Celebrity News: Review

Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Review: Nick Lowe convincing as a crooner (AP)

Nick Lowe, "The Old Magic" (Yep Roc)

Nick Lowe may no longer be the Jesus of Cool, as the title of his first album labeled him, but he's one of your hipper sexagenarians. "The Old Magic" provides proof with an outstanding batch of 11 songs that even the kids should find fly.

Like other rock artists of his generation, Lowe has taken to crooning, but rather than rehash too-familiar elevator music, he wrote his own songs for "The Old Magic." They're a terrific reminder that the middle of the road is for more than roadkill.

The tunes are filled with clever lyrical twists, a trademark Lowe shares with old crony Elvis Costello. On the opening cut, "Stoplight Roses," Lowe notes they're "a dead giveaway." His dignified deadpan delivery makes such observations that much more effective, and he's quite convincing as a lounge singer.

The arrangements are nicely varied, with touches of the other Elvis, Burt Bacharach, countrypolitan and old R&B. Sam Cooke would have been at home on a couple of cuts.

Sad ballads predominate, but Lowe cranks up the tempo a few times. "I'm 61 years old now," he sings on the twangy toe-tapper "Checkout Time." "Lord, I never thought I'd see 30." At 61, the old New Waver can still rock, even if it's turn-back-the-clock rock.

CHECK THIS OUT: Is the breakup ballad "House For Sale" melancholy or mirth? Lowe hints at playfulness when he name-drops his most famous 1970s composition in the coda.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Review: Lady Antebellum too lady-like on third album (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Lady Antebellum was never, ever going to be the most testosterone-driven band in music. But the multi-platinum country-pop trio is still a little too lady-like for its own good on the group's third album, "We Own the Night," which mostly aims for ownership of the market for old-fashioned adult-contemporary balladry.

The act's last album was a hard hat trick to top. The title track of "Need You Now" quickly established itself as one of the greatest pop singles of our still-young century, and went on to sell 5 million downloads, not to mention scoring Record and Song of the Year wins at the Grammys.

The craving for an ex in that song (which also got its inevitable "Glee" cover) translated to a craving for the bravura tune itself, and proved America to be one very needy nation.

No one would blame Lady A for taking stabs at repeating that triumph here, but it's as if the threesome figured what we loved most about that breakout smash was the plodding tempo and production slickness, not the emotional rawness and relatable references to drunk-dialing that cut right through the sheen.

You may hesitate to look a gift horse in the mouth, when Lady A is one of the few country acts around offering such gentlemanly counterpoint to the genre's redneck strains.

It's still a pleasure hearing a group whose very foundation is neatly balanced male/female duets. When it comes to audience demographics, though, the band is inviting inequity, as there won't be an overabundance of dudes crawling over one another to hear a succession of orchestrated ballads idealizing past and present perfect loves.

You certainly won't find any odes to one-night-stands (like the debut album's rascally "Lookin' for a Good Time") making their way into the current material.

The not terribly rowdy "Friday Night" represents the album's token attempt at an up-tempo, good-time anthem, as if they suddenly remembered they needed something new that wouldn't drag their usually robust concerts to a halt.

Coming off an album that had three singles as great as "Need You Now," "American Honey," and "Hello World" (last heard stirring TV fans at the climax of an "NCIS"), Lady A's new weepers can't help but suffer by comparison.

"Just a Kiss," the album's first single, has front-people Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley treating the beginning of a relationship with kid gloves and agreeing: "I don't want to mess this thing up/I don't want to push too far."

Those words could serve as the mantra for "We Own the Night," which is all about not messing with monstrous expectations.

Occasionally, the songs speak in something more than chick-flick cliches. Hillary Scott has said the starkest number, "As You Turn Away," was written about an ex abruptly breaking up with her (presumably not the fellow to whom she's now happily engaged).

Even if you haven't read that, you'll recognize the real-life hurt when she informs the guy nonchalantly dumping her that staying friends will not be in the cards.

In most of the other songs, though, it's hard to tell if the threesome and their songwriting collaborators are writing out of personal passion or just a passionate need to avoid the junior jinx.

On "Dancin' Away With My Heart" -- which you can guess, given the predominance of down-tempo material, will reference a slow dance -- Kelley and Scott remember romantic glories past and muse, "I can still feel you lean in to kiss me/I can't help but wonder if you ever miss me."

But "losing all control"? Not gonna happen, this time. Better that they'd waited to wonder such things until it was a quarter after one and they'd had another shot of the previous album's miracle-working whiskey.

Review: Nick Lowe convincing as a crooner (AP)

Nick Lowe, "The Old Magic" (Yep Roc)

Nick Lowe may no longer be the Jesus of Cool, as the title of his first album labeled him, but he's one of your hipper sexagenarians. "The Old Magic" provides proof with an outstanding batch of 11 songs that even the kids should find fly.

Like other rock artists of his generation, Lowe has taken to crooning, but rather than rehash too-familiar elevator music, he wrote his own songs for "The Old Magic." They're a terrific reminder that the middle of the road is for more than roadkill.

The tunes are filled with clever lyrical twists, a trademark Lowe shares with old crony Elvis Costello. On the opening cut, "Stoplight Roses," Lowe notes they're "a dead giveaway." His dignified deadpan delivery makes such observations that much more effective, and he's quite convincing as a lounge singer.

The arrangements are nicely varied, with touches of the other Elvis, Burt Bacharach, countrypolitan and old R&B. Sam Cooke would have been at home on a couple of cuts.

