June 29, 2008 by Willis.

“As on 2006’s “Timeless,” the Brazilian bossa nova master teams with Will.i.am on a collection of summery updates of the classics, as well as some new tracks. Updating such well-known songs as Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Waters of March” (talk-sung here by Ledisi) is a great proposition for exposing the music to new audiences. Though it’s hard to imagine the updates will endure as long as the originals, guest artists including Natalie Cole gamely tackle the task. Standouts include Juanes’ bright, infectious chorus on “Y Vamos Ya”; tight bossa jam “Odo-Ya” featuring Carlinhos Brown; and Brasil ‘66 alum Lani Hall’s wistful vocal accompanied by Herb Alpert’s trumpet on “Dreamer.” Eminently synchable, it’s the kind of music you could imagine playing at a store or in a commercial.—Ayala Ben-Yehuda
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June 29, 2008 by Willis.

“While Cassandra Wilson emerged in the early ’90s as the foremost “new standards” pioneer for reimagining contemporary pop music in the jazz vein, her musical pulse was informed by vocal predecessors who swung and scatted within the tradition. After widely divergent collections in recent years, she re-enters the standards zone with “Loverly.” Unlike other vocalists who let the music’s inherent melodic strength carry the show, she transforms the old tunes into her own heartfelt vision, such as when she reinvigorates “Caravan” with a gleefully syncopated groove and gives “Black Orpheus” a luscious new shine. On the latter, guitarist Marvin Sewell contributes an eerily beautiful serpentine guitar glow. Other top-tier support comes from pianist Jason Moran (brilliantly surprising breaks) and master percussionist Lekan Babalola (African rhythm specialties). The sole original and one of the album’s highlights, “Arere,” combusts with rollicking rhythms. —Dan Ouellette”

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June 29, 2008 by Willis.

“Janiva Magness has been feeling the love recently, thanks to back-to-back best contemporary female artist wins from the Blues Music Awards and a deal with Alligator, yielding this debut. Magness possesses a mighty voice, which she cuts loose with memorable effect on the slow blues “One Heartache Too Late.” That voice works just as well in a funk or soul setting and, indeed, the record opens with the rugged funk tune “That’s What Love Will Make You Do.” She knocks down a bit of green-eyed soul on “Fool Me Again” and endows the lowdown blues “I Don’t Want You on My Mind” with a particularly sultry buzz. —Philip Van Vleck”

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June 28, 2008 by Willis.

“The last thing Broadway needs is yet another revival of “Gypsy” or “Grease.” So how refreshing that “In the Heights,” nominated for 13 Tony Awards, has potential to make the Great White Way appealing to someone besides tourists. Unlike last hip staging “Rent,” “Heights” isn’t begging sympathy for slacker kids; instead, it is a vibrant cultural snapshot about a close-knit Latino community at the top of Manhattan. The double-CD soundtrack contains 23 songs written by Puerto Rican show lead Lin-Manuel Miranda, who conceived the story as a one-act in 2000 at Wesleyan University. Supporting cast members are first-rate, and while the soundtrack is more memento than stand-alone collection—with highlights “When the Sun Goes Down” and “96,000″—it’s an exemplary, authentic spectacle of salsa, mambo and rap. A superlative way to live it again. —Chuck Taylor”

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June 26, 2008 by Willis.

“Twenty-seven-year-old Brit James Blackshaw has lately emerged as a major force in the world of instrumental guitar, his epic, austere compositions and unpretentious 12-string technique perching him somewhere between John Fahey and Robbie Basho. But guitar isn’t the first thing you hear on “Litany of Echoes”; rather, it’s the tense piano plunking on opener “Gate of Ivory,” likely presented to assure fans that Blackshaw isn’t content to stay in one musical place. Repetition remains key to the material’s development (three of the six songs approach or exceed 12 minutes), but there are more accessible and melodic transitions here (”Infinite Cycle”) than in the past. There are even passages that resemble “hooks” (at the eight-minute mark of “Shroud,” particularly), and the songs make more logical sense as pieces of music thanks to their presence. Mostly, it’s just downright beautiful stuff. —Jonathan Cohen”

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June 25, 2008 by Willis.

