Peter Bradley Adams
Leavetaking

Funny, you’d think with Peter Bradley Adams leaving his apartment to make this album (he recorded his first solo full-length, Gather Up, at home), Leavetaking might have a slight increase in volume and intensity. But it doesn’t, really. Adams—formerly one half of the folk duo eastmountainsouth—is nothing if not an architect of subtle, pleasing sounds. His lyrics are intimate and his melodies like faint breezes—though sometimes a little too slack in the movement department—and they’re framed with the slightest shades of atmospheric guitars and keyboards. Adams never strays from a bashful, meditative croon, and—unlike in the past—he’s shied away from prominent female vocal harmonies, keeping them buried in the background. As a result, Leavetaking lacks distinct edges, and it’s difficult to seize on any one song. This is very fetching music, to be sure, and—clocking in at 30 minutes—it never wears out its welcome. But it’s not exactly meant for stealing the show. —JH

FOR FANS OF:
Teitur – Poetry and Aeroplanes
Ashton Allen – Dewdrops
Griffin House – Lost & Found

Black Kids
Partie Traumatic

When Black Kids’ EP Wizard of Ahhhs was toe-tested as a free download on their MySpace site last year, piquing enormous interest from on-the-prowl label scouts, the Jacksonville, Fla., quintet were ripe for the picking. What could have easily been a premature LP full of half-baked material, Partie Traumatic arrives oven-fresh, brushing aside any worries. Though picking up Wizard’s four amazing tracks, the remainder of the LP lives up to the hype for Reggie Youngblood’s lackadaisical coos smeared across the title track, girl-pop back-up vocals on “Love Me Already” and the synth-dance of “I Wanna Be Your Limousine.” Half of this Partie may be familiar to the Kids’ many ’07 converts, but that’s hardly a let-down as its added padding gives those tracks richer context, making for one of ’08’s most lovable albums yet. —DA

FOR FANS OF:
The Cure – The Head on the Door
Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
The Go! Team – Proof of Youth

Deborah Bonham
Duchess

Deborah Bonham was a little girl when her big brother John became the drummer for Led Zeppelin. His success whetted her appetite to pursue a musical career, but the long shadow cast by his legacy—especially following his untimely death in 1980—means it will be nearly impossible for listeners to judge this U.S. debut (following two overseas-only albums) without preconceptions. That’s a shame, because Duchess shares little with the music of Zeppelin except brawny forcefulness and a firm rooting in the blues; it has a closer kinship with the meat-and-potatoes rock of Zep discovery Paul Rodgers, who sings a well-matched duet here. Bonham’s hurricane-force voice occasionally threatens to topple the mostly banal lyrics, but she takes such total possession of the songs that it hardly seems to matter—a vocalist this powerful can make clichés sound convincing. —CN

FOR FANS OF:
Shirley Brown – Woman Enough!
Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch
Paul Rodgers – Live in Glasgow

The Bridges
Limits of the Sky

The four Byrd children chose a harmonious way to compete for their parents’ attention: they formed a pop group. Along with their cousin Brittany Painter on lead vocals, siblings Natalie, Jeremy, Stacey and Isaaca have formed the Bridges, whose debut album was produced and lent percussion by none other than Matthew Sweet. Unfortunately, after a few tracks which could have come from any album in the Sweet library, the Bridges’ songs lose their momentum and devolve into the mass-produced pop churned out by most American Idol winners.

While the band members are all very proficient and the songs pleasantly melodic, there’s little original or striking about their combined efforts; especially Painter, whose strong voice is far too polished and clean to bring any kind of impact to these bouncy but ultimately forgettable tunes. The Bridges’ music may be sunny, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still cold outside. —RB

FOR FANS OF:
Cat Power – The Greatest
Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend
The Partridge Family – Come on Get Happy

