by Tom Johnson
After the disappointment I felt with 2005’s RockPaperScissors, I would never have expected a “remix” album of that material to not only stand on its own but be as strong as it was — nor be a favorite for the year 2007. And yet … BellCurve takes the strongest elements of RockPaperScissors and re-molds them with very different, much more suitable backing music — and, except in the case of one song, does away with all of the vocals that, frankly, cluttered up what most people are tuning into Brooks for in the first place: his beautiful guitar work. The result is a far more pleasing album that ranks with his fantastic Live at the Aquarium and Cobalt Blue releases, rather than down with the confused murk, say, of Albino Alligator.
‘Half Notes’ are quick-take thoughts on music from Something Else! Reviews, presented whenever the mood strikes us.
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