“A blues band featuring a 16-year-old lead guitarist/vocalist, a 13-year-old bassist and a 9-year-old drummer might well strike blues fans as little more than a novelty act. Indeed, Ryan Perry (the 16-year-old, his brother Kyle (bass) and sister Taya (drums) have a novel thing going on, but blues lovers will do well to listen to their debut disc before drawing any conclusions. This Tupelo, Miss., trio knocks down 11 solid tunes, 10 of which were penned by the kids’ father, Renaud Perry. “Right Thang Wrong Woman” is a great, original blues number. Ryan sings the hell out of the song, and he snaps off a couple of pretty crunchy guitar solos as well. “Blues Concerto” showcases Renaud working a fierce harmonica and more strong lead guitar from Ryan. The next generation of blues players sounds like they mean business. —Philip Van Vleck”

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June 23, 2008 by Willis.

“There’s been no shortage of thoughtful musical responses to Hurricane Katrina, but this album-length elegy by one of the city’s foremost voices stands at something like the Mitchell Report of the bunch. “City That Care Forgot” is a righteous service indeed, all rage and soul and careful optimism, a place where the ballads drip and burn as much as the rockers, the barbs come quick and sharp (”Say it’s a job well done, then you giggled like a bitch, and hopped back on the Air Force One”), and the best prognosis that the doctor can muster is, “We’re getting there.” Dr. John has enlisted much help here, including that of Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson and Terence Blanchard, and his own Lower 911 band can churn up bayou funk at the snap of a finger. But though “City” is a vicious rebuke, its greater power comes from its being shot through with a deep love and a deeper sadness. —Jeff Vrabel”

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June 12, 2008 by Willis.

“Danielia Cotton introduces herself and announces her intentions on “Make U Move”: “I’m a little black girl, I’ll rock your world.” She makes good on that boast through each of the 10 tightly crafted, toughly delivered tunes. Though she can lean back and roar with gospel fervor (”Testify”), the guitar-driven record draws inspiration from the late ’60s/early ’70s possibilities created by Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone and Delaney & Bonnie. “Righteous People,” with its Eastern modulations (all that’s missing is a sitar break) is a time machine back to the Fillmore East. Midtempo dedication to the road “Let It Ride” and anthem “Bang My Drum” sound like staples of what used to be called AOR radio. Don’t miss the provocative and unsettling “Dark Desire,” a volatile mix of eros, race and rock. —Wayne Robins”

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June 8, 2008 by Willis.

“Pinetop Perkins has been performing blues music longer than most of us have been alive, so it’s safe to assume that when he releases a new album it has depth and savvy. The title, “Pinetop Perkins and Friends,” is self-explanatory; the friends in question include Eric Clapton, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Eric Sardinas. The nine tunes are standards with long histories of their own. Clapton sits in on “How Long Blues/ Come Back Baby,” a medley featuring Perkins and Nora Jean Brusco on vocals. Brusco’s voice is full-strength blues, Perkins’ piano is especially tasty, and Clapton’s comping is as incisive as his solo. Another winning number, “Look on Yonders Wall,” is an exceptionally hip cover of this classic 12-bar shuffle, with Jimmie Vaughan handling the lead guitar chores in convincing fashion. —Philip Van Vleck”

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June 8, 2008 by Willis.

“Playing with Prince at his two-month Las Vegas residency may be the ultimate stamp of approval for a backing band. But Austin-based orchestra Grupo Fantasma has its own artistic statement to make on this album of cumbias, Latin funk jams, tropical descargas and psychedelia. Not surprisingly, the joy here is the live-show energy the band brings to a variety of Latin styles. One can almost picture brass-heavy opener “El Sabio Soy Yo” and modern grupero-style “Levantate” being played in a cantina until they blast off in their own funkified, genre-breaking directions. For those who enjoy distinguishable, hook-driven songs in addition to jam sessions, those catchy anchors are there, too, making “Sonidos Gold” accessible to more than just the cool heads.—Ayala Ben-Yehuda”

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June 3, 2008 by Willis.

