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CD Reviews

    HeartHeart:  Dreamboat Annie Live | Shout! Factory
    Heart are fast becoming the world’s best classic-rock cover band.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats DominoGoin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino:  Vanguard
    This packed two-disc set gathers all the usual suspects and more for a Tipitina’s Foundation project to rebuild Domino’s Ninth Ward neighborhood in New Orleans.
    By: CLEA SIMON


    Joe BonamassaJoe Bonamassa:  Sloe Gin | J+R Adventures
    Six CDs into his solo career, this singer and six-stringer from upstate New York has hit his artistic stride.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Neil YoungNeil Young:  Chrome Dreams II | Reprise
    Don’t start wondering how you missed the first Chrome Dreams.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    WeenWeen:  La Cucaracha | Rounder
    Ween come out flapping and squawking on La Cucaracha.
    By: PATRICK CATES


    The Go! TeamThe Go! Team:  Proof of Youth | Sub Pop
    The Go! Team, from England, call their sophomore full-length Proof of Youth for good reason, but they needn’t have gone to the trouble.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Habib Koité and BamadaHabib Koité and Bamada:  Afriki | Cumbancha
    That and his velvet voice complement the introspective mood here.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    John FogertyJohn Fogerty:  Revival | Fantasy
    Fogerty is again in full command of his talent for blending heartfelt writing with irony-free meat-and-potatoes rock.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Mark ShilanskyMark Shilansky:  Join the Club | self-released
    This “club” is one anyone would be happy to join.

    By: JON GARELICK


    Steve EarleSteve Earle:  Washington Square Serenade | NewWest
    This is Steve Earle’s big hug to his new home town, New York City, and his new wife (his seventh), country singer Allison Moorer.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    Bunny RanchBunny Ranch:  Luna Dance | Transformadores
    These garage-rockers from Coimbra, Portugal, get the music exactly right, and the quirks of language only make them more endearing.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    StarsStars:  In Our Bedrrom After the War | Arts + Crafts
    This is something of a letdown.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Résumé: Selected + Mixed by Citizen CrewRésumé: Selected + Mixed by Citizen Crew:  Citizen
    The French labels Kitsune, Ed Banger, and Institubes have clogged dance bins with aggro, monochromatic, twitchy filter metal.
    By: NICK SYLVESTER


    Maga BoMaga Bo:  Confusion of Tongues | Soot
    Brazil-based DJ and producer Maga Bo is a sound recordist by profession and a traveler by inclination.
    By: SUSANNA BOLLE


    Will.i.amWill.i.am:  Songs About Girls | A+M
    There’s something melodious and calm about Will.i.am’s third solo hip-hop/R&B album — but there’s also something boring about its euphonic electro-funk dolor.
    By: ELLEE DEAN


    Dashboard Confessional: The Shade of the Poison TreesDashboard Confessional: The Shade of the Poison Trees:  Vagrant
    The people want their wimp back; he’ll meet them halfway.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Serj TankianSerj Tankian:  Elect the Dead | Warner Bros.
    Playing almost all the instruments and freed from the Goliath prog-metal of System of a Down, he gives full release to his inner clown parade.
    By: KEN MICALLEF


    RudderRudder:  Rudder | Rudermusic.com
    This New York City instrumental quartet hold their ground somewhere in among Morphine, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, and Bitches Brew–era Miles.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    The CultThe Cult:  Born into This | Roadrunner
    Let’s be viral.
    By: JAMES PARKER


    Two Gallants: Saddle CreekTwo Gallants: Saddle Creek:  An unhappy marriage of sounds
    Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel have long been trying for a sound that’s both earthy and artsy, Bright Eyes folk rock delivered with an aw-shucks squint.
    By: DAVID BRUSIE


    A Fine FrenzyA Fine Frenzy:  One Cell in the Sea | Virgin
    A Fine Frenzy is 22-year-old Alison Sudol, an LA-based piano-pop prodigy who’s probably never heard a Fiona Apple song she didn’t love.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    The DonnasThe Donnas:  Bitchin' | Purple Feather
    The Donnas do what the Donnas do, and, hard as it may be to believe, they’ve been doing it for more than a decade.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    Victor CalderoneVictor Calderone:  Evolve | Ultra
    Victor Calderone ranks among the top house DJs, and his newest mix makes it clear how he got there.
    By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG


    Manu ChaoManu Chao:  La Radiolina | Nacional/Because
    Chao’s bold, kitchen-sink approach was unlike anything else.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    Konono Nº 1Konono Nº 1:  Live at Couleur Café | Crammed Discs
    This band’s amped-up likembe (thumb piano) trance music put the trendy world-music subgenre known as Congotronics on the map.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    Herbie HancockHerbie Hancock:  River: The Joni Letters | Verve
    Herbie isn’t fooling around — the guest stars are here, yes, but Hancock is stretching out, with languid, meditative takes on the Mitchell songbook.
    By: JON GARELICK


    Akron/FamilyAkron/Family:  Love Is Simple | Young God
    Already digested the latest from Devendra Banhart and Animal Collective and still hungry for more new freak-folk sounds?
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    PJ HarveyPJ Harvey:  White Chalk | Island
    As the next 10 songs in this cryptic gothic fairy tale unreel, she experiences a drug-induced nightmare, a moon tide of guilt, and, seemingly, death.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    UGKUGK:  Underground Kingz | Jive
    Underground Kingz is not quite an instant classic, but it would be hard to deny that UGK have reclaimed their throne.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Putumayo Presents AmericanaPutumayo Presents Americana:  Putumayo
    Most of what you’ll find here is about as appealing as the disc’s candy-colored cover, which has got to be in the running for one of the ugliest of the year.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    10,000 Laughs: The Best of the Boston Comedy Festival10,000 Laughs: The Best of the Boston Comedy Festival:  Koch/High5
    “People have to remember that there’s one big difference between Bush and Hitler,” he says. “Hitler wrote a book.”
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Minus the BearMinus the Bear:  Planet of Ice | Suicide Squeeze
    Minus the Bear are at their best when they let down their guard and allow a little heat to penetrate their Planet of Ice.
    By: MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG


    Ben Harper and the Innocent CriminalsBen Harper and the Innocent Criminals:  Lifeline | Virgin
    On Lifeline, Ben Harper’s latest disc with the Innocent Criminals, the soulful slide-guitarist captures the feel of an intimate live concert.
    By: BRETT SINGER


    The Cinematic OrchestraThe Cinematic Orchestra:  Ma Fleur | Domino
    Though Ma Fleur repays close listening with an assortment of sonic riches, the album fades into beige room noise with very little encouragement.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Asmus Tietchens + Richard ChartierAsmus Tietchens + Richard Chartier:  Fabrications | Die Stadt
    The result is this long, dark, atmospheric piece that unfolds and evolves at a glacial pace.
    By: SUSANNA BOLLE


