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Music Reviews

RYAN ADAMS - The Hardest Part (Single)
Billboard (09/17/05)
Ryan Adams refills our cup, again, and so soon. With "The Hardest Part," the prolific troubadour previews "Jacksonville City Nights" (out Sept. 27), the second act of his 2005 trilogy—and a return to old-school country balladry. His current band, the Cardinals, stays on. But gone is the rich sonic texture of the superb double-disc "Cold Roses," which backed his soulful howl with nostalgic guitars and breezy vocals. Driven by a renegade violin, the twangy "Hardest" feels rushed and incomplete, invoking an urban cowboy's effort to fulfill the country requirement after guilty flirtations with rock and punk. Apparently, one of our finest songwriters is haunted by too much inspiration. Finding the less-is-more balance is often the hardest part, it seems. —SP

JOSEPH ARTHUR - Nuclear Daydream
Billboard (09/23/06)
On his fifth full-length album, singer/ songwriter Arthur explores a new minimalism that reaches back to David Bowie and the Stones, armed with his distinctive vocal arrangements and just a handful of chords. Released on Arthur's own label, the set is a collection of sparse, acoustic guitar-based songs about love, death and the lingering pain of bruised relationships. Simply structured, but rich in texture, standouts like the synth-drenched "Automatic Situation" and the majestic "Black Lexus" are gloriously melancholic pop songs: introspective, anthemic and always laid-back. Most of the action happens in the chorus when Arthur, stacking harmonies like angry Lego bricks, builds a haunting wall-of-vocals that can veer from a Bee Gees meltdown ("Slide Away") to an icy trembling ("Electrical Storm"). The title track offers his own answer to the Stones' "Wild Horses," closing a mature effort that shines with nakedness and clarity. —SP

AUGUSTANA - Stars And Boulevards (Single)
Billboard (09/10/05)
"I sang my life away," Dan Layus sings—and he's not lying. The moody voice of Augustana's 20-year-old vocalist soars like a kite cut loose on an empty beach. Adopted by premier rock producer Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam), the foursome astounds with a grainy live sound and confident, less-is-more songwriting. Clearly, these young musicians from California (by way of Illinois) are comfortable in their own skin. "Stars and Boulevards"—the quasi title track from Augustana's debut album, "All Stars and Boulevards," out Sept. 6—is an organic slice of alt-campus rock with a thick crust of slow-rising guitars and lush piano. Midtempo, and almost anthemic, "Stars" never really climaxes. That's the beauty. Here, it is the simplicity that is spectacular. —SP

EDIE BRICKELL & THE NEW BOHEMIANS - Stranger Things
Billboard (07/29/06)
Edie Brickell's enormously underrated "Volcano," released two years ago, marked an exciting departure even though it was not a hit album. Now, the singer/songwriter attempts to recapture the past by reuniting with the New Bohemians, the band behind her 1988 calling card "What I Am." One can hear that these old friends are having a lot of fun, but "Stranger Things" turns out to be excruciatingly unproduced. While "Volcano" sparkled with acoustic guitars and lush licks courtesy of Charlie Sexton, here the musicians simply jam without ever creating mood. Loose, jazzed-up garage improvs with '80s rock guitars and percussion leave little room for Brickell to breathe real life into her escapist, nature-loving tales. With the right production, songs like the catchy title track or the outdoor reverie "Buffalo Ghost" could have been magical. —SP

COLDPLAY - Fix You (Single)
Billboard (09/24/05)
Breathe in. Chris Martin's dreamy, shut-eyed vocals are engulfed by sublime waves of organ and piano, while the band takes a break. Breathe out. "Fix You" from Coldplay's "X&Y"—still atop the Billboard Eurocharts albums list after 13 weeks—is a quiet ballad with a tenacious melody and deeply human feel. The song begins as a sonic yoga session and builds with each verse, softly stretching to reach catharsis. When a hypnotic, single-note guitar explodes the meditation into full-on stadium gospel, we start believing Coldplay could really be the next U2. However, Martin's Prozac prose ("Lights will guide you home/ And ignite your bones/ And I will fix you") is almost too soothing to provide real comfort. But it sure will fix temporary symptoms of early autumn blues. —SP