“This Minneapolis-based folk-pop guy has friends in high places: “Boneclouds,” Mason Jennings’ 2006 LP, was released by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock’s Epic imprint Glacial Pace, while “In the Ever” marks Jennings’ debut for Jack Johnson’s Brushfire. Those pals are influential, too. Where “Boneclouds” bore traces of MM’s junkyard blues-punk, the new album is long on low-key JJ-style acoustica. Though Jennings occasionally overloads on campfire cutesiness, most of the time he succeeds in bringing a childlike simplicity to complicated subject matter, as on “I Love You and Buddha Too,” where he wonders, “Why do some people say that there is just one way to love you, God?,” and “Fighter Girl,” in which he asks a lover to “kiss me, keep on kissing me.” Charming.—Mikael Woods”

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June 3, 2008 by Willis.

“Considering he’s got one of those voices that would make the tax code sound like music, you’d think that making a good Joe Cocker record wouldn’t be that hard. That hasn’t always been the case, of course, but here, Ethan Johns, the well-credentialed son of one-time Cocker producer Glyn Johns, nails it with a potent formula of top-shelf material and ace players. Sympathetic song choices abound, from a restrained but forceful version of Stevie Wonder’s “You Haven’t Done Nothin’ ” and a rich take on the Meters’ “Love Is for Me” to sublime renderings of lesser-known songs by Bob Dylan (”Ring Them Bells”), George Harrison (”Beware of Darkness”) and John Fogerty (”Long As I Can See the Light”). His cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together” from the “Across the Universe” soundtrack only strengthens a set that already shows Cocker in the best possible light.—Gary Graff”

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June 2, 2008 by Willis.

“This iconic Senegalese band last released “Specialists in All Styles” in 2002, marking a return from an extended hiatus. “Made in Dakar” is an 11-song mix of new tunes and previously recorded songs that the band has retracked in grand fashion. Several of the tunes have all but vanished, so to find them again here is a major thrill. The album offers a great retrospective on Orchestra Baobab and no shortage of stylistic turns. “Ami Kita Bay” is a combination of the mbalax style and salsa, while “Aline” is a classic Congolese rumba. “Nijaay” is a quintessential Orchestra Baobab groove highlighted by Youssou N’Dour and Assane Mboup on vocals and the distinctive sound of Issa Cissoko’s tenor sax. Also note the unmistakable Cuban feel of the tune “Cabral.” —Philip Van Vleck”

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June 1, 2008 by Willis.

“Among the parade of “American Idol” contestants in recent years, Chris Sligh has been a standout, not only because of his vocal talent, but for his quick wit and abundance of personality. Those same qualities make his Brash debut a solid winner. Sligh has an intriguing way of approaching faith from a fresh viewpoint that infuses the songs with warmth and substance. “Empty Me” is an autobiographical tune that puts the “Idol” experience in perspective with Sligh’s desires and beliefs, and “Vessel” is an eloquent song about simply wanting to be used by God to make a difference. Fans he earned on “Idol” and previously as a member of the band Half Past Forever will be happy to see Sligh deliver on that early promise and take his career to the next level with this well-crafted collection. —Deborah Evans Price”

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June 1, 2008 by Willis.

“There are certain voices that just immediately draw you into a song, and Meredith Andrews possesses that kind of compelling instrument. Her voice is pretty, but there’s a poignancy in the way she conveys a lyric that is particularly effective here. “You’re Not Alone” is a gorgeous ballad that reminds us God is always near, while “New Song We Sing” is an exuberant anthem that should be quickly adopted by churches for corporate worship. This North Carolina native began singing in church at age 6 and currently serves as worship leader at Chicago’s 12,000-member Harvest Bible Chapel. She has a gift for writing and delivering songs that encourage and inspire, and this stunning debut signals the arrival of a major new voice in Christian music. —Deborah Evans Price”

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