Whenever I Want

Few artists have what it takes to release two albums within the same month (let alone year), but then, not many artists fly in the face of convention and mix a half-dozen loosely related genres on one record. Welcome to Mark Sultan’s world (where his motto might be “Because he can!”). The Canadian rocker is a true iconoclast: doing things his way, and with passion. (A recent blog missive by Sultan is a plea to save rock ’n’ roll: “Wrap rock ’n’ roll up in the stink of sincerity so the tastemakers and the vampires cannot enjoy it!”) Known mostly for his work with King Khan using the nickname BBQ, Sultan is currently forsaking true band collaboration for solo work. For both Whatever I Want and Whenever I Want, he invited friends from bands like The Black Lips and The Spits to join in. A surprise appearance by a banjo on Whenever is one thing that distinguishes the two releases; the other is the bizarre eight-minute jazz jam that ends this collection, “For Those Who Don’t Exist.” Both records have strong garage rockers, faithful doo-wop pop tunes, and impressive vocal performances by Sultan, who continues to amaze and delight fellow rock ’n’ roll fans.