SHERYL CROW - Good Is Good (Single)
Billboard (08/27/05)
Since her 2002 release "C'mon, C'mon," Sheryl Crow has reinvented herself as a celebrity icon amid partnerships with Starbucks, Dell and the Tour de France. Enter John Shanks, the wildly promiscuous producer du jour, who teamed with Crow for her new album, "Wildflower." "Good Is Good" is a safe, radio-friendly ride. But Crow is a soul driver: Her voice is full of the sun-kissed melancholy that has given her guitar pop an authentic shine—though as Crow's vocals zoom in on the "thunder" and "lightning" of midlife nostalgia, the high-concept production leaves little room for uniqueness. Even so, the breezy, far-reaching hook and achy charm makes "Good" worth the ride. —SP

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL - Stolen
Billboard (March 2007)
Dashboard Confessional's last album, “Dusk and Summer,” abandoned emo dramas in favor of big arena-rock, not long after touring with U2. For this perfect sunset ballad,  Chris Cabbarra keeps his vocal cathartsis to a minimum, sending only a few whispery lines over a soulful less-is-more groove that unabashedly quotes “With Or Without You.” Anyone can write a post-breakup line like “You have stolen my heart,” but only Carrabba can attack a generic dairy entry with the emotional nakedness of someone burning up inside. Boasting a simple melody that cresendos into a hypnotic singalong, “Stolen” sounds big yet feels intimate; it shows how much the emo godfather has evolved as a songwriter. Or how much he has learned from Bono.—SP

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL - Don't Wait (Single)
Billboard (07/15/06)
Three years after the modern rock smash "Hands Down," Chris Carrabba's Dashboard Confessional returns with an atmospheric midtempo anthem full of mature melodic muscle. Kicking off with a wordless, arena singalong that could make Bono blush, "Don't Wait" boasts a simple melody and soaring chorus that takes one by surprise. More focused than ever, the super-sensitive Carrabba squeezes the essence out of his punk-folk, but keeps his sad-boy lyrics smart and poetic. At a time when most emo startups are trying to be Fall Out Boy, Dashboard steps on the brakes and reaches for U2, a wise move that will resonate with '80s-friendly modern rock radio. —SP

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL - Dusk & Summer
Billboard (07/01/06)
Sounds like Chris Carrabba took notes when his band opened for U2 last fall. On "Dusk and Summer," Dashboard Confessional's first full-band studio effort in three years, the specter of Bono hovers over his impassioned pleadings, which move from shivery falsetto to operatic sweep. And while U2 producer Daniel Lanois collaborated on only a few songs, his sonic vision shines through all 10 tracks. The midtempo opener "Don't Wait" sends an impossibly simple hook over a classic U2 beat, while the delicate "Stolen," the album's best cut, unabashedly echoes "With or Without You." Slower paced and more atmospheric than any of its predecessors, "Dusk" is an ambitious showcase of maturity. However, the "Shrek 3"-ready piano ballad "So Long, So Long," featuring Counting Crows' Adam Duritz, will make longtime fans cringe and yearn for the bygone man-with-guitar days. —SP

DEF LEPPARD - Yeah
Billboard (09/16/06)
Hot on the heels of a platinum-shipping best-of, Def Leppard finally shares the secret behind its '80s hitmaking and hair-styling: British glam rock. Feeling nostalgic, the pop-metal vets hand over a long-delayed covers set with hits from the Kinks ("Waterloo Sunset"), T. Rex ("20th Century Boy") and Sweet ("Hellraiser"). While bubble-gum standouts "Rock On" (David Essex) and "Don't Believe a Word" (Thin Lizzy) would have raised arena roofs around the time the Berlin Wall collapsed, the DIY production lacks any sonic stunts, suggesting an exhausted cover band that feeds on echoes of a once glorious past. Even so, expect Def Leppard to air out some of these tunes on the road with Journey this summer. —SP

