Penny & Sparrow’s ‘Finch’ is a gem

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Bird and Bee cover Van Halen – no guitars, much fun

Penny & Sparrow, “Finch” (I Love You)

Texas-raised duo Penny & Sparrow had to do some heavy touring to truly search their souls. They explore the resulting range of emotions and deliver it on their sixth album “Finch”, an effort thick with gorgeous tales of personal transformation.

Band members Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke were both raised in a conservative climate and sought to break free from the “white Evangelical Christian male” perspective that shaped their early surroundings, the band explains in liner notes.

Sonically, there is a smooth and soaring feel to most of the tracks, yet each has its own distinct energy. “Recuerda” is a love song heavy on crooning, while “Don’t Wanna Be Without Ya” gives way to a galloping pace as the concept of reincarnated lovers is explored. “Long Gone” is sexy and sultry and highlights the fact that Baxter can absolutely sing a slow jam.

Ultimately, rich and breathy vocals with a slight choral effect carry the day here. There’s a dependable luster to Penny & Sparrow’s songs. Songs begin dour, but eventually find their footing and reveal hope amid bass lines and light guitar.

Think of this as Americana with a designer shirt. The traditional elements are there, but they’re layered with a modern sheen that sets the songs apart from a tired approach.

The Bird and the Bee, “Interpreting the Masters, Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen” (No Expectations/Release Me Records)

An album of Van Halen covers without guitars. Wait, what?

Singer Inara George and producer-keyboardist Greg Kurstin, who make up The Bird and the Bee, carry off the intriguing concept with plenty of fun, grace and aplomb, focusing mostly on Van Halen’s debut album and some of the band’s other big hits from the David Lee Roth era, as well as a fresh take on their own homage to the spandex-clad vocalist.

Opener “Runnin’ With The Devil” is elevated by George’s multi-tracked vocals on the refrain – a reminder of the greatness of ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony’s backing vocals – and a just-right combination of the original’s stomp with a lighter touch. “Panama” gets a dance-floor makeover and what sounds like a solo of tuned bottles.

Kurstin, a seven-time Grammy-winning producer who has worked with everyone from Adele to Sia to Beck, has a wild piano solo on “Hot For Teacher”, which features a spoken-word cameo by Beck. That leads right into “Eruption”, where Kurstin turns Eddie Van Halen’s flurry of notes into a quasi-classical piano piece.

It was shocking when Van Halen featured keyboards on their biggest hit, “Jump”, and while George sings the synth lines beautifully, it could have been a neat twist to play some on guitar. The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” was Van Halen’s first single and sounds so good here that George and Kurstin should target Ray and Dave Davies’ band for their next volume of interpretations.

“Diamond Dave”, the final song on the 10-track album, pays tribute to Roth. Even if the lyrics, written when he rejoined Van Halen in 2007, show their age, the ballad is a fitting closer to an album where The Bird and the Bee’s love for Van Halen requires no euphemisms.

Also:

LOS ANGELES: Ed Sheeran will officially set the record for having the highest grossing tour of all time Friday night, as the 246th show of his Divide Tour pushes it to the $736.7 million mark, according to Pollstar’s calculations.

The benchmark had previously been set by U2 in 2011, when their 360 Tour grossed $735.4 million, a seemingly insurmountable figure.

There are some market differences between Sheeran’s and U2’s record-breaking tours. Theirs ran only 110 shows, whereas Sheeran will have played 255 gigs over a course of two and a half years by the time he wraps it up with a four-night stand close to home in Ipswich, England on Aug 23-26. (Agencies)

Needless to say, perhaps, Sheeran’s ticket prices have been lower, hence the very long run needed to catch up with U2’s high-water mark.

In terms of actual tour attendance, Sheeran already broke that record of U2’s back on May 24, when their 7.3 million tickets sold was beaten by his 7,315,970, Pollstar reports. As of tonight’s show in Hannover, Germany, he’ll be up to an astonishing 8,504,493 attendees for the Divide Tour.

“I just found out the Divide Tour is set to be the highest-grossing tour of all time – this is amazing,” Sheeran said in a statement. “I feel very lucky to have experienced all of the wonderful countries and crowds over the past two and a half years. Thank you to the fans and everyone who made it possible.”

Pollstar reports that Sheeran’s tour had an average $86.75 ticket price, a fairly reasonable figure by today’s standards that contributed to his ability to sell out shows at 166 venues in 43 countries. The tour played both arenas and stadiums, with an average 34,541 paying customers per gig, according to the touring trade publication.

By Ron Harris

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