New Music

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This article was published 13/03/2014 (4403 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

St. Vincent

St. Vincent (4AD)

It’s easy to join the chorus of praise for St. Vincent’s self-titled new album. Annie Clark’s fourth full-length is the ultimate realization of her talents. It’s melodic and accessible and jagged and edgy all at once, an album that demands you embrace it — yet which may just hold a knife to your back.

What’s most impressive here is the way Clark and longtime producer John Congleton have made St. Vincent’s 11 songs seem distinct, yet also seamless parts of a whole that’s not genre-driven.

The PJ Harvey-meets-Gang of Four fuzz guitar that is the anchor of Clark’s sound is here in the earthy Rattlesnake, Regret or Birth in Reverse. The detached, synth-swelled pop of Prince Johnny and I Prefer Your Love prove she can do balladry (albeit purely on her terms), while the trip-hop-meets-indie-pop vibes of Huey Newton or Psychopath are awkwardly, happily danceable. Add clever, heartfelt lyrics throughout and there’s almost too much to love. 4 stars

Download This: Rattlesnake, Digital Witness, Psychopath

— John Kendle

 

R&B

ALOE BLACC

Lift Your Spirit (Interscope/Universal)

Aloe Blacc is no overnight sensation. The co-writer and voice behind Avicii’s Wake Me Up, now the most-played song in Spotify history with more than 200 million streams since its release last year, is a 35-year-old former business consultant from California with two other albums to his name.

So why is his new album so stunningly uneven?

Obviously, Blacc can write a hit, following Wake Me Up’s success with his own smash, The Man, which twists a bit of Elton John’s Your Song into something soulful and grand. He is clever enough to craft a sleek slice of ’60s soul in the lush throwback Red Velvet Seat, which positions him as a possible heir to Bruno Mars’ throne.

Unfortunately, Lift Your Spirit also features clunkers so bad they’re actually shocking. Here Today is so lazy, it’s hard to believe he ever played it in public, much less included it on an album, with its chorus of “We’re here today (hey!) gone tomorrow! Lead the way, never follow!” sung blandly over a vague pop backdrop. Chasing squanders an interesting mix of glitchy dance beats and ’50s bubble gum pop on a chorus of “Girls, girls, girls chasing the boys, boys, boys chasing the money… Don’t chase the money.”

Blacc has plenty of potential, but he maddeningly wastes a lot of it on Lift Your Spirit. 2 1/2 stars

Download this: The Man, Red Velvet Seat

— Glenn Gamboa, Newsday

 

COUNTRY

Tebey

Two (Road Angel/Warner)

The rather obviously named Two is Tebey’s is second full-length in two years. The 30-year-old singer, songwriter and producer released his first single in 2003, followed by what seemed like a lengthy period of inactivity; however, he was anything but lazy during that time, writing hits including Pixie Lott’s U.K. No. 1 All About Tonight. He also wrote and produced a track for popular British/Irish boy band One Direction.

Tebey has already released three singles from Two with two of them placing in the top 10 in Canada. One of them is an inspired cover of Avicii’s huge dance hit, Wake Me Up. Unlike the original, Tebey’s version (featuring Emerson Drive, whose Danick Dupelle co-produced) doesn’t waste any time getting down to business, sending country-pop fans two-stepping across the dance floor. In fact, it’s one of those rare situations where a cover is better than the original.

Overall Tebey’s latest is mainly an up-tempo affair, stocked with enough hooks to open up a tackle shop. The only thing missing is some lyrical bait of stronger substance. 3 stars

DOWNLOAD THIS: Wake Me Up

— Bruce Leperre

 

POP/ROCK

Kongos

Lunatic (Epic/Tokoloshe)

South African singer/songwriter John Kongos had a couple of minor U.K. chart hits (He’s Gonna Step On You Again, Tokoloshe Man) in 1971 and has pretty much kept a low profile in the music business ever since. The band Kongos is composed of his four sons and Lunatic is their delightful sophomore album.

Lunatic is a first-rate example of the apples not falling far from the proverbial paternal creative tree. Together Johnny, Jesse, Dylan and Danny Kongos have crafted a moving album that can be described as thinking person’s pop music with a touch of Third World awareness.

The hammering drums on album opener I’m Only Joking ties into their African heritage, but only to the point of bringing an extra roar to a hot arrangement. Take Me Back, with its hopeful chorus and accordion solo sounds like a lost Paul McCartney/Wings track, in a very good way. Of the more sedate songs, the band tilts ever so slightly to the generic (Coldplay, U2) yet even then manage to bust out of convention more than enough to keep your interest. 3 1/2 stars

Check out: Sex On the Radio

— Jeff Monk

 

JAZZ

JEFF BALLARD TRIO

Time’s Tales (OKeh)

Drummer Jeff Ballard’s debut recording as a leader, with guitarist Lionel Loueke and alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon, is a gem.

Ballard, best known for his work in the Brad Mehldau Trio and collective Fly (with bassist Larry Grenadier and saxophonist Mark Turner), draws music from various sources — George Gershwin, Béla Bartòk, Queens of the Stone Age, and the trio members — for the 10 tunes here.

Ballard’s polyrhythms drive the opener, Loueke’s Virgin Forest, while he makes effective use of brushes on Gershwin’s The Man I Love.

Hangin’ Tree stands out from the other tunes with Loueke’s metal-guitar riffs, Zenon’s intense saxophone and Ballard’s hammering beat.

As good as Ballard is with Mehldau, Fly or any of his sideman work, he shines here, showing what he’s capable of when he’s making the decisions. HHHH1/2

DOWNLOAD THIS: Virgin Forest

— Chris Smith

 

This week’s singles

Pharrell Williams feat. Justin Timberlake

Brand New (Columbia/Sony)

A definite standout from his new album GIRL, this punchy, feel-good dance track sees Pharrell and JT aiming to out-Jackson the Jackson 5 with plenty of high-flying horns and falsettos galore. If this new-millennial Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough can’t put a smile on your face, you may want to check your pulse. 4 stars

 

Pitbull feat. G.R.L.

Wild Wild Love (RCA/Sony)

G.R.L. is being billed as the new Pussycat Dolls. And Pitbull is, well, Pitbull. Mercifully, this Dr. Luke-produced followup to Timber isn’t nearly as gratingly awful, but it’s not anything amazing either. It’s just one of those filler songs — when you hear it on the radio, you probably don’t turn it off, but you also probably don’t turn it up. 2 1/2 stars

 

Ellie Goulding

Beating Heart (Interscope)

Taken from the Divergent soundtrack, this song is certainly not anywhere close to the pop perfection of Burn or Lights, but it shares a lot of similarities with those tracks, including a gleaming chorus and an abundance of icy synths. 3 stars

— Steve Adams