LITTLE ROCK — Jay-Z The Blueprint 3Roc Nation/AtlanticB+
It's customary that when an artist's previous album didn't live up to expectations, he revisits his greatest commercial or artistic success (Fat Joe's J.O.S.E. 2, Lil Wayne's The Carter 2 and 3, etc). After 2007's American Gangster, Jay looked back for inspiration. Blueprint 3 is masterful. "Empire State of Mind" has thumping drums and Alicia Keys' divine voice. The rugged "D.O.A." expresses a sentiment against the Auto-Tune craze.
Jay is one of the greatest MCs, a thinking man's artist at the forefront of hip-hop's maturation. But he doesn't sound hungry. And why should he? He's a multi-millionaire, part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and when he has a bad day he gets to go home to Beyonce.
Blueprint 3 is far from a disappointment, but it's nowhere near the classic Blueprint or its sequel, Blueprint 2. Unfair to compare? Not when Jay's the one who focused on his past greatness with this album's title.
- SHON MCPEACEAlice Donut Ten GloriousAnimals Alternative TentacleC
For 20 years, Alice Donut has kept it delicious and sugary-fresh with its vision of life as a series of small absurdist dramas. But staleness afflicts the New York alt-rock band's latest. The band combines dry social commentary with surreal imagery. Sometimes there's too much of both, transforming surreal into unredeeming silliness on a few cuts. And the sarcasm gets a little thick.
The wordy and inconsequential "Prog Jenny" doesn't stand up well against the Bowie-ish guitar grind of "Wide." Especially irksome is the unsuccessful channeling of Sonic Youth on "Don't I Know." It's boring stuff from a band known for verve and daring. "Where is My Mind" is a Pixies cover reconfigured as a trombonebased comedy instrumental. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
There is goodness here - the country-tinged "Shiloh" and funereal "Cavalry" - but not enough to cover the holes in this album.
- JOHN SYKES JR.Alarm Will Sound a/rhythmiaNonesuchB
Alarm Will Sound, an outre 20-piece chamber orchestra probably best known for performing a live acoustic version of The Beatles' musique concrete experiment "Revolution 9," gives us an album of 14 pieces exploring arrhythmia - beatlessness, if you will.
But while the album, comprised of works from composers from the 15th through 21st centuries, is hardly easy listening, it's not entirely without warmth or charm. Unpinned from Western notions ofrhythm and pulse, the pieces seem to unfurl at random, in long fluttering, stuttering, subversive takes.
The musical equivalent of a David Lynch film, Alarm Will Sound makes a game of frustrating expectations and leaving what seemed like big questions at the time unresolved. Musos into Zappa and Beefheart as well as the usual longhairs should take note.
- PHILIP MARTINThe Shaky Hands Let it DieKill Rock StarsB+
The story goes that Shaky Hands leader Nicholas Delffs traveled around India for a month or so, distancing himself from the Portland, Ore., scene and rock music in general. Upon his return, and after some touring, he and his band mates settled in to record this fantastically loose, jangly collection of inspired tunes.
Don't look for any outward Indian influences. This is thriftstore American indie rock with flashes of early Kinks and R.E.M. The title track has an energetic, Dylanish feel, while the keyboard-driven "Already Gone" and the country-tinged "Gonna Hold You Tonight" are standouts.
These Shaky Hands make some pretty steady music; it is due for release Tuesday.
- SEAN CLANCYCalvin Richardson Facts of Life(The Soul of Bobby Womack) Nu Mo/ShanachieB+
There's only one thing wrong with Facts of Life, Calvin Richardson's take on some of the legendary Bobby Womack's more recognizable classics. It's the somewhat glaring omission of "If You Think You're Lonely Now." When Womack sang it, listeners felt it in their collective souls. Thanks to countless renditions of that song, fans are reminded of Womack's mighty voice and soulful style.
Richardson does a very good job of inspiriting classics such as "Across 110th Street" and "Daylight." His smooth, effortless delivery pours vintage songs like "American Dream," "Woman Got To Have It" and "That's The Way I Feel About 'Cha" over listeners, as opposed to Womack, whose powerful delivery sort of grabbed fans and demanded that they listen. Richardson is one of today's more overlooked soul singers, so who better to pay homage to Womack, who has never gotten his due?
- SHON MCPEACE
Style, Pages 57 on 09/27/2009