    Simian Mobile DiscoSimian Mobile Disco:  Attack Decay Sustain Release | Interscope
    After spinning and remixing everyone else’s tracks, Simian Mobile Disco are finally debuting their own.
    By: ROQUE STREW


    Get Ready, Here Come... The '70sGet Ready, Here Come... The '70s:  Shout Factory!
    Okay, so they missed a few things, but Get Ready manages to be a whole lot of fun by ignoring the music that mattered.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    The SubdudesThe Subdudes:  Street Symphony | High Street
    It wouldn’t be a Subdudes album without a couple of accordion-led tunes or a soul ballad.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Joe HenryJoe Henry:  Civilians | Anti-
    Joe Henry is an unlikely candidate for a protest CD, even one this subtle.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Erin McKeown: LafayetteErin McKeown: Lafayette:  Signature Sounds
    Give some of the credit to her crack back-up band, who move effortlessly between head-nodding hip-hop grooves and hopped-up big-band shuffles.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Travis TrittTravis Tritt:  The Storm | Category 5
    Georgia-born Tritt has always been a country musician with a rock-and-roll soul, but this time he’s put the accent on “soul” as a genre.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Donovan FrankenreiterDonovan Frankenreiter:  Recycled Recipes | Lost Highway
    Lost HighwaySurfer-turned-musician Donovan Frankenreiter has a sandy beard, a warm old soul voice, and a sonic signature planted firmly in the 1970s.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    InterpolInterpol:  Our Love to Admire | Capitol
    On their third album, NYC mood merchants Interpol don’t quite rest on the laurels of their 2004 major-label debut, Antics.
    By: MIRIAM LAMEY


    Blaqk audioBlaqk audio:  Cexcells | Interscope
    Blaqk Audio is Davey Havok and Jade Puget of AFI doing an ’80s-inspired synths-and-beats version of the emo-inflected goth-rock.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Bill CallahanBill Callahan:  Woke on a Whaleheart | Drag City
    When Lou Reed left the lo-fi proto-punk of the Velvet Underground behind for the polished, poetic pop of his solo albums, devotees were devastated.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    Superbad: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackSuperbad: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack:  Lakeshore
    Teen movies have long used the funkiest black music to throw into relief the shenanigans of the nerdiest white guys.
    By: CHARLES TAYLOR


    Johnny ThundersJohnny Thunders:  Who's Been Talkin? In Concert | MVD
    He knew what he was singing: shortly after this concert, Thunders passed into history, leaving a tattered legacy and a messy stain.
    By: JIM SULLIVAN


    Cedric Burnside + Lightnin’ MalcolmCedric Burnside + Lightnin’ Malcolm:  Juke Joint Duo | Soul Is Cheap
    After a flirtation with hip-hop, R.L. Burnside’s drummer and grandson Cedric has returned to exciting, raw-boned blues.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Aesop RockAesop Rock:  None Shall Pass | Definitive Jux
    Sometimes I don’t have one goddamn clue what misanthropic underground hip-hop king Aesop Rock is talking about.
    By: RICHARD BECK


    Mark OlsonMark Olson:  The Salvation Blues | HackTone
    The album shimmers with the sort of musical detail that keeps woe-is-me songwriting from sounding (entirely) like a pity party.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Merle HaggardMerle Haggard:  The Bluegrass Sessions | McCoury Music | Working Man’s Journey | Cracker Barrel
    Merle Haggard has always been a keen observer of American thought and spirit.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    Editors: An End Has a StartEditors: An End Has a Start:  Epic
    Like Ian McCulloch in the early ’80s, Editors singer Tom Smith sounds old before his time, preoccupied as he is with our precarious mortal coil.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    The BongosThe Bongos:  Drums along the Hudson | Cooking Vinyl
    Twenty-five years after its initial release, this cornerstone of American ’80s post-punk/new-wave sounds both innovative and quaint.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Bad ReligionBad Religion:  New Maps of Hell | Epitaph
    But if determination = quality, then Bad Religion are one of the best punk bands in the world.
    By: BRETT SINGER


    T.I. vs. T.I.P.T.I. vs. T.I.P.:  T.I. | Atlantic
    In 1886, it was The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: dark versus light, yin versus yang.
    By: DOMINIQUE HENDELMAN


    Talib KweliTalib Kweli:  Ear Drum | Warner Bros.
    Ear Drum doesn’t reach the highs of that far more ambitious and sprawling album, but it’s a welcome return to form.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    JusticeJustice:  † | Vice
    Vice like the magazine or Vice like Miami?
    By: ANDREW GRAHAM


    VHS or BetaVHS or Beta:  Bring On the Comets | Astralwerks
    The wordless, minute-long opener “Euglama,” though — that’s worth digging.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Laurie AndersonLaurie Anderson:  Big Science | Nonesuch
    One of the most important albums of the ’80s has been re-released with two appealing extras.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    SultanSultan:  Montreal | Yashitoshi
    The first track of this CD establishes a taste in dance music that’s recognizably, authentically Montreal.
    By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG


    Kevin Drumm and Daniel MencheKevin Drumm and Daniel Menche:  Gauntlet | Editions Mego
    At just over 28 minutes, Gauntlet might not seem all that imposing.
    By: SUSANNA BOLLE


    CommonCommon:  Finding Forever | Geffen
    Can you fault a Second City 35-year-old Gap-shilling rapper for wanting to make elevator hip-hop for Second City 35-year-old Gap-wearing yuppies?
    By: NICK SYLVESTER


    Magic NumbersMagic Numbers:  Those the Brokes | Capitol
    The Magic Numbers are throwbacks to a time when pop was lighter than air.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    Bishop AllenBishop Allen:  The Broken String | Dead Oceans
    It’s like a ride within a ride.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Judee SillJudee Sill:  Live in London: The BBC Recordings 1972-1973 | Water
    If Judee Sill’s story isn’t fodder for a Lifetime TV movie, then nothing is.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    Jason AndersonJason Anderson:  Tonight | ECA
    As a note on his Web site hints, New Hampshire–based singer-songwriter Jason Anderson will play anywhere.
    By: CHRIS BROOK


    Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter CashAnchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash:  Dualtone
    Tribute albums are usually hit-or-miss, and this one honoring June Carter Cash is no exception.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    Nick LoweNick Lowe:  At My Age | Yep Rock
    It wouldn’t kill his integrity to have a Rockpile-style bash just once.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    MaeMae:  Singularity | Capitol
    Virginia Beach–based Mae play catchy, pretty pop-rock perfect for kids whose parents won’t let them wear their Death Cab for Cutie T-shirts to Sunday school.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Maria Schneider OrchestraMaria Schneider Orchestra:  Sky Blue | artistShare
    Schneider made history of sorts by winning a Grammy for 2004’s Concert in the Garden on the upstart Web-only artistShare label.
    By: JON GARELICK


    Big + RichBig + Rich:  Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace | Warner Bros.
    They once seemed capable of much more.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    The TussThe Tuss:  Rushup Edge | Rephlex
    Things often are not as they seem — then again, often they are.
    By: SUSANNA BOLLE