BOB DYLAN - Someday Baby (Single)
Billboard (09/16/06)
Lately, the once-so-reclusive Bob Dylan has been revealing more of himself—he's even hosting a weekly radio show—but his nasal growl remains as enigmatic and prophetic as ever. With "Modern Times," he submits a new album that sounds just like one of those scratched pre-rock records he is now spinning on-air. An old-timey electric blues shuffle in the vein of Slim Harpo, "Someday Baby" isn't breaking any new ground, but that's exactly the point. "I'm so hard-pressed, my mind tied up in knots/I keep recycling the same old thoughts," he riffs, holding onto the blues like an old preacher to his most sacred text. Dylan in 2006 offers a refuge from, not homage to, our hopelessly modern world. —SP

FALL OUT BOY - Infinity On High
Billboard (02/10/07)
Forget MySpace, viral nude pics, emo and eyeliner -- Fall Out Boy has grander ambitions. With "Infinity on High," a shamelessly melodic, wild and powerful pop record, the Chicago outfit has reinvented itself as the world's biggest boy band. The set, which opens with an intro by Jay-Z ("Yo! FOB!"), wraps catchy emo hooks around epic production employing huge harmonies, R&B grooves, samples and strings. But the real surprise is singer Patrick Stump, who explores his full vocal range and croons like a soulman. Fall Out Boy 2.0 is at its self-indulgent best on the funky "The Take Over, the Breaks Over" and the heavily orchestrated "Thnks Fr the Mmrs," one of two tracks produced by Babyface. And clever post-emo anthems like the instant Billboard Hot 100 hit "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" reveal the true heirs of the Backstreet Boys, ready to take over the world. —SP

KEVIN FEDERLINE - PopoZão
Billboard (01/28/06)
Oops, he did it. Kevin Federline releases a rap single, even without the support of a record label. It is only natural that Britney's private dancer wants to do more than carry the purse with the family chihuahua during paparazzi-driven shopping sprees. Released exclusively via Yahoo Music Unlimited, this dance-centric hip-hop rhyme tries to emulate D4L's goofy smash "Laffy Taffy," but K-Fed's faux rap is a flowless mess. While he deserves credit for the cryptic title (Portuguese for "hot ass"), his rhymes are torturous ("I wanna see ya kitty and a little bit of titty"), and his faint voice lacks coolness and confidence as he hollers for more Brazilian booty. A monument to mediocrity. —SP

FEIST - Open Season
Billboard (07/22/06)
Less than a year after the U.S. release of her genre-defying chill-out gem "Let It Die," Canadian singer/songwriter (Leslie) Feist offers a coda with remixes and alternate versions as well as three unreleased tracks. As VV, Mocky, k-os and others reshape her sparse beats and jazzy French-pop grooves, Feist's slippery, ethereal voice only grows more distinctive. "Mushaboom" earns three dance remixes, including a trippy one by indietronic act the Postal Service, but like on "Let It Die," the most captivating moments are those surrounded by stillness. Her cover of the Bee Gees' "Love You Inside Out" returns as a disarming slo-mo waltz reduced to voice and guitar, while the previously unreleased "Snowlion" carefully blends romantic harps with spooky Portishead guitars. Even better, the outtake "Simple Story," a duet with actress Jane Birkin, sounds like it could become the next James Bond theme song. —SP

