ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

Music

Earle pays tribute to son Frazer ‘brings’ old school vibes to ’21 By Mark Kennedy

aron Frazer, “Introducing...” (Dead Oceans/ AEasy Eye Sound) This year is going to be fi ne. How can we be so sure? It’s starting with the release of Aaron Frazer’s debut solo album. One spin and you’ll be spellbound, swaying — and smiling. Frazer, the drummer and co-lead singer for Durand Jones & The Indications, has teamed up with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys for the electric, falsetto- fueled and soulful 12-track “Introducing...” Auerbach has empowered Frazer to more deeply explore funk, soul, doo-wop, fuzzy guitars and blues, creat- ing an old-new and deeply sat- isfying sound, from the horn- and Wurlitzer-led “If I Got It (Your Love Brought It)” to the torch song “Leanin’ On Your Everlasting Love.” With vibes of Curtis May- fi eld and Marvin Gaye and an irresistible bass line — and wait, a fl ute? — “Bad News” is tremendous, satisfying both Earle your fi nger-snapping and soul needs. There’s even a moment in it when Frazier sim- ply abandons his falsetto for a split second, thrillingly. Auerbach’s clout is evident, as when legendary songwriter L. Russell Brown, who wrote hits for falsetto star Frankie Valli, helped write “You Don’t In this video frame grab provided by Michael Cohen, Cohen, (left), interviews actor Ben Stiller for his podcast ‘Mea Culpa’, in New York. Cohen says his new podcast Wanna Be My Baby,” the album’s glorious opening ‘Mea Culpa’ is changing the minds of listeners who supported President Donald Trump. (AP) track. Another standout is “Over You,” a pulsating jewel built on an addictive drum beat and chunky bass. Frazer drums and sings throughout and his more fa- mous co-writer plays guitar and sings backup as they Media make revival soul worthy of Motown and Stax. It is music to dance to, drive to, cook to, celebrate friend- ships to — 2021 starting with the coolest of highs. ❑ ❑ ❑ Lawyer stays in limelight with his podcast Steve Earle & the Dukes, “J.T.” (New West) Steve Earle has recorded tribute albums before, to songwriting mentors Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. But this one is different. Cohen seeks to destroy Trump legacy Maybe that’s because he started recording it just months after his son, Justin Townes Earle, died alone NEW YORK, Jan 10, (AP): The re- to the visage of Derek Zoolander, like we’ve accomplished something in his Nashville apartment of an accidental overdose at habilitation of Michael Cohen has Stiller’s pouty male model persona. extraordinary.” the age of 38. It feels like something he had to do, a reached a surreal new stage: Quizzing Stiller, for his part, said he recognized Cohen, 54, had been scheduled father’s way of grieving. the actor Ben Stiller about his ap- in Cohen the “dichotomy” of fear and to remain in prison until November “J.T.” consists of 10 of his son’s songs and one proach to impersonating him on “Sat- a killer instinct. 2021 but was released in May to This cover image released by Dead original composition, “Last Words.” Oddly, the one Oceans/Easy Eye Sound shows ‘In- urday Night Live.” “I felt like there was a humanity serve the remainder of his sentence new song feels impersonal even as it recounts their troducing...’ by Aaron Frazer. (AP) Since September, President Donald in there that I was trying to connect at home as part of an attempt to slow last phone call. The details are intimate but somehow Trump’s former lawyer and fi xer has with,” Stiller said, adding he didn’t the spread of the coronavirus in fed- generic, and Steve Earle reveals more about their rela- been producing a podcast from the want his SNL impression “to be this eral prisons. tionship in liner notes and interviews. Park Avenue apartment where he is scathing, mean thing.” He was further emboldened to But how can you blame a father for not being vul- serving the remainder of his prison Cohen, on the other hand, seems speak out after briefl y returning to nerable enough in his grief? The hurt could be too raw sentence for lying to Congress, evad- to be going for the jugular, while prison last year in what a federal to be so far out there, the way Steve Earle has been ing taxes and facilitating campaign satisfying his own addiction to the judge ruled was government retalia- throughout his career. fi nance crimes. limelight. tion for Cohen balking at a proposed Still, the more moving homage comes in the care- The show, “Mea Culpa,” has been He rails breathlessly in every show provision of home confi nement that ful curation and performance of the son’s songs. The downloaded nearly 3 million times against the “idiot in chief.” In one re- would have severely restricted his passion Steve Earle and his band, which once included and is available in 37 countries, Co- cent episode of “Mea Culpa,” he com- public communications. Justin in their ranks, poured into them is palpable. One hen said. Before Stiller, featured in plained that the presidential pardon Reception to the show, like to can imagine the heartbroken father, working his way an episode released Friday, guests process had “devolved into a corrupt Cohen himself, has been across the through his son’s impressive but suddenly fi nite cata- have included Rosie O’Donnell, the and transactional circus, with Trump board. So far, Cohen said, “the show