Crank: High Voltage, the follow-up to the 2006 action film Crank, is evidence that any movie can have a sequel, even if the main character, who was in every scene of the first film, has been killed definitively and finally in the last frame of the first film. Somehow, falling out of an airplane high above Los Angeles and landing crushed on the ground, on camera, has not slowed down hitman Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) very much; as the tag line on the movie poster says, "He was dead...but he got better." Enough better, it seems, to return to headlong and heedless pursuit for another nonstop adventure. To accompany that audacious endeavor, former Faith No More singer Mike Patton comes up with lots of short cues — 32 of them in 55 minutes — that necessarily attempt to keep up with the raging, not-yet-dead protagonist. Most of them, not surprisingly, are set at breakneck tempos, but Patton slows down here and there to savor the ethnic flavors of L.A., including Mexican ("El Huron") and Japanese ("Triad Limo," "Massage Parlor") elements. Most of the time, however, the music is driving electronica with passages of heavy metal and punk rock. That's the sort of thing called for in a film that isn't so much over the top as beyond any reasonable considerations of verisimilitude, right from the get-go. It's movie-making as rollercoaster ride, and Patton has provided music to enhance the experience.

1. Kickin' (1:33)
2. Chelios (2:34)
3. Sweet Cream (Redux) (2:35)
4. Organ Donor (2:10)
5. Chickenscratch (1:37)
6. Tourettes Romance (1:29)
7. Doc Miles (1:03)
8. El Huron (2:03)
9. Tourettes Breakdance (2:23)
10. Juice Me (1:13)
11. Hallucination (0:54)
12. Porn Strike (1:01)
13. Surgery (2:48)
14. Social Club (1:30)
15. Chocolate Theme (1:12)
16. Ball Torture (0:51)
17. Chevzilla (2:13)
18. The Hammer Drops (2:13)
19. Triad Limo (3:09)
20. Shock & Shootout (2:44)
21. Pixelvision (1:44)
22. Spring Loaded (2:16)
23. Verona (1:19)
24. Car Park Throwdown (1:40)
25. Noticias (0:16)
26. Catalina Island (1:18)
27. Supercharged (0:52)
28. Massage Parlor (1:19)
29. Full Body Tourettes (0:27)
30. Epilogue - In My Dreams (4:16)
31. Friction (0:57)
32. Epiphany (1:19

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CRANK OST (BSO)

One has to give credit where it's due. Crank is an outlandish story that encapsulates all sorts of action — sex, violence, car chases and adventures. We can be thankful that the soundtrack producers didn't decide to use all industrial music, gabber, drill 'n' bass, and what-not to fill up the digital grooves on this one; in the '90s, they would have without a doubt. What is here is imaginative, creative, and head-scratchingly cool. While it's a very tacky and overly obvious thing indeed to end with the Jefferson Starship tune "Miracles" (why not just give away the ending, huh?), this set is pretty much unassailable. Anybody who can place Quiet Riot, Gerald LeVert, Harry Nilsson, Control Machete, Loverboy, and NOFX in a single soundtrack deserves kudos for the cojones it took to try to pass that buy the record company's licensing department. It plays well, too. There are also the now de rigueur dialogue clips with the all of the clever lines to underscore your fave jams.
track list
01. A Warrior's Death
02. Metal Health - Quiet Riot
03. Nasal Spray
04. Trix Are For Kids - The Crowd
05. You Stop, You Die
06. Bandera - Control Machete
07. Small Children
08. New Noise - Refused
09. Chinese Shit
10. Chinatown
11. Hardcore Shit
12. Kill All The White Men - NOFX
13. Dipsy Doodle
14. Everybody's Talkin' - Harry Nilsson
15. Adrenaline Junkie
16. Turn Me Loose - Loverboy
17. Haitian Cab Ride
18. Achy Breaky Heart - Jarrett & Long
19. Check List
20. Andrenalina - David Rolas Featuring 10West
21. I Kill People
22. Bring Us Bullets - Rocket From The Crypt
23. Eve's Machine
24. Let's Get It On - Gerald Levert
25. Does She Know?
26. Stayin' Alive - Sleeping
27. How Much?
28. Meva Juan - Roberto Tucson Featuring Erica Garcia
29. Juice Me
30. Guasa Guasa - Tego Calderon
31. It's A Miracle
32. Miracles - Jefferson Starship
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Adrian Belew Power Trio (live)

From Wikipedia,

In February 2006 guitarist Adrian Belew performed with the Paul Green School of Rock where he met drummer Eric Slick and his sister, bassist Julie Slick. In May 2006 Adrian announced that they would comprise his new power trio. Through the end of 2006 the trio toured throughout the East, South, & Western United States, followed by more touring (nationally and internationally) in 2007 and 2008.

