Reviews

Carl Hancock Rux

Good Bread Alley

Digg this review.
Add to del.ico.us.

Review Date: 2006-05-19

Carl Hancock Rux is nothing if not prolific. Rux has dabbled in a little bit of everything, from poetry, to R&B, to hip-hop. Now with Good Bread Alley, his debut release as part of Thirsty Ear's Blue Series, he tries his hand combining it all into a jazz vehicle. I won't beat around the bush -- I did not have an instant connection album like I've had to the others I've heard from the Blues Series. I attribute this mostly to the fact that the album has a very heavy R&B influence, and that is a genre I am not overly fond of.

It was one song in particular that ended up allowing me to break down my barriers and start to see Rux's album in a different light, and that song was "All The Rock Stars (for Kurt Cobain)." I even went as far as to enter it into Track-Fu which was something I wasn't able to do with the other albums from the Blue Series because Terri and jazz get along about as well as me and Brandon's ex-girlfriend.

What I think sets "All the Rock Stars" apart is that I feel that Rux is able to just let go and unleash his full potential here, more than at any other time on the album. It starts off with a nice medium paced groove and Rux's voice sounds semi-distant but as it moves along it almost sounds like he is gaining in confidence. It also helps that it has lyrics I can really relate to, as I have lost my share of beloved musicians due to the crutches that Rux sings about here (in particular Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon). I have a tough time classifying the style of music here -- perhaps inspirational melodic hip-hop/R&B? Don't quote me on that, but what I can say is that I wish the remainder of the album sounded more like this.

Title track "Good Bread Alley" has also been growing on me. Rux's background as a poet is obvious throughout; on this track he hardly bothers to sing, instead waxing poetic in spoken word over a jazz backdrop. I don't have a lyric sheet and I don't want to misquote him, but this is a man who has a strong grasp on the English language -- even I can tell that he has something profound to say. How far can a message and some talented backing musicians take you? Only so far; this song is good but it goes on a while too long, in my opinion.

Even after giving this album well over a handful of listens, and an honest attempt on my part to penetrate the music and overcome my initial reactions, some songs just aren't doing it for me. "My Brother's Hands" is one of these songs; again, it should really be noted that Rux is a lyrical master but this song is just far too Adult Contemporary for me. I love the Blue Series because jazz fascinates me, and this series is easily the most innovative jazz series going, but this isn't jazz. If it weren't for the intellectual lyrics and the style of drumming, you might find this on an Easy Listening station. Catch my drift?

"Behind the Curtain" again has me feeling conflicted. I am fond of the minimalist nature of the piano, but the lyrics are perhaps a little too far on the preachy side; again, I am struggling to define this as jazz-related. I'd actually put this closer to gospel, at least lyrically. But when it all comes down to it, Rux is almost impossible to define because his vocal delivery is very close to spoken word. I have to admit I wouldn't actively seek out listening to something that sounds like this. It all just feels a bit too close to performance art rather than just music.

So the mystical Blue Series, which so far has delivered to me nothing but gold, comes up -- at least in my opinion -- somewhat short with Good Bread Alley. Honestly, I have to ask myself if I'm the target market for this sound, being that I am not overly spiritual, and R&B is maybe the genre other than Classical that I am least comfortable with. And then I realize that this is part of the reason that I admire Thirsty Ear as much as I do and am so enamoured with the Blue Series to begin with. It is such a broad and daring series that the odds of one person liking all the albums in it is nearly impossible, and you know…I am ok with that.

Songs to Hear: "Good Bread Alley," "All The Rock Stars," "Living Room"

Score: 6.65

- Dan