DJ albums are often either mash-ups of the DJ’s friends atop tepid beats or saucy compilations offering a snapshot of hip-hop at that moment. DJ Khaled’s “Listennn,” thankfully, falls into the latter category. “Holla at Me,” the Cool & Dre-produced posse cut featuring Lil’ Wayne, Paul Wall, Pitbull, Rick Ross and Fat Joe, is […]
There’s little as exciting as watching a budding talent blossom into full bloom. On his second outing, Larsen, 20, gives short shrift to the sophomore jinx with a truly terrific piece of work. In a country-as-can-be baritone, he displays insight into his material far beyond his years and complete control of whatever he touches. […]
Nelly Furtado suffered the dreaded sophomore slump with the underwhelming sales of 2003’s “Folklore,” despite the album’s ingenuity. On her third set, “Loose,” the eclectic singer offers a more varied mix of pop, hip-hop and Latin, showcasing not only her own dexterity but that of chief producer Timbaland as well. While “No Hay Igual” […]
Count Robinson among the batch of singers from R&B and pop’s ’60s/’70s heyday to jump on the standards bandwagon. On this outing, he updates jazz, big band and traditional pop songs culled from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s. There’s no denying Robinson’s singing talent, but “Timeless Love” is too often hampered by the choice […]
For all the lavish praise that guitarless U.K. trio Keane garnered for its ultra-poppy debut, “Hopes and Fears,” a subsequent backlash reproached the very elements that made the band a star: too easy a flow with its graciously accessible melodies. Keane does take more chances on “Under the Iron Sea,” with first single “Is […]
One of Joan Sebastian’s virtues is his capacity to convince in many regional Mexican genres. Here he returns to banda, which he romanticizes by virtue of his excellent songs. On “Sol,” the traditional brassy banda sound takes a tropical turn, while “La Medicina” is a more traditional huapango. Sebastian stretches banda’s boundaries on “En […]
There’s no other in the wide world of rock like Frank Black, whose undying creative output is a constant source of amazement to fans and confusion to outsiders. His latest salvo, “Fastman/ Raiderman,” is his 11th solo album since leaving the Pixies in 1993. It’s also a double-disc, 27-song compendium of mostly refined Americana, […]
Too often sentimentality equals saccharine, especially when an album’s repertoire comprises yesteryear standards. But jazz violin phenom Regina Carter avoids mawkish missteps on “I’ll Be Seeing You,” an energetic and heartfelt homage to her late mother, Grace, featuring her favorite songs. Uptempo romps include “Little Brown Jug” with the fiery hothouse fiddler leading the […]
Seems like the last time we heard from the Dakotas it was upon the emergence of teenage blues-rocker Jonny Lang. This time South Dakota is making some noise via Mato Nanji, blues guitarist, vocalist and member of the Nakota Tribe. Nanji wrote or co-authored all but one of the 10 tracks on this blues-rock CD, […]
It’s a safe bet that “Deja Vu,” which was leaked online and then digitally zapped to radio June 13, is destined to be a summer 2006 mainstay. Radiating with enough heat (and hype) to make July seem chilly by comparison, the hip-hop chugger is readily identifiable as pop/R&B’s reigning songstress, with a notably loose vocal, […]
With the publicity conundrum surrounding previous single “Not Ready to Make Nice” now an established part of folklore, the Dixie Chicks appear ready to get back to business on country radio. The rootsy “Voice Inside My Head” is a fine reminder of why the trio stormed the format a decade ago: It’s mournful, instrumentally acute, […]
Rock fans might find Snow Patrol’s new album a disappointing move toward anthemic power-pop, but if there’s one track on “Eyes Open” that should not be missed, it’s this one. “Chasing Cars” is a catchy, colossal ballad that succeeds without any fireworks. Giving his dreamy, unhurried best, frontman Gary Lightbody croons a plain beautiful melody […]
The eccentric “Bossy” is another testament to individuality from the memorable Kelis of “Milkshake” notoriety. In this lead cut from her upcoming fourth album, “Kelis Was Here,” the radical songstress reiterates her refusal to concede to pop standards, going as far as to applaud her own trailblazing musical efforts (”I’m the first girl to scream […]
In October 2002, Stone Sour struck multiformat gold with its debut single, “Bother.” The gloomy ballad surprised many because the group includes members of Slipknot, an extreme metal band whose music will never similarly grace adult top 40’s airwaves. “Through Glass” continues Stone Sour’s melodic tradition with another slow-burner, but this time it’s uptempo and […]