After their fall 2008 tour of Europe and Australia, the group has recorded a new studio album with the working title e in February 2009. Adrian has said that the new work will be an extended suite in five distinct but interrelated sections[1], parts of which were debuted by the trio during 2008's live shows under titles such as "planet e" and "e."
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Warren Cuccurullo - Thanks to Frank

Guitarists such as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani received the lion's share of attention during the late '80s/early '90s, due to their otherworldly instrumental chops. But several other guitarists were just as talented, yet failed to receive as much recognition, especially Warren Cuccurullo. Born on December 8, 1956 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Cuccurullo started playing drums at an early age, before moving over to guitar in time to jam with friends. By the early '70s, Cuccurullo had become a diehard Frank Zappa fan, and for much of the decade, would travel far and wide to catch Zappa in concert. It wasn't long before Cuccurullo became friends with members of Zappa's backing band, and eventually, Zappa himself. Cuccurullo appeared during a backstage segment for Zappa's concert movie, Baby Snakes, and in December of 1978, got the phone call he'd been waiting for, when he was invited to try out to for a vacant guitar slot in the band. Warren got the gig, appearing on several Zappa tours and such albums as Joe's Garage: Acts 1-3, Shut Up & Play Yer Guitar, Tinseltown Rebellion, and volumes one, four, and six of the You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore series. Shortly after the dawn of the '80s, Cuccurullo quit Zappa's band to form the new wave outfit Missing Persons, along with the husband-wife team of Terry Bozzio (drums) and Dale Bozzio (vocals). The band enjoyed success early on with such hit singles as "Words" and "Destination Unknown," as well as a gold certified debut album, 1982's Spring Session M. But after two further albums that failed commercially, 1984's Rhyme and Reason and 1986's Color in Your Life, Missing Persons broke up. Cuccurullo got word from an insider that one of the world's most popular pop groups, Duran Duran, was about to lose founding guitarist Andy Taylor, and he inquired about joining. Warren was soon invited onboard, and appeared on such subsequent albums as 1986's Notorious, 1988's Big Thing, 1990's Liberty, 1993's self-titled release, 1995's Thank You, 1997's Medazzaland, and 2000's Pop Trash. During the same time, Cuccurullo began issuing solo albums on his own, including 1995's Thanks to Frank, 1997's Machine Language (an album he'd been working on since the '80s), 1998's Roadrage, and 2000's the Blue. The '90s also saw Warren either collaborate or record with Blondie, Meat Loaf, and Michael Jackson, but in all three cases, the material was ultimately shelved. Cuccurullo eventually left Duran Duran (when it was announced that its original line-up was reuniting), but kept himself busy with running his own extensive website, opening up an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica ("Via Veneto"), and issuing his own adult toy, the "Rock Rod." The guitarist also took part in several Missing Persons reunion shows during 2001, while his next solo release, Trance Formed, is scheduled to be released sometime in late 2002.

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo began his career with Frank Zappa, so it should come as no surprise that when he made his return to experimental music after years of pop craftmenship with Duran Duran and Missing Persons, he would do so under the guise of Thanks to Frank, a tribute to the late composer. Working with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, Cuccurullo sounds creatively reborn. Drawing from a variety of different world musics, the guitarist fashions complex and challenging soundscapes that prove he learned a lot from Zappa. It's not a consistent record, but the best moments on Thanks to Frank showcase a guitarist overcome with the joy of finding his own voice.

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The Cat Empire - So Many Nights

If there were a Wikipedia page dedicated to party bands, the Cat Empire would take up three-quarters of the entry. Or it should, anyway, based on fourth album So Many Nights. With its near-diabolical energy and busted-wide trailer of influences — here you'll find Afro-Cuban beats, a little klezmer, some reggae, and nods to hip-hop, disco, R&B, pure pop, and rock — this is a record that rocketed out of Australia ready to throw back margaritas with the world. Tracks like "Fishies" and "So Many Nights" are aggressively accessible, if such a thing is possible. And even when frontman and singer Felix Riebl, who can sound like Mark Knopfler when he wants to, is playing it mellow, as he does on the strong and lovable track "No Longer There," it sounds as though he's being chased. Maybe by a shark. If there is a criticism worthy of being lobbed at So Many Nights, it's that the album is long — nitpicky listeners will note that the overall excellency of the songs ebbs around track ten and picks back up again at track 13, "Strong Coffee." But that shouldn't stop anybody from tipping her party hat to this effort — not that many records are worthy of being designated a blast, but this one is.

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HArper (NO ES bEN) Stand Together

Australian-born blues vocalist and harmonica wizard Peter D. Harper has been regarded as one of the very best on his instrument, slashing and dashing across American bar and festival dates in the decade of the 2000s while based in metro Detroit. His soulful voice is much more refined than raw, charming in many ways but still tough as nails, and sounds much more like a true singer of songs relating to the mean streets of the big city and being on the road. Simply Harper (as he is known professionally) plays the didgeridoo on many of these tracks, and though one might think that wouldn't work, it does, in tandem with his singing or his biting, strong, harmonica playing. He's also come into his own as a songwriter on this, his fourth album overall and third for the Blind Pig label. Closer to rock than purist or even contemporary blues, songs like "I Never Want" or "We Stand Together" also have a personal, uniting vibe, while "You Know What You Got" is as honest and real as it gets. In the blues vein, Harper can jam and get down as evidenced by "No Problem," as he is strapped in with electric guitarist Gregg Leonard on a deeper blues, while there's much overdubbing on the cautionary tale "Weaker Man," a compelling tune with hit potential. Harper does tap on New Orleans voodoo shuffle à la Charlie Musselwhite, organ combo sounds via the fine keyboardist Kurt Wolak, some lighter pop-oriented songs, and a waltz ballad where Wolak plays piano. The first half of this CD is predictable on every other track, but gets broader as it goes on, assuring you that Harper is far from finished in creating a lasting, original effort somewhere down the road. For now this is just fine.
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