You can make fun of her forehead. You can roll your eyes due to her elusiveness surrounding her relationship with Chris Brown. But you cannot deny Rihanna’s universal chart success. Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes has the international star teaming with K-Klass, Moto Blanco, Soul Seekerz and Tony Moran to tweak material from the 2007 smash CD Good Girl Gone Bad into a series of delightful edits. Radio staples like “Umbrella” and “Don’t Stop the Music” actually are overshadowed by fresh takes on album tracks like “Breakin’ Dishes” and “Question Existing.” Luckily, the Barbadian’s cringe-worthy collaborations with Maroon 5 (“If I Never See Your Face Again”) and Justin Timberlake (“Rehab”) are omitted here. Spanning peak hour HI-NRG to piano vocal house, Rihanna’s remix album is a scrumptious feast to keep fans sated and bars hopping until her next album comes out.
The members of the synth duo Erasure have been working feverishly in the last couple of years. On top of releasing albums in a rapid-fire succession and touring, Andy Bell issued his first solo bow, and musical mastermind Vince Clarke reunited with Alison Moyet for a series of concert dates as Yaz. This month, Erasure is coming out with the digitally remastered box set Total Pop! and the remix companion Pop! Remixed. The 40-track box set has many queer anthems, including “Oh, l’Amour,” “Sometimes” and “Chains of Love.” Not interested in the box set? A double-disc package will also be available. Pop! Remixed boasts a 2009 version of “Always” as well as the classics “Victim of Love,” “Drama!” and “Stop!” Erasure vocalist Bell’s second solo album is in the works.
I am happy to say that Crystal Waters is back on the club charts with the smoking hot new jam “Never Enough.” Yes, the dimpled “100% Pure Love” singer can still bang out catchy hooks. Keep an eye out for the euphoric remix of “Never Enough” by Goldtrixx. While “Never Enough” is available on the dance label Strictly Rhythm, there is no word yet on an upcoming album from Waters. Her last proper set of new material came out in 1997. Fortunately, she has graced us with a string of singles in the interim including “Come on Down,” “Dancefloor” and “Destination Calabria.”
Saffire the Uppity Blues Women return with what is said to be its final album, Havin’ the Last Word. Don’t discount these seasoned, silver haired blues-folk artists. They incorporate humor with a mature twist into their craft. “Bald Headed Blues,” “Too Much Butt” and “Bald Eagle” offer laughs, all the while supported by tight musical arrangements. Saffire will be performing at The Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, on Sunday, Sept. 27. The trio’s legacy is being captured in the documentary Hot Flash, which spans Saffire’s 25 -year history. Expect Hot Flash to be shown at film festivals and it ultimately will be available on iTunes. Havin’ the Last Word is out now on Alligator Records.
One video I cannot get enough of is indie duo Matt & Kim’s “Daylight.” Throughout the clip, Kim Schifino, the pair’s drummer, maintains a warm, life-loving smile, whether she is keeping beat in a refrigerator, shower, dumpster or taxi cab. Matt & Kim do not seem to know what good clean fun is. These upbeat pop-cum-punk Brooklynites still enjoy making messes while filming videos, as “Yea Yeah” centers around a food fight. Daylight is from Matt & Kim’s second album Grand, which is out now on Fader Label. The duo will be playing alongside Cut Copy at the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield, on Wednesday, March 18.
Last month I finally was able to see Naomi Ashley in concert. This Chicago singer-songwriter excels at intertwining comedy into her storytelling. Throughout her set, Ashley left the audience in fits of laughter with her light hearted self-deprecating humor, as heard on Blind Mute Torso of Love. The Midwestern musician is not a just a class clown. The strumming of her guitar accompanied by a tale of a dysfunctional relationship on “Another Year or So,” the title track from Ashley’s 2007 album, sobers up the audience like a pot of coffee. Dreams of something better being just yonder and additional spoken word provided by Marc Smith make Slow Train one of the show’s highlights. After having a residency every Wednesday in January at Uncommon Ground, Ashley will be taking to the stage at Fitzgerald’s, 6615 W. Roosevelt, Berwyn) on Wed., Feb. 25. For an up-to-date schedule of Ashley’s shows, please visit myspace.com/naomiashleymusic.
While Swedish duo The Knife is on a hiatus, member Karin Dreijer Andersson ventures out on her own for the project Fever Ray. The outfit’s full-length favors a haunting a subtle minimalist approach. The video to “If I Had a Heart” is beautifully shot, as if it is a nightmare set to celluloid. Andersson delved into the darker side of dreams previously, as seen in the video to What Else Is There?—her collaboration with Röyksopp. On Fever Ray’s first outing, Andersson’s vocals are distorted at times to assume a deeper masculine sound, adding a particularly possessed effect. Fever Ray shows that Andersson is another brilliant Scandinavian artist pushing the limits with an unconventional approach to music.