Chris Difford
The Last Temptation of Chris

When the pop band Squeeze needed material for an album, the words always came first. That approach ensured that each new song stemmed from a meaningful thought or good story from lyricist Chris Difford. So it’s hardly surprising that verse after verse on Difford’s second solo album, The Last Temptation of Chris, snaps, crackles and pops. Songs that touch on fatherhood, reverse vasectomies, indebted lovers and man boobs probably weren’t all written about the same person, but they easily could have been. Collectively, they address the regret, joy and absurdity that are always capable of greeting us when we boldly get out of bed every morning. Just as the first few Squeeze records reflected some of the thrills and misadventures of 20-somethings, the new album by the 53-year-old feels like a truthful yet good-natured acknowledgment of his age and maturity level. Had Difford’s bandmate Glenn Tilbrook made an appearance, this could have qualified as the best Squeeze release in a quarter-century. —DS

FOR FANS OF:
Ray Davies – Working Man’s Café
Fountains of Wayne – Traffic and Weather
Paul McCartney – Memory Almost Full

Donna the Buffalo
Silverlined

It stands to reason that if you’re going to be called a “roots” act, then you’re better off pulling up all the roots you can get your hands on. On their seventh album, Donna the Buffalo do just that, from the reggae flavor of “Temporary Misery” to the Cajun seasoning of “I Don’t Need a Riddle,” and on to the twisted bossa nova of “Blue Eyes.” As usual, the band’s focus shifts between front persons Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear. Nevins lends her crystalline vocals to more straightforward Americana styles with fairly linear lyrical themes like the Grateful Dead-ly title tune and the sprightly and melodic “Beauty Within.” When Puryear takes the helm, the band creates their quirkier moments, as on the breathless “Garden of Eden,” with its underpinnings of marimba and tabla, and the pulsating “Meant to Be,” highlighted by Tom Gilbert’s rumbling drums and Nevins’ ghostly fiddle. In the end, Silverlined is an assured but unpredictable collection, full of unexpected instrumental and lyrical twists by a band proud to carry the torch for those who refuse to venture down a well-traveled musical path. —BC

FOR FANS OF:
Rusted Root – When I Woke
The Mammals – Departure
Assembly of Dust – Recollection

Dr. Dog
Fate

Known for churning out ’70s-flavored indie-pop for seven years now—and gaining notoriety for nabbing the coveted opener spot for My Morning Jacket and Wilco—Dr. Dog don’t stray far from their on-the-sleeve influences on their fifth LP, Fate. Indebted more to the roots rock of the Band than the psych-folk of the Byrds, the Philadelphia quintet rely heavily on spirited vocal harmonies and multi-instrumental digressions that remain firmly couched in up-front chord progressions. As always, though, Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman’s shared mic duties remain the songs’ central thrust, which help keep Dr. Dog from being merely a throwback novelty. The sharp keyboard arpeggios of “The Old Days,” brass backlighting of “Army of Ancients” and bar-rock riffs of closer “My Friend” may be unabashedly derivative, but they never lose their own redolent luster. —DA

FOR FANS OF:
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
Van Morrison – Tupelo Honey
The Band – The Last Waltz

Christine Fellows
Nevertheless

Like Mother Goose with an English degree, Christine Fellows writes songs that are wordy, whimsical and a little disturbing. Kids might sing along, but they’re certain to miss the subtext. Her latest album seems innocent enough, what with its chamber-pop strings, playful banjos and rhythmic piano chords, but behind the lace curtains, there lives a cast of strange and tragic characters. Fellows treats these people—mostly old ladies and lonely bird enthusiasts—with great affection. Her child-like voice signals sympathy for their situations, and her detailed narratives reveal her to be a kind and interested observer, not merely an exploiter of broken lives. On “Cruel Jim,” Fellows learns that her rugged prizefighting neighbor has painted his walls “robin’s-egg blue.” She’d love to know why, but she’s an outsider among outsiders. Her songs are stolen glances, all worth a look. —K. Partridge

FOR FANS OF:
The Decemberists – Her Majesty
Jill Sobule – Jill Sobule
Feist – The Reminder

