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Beautiful imperfection |
 Paris-based Nigerian singer Asa touches on multiple genres, including reggae and R&B, on her upbeat sophomore album, Beautiful Imperfection. Her rich voice croons over hooky melodies in both English and her native language, Yourba. It's an uncomplicated, breezy pop album and certainly shows that Asa is a songstress to keep our eyes and ears on. |
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Keep it like a secret |
Built to Spill's fourth album is a favorite that holds up after more than a decade. Frontman Martsch's distinctive vocals and hypnotic guitar work make this a classic. Some reviewers noted that this is the band's most accessible album. That's a fair assessment. There aren't as many long guitar solos that often characterize their work, especially at their live shows. Rather, the songs are perfectly balanced with as much to offer lyrically as musically. It's hard to pick favorites, but "The Plan," "You Were Right" and "Temporarily Blind" are particularly memorable. |
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The lady killer |
Featuring an insanely catchy hit you've most certainly heard, Green's latest album is mighty, soulful and cinematic. Entertainment Weekly wrote that it employs "vintage songcraft with hefty doses of sweet Motown/Stax boogie, a smattering of Curtis Mayfield superfly, and imaginary theme songs for James Bond." And that doesn't even mention his dynamic style and vocal power. |
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Rome |
Inspired by Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western music from the 60s and 70s, composer Daniele Luppi and producer Danger Mouse rounded up some of the musicians and vocalists who contributed to the soundtracks for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West. They even booked a studio formerly used by Morricone. The result is a moody, cinematic album. Norah Jones and Jack White contribute vocals to a number of tracks. |
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Sigh no more |
After Adele, Mumford & Sons has probably been the most in demand of all musical artists this year at the library. Grammy-nominated for best new artist, the British folk rock group is one of the biggest successes to come back across the Atlantic as a product of the current British mania for Americana. And with an Arcade Fire producer involved and hints of the influence of bands such as Fleet Foxes, it's no wonder that indie-loving Chicagoans have succumbed to their charms in a big way. |
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So beautiful or so what |
Paul Simon's long and celebrated career is far from over, apparently, as he recently released his strongest album in years. Harkening back to 1986's Grammy-winning Graceland in its sound and rhythms, the new album has a spiritual focus to its lyrics, as on the beautiful "Dazzling Blue." In "The Afterlife" Simon shares a bureaucratic vision of life after death ("You got to fill out a form first / and then you wait in the line"), and "Rewrite" and "Love and Hard Times" are also standouts on a great album. Fans of the singer-songwriter tradition won't want to miss this. |
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Electric warrior |
Marc Bolan's band T. Rex was one the most important bands in glam rock, influencing contemporaries such as David Bowie and followers as diverse as the New York Dolls, The Jesus and Mary Chain and the Flaming Lips, as well as recent acts like Portugal.The Man. Better known in the UK than the US (except for the unstoppable single "Bang a Gong (Get it On)"), the band featured a big juicy guitar sound and sexy lyrics. Cuts like "Cosmic Dance" and "Jeepster" sound as fresh as ever. It's one of those classic five-star rock albums that never goes out of style. Fans of Queen, the New York Dolls, and Thin Lizzy, be sure to check this out. |
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The golden age of apocalypse |
Bass-playing whiz Stephen Bruner, who records as Thundercat (and yes, he loved the animated show ThunderCats growing up) has been part of a number of projects as disparate as the hardcore band Suicidal Tendencies to working alongside Snoop Dogg. More recently, he contributed to Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma, both part of the LA-based Brainfeeder collective. His solo release, Golden Age of the Apocalypse, is spaced-out electronic jazz-funk reminiscent of 70s era Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers, and it includes a great cover of George Duke's "For Love I Come." Easily one of the best and most interesting albums of 2011. |