Jive Few artists have invested more energy in freeing themselves from their past than Justin Timberlake; his fierce determination to demolish his pretty-boy pop image is, at times, awe-inspiring’ having successfully stepped out on his own with 2002’s “Justified,” Timberlake spent the intervening years jet-setting, holding court with Cameron Diaz and remaining one of the […]
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Heartless Bastards-All This Time
Fat Possum Records I never thought I’d give a favorable review to an album with a little girl and pretty dragonflies on the cover, but I am. The Ohio-based Heartless Bastards shocked and awed last year with their debut, “Stairs and Elevators,” one of the best albums of 2005. Lead singer and guitarist Erika […]
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OutKast-Idlewild
Jive “Hey Ya!” was probably the worst thing that could’ve happened to OutKast.The mega-enormo 2003 single catapulted the Atlanta duo’ Andre 3000 and Big Boi’ from avant hip-hopsters creating intense masterpieces to a mainstream pop act; in short, a pair of artists once comfortably under the radar were now undone by their own ambitious achievement. […]
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Thee Emergency-Can You Dig It?
Blue Disguise If high-octane garage rock mixed with R&B is your thing, Seattle’s Thee Emergency is a must-hear band. Unlike many post-punk bands, Thee Emergency’s latest, “Can You Dig It?,” is not filled with lyrically lacking tripe set to crunching guitars and infectious hooks. To be certain, the band knows how to rock out, […]
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John Mayer-Continuum
Columbia . Those who continue to dismiss John Mayer as an acoustic heartthrob are missing the bigger picture’ he’s still capable of penning a wrenching ballad, but his scope of vision encompasses so much more than making high school girls cry. “Continuum,” Mayer’s third and most accomplished effort to date, is a superb artistic statement […]
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J Dilla-The Shining
BBE J Dilla’ one of a handful of names James Yancey is known by’ is not a producer with the name recognition of a Pharrell, Kanye or Timbaland, but within the hip-hop community, his breathtaking beats have earned him the respect of the movers and shakers; look no further than The Roots’ latest, “Game Theory,” […]
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Celia Cruz & Willie Colon-Only They Could Have Made This Album
Fania Brassy, sensual and incomparable, Cuban-born vocalist Celia Cruz boasts a set of pipes unequaled by any woman before or since’ sorry, Shakira. Her lively staccato delivery, reliably set against irresistibly hip-shaking grooves, can’t help but make you pine for tropical paradises. “Only They Could Have Made This Album,” a smooth, effortlessly slick recording, […]
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The Sleepy Jackson-Personality(One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird)
Astralwerks If you’ve never heard the Sleepy Jackson before, your initial reaction is likely to be a long, slow shake of the head while wondering, “What the hell is this?” This is because the band’ Luke Steele and a circus of supporting musicians’ sounds like a collaboration between Brian Wilson and ABBA or a […]
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Catfish Haven-Please Come Back
Secretly Canadian Where have all the guitar solos gone? Ten years ago, they were as obligatory as drunken women flashing the stage, but now they are a rarity. The trend is growing, and most prominent with many of the roadhouse rock bands that are emerging. Catfish Haven is certainly one of the better ones, and […]
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The Bottle Rockets-Zoysia
Bloodshot Always melodic, never mundane, “Zoysia,” the latest CD from Festus, Mo.’s The Bottle Rockets, finds the band adding political commentary to its usual humorous blue-collar anecdotes and anti-love songs. The result is an expansive Southern rock masterpiece that is both literate and homespun, with touches of irony throughout. The first four tracks’ “Better […]