CD Check

New on CD

By Chicago Tribune

July 3, 2008

Various ArtistsBig Blue Ball (Real World) Between 1991 and 1995, Peter Gabriel hosted a trio of "recording weeks" at his England studios that fostered collaborative environments for artists from around the world. The tapes from those sessions fell into disarray until producer Stephen Hague recently sorted out and completed selected pieces under the title Big Blue Ball. Several tunes sport Gabriel trademarks in their sounds, among them the gravelly bluster of his voice on the chipper, funky duet with Joseph Arthur, "Exit Through You," and his spacious merging of vocals and instrumentation on the sweeping "Whole Thing." Sinead O'Connor simmers atop a Chinese foundation on "Everything Comes From You." The confluence of French, American, Irish and Congolese influences into the lavish, expansive "altus silva" typifies the set's ambition: melding diverse elements into organic, exciting finished pieces.

SupergrassDiamond Hoo-Ha (Astralwerks) If Oasis was busy pretending to be the Beatles in the mid-'90s, Supergrass was the Kinks, quietly experimenting with a mixture of blues, country, glam and raw rock 'n' roll. But while Oasis scored hit after similar-sounding hit, Supergrass is best remembered for "Alright," a twee piano ditty that might be the most boring song in the band's catalog. The English band's sixth studio album, Diamond Hoo-Ha, unleashes a torrent of distorted guitars. This is rock that does not fail in its bid to take you on a wild roller-coaster ride. "Diamond Hoo Ha Man" and "Bad Blood" open the album with licks galore that scream, "See me live!"