Johnny Flynn
A Larum

If you guessed that “a larum” just means “an alarm” (it’s Middle English), well done, but there’s no cause for concern with Johnny Flynn’s stateside debut. The 25-year-old Flynn plays acoustic folk-rock that would be at home during the ’60s British Invasion or the 1600s; it’s a mix of English/Irish folk songs and classic American country, supplemented by his band—the Sussex Wit—and himself on guitar, violin and more. The musical talent alone would make A Larum an easy and perennial addition to any music library, but Flynn’s lyrical prowess is even stronger. A poet and a Shakespearean actor, his writing is sharp, witty and wise—if he doesn’t speak as epically as his fellow troubadour Conor Oberst, he’s much more accessible, singing of life, love and loss from a common-man viewpoint. Frankly, if there’s anyone alive today capable of creating folk songs so powerful, so musical and so wonderful they could last 400 years, it’s Johnny Flynn. —RB

FOR FANS OF:
The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely
Billy Bragg – Mr. Love & Justice
Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch

Mike Gordon
The Green Sparrow

In his 21 years as the resident bassist for jam legends Phish, Mike Gordon wrote songs at a pace of about two an album, usually contributing psychedelic bluegrass tunes and tongue-in-cheek torch numbers. It’s unsurprising, then, that the 10 tracks on his first true solo album remain all over the map—a potpourri collection of Afro-Cuban rhythms, funk-laden pop stylings and quirky balladeering. With former bandmates Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell in tow, the soaring opener “Another Door” sounds like a lost Phish jam, but soon things spin into new territory with the staccato pop tune “Andelmans’ Yard” and the horn-driven funk of “Radar Blip” standing out as successful experiments.

Lyrically Gordon keeps the focus on first-person musings with a wry grin, particularly in the syncopated ballad “Pretend” where lines like “We could déjà vu backwards, baby” and “I think I’m fallin’ in like with you” perfectly ride the line between silly and sweet. His proclivity to let the groove take over occasionally overwhelms his melodic sensibilities, but the sonic diversity and strong musicianship on The Green Sparrow more than justify its flaws. —K. Phegley

FOR FANS OF:
They Might Be Giants – The Spine
Phish – Lawn Boy
Ween – La Cucaracha

James Hunter
The Hard Way

Without mentioning a single constitutional freedom, England’s James Hunter indirectly reflects the spirit of patriotism and gives most of us a reason to be happy that we’ve grown up in the United States. Presumably, Hunter sounds like a ghost of music past to his fans in the United Kingdom, where white blues singers like Georgie Fame made careers out of pretending that the guitar-driven British Invasion never happened. But when heard in America, where Fame and others like him received less attention, Hunter’s old-time material can nearly be appreciated as something new. The soulful narration, plucks of strings and sprinklings of horns may be as familiar as a Sam Cooke record, but they’re guided by a slightly different voice, as if Cooke had produced the backing tracks in the early ’60s and shipped them off to his No. 1 fan across the Atlantic for finishing touches. The Hard Way brings those recordings back home and ought to impress even the staunchest of Yankees. —DS

FOR FANS OF:
Sam Cooke – The Complete Specialty Recordings
Joe Jackson – Jumpin’ Jive
Van Morrison – What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Lil Wayne
Tha Carter III

Lil Wayne took his time completing the follow-up to 2005’s Tha Carter II, but the offbeat rapper was hampered along the way by his stubborn determination to release only songs that hadn’t leaked. That’s a losing battle in the digital age, but Wayne managed to amass 16 new songs, including a mess of potential hits, for Tha Carter III. He roams freely across the hip-hop landscape, from simple beats to lush backing tracks, lending his raspy voice to various celebrations of, well, himself. Wayne trumpets his return on “3 Peat,” extols his considerable lyrical skills on “Phone Home” and his loverman prowess on “Lollipop.” He shares the mic with Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Babyface and Robin Thicke, who helps on “Tie My Hands” as Wayne mourns the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused to his native New Orleans. Best of all, there’s surprisingly little filler here. Unlike many of his peers, Wayne has the skill and charisma to carry a 77-minute album all the way to the end. —ED
 
FOR FANS OF:
Ludacris – Chicken-N-Beer
Fabolous – Ghetto Fabolous
OutKast – Stankonia

