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Jonatha Brooke & the Story
Plumb
Blue Thumb

Drawing on a sturdy sense of melody, Jonatha Brooke crafts love songs with a cozy and rugged sound, steady rhythms, and a glorious lack of mawkishness. Dancing to a country-rock influence, the songs on Plumb are built on solid folk foundations. Brooke, whose vocals are as hearty and fluid as home-cooked soup, writes intelligent lyrics with icicle-sharp wit, poetic sensibility and feminist leanings. The opening track, "Nothing Sacred," is catchy and optimistic, although the majority of the songs are contemplative, mellow and nostalgic. "No Better," a song about failing marriages, is fueled by a swift and syncopated acoustic guitar line that escalates into an anguished, pleading chorus. The warm beauty of Plumb is ideal winter music and a happy alternative to annoyingly ubiquitous Christmas carols. (Bernice Yeung)


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Stubborn All-Stars
Open Season
Another Planet

Listening to the Stubborn All-Stars' Open Season reminds me of the time when old white guys in New Orleans and elsewhere decided to "revive" Dixieland in the face of the bebop movement. Perhaps threatened by the new music, the grayheads seemed stuck in a time warp where Paul Whiteman was king and the darkies knew their place. Similarly, ska, the Caribbeanized R&B form that led to reggae, has been a dead issue for its originators for years, yet in New York an all-white movement, led by bands like the Toasters and Skinnerbox, has arisen to bring back the good old days. Sporting borrowed Afri-Jamaican accents--Al Jolson goes jungular!--the band offers warmed-over Skatalites replete with rubber-band trombone, skanky guitar and bubble-down bass. Like their Euro-bredren pilfering other forms of African music, the Stubborn All-Stars are quite adept. They've obviously studied diligently, and doubtless there are loads of alterna-kids out there who will dig the hell out of this contradiction. (Nicky Baxter)


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Suggs
I'm Only Sleeping
WEA

During 1993, European music fans poured into Madness reunion concerts across Europe. The British ska band's enigmatic leader, Suggs, has struck out in search of pop celebrity. The tracks on this four-song EP have plenty of that second-half Keep Moving-era Madness style--matured and Caribbean-influenced. "I'm Only Sleeping" is a stirring testament to Suggsy's ska-pop sensibilities. Produced by Sly and Robbie, the Lennon/McCartney ditty is dressed up with pressure-drop beats and Hammond organs. It's ready for dance floors and roller rinks. Gray skies appear on the dour "Animal" and reflective "When You Came," exhibiting Suggs' dexterity. If he continues to crank out cool tracks, Suggs stands a chance to achieve something that Rankin' Roger and Dave Wakeling never did: a hit single. (Todd S. Inoue)


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Lagwagon
Hoss
Fat Wreck Chords

With the vigorous enthusiasm of garageland, Lagwagon creates songs that are two- or three-minute explosions of noxious punk rock. The drums are relentless and pounding--the kind that give parents and house pets headaches. Guitarists Shawn Dewey and Chris Flippin rarely deviate from violent strumming, a single-mindedness that results in a jumpy, punk-style chordal chug. Joey Cape layers sensible and catchy vocals atop the clamor. With an ultra-fast tempo, Cape moons over lost romance in "Violins"; he is the "butt of a sick joke, into this ashtray of life." Although the album is a fun and rocky ride, Lagwagon doesn't explore new musical territory, choosing instead to tread on the well-worn punk path. (BY)


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