On her debut for indie upstart Big Machine, Trisha Yearwood digs into a comfortable sweet spot midway between slick Nashville bang and rugged roots-music twang. With its rich combination of polish and pain, that’s precisely where her voice belongs. The material is strong throughout, but highlights include “Nothin’ ‘Bout Memphis,” rich with horns; “The […]
With an all-star team of writer/producers (Stargate, the Underdogs), 17-year-old “American Idol” champ Jordin Sparks releases a first effort that’s all over the map — and works. The best news is that nobody’s trying to mold her into a fly ho or a torchy diva; these 13 songs sound like exactly what she should […]
Nothing can quite match the in-person thrills of the current Daft Punk live experience, what with the robot costumes, onstage pyramid and body-rattling beats radiating out into the blissed-out faithful. But “Alive 2007″ comes pretty darn close, capturing a hometown Paris audience so jonesing for a Daft Punk fix that it loudly sings along […]
It’s always a challenge to take an artist out of his or her established format and plunge him or her into another. So it’s a tribute to Jose Feliciano’s artistry that he’s able to navigate pop and tropical idioms with ease, and that his foray into bachata — perhaps the genre most alien to […]
This sophomore disc from Philadelphia’s Freeway hits stores four years after the release of the gruff-voiced MC’s much-admired debut. That’s an eternity in rap years, but if anyone’s in a position to capitalize on the frustration produced by music-industry politics, it’s Freeway, whose music depicts the struggle of a good man caught in a […]
Shirley Caesar’s 40th album in as many years is resounding proof of her uncontested reign as the first lady of gospel music. With “complacency” nowhere to be found in her vocabulary, she revisits a dozen classic songs that don’t so much ignore modernity as redefine it with her own timeless touch and taste. Caesar […]
Born Jose Manuel Cobles, Puerto Plata is an 84-year-old sonero who’s a virtual encyclopedia of the acoustic guitar traditions of the Dominican Republic. He’s known as a master of the “son” genre; however, as the tunes on this disc demonstrate, he’s a master of a lot more than just that kind of music. Opener […]
Jimmy Page has claimed for 30-plus years that he was never fully satisfied with this 1976 concert album/film, but he claims this new edition represents his true vision. In addition to “The Ocean,” the soundtrack for the first time includes “Black Dog,” “Over the Hills and Far Away,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” all of “Heartbreaker” […]
Jay-Z’s non-soundtrack to “American Gangster” uses a fictional framework as an excuse for him to re-address matters he’s been writing about forever — which is fine and all, but a new Jay-Z record about the hustler’s lifestyle isn’t that surprising. What’s more notable are the telling gems hidden within the Frank Lucas outline: […]
They’ve released only two albums, but thanks to the dictates of international appeal, the Killers have amassed an impressive collection of B-sides and assorted rarities. “Sawdust” sweeps up 17 of them, and while it doesn’t have the cohesive impact of “Hot Fuss” or “Sam’s Town,” it’s an appealing set that brings a bit more […]
In 1998, the singer of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” was almost driven down by throat cancer. Almost, but not quite: “Dirt Farmer” is former the Band-member Levon Helm’s return from voicelessness, and he’s used the unexpected opportunity to express his deep and abiding devotion to the roots music he first heard […]
Celine Dion’s 10th English-language studio album and first in three years showcases an artist eager to escape all preconceptions. On “Taking Chances,” the world’s best-selling female artist lets go of diva serenades in favor of true grit. All elements signal fresh direction, from producers Ben Moody, Linda Perry and Ne-Yo; lyrics that address edgy […]
If her name hadn’t been Rio and she’d never danced on the sand, it’d be easy enough to evaluate this solid collection on its own merits. Alas, Simon LeBon and company have a lot of baggage, and their latest effort doesn’t match the neon-lit glory days of yesteryear. In a bid to attract new […]
Despite a 28-year live layoff, Brazil’s finest oddball psych-rock combo, Os Mutantes, is sharp beyond belief on this double-disc concert set. Recorded in London last year at the start of the group’s brief reunion tour and released via David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label, “Live” has just the right balance of styles. There’s staccato, Tropicalia-style […]