Los Lonely Boys
Forgiven

The summer’s most invigorating musical moment? Here’s a nomination for Los Lonely Boys’ take on the Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m a Man.” Written 40-plus years ago by a young Steve Winwood, “I’m a Man” appears about halfway through Forgiven, a delightfully poppy concoction that ought to put the brothers Garza in the soundtrack mix for backyard cookouts. Much has been made of the Boys’ Tex-Mex heritage and influences that include Ritchie Valens, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Santana. Those influences all are “present” on Forgiven, which also has a taste of the late, lamented Doug Sahm’s Lone Star pop. And if you can’t hear the Beatles in the dreamy “Make It Better,” you just aren’t listening. The first single, “Staying With Me,” with its lyrics “If I told you I love you, would you walk away? / I’m not trying to fool you, there’s no playing games” is proof that a superb summer album must contain a puppy-love song. —TG

FOR FANS OF:
Sir Douglas Quintet – Mendocino
Santana – Supernatural
Spencer Davis Group – I’m a Man

G. Love and Special Sauce
Superhero Brother

It’s doubtful that G. Love & Special Sauce’s new album, Superhero Brother, will win them any new fans—it’s the same unique mix of hip-hop and blues-funk. But followers of the band will certainly be delighted at the album’s deeper and richer trademark funkiness. Brother is much more akin to 2004’s The Hustle than 2001’s Electric Mile, in that the songs are uniformly laid-back and groovy, harking back to the band’s early efforts. But gone are the bouts of occasional messiness that marred that earlier work, allowing G. Love to sing of his staples—chillin’, lovin’ and recreational marijuana use—distilled to perfection, but no less funky. Think of it this way: If the group’s ’90s output could be considered a cheap, off-the-shelf 40-oz. of some off-brand malt liquor, the current G. Love and Special Sauce would certainly be ... well, they’d still be a 40 of malt liquor, but a much finer, tastier name-brand bottle, less likely to leave you hung over in the morning. —RB

FOR FANS OF:
Jack Johnson – Sleep Through the Static
Donovan Frankenreiter – Move by Yourself
Matt Costa – Songs We Sing

Edwin McCain
Nobody's Fault But Mine

For his latest outing, singer-songwriter Edwin McCain said he “took a break from staring into my own bellybutton” to record an album of timeless R&B standards. Of course, you could quibble with song choices (will we ever be able to drive Grand Funk’s version of “Some Kind of Wonderful” from our minds?), but this collection is best judged by its many highlights. McCain bravely tackles Aretha’s “Ain’t Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around),” keeping its infectious horn-driven Memphis groove intact. Nor is he intimidated by the Temptations’ or Faces’ previous versions of “(I Know) I’m Losing You,” driving the tune home with no small amount of desperate abandon.

But McCain would rather have fun with these songs than slavishly recreate them. He has the good sense to recast the overly familiar “I Can’t Get Next to You” as a slow roadhouse blues, and delivers a smoldering guitar-heavy reworking of Sam & Dave’s “Who’s Making Love.” And his goodtime take on Otis Redding’s “The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)” reminds us of McCain’s considerable vocal skills, which are too often overshadowed by his songwriting. It may be an in-between project for McCain, but Nobody’s Fault is also a labor of love that you need to have on hand just in case a party breaks out. —BC

FOR FANS OF:
James Hunter – Believe What I Say
Delbert McClinton – One of the Fortunate Few
Various Artists – The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968

John Mellencamp
Life, Death, Love and Freedom

One of America’s original journeyman rockers—a distinction shared with Springsteen, Fogerty and Seger—John Mellencamp begins his affiliation with superstar-laden Hear Music by pulling up roots and returning to the heartland. Of course, Mellencamp’s Everyman attitude has generally reflected homespun values, from the compelling refrain of “Pink Houses” lamenting suburban sprawl to the populist appeal of “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” and the sepia-tinged nostalgia cushioning “Jack and Diane.” But while albums like Scarecrow and The Lonesome Jubilee have found him traversing equally rustic terrain, the lack of commercial concern is especially apparent here.

