First Quarter Music Recap

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
She's gotten enough press as "an artist to watch in 2007", but has not really gotten much hype in the mainstream media/radio. The title track is the standout, and her band is great, combining UK garage and the Motown-sound into something cohesive and contemporary. She has a unique voice, and sometimes startlingly frank lyrics. If she makes it here, she'll be an easy target for the tabloids.

Aqualung - Memory Man
I think Ben said it best when he wrote that he "makes great calculator rock". The first half of the album is great (especially Pressure Suit and Rolls So Deep), then he loses steam toward the conclusion, which is a live version of the song, 'Good Times Gonna Come' from his debut, which just serves as a reminder of how much he left to be desired in the last 4-5 new songs of this record.

The Broken West - I Can't Go On, I'll Go On
Haven't really listened enough to give a full assesment, but I am not a big fan of power-pop in general, but this band strays from the nu-punk junk stylings of the Fall Out Boy's of the world, they sound more like a hybrid of Love, 9 Days, and The Killers (an odd pairing if ever there was one). The song's Brass Ring and Down in the Valley are the ones that have stood out to me thus far, so check those if you want to discover them for yourself.

Elisabeth Withers - It Can Happen To You
Having starred on Broadway in The Color Purple, she got the record deal based on the label (Blue Note) president hearing her doing a set in a jazz club; we are left to wonder what he heard that night. Every song here is so over-produced that I'm surprised they even bothered to let her sing. There are flashes of vocal brilliance, there is no doubt the girl can sing, but this album is not the showcase she needs.

Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Great dramatic, mercurial instrumental rock. They go from loud to soft, intricate to simplicity at the drop of a hat (or octave). The use of dynamic shifts and solid musicianship makes this a great album to put on and let play through on a rainy afternoon.

The Feeling - Twelve Stops and Home
Wrote about them earlier, Nsync (-dancing) + Queen (- 1 degree of awesomeness) = The Feeling. Gloriously unnecessary guitar solos, sing-along choruses make this record most excellent and infinitely listenable.

Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather
Bought this on the strength of the title track (which turns out to be rather mediocre by comparison), and it was a welcome surprise. Most know this band either on the strength of the title song from That Thing You Do! or the hit Stacy's Mom from a few years ago. This album is the result of a mash-up of classic pop-rock influences, from The Beatles to The Eagles to Springsteen. The songs are small short stories about sundry characters from a DMV employee to TV show anchors to a couple in an airport, all filled with cultural and pop-cultural asides backed up by good musicianship, paying homage to their influences while avoiding mimicry.

I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends
Without a doubt, the happiest album released thus far this year. This 30-member Swedish (not Spanish, despite the name) ensemble makes the most sing-alongable music since NSync. Songs with lyrics like "I have built a treehouse, I have built a treehouse, nobody can see us, it's a you and me house" and "I can't belive I'm telling everybody I know, that every stamp in my collection is a place you can go" are the stuff Nordic pop dreams are made of. I can't not listen to it.

Joss Stone - Introducing Joss Stone
Finally, Joss Stone releases an album that sounds like her. The first two albums she put out sounded like someone trying to manufacture an artist, in this regard the title is apropos. Mostly produced by Raphael Saadiq and with feature spots by Common and Lauryn Hill, it is a contemporary R&B record that is original enough to separate itself, but close enough to be accessible to the casual fan, even though there is one track where she gets kinda shrieky. The album features a song penned by Diane Warren (think Aerosmith not wanting to close their eyes or miss one kiss) that doesn't make you want to throw up. I think it's worth the listen just for that. Bad Habit is the standout track (top 40 radio stations take note), and the Eddie Winslow-inspired Baby, Baby, Baby is surprisingly enjoyable despite the insipid title.

Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir
If Brian Wilson were at his creative peak today, and lived in Sweden, this is the album he would make. I don't know what else there is to say, that's about as laudatory as it gets in pop music.

Musiq Soulchild - Luvanmusiq
Haven't listened all the way through, but Teachme is another Musiq classic, but overall, the first 5 tracks sound like this album was a bit rushed.

Norah Jones - Not Too Late
Haven't listened enough to give it a fair review. The first couple songs are solid, Sinkin Soon is great, but beyond the first half, I have no real opinion, Norah's voice is too soothing, she puts me right to sleep, which is why I have yet to chance this one in the car.

Timbaland, et al - Shock Therapy
Timbo is chock full of ideas and creativity, but for better and worse, much of it works in the same direction. He's got idiosyncrasies that creep into every song, and usually that works for the best, but an album full of Timbaland beats makes it sound kinda the same over the course of 17 songs. Elton John and Dr. Dre headline a motley crew of guest artists. On the track with Dr. Dre and Missy Elliot, he works a simple laugh into a musical motif that has to be heard to be believed. I'm glad he didn't retire, but unfortunately, this album, like The Neptunes presents The Clones, is just too much of a good thing.