Gina-Marie Cheeseman

Shake Yourself Awake

admin — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 02:53:00 +0000

When the first song of rock band Ms. Led’s new album, Shake Yourself Awake, blasted on my stereo I became an instant fan. As a 35 year old woman who came of age in the ‘80s, I felt like I was taking a stroll down musical memory lane as I listened. Ms. Led’s music, fronted by lead singer Lesli Wood, is punk with a dash of ‘80s new wave. Wood possesses a voice that can sound sweet or angry, and is similar to Belinda Carlisle.

The two best songs on the album are the third and last tracks. The last song on the album, “Fools” is a ballad that allows Wood’s soprano voice to shine. “Fools” reprises the chorus from the third track, “Up to the Old Tricks,” which reminds me of something The Go Go’s would have recorded.

My only complaint with “Shake Yourself Awake” is that the lyrics are not included in the album, and not available on Ms. Led’s website. Ms. Led is touted as an “activist” band, but I really would not know as I could not understand the lyrics, typical of punk.

Written by: Gina-Marie Cheeseman, July 27th 2007

When Your Feet Hit the Stars

admin — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:57:00 +0000

By Carrie Biell

The first time I listened to Carrie Biell’s new album, When Your Feet Hit the Stars, I felt like falling asleep. All but nine of its ten songs are ballads. However, during the second listen I came to appreciate Biell’s smoky, soulful voice. The music is indeed mellow and great to listen to when you are stressed out. However, there are two songs that pick up the pace a bit. The sixth track “Parading” is a bit of a jolt with its driving drum beat because the first five songs are so mellow. “Bound to Be” is the last song, and it too is unexpected for the same reason as “Parading.”

When Your Feet Hit the Stars is folk music with bluegrass instrumentation (dobro, banjo, mandolin, pedal steel, upright bass). The lyrics are intense, but interesting. For example, in the song “Gone without Me” Biell sings about her blind mother:

My mother she said to me “I lost my eyes when you were a child and I never got to see you turn into a lady. I used to blame the Lord for doing this to me, but feeling bad for yourself don’t do a thing.”

If you like to listen to female folk singer/songwriters Carrie Biell is your girl, and When Your Feet Hit the Stars is the next album you should buy.

Written by: Gina-Marie Cheeseman, July 26th 2007

The Mark of Cain

admin — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 00:55:00 +0000

Directed by Alix Lambert

Pink Ghetto Productions

Although prison life is a dreary subject and Russian prison life even more so, The Mark of Cain is a film anyone interested in post-communist Russia must see. The documentary features interviews with Russian prison inmates. Director Alix Lambert examines the changes Russian prison tattoo art has undergone since the fall of communism and winds up vividly capturing both the changes in Russian prison life since the fall of communism, and the problems Russian society faces as it grapples with its communist past.

During one scene, a prison administrator proclaims, “To speak of the history of our correctional labor institution, it’s worth going back to the year 1930” as a statue of Lenin is shown. He goes on to give a brief history of the modern prison system. Then an elderly inmate complains that tattoos have no meaning anymore. He proudly shows off his tattoos of Joseph Stalin and Vladmir Lenin. A younger inmate then implies that prison tattoos do still have meaning when he says, “Certain questions just don’t have to be asked…If a person ends up in prison again then those tattoos will say a lot about them.”

The conditions of Russian prisons are actually worse now than they were during the communist era, as is the present economy. Lambert expresses just how dismal the conditions in Russian prisons are in a scene where a bowl of watery soup the color of vomit is shown as an inmate says, “And you live off of that.” Another inmate remarks that family and friends bring inmates extra food because if they only eat the prison food they will have a “lack of vitamins.”

In another scene, a Russian criminology expert says, “The first testimony of terrible torture came in 1989.” He goes on to describe the "cell-press,” a particular torture method used by communists where an inmate was placed in a small cell with other inmates who were allowed to do anything they wanted to him. The past becomes not so distant in the next shot when an inmate describes the torture methods currently used in prisons, and the ‘cell press’ is included in his list.

Despite the dark subject, this documentary captivates you. Alix Lambert is to be commended.

Written by: Gina-Marie Cheeseman, July 7th 2007

Balls

admin — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:01:00 +0000

By Elizabeth Cook

31 Tigers Records

As I listened to Elizabeth Cook’s new album Balls, I wanted to open the window and scream, “Why doesn’t country radio play her songs?” I love country music that sounds authentic, the kind that one has to search the internet to find. Cook’s music definitely fits the bill. I really appreciated the blend of different old-time sounds: bluegrass, rockabilly and traditional country. Cooks seamlessly blends the three styles while giving it her own unique twist.

Balls is a stellar album from an undervalued singer. All eleven tracks are fantastic and make for great car-ride play. Not only does Cook possess a sweet soprano voice similar to Alison Krauss, but great songwriting ability as well. On the opening track, “Times are Tough in Rock n’ Roll,” a bluegrass-flavored tune, Cooks makes her disapproval with the current state of pop music known loudly and clearly. “Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman” is a rousing feminist anthem with a rockabilly sound. “He Got No Heart” blasts a lover with the searing line: "I’d shoot him down if I knew where to aim.”

Perhaps one day country radio will wake up and discover Elizabeth Cook is the real deal: a traditional country singer with soul, and a songwriter with much to say.

Written by: Gina-Marie Cheeseman, July 6th 2007