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Patti Smith
trampin’
Columbia
Real artists don’t need to organize costume
malfunctions or stage lesbian kisses on TV
to sell albums – they never have. Thus is
the case with Patti Smith, who continues to
be many things – punk rocker, beat poet,
singer, musician, revolutionist – but above
all, true to her craft. With Smith’s ninth album
and Columbia Records debut, trampin’,
she stretches her vocal power and provides
a range of lullaby sunshine and political perspectives.
Most of the tracks focus on
Smith’s versatility, but there’s more gentle
reflection and spiritual poet, than punk frenzy.
Optimism and encouragement leap from the
opening tune “Jubilee.” The lyrics evoke the
sensation of being barefoot in the grass, “O
glad day to celebrate/ ‘Neath the cloudless
sky.” Following this delightful dance is
“Mother Rose,” with a tender-hearted, country-western
aroma. It’s not until the third track, “Stride of the Mind,” that we really get some sassy rock
tempos from Smith, who repeats an easy chorus of “Stride to the left, the left, the left.” A gorgeous
standout is “Cartwheels,” with its hypnotic heaviness and child-like thoughts about butterflies, girls turning
cartwheels, rabbits across the moon and a “good world.” Sounds of playing children emerge in the initial
moments of “Radio Baghdad,” the political, rage-filled member of the album. “They’re robbing the cradle of
civilization,” she fumes during this more than 12-minute impassioned testament about George Bush and
the war in Iraq. The listening ends with the title track, on which Smith’s daughter, Jesse, makes her debut
playing piano. The spiritual hymn, “Trampin’,” was a staple for contralto Marian Anderson. Smith makes
the tune a peaceful, sober musing. The trampin’ Smith will do with this release won’t be that of popprincesses,
but rather the progressive spiritual trek through these 11 tracks and the distinct imprints it
leaves on listeners. pattismith.net - Monica Cady
Johnathan Rice
Trouble Is Real
Reprise/ Warner Brothers
The initial somber depths of this debut from Irish/
Scottish singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice, surface
with the warmest acoustic embrace. Appropriately
named, Rice brings to mind the chilling sincerity
of fellow Irishman Damien Rice, and the raspy vocal
fullness of John Mayer. Tracks like “Kiss Me
Goodbye” have a perky sing-this energy – something
The Wallflowers would have admired aside
their “One Headlight.” But not every selection tears
through with memorable chorus glee. “Blood of
God” is minimal, with delicate strums that give focus
to mindful lyrics about losing love and looking
for purpose. This is Rice’s forte – mixing optimism
with melancholy. Light acoustic guitars often give
way to roaring symphonies. “I live in this world and
there’s poison in the air, there’s war all the time …
I did my best to document those feelings as they
stand now,” says Rice of Trouble Is Real, produced
by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley and The
Faint). With this release, Rice has opted to design
18 • APRIL 2004 • RAG MAGAZINE
an album to be more than just sellable tunes, and
has also given us an inspiring soul journey.
johnathanrice.com - Monica Cady
Albert React
Confluence & Scrapes
Eulogy
Thursday fans are going to be
so psyched to hear this album
while they wait for the
band’s next LP. Albert React
lead singer Gabe Libhart
plays on the same Geoff
Rickley style of off-key wails, painful screams and
quick, softly spoken words. While the sound is
not distinctive, it is well presented here. C&S is
everything we expect from first-rate screamo –
melodramatic roars about all that is wrong with life
amid clusters of thick melodies – it’s all in there.
These guys will have endurance problems if they don’t
eventually get a sound of their own. For the moment,
they have hot list potential. albertact.com - Monica
Cady