Consequently, this set of revisionist folk songs is so immersed in authenticity, it could have been spawned in the Mississippi Delta or ripped from Woody Guthrie’s songbook. With the venerable T Bone Burnett behind the boards, the parched, stripped-down settings befit these weathered tales, even as Mellencamp’s coarse vocals echo the weariness and woes the album’s sweeping title implies. The turgid rumination imbued in “Longest Days,” “Young Without Lovers,” “Without a Shot” and “Country Fair” may surprise, and indeed, there’s little evidence of Mellencamp’s radio-ready past … the soulful sway of “Mean” and “Troubled Land” notwithstanding.

A bonus high-definition DVD offers enhanced sound, but ultimately, it’s the unlikely mesh of intimacy and insurgency that affirms Mellencamp’s status as an American original. —LZ

FOR FANS OF:
Bruce Springsteen – Devils and Dust
Bob Dylan – Time Out of Mind
Steve Earle – The Mountain

The Melvins
Nude With Boots

Who exactly are the Melvins, one may ask? The easy answer is that they’re a heavy band who’ve been thrashing for over 20 years, released nearly 20 records and most recently were name-checked for their supreme indie-rock cred in the movie Juno. But does anyone really know the Melvins? They seem to love to keep people guessing.

Their sludgy, off-kilter, unorthodox brand of metal defies complete classification. While Nude With Boots kicks off with the classic-rock-meets-avant-metal stylings of “The Kicking Machine,” the album slows down for a few songs, trailing off into the noisy “Dies Irae” before picking up again (for a spell, at least) with “Suicide in Progress” and “The Smiling Cobra”—the loudest, fiercest track found here.

You may not be able to pin them down, and neither their sound nor their lineup may be the same as it was on their undisputed classic, 1993’s Kurt Cobain-produced Houdini, but they remain the Melvins. Will stoner rockers wanna strip down with Nude? You better believe it. —RP

FOR FANS OF:
Boris – Pink
Fantomas – Director’s Cut
Big Business – Here Come the Waterworks

Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis
Two Men With the Blues

Have you heard the one about Willie Nelson teaming up with a performer from a different corner of the musical universe? This is one of his more sensible collaborations, highlighting the innately idiosyncratic way he interprets blues, jazz and pop standards. These 10 songs were captured during live performances with Wynton Marsalis and a sharp quartet (saxophone, piano, bass and drums), topped off with Nelson’s longtime harp player, Mickey Raphael. Two Men With the Blues isn’t about Nelson doing new material (he’s recorded nearly every tune on here before), but familiar songs in an unfamiliar setting. It’s a study in contrasts: Nelson’s voice is lean and temperate, his delivery stubbornly wayward against Marsalis’ bright, lyrical bursts, and Nelson takes his scraggly guitar solos right alongside the band’s more urban flourishes (Raphael sometimes acts as a bridge between two languages). Though this pairing sounds almost out of step at moments (Example: during “Night Life,” Nelson’s trailing off to nothing at the end of a line sets off wah-wah squalls from Marsalis), it ultimately works. And even the tensions are interesting. —JH

FOR FANS OF:
Elvis Costello – My Flame Burns Blue
Herbie Hancock – River: The Joni Letters
Van Morrison – Keep It Simple

Randy Newman
Harps and Angels

On his first studio album in nine years, Randy Newman mumbles more than ever, making you wonder if he recorded some of his vocals while finishing a good sandwich. And you know what? None of it matters. Harps and Angels doesn’t need a sweeter voice at the microphone. If anything, it’s confirmation, yet again, that even Newman’s best songs wouldn’t be as thought-provoking, uncomfortably hilarious or just plain sweet without his narration. Like a tipsy relative at the dinner table, Newman’s characters believe they have important insights to share, and damn it, they’re going to tell their stories whether people want to hear them or not. Some may squirm during “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country” and its gut-scraping digs at George W. and the Supreme Court. But they’ll be doing it mainly out of their learned commitment to spineless civility. When they think nobody’s listening, they’ll quietly admit there’s some sadly comedic truth within the song, and good ol’ Uncle Randy will get away with it, as only he can. —DS

FOR FANS OF:
Bill Cosby – To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With
Steve Earle – Jerusalem
Warren Zevon – The Envoy

O.A.R.
All Sides

O.A.R.’s sixth studio album, All Sides, finds the band towing lines of well-crafted lyrics and staying current with a flavorful variety of sweet music jams.