    St. VincentSt. Vincent:  Marry Me | Beggars Banquet
    Clark’s soaring soprano is capable of hitting a Billie Holiday swoon just as easily as a sinister incantation.
    By: CHRISTOPHER GRAY


    Heavy TrashHeavy Trash:  Going Way Out with Heavy Trash | Yep Roc
    At this point, Jon Spencer’s immersion in self-parody is complete.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    ShivareeShivaree:  Tainted Love: Mating Calls and Fight Songs | Zoe
    The singer’s devotion to devotion defines the material.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Zap MamaZap Mama:  Supermoon | Heads up
    Any similarities between Zap Mama 2007 and the group who bore that name in 1990 is purely coincidental.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    Bill MorrisseyBill Morrissey:  Come Running | Rounder
    This disc marks the renaissance of New England musical poet Morrissey.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    ShellacShellac:  Excellent Italian Greyhound | Touch + Go
    The blueprint for Shellac’s attack is as straightforward as it is severe.
    By: MICHAEL T. FOURNIER


    Avishai CohenAvishai Cohen:  After the Big Rain | Anzic
    Here’s hoping for a live tour.
    By: JON GARELICK


    SilverchairSilverchair:  Young Modern | Eleven
    This thing is quite a feast.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Patton OswaltPatton Oswalt:  Werewolves and Lollipops | Sub Pop
    Oswalt takes aim at Middle American targets in a conversational manner that suggests he knows he’s among friends.
    By: RYAN STEWART


    Matt and KimMatt and Kim:  Matt and Kim | iheartcomix
    Not unlike a bottled Frappuccino, Matt & Kim’s homonymous debut is better than no Matt & Kim at all.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    John DoeJohn Doe:  A Year in the Wilderness | Yep Roc
    The seminal American punk band X specialized in songs about love on the skids or on skid row.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Nick DrakeNick Drake:  Family Tree | Tsunami
    Family Tree is not a Ramones album.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    Pan SonicPan Sonic:  Katodivaihe | Blast First
    Pan Sonic’s Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen have lost little of their power to vex and amaze.
    By: SUSANNA BOLLE


    FabolousFabolous:  From Nothin' to Somethin' | Def Jam
    Maybe he should spend less time spelling out his name.
    By: DOMINIQUE HENDELMAN


    Theryl “Houseman” DeclouetTheryl “Houseman” Declouet:  The Truth Iz Out | Self-released
    It sounds as if the singer had been through some relationship trouble, or at least had been listening to a lot of later Marvin Gaye.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    André PrevinAndré Previn:  Alone | Emarcy
    André Previn has been an acclaimed professional jazz musician since he was a teenager.
    By: JON GARELICK


    TravisTravis:  The Boy with No Name | Epic
    Travis defy the very concept of surprise; their tasteful, tuneful guitar pop is about comfort and safety and always knowing what’s happening next.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Bonde do RolêBonde do Rolê:  With Lasers | Domino
    You’re better off letting Bonde do Rolê drop their glorious little dumb bombs directly on your id.
    By: RENÉ SPENCER SALLER


    Papa Grows FunkPapa Grows Funk:  Mr. Patterson's Hat | Funky Krewe
    The third studio album by this popular New Orleans funk/jam band is in a sense their first studio album.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Lloyd Thayer: The Bumper Pool DiariesLloyd Thayer: The Bumper Pool Diaries:  Self-released
    Local stringed-instrument devotee Lloyd Thayer completes his mission to record and release three albums in one year.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    CultureCulture:  Two Sevens Clash | Shanachie
    The prophecy of Apocalypse in the title single from this legendary session was enough to bring Kingston to a standstill on July 7, 1977.
    By: AMANDA PRESTON


    TransformersTransformers:  The Album | Warner Bros.
    If Transformers the film is a feature-length GM commercial with a sci-fi narrative, then Transformers: The Album is equally shameless.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    Savath and SavalasSavath and Savalas:  Golden Pollen | Anti-
    This is a gloriously glassy album brimming with Hispanic sounds and surfer-boy harmonies.
    By: DAVID DAY


    Joan as Police WomanJoan as Police Woman:  Real Life | Cheap Lullaby
    Ex-Bostonian Joan Wasser spent more than a decade carrying other musicians’ trains.
    By: RENÉ SPENCER SALLER


    Fujiya and MiyagiFujiya and Miyagi:  Transparent Things | Deaf Dumb + Blind
    With Fujiya & Miyagi, things are not always as they seem.
    By: SUSANNA BOLLE


    Dolores O’RiordanDolores O’Riordan:  Are You Listening? | Sanctuary
    Dolores O’Riordan won a place in alt-rock history for her yodel-streaked vocal stylings, not her penetrating insights.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    The Dynamites Featuring Charlie WalkerThe Dynamites Featuring Charlie Walker:  Kaboom! | Outta Sight
    Live, Nashville’s Dynamites are a sweaty bathtub of bubbling, wall-to-wall funk.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Pharaoh's DaughterPharaoh's Daughter:  Haran | oy!hoo
    Thousand-year-old Sabbath songs, Hebrew- and Aramaic-language vocals, and Kabalistic poetry — exactly what comes to mind when you think hip downtown band, right?
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    The Beau BrummelsThe Beau Brummels:  Beau Brummels '66 | Collectors Choice
    This little oddity owes its life to a classically bad mid-’60s A&R decision.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Brad PaisleyBrad Paisley:  5th Gear | Broken Bow
    Paisley’s winsome 5th Gear is about as light as Miranda Lambert’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is dark — in a good way.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    Sam Yahel TrioSam Yahel Trio:  Truth and Beauty | Origin
    Sam Yahel’s expressive approach to the Hammond B3 organ has made him one of the most sought-after sidemen in jazz.
    By: ADAM GOLD


    Duke RobillardDuke Robillard:  Worl Full of Blues | Stony Plain
    Everything on these CDs is played with total command.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Benni Hemm HemmBenni Hemm Hemm:  Kajak | Morr Music
    The language of twee-dom knows no borders.
    By: DAVID DAY


    The GoThe Go:  Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride | Cass
    Fear not, Nuggets heads: on their new long-player, Jack White’s old bandmates in the Go sound as if they hadn’t heard a note of music made since 1972.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Von SüdenfedVon Südenfed:  Tromatic Reflexxions | Domino
    On the face of it, Mark E. Smith and Mouse on Mars’ Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma are an unlikely match.
    By: SUSANNE BOLLE


    OzmaOzma:  Pasadena | About a Girl
    I wonder whether Ozma didn’t title their new album after their suburban Los Angeles home base as a way of distinguishing themselves from Weezer.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    TchekaTcheka:  Nu Mondo | Times Square
    The latest talent to emerge from the Cape Verdean archipelago adds new power and sophistication to an alluring national genre.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    The NationalThe National:  Boxer | Beggars Banquet
    The National’s new vessel turns out to be a pirate ship.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    David TornDavid Torn:  Prezens | ECM
    If you’re looking for a middle ground between Tool and John Coltrane, this is it.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    The FieldThe Field:  From Here We Go Sublime | Kompakt
    Not since Akufen’s “My Way” has an album of microsamples achieved the status of high art.
    By: DAVID DAY