log, making careful, loving choices. Ward Polis magician and former “Celebrity Ap- as its ringmaster.” is profi table” for its production com- Steve Earle’s singing is more gruff and hard-edged than prentice” star Penn Jillette, political pany, the Los Angeles-based startup his son’s, but his treatment of his son’s work only highlights Trump cutting short his recent journalists, and current and former Florida vacation and returning to AudioUp. how good it is. He fully inhabits every last song. operatives from both parties, includ- The success or failure of “Mea Cul- Ultimately, “J.T.” does what tribute albums are sup- Variety Washington to double down on his ing James Carville and Anthony Scar- challenge to the election results “sent pa” could serve as a litmus test for the posed to do. It elevates the work of the artist, reminds amucci. viability of the disbarred attorney and us of what great songs he created, and somehow be- my blood pressure through the roof!” The topic of every show so far? Cohen told listeners in his Long Is- other erstwhile Trump loyalists after gins the painful process of sorting through an unfath- OKLAHOMA CITY: A man who has Blistering criticism of the president’s the president leaves offi ce. omable loss. spent 35 years in prison in a murder land cadence. every move. Victory “It’s probably going to wane and be ❑ ❑ ❑ case featured in the book and television Cohen, who once famously relegated into some dark, niche corner series “The Innocent Man” must remain Cohen, despite years of introspec- Paul McCartney, “McCartney III” (Capitol Re- incarcerated even after a judge ordered claimed he would take a bullet for of the culture, where Cohen himself cords) his release, an appeals court ruled. Trump, said he has made it part of tion, has remained at a loss to explain belongs,” said Nick Quah, the found- Add Paul McCartney to the list of artists who have The Court of Criminal Appeals his penance to dismantle Trump’s his unswerving allegiance to a busi- er of Hot Pod, a well-read newsletter been busy making inspired music while grounded due ordered Tommy Ward, 60, to remain legacy and “return this nation to a nessman he feels abandoned him at about podcasts. to the pandemic. imprisoned while the state appeals the place of sanity,” though he catego- the most vulnerable point in his life. In the foreword to his bestselling “McCartney III,” recorded at his home studio earli- lower court’s ruling that he be released. rizes his show as “a news commen- He has likened his fealty to Trump to memoir, “Disloyal,” Cohen acknowl- er this year doesn’t quite match the power and weight Ward and a co-defendant, Karl tary program” instead of an “anti- a mental illness and said he thought of edged critics consider him “the least of fellow aging baby boomer Bob Dylan’s “Rough Fontenot, were convicted and sentenced Trump program.” himself as acting like a drug user in reliable narrator on the planet.” and Rowdy Ways” that came out earlier this year, but to life in prison in the 1984 kidnapping He said he plans to continue his need of an intervention. The White House, for its part, has it’s still worth a serious listen. and killing of Donna Denice Hara- podcast throughout the Biden admin- The “most important victory” of dismissed Cohen’s criticism as “fan “McCartney III” is the third in a trilogy of records way, a convenience store clerk in Ada, istration. the podcast, Cohen said, is that he fi ction” and said it’s “unfortunate where McCartney plays all the instruments and han- Oklahoma. “We cannot fool ourselves into believed some people who once sup- that the media is exploiting this sad dles all the vocals. “McCartney,” his fi rst solo record But a Pontotoc County district judge believing that Trump will just disap- ported Trump changed their minds and desperate man to attack President from 1970 which signaled the breakup of the Beatles, ruled last month that prosecutors with- held key evidence in the case, including pear,” he told The Associated Press. after listening. Trump.” and “McCartney II” followed in 1980. witness interviews and police reports, “Accordingly, he will continue to re- “I have learned that there are tens Asked whether he thought Trump “Seize the Day” is the standout with the most Bea- and ordered Ward’s release. main a topic of discussion.” of thousands of people who are ex- has tuned in, Cohen said: “I don’t tles-esque groove as Sir Paul offers some inspiration “The Pontotoc County District Attor- The launch of the podcast followed hausted and anxious and in need of believe he has, as his attention span at the end of a bleak year. The unreleased 1990s track ney’s offi ce relied solely on investigators Cohen’s publication over the summer some type of outlet to channel their is limited to under 3 minutes and my “Winter Bird/When Winter Comes” is a refreshingly to provide it with the evidence needed of a tell-all memoir about his conver- frustration about our current politi- episodes last longer than an hour.” simple, and simply delightful, take on farm life that to prosecute the case without question- sion from Trump acolyte to avowed cal climate,” Cohen told the AP. “If I “Rest assured though,” he added, could have easily found a home on 1971’s “Ram.” ing whether the investigators had turned enemy. can help them deal with their fears or “Trump has others listening to ‘Mea Paul even still hits the high register on