NELLY FURTADO FEAT. TIMBALAND - Promiscuous (Single)
Billboard (05/20/06)
Fan message boards have been buzzing about Nelly Furtado's new musical direction after she teamed up with hip-hop producer Timbaland (Snoop Dogg, Nas). Indeed, the Canadian-born singer/songwriter, best-known for her 2001 smash "I'm Like a Bird," has reinvented herself with "Promiscuous," a danceable, hip-pop tune that finds her rapping about casual sex with teenage energy. Furtado and Timbaland, a surprisingly good match, work up an endlessly teasing call-and-response jam driven by a seductive '80s pop hook and "Miami Vice" synths. This sexy urban makeover is off to a kick-start at top 40 radio and is poised to become a hot summer hit. —SP

GNARLS BARKLEY - Crazy (Single)
Billboard (05/20/06)
Operating under the phonetically fun moniker Gnarls Barkley, Atlanta rap shaman Cee-Lo (Goodie Mob) and producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse ("The Grey Album," Gorillaz) have already made U.K. history. "Crazy," initially a digital-only release, became the first U.K. single to hit No. 1 solely on download sales. Stateside, the über-catchy crossover smash has debuted on Billboard's Modern Rock chart at No. 29, and is now ready to groove with equal success at R&B/ hip-hop and top 40. A tantalizing neo-soul jam with a string-laden chorus, "Crazy" finds a smooth-voiced Cee-Lo conjuring Al Green over Portishead-meets-PlayStation beats full of warm nostalgia. The dance-pop gem is highly contagious: Triple-A darling Ray LaMontagne has already offered a man-with-guitar version. —SP

GOV'T MULE - High & Mighty
Billboard (08/26/06)
As the title suggests, Gov't Mule's second album as a quartet captures the old-fashioned thrill of big guitar rock that is immediate, raw and real. While straight-ahead uptempo rockers like the title track deliver the familiar mix of mammoth riffs, passionate vocals and deep grooves, Warren Haynes uses the downtempo moments to launch new departures. He gets political on the wah-wah reggae of "Unring the Bell" and marries Hendrix licks to Dylan-esque lyrics on "Endless Parade," one of Mule's best songs to date. An open-hearted organ ballad, "Million Miles From Yesterday," picks up where "Soulshine" left off, even adding a gospel choir. Once a Cream-influenced power trio, Gov't Mule has matured into a Led Zep-like powerhouse. "High & Mighty" is a quantum leap for the band and will be remembered as its "Houses of the Holy." —SP

GUNTHER - Pleasureman
Billboard (04/29/06)
It is not hard over there for a pimp. Embracing a hilarious, trashy, porn-star look, Swedish dancefloor sensation Günther breathes broken English over pumping techno beats, while his female backup singers, the Sunshine Sisters, handle the cheesy, bubble-gum hooks. This humorous take on the Euro-dance formula, popularized in the mid-'90s by acts like DJ Bobo and Aqua, is relentlessly repeated on "Pleasureman." It is unlikely that anyone would ever make it through all 12 overblown tracks. But "standouts," like the delirious duet with Samantha Fox on a cover of her '80s hit "Touch Me" and the worldwide club hit "Ding Dong Song" (with its confessional hook, "You touched my tra-la-la"), deserve to be tested beyond frat parties. Let's hope "Saturday Night Live" has a call in. —SP

HINDER - Lips of An Angel (Single)
Billboard (08/09/06)
Feeding voraciously on '80s pop metal, Oklahoma newcomer Hinder dishes up a mix of giant hooks, buzz-saw guitars and high-testosterone vocals. Like any good power ballad, "Lips of an Angel" begins with acoustic guitars and crescendos into a soaring widescreen chorus, a tight script that once turned bands like Poison and Warrant into household names. Indeed, frontman Austin Winkler's powerful rasp delivers this song like someone who believes that grunge never happened and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was just a bad dream. More than a guilty pleasure, "Lips" is a well-crafted, über-melodic anthem that revives old-school fun with fresh energy. "I guess we never really moved on," Winkler howls in the Nickelback-on-steroids chorus; we should thank him for that. —SP

