Local CD Reviews

Michael Stanley and Friends

Tis the Season:

A Heartland Holiday Sampler

(Line Level)

linelevelmusic.com

Just in time for his annual holiday concerts, Michael Stanley has
assembled his various band members, past members and friends like Andy
Pratt, Colin Dussault and folk rockers Hey Mavis (whose jaunty “Santa
Knows” recalls the Waitresses’ classic “Christmas Wrapping”) to
contribute tunes to this 19-track seasonal sampler. They’re mostly
remakes of old carols (guitarist Danny Powers’ shredding “O Come All Ye
Faithful,” Stanley’s own “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” Rodney Psyka’s
powerful “Silent Night”), with a couple of originals (Jonah Koslen’s
sentimental “Light a Light Up,” Gary Jones’ soft-rock “Tis the
Season.”) But the keeper is singer-keyboardist Jennifer Lee’s intimate,
understated but passionate commingling of “White Christmas” and Blue
Christmas.” — Anastasia Pantsios

Charlie Hor$e

Radikal Thought Is Evolving

(Board of Edutainment)

myspace.com/charliehorsespit

Local rapper Charlie Hor$e starts his debut with “Wake Up,” a
mish-mash of samples and shout-outs that suggest the album’s serious,
righteous tone. While Charlie has plenty of tracks “for the ladies,”
he’s really more invested in following the footsteps of KRS-ONE and
2Pac. On the tender ballad “I Believe in U,” he raps about voting for
Barack Obama and his hope that the president can make the world better.
Charlie Hor$e isn’t afraid to use the n-word or drop the f-bomb to get
his point across, something he does effectively on “U Ain’t … Nigga,”
a simmering tune fueled more by rage than righteousness. Teaming up
with locals D. Roof and Jus Mic gives Charlie Hor$e a certain
credibility, but the guy’s such a sharp, focused rapper, his sincerity
is never in doubt. It’s a credit to his skills that when he raps “This
is revolution music” over the sound of a rattling drum machine, you
believe him. — Jeff Niesel

This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2009.