Gold Shadow – Asif Avidan – A superstar in Israel, this should break him Stateside. It is not the songs, though they certainly aren’t bad, and it isn’t the playing which are a little too orchestrated, it is the voice: a great instrumental, deep yet nasal at the same time – B
Afraid Of Ghost – Butch Walker – If you are getting tired of Ryan Adams (you are, right? that Johnny Depp must have done it for you), how do you feel about a wannabe who opened his opening slot for Adams last year with six acoustic songs while he had a full band waiting backstage? The audience talked right through it because his songs were only occasional good enough to warrant the attention he requested and none of them are here. Adams produced – C-
Further Deeper – The Church – Aussie alt rockers from the 80s are more symphonic and arranged but still nasty stuff – C-
Shadows In The Night – Bob Dylan – The claim can be countrypolitan in reverse only it isn’t really country, it is closer to the sort of reverence for great songs Dylan showed on Good As I’ve Been To You, then folk, now the Great American Songbook –with more than its fair share of obscurities, rearranged for Dylan’s band and Dylan’s voice. Why? Because he wanted to sing them – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A
Reflection – Fifth Harmony – If you think Katy Perry is a studio creation, what do you make of these miscreant X Factor (US) winners? Pop pab dance tracks that even Meghan Trainor can’t save – D+
Brazilian Nights – Kenny G – We don’t dislike this guy because we can, we dislike his wallpaper but dulcet tones because he covers “Girl From Ipanema” on his Brazilian album. Yes, that obvious. – D+
Full Speed – Kid Ink – When did R. Kelly, Usher and Chris Brown become the second team? This is Hip Hop dull as a ditch filled with dullness, except for the very last song, where Young Thug saves him – C
Rich Coast – Kids – We’ve heard this sort of alt indie folk stuff a lot since Bon Iver first hit the airways, but when I tell you this is pretty special, I think I am understating the band by pigeonholing em. One terrific song follows another and lives up to this quote on their website: “All children are artists, the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up,’ we implore our listeners to be adolescent and adventurous in their everyday lives,” A wondrous and beautiful thing, and that’s just on the first listen – A-
Big Dark Love – Murder By Death – Indie rock and I didn’t realize people made albums like this plodding serious but not terrible stuff – B-