NORAH JONES- Thinking About You (Single)
Billboard (Jan. 13, 2007)
With more than 30 million records sold worldwide, it's easy to forget that pop-jazz phenomenon Norah Jones has released only two albums in her career. "Thinking of You," the first single from third set "Not Too Late" (out Jan. 30), is a slow, bluesy love song that sounds just like her other nostalgic, low-key ballads. Jones' smoky vocals sail dreamily over safe Wurlitzer chords, light brass and faux-jazz bass, but all she does is conjure a sea of easy listening. After a joyful, jammy disc with a side project called "The Little Willies," New York's premier piano chanteuse could have easily risked much more. Completely uneventful, this track is a perfect soundtrack to writing coffee shop novels. —SP

THE KILLERS - Read My Mind (Single)
Billboard (March 2007)
Undoubtedly the best track from “Sam's Town,” the Killer's epic sophomore set, “Read My Mind” is a glorioulsy melodic Duran Duran-meets-Springsteen tale about “breakin' out of this two-star town.” Fusing New Wave sounds with pure Americana, it begins with huge synth washes and builds to a dark, romantic swoon driven by muscular rock guitars, while frontman Brandon Flowers delivers one of his best pop hooks to date. Even better, he makes no attempt to hide his crush on the Boss, offering lines like “I pull up to the front of your driveway/With magic soakin' my spine,” which suggest long nights spent with “Born to Run.” 80s-lovers still hungy for more should check out the lush Pet Shop Boys remix.—SP

PAOLO NUTINI - These Streets
Bilboard (02/03/07)
He has the name of a great opera singer and the looks of a movie star, but it's his voice that hits you first, a raw and elegant yearning much too deep-rooted for a 19-year-old singer/songwriter. Channeling Al Green, U.K. sensation Nutini sings classic soul-tinged pop songs in a thick Northern accent. On the bouncy standout "Jenny Don't Be Hasty," the Scotsman falls in love with an older woman, hoping to belie his age with husky vocals and vintage guitar hooks ("You said you'd marry me/If I was 23"). Elsewhere on this remarkable debut, his vocal bursts conjure Prince circa "Purple Rain" ("Loving You"), dying to move beyond cushy adult-pop. Heartfelt ballads like "Last Request" or "Rewind" will invite comparisons to James Blunt, but Nutini's falsetto flights are more soulful and dynamic, less Starbucks-ready, though definitely latté-friendly. —SP

OAR - Heard the World (Single)
Bilboard (08/12/06)
A sort of jam-rock quintet, OAR has a great story to tell while it still waits to break at radio. Starting in 1998 as an Ohio college frat band, these guys have built a cult following through nonstop touring and sold out Madison Square Garden in January. It is easy to imagine that this tune hit a home run that night. A blockbuster sunset anthem driven by simple campfire guitars, "Heard the World" sends a huge hands-in-the-air chorus over a hiccuping Dave Matthews groove. Super-catchy but far from inventive, this Jack Johnson-meets-Matchbox 20 ballad should enchant rock radio beyond selected triple-A stations. —SP

THE PANNIC CHANNEL - ONe
Billboard (08/26/06)
Currently co-hosting "Rockstar: Supernova" on CBS, celebrity guitarist Dave Navarro shares what he has been working on while coaching aspiring rockers. The Panic Channel broadcasts energetic, radio-friendly post-grunge driven by the over-the-top vocals of one-time MTV VJ Steve Isaacs, who often seems more influenced by the throaty narcissism of Sebastian Bach than the creativity of Jane's Addiction ("Left to Lose," "Night One"). Standouts like the hard-hitting "Teahouse of the Spirits" and the soaring "Why Cry" are catchy anthems, while "Lie Next to Me" delivers an atmospheric a cappella chant. Throughout, Navarro surprises with dark and melodic sounds, balanced with spaced-out wah-wah binges, but what this channel lacks is true feeling and originality. More panic would have been nice. —SP

