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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 8, 2009

Updated:

THE FIREMAN:
ELECTRIC ARGUMENTS
(ATO) ***

Maybe it's having an alias, but on "Electric Arguments," Paul McCartney sounds as if he's managed to shake off the ex-Beatles yoke for the first time since his earliest solo albums.

Previous Fireman releases, on which McCartney collaborates with producer and Killing Joke bassist Youth, have been interesting but slight (and slightly self-indulgent) electronic affairs. Here, McCartney brings his songwriting craft to bear while Youth, presumably, sifts out the saccharine that inevitably sinks McCartney's solo work.

Starting off with a blast of blues-rock, "Nothing Too Much, Just Out of Sight," the album winds enjoyably through a variety of styles. The balance of discipline and free creative rein makes this the most pleasant surprise of McCartney's career.

Download this: "Sun Is Shining"

Curtis Ross

THE NERVES:
ONE WAY TICKET
(ALIVE) ***

One of the great bands that barely was, The Nerves' reputation has grown far larger than their recorded output. "One Way Ticket" contains the trio's only official release, an eponymous four-song EP released in 1976, plus live recordings and demos.

The best known song is Jack Lee's "Hanging on the Telephone," a UK hit for Blondie. It's a revelation in its original stripped-down form, about 100 times more urgent than Blondie's version. Peter Case's "When You Find Out" recalls a host of beat group faves in a tidy two minutes.

The Nerves' brief lifespan didn't allow for a decline, and if the recordings are mostly lo- to no-fi, sharp songs and performances make that a non-issue.

Download this: "When You Find Out"

Curtis Ross

PLIES:
DA REALIST
(ATLANTIC) **

Listen to a Plies interview and be surprised by how articulate and reasonable the self-dubbed "goon" sounds. Now listen to Plies' third CD in less than two years and experience content that contradicts his humble, thoughtful persona.

Abrasive material in rap is not shocking, but Plies is a rapper who seems capable of more than formulaic songs about money, violence and loose women. Even when he gets personal on "Family Straight" and airs out his dirty laundry, the concept is not original.

Plies clearly realizes that rap stardom can fade quickly, but if he wants to be the future of rap, as Vibe magazine recently called him, he will have to find more creative ways to express himself musically.

Download this: "Pants Hang Low"

Joinville Michel

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