Rock
The Raconteurs
“Broken Boy Soldiers”
Neither as taut nor as edgy as Raconteur guitarist-singer Jack White's main gig, the White Stripes, “Broken” is a mixed bag of pop-rock songs running the gamut from smarmy (“Intimate Secretary”) and introspective (“Together”) to exhilarating (“Hands” and the title track).
The band, rounded out by Brendan Benson (guitar, vocals, keyboards) and the Greenhornes' Jack Lawrence (bass) and Patrick Keeler (drums), is sometimes lumbering, other times light on its feet. The nasal twang of both singers is mitigated by the LP's impeccable execution, although the album – is more of a look backward than forward.
– JAMES HEALY
Rock
Wolfmother
“Wolfmother”
The power trio lives. Australia's riff-roaring Wolfmother delivers a massively muscular sound that borrows liberally from everyone from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath to the MC5, Cream, the Doors and even early Jethro Tull. Guitarist-vocalist Andrew Stockdale has a multi-octave voice reminiscent of Robert Plant in his prime, and on songs like “White Unicorn” and the organ-backed “Mind's Eye,” he gives it a dazzling workout.
– KEVIN O'HARE
World
Susana Baca
“Travesías”
Another Susan Baca album, another series of reasons – 12 songs sung in Spanish, French, Italian and English – to appreciate her extraordinary talent. The Afro-Peruvian songstress vibrantly perpetuates her heritage via the dark, historical “Palomita Ingrata” and the fiery, guitar-driven “Guillermina.” These traditional renderings illustrate Baca's alternately tender and intense voice, and her self-professed “leftist” politics.
Her experimental bent and eclecticism emerge alongside well-chosen collaborations. “Estrela” is a delicate duet with Brazilian legend Gilberto Gil; “Luna Rossa” is a subtle romantic ballad with Italy's The Tosca Strings.
– GERALD POINDEXTER
Rock
Hoobastank
“Every Man for Himself”
“Every Man for Himself” begins with a drill-sergeant intro that melds into the marching tempo of the first song, “Born to Lead.” Rebellious guitar argues with a steady beat, as the vocal is forceful and heroic. Tracks of dramatic defiance are counterbalanced with reflective ballads that attempt to rekindle the previous, Grammy-nominated “The Reason.”
Although some tracks are initially attention grabbing, the album gives way to predictable arrangements. Doug Robb's vocal shares a similar sound to Incubus' Brandon Boyd, yet is undermined by a lack of lyrical depth.
– TARA STONE
R&B
Dr. John
“Mercernary”
Blue Note
Anything new from the good doctor is always worth a listen. But when Dr. John sits down to pay tribute – as he has done to Duke Ellington, his beloved New Orleans and many others – you get a look at what makes Dr. John special.
Here, he covers the music of songwriter Johnny Mercer, a Georgia peach whose songs from the 1930s onward are now part of the American pop vocabulary. Dr. John takes some of Mercer's most enduring tunes, many of them co-written by some of the greatest names in the Great American Songbook – Arlen, Carmichael, Van Heusen – reworks them through his Crescent City piano style and comes up with new old songs.
Face it, “I'm an Old Cow Hand” is not spun gold, but Dr. John takes hold of it and certainly comes out with a nice little pile of silver. He does the same with “Blues in the Night,” “That Old Black Magic” and “Moon River.” Each retains the scent of Mercer, but all are pure Dr. John.
“Mercernary” is not perfect. Some of these tunes still feel moldy, even with the update. But when you combine two of the South's most interesting musical personalities, it's a gumbo that's hard to resist.
– T. MICHAEL CROWELL
ROCK
The Raconteurs
“Broken Boy Soldiers”
Third Man
½
ROCK
Wolfmother
“Wolfmother”
Modular/Interscope
½
WORLD
Susana Baca
“Travesías”
Luaka Bop
½
ROCK
Hoobastank
“Every Man for Himself”
Island
½
R&B
Dr. John
“Mercernary”
Blue Note