The moniker meaning “Of a Revolution” has worked in the group’s favor; known for their live shows, the quintet has earned a devoted following from massive online distribution through campus networks and has twice sold out Madison Square Garden. The catchy, sing-along refrains of “This Town” will likely appeal to those fervent crowds, and O.A.R. live up to the “revolution” theme of their name through the searing firsthand observation “War Song.” Charting similar waters, O.A.R. channel rain-soaked sadness in “Shattered,” offer a pleading request in “Try Me” and unfold a raspy tale of wasted lives on “Living in the End” (a track first unveiled on 2007’s Live From MSG). But the band knows not to wallow in sorrow for too long, delivering fans the feel-good times they crave with tunes like “Something Coming Over,” which experiments with island instrumental in a love celebration. (Their fan appreciation was evident in a recent contest in which O.A.R.-related websites showcased album-cover text scavenger hunts, giving the winners an autographed, limited-edition version of the album.) But with new levels of songcraft being reached, enthusiasts and entry-level listeners alike will easily take Sides. —MC

FOR FANS OF:
Daughtry – Daughtry
Goo Goo Dolls – A Boy Named Goo
Dave Matthews Band – Everyday

Conor Oberst
Conor Oberst

It’s strange to call Conor Oberst’s new release a “solo album,” though that’s how it’s billed. Truth is, as the brains behind Bright Eyes, Oberst has always run the show—whether a kid making screechy cassettes, or the 28-year-old phenom he’s become. But whatever you want to call it, it’s his best work to date. Gone are the heavy production and ethereal experimentation of his last major release, Cassadega. As the simplified title suggests, this is Oberst stripped to basics and laid bare. Fans may still point to Lifted as the better album, but few will call it his most enjoyable.

Though recorded over two months in Mexico’s “Mystic Valley,” this is the songwriter’s most Americana-tinged work yet—a mix of pinched, Dylan-esque folk (“Get-Well-Cards”), alt-country jams for the Austin City Limits crowd (“Moab”) and darkly hilarious honky-tonkin’ (the “Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead” chantings of “NYC—Gone, Gone”). Oberst’s lyrics channel an aching spirituality and worldly maturity not found on earlier records (Read: less navel gazing, more star gazing). And even when he veers into “Dust in the Wind” territory (“All we are is colored sand,” he tosses out in “Lenders in the Temple”), his ruminations on love and death cut deeper than pen-poised masters twice his age. —CW

FOR FANS OF:
Neil Young – On the Beach
Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
Wilco – Being There

The Offspring
Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

The Offspring’s first new studio effort since 2003’s Splinter comes at a tenuous time for punk rock and alternative music. Emo has pushed to the fore, radio play is down, and a history of creative and commercial successes won’t guarantee anything for a band these days. So do the Southern California shredders bring their A-game on Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace? Somewhat.

The record starts out strong with the anthemic, catchy-as-hell tunes “Half-Truism,” “Trust in You” and “You’re Gonna Go Far Kid,” combining their classic SoCal power with a bit of Fall Out Boy/My Chemical Romance swagger. Unfortunately, save for a few moments, the disc rapidly loses steam between tracks 5 and 11.

