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<\/center>Chris Braide \u2013 <\/strong>Fifty Dollar Planets and Twenty Cent Stars<\/strong><\/em>\nThis British rocker is based -n Los Angeles, and on his new lengthy-titled long player, he’s aided by Pete Glenister<\/strong>, best known as the late Kirsty MacColl<\/strong><\/a>‘s guitarist. That said, listeners won’t find much jangle on this disc; Braide prefers a swaggering rock style that owes more to David Bowie<\/strong><\/a> and INXS<\/strong>. This is mostly wide-screen arena-ready rock with a melancholy feel. On tracks like \u201cFascinating,\u201d Braide dials it down for a smoky, intimate vibe, but most tracks on Fifty Dollar Planets<\/em> straddle the line between heavy rock and yearning power balladeering (but is far better than that label suggests).<\/p>\n
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<\/center>Howlin’ Rain \u2013 <\/strong>Live Rain<\/strong><\/em>\nThis band began their life as a near-homage to The Allman Brothers<\/strong><\/a>, but quickly outgrew that on subsequent offerings such as The Russian Wilds<\/em><\/a>. This set \u2013 compiled from \u201cvarious locations around the world in the year 2012\u201d \u2013 captures the emotional intensity of their live show. The band rocks hard on the eleven-minute-plus \u201cSelf Made Man,\u201d and they resurrect the ghost of Led Zeppelin<\/strong> on the stomping \u201c\u201dCan’t Satisfy Me.\u201d For those who dig the 70s sound but want to see it live, Howlin’ Rain<\/strong> is the band; until they’re in town, Live Rain<\/em> is the next best thing.<\/p>\n
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<\/center>The Fleshtones \u2013 <\/strong>Wheel of Talent<\/strong><\/em>\nThis Greenpoint (Brooklyn) quartet is a sentimental favorite<\/a> of mine. On Wheel of Talent<\/em>, they’ve changed their approach, but just a little. In addition to the quartet (guitar, bass, keys and drums), tunes like \u201cAvailable\u201d make prominent use of cello and violin(!) There’s one other major departure: more tracks than usual feature the lead vocals of guitarist Keith Streng<\/strong> rather than nominal lead singer (and keyboardist) Peter Zaremba<\/strong><\/a>. But the wit and swagger of the quartet that bills itself as \u201cAmerica’s garage band\u201d is delightfully intact on tunes like the (previously available only as a single) tribute \u201cRemember the Ramones.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/center>Archie Powell & the Exports \u2013 <\/strong>Back in Black<\/strong><\/em>\nThis album has nothing \u2013 insofar as I can tell \u2013 to do with AC\/DC<\/strong>. But if you can wrap your mind around the idea of a singer\/songwriter \u2013 that is, someone concentrating on lyrics first \u2013 backed by a hard rocking, ramshackle band, you’ll have an idea of what this sounds like. In fact, Archie Powell<\/strong> and his band sounds a lot like a less-drunk prime-era Replacements<\/strong> <\/a>on the opener, \u201cEverything’s Fucked.\u201d Elsewhere they take singalong melodies and rock ’em up; up-front acoustic guitar is too seldom used in uptempo rock; this band understands how to do it right.<\/p>\n
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<\/center>Jim Mize \u2013 <\/strong>Jim Mize<\/strong><\/em>\nIt’s fair to label Jim Mize<\/strong> a \u201clate bloomer.\u201d This 57-year-old Arkansan has been knocking around for years, but he didn’t get into a recording studio until well into his thirties. His latest \u2013 this self-titled effort on the tastemaker Big Legal Mess imprint\/sub-label of Fat Possum Records \u2013 is soulful rock that should appeal to fans of Tom Petty<\/strong>, John Hiatt<\/strong> and Nick Lowe<\/strong><\/a>‘s more rock-oriented material. Aided on this LP by John Paul Keith<\/strong> and Jimbo Mathus<\/strong><\/a>, Mize delivers finely-honed songcraft wrapped in memorable melodies. Mize says he plans to tour when he retires; for now, there’s this.<\/p>\n
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