Crystal Vision

Rating:

Pia Toscano's rejection from American Idol this week pretty much sank any hope of a female contestant making it to the finals this year. With that in mind, thought I would take the time to review the album from the last girl to make it to the big show: Crystal Bowersox Farmer's Daughter.

On the show, Bowersox came across as a folky combo of Bonnie Raitt / Melissa Etheridge style classic rock and street corner busker. She seemed a bit ragged, a bit dirty not in a nasty way but in an "I've been places and seen some stuff" way. Not squeeky clean like how many American Idol contestants come across on the show, ready to flash their ultra whites preening through yet another take on "Against All Odds". Maybe it was the dreadlocks?

True to recent American Idol history, a finale came about squaring off the most artistically talented contestant versus a fairly talented but pleasant guy that tweens can latch on to. In this case Bowersox versus the everyman Lee DeWyze. And despite totally mopping up the floor with DeWyze in the finale performance showdown peaking with an emotional read of "Up To The Mountain", Bowersox lost. But as they like to say on the internet, maybe it's for the best so that the 2nd place person doesn't have all those restrictive handlers when making their record-sorry, album...I mean CD...er download.

So how does Crystal Bowersox fare? She fares OK. Bowersox does get to do a fair chunk of her own writing (with the exception of the pandering Nickelback/Kara Dioguardi composition "Hold On") and sings with conviction. Much of the likeable rough edges of her music has been sanded off to a commercial sheen and with it her true grit. A great example is "Holy Toledo" which when excerpted as an acoustic guitar song on American Idol came across as Dylanish hearing it getting transformed into a Myley Cyrus "The Climb" soundalike is a mild disappointment.

The first half of the album sounds like it's more programmed for mass acceptance as "Toledo", "Hold On", the lead single "Farmer's Daughter" and the made for some future chick flick soundtrack theme song"Ridin With The Radio". Plus a pleasant cover of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" for those who hadn't heard her do enough cover songs on AI. At least the whistle happy "Lonely Won't Come Around" retains some of her simple direct charm.

The second half shows more of Bowersox's Raitt / Etheridge influence to better effect. She sounds more at home pulling out the blues mama stops backed by an Allman Brothers style groove, blasts of cool organ and piercing guitar breaks. The songs I like the most on the disc, the punchy "Kiss Ya" and the blues rock ballad "Speak Now" show up here.

Farmer's Daughter is, hopefully, as commercial as Bowersox gets. And as it is it ain't bad. But I get the feeling there's more talent there waiting to be exposed. She has shown a willingness to explore personal issues (like parental abandonment in the title song) and political as well (albeit VERY mildly in the form of the Buffalo Springfield cover). With a little less calculation and a little more of the heart-on-her-sleeve straight shooting she did on the show, her music could get interesting.

Rock Rock "Til You Drop

Rating:

Sunday I went with my Mom to the city to see the Broadway spawned rock musical Rock Of Ages. A play set in the late 80s on Los Angeles famed Sunset Strip featuring characters breaking into fist pumping rock anthems and flick your bic power ballads. I knew little about the show going in other than it starred American Idol alum Constantine Margoulis (did I spell that right? I might have that spelling confused with that girl from ER that's now on The Good Wife. I'm just going to go with Constantine as his name-o). So I had minimal expectations as I settled in my seat at the fancy Curran theatre.

Rock Of Ages turned out to be a lot of fun, played out with equal parts honest passion and nostalgiac snark. Like the simple themes of the songs they cover, the story runs through infatuation, love lost, and love found amid naive dreams and big city sleaze. Focusing on the parallel lives of an aspiring rocker and an aspiring actress while evil developers threaten to destroy the Sunset Strip, the story is as basic as a two part episode of Saved By The Bell. Clearly knowing this, the play is packed with 80s pop culture references (wine coolers!) and narrated by a hard rock goofball. When the narrator breaks out Playwriting For Dummies to read the instructions on how to end the first half of the show, you know this isn't meant to be serious.

But the story isn't the real value here anyway, it's just there to set up situations where easily licensed songs can be used to dramatic effect. And used dramatically well they are with close attention paid to lyrics to ensure it fits the characters / moments perfectly. Moments like when the girl character turns to stripping to the tune of Quarterflash's "Harden My Heart" or when the boy and girl duet their lost dreams to Damn Yankee's "High Enough" allow the music and drama to gel perfectly. Interesting themes develop in song selection with Twisted Sister representing rockin' attitude, Foreigner meaning sex and REO Speedwagon backing male affection. Plus three Journey / Steve Perry songs!

The cast is sharp and thoroughly strong from top to bottom. Constantine Maroulis shows he still has that rock star wail. And maybe because he's playing a character that annoyingly hollow brooding frozen stare he used to do on AI is replaced with likeable, Hugh Grant style stammering. I didn't catch the other names of the actors, but from the lead girl character Sherrie, the David Lee Roth style rock star, to the Berkeley protest hippie to the dasdarly fey German developers all roles are filled memorably.

Rock Of Ages succeeds in bringing back an era when music was loud, fun and tamely naughty. Sort of like a two hour version of Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" music video. It's interesting in how the play can command ticket prices that none of the original artists can these days. Anyway, none of it is monumental but it's not meant to be. Like the taped David Coverdale intro to the play, Rock Of Ages is fun served up with a knowing wink and an unabashed smile.

Jenny Jenny, Who Can She Turn To?

Rating:

and a half

Jenny is a 16 year old British bird who's smart as a whip and dreaming of the boho high life in 1961. She's bored by her mundane teenage school life and pressured by her family's expectations for her to attend Oxford. One day standing out in the rain with her cello, Jenny is offered a ride by a flashy wealthy stranger who decides to show her the life she's desired: art, travel, music, etc. But he is mysterious. He has SECRETS. What can they be and will they matter? Will she be seduced by the good life? Questions!

The movie is called An Education. Jenny is winningly portrayed by actress Carey or Casey Mulligan, I can't remember her exact name. Anywhoo she's really good in this movie evoking a strong mix of intellegence, wistful romanticism and naivete'. All acting in this piece is universally strong in a cast that includes Albert Molina and Peter Saarsgaard (I think I misspelled the last name there). Saarsgaard plays the mysterious wealty stranger who takes Jenny into the jet set life style and does an excellent job too.

An Education also has a great sense of period including a comment on the limited opportunities afforded women at the time. While An Education is not an important film of major consequence, it is a well made fully observed study of what could easily have been a Lifetime movie character.