Sad ballads predominate, but Lowe cranks up the tempo a few times. "I'm 61 years old now," he sings on the twangy toe-tapper "Checkout Time." "Lord, I never thought I'd see 30." At 61, the old New Waver can still rock, even if it's turn-back-the-clock rock.

CHECK THIS OUT: Is the breakup ballad "House For Sale" melancholy or mirth? Lowe hints at playfulness when he name-drops his most famous 1970s composition in the coda.

Music Review: UK's Katy B is a girl 'On A Mission' (AP)

Katy B, the so-called "queen of dubstep," recently was nominated for the 2011 Mercury Music Prize for her debut album, "On A Mission." And her competition included more established U.K. artists such as Adele, Tinie Tempah and PJ Harvey.

Although she didn't take home the big prize, the 22-year-old stands out from her peers with her club-friendly pop record that encompasses not just dubstep, but 1990s house and garage, too. Her warm vocals have a soothing R&B-feel and have been compared to Jazmine Sullivan and Marsha Ambrosius.

The songs "Katy On A Mission" and "Lights On" are bold and catchy with their infectious melodies, while tracks like "Disappear," with its broken beat, and "Go Away," a dubstep ballad, delve into another territory and highlight Katy B's multiple talents. The magic here is her versatility across the entire album, showing that she's not tied down to a single genre: It's that versatility that is the key to a great dance album.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: The big standout here is "Easy Please Me," a popular song that shows Katy B's humor and sharp wit, with lyrics like: "Now I won't call you 20 times a day, `cause I've got my own (expletive) to do." It's fresh and edgy - something the U.K. has been missing.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Review: Lady A delivers another winning collection (AP)

By MICHAEL McCALL, For The Associated Press Michael Mccall, For The Associated Press – Mon Sep 12, 1:21 pm ET

Lady Antebellum, "Own The Night" (Capitol Nashville)

At a time when young country stars typecast themselves into roles that border on caricature — men brag about how rural they are to hard rock beats, women speak of empowerment with an aggressive sneer — Lady Antebellum presents an engaging anomaly steeped in sophistication and subtlety, rather than stereotypes and superficiality.

The trio — Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood — address issues about relationships with an engaging honesty rare in any musical genre. They've been rewarded with multiplatinum, crossover success; their 2009 No. 1 smash "Need You Now" had them winning top awards at the CMAs, ACMs and the Grammys.

Their third album, "Own The Night," doesn't attain the heights of their 2009 album, also titled "Need You Now," but it's a consistently winning collection that plays to their strengths. After an across-the-board success, Lady A could have overthought their next move. Instead, they draw again on their songwriting depth and appealing vocal blend. The group mixes lively songs that don't insult anyone's intelligence with moody narratives that probe the relationship complexities of young adults, as on the album's first hit, "Just A Kiss."

Producer Paul Worley, who previously worked with the Dixie Chicks and Martina McBride, is the perfect foil for the trio. Worley's touch, with lush orchestration and rousing guitars and rhythms, serves the band's talents and themes well. Together, the team represents how country music can use its strengths — songwriting and strong-yet-earthy vocals that explore real-life situations and emotions — in a way that carries universal appeal.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Wanted You More," a simmering drama about a break up, displays how the band uses piano, strings, drums and voices that whisper and soar to express quiet heartbreak, and an explosive emotional release.

Review: Kristin Chenoweth not country enough (AP)

By MICHAEL McCALL, For The Associated Press Michael Mccall, For The Associated Press – 2 hrs 25 mins ago

Kristin Chenoweth, "Some Lessons Learned" (CBS Masterworks)

A successful Broadway and TV actress, Kristin Chenoweth brings a country music background to her first Nashville-recorded album, "Some Lessons Learned."

An Oklahoma native, she once dreamed of becoming country singer. She performed in "Opryland USA" stage productions as a teen before starring in "Glee" and Broadway hits "Wicked," "Promises, Promises" and "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown."

On "Some Lessons Learned," her vocal and musical training shows on the clear diction she brings to power ballads and big-beat country pop. But country music embraces personality as well as talent, and Chenoweth doesn't establish any identity of her own. She also leans too hard on message songs — "I Was Here," "Fathers And Daughters," "Borrowed Angels" — that come across as formulaic, rather than emotionally stirring.

Veteran rock producer Bob Ezrin uses Nashville musicians, but his arrangements don't blend country and rock elements with the skill of today's successful country producers.

Chenoweth has her moments, as in the conversational "God And Me." But unlike fellow Broadway belter Laura Bell Bundy, who also has entered the country music sweepstakes, Chenoweth doesn't quite make the transition with the same aplomb she's shown in tackling other challenges.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Lessons Learned," one of five Diane Warren songs included on the album, proves Chenoweth can succeed when given a dramatic lyric that fuses her vocal talent and her acting experience in putting across a subtle yet powerful story.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Review: Strait still going strong on new album (AP)

George Strait, "Here for a Good Time" (MCA Nashville)

Thirty years after his MCA Records debut, George Strait is making the most adventurous music of his career.

He still serves up the breadwinners — western swing, honky-tonk and smooth country ballads — that have made him one of the most enduring stars of all time. Yet, at age 59, he stretches out in his arrangements and themes in ways that challenge his remarkably pliant voice and that make statements he didn't dare in the past.