    Nancy Drew: Music from the Motion PictureNancy Drew: Music from the Motion Picture:  Nancy Drew: Music from the Motion Picture | Bulletproof
    What do Ned Nickerson and the Nancy Drew soundtrack have in common? Neither gets in Nancy’s way.
    By: JEFFREY GANTZ


    Mavis StaplesMavis Staples:  We'll Never Turn Back | Anti-
    This is an overlooked gem: soulful, beautifully performed, and socially relevant.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Cedric GervaisCedric Gervais:  Miami | Yoshitoshi
    This set by influential French-born, Miami-based DJ Gervais lives up to its title.
    By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG


    Dizzee RascalDizzee Rascal:  Maths + English | XL
    Boy in da Corner may be the classic Dizzee will be forced to chase for the rest of his career.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Omar SosaOmar Sosa:  Promise | Otá
    What we get on his latest outing is more often Miles’d-up trancy electric Afropop than what you might think of as Afro-Cuban jazz.
    By: JON GARELICK


    ErasureErasure:  Lights at the End of the World | Mute
    Heck, they could have made it on Mars.
    By: JIM SULLIVAN


    Rufus WainwrightRufus Wainwright:  Release the Stars | Geffen
    Despite Rufus Wainwright’s intentions, Release the Stars could be his most lavishly appointed disc yet.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Bokoor Beats: Vintage Afro-Beat, Afro-Rock & Electric Highlife from GhanaBokoor Beats: Vintage Afro-Beat, Afro-Rock & Electric Highlife from Ghana:  Bokoor Beats: Vintage Afro-Beat, Afro-Rock & Electric Highlife from Ghana | Otrabanda
    Pop music in 1970s Ghana was a collision of lilting highlife.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    PelaPela:  Anytown Graffiti | Great Society
    If more bands wrote music that sounded like fiction, they might deliver results as pleasurable as this.
    By: SHARON STEEL


    Ultra NatéUltra Naté:  Grime, Silk and Thunder | Tommy Boy
    On the cover of her fifth CD, Naté looks to-die-for in midnight-blue opera gloves and strapless gown.
    By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG


    Jason AldeanJason Aldean:  Relentless | Broken Bow
    Jason Aldean is a young, earring-wearing hat act who plays the Nashville game the way it’s always been played.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    Richard ThompsonRichard Thompson:  Sweet Warrior | Shout Factory
    Richard Thompson here returns to electric six-string, but Sweet Warrior finds him spinning epic yarns instead of heroic solos.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    The Jesus LizardThe Jesus Lizard:  Live | MVD
    Yep, this is about how we remember it.
    By: CARLY CARIOLI


    The Fun YearsThe Fun Years:  Life-Size Psychoses | Barge
    In experimental music, there are constructs of noise and dissonance and there are landscapes of ambient textures.
    By: DAVID DAY


    OnceOnce:  Music from the Motion Picture | Canvasback/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax
    If you’re not sure where to start digging into the Frames’ expansive catalogue, start here.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Erol JosuéErol Josué:  Régléman | Mi5
    A vodou priest since his teenage years in Haiti, this singer-songwriter combines mysticism, groove, and myriad sonic surprises.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    The Fucking ChampsThe Fucking Champs:  VI | Drag
    These Bay Area boys have spent a decade-plus together wondering how many licks it’ll take to convince people that their instrumental heavy metal is no joke.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Sinéad O’ConnorSinéad O’Connor:  Theology | Koch
    Sinéad O’Connor in the confession booth?
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    John Prine and Mac WisemanJohn Prine and Mac Wiseman:  Standard Songs for Average People | Oh Boy
    When two buddies get together to sing and pick their favorite songs, the results are not always fit for public consumption.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Maria MuldaurMaria Muldaur:  Naughty, Bawdy & Blue | Stony Plain
    Forget about the camel already — there’s so much more to Maria Muldaur than “Midnight at the Oasis.”
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    KTLKTL:  2 | Editions Mego
    Titled Kindertotenlieder (“Songs on the Death of Children”), the piece premiered this past March, but the musical project took on a life of its own.
    By: SUSANNA BOLLE


    Gus GusGus Gus:  Forever | Groove
    This Iceland outfit’s fifth album says electronic club music — the kind created by DJs, not rock bands.
    By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG


    Rose KempRose Kemp:  A Hand Full of Hurricanes | One Little Indian
    Rose Kemp’s parents are mainstays of the English folk-rock group Steeleye Span.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Ne-Yo: Because of YouNe-Yo: Because of You:  Def Jam
    If Ne-Yo wants to make a real mark, he’ll have to toss that hat.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Cult CargoCult Cargo:  Grand Bahama Goombay | Numero
    More than an hour of should-have-been superstars and preposterous amalgams of funk, soul, acid rock, and even a little gospel.
    By: RICHARD BECK


    Handsome FursHandsome Furs:  Plague Park | Sub Pop
    Playing Bruce Springsteen to Spencer Krug’s David Bowie, Dan Boeckner came across as the humble workhorse of Wolf Parade.
    "What We Had," Handsome Furs  (mp3)

    By: CHRISTOPHER GRAY


    Marc FordMarc Ford:  Weary and Wired | Blues Bureau International
    Ford staked his claim to fame as the Black Crowes’ first lead guitarist, but his second solo album has a more contemporary singer-songwriter’s sensibility.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Mary WeissMary Weiss:  Dangerous Game | Norton
    “I don’t write hits,” sings Mary Weiss on her first — at 58 — solo album.
    By: CHARLES TAYLOR


    MegadethMegadeth:  United Abominations | Roadrunner
    Mustaine’s politics can tend toward the simplistic, but his playing doesn’t.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Miranda LambertMiranda Lambert:  Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | Sony Nashville
    Now two albums into her major-label country career, Miranda Lambert has positioned herself as a female outlaw.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    James Blood UlmerJames Blood Ulmer:  Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions | Hyena
    This time Ulmer was in a brooding mood.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    DJ Food and DKDJ Food and DK:  Now, Listen Again! | Ninja Tune
    You’d be hard-pressed to find such proficient and seemingly effortless mixing.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Kenny WernerKenny Werner:  Lawn Chair Society | Blue Note
    Werner is probably best known as harmonica legend Toots Thielemans’s right-hand man, but Lawn Chair Society demonstrates his range as a pianist/composer.
    By: JON GARELICK


    Mando DiaoMando Diao:  Ode to Ochrasy | Mute
    The rollicking rock of Mando Diao’s Hurricane Bar, slotted the Swedish group somewhere among the Strokes, the Hives, and Franz Ferdinand.
    By: EMILY ZEMLER


