Sunday, December 13, 2009

Review: Thao with The Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster (* * * *)

I posted this already but now I've cleaned it up/rewritten it for In Review Online:

Thao Nguyen's last album, We Brave Be Stings and All, is a charming if somewhat slight set of songs that I admittedly became quite smitten with last year. Thao's distinctive, agreeable vocal and off-beat perspective on failing relationships perfectly complement the folk-meets-funk sound she and her band create, and though Bee Stings is nothing revolutionary, at the time it seemed a welcome breakthrough for a unique and talented artist. Thao and the remainder of her band—dubbed The Get Down Stay Down, and comprised of bassist/keyboardist Adam Thompson and drummer Willis Thompson (no relation)—are now back with their second full-length, Know Better Learn Faster, the band's third effort and one that surpasses the quality of its predecessor while moving the band stylistically forward. The formula the band follows is similar this time around, but guests such as Eric Earley from Blitzen Trapper and Andrew Bird lend the new record a bit more variance and depth. (Continue Reading @ In Review Online)

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