He's also writing more songs, a trend that started with his previous album "Twang." This time, Strait contributes seven songs, nearly doubling the number he's written in his career. He co-writes all of them, including the current hit — the wonderfully swinging "Here For A Good Time" — with his son Bubba Strait; six of them include assistance from Strait's favorite writer, Dean Dillon.

The Texan assumes the role of an alcoholic on two moving ballads, "Poison" and "Drinkin' Man"; he also takes on gospel ("Three Nails And A Cross") and old-time rock `n' roll ("Blue Marlin Blues"), and he tackles two daring covers (Delbert McClinton's classic "Lone Star Blues" and Jesse Winchester's introspective "A Showman's Life").

Strait has spent his career defying music industry conventions; as he starts his fourth decade as a star, he's proving that Nashville's focus on youth still has to make room for an old-timer who's making music as undeniably strong as ever.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "I'll Always Remember You," written by Strait, his son and Dillon, is the most autobiographical song the veteran has recorded. A love letter to his fans, the traditional country ballad includes a recitation reflecting on how he never expected to enjoy the career he has _and as grateful as he is, he's not done yet.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Review: Campbell's slow exit should be heard (AP)

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Entertainment Writer David Bauder, Ap Entertainment Writer – Wed Aug 31, 2:57 pm ET

Glen Campbell, "Ghost on the Canvas" (Surfdog)

Given the circumstances of its release, it would be wonderful to say how Glen Campbell's presumably final album is an unmitigated triumph. Not quite, though it came closer than anyone had aright to expect.

An in-demand studio pro in the 1960s and country-rock superstar in the 1970s, Campbell's career faded with the years. But his family recently announced that Campbell, now 75, is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. "Ghost on the Canvas" and a lengthy tour to support it are designed to be his public farewell.

Campbell, with producer and co-writer Julian Raymond, address the subject beautifully in the opening "A Better Place," a musical prayer. "Some days I'm so confused, Lord," Campbell sings. "The past gets in my way. I need the ones I love, Lord, more and more each day."

The title track, written by Paul Westerberg, is the disc's strongest. Campbell's voice is barely weathered by age and he and Raymond smartly pick strong songs by younger writers Teddy Thompson and Jakob Dylan.

Campbell's impressive supporting cast here includes Billy Corgan, Dick Dale, Chris Isaak and Brian Setzer, and the music is lovely. Unfortunately, the disc is weighed down by a series of superfluous instrumental interludes that mostly cast a pall. Mid-tempo arrangements predominate and with the ending songs "Strong" and "There's No Me ... Without You," there's a feeling of repetition both musically and lyrically.

Campbell's farewell statement, however, is brave and deserves to be heard.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: The title cut evokes "Wichita Lineman" as it opens so much that it will give you chills, then stands powerfully as a composition on its own.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Review: Jake Owen needs to find his own voice (AP)

By MICHAEL McCALL, For The Associated Press Michael Mccall, For The Associated Press – Tue Aug 30, 4:52 pm ET

Jake Owen, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" (RCA)

Jake Owen's third album, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," opens with a guy telling his lover he'll do whatever she wants to make her happy. The song, "Anywhere With You," epitomizes Owen's country music career: He strains for radio play by following formulas established by others, which keeps Owen from establishing his own identity or point of view.

Owen occasionally achieves a hit: The new album's breezy title cut has become his third top 10 single. But he misses more than he scores, and the reason can be found in songs like the cliche-filled "Keepin' It Country" and the silly "Apple Pie Moonshine," in which a blue-collar guy hits it off with a wealthy young woman because her moonshine tastes so sweet. As in the past, he focuses on lightweight fare that doesn't resonate.

On better songs — such as the dramatic narrative "The One That Got Away" or the beach-party celebration, "Nobody Feelin' No Pain" — Owen shows talent and personality. But he hasn't climbed to stardom as quickly as peers Jason Aldean and Jamey Johnson because, thus far, he's failed to suggest he has anything distinctive to offer. "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" doesn't change that assessment.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Alone With You" is a moody ballad about confronting a woman who only flirts with him when she's drinking. Throughout the song Owen displays a dramatic intensity that proves meatier material suits him.

Review: Reggae gone country weird but good (AP)

Various Artists, "Reggae's Gone Country" (Warner Music Nashville and VP Records)

Imagine that a nightclub accidentally booked two wildly different acts — one reggae, one country — for the same night, and instead of one backing out, the bands decided to jam together. That's "Reggae's Gone Country," 14 tracks of covers that sound, at first blush, like a musical accident full of twangy guitars and reggae beats, but overall a happy one.

The album opens with Romain Virgo and Larry Gatlin's take on the Gatlin Brothers '"California." It starts out seemingly traditional and makes a sudden reggae turn, setting the tone for the rest of the tracks that blend the best of both genres.

The most enjoyable tunes are those most recognizable to even the least country-fied music fans, including Etana's sweet spin on "Crazy," Tessanne Chin's soulful take on "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes" and the fun meanderings of Freddie McGregor's "King of the Road." "El Paso" by Sanchez provides the album's most brain-twisting combination, drawing from reggae, country and Latin genres for the musical equivalent of enchiladas filled with jerk chicken and pulled pork. Weird, but actually pretty tasty.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Flowers On The Wall" by L.U.S.T. is a perfect blend of country and reggae, with misfit lyrics that could've originated in either genre: "My shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete/So I must go back to my room and make my day complete."