    The Sea and CakeThe Sea and Cake:  Everybody | Thrill Jockey
    Few indie bands are as consistent as this one — which means you pretty much know what to expect from a new Sea and Cake disc.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    !!!!!!:  Myth Takes | Warp
    It’s been about a decade since singer Nic Offer left the punk rock of the Yah Mos behind for electronic dance grooves and deep-bass funk.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    Ted Leo and the PharmacistsTed Leo and the Pharmacists:  Living with the Living | Touch & Go
    Ted Leo is dad-like, his tenderness enthusiastic but ultimately more of a spectacle than the infectious ball of fire it’s supposed to be.
    By: LEON NEYFAKH


    Belinda CarlisleBelinda Carlisle:  Voilà | Rykodisc
    Belinda Carlisle is about as French as a bag of “freedom fries.”
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    Shadows FallShadows Fall:  Threads of Life | Atlantic
    Metal fans are a dogmatic bunch.
    By: BEN RICHARDSON


    Blonde RedheadBlonde Redhead:  23 | 4AD
    There’s a supernatural spell of sorts woven through the songs on the new Blonde Redhead album.
    By: KATHRYN PERRY


    DJ Kicks: Hot ChipDJ Kicks: Hot Chip:  K7
    For years, the DJ Kicks series on the K7 label represented genre defining at its finest.
    By: DAVID DAY


    Grant- Lee PhillipsGrant- Lee Phillips:  Strangelet | Zoë
    The former frontman of mid-’90s psych-folkies Grant Lee Buffalo sings about the fountain of youth running dry.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Abram WilsonAbram Wilson:  Ride! Ferris Wheel to the Modern Day Delta | Dune
    Young New Orleans trumpeter Abram Wilson sorts out his mixed feelings about his heritage in this suite of original pieces for Delta blues trio.
    By: JON GARELICK


    TinariwenTinariwen:  Aman Iman | Word Village
    With their third CD, Tinariwen prove themselves the standard bearers of desert folk rock.
    By: TINARIWEN, AMAN IMAN


    Ed Rec Vol. 2Ed Rec Vol. 2:  Ed Rec Vol. 2 | Ed Banger Records
    Mainstream French house might give you sugar-coated lollipops next Halloween, but Ed Banger is all apples and razor blades.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Chris Whitley and Jeff LangChris Whitley and Jeff Lang:  Dislocation Blues | Rounder
    Chris Whitley, so pale and thin it seemed he was compelled to lean under the weight of his resonator guitars, was a spectral figure in life.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Black Rebel Motorcycle ClubBlack Rebel Motorcycle Club:  Baby 81 | RCA
    The songwriting isn’t BRMC’s most memorable, but Baby 81’s noise-roots fumes are pretty thick.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Bang GangBang Gang:  Something Wrong | From Nowhere
    The only thing wrong with Something Wrong is the band name: Bang Gang.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    Ghostland ObservatoryGhostland Observatory:  Paparazzi Lightning | Trashy Moped
    In their native Austin, the blogger-approved outfit Ghostland Observatory play to sold-out crowds of sweaty hipsters and electro enthusiasts.
    By: CHRIS BROOK


    David T. ChastainDavid T. Chastain:  Countdown to Infinity | Leviathan
    If liner notes like “a cool little Dorian intro starts this baby off” grab your attention, then David T. Chastain is your man.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    GusterGuster:  Satellite EP | Reprise
    Guster keep the good times rolling with an eight-song EP.
    By: JONATHAN STERN


    The FramesThe Frames:  The Cost | Anti-
    The Frames play tense, elegiac folk-punk ballads that always sound as if they were reaching toward the epic.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    LuraLura:  M'Bem Di Fora | Times Square
    This young Cape Verdean diva explores animated genres from her remote, African archipelago home.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    Julie DoironJulie Doiron:  Woke Myself Up | Secretly Canadian
    Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron embarks on a bracing departure from her usual tender, acoustic confessionals with spare accompaniment and an understated æsthetic.
    By: CHRIS PARKER


    Slim Thug Presents Boss Hogg OutlawzSlim Thug Presents Boss Hogg Outlawz:  Serve and Collect | Koch
    Crew records are notoriously awful endeavors.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Jorma KaukonenJorma Kaukonen:  Stars in My Crown | Red House
    When Hot Tuna played the Somerville Theatre last fall, the set had as much laid-back country as it did blazing guitar jams.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Watermelon Slim and the WorkersWatermelon Slim and the Workers:  Wheel Man | Northernblues
    The results of this year’s annual blues awards, the Handys, won’t be in until May, but expect this ex-Bostonian (né Bill Homans) to walk away with an armful.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    John AbercrombieJohn Abercrombie:  The Third Quartet | ECM
    Twenty years ago, you might have associated guitarist John Abercrombie with the fancy firebreathing of jazz-rock fusion.
    By: JON GARELICK


    The RosebudsThe Rosebuds:  Night of the Furies | Merge
    The title of the Rosebuds’ third full-length refers to Roman mythology, and the accompanying booklet sports Colonial American artwork.
    By: MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG


    Son VoltSon Volt:  The Search | Transmit Sound/Legacy
    The usual rap against Son Volt is that the group adhere too tightly to roots-music orthodoxy — in other words, that they’re dead boring.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Youth GroupYouth Group:  Casino Twilight Dogs | Anti-
    It’s hard to nail down what makes Youth Group more compelling than other OC-approved mood merchants with guitars.
    By: EMILY ZEMLER


    LowLow:  Drums and Guns | Sub Pop
    On 2005’s The Great Destroyer, Minnesota’s Low made a dramatic break from the slowcore sound the trio had helped pioneer in the mid ’90s.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Salif KeitaSalif Keita:  M'Bemba | Decca
    Mali’s most celebrated singer, Salif Keita, has long been a musical shape shifter.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    Kaiser ChiefsKaiser Chiefs:  Yours Truly, Angry Mob | Universal
    If familiarity really did breed contempt, well, Kaiser Chiefs wouldn’t stand much chance of winning any new friends.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    Koko TaylorKoko Taylor:  Old School | Alligator
    The title here is befits the kind of shouting, romping music this grand madam of the blues began performing roughly a half-century ago.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Devin the DudeDevin the Dude:  Waiting To Inhale | Rap-A-Lot
    Why Devin the Dude hasn’t become the biggest rapper in hip-hop is one of life’s great mysteries.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Cibo MattoCibo Matto:  Pom Pom: The Essential Cibo Matto | Warner Bros./Rhino
    You really can fit all of the hipster downtown NYC-by-way-of-Japan duo’s essential tracks on one disc without leaving anything out.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    Robert GlasperRobert Glasper:  In My Element | Blue Note
    In a lot of ways, 28-year-old pianist Glasper’s band is right in the pocket of the modern piano-trio tradition.
    By: JON GARELICK


    DubfireDubfire:  Taipei | Global Underground
    Those who saw Dubfire in Boston last September will be surprised by the sound of these two sets.
    By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG


    Stars of Track and FieldStars of Track and Field:  Centuries Before Love and War | Wind-Up
    Stars of Track and Field make a sound much bigger than Belle and Sebastian's tidy twee-pop shuffle.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Adult.Adult.:  Why Bother? | Thrill Jockey
    Detroit electro-provocateurs Adult. continue to run away from the catchier, clubbier colors of their early work toward, as they put it, “uneasy listening.”
    By: MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG


    Shout Out Out OutShout Out Out Out:  Not Just Saying Just Saying | Nrmls Wlcm
    When word comes down that there’s a live electro-house band making the scene, techno purists like me groan.
    By: DAVID DAY


    The Mahavishnu ProjectThe Mahavishnu Project:  Return to the Emerald Beyond | Cuneiform
    John McLaughlin’s groundbreaking Mahavishnu Orchestra never played the material from their most symphonic album, 1975’s Visions of the Emerald Beyond, live.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Vusi MahlaselaVusi Mahlasela:  Guiding Star | ATO
    Mahlasela is among Africa’s best singer-songwriters, and here he delivers 16 largely acoustic-based tunes that span kwela, reggae, swing jazz, mbaqanga, and rock.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    Black MilkBlack Milk:  Popular Demand | Fatbeats
    After a 2006 that saw the loss of two local legends, D12’s Proof and J. Dilla, Detroit appears set for a banner year, with Black Milk leading the charge.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Graham ParkerGraham Parker:  Don't Tell Columbus | Bloodshot
    Graham Parker has averaged almost an album a year since his debut in 1976, and Don’t Tell Columbus isn’t appreciably different from any of them.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    The PonysThe Ponys:  Turn the Lights Out | Matador
    This Chicago-based foursome bring garage rock to life much the way the White Stripes did on their early albums.
    By: CAITLIN E. CURRAN


    Field MusicField Music:  Tones of Town | Memphis Industries
    Field Music frontman Peter Brewis loves a good pop song as much as the next chap.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Explosions in the SkyExplosions in the Sky:  All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone | Temporary Residence
    Explosions in the Sky are certainly symphonic, and devoted to bigness in the absence of a vocalist.
    By: RICHARD BECK


    TishamingoTishamingo:  The Point | Magnatude
    There’s a new breed of smart, song-oriented Southern rockers, and Tishamingo, along with Mofro, are at the head of the pack.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Charlotte HatherleyCharlotte Hatherley:  The Deep Blue | Little Sister UK
    Every once in a while an album comes along that makes you wonder whether melody really is the only thing that matters.
    By: LEON NEYFAKH


    Caetano VelosoCaetano Veloso:  CÊ | Nonesuch
    Caetano Veloso is Brazil’s Bob Dylan, Burt Bacharach, and Paul Simon all rolled into one.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    The Autumn DefenseThe Autumn Defense:  The Autumn Defense | Broadmoor
    An amiable soft-rock duo comprising two members of Wilco, the Autumn Defense provide a refuge for alt-country traditionalists vexed by Wilco’s increasing artiness.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Maria TaylorMaria Taylor:  Lynn Teeter Flower | Saddle Creek
    Singing in harmony with Orenda Fink in the indie-folk duo Azure Ray, Maria Taylor sounded so at home that it seemed a waste when the two pursued solo careers.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    Ennio MorriconeEnnio Morricone:  Morricone in the Brain: Blowing Your Mind | Bella Casa
    Ennio Morricone finally received an Oscar this year.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Dr. DogDr. Dog:  We All Belong | Park the Van
    It comes as a warning of sorts: when Dr. Dog miss their mark, they miss it by a mile.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    Mary Chapin CarpenterMary Chapin Carpenter:  The Calling | Zoë/Rounder
    She’s still seeking a truce between the inner and outer forces that pull and tug.
    By: JEFF TAMARKIN


    The RochesThe Roches:  Moonswept | Savoy Jazz
    This is the saddest and loveliest of all the Roches’ albums.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Andy Palacio and the Garifuna CollectiveAndy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective:  Wátina | Cumbancha
    The Garifuna people descend from shipwrecked Africans and Arawak and Carib Indians.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    Dennis FerrerDennis Ferrer:  The World as I See It | MVD
    Dennis Ferrer now has a full-length CD out after a decade and a half of single-track releases, many of them hits.
    By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG


    Akira the DonAkira the Don:  When We Were Young | Sic
    This debut full-length from the only known Dalí-moustache-sporting Welsh MC is predictably volatile and refreshingly honest.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Jeff MurphyJeff Murphy:  Cantilever | Black Vinyl
    From Zion, Illinois, the Shoes were an odd combination of romantics and gearheads, combining classic-model pop songwriting with pristine sonics.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Dean and BrittaDean and Britta:  Back Numbers | Zoë/Rounder
    Just as Luna’s final album, Rendezvous (Jetset), was a portrait of a band facing an uncertain demise, Back Numbers is an album about moving on.
    By: CAITLIN E. CURRAN


    The Broken WestThe Broken West:  I Can't Go On, I'll Go On | Merge
    Flournoy doesn’t seem concerned with demonstrating his originality.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Mike Dillon's Go-Go JungleMike Dillon's Go-Go Jungle:  Battery Milk | Hyena
    The opening “Go-Go’s Theme,” with its heavy backbeat and bar-band tenor-sax theme, screams: “We’re jazz, but not boring!”
    By: JON GARELICK


    K-OSK-OS:  Atlantis: Hymns for Disco | Virgin
    In American hip-hop, nice guys don’t just finish last — they’re lucky to leave the starting gate.
    By: FRANKLIN SOULTS


    Jesse Sykes and the Sweet HereafterJesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter:  Like, Live, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul | Barsuk
    Jesse Sykes and her band conjure images of closing time at a dark tavern on a dusty street in a sleepy town.
    By: CAITLIN E. CURRAN


    PostmarksPostmarks:  Postmarks | Unfiltered
    Like the lovelorn image of a sad-eyed woman looking off into the distance, Postmarks’ preferred mood is melancholy and their touchstones are French pop of the ’60s, or rather an idealized notion of retro Continental cool.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Elvis PerkinsElvis Perkins:  Ash Wednesday | XL
    “I heard a sound when I was a child,” Elvis Perkins sings in “It’s Only Me,” a typically introspective folk-pop number from this debut album.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Clap Your Hands Say YeahClap Your Hands Say Yeah:  Some Loud Thunder | Self-released
    Too bad this Brooklyn-Philly-Boston indie act got tapped as early as they did for the Internet big leagues.
    By: NICK SYLVESTER


    Nick WarrenNick Warren:  Paris | Global Underground
    As a jet-setting resident DJ simultaneously in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, and Athens, and with a recording career already in place, Nick Warren has proved himself worthy of this two-disc DJ mix.
    By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG


    The RZA Presents: Afro Amurai —The SoundtrackThe RZA Presents: Afro Amurai —The Soundtrack:  The RZA Presents: Afro Samurai — The Soundtrack | Koch
    Even as the Wu-Tang continue to flirt with the idea of reuniting, the RZA has already started a new life as a film composer.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    ClinicClinic:  Visitations | Domino
    Great rock and roll arrives in the oddest of ways.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMAN


    Vieux Farka TouréVieux Farka Touré:  Vieux Farka Touré | World Village
    Sons of musical icons, especially late ones, have both bloodlines and a lot to live up to.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    The Apples in StereoThe Apples in Stereo:  New Magnetic Wonder | Simian/Yep Roc
    Interviewing Robert Schneider is one of the toughest gigs in music journalism, and not because the guy’s anything but a perfect gentleman.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Ruthie FosterRuthie Foster:  The Phenomenal | Blue Corn
    Usually when an artist does a makeover on his or her music, the results are disastrous, but this 42-year-old Texas singer-songwriter is an exception.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Sean PriceSean Price:  Jesus Price Supastar | Duckdown
    Like MF Doom before him, Sean Price has switched personae, reconfigured his style, and given his underground hip-hop career a second life in recent years.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    MidlakeMidlake:  The Trials of Van Occupanther | Bella Union
    This foursome from Denton, Texas, met while studying jazz at the University of North Texas, but they went off in a totally different direction as Midlake.
    By: CAITLIN CURRAN


    LifetimeLifetime:  Lifetime | Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen
    After eight years of inactivity, this scrappy New Jersey band reunited in 2005, to the delight of the countless emo kids who’ve singled out Lifetime as a primary influence.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Norah JonesNorah Jones:  Not Too Late | Blue Note
    No, Norah Jones hasn’t turned into Lucinda Williams.
    By: JON GARELICK


    A Date With John WatersA Date With John Waters:  A Date with John Waters | New Line
    Valentine’s Day, with its heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and colorful candy kisses, is right up filmmaker John Waters’s kitschy alley, not to mention a perfect candidate for the auteur’s obsession with incredibly strange music.
    By: MATT ASHARE


    Glenn JonesGlenn Jones:  Against Which the Sea Continually Beats | Strange Attractors
    One of my favorite shows of 2006 was Glenn Jones on solo guitar at the Lizard Lounge.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    IlkaeIlkae:  Bring Extra Dragons | Merck
    If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to star in your own personal Mega Man video game for the original ’80s Nintendo system, Ilkae are here for you.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    VietnamVietnam:  Vietnam | Kemado
    “We just wanted a name that had power,” says co-founder Michael Gerner in Rolling Stone.
    By: FRANKLIN SOULTS


    DeerhunterDeerhunter:  Cryptograms | Kranky
    From their MySpace quote (“the sadness of laughter”) to this album’s glorious failure to wed atrophied guitar drones with screw-it-all garage-rock propulsion, the Atlanta psych-rock act Deerhunter seem obsessed with paradox.
    By: NICK SYLVESTER


    John MellencampJohn Mellencamp:  Freedom's Road | Universal
    John Mellencamp spent his last two studio albums in experimental mode, inviting Chuck D and India.Arie aboard 2001’s Cuttin’ Heads and digging into unvarnished country blues on ’03’s Trouble No More.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Matt Wilson's Arts and CraftsMatt Wilson's Arts and Crafts:  The Scenic Route | Palmetto
    Drummer Wilson could borrow a title from his old boss Russ Gershon’s Either/Orchestra: neo-modernism.
    By: JON GARELICK


    Jason MoranJason Moran:  Artist in Residence | Blue Note
    "How can an abstract jazz artist say clearly how they feel and make an audience understand?” That’s the question Moran asks in the liner notes to Artist in Residence.
    By: JOHN GARELICK


    Bob SegerBob Seger:  Face the Promise | Capitol
    “I will answer the wind,” Bob Seger sings in “Wait for Me,” a cut from his first new studio album in more than a decade.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    The Heartless BastardsThe Heartless Bastards:  All This Time | Fat Possum
    The Heartless Bastards are a Dayton trio fronted by Erika Wennerstrom, an extremely shy woman with the voice of a blues crooner.
    By: DAVID BOFFA


    Blaine LarsonBlaine Larson:  Rockin' You Tonight | BMG 
    By the ripe old age of 20, Blaine Larsen had graduated from his Tacoma (Washington) high school and released two full-length country albums.
    By: WERNER TRIESCHMANN


    James HoldenJames Holden:  The Idiots Are Winning | Border Community
    In the compartmentalized dance community, James Holden’s debut full-length is a surprising departure from the progressive house that’s given him a following.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Ghostface KillahGhostface Killah:  More Fish | Def Jam
    For the second time in 2006, Wu-Tang’s Ghostface has released an album that makes it seem everyone else in the hip-hop world should be paying more attention to Ghostface.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Bow WowBow Wow:  The Price of Fame | Columbia
    From its Illmatic-quoting cover to its boasts of “money stacks taller than the Empire State,” 2005’s Wanted was Bow Wow’s coming-of-age album, an opportunity for a youngster known to most listeners as a kiddie-pop novelty to prove himself a rapper worth considering alongside grown-up MCs.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    The John Doe ThingThe John Doe Thing:  For the Best of Us | Yep Roc
    In the wake of X’s first break-up, John Doe distanced himself from whatever punk he had left in him and pursued a rootsier, more singer-songwriterly muse.
    The John Doe Thing, "Hwy 5" (mp3)

    By: MATT ASHARE


    TartitTartit:  Abocabok | Crammed Discs
    Tartit are one of the best-known Tuareg roots groups in the world.
    By: BANNING EYRE


    Young JeezyYoung Jeezy:  The Inspiration | Def Jam
    In anything resembling a normal world, Young Jeezy would be absurd, a caricature of a stereotype turned into a cartoon.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Johnny CashJohnny Cash:   At San Quentin — Legacy Edition | Columbia/Legacy
    Johnny Cash at San Quentin was a huge hit in 1969.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Candy ButchersCandy Butchers:  Making Up Time | Good Morning Monkey
    After treading the waters of Boston in the mid ’90s, the Candy Butchers — singer/guitarist Mike Viola and drummer Todd Foulsham — set off for New York City armed with an acoustic guitar, a snare drum, and inventive, well-crafted pop songs.
    By: SUE BELL


    The OC Mix 6: Covering Our TracksThe OC Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks:  Warner Bros.
    Since part of the well-oiled genius of The OC is its blatant appropriation of familiar teen-soap source material, it makes sense that the hit Fox series’s latest mix CD collects covers of tunes most of the show’s viewers likely already know.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    The ReplacementsThe Replacements:  Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best of the Replacements | Sire/Reprise
    The Replacements have always been blessed with impeccably bad timing.
    The Replacements, "I Will Dare" (mp3)
    The Replacements, "Unsatisfied" (mp3)

