The flow of Sonic Youth related releases continues unabated, with Chris Lee’s fourth album release – and his first in some nine years – being produced by Steve Shelley, who also occupies the drum stool on these recordings, and has released the LP on his newly-established Vampire Blues label.
Lee is a master of musical understatement, and on the one hand, it’s not difficult to hear why he’s widely acclaimed and is perhaps considered something of a ‘musicians’ musician’. Technically, his compositions are superlative, and his vocal delivery sensitive, intuitive and pleasant on the ear, and this much is true of all 9 tracks on ‘Bury the Kings’. From the slick jazz-tinged melody of ‘Antony Flew’ to the smooth, laid-back soulful ballad that is ‘Sadie’, ‘Bury the Kings’ oozes musical competence and effortless confidence, not to mention heart and soul, all wrapped in an accessible, balanced production.
|
Of course, the kind of music that attracts endless accolades and all the rest is often gravely insipid, popular and broadly palatable because it’s inoffensive but largely uninspiring. This is very much the case here, and it’s hard to really find a spark of excitement anywhere in this MOR radio-friendly dadrock.
Chris Lee Online
|