Review: Guetta mails in "Nothing But The Beat" (AP)

David Guetta, "Nothing But The Beat" (Capitol)

David Guetta's new album "Nothing But The Beat" presents the Grammy-winning DJ and producer with a formidable task. Take good music from good artists and it infuse it with a dance club floor-filling frenzy. If there's anyone who can, surely it's the urban dance-track maestro who collaborates with A-list artists. Right?

Well, half-right. On "Nothing But The Beat," Guetta accomplishes the main mission, but it's nothing to run out and buy a new pair of dancing shoes for. This is a fairly routine treatment at best, and Guetta doesn't inject enough of his own style to take the music to a level that the list of featured vocalists couldn't do on their own.

Guetta gets things started in fine fashion, adding some of his signature energy to "Where Them Girls At," with sharp vocals from Flo Rida and white-hot Nicki Minaj. The good stuff continues through "Little Bad Girl," with solid feature work from Ludacris and Taio Cruz.

But then things begin to get pretty pedestrian. "Sweat" with Snoop Dogg is a snoozer and "Without You" featuring Usher never delivers much more than soaring synth track. The latter song is about as edgy as a Kia Sorento commercial for soccer moms.

Guetta is on auto-pilot these days. He's on top of his game, but his game currently is to deliver safe club music to the masses. There's nothing daring in his approach to production and remixing and for this result, he's failed a bit.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Thank you Jennifer Hudson. Even David Guetta's soft-sell approach couldn't ruin "Night Of Your Life." Hudson's voice is perfect here, with all the right emotion in all the right places. Guetta keeps it simple with a buzzing backbeat and Hudson keeps it lush with vocals that will always have a home on the hottest dance floors. Minaj and Hudson saved this album from being a total loss.

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Ron Harris can be reached at http://twitter.com/Journorati

Review: Lil Wayne still crazy on "Tha Carter IV" (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Lil Wayne's new album arrives preceded by controversy over a track that seems to make a barely veiled threat against rival Jay-Z. If Hova pays any mind to the schoolboy taunt at all, he can rest assured that if there's anyone Weezy feels more contempt for than him, it's ... every woman in the world.

No, Lil Wayne hasn't gotten any less small-minded with "Tha Carter IV," the long-delayed album that's certain to be the year's top hip-hop release. Prognosticators expect it to sell upwards of 700,000 or even 800,000 its first week (which, if you're keeping track of the aforementioned rivalry, would be several hundred thousand more than the Jay-Z/Kanye West collaboration managed).

How does Lil Wayne earn the allegiance and allowance money of seemingly every adolescent boy in America? By being deeply talented and deeply mean-spirited. If you thought misogyny had gone out of style in rap, Wayne is here to remind you that certain memes are timeless.

"I'm so cold, I'm hypothermic," he raps in "Nightmares," over a vaguely Asian chord progression. "Ask your b---, she will confirm it." When he details what he plans to do to women sexually, which he does in most of the 19 tracks, it's usually half-clinical and half-metaphoric, half-promise and half-threat.

It's all threat when he takes on Jay-Z and, by extension, Beyonce in "I'm Good," a move that seems in particularly bad taste after Sunday night's pregnancy revelation. "Talkin' 'bout baby money? I got your baby money," he teases, responding to a previous perceived dis about his relative wealth in a Jay-Z track. "Kidnap your b , get that 'how much you love your lady' money."

At times, he's the master of the comic non sequitur, as in this couplet from the Harry Belafonte-sampling "6 Foot 7 Foot," which moves with amusing ease from a questioning spirit to an existential crisis-quenching threesome: "So misunderstood but what's the world without enigma/Two b s at the same time, synchronized swimmers."

The rhymes are frequently hilarious in a Pesci-in-"GoodFellas" kind of way, where Weezy's sometimes increasingly hysterical, high-pitched rasp reminds you that pointing out his funny side might be grounds for a bloodbath. "People say I'm borderline crazy, sorta, kinda," he acknowledges in "6 Foot," and that uniquely unhinged quality is the broadest part of his charm, such as it is.

You may laugh at the improbability of the rhyme when Weezy raps, "That AK sleep on the side of my bed/ That's one eye closed, one eye open/Your cap get peeled like ibuprofen." You may also chuckle, a bit more nervously, when guest star Rick Ross uses painterly terminology in promising a bloodbath: "Red on the wall, Basquiat when I paint." (Ironically, Weezy's is only the second hip-hop album to name-check Basquiat this month, following... Jay-Z and Kanye's, naturally, though they weren't invoking machine-gun splatter.)

Perhaps the funniest incongruity of all comes in "John," which is named for John Lennon -- but not because Wayne wants to give peace a chance.

Instead, it's because he wants to imagine even more possessions, including the suit he'll wear in his casket: "If I die today, remember me like John Lennon/Buried in Louis, I'm talkin' all brown linen." It'll be the ultimate bed-in.

Taking the misogyny, misanthropy, and overweening greed of "The Carter IV" too seriously may be a fool's mission, and there's fun to be had in Wayne's way with words and beats if you don't, and if you can ignore the most cringe-worthy single entendres.

His post-prison refusal to act remotely rehabilitated on 18 out of 19 tracks makes it hard to know how to process the exception, his new single, "How to Love" -- an uncharacteristic ballad in which Lil Wayne croons (yes, croons) against an acoustic guitar for four minutes and sounds the genuinely tender and concerned romantic.

