Lowenbad

Lowenbad is a six-piece Portland band that is an edgy combination of new-school R&B, trip-hop, and rock. The band's new CD, "Bricks for the Naysayers" is long on strong production and the powerful vocals of Holly Cole.

Piping it up a big like Christina Aguilera, Cole has the muscle to hang with the thick and lush sound of the CD. On a cut like "Adjusting", she shows tremendous soul, verve and attitude, ably backed by a lush chorus, a dreamy piano vamp, loping groove, and the guitar of Dallas Jamme.

Cole can lay it back with good effect as well, as on "Flash Forward". It's acoustic guitar, strings, and jazzy sax and electric guitar interplay, played against a strong back-beat, is a laid-back dance groove, dripping with soul.

Cole can carry a mean melody, but also uses her voice to good effect as a rhythm instrument ("Scared" and "You're Welcome"). Productions credits go to Cole's husband and Lowenbad bass player, Bradley Swanson. The overall sound, start to finish, is a dark and urban vibe. There's enough funk, throbbing rock, and even a bit of Afro-Cuban thrown in to keep the record interesting, along with a variety of ambient sounds (scratchy-record effects, the odd and overly-reverbed found-sound overdub, and synth).

Bonus tracks include dance remixes courtesy of Deckwrecka on two cuts, the opening cut "Bricks" and "Lust 'n' Lies."

Give Cole and Swanson huge credit for bravery, ambition and attempting something a little different in Portland. If they can pull off these tunes live, this is a band worth making the trek to hear in a downtown club. Otherwise, this CD shows good promise. - Don Campbell, The Oregonian