If the Raveonettes surprised us with the sunny pop sheen of 2005’s “Pretty in Black,” they deliver an even more jarring turn on “Lust Lust Lust.” Any artifice of mainstream confection is stripped away, replaced by a fuzzy, lo-fi minimalism that uses reverb and sustain to create a deceptively lush sonic tapestry. “Aly, Walk […]
Contrary to its title, this well-crafted solo album by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs’ co-founder isn’t quite a projection into the future, but more of a throwback to the ska/rock that the group merged so beautifully with Latin sounds in its day. The Latin element comes mostly in the form of the language here, but the […]
Fans of the Police know that reggae was a principal influence for the trio, so the idea of a reggae tribute to the band is blessed with logic. Miami’s Inner Circle formed the instrumental heart of this 13-track project, backing such acts as Horace Andy, Gregory Isaacs and Toots & the Maytals. Inner Circle […]
Wildly popular in its home country, Ireland’s Bell X1 is known stateside primarily as former bandmates of Damien Rice and a soundtrack source for “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The OC.” This should change with its debut U.S. set, which showcases its accessible modern rock and frontman Paul Noonan’s ambitious lyrics. Standout tracks “Flame,” “My First […]
Elegant, powerful and authentically Southern, Allison Moorer’s is the rare voice worthy of an entire album of cover songs. So it’s not surprising that “Mockingbird” contains more than its share of iPod-deserving tributes (including Nina Simone’s “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl” and a slowed, acoustic, hornless take on “Ring of Fire”). […]
Less than a minute into Carla Bruni’s second album, you’re just like the French president: hopelessly seduced. The former supermodel has the gossamer alto of so many other singing beauties — Bridgette Bardot, Marianne Faithfull, Francoise Hardy. But Bruni’s source material isn’t her own elegant malaise. It’s 11 of the world’s most celebrated English-language […]
You can take the boy out of Britain — and, apparently, a good deal of Britain out of the boy. Ray Davies, the once (and future?) Kinks frontman, has long been among rock’s most strident social commentators, with a decidedly British flip to his observations. But on his second proper solo album, Davies drops […]
Cuban-born pianist/ composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s follow-up to the Latin jazz Grammy Award-winning “Supernova” finds him working in a quintet setting with Marcus Gilmore, Matt Brewer, Yosvany Terry and Mike Rodriguez. These seven tunes share an impressionistic vibe within frameworks that suggest a good deal of improvisational latitude. “Peace” is a sustained meditation between Rubalcaba […]
When it came time to record its eighth album, Blue Highway decided to hunker down at storied Maggard Sound in Big Stone Gap, Va., hoping to conjure the magic that Ralph Stanley and others have made there. History will show that the group made a fine decision. Self-penned and self-produced, the album builds on […]
The fourth studio album by talented Nashville hunk Chris Cagle starts strong and rhythmic: heartland country-rocker (and current chart hit) parsing several competing definitions of the adjective “gone”; funny talking-blues-inspired country-rocker about a barfly who requests everything but love songs; boy-is-back-in-town country-rocker funky enough to pass for Big & Rich. Beyond that, the power […]
At first glance, Simple Plan’s teaming here with A-list producers Max Martin and Nate “Danja” Hills appears to be a move born of desperation: a last-ditch effort to compete with the younger, prettier dance-pop stars more capable of keeping up with the times than a rusty old pop-punk band. (That’s not a new role […]
Though this is her 11th Rounder album, you could be forgiven for thinking of Carrie Newcomer as a newcomer herself. The singer-songwriter is deeply rooted in her native Indiana, and she finds artistic inspiration and personal comfort in the Midwest. She may be a regional artist, but she has a universal vision and appeal. […]
The first half of the legendary saxman’s two-disc live set with Germany’s WDR Big Band is a rollicking tribute to Ray Charles. The second half goes — and let’s turn it over to Maceo Parker here — “Back to Funk,” and the two sides demand, with equal ferocity, that you get out of your […]
The three music school grads in this daffy London-based trio have a longer memory than their demographic peers in the Pipettes. Rather than revive the sounds of ’60s-era girl-group pop, the Puppini Sisters bring back the close-harmony ’40s-era stylings of the Andrews Sisters, precarious hairdos and all. As on their 2006 debut, “Betcha Bottom […]