It's either fleeting proof that the misogynist has it in him to grow up, or the best fox-sneaking-into-the-henhouse ruse ever. Fathers of America, don't unlock your daughters just yet.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Review: Connie Smith return is reason to celebrate (AP)

By MICHAEL McCALL, For The Associated Press Michael Mccall, For The Associated Press – Tue Aug 23, 8:36 pm ET

Connie Smith, "Long Line Of Heartaches" (Sugar Hill)

Of all the great country music queens to rise in the 1960s, Connie Smith may have the lowest public profile. Partly that is because in the early 1970s, as the world at large learned of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette, Smith retreated from touring to focus on raising her family and on recording albums that expressed her religious convictions.

Still, hard-core country fans always have heralded Smith as one of the great voices of her generation. So when Smith's new album "Long Line Of Heartaches" opens with a steel guitar — the instrument most closely identified with her best-loved recordings — and with the words "Here we go again.," her legion of fans across the country will rejoice.

On her first album in 13 years, and only her second since 1978, Smith provides even more reason to celebrate: Unlike her self-titled 1998 album, in which Smith flirted with contemporary country sounds, this time the 70-year-old singer concentrates solely on original songs featuring classic country sounds and themes.

From the torch ballad "I'm Not Blue" to the dance-floor shuffle of "Anymore," "Long Line Of Heartaches" serves as a welcome reminder of why Smith ranks among country music's most beloved artists.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Ain't You Even Gonna Cry," set mostly to a tenderly picked acoustic guitar and the moans of a steel guitar, illustrates why Smith's voice is such a revered instrument. With emotional restraint and careful diction, she delves into the pain of the moment when two lovers realize this is the moment one of them is walking away for good.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Review: Game reunites with Dr. Dre on "R.E.D" (AP)

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr., Associated Press Jonathan Landrum Jr., Associated Press – Mon Aug 22, 2:44 pm ET

Game, "The R.E.D. Album" (Aftermath/Interscope Records)

When the Game was dumped by mentor Dr. Dre after a feud with 50 Cent a few years ago, the Compton rapper used the split as an opportunity to show he could survive on his own, and he succeeded with two solid albums since his multi-platinum, Dre-produced debut, "The Documentary."

Now, Game has reunited with Dre and the producer's label Aftermath Records for his fourth album, "The R.E.D. Album." Dre raps on a song and appears on four skits, narrating pivotal moments of Game's life.

"R.E.D." is a well-crafted album with a heavy dose of guest appearances, including Lil Wayne, Nelly Furtado, Beanie Sigel and E-40. With his hoarse delivery, the Game's lyrical flow is strong and on par with some of hip-hop's best, such as Wayne, Rick Ross and Drake. He meshes well with Chris Brown on the album's slow-tempo single, "Pot of Gold."

But it's Game's show, and he shines. He raps with aggression and displays a brash demeanor on top-notch tracks served up by Dre, The Neptunes, No I.D. and Cool & Dre.

Game raps about how he has matured since his drug-toting days on the DJ Premier-produced "Born in the Trap." He also touches on the violence in Los Angeles urban neighborhoods on the cinematic "Ricky," which uses dialogue taken from the 1987 movie "Boyz N the Hood."

There are other tracks on "R.E.D." that are worth a listen, such as "Good Girls Go Bad," featuring Drake, "Speakers on Blast," including E-40 and Big Boi, and "Mama Knows" with Nelly Furtado.

Game doesn't steer away from his reputation of being a notorious name-dropper on this album, dropping references to numerous famous faces, including LeBron James, Betty White and President Barack Obama. There aren't too many rappers who can pull this off, but Game has made it effective trademark.

In all, "R.E.D." is one of Game's most balanced albums since his debut in 2005. After four albums, he continues to prove that he is a dominating force from the West Coast.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: On "The City," featuring newcomer Kendrick Lamar, The Game raps with fervent attitude and declares himself as one of best rappers of all time, along with the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z and Nas — "in no particular order," he notes.

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Follow Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/mrlandrum31

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Review: New `Conan' is a barbaric bore (AP)

No one ever turns into a giant snake in the new "Conan the Barbarian."

That, in a nutshell, is what's wrong with this remake: The knowing sense of big, ridiculous fun that marked the 1982 original is gone, and in its place we get a self-serious series of generic sword battles and expository conversations.

Fight, talk, fight, talk, fight, talk, then an enormous throwdown followed by a denouement that dangles the possibility of a sequel (dear God, no) — that's the basic structure here. And yet, despite seeming so simplistic, director Marcus Nispel's film is mind-numbingly convoluted. The fact that it's been converted to a murky, smudgy, barely-used 3-D doesn't help matters. At one point, I scrawled in my notes: "Incomprehensible underwater serpent attack." There you have it.

The script is credited to three writers, based on Robert E. Howard's Conan character, but everyone involved would probably prefer that you not think of this as a remake.

Remakes have become Nispel's bread and butter in recent years. The longtime music-video director also made the 2003 version of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and the 2009 version of "Friday the 13th." But while the original "Conan" — the movie that signaled the arrival of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a bona fide movie star — looks extremely dated nearly 30 years later, it still functions just fine as both an epic adventure tale and an admitted guilty pleasure.

There's very little that's pleasurable in this new "Conan," aside from allowing us to ogle the muscular, 6-foot-5 physique of up-and-coming action star Jason Momoa. If you're into that kind of thing, that is — he is a spectacle to behold, albeit in a romance-novel cover-model kind of way.

