The Radar Screen
October 15, 2004
by Alexander Washburn

Leave that Funk Alone

The whole Cold Sweat, Say It Loud, days are well off in the rearview mirror. Even though he peppered the crowd with slices of funk, the set Pee Wee Ellis played at Alligator Alley in Ft. Lauderdale was secure on standard jazz footing. Ably backed up, Pee Wee explored jazz from the big horn swing sound right down to the roots of be-bop. Pee Wee offered more than the “2 percent jazz” that a typical Maceo Parker show does and no matter how many Corsendonk Abbey Pale Ale’s one has had, this show could never confused with a P-Funk party. The small crowd that gathered to see this musical gamer perform gave the show a unique intimacy, as Pee Wee interacted with the crowd and asked his band members for suggestions as to which tune to play next. Pee Wee makes his home in London these days, and his two-night stint in Ft. Lauderdale is his only U.S. appearance this year. Thankfully, Radar Screen opted not to watch the A’s choke against the Angels.

This Month Radar Screen Picks Up…

Tanya Donelly – Whiskey Tango Ghosts. Radar Screen has always been a big fan of Donelly’s songwriting and voice. Untogether, a live version of Superconnected and Slow Dog still sound great coming out of the I-Pod today as they did out of the portable CD player ten years ago. Donelly’s latest leaves the amplified sound of Belly behind. Instead, she puts forth an intimate collection of songs that certainly rates as one of the years best. Whiskey Tango Ghosts is a quiet, mostly acoustic album, which above all, shows off Donelly’s superior songwriting.

Anna Nalick – Wreck of the Day . “Winter just wasn’t my season.” As the snowbirds invade southern Florida over the next weeks, Ms. Nalick words couldn’t be more appropriate to a newly relocated Radar Screen. Granted, Ms. Nalick is no retiree but a 20-year old singer/songwriter with a new EP of heartfelt songs that’s could very well make her the next big thing. Of course, if that’s what she wants. Nalick writes and sings from the heart. Passion runs throughout this record. When Nalick sings: “I’m not falling in love, I’m falling to pieces” on the somber Wreck of the Day, you can hear the sorrow in her voice. Whether it’s the contemplative “Breathe 2 A.M” or “Paper Bag”, Ms. Nalick EP is mature and brutally honest. Wreck of the Day will certainly set her apart from the training bra pop that dominates the charts. Last month Ms. Nalick played a benefit for an organization that aids children in reading skills. Not sure what’s cooler, that she has a big heart or that she opened for Tears for Fears.

Julia Fordham – That’s Life. One look at Julia Fordham and you think here comes another chick with a guitar album that the editors at 2Walls keep sending Radar Screen’s way. However, from note one on "Suger", Fordham displays a style that’s Sade smooth. Silky, oftentimes funky and bluesy, Fordham’s voice has all the right soul in all the right places. Larry Klein produced That’s Life and you can hear his influence strongly on "Perfect Me", where Fordham hits a perfect Joni Mitchell. The 70’s folk maven happens to be Klein’s ex-wife.

These Colors Don’t Run. They Don’t Dance Either

Radar Screen has never been to a greyhound dog track, and until last week, actually thought that the dogs ran with little monkeys on their back. Radar also has never seen a country music show live in South Florida , let alone a country music show live in South Florida at a greyhound dog track. Oh yeah, lets throw in that this is in the middle of a divisive election. Add all of this together and you get a concert where the Bush base can enjoy their Bud longnecks and tap their two-left feet.

The Charlie Daniels Band made their way from Tennessee down to the Hollywood Greyhound Track for a sold-out show that took place on the final lap of the greyhound racetrack. Radar Screen is no big fan of Charlie Daniels, yet has a place in his heart for the same song you do: The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Well, those in the crowd were all in the same boat. Even though between the Confederate Flag waving, you could see a scant few lip-synching to other CDB songs, for the most part the crowd was waiting for the story of Johnny and his trusty fiddle. As expected, the song bought down the house yet did reveal something unsettling: nothing looks worse than air violin.

Sister Doing it For Herself

It’s tough having released two records that were utterly amazing, yet have gone largely unnoticed to the masses. Alana Davis’ debut album, Blame it on Me and her follow-up Fortune Cookies both have countless great songs. From "Easy to Love" to "Round & Round" to her cover of Ani DiFranco's "32 Flavors", it is clear that Alana Davis is a great musical talent. Now, Ms. Davis is running her own label, Tigress Records, after rejecting major label and distribution deals. She wants to make records the way she wants, without those pesky record executives telling her how to sound and what to play. Tigress is launching a bold, grassroots campaign (love the sound of that) and the native New York now residing in LA has plans to have her new record Surrender Dorothy on the shelves come March. Trust your friendly neighborhood Radar Screen folks, this is really good news.

(Alexander Washburn is a volunteer staff writer for 2Walls Webzine.)