Dino DiNicolo
Skin and Bones (Independent)

We’ve reviewed this B.C. stalwart before, and it’s always cool to see an artist keep growing. Bass badass Dino DiNicolo continues to gain more control of his voice and his other voice, a five-string electric he plays like a low-pitched guitar, only with more percussive effects. His fourth CD is another spare affair, again self-produced, with DiNicolo front-and-centre throughout, aside from very occasional decorations.

His skin-and-bones approach works especially well on the title cut, which finds his tenor range—which sometimes recalls Jim Morrison’s oddly impassioned drawl—dipping down into throat-singing territory. That effect is less fitting on the ska-flavoured “You Are Not Alone”, which sounds too much like a spoof of ’80s 2 Tone. Elsewhere, DiNicolo’s rather conventional pop-song conception—albeit one that emphasizes the mood of the moment over memorable lyrics and melodies—in reminiscent of Hall & Oates, sans harmonies and production values. There’s an inevitable Sting comparison in the reggaefied “All This World”, and “Man in the Moon” has a catchy Joe Jackson vibe. On the other hand, the spare funk of “Soul Sugar”, complete with oblique horn lines (courtesy of trumpeter Terry Keller and sax man Graham Howell), can never go out of fashion.