Sellassie, I’m Tryin’ to Make a Livin’ Not a Killin’.
Sellassie anoints himself a “revolutionary black gangsta” in “Stay
Believin.'” In the very next track, however, he warns: Don’t disrespect
and bring the killer out in me. A series of weed references pepper the
chorus to the song after that. This San Francisco emcee commendably
strives to be positive and progressive, but can get lost in tired
clichés. (Scrilla Scratch Records)
Cyndi Harvell, The Night Turned to Song. Not what
you’d expect from a record produced by Rondo Brother Jim Greer.
Harvell, who moved to Oakland from Athens, Georgia in 2004, is more
Michelle Branch than Handsome Boy Modeling School; her debut introduces
a talented, confident new voice to the female singer-songwriter scene,
albeit finished with more pop polish than folk grit. (Citrus to Citrus
Recordings)
Esteban Bello, Amoroso. The soundtrack to your next
Latin-themed romance, Amoroso never strays from the subject of love.
Even when it seems to, such as in the brooding “Lagrimas Negras,”
Bello’s emotional singing and passionate classical guitar playing fill
the gap. Dripping with sensuality, this collection of romantic boleros
speaks a universal language. (self-released)
Leopold and His Fiction, Ain’t No Surprise. The
bluesy, raucous rock ‘n’ roll of bands from the MC5 to the White
Stripes (frontman Daniel James hails from Detroit, after all) trades
punches with subtler, more transcendent alt-country that Ryan Adams
could love. Above it all, a pervasive indie-rock spirit — not of
irony, but self-aware detachment — ends up modernizing the mix
for the better. (self-released)
