Paramore – Paramore – The shake up did the band a world of good, gave Hayley a sense of mortality, mostly romantic mortality but still, tightened up their song craft, weeded out the lesser songs, cleared the mind, She still thinks too much with her hose and plimsoles, and at the bands worse they come across like a poor man's No Doubt, but at their best, maybe half he tracks here, they are a full power rock pop band with an ear for a hook. ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A-
Walkin On A Pretty Daze – Kurt Vile – Modern day Neil Young circa Harvest if not circa Tonight's The Night, with a worse band but maybe a better guitarist. Vile is like a druggy who has just begun dabbling in smack, hr has a laid back drifitness to his sound. But consider this, how many junkies would there be if smack didn't feel good? .However, he doesn't have a strong sense of melody and that is his biggest problem, there is something ethereal about his songs. They don't stick. So the playing has to be awesome for the album to work. And, amazingly enough, the playing is awesome enough for the songs to work – A-
# 1 – Julio Iglesias – Middle of the road crossover Latin lover has 37 hits, with Sting, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder and, yes, you knew this, didn't you?, Willie Nelson, to all the fans he loved before, Julio brought Latin pop to the US – C+
Duets – Paul Anka – Anka has always had his schlocky moments, but there is too much schlocky material to ignore here. And the good songs, "My Way", "Crazy", a coupla others are overwrought. Tom Jones saves Paul on "She's A Woman" but there is nothing else here worth listening to.. A dog with fleas – D
Shaking The Habitual – The Knife – Swedish ambient electronic duo plkaying around with sound. But can you dance to it? No, not really – C
Stories Don't End – Dawes – OK, So So Cal boys dig Jackson Browne, so now what? Grade: B
Overgrown – James Blake – repays close listening with a fitful sleep – B+
Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg – Compared to Bob Dylan by Rolling Stone, he is Justin Bieber without the fans – C
Caught In The Act: Live – Eric Church – All these country boys the past coupla years? Eric is one of the best. But three albums deep into his career? A little early for a live album and this one has nothing to add to the conversation – C
Outlaw Gentlemen And Shady Ladies – Volbeat – Danish metal band jumps styles with ease and his as comfortable in 1950s rockabilly as 00's modern chart rock. This isn't the best stuff of the bands career, but if it is a little boring, it is about the best trad rock album of the year. Plus they are great live – B