"I live. I love. I slay ... I am content," Conan says to the innocent Tamara (Rachel Nichols), whom he's been tasked with protecting. Not quite as poetic as one of Schwarzenegger's most famous lines: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women," but at least we know he's confident enough to avoid suffering an existential crisis. Good for him. He also doesn't evolve, though, which doesn't make him terribly compelling. It didn't seem possible for there to be even less characterization than there was in the original "Conan," but voila.

Once again, the Cimmerian warrior is on a mission to avenge the deaths of his father (Ron Perlman, who's in no way being put to his best use) and the rest of his village. He's after the evil warlord Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang), who's after the Mask of Acheron, which resembles a dried-up octopus. But it can spring to life and provide unlimited power to the wearer with the help of some drops of pure blood — which Tamara has. Hence, she's in demand.

Khalar Zym is aided in his quest by his half-witch daughter Marique, played by an over-the-top Rose McGowan in the kind of daring, skin-baring outfits she used to wear on the red carpet when she was still dating Marilyn Manson. Marique tries out her burgeoning supernatural powers in a battle with Conan himself, but when it comes time to fight Tamara as part of the film's climax, it's all mano-a-mano. Why? Because it's sexier for them to be writhing around on the ground with each other.

If only the rest of the movie had such an unabashed sense of camp, we might have been onto something.

"Conan the Barbarian," a Lionsgate release, is rated R for strong bloody violence, some sexuality and nudity. Running time: 102 minutes. One star out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G — General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Review: Jeff Bridges is country solid on new album (AP)

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen, Ap Entertainment Writer – Mon Aug 15, 2:45 pm ET

Jeff Bridges, "Jeff Bridges" (Blue Note)

If Bad Blake, the boozy country singer Jeff Bridges played in 2009's "Crazy Heart," could make albums, he may have made something like "Jeff Bridges." The actor's self-titled album is decidedly country, at once sad and hopeful, laced with heartfelt harmonies and slide guitars.

Perhaps inspired by the movie and certainly made possible by his Oscar win, Bridges sought out his longtime friend (and "Crazy Heart" songwriter and producer) T Bone Burnett to produce the 10-song collection, which features tracks penned by other contributors to the film. Bridges wrote two of the songs himself and co-wrote another with Burnett.

The actor's two self-penned tracks, "Falling Short" and Tumbling Vine," are among the album's most haunting and contemplative, as the 61-year-old sings about what it means to be alive. He continues that theme on "Slow Boat," the song he wrote with Burnett, and throughout the CD. "If it's as bad or good as it can get, well, you ain't seen nothing yet," he sings on one track. "I wasn't born to be standing still long," he sings on another. "You know one day my tombstone will say born to be gone."

The Dude is a deep guy, but Bridges is at his best when he's singing about love. He's earnest on "Either Way," and downright heart-wrenching on "Everything But Love," singing, "The moon cries on the mountains/When it looks down from above/and it sees everything but love."

Bridges, Burnett and Bad Blake should be proud of the actor's eponymous CD. Its 10 songs are solid, if sometimes sad, establishing Bridges as a bonafide musician, not just a guy who plays one on screen.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: On the opening track, "What a Little Bit of Love Can Do," Bridges sounds like the cheery-eyed uncle everyone wishes they had. Written by his close friend who died in 2009, Bridges played the song informally for years before leading off his album with it. Upbeat and sweet, the song offers a taste of Bridges' country style and big-hearted vocals.

Review: Beyonce showcases her dominance at concert (AP)

NEW YORK – With 16 Grammys, millions of records sold, several defining hits and a superstar husband among her accomplishments, Beyonce has nothing to prove.

But sometimes, even queens need to show what it means to be royalty. And on Sunday night, Beyonce arrived at the Roseland Ballroom to give fans and critics alike a reminder that despite chatter that might try to suggest otherwise, she remains the head diva in the music world, and she made her case to a select group of fans, one rump-shaking move at a time.

"This show is gonna be a little different," Beyonce told the standing-room crowd at the show's outset. "I just wanna have a good time."

But she clearly had more on her agenda for this concert, the first of a four-night stand at the famed concert hall. While she usually performs for audiences of around 20,000, she downsized at Roseland for a sold-out crowd of about 3,000 to promote her new album "4," which has received critical acclaim and gone gold since its June release but has not dominated sales and radio charts like her previous three solo albums, all multiplatinum successes with multiple hits.

The album's release came at a critical time for Beyonce, with the 29-year-old firing her father and longtime manager Matthew Knowles and taking control of her own career, amid the increasing chart dominance of competing acts like Lady Gaga and Rihanna. With the initial slower-than-usual start for her latest album, there's been discussion about whether her career is heading in the right direction.

Sunday's concert was Beyonce's dazzling rebuttal to all that talk: She put her track record up for display along with her new material with a subtle but undeniable message that she is not to be doubted, or counted against. Dressed in a shimmering gold minidress, the 29-year-old performer gave fans a history lesson of how Beyonce became Beyonce, from her early days as the star of Destiny's Child to her reign at the top of the charts with hits like "Crazy in Love" and "Single Ladies."

She kicked things off by reaching deep into the past, not to sing one of her on hits, but one by one of her idols — "I Wanna Be Where You Are," by Michael Jackson. Like Jackson, Beyonce started singing as a child, and like Jackson, she became the undisputed star of her group. It was a song Destiny's Child once sang for a recording contract audition, one that ended unsuccessfully. But, Beyonce duly noted that the setback didn't stop them, a recurring theme for her concert, and her career.