While some songs are merely forgettable, “Kristy, Are You Doing OK?” and “Fix You” are downright boring. Dexter Holland’s vocals occasionally take on a “Weird Al” Yankovic-ian sound, and the band amps up the cheese on “Stuff Is Messed Up,” a tune that’s more “Pretty Fly for a White Guy” than “Come Out and Play.” —RP

FOR FANS OF:
Bad Religion – The Gray Race
Green Day – American Idiot
Angels & Airwaves – I-Empire

Kristoffer Ragnstam
Wrong Side of the Room

Pop music and IKEA may be Sweden’s most popular exports. Although they seem to have little in common, Wrong Side of the Room, the new album by Swede Kristoffer Ragnstam, shows a shared ethos between the two. IKEA produces modern home furnishings in a variety of styles; Ragnstam has produced a modern pop record incorporating a variety of genres and sounds. Both offer something for everyone, and both are safe, yet hip. Much like IKEA’s confusing assembly directions, Ragnstam’s lyrics are sometimes a bit awkward. “Where winners are winners and losers still have the loser syndrome” doesn’t necessarily roll off the tongue, but in the context of the title track it provides a catchy chorus that encourages you to shout along. While Wrong Side is not as interesting as the recent LPs by Sweden-to-America successes Jens Lekman and Peter Bjorn and John, it’s a solid pop record—with little assembly required. —EH

FOR FANS OF:
The Evangelicals – The Evening Descends
Spoon – Gimme Fiction
Nicolai Dunger – Here’s My Song ...

Amy Ray
Didn't It Feel Kinder

Freed of the earnestness that characterizes her work with the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray cuts loose once again with her third solo outing, embracing a sound that opts for insurgence over reassurance. Several songs start with a tentative plea but crest in a surge of cascading choruses and emphatic refrains. Not that Ray’s incapable of playing the fretting folkie; Didn’t It Feel Kinder starts and ends on a tenuous note, with ample hints of mournful despair. Yet sandwiched in between are songs etched with an unapologetic attitude, whether it’s the swagger of a distinctly non-PG “Who Sold the Gun,” the dogged persistence of “Bus Bus” or the percolating pop of “SLC Radio” and “Blame Is a Killer.” Ray adopts the guise of taut new-wave rocker, spewing lyrics brimming with sexual tension and an aggressive edge that may surprise all but knowing devotees. —LZ

FOR FANS OF:
Patti Smith – Peace and Noise
The Pretenders – The Pretenders
Michelle Malone – Beneath the Devil Moon

Keaton Simons
Can You Hear Me

“I wanted to get back to honest, straight-forward expression; a purity and dynamic that relied on the strength of the songs and not the added embellishment of the arrangements,” Keaton Simons has said of his new release Can You Hear Me. But the no-frills approach falters, and Simons’ unremarkable songwriting can’t withstand the glow of the spotlight, particularly without the benefit of any distractions. The record’s blue-eyed acoustic soul is largely forgettable, with arrangements that aren’t distinguished or impassioned. The album is particularly disappointing given Simons’ impressive résumé—one that includes stints with innovative artists like Black Eyed Peas and Gnarls Barkley. But Hear Me has little of the charm and ingenuity of Simons’ former bosses. There are glimpses of potential in the twangy hooks of “Misfits,” and “Joseph” is surprisingly poignant and affecting. But ultimately, Can You Hear Me is the sound of an artist discovering that, sometimes, less is simply less. —MG

FOR FANS OF:
Five for Fighting – The Battle for Everything
Josh Kelley – For the Ride Home
Chris Isaak – Chris Isaak

Ben Sollee
Learning to Bend

Ben Sollee’s fondness for old-school tradition would seem to belie his relative youth, but at 24, he boasts a certain savvy as ageless as the array of acoustic instrumentation he and his colleagues pluck, strum, pick and thump. Taking leave from his band the Sparrow Quartet, Sollee purveys a low-key, down-home approach that puts his spry cello playing front and center, with banjo, fiddle, guitar, jaw harp and occasional brass providing sparse support. Still, Learning to Bend is more than mere back-porch banter; the mournful opener “A Few Honest Words” takes the present administration to task (“If you’re gonna lead my country / I’m gonna need a little honesty”), while a timely remake of Sam Cooke’s liberation anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come” becomes a plea for peace. Consequently, Solle’s combination of spunk and smarts makes Learning to Bend a lesson in essential Americana. —LZ

FOR FANS OF:
Crooked Still – Shaken by a Low Sound
Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
Abigail Washburn – Song of the Travelling Daughter

Soulfly
Conquer

Soulfly’s sixth record starts out epically. There’s the buildup of a monstrous riff, leading to the chanting of “blood, fire, war, hate” and culminating in a searing lead track that’s part end-of-days anthem, part resurrection of metal destruction that guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera (formerly of Sepultura and Nailbomb) has been known for.

