CD reviews: Corea set shows piano trios don't have to be boring
'Forever'
Corea, Clarke & White (Concord Jazz)
Piano trios can be among the most boring outfits in jazz, perhaps in any form of music, as they crank out hotel-lobby classics. But Chick Corea and two Return to Forever compatriots prove that does not have to be the case. On the two-CD "Forever," the three are the key to an acoustic-trio disc and another that is mostly electric. Acoustically, they take on classics such as Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby," Thelonious Monk's "Hackensack" and Corea's own "Senor Mouse." When they begin to use wattage, they tackle Corea's "Armando's Rhumba" and "500 Miles High" among other numbers. They are joined at times by Chaka Khan, who sings a version of "I Loves You Porgy" and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, who offers his own "Renaissance." No matter the format, Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White team to offer creative, energetic music that never falls back to the comforts of the familiar.
— Bob Karlovits
'Campo Belo'
Anthony Wilson (Goat Hill)
'For All Those Living'
The Sheryl Bailey 4 (PureMusic)
Guitarists Anthony Wilson and Sheryl Bailey take widely different approaches to honest, no-fooling jazz on "Campo Belo" and "For All Those Living," respectively. With a crew of South American colleagues, Wilson puts together what is, basically, a quartet album of original material. On "Flor de Sumare," though, the group adds an accordion and clarinet to create a fuller and more exotic sound. The songs tend to have a below-the-Equator hint, but are far from the samba or bossa music that might be expected. Wilson's playing is growing steadily and is no disappointment here Meanwhile, Belle Vernon native Sheryl Bailey puts on a straight-ahead approach with her clean, crisp tone that is obviously inspired by Wes Montgomery. The pleasant quartet album, also all originals, features a nice mid-tempo piece called "Wilkinsburg." It is not about the nearby borough, though. Rather, it is a tribute to a good, musical road trip with a colleague, Jack Wilkins.
— Bob Karlovits
'Stronger'
Sara Evans (RCA Nashville)
During the last half-decade, Sara Evans has become known for more than her hit-making. She appeared on "Dancing With the Stars" and went through a made-for-the-tabloids divorce. "Stronger" lives up to its title in the sense that it largely reverses Evans' slide into country-pop mediocrity after a promising start as a torchy, tradition-minded country singer. There's still some country pop, to be sure, but it never gets too fluffy. Overall, the set takes Evans back toward country, and, in some cases, the arrangements outshine subpar songs ("Ticket to Ride," "Wildfire").
— The Philadelphia Inquirer
'How to Become Clairvoyant'
Robbie Robertson (Capitol)
Robbie Robertson is a great songwriter -- or at least he was, back in the late-'60s heyday of the Band. Plays a heck of a lead guitar, too. Plus, he knows lots of cool people, including guests Steve Winwood, Trent Reznor, Robert Randolph, Tom Morello and Eric Clapton, the last of whom co-wrote three songs on this, Robertson's first album since his highly forgettable 1998 effort "Contact From the Underworld of Redboy." What Robertson isn't, however, is a good singer. That wasn't a problem in a Band that had Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Rick Danko. But it is a problem here, as the 67-year-old Canadian talk-sings without distinction while he looks back wistfully on the likes of "When the Night Was Young" and "The Right Mistake," agreeably mild exercises that never take hold.
— The Philadelphia Inquirer