Throughout the first half of the concert, Beyonce ran through the chart-topping hits that came from her pen like "Independent Women," and noted that they were often inspired by her constant critics. Before launching into "Survivor," she told the crowd about all the jokes lobbed at Destiny's Child and their ever-changing personnel.

"This song was the defining moment of our career," she said, noting the constant criticism she received at the time. "It actually inspired me."

Later, she recalled how her record company wasn't a fan of her solo debut, "Dangerously in Love."

"They told me I did not have one hit song on my album," she said of the album that contained hits like the title track and "Baby Boy."

"I guess they were kind of right: I had five," she boasted, before launching into a smoldering, slowed down version of the album's biggest hit, "Crazy in Love."

Backed by her all-female band, Beyonce reaffirmed her role as a peerless entertainer with her full-throated, soulful soprano and killer dance moves, in her signature stilettos. While she spent the first half the concert burnishing her bio (including her romance with husband Jay-Z) an re-affirming her credentials through her past, the latter half was devoted to the future courtesy of "4."

She said the album was about "being brave, managing myself ... giving myself artistic freedom to make real music for you." That freedom resulted in an album that showcased her romantic, torch-song persona with her bootylicious, dance-groove side. Though she didn't sing every song on the album, she sang most of them, from the Kanye West-produced "Party" to the girl-wronged anthem "Best Thing I Never Had" to infectious, marching-band inspired "End of Time."

"I searched the world, and found myself," she declared.

She ended the night with the song "I Am Here," a celebration of having left a lasting legacy — a point she underscored at Roseland to perfection.

___

Online:

http://www.beyonceworld.com

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Review: Beyonce showcases her dominance at concert (AP)

NEW YORK – NEW YORK (AP) — With 16 Grammys, millions of records sold, several defining hits and a superstar husband, Beyonce has nothing to prove.

But sometimes, even queens need to show what it means to be royalty. And on Sunday night, Beyonce arrived at the Roseland Ballroom to give fans and critics alike a reminder that she remains the head diva in the music world. She made her case to a select group of fans one rump-shaking move at a time.

"This show is going to be a little different," Beyonce told the standing-room crowd at the show's outset. "I just want to have a good time."

But she clearly had more on her agenda for Sunday's concert, the first of a four-night run at the famed concert-dance hall. While she usually performs for audiences of around 20,000, Beyonce downsized at Roseland for a sold-out crowd of about 3,000 to promote her new album "4," which has received critical acclaim and has been certified platinum since its June release, but has not dominated sales and radio charts as her previous three solo albums, all multiplatinum successes with multiple hits, did.

The album's release came at a critical time for Beyonce, with the 29-year-old firing her father and longtime manager Matthew Knowles and taking control of her own career, amid the increasing chart pre-eminence of competing acts such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna. With the initial slower-than-usual start for her latest album, there's been discussion about whether her career is heading in the right direction.

Sunday's concert was Beyonce's dazzling rebuttal to all that talk: She put her track record up for display along with her new material and a subtle but undeniable message that she is not to be doubted, or counted against. Dressed in a shimmering gold minidress, she gave fans a history lesson of how Beyonce became Beyonce, from her early days as the star of Destiny's Child to her reign at the top of the charts with such hits as "Crazy in Love" and "Single Ladies."

She kicked things off by reaching deep into the past to do a song by one of her idols — Michael Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are." Like Jackson, Beyonce started singing as a child, and like Jackson, she became the undisputed star of her group. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" was a song Destiny's Child once sang for a recording contract audition that ended unsuccessfully. Beyonce noted that the setback didn't stop them — a recurring theme for her concert, and her career.

Throughout the first half of the show, Beyonce ran through the chart-topping hits that came from her pen such as "Independent Women," and said they were often inspired by her critics. Before launching into "Survivor," she told the crowd about all the jokes lobbed at Destiny's Child and their ever-changing personnel.

"This song was the defining moment of our career," she said, noting the constant criticism she received at the time. "It actually inspired me." Later, she recalled how her record company wasn't a fan of her solo debut, "Dangerously in Love."

"They told me I did not have one hit song on my album," she said of the album that contained such hits as the title track and "Baby Boy."

"I guess they were kind of right: I had five," she boasted, before launching into a smoldering, slow version of the album's biggest hit, "Crazy in Love."

Backed by her all-female band, Beyonce reaffirmed her role as a peerless entertainer with her full-throated, soulful soprano and killer dance moves, in her signature stilettos. While she spent the first half the concert running through her life story (including her romance with husband Jay-Z) and her achievements, the second half was devoted to the future, courtesy of "4."

She said the album was about "being brave, managing myself ... giving myself artistic freedom to make real music for you." That freedom resulted in an album that showcased her romantic, torch-song persona with her bootylicious, dance-groove side. Though she didn't sing every song on the album, she sang most of them, from the Kanye West-produced "Party" to the girl-wronged anthem "Best Thing I Never Had" to the infectious, marching-band inspired "End of Time."

"I searched the world, and found myself," she declared.

She ended the night with the song "I Was Here," a celebration of having left a lasting legacy — a point she underscored at Roseland to perfection.

