"Kings of Spade"
Kings of Spade
(Kings of Spade)
It’s been 32 years since Joan Jett told the world that she loved "rock ‘n’ roll" ("… put another dime in the jukebox, baby!"). From the first seconds of their new self-titled album, the members of Kings of Spade — Kasi Nunes (vocals), Jesse Savio (guitar), Matt Kato (drums) and Tim Corker (bass) — show that they love rock ‘n’ roll with the same commitment and intensity.
The first song, "This Child," hits with the intensity of the scene in "Pulp Fiction" where Uma Thurman is revived from a drug overdose by a shot of adrenaline to the heart. At first there’s a guitar riff. Then the bass and drums join in. Suddenly the musicians are stoking a musical inferno while Nunes screams out the story of a woman’s self-empowerment. Jett would certainly approve.
The songs that follow show the Kings’ command of several types of modern rock. Some have a hard-driving, kick-butt intensity similar to "This Child." Others take the group into moody blues-rock territory. The final song on the album, "Mess of Me," is beautiful electric blues; Nunes emotes passionately, then steps aside while Savio takes off on a powerful solo.
Nunes also shows off her feminine side with "Sweet" as she sings of anticipating a night of "Lilac Wine and Nina Simone" when she and her lover will "let our candles burn."
The quartet describes a very bad day with the rowdy, rocking "Bottoms Up." Is a "mug full of Jager(meister)" the solution for a bad day or the cause of it? Either way, the Kings deliver thunderous, uncompromising rock. Nunes’ voice is buried so deep in the mix at times the narrative can be difficult to follow. Fortunately the Kings include the lyrics in the liner notes. They’re well worth reading.
www.kingsofspade.com
"This Child"
"Sound Wave"
Makua Rothman
(Mountain Apple)
Makua Rothman’s long-awaited full-length album follows a download-only release or two and establishes him as a serious mainstream recording artist. It also shows that he has what it takes to become a nationally known artist.
Rothman not only sings and accompanies himself on ukulele, he is also a songwriter. He co-wrote all but one of the songs. Several have mainstream pop market appeal.
Take "Nite B 4," which describes the aftermath of what must have been one heck of a night out. "Who parked that car out on the lawn?" Rothman wonders while "still drunk from the night before." Countless songs have been written about the impact alcohol can have on a night out, and it’s a situation people across the country can relate to. "Nite B 4" is up there with the best of them.
Rothman has another potential mainstream pop hit with "Under the Covers." This one is an exuberant love song. Good love songs never go out of style.
Rothman’s local roots are heard in songs that have the Jamaican-style rhythms popular in Hawaii. He chose to open the album with one of them. "Lovely" is an earnest declaration of love delivered with a strong reggae-style beat, some faux-Jamaican rapping and a refreshing sprinkling of Hawaiian lyrics as well. He speaks for many in Hawaii with another of his Jawaiian songs, "Lost in Translation," in describing the drudgery of "leaving (Hawaii) on a red eye" and the joy of coming home.
The one song Rothman didn’t write is a Hawaiian standard, "‘Ulili E." Unfortunately, no information about the song or Rothman’s reason for including it is provided in the liner notes.
www.mountainapplecompany.com/makua
"Lovely"
