“HEAVY GHOST,” DM Stith (Asthmatic Kitty)

Ghosts are usually ephemeral, making a fleet appearance that lasts no longer than a candlelight’s flicker. On DM Stith’s “Heavy Ghost,” however, they move in and take over.

The native of Buffalo, N.Y., takes a journey to self-discovery on his debut, and while that may be a tritely self-important notion for a first release, “Heavy Ghost” is hardly commonplace.

Sonically, Stith relies on finely orchestrated layers — deceptively simple ones such as reverberating piano and acoustic guitar plus more complex layers like muted or remote horns and percussion. But the most distinctive element is the swirl of apparitional voices that flood these pastel arrangements with a vivid and emotional punch, often dominating even Stith’s lead vocal. They sharpen his introspective musings and escalate the tension midway as the performer seeks to exorcise his demons. So it’s no wonder that as Stith pushes toward peace and resolution and the spectral support subsides, “Heavy Ghost” sputters out anticlimactically.

Still, this unusual release is focused and singular. The depths of Stith’s lyrics may be hard to fathom, but sometimes a phrase will pierce the music, such as, “I’m leaving out the parts I don’t believe in” on the lullaby-like “Pigs,” “We dance like we’re all on fire” on “Fire of Birds” and “I’ve got my own policies” on “Morning Glory Cloud.” His voice is high and sometimes delivered in unnatural falsetto, which heightens the intimacy of what seems like a genuinely personal internal battle.

Stith seems so deeply self-involved here, in fact, that one might wonder how he expected his audience to react to “Heavy Ghost.” And that just makes the release all the more captivating.

Rating: 4

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
Want to use this article? Click here for options!