Jennifer Hudson
“JHUD”
(RCA Records)
3 stars
Jennifer Hudson also ages in reverse on her latest album.
For the third work from the Oscar-winning “American Idol” graduate,
Hudson adopts a pop ingenue’s nickname (JHUD), features a guest shot
from girl-of-the-hour Iggy Azalea, and greatly increases the pace of her
songs. Her earlier albums hedged their bets with R&B, gospel and
soupy ballads, but nearly all the new tracks have rhythms made for the
dance floor.
JHUD also goes trendy by featuring two 1970s-esque tracks produced by
pop’s most happy fella, Pharrell. If only they had the zip of his best
tunes. In fact, much of the material sounds like it was fished out of
the slush pile of hotter stars like Beyoncé or Nicki Minaj. Part of one
cut, “Walk It Out,” even sounds like a second run at Bey’s “Flawless.”
The album finally shakes awake toward the end. “Bring Back the Music”
has the retro feel of vintage Labelle, while “Say It” has the modern
R&B zip that the other tracks aspire to. Even better is “Moan,” an
11 o’clock, Broadway-style blowout that lets Hudson show how much more
power she has than most of her new material can handle.
Jeff Tweedy of Wilco created a "solo" album with his drummer son Spencer
Jeff Tweedy of Wilco created a "solo" album with his drummer son Spencer
Tweedy
“Sukierae”
(dBpm Records)
3 stars
Jeff Tweedy turned his first solo album into a family affair.
The leader of Wilco — and a pioneer of Americana with the ‘80s band
Uncle Tupelo — recorded most of the songs on his 20-song disc with his
18-year-old son Spencer, a drummer.
The relationship between their instruments forms a key part of the
album’s dynamic. Spencer Tweedy’s playing has a casual, shuffling
quality that dovetails nicely with father Jeff’s whispered singing and
flinty guitar.
There’s an acoustic-Zeppelin motif to part of the disc, most notably in
the askew blues riffs in tracks like the opening “Please Don’t Let Me
Be So Misunderstood” (not a cover). But there’s also lots of beautiful
balladry.
The songs’ dreamy quality won’t surprise Wilco fans. But, reflecting
the relationship of the players, the album has its own low-fi, homey
intimacy.
Imelda May
“Tribal”
(Decca)
3 stars
In the way-back world of Imelda May, rockabilly still rules the
airwaves. On her third album, the Irish-born singer continues her love
affair with ’50s American pop culture, be-bop-a-looing her way through
cool-cat riffs and Little Richard rhythms. She updates her sound
(slightly) with forays into the ’60s lounge stylings of Julie London and
a flash of the attitude of ’70s punk snarlers like Chrissie Hynde.
The obvious skill and spring in May’s delivery can excite, but her
music has become too uniform, too fixed in its backward view to keep us
rapt.
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga performs together on "Cheek To Cheek"
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga performs together on "Cheek To Cheek"
Welcome to the music industry’s Super Tuesday.
Today marks the start of the fall rush, when record companies open the
floodgates, setting a pace of releases that won't cease until the last
leaves drop. This year’s crop offers a veritable autumnal cornucopia,
including Lady Gaga’s tete-a-tete with Tony Bennett, a solo debut
solofrom Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, and new works from Jennifer Hudson,
Leonard Cohen, guitar hero Gary Clark Jr. and more. Brace yourself:
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
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