Review: Constantine, Bat For Lashes

Review: Constantine, Bat For Lashes

Constantine 'Constantine': Aidin Vaziri | Constantine Maroulis is greasier than a bucket of extra-crispy fried chicken. But give him some credit for taking a sixth-place finish on Season 4 of "American Idol" and turning it into something resembling a career. He did Broadway. He did off-Broadway. He spent a year trying to develop a television show with Kelsey Grammer. He got a role on another one that was actually on the air, "The Bold and the Beautiful." He toured the country. He inspired more fan sites than Ruben Studdard. On Tuesday, Constantine releases his self-titled premiere album on his own label. The Boston Conservatory of Music grad's cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" remains the stuff of chat-room legend. Going by the music here, though, you can tell that his heart remains on the musical stage. Although he also took on the the Black Crowes and Nickelback during his "Idol" run, it's the songs that made up his live tour - mostly selections from rock-oriented productions like "Rent," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" - that really provide the inspiration here. The music is over the top and overliterate, as if it were written by a committee of scriptwriters rather than an artist hoping to get something off his chest. Worse, it all sounds incredibly dated: "Girl Like You" sounds like a decade-old Ricky Martin leftover; "Child, You're the Revolution" is a bad-hair metal throwback; and "Several Thousand" could have easily served as the theme tune for any '80s sitcom, especially if there'd been one starring Corey Haim. Then again, you kind of get the feeling that music isn't really the point with Constantine

Bat For Lashes 'Fur and Gold': Aidin Vaziri | Rock stars who wear feathers on their head are the best: Devendra Banhart, Janis Joplin, Björk, Stevie Nicks, the Village People. Add to that distinguished list Natasha Khan, a 27-year-old British singer-songwriter who records music under the name Bat for Lashes. She has been known to wear a whole peacock tail, which is directly proportional to the adventurous nature of the music on her acclaimed premiere album, "Fur and Gold." Dissonant and dark, tunes like "Horse and I" and "Prescilla" make her sound like Polly Harvey on a hippie weekend retreat with some good gothic friends. Meanwhile, "What's a Girl to Do?" opens with a Spector-esque drum intro before jumping into spoken-word verses set against a horror-movie score. You don't get that sort of thing with non-avian types like Avril Lavigne.