the charming over all exculpatory and/or impeachment In his interview with Stiller, Co- feel somewhat better about the dark- Culpa’ and reporting back to him on “Kiss of Venus.” evidence,” Judge Paula Inge wrote in her hen likened Trump’s signature scowl ness that is enveloping all of us, I feel the content.” McCartney also gives us the unfortunately titled December order. “The investigators seem “Lavatory Lil,” which has a nice hooky groove and to have taken on the role of prosecutor, a fun vibe. This is no “Lovely Rita” or “Polythene judge and jury, determining that the only Pam,” although perhaps Lil did come in through the “relevant” evidence was evidence that fi t in a different location and had been shot DENVER: A couple convicted of crimi- away in an homemade UFO-shaped bathroom window. their theory of the case.” to death not stabbed as the pair had said nal charges in the so-called balloon boy silver helium balloon in 2009. Then there’s “Deep Down” with the 78-year-old The Oklahoma attorney general’s — a state appeals court ordered new hoax that fascinated the country more Dozens of emergency responders and McCartney fantasizing about partying all night long. offi ce, which appealed Inge’s order, trials. Local prosecutors again secured than a decade ago were pardoned by the two Colorado National Guard helicop- declined to comment on the ruling. their convictions, based largely on their governor of Colorado. ters scrambled to save the boy as video And the eight-plus minute-long “Deep Deep Feeling” confessions. (AP) footage of the enormous balloon fl oating could have used a deep, deep edit. But give the guy “I’m still holding out hope that the Richard and Mayumi Heene re- attorney general of Oklahoma will ❑ ❑ ❑ ported their 6-year-old son had fl oated far above the ground made national a break, there wasn’t anyone else around to tell him change course here, take a close look at news. when to knock it off. the case,” said Greg Swygert, one of But the child was never on the bal- “McCartney III” is a record that grows on you with Ward’s attorneys. “When you read their loon, and he was later found unharmed repeated listens. Here’s hoping McCartney will get to briefs, they don’t take issue with the fact at his home in Fort Collins, about 60 try out some of the tracks before a live audience soon. that this information was withheld from miles (97 kilometers) north of Denver. ❑ ❑ ❑ him. They can’t. It’s clear as day.” Authorities said the Heenes staged the Fontenot, Ward’s co-defendant, was ordeal to get publicity for reality TV Kacy & Clayton and Marlon Williams, “Plastic ordered released by a federal judge in shows they were trying to pitch. Bouquet” (New West) 2019, and the state is also appealing that Eleven years later, couple has now Second cousins Kacy Anderson and Clayton Lin- order. “paid the price in the eyes of the public” thicum emerged from rural Saskatchewan in the past The convictions of Ward and Fon- and shouldn’t have to be dragged down decade as a dynamic traditional folk duo who evoke tenot have come under intense scrutiny by a criminal record for the rest of their the Canadian prairie, Appalachia and the Scottish for years and have been the subject lives, Colorado Gov Jared Polis said in Highlands. of numerous books, including John a statement Wednesday. The musical reach extends even farther — to Grisham’s “The Innocent Man,” which “We are all ready to move past the the Southern Hemisphere — on “Plastic Bouquet,” he produced into a six-part documen- spectacle from a decade ago,” said which features a collaboration between Kacy & tary. Polis, a fi rst-term Democrat. Clayton and New Zealand singer-songwriter Mar- The convictions were based almost Richard Heene served a month in jail lon Williams. entirely on accounts they said they after pleading guilty to a felony count of It would be diffi cult to fi nd another 2020 album retrieved from dreams. These “dream attempting to infl uence a public servant, featuring three more distinctive instruments — the confessions” came after hours of inter- and Mayumi Heene was jailed for 20 voices of Anderson and Williams, and Linthicum’s rogation by Ada police and state agents days for fi ling a false report. They were electric guitar. The set was recorded pre-pandemic, desperate to solve the disappearance of also ordered to pay $36,000 in restitu- and Anderson’s commanding but warm alto blends Haraway in 1984, just two years after tion. beautifully with Williams’ equally formidable tenor, the unsolved rape and murder of another The couple told ABC News last year young woman in the small central Okla- The cast of ‘Mean Girls’ performs at the 72nd annual Tony Awards on June 10, that it wasn’t a hoax because they truly the enthusiasm for the partnership apparent as they homa town. 2018, in New York. Producers of the Broadway musical, based on Tina Fey’s hit feared their son could have been aboard harmonize and trade solo leads. “Sorry for laughing,” After the details of both men’s con- film, have decided not to reopen when authorities allow theaters to open in New the balloon when they called for help. she says before the fi nal song. (AP) fessions were proven untrue — Hara- York City, the second and likely not last established show casualty of COVID-19 Polis also issued 16 other pardons and way’s body was discovered years later on the Great White Way. (AP) four commutations. (AP)