CRITIC'S CHOICE
POP-ROCK
The first and last thing you hear on the new Dave Matthews Band album is the saxophone of LeRoi Moore, a founding member of the group who died last August. His presence is still strongly felt on the CD: The GrooGrux King part of the title nods to Moore, and he plays on a good share of tracks, including the haunting "Lying in the Hands of God," which takes on more resonance than could have ever been intended. Spiritual and spirited, the disc serves as an emotionally and musically rich send-off to that great shed in the sky.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Funny the Way It Is," the pensive, Sting-esque single
The Real Thing |
JAZZ-POP
Long before Ugly Betty, Vanessa Williams was a Grammy-nominated R&B-pop singer. This disc finds her sashaying to a jazz and Latin groove. It's a typically classy affair but could use a bit of Wilhelmina's sassy 'tude.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Just Friends," a Babyface bossa
Sunny Side Up |
ALT-POP
While the U.K.'s retro-soul movement has made stateside successes out of the ladies—from Amy Winehouse and Duffy to Adele and Estelle—Paolo Nutini's 2007 debut, These Streets, was sorely underappreciated on these shores. This follow-up doesn't match the pop hooks of its predecessor, which simply had better songs, but it finds the sandpapery-voiced Scot stretching out stylistically, showing that, at 22, he's still growing as an artist. Whether it's Dixieland ("10/10"), ragtime ("Pencil Full of Lead"), Stax soul ("Coming Up Easy) or traditional Celtic sounds ("Chamber Music"), he continues to show a flair for music from way before his time.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Candy," a sweet, country-flavored confection
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>• "Don't need candles and cake/ Just need your body tonight," sings this 21-year-old newcomer on his slinky hit that is burning up the pop and R&B charts. His self-titled debut drops June 30.
>MARILYN MANSON The High End of Low If you thought that MM might have finally learned to let a smile be his umbrella, think again. He's still rock's prince of darkness, but even he struggles to sustain high-quality gloom over 72-plus minutes.
BUSTA RHYMES Back on My B.S. One of hip-hop's real characters, Busta always brings a supersize personality to his albums. To go along with that, he's got some hot beats and some hot guest stars, like T.I., T-Pain and Lil Wayne.
PARACHUTE Losing Sleep Everything glides by smoothly (if safely) on this CW-friendly quintet's pop-rock debut, which hit No. 1 on the iTunes chart. Some of these songs just may even cause Maroon 5 and Jonas Brothers to lose a few winks.
RYAN BINGHAM Roadhouse Sun This Texas troubadour can bring to mind a gravelly-voiced version of another Ryan: Adams. But there are also traces of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan (see "Dylan's Hard Rain") along this rootsy road.
>• The blue-eyed soul pioneer, 53, celebrates 30 years in the biz with Congo Square, out June 9.
ON HER CD'S TITLE Congo Square is a place in New Orleans where slaves were allowed to go dance and sing on Sundays. I went to New Orleans to write and record this album, and then I found out my [family is] from there.
ON BREAKING COLOR BARRIERS I wasn't trying to be a pioneer, just wanted to sing what was in my soul. I'm sure it's easier now for [all races] to make the music they want.
ON THE NEW BLUE-EYED SOUL DIVAS I think Amy Winehouse writes some amazing lyrics, and she actually credits me as an influence in her Frank liner notes. And Adele's "Chasing Pavements" is an incredible piece.
ON LATE MENTOR RICK JAMES I miss him all the time. He was my musical soulmate. We were engaged once, used to steal from each other's closets. Now I have to not just represent myself but him.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