    By: MATT ASHARE


    Darling DownsDarling Downs:  How Can I Forget This Heart of Mine? | Carrot Top
    Australia has always had a way of taking American genres and making them their own in a down-to-earth way, from the breeziness of singer-songwriter Paul Kelly to the power pop of the Hoodoo Gurus and You Am I to the garage rumblings of Lime Spiders and Jet.
    By: ANDREW MARCUS


    8Ball8Ball:  Light Up The Bomb | 8-Ways
    As a posse showcase masquerading as an 8Ball solo album, Light Up the Bomb has some pleasant surprises.
    By: ANDREW GRAHAM


    HemHem:  Funnel Clouds | Wavland
    You’d be hard pressed to find anything written about Brooklyn’s Hem without the mention of at least one of three things.
    By: SHARON STEEL


    Neil Young and Crazy HorseNeil Young and Crazy Horse:  Live at the Fillmore East 1970 | Reprise
    Neil Young was starting his transition from pop melodist to free-ranging noisemaker when he played these songs at New York City’s most famous rock hall on a bill with the Steve Miller Band and Miles Davis.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Libby JohnsonLibby Johnson:  Annabella | Wrong
    Earlier this year, this New York–based folkie had a handful of her songs featured in the Julianne Moore flick Trust the Man.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Snoop DoggSnoop Dogg:  Tha Blue Carpet Treatment | Geffen
    That Snoop has made his best album since 1993’s Doggystyle is a painful reminder that the hip-hop ambassador has spent the majority of his career coasting.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    The AtlanticsThe Atlantics:  Atlantics | Something Hot
    The song title “Pop Shivers” tells you everything you need to know about the Atlantics: unlike many of the harder-edged, early-’80s Boston bands, these guys lived for the thrill of the hook.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Reyes BrothersReyes Brothers:  Ghetto Therapy | Lightyears
    Mellow Man Ace, who had the first hit Latin hip-hop single in 1989 (“Mentirosa”), and Sen Dog, of the seminal group Cypress Hill, are actual brothers.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Bound StemsBound Stems:  Appreciation Night | Flameshovel
    This young Chicago act maintain the dedication to instrumental texture foregrounded by Windy City post-rock acts like Tortoise and the Sea and Cake.
    Bound Stems, "Excellent News, Colonel" (mp3)

    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Brand NewBrand New:  The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me | Interscope
    There’s no shortage of haterade for emo these days.
    By: SHARON STEEL


    Cowboy JunkiesCowboy Junkies:  Long Journey Home: Live in Liverpool | Zoë
    Regardless of whether you think of this Canadian outfit as pretentious somnambulists or artful rock poets, they’ve carved out a grass-roots career since bursting onto alt-rock radio with a barbiturate cover of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane” in 1988.
    Cowboy Junkies, "Sweet Jane" (mp3)
    Cowboy Junkies, "Misguided Angel" (mp3)

    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Sleepy BrownSleepy Brown:  Mr. Brown | Virgin
    One third of the legendary Organized Noise production team, and best known for guesting on the upbeat, brilliant-if-overplayed “The Way You Move” from Big Boi, Sleepy Brown is no Pharrell muscling in on the real talents at the mic.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    Brian SetzerBrian Setzer:  13 | Surf Dog
    Sure, Surf Dog’s pushing Setzer’s 2005 holiday blaster, Dig That Crazy Christmas, again this year, but the real action has more to do with Old Nick than St. Nick.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Willie NelsonWillie Nelson:  Songbird | Lost Highway
    At a secure 73, Willie Nelson’s not about to change to please a hot young alt-country buck, his taut touring band, or the sizeable audience of hipsters they might bring along with them.
    By: FRANKLIN SOULTS


    Emily Haines and the Soft SkeletonEmily Haines and the Soft Skeleton:  Knives Don’t Have Your Back | Last Gang
    This solo debut from Metric frontwoman Emily Haines is a big departure for the Toronto-based art-school graduate.
    Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton, "Doctor Blind" (mp3)

    By: JEFF BREEZE


    +/-+/-:  Let’s Build A Fire | Absolutely Kosher
    James Baluyut honed his indie-rock chops playing guitar in his older brother Richard’s mid-’90s band Versus, an underrated outfit whose lean, sexy jangle would’ve been well served by the blogosphere’s sponsorship.
    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    The RadiatorsThe Radiators:  Dreaming Out Loud | Sci Fidelity
    Like the other great album to come out of post-Katrina New Orleans, Allen Toussaint & Elvis Costello’s The River in Reverse, the Radiators’ latest consists mainly of songs written before the deluge.
    By: BRETT MILANO


    Martin SolveigMartin Solveig:  Defected In The House | Defected UK
    This two-disc set is the third release for Solveig — one of Paris house music’s most important DJs — and the second in just the past year.
    By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG


    Keith UrbanKeith Urban:  Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing | Capitol
    Australia-born Keith Urban is modern country music’s only real rock star.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    SnowdenSnowden:  Anti-Anti | Jade Tree
    “We are anti-movements,” Jordan Jeffares declares on the title track of Snowden’s debut.
    By: SHARON STEEL


    Veruca SaltVeruca Salt:  IV | Sympathy for the Record Industry
    If the alt-rock/grunge revival has to begin — and it does, sooner or later — both simple justice and looping irony would be served if it began here.
    By: FRANKLIN SOULTS


    SaosinSaosin:  Capitol
    Love second-wave emo but can’t make it to New York this weekend for either of Texas Is the Reason’s sold-out reunion shows at Irving Plaza?
     Saosin, "Seven Years" (mp3)

    By: MIKAEL WOOD


    Devon Allman’s HoneytribeDevon Allman’s Honeytribe:  Torch | Livewire
    Yeah, 31-year-old Devon Allman’s banking on the family name.
    By: TED DROZDOWSKI


    Francisco MelaFrancisco Mela:  Melao | Ayva
    The first tune,“John Ramsay” (named for theBoston drummer), begins with the maze of Lionel Loueke’s acoustic-guitar patterns.
    By: JON GARELICK


    Lyrics BornLyrics Born:  Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live! | Quannum Projects
    After just one solo record and a B-sides release, it might seem odd that Lyrics Born would bank on that rarest of breeds, the live hip-hop album.
    By: MATTHEW GASTEIER


    The OohlasThe Oohlas:  Best Stop Pop | Stolen Transmission
    The Oohlas are a blogger’s band, and not just in the traditional sense.
    By: SHARON STEEL


* *
BLOGS
  OTD Alive: Queens of the Stone Age (video, mp3s)
posted at 8:32 PM / 10.21.2007
  Mp3 of the Week: Esoteric
posted at 9:58 AM / 10.19.2007
  A day of Spooning
posted at 6:34 PM / 10.18.2007
  Playlist: Oliver Mak
posted at 1:17 PM / 10.16.2007
  Last Night: the Hives at the Middle East
posted at 6:17 PM / 10.15.2007
  Are you a hipster?
posted at 1:55 PM / 10.15.2007


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