___

Online:

http://www.beyonceworld.com

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Review: The War on Drugs fights the good fight (AP)

By CHRIS TALBOTT, AP Entertainment Writer Chris Talbott, Ap Entertainment Writer – Mon Aug 15, 3:42 pm ET

The War on Drugs, "Slave Ambient" (Secretly Canadian)

It's hard to find something that sounds new these days. It feels like everything's been done before, your new favorite band sounding like a throwback to your old favorite band.

Into this tape loop steps The War on Drugs, sporting a sound that may not exactly be new in its execution but sure feels that way in spirit. Daniel Granduciel, the primary player in The War on Drugs, spent much of the last three years laboring over "Slave Ambient." It's the band's second album and first without former collaborator and fellow Philadelphian Kurt Vile, who mines very similar sounds in his solo career and with the critically acclaimed release "Smoke Ring For My Halo."

Granduciel made much of the record by taking samples he made in the studio and blending them together to form a modern sort of wall of sound where several different threads blend together seamlessly into what feels like an impenetrable tapestry.

The fun is in the close, repeated listen, trying to pull out all the different flavors from the overall piece.

There's the demented harmonica in "Baby Missiles," the subtle guitar hiding in the shadows on "I Was There," and the spacey horns of "The Animator" that slop over and blend perfectly into "Come to the City."

"Slave Ambient" deserves the same kind of critical attention "Smoke Ring" got earlier this year. Taken together these albums hopefully represent the first unified volley in a new Philly sound — shambolic, shamanistic and completely cool.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Baby Missiles," a holdover from an EP Granduciel issued to keep fans at bay while waiting on new material, marches along on an infectious beat with inscrutable lyrics and an addictive melody. Go ahead and play it just once. We dare you.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Review: Jeff Bridges plays it cool and safe on album (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Jeff Bridges has said he worried for a while about being typecast as the smart but zonked-out character he played in "The Big Lebowski." So maybe it's not surprising that some early reviews of the actor's T Bone Burnett-produced new album have suggested that it carries certain Dude-like qualities.

Certainly it's low-key enough that you could say it doesn't strive to do much more than abide.

But the "Big Lebowski" character Bridges really most resembles on record is the Stranger, the narrator played by Sam Neil who, you may recall, showed up just long enough to talk about "the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself," among other homespun-philosophical nuggets.

Along those same lines, "Jeff Bridges," the album -- possibly much like Jeff Bridges, the person -- is all about the cowboy Zen.

By keeping both his voice and his ambitions low, Bridges avoids a lot of the traps that have befallen other actors-turned-singers. He doesn't take the artistic chances Tim Robbins did on his recently released album debut, and so avoids any of the vocal and thematic embarrassments that the well-intentioned Robbins croaked his way into.

He's neither as pretentious a singer/songwriter as Billy Bob Thornton was in his early country-rock career, nor as silly a genre revivalist as Thornton eventually turned himself into. Cooler than Costner? That goes without saying.

But, utterly listenable as the album is, you may come away from it admiring T Bone Burnett's talent for framing modesty more than the innate likability and unassuming musical charms Bridges brings to the table.

Curiously, Bridges wrote or co-wrote only three of the 10 tracks -- curious because, when he made his indie-label bow in 2000 with a little-remembered album called "Be Here Soon," he wrote a full six of the tunes on that recording. Maybe he's gotten humbler in the intervening 11 years, feeling that his own compositions can't compete with those of Texas music stalwarts like John Goodwin and the late Stephen Bruton, both of whom worked on the film "Crazy Heart" and make multiple writing contributions here.

The opening number, Bruton's "What a Little Bit of Love Can Do," works up a shiny, catchy, Buddy Holly-like feel and it's the last time the album rises to anything so much as a mid-tempo. Most everything else sounds designed for driving into the remnants of a West Texas sunset and musing on life as a slow drive into the unknown. Or "Slow Boat," the simile in one of his original songs. He's a journeyman on "Jeff Bridges" in every sense of the word. "Lookin' down that highway as far as I can see/Where I left so much of me " "Well, it's a good old car/But the clutch is a little loose/And the brakes are screaming/A song called 'What's the Use'/But it's good for one more trip to you " "Are we headed upstream?/The fog's too thick to really see " You get the metaphoric-transit picture.

Familiarity is almost everything here. If you feel like you've been on this highway with Bridges since first-picture-shows like "The Last Picture Show," you may forgive the repetition of some of the imagery and settle into the passenger seat for this very comfortable midlife chat.

Burnett makes that easy enough, by putting to use the trademark sounds he's turned into Americana institutions over the last 30-plus years -- the tremelo and baritone electric guitars, the standup bass, brushes on snares, and Marc Ribot going a little crazy for a few seconds here and there -- and throwing in Rosanne Cash and Sam Phillips as harmony sweeteners.

Bridges stays so well within his limited vocal range that you occasionally wish he'd work up a slight sweat and at least test it, but there's something to be said for an actor knowing his limitations.

The two best tracks do come from the writing hand of John Goodwin, a friend of Bridges' since the fourth grade: "Maybe I Missed the Point," a pointedly self-searching eulogy for good deeds undone, and the closing "The Quest," which transcends its journeying symbolism with a wise message about learning to know when you've replenished your spirit enough to do some hard work.

The most quotable moment comes when Bridges, in an original verse, sings, "Here is my seat/I do not pay rent/I'm delighted/I'm Buddhistly bent." Critics may cock their eyebrows at that one, but both The Stranger would surely approve, and probably The Dude, too.

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