Like Dark Ages, Soulfly’s fifth LP, Cavalera & Co. combine their most hardcore thrash machinations with a variety of world-metal influences. Unfortunately, that tactic can be hit or miss. Even some of the songs that overstay their welcome (“Paranoia,” “Warmageddon” ) have moments of greatness, but it’s when the record changes pace, lingering in the more groove-based aspects of Soulfly’s oeuvre, that it really falters. But if you’re looking for thunderous South American metal, Conquer has you covered. —RP

FOR FANS OF:
Sepultura – Chaos A.D.
Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache
Chimaira – Resurrection

Randy Travis
Around the Bend

Thanks to Randy Travis’ inimitable pure-country vocals, Bob Dylan can now lay claim to the title of America’s greatest country songwriter.

On his excellent new CD Around the Bend, Travis enlists a roster of Nashville’s top songsmiths, such as Marcus Hummon and Tia Sillers. On an album that is one of his career’s best, Travis rambles through tales of crumbling marriages, true love, old-time religion, cheatin’, drinkin’ and fried chicken. It’s hardcore country, far removed from the watered-down, Eagles-wannabe sound favored by many of today’s acts. The honky-tonk high comes when Travis offers a Bob Wills-flavored take on Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” “When your rooster crows at the break of dawn / Look out your window, babe, and I’ll be gone,” Travis drawls. Love-her-and-leave-her country heartache from rock’s bard? As voiced by Randy Travis, don’t think twice, it’s all right—and then some. —TG

FOR FANS OF:
George Strait – Troubadour
Alan Jackson – Good Time
Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

Paul Weller
22 Dreams

Dramatic stylistic evolutions have been Paul Weller’s trademark for more than 30 years, so there was bound to come a day when he’d cram his various musical obsessions onto one album. That album is 22 Dreams, a daunting 21-song, 68-minute collection of Weller’s many moods and inspirations.

There’s plenty of rock, a little funk, a lot of soul, a touch of jazz and even a spoken-word piece, plus a slew of guests, including Gem, Noel Gallagher, Graham Coxon and London trio Little Barrie. Mostly, though, this is Weller’s show. He sounds like a brusque Tom Jones on the slinky lounge-funk of “Have You Made Up Your Mind,” offers a booming piano workout that disappears into noodling jazz horns on the instrumental “Song for Alice” and takes Mellotron places it’s never been on the experimental “111.” Whatever the genre, Weller always sounds fully committed to these songs, and though the parade of styles is sometimes dizzying, it’s equally ambitious. —ED

FOR FANS OF:
Nick Lowe – At My Age
Graham Coxon – Happiness in Magazines
Little Barrie – We Are Little Barrie

Alexa Wilkinson
Lions

A press release is usually a prime candidate for exaggerated trumpeting, and the description of Alexa Wilkinson as “the kind of sparkling young woman most girls want to make their Facebook friend” is bound to raise the hackles of a critic weary of guitar-wielding singer-songwriters barely removed from their teens. But Wilkinson is that rare artist with the potential to quiet the cynics. “Hitchcock in the Afternoon” and the title track from her sophomore album Lions are breezy without being trite, and “Vanilla Rain” shows that Wilkinson can pen an intelligent pop song with a hook. But the record is hampered in its presentation. Marshall Altman’s production, no doubt informed by his work with artists like Elliott Yamin and Matt Nathanson, is a bit too radio-ready, steering Lions toward the world of objectionably bland pop-rock. Wilkinson succeeds in spite of the setback and, with a perspective that alternates between bitterness and refreshing curiosity, writes with sophistication and maturity. —MG

FOR FANS OF:
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
Sheryl Crow – Tuesday Night Music Club
Matt Nathanson – Beneath These Fireworks