Lannie Garrett has been reincarnated more times than Shirley MacLaine. On Just for a Thrill, her new CD, she's a torch singer with a taste for the standards. She's fortunate to have gained the assistance of a top-drawer list of accompanists, including Nelson Rangell, whose saxophone solo highlights "You Belong to Me"; Ron Miles, who shines on "Chances Are"; Billy Tolles, who makes "Scotch and Soda"; and Eric Gunnison, whose decorative keyboard-playing animates "Goodnight My Love." On these and other selections, Garrett gives performances that are perfectly adequate, if never more than that. Hence, the disc is a satisfactory way to pass an hour or so--but thrilling it ain't (available in area records stores). Gunnison is also a key member of the band that backs up vocalist Robin Braun on her CD Arlington 1:00 A.M.--and his presence isn't the only thing that Braun's offering shares with Garrett's. The title cut is a Braun original, but the remainder are covers, most of which fall into the chestnut category: "Old Devil Moon" and "My Funny Valentine" are examples. Braun has a jazzy approach to phrasing that keeps her renditions fairly buoyant by Holiday Inn standards--meaning that if you're a traveling salesman, you'll feel right at home (available in area record stores).
Susan Renner, who was part of a popular early-Nineties Denver duo called the Echotwins, now lives in New York City, but her debut CD, White Gloves and Party Manners (on SKR Records), finds her very much in the same territory she trod while in Colorado. She rocks (in a mostly acoustic kind of way) through a very professional collection of el sensitivo tunes about personal issues of the sort that populate the grueling "Sister Mary," in which Renner recounts being on the wrong end of a nun's ruler. Those of you (like me) who get the shivers at the mere thought of the Indigo Girls will have a better time chewing on broken glass than listening to this. But if indigo is your favorite color, you'll likely be entranced (SKR Records, P.O. Box 1398, New York, NY 10023).
Denver's Sugar Bear makes his CD debut with Guitar Playing Man, but the disc isn't the blues workout that most people have been anticipating. "Caught in the Middle" and "Got a Thing Going On" primarily stick to R&B and soul, "She's Wonderful to Me" is a heartfelt ballad, and "Juicy" is bluesy funk that even contains a snippet of rap. Not all of these explorations work (several fall surprisingly flat), and the recording quality makes the Bear's vocals sound thinner than they seem live. But his guitar still throws sparks--check "You Give Me the Blues"--and his sense of showmanship is as sharp as ever (available in area record stores). On Salome's Dance, Ava Pele delves into issues of gender, eroticism and loss on tracks like "Loveless Sex" ("Give your mannequin robotic pleasure"), "Teenage Prostitute" ("I'll take it like a man/Castrate my femininity") and "Biological Offspring" ("You didn't choose me/But you can feel me in your skin"). These are worthy topics, and Pele attacks them with gusto. But her singing is shaky, the music is awkward and the songs are often unlistenable. Maybe it's time for a raise (available in area record stores).
A treasure trove of vintage films featuring performances by Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, Louis Jordan and more, more, more will be featured at the Denver Jazz on Film Festival, to be held May 23-26 at the Acoma City Center. The event's director, Tom Goldsmith, warns that tickets are going fast--which, of course, you would expect him to say. To find out if he's exaggerating or telling the God's truth, phone 592-1168.
A package I received the other day from luh-nay, a group that includes Lynnae Rome and the members of Boulder's '76 Pinto, prompts a couple of tips for people submitting items for this space. Tip number one: Don't send something to a weekly newspaper the day before an event and expect it to appear in print--because it won't. Tip number two: Don't send something to me addressed "To Michael Mehle" and expect it to appear in print--because it won't.
You can remember that, can't you? On Thursday, April 24, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones conclude a three-night run at the Fox; Ben Stevens gets lost at the Boulderado Hotel's Catacombs Bar; and Groove Kitchen cooks alongside Chitlin and DJ K-NEE at the Bluebird Theater. On Friday, April 25, Tequila Mockingbird is among the acts at a "battle of the bands" contest at Cricket on the Hill; Plop Squad storms Seven South; Westword contributor Marty Jones brings his Pork-Boilin' Po' Boys to the Breckenridge Tasting Room, 741 Kalamath; Richard Allen's One-Man Band gathers a crowd at Paris on the Platte; and the Bug Theater presents its First Annual Spring Love Show, featuring music from Arco Iris, the Carbon Dioxide Trio and many others (a reprise of the Show takes place in the same joint on Saturday). On Saturday, April 26, Jubilant Bridge leads to Acoustic Coffee in Nederland; the Foggy Mountain Fuckers climb to Slugger's, with Ralph Gean; Project 626 is on the shelf at the Cricket, with Morsel and Men or Monsters; Acoustic Food Chain sates its hunger at the Left Hand Grange Hall in Niwot, with Chris Engleman and Steve Ivy from the E-Town band; Phantom Freeway returns to Ziggie's; and the Dalhart Imperials, Sinshakers, Sizewell and Son of Sam stage a punk-vs.-rockabilly face-off at Area 39. On Sunday, April 27, Spahn Ranch keeps it all in the family at Seven South, with Statik Output; Jazz West swings at the Mercury Cafe; and Side o' Fries is served up at Penny Lane. And on Tuesday, April 29, bookers from the Fox, Ogden and Bluebird theaters will share their expertise at a panel discussion at Majordomos Net Cafe, 1401 Ogden Street. Where they can't dodge your phone calls.
--Michael Roberts
Backbeat's e-mail address is: Michael_Roberts@ westword.comMichael_Roberts@. While you're online, visit Michael Roberts's Jukebox at www.westword.com
