Impact; Woven
(self-released)
Though Impact; Woven is a relatively new band, the guys have already
developed an accessible sound on The Meaningless Truth. The
album opens with “Hors d’oeuvre,” a jammy, rollicking song featuring
some stellar guitar playing. Too bad the song’s lyrics about having
faith in what’s real are so abstract. The band finds a much better
balance on “Phantoms,” where singer Steve Lull — whose
constricted delivery often recalls Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis’ —
delivers a particularly strong performance. The rest of the songs
follow a similar pattern — pairing left-of-center lyrics with
catchy, pop-oriented music. — Julia Kazar
Bob Fraser and Ki Allen
(self-released)
Ki Allen’s sensual voice mixes nicely with Bob Fraser’s acoustic
guitar on this collection of covers and original tunes by two mainstays
of the Cleveland jazz scene. The two have a connection that produces a
very simple, sleek sound. Songs like “Wild Is the Wind” and “I
Concentrate on You” go for a blues vibe and pull it off, and their
renditions of “Over the Rainbow” and “The Best Is Yet to Come” flow
perfectly. “Nonetheless,” an original song with lyrics by Allen’s
mother, finds Ki singing, “Got me feeling young again, like I’m dancing
in the rain every time you look at me.” The song is so beautiful, you
hope Allen continues to use her mom as a lyricist. — Amy
Booker
This article appears in Jul 15-21, 2009.
Thanks for the review, Julia. One inaccuracy should be clarified: With the exception of “SAD,” Dan Rose is the singer on all of the tracks, including “Phantoms.” Steve Lull is the guitar player and contributed lead vocals for “SAD.”