Archive for April, 2006
Kevin Cahoon and Ghetto Cowboy
For reasons I don’t really understand, I was asked to review a very soon to be released album by an up-and-coming artist. Now, for the most part, I’m obviously stuck in a different age. Music was a lot different then. People argue the pro’s and con’s of that, but it’s just a fact, music was different. The one genre in my own personal opinion that was truly and completely unique to the era I enjoyed most was glam. That was David Bowie, Queen, Elton John, and a whole host of others at their creative and artistic peaks. It had a few other less flattering descriptions, but to me “glam” was perfect in that it was fashion on steroids set to music that was just as dolled up. All of the senses were appeased with glam. So, I was quite curious when I got the email from cristina asking me to review Kevin Cahoon’s new album, Doll. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve heard anyone really do anything resembling my own personal definition of “glam”. IMO, the last band to really have that proper glamitude was Frankie Goes to Hollywood. You had no clue what they were going to do. And, in a lot of ways, you really weren’t all that sure you WANTED to know what they were going to say or do next. That’s proper glam. That was a long time ago. Now, the problem glam suffered from was too many people viewed it as a fashion statement moreso than a musical genre. Blame that on Bowie and Elton all you want, it’s justified. However, what they were doing was cranking out music that people still listen to. It was different. You really didn’t know what the next note would be.
The glam scene of today is a little different. But, probably not as much as I would think. You still got the look. And, from the looks of Cahoon and Ghetto Cowboy, the fashion sense could be there as well. Now, to me, that’s important. There’s an attitude to be glam that’s a LOT different than being, say, Big Hair or Grunge. Seeing something like this harkens me back to the days of Klaus Nomi:
Bottom line, he’s got what it takes to be full-blown glam. But, what all this does is lead up to the new album and what I was looking for. Now, Doll’s not exactly what I would expect from someone pushing the “glam” button. I’m going to say this in an objective way, and it’s not meant to be bad or anything like that. This reminds me too much of Good Charlotte. Now, I like Good Charlotte. Me and the boy play it just about every day. He’s even warming up to Cahoon now. But, Good Charlotte’s not glam in a musical sense. That’s what I miss. I miss the wailing counter-melodies of Mick Ronson. I miss the huge chord constructs of Elton John. I miss the the bravado vocals of Freddie Mercury to the over-the-top guitar of Brian May. I miss the suggestive but not expletive lyrics of Frankie. In ten years, I won’t miss Good Charlotte. They’re just too normal. Cahoon’s music is fun. I can see Doll and Star Ballad being big hits if promoted right. I really can. And, I can see people coming back to this page in a year and telling me that he’s the hottest glam act since Frankie. But, until I get MY glam exactly the way I WANT IT, I’m going to keep pushing people’s buttons. Kevin can do it, I see it in him. He wants to be compared to Bowie, so do what it takes. Get a Ronson on guitar ( I think Kevin does, the guitar work on DOLL is VERY GOOD. But, let the guy loose! I can not understand why people feel they can not sing to an electric counter-melody any more? ) If you follow the Amazon link to Doll, there is a write-up there that seems to sum up my feelings as well. This is a fun album, a great party album. Fashionista is a good introduction to retroglam. What I hope Doll is is Cahoon’s initiation to glam moreso than just a salute to it. This reminds me of Fat Bottomed Girls, maybe his next album will remind me of Aladdin Sane? He’s got the tools, he just needs to let a fragment of his musical life wander free. When he does, he’ll be glam and you’ll know it.
Get Doll. It’s fun. I’m now allowing my 13 year step-daughter to review it in it’s proper forum. Results when I can drag her off her phone/tv/pc/friends.
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Gene Pitney
In 1964, the well-established and often touring Gene Pitney hooked up with a bunch of up-and-coming Brit boys calling themselves the Manish Boys/The Lower Third. Best I can tell, this was Bowie’s first “tour”. 
Many people refer to this era of Bowie’s career as the “Anthony Newley” sound. I can see that. But, what I actually see more clearly is this being the “Gene Pitney” sound. The British nasal twang did make Bowie sound more like Newley, but, the vocal range Bowie strived for reminds me a lot more of Pitney. Plus, needless to say, Bowie went for the “Pitney” look as well. Other than giving Bowie some stage and recording experience, the “Pitney” period was short lived and Bowie quickly moved on to “cooler” persona. Pitney, who was already famous as a writer, would team up with other notables such as The Rolling Stones. As usual, time has blurred the memory of Gene Pitney and his contributions. Gene Pitney died this week of natural causes.
I truly feel one of my favorite Bowie songs EVER, Silly Boy Blue, would never have been if it weren’t for the impact Gene Pitney had on Bowie at that time. I have always felt that what made that song “interesting” was the stress between the non-materialism of Buddhism and the total materialism of trying to be cool ala Anthony Newley or Gene Pitney. Bowie doesn’t pull it off. That’s what makes that song one of my Top 10 favorite Bowie songs ever.
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