Little Village, WEA WX462, all formats Reviewed by Dave Osler The name Little Village may be unfamiliar, but the nusicians that make up the band - Ry Cooder, Nic Lowe, John Hiatt and Jim Keltner - are anything but.
The 'first supergroup of the nineties' tag is record comany exaggeration, but theil mersmith Odeon this week are all sell-outs. A look at their track records will explain why.
Ry Cooder has rightly ensyco cult 0105-6328 Britain - since his late '60: guitar work with Captain Beefcart and the Stones. His solo since then have explored the music from blues and jazz to country and R&B, with 'Bop h tou wrop analming chis known for his long string of Costello, the Damned and the Pretenders. His own recordings, predominantly tooclever-for-its-own-good pseudo-pop, remain an acquired taste They are joined by two longtime Cooder collaborators vocalist /guitarist John Hiatt and session superstar drummer Jim Keltner, who has kept time for Costello since the demise of the Attractions in 1986.
These musicians have long recorded together in various permutations. Their debut album as a bano, unimagina tively titled '"Little Village' is much as it could have been recorded at virtually any time in the last twenty years.
The songs are all harmonically simple, solidly built around standard chord progressions. But when it comes to working within those kinds of self-imposed musical limitations, this band masters. No needless technical statement is very much one of Coodehis exemplary; this man plays with all the taste of a large doner kebab with everything, somehow stealing the show without overwhelming the proceedings. Essentially simple figures are broken up rhythmically to produce a feel that makes him easily one of the most distinctive guitarists in rock.
Lyrically Little Village break no new ground, in the main, sticking to straight ahead traditional rock celebrations of sex, dancing, fast cars, and the agonies of relation. ships. indeed, the words to such puerile sexist crap as "Solar Sex Panel' are probably best forgotten.
The only song that gets vium hotels Door he want my job? deals with the plight of third world dockers that end up disposing of the west's nuclear garbage. sentially resigned to their fate and probably not about to join International. But by way of tures some astonishing TexMex style guitar licks.
You already know whether or not you'll like this album. If you're into Cooder, buy it. Otherwise you'll live without
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