Mother – Natalie Maines – As a complete non-believer in the Dixie Chicks, this solo album by their lead singer is a vocal tour to force from a whisper to a screami though settled in mid-tempo. Hitting its stride by the very first song, the Eddie Vedder cover “Without You” and reaching its apotheosis on Jeff Buckley’s “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over”, the latter the cover song of the year. And if the rest of this fine alt rock album is as good, all of it is pretty damn good – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A
MCII -Mikal Cronin – Perfectly acceptable rock songs with a strong back bear and so much melody you sing it while you’re listening to it the first time from the West Coast Ty Segal bassist. A little anonymous – B+
Silence Yourself – Savages – When you are in your teens you think you’ve invented death, when you’re in your 20s you think you’ve invented death. “You will die, you will die soon” sings Jehnny Beth on the albums last song and while this post-Joy Division slog through the heart of darnkess (or at least the darkness visible) has moments of dark grandeur on songs like “Husband”, it doesn’t have enough to sustain the comparison – B
Heart Of Nowhere – Noah And The Whale – In 2009, Charlie Fink wrote his alt-folk masterpiece The First Day Of Spring an entire album about breaking up with Laura Marling. Since than his music has become more alt-rock but just as pop persuasive. Unfortunately, he also recovered from Laura and is somewhat less believable – B+
For Dust – Alice Russell – I never said I didn’t like Adele’s voice, I said I didn’t like her singing. But as Alyson Camus noted her Alice Russell live review, this should answer all our problems with English r&B singers. Alice doesn’t have Adele’s pipes but she is a better singer and these jazz flicked r&b songs are very fine singing with Gospel indentures. The songs are less than wonderful – B+
Monomanioa – Deerhunter – Bradford Cox is back and this feedback, alt-rock, arty tarty album is just wonderful. An acquired taste to be sure but it repays attention with the snotty face of timeless rock attitude – B+
Prisoner Of Conscious – Talib Kweli – Agit prop with some high profile guest stars by thue former Mos Def collaborator and the rapping and rhyming is good enough but it lacks a stand out track – B
Trouble – Randy Rogers Band – Better at ballads than honky tonkers, but pretty good at both. Fans of the genre should enjoy it – B
More Than Just A Dream – Fitz And The Tantrums – Hard work has paid off for these retro soul popsters. But it has also blunted their edge. Betcha it is better on stage – B
Nocturnes – Little Boots – Old time move music with beats to spare and a nondescript singer. And weak material. In other words: disco – B
Volume 3 – She And Him – Soft rock MOR, this “Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me” dates from 1952 not 1995, which was old by Volume Two – C
Golden – Lady Antebellum – After a bad sophomore slump, they rebounded with a good 3rd album, a useless Christmas album, and this: a fine collection of twangy pop songs – B+
Annie Up – Pistol Annies – May I be the voice of dissent? One too many blues romps – C+