Surprisingly, it’s marked not by excess, but by tasteful arrangements that result in strong pop songs. Anchored by mild-mannered electronic beats (think The Postal Service) and Nikolas Thompson’s calm, seductive voice, the songs reveal various parts and melodies at a leisurely pace. These unhurried tracks are long on a slinky, sunglasses-atnight-cool mood, and short on […]
Pop
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Adele — 21
One needs go no further than opener (and single) “Rolling in the Deep” to hear the power and earnestness in her voice. A single look at press photo will show a thankfully (let me repeat, thankfully!) real-sized woman with a witheringly intense gaze. One performance is all it take to be wowed by her stage […]
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The Del Toros — Come Down
Informed equally by ’90s rock and modern pop, Tulsa-based The Del Toros infuse each of the 10 tracks on “Come Down” with a sharp sense of melody and a clear vision. Each of the songs is incredibly friendly to the ear, which is good — you’ll have them with you for a while afterward. The […]
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Chicago marathon
Chicago with Leon Russell8 p.m. Sunday Lucky Star Casino 7777 N. Highway 81, Concho www.luckystarcasino.org $41-$91 After forming in college, the members of Chicago Transit Authority — soon simply Chicago — abandoned their namesake home for La-La Land in 1968. Within a year, they’d signed with Warner Bros. and launched one of the most successful […]
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Michael Jackson — Michael
s ubiquitous; Jackson was trying to re-invent himself for modern audiences; and the songs, like most things on the radio, are enjoyable while played and forgettable when gone. All debate to how finished it is aside, this album sounds remarkably nice. It doesn’t push boundaries, it doesn’t titillate or thrill, and it definitely doesn’t get […]
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Without a Face – The First Album Was Better
While self-effacing humor is a running theme in Dillard’s work, in the case of both albums, the titles are misleading. “Worst Debut” was anything but, with a healthy balance of humor, sentiment and some truly great sing-along-worthy hooks. While “First Album” may lack some of the punch of the first album, it’s a more mature […]
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Now That’s What I Call the 1990s
Ridiculously successful, EMI’s “Now That’s What I Call Music!” compilation series is up to volume 36, with some themed offshoots here and there. The latest of those is “Now That’s What I Call the 1990s” or, as I dub it, “Now That’s What I Call Officially Feeling Old.” Subtitled as “the alternative collection,” hardly any […]
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Elvis Presley’ Viva Elvis: The Album
That Elvis Presley, he sure is a workhorse! Some three decades and then some following his death, he’s the subject of “Viva Elvis,” a Cirque du Soleil stage show that brings his music … well, if not into the 21st century, then certainly to new heights of spectacle. This 12-tracker is the companion album, and […]
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Neil Diamond’ Dreams
while there’s nothing wrong with that, either, the production’ courtesy of Mr. D’ sounds curiously flat. Even at high volumes, these “Dreams” don’t crackle like they should. In what feels like an end-stage retrospective, Diamond tackles a pair of Beatles tunes (“Yesterday” and “Blackbird”) alongside tunes by The Eagles, Bill Withers and himself (“I’m a […]
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John Calvin’ Wish Alloy
Norman singer/songwriter John Calvin’s second album, “Wish Alloy,” is official this week. It’s a seven-song folk send-up that dips toes into indie-pop and country Americana. The self-titled midpoint has pianos, organs and trumpets behind Calvin’s youthful, aching croon. At a fast, rhythmic clip, the opening track, “Nonsense,” makes a lot of sense, and its tambourines, […]