TOM PETTY - Flirting With Time (Single)
Billboard (11/04/06)
One of the more uptempo tracks on Tom Petty's soulfully sparse "Highway Companion," the acoustic-led "Flirting With Time" has a catchy California sunset chorus but remains vulnerable at its core. Here is a rock icon contemplating the fragility of his own existence, unafraid to ask the deeper questions that lurk beneath the surface of a good hook. "This could well be your last stand/Hold the sunlight in your hand," Petty sings wearily, sounding utterly alone and yet filled with inner peace. Like most of the "Highway" songs, "Flirting" lacks the crisp energy and sonic sparkle of 1994 masterpiece "Wildflowers," but offers a poignant road anthem that feels classic and deeply human, a perfect fit for triple-A. —SP

TOM PETTY - Saving Grace (Single)
Billboard (07/15/06)
Currently on tour with the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty is finally ready to share some new material. "Saving Grace" begins with a spare, Bo Diddley-style blues that builds to a roadhouse shuffle. The guitars are kept deliciously gritty, giving the song a fresh garage-like feel, and Petty's stoner vocals are as laid-back and nostalgic as ever. A classic-sounding ode to restlessness, "Saving Grace" is the perfect prelude to "Highway Companion," Petty's first solo album since 1994's Rick Rubin-produced "Wildflowers," and his first for Rubin's American Recordings label. The cut is off to a kick-start at triple-A radio; more important, it proves that Petty still knows how to rock. —Sven Philipp

TOM PETTY - Highway Companion
Billboard (07/29/06)
Tom Petty's new album is a surprisingly moody affair. Showing a growing disillusionment with the promise of freedom, "Highway Companion," Petty's first solo effort in 12 years, is also his most personal and heartfelt to date. Melancholic road anthems like the blues-powered "Saving Grace" and hard-edged "Turn This Car Around" don't stick to the usual script—they cast a dark shadow on the Great Wide Open instead of romanticizing it. Heartbreakingly sparse, "Square One" may be Petty's most beautiful song ever, while melodic standout "Damaged by Love" offers a bittersweet coda to his '80s classic "Here Comes My Girl." Here's an icon stripped to his emotional core, armed with a last-man-standing voice full of loneliness and inner peace. Petty has come a long way, but he's never sounded closer to home. —SP

PLAIN WHITE T'S - Hate (I Really Don't Like You)
Billboard (11/04/06)
Warped tour regulars Plain White T's align themselves with emo hitmakers and their imitators, but what almost sets these newcomers apart is their breezy, vintage-style group vocals that reach back to the Beach Boys. The band, whose name must be a tribute to Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, isn't enormously inventive but displays a seductively firm grip on melody. Produced by emo guru Neal Avron (Fall Out Boy, Yellowcard), "Hate" is a guitar-driven, teenage-friendly love/hate drama that is ridicuously catchy and conjures a backdrop of cell phones and low-tops, secret MySpace dates and first emotional breakdowns. Indeed, these guys gush hooks and harmonies; now they just have to give us a little more personality and show us that they can transcend the formula. —SP

PRINCE -- S.S.T. (Single)
Billboard (10/01/05)
Moved by the recent Gulf Coast tragedy, Prince posts a fresh iTunes exclusive with all proceeds going to a Baton Rouge, La., relief fund. The legend obviously poured his heart and soul into this new track, which was recorded solo in the wee hours of Sept. 2. "S.S.T." is a stripped-down groove campaign humbly built with a naked beat, sparse funk guitars and sweet, soul-wrapping vocals. Lyrically, Prince launches his own hearing on how the government handled the crisis, and his unfiltered yet tender voice matches the rawness of the music as he concludes, "It's time 4 another groove." The title initials refer to Sade's "Sweetest Taboo," a song looped on Prince's Web site after the hurricane hit. —SP

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - Stadium Arcadium
Billboard (05/13/06)
"Stadium" is the word, and the message is loud and clear. Twenty-three years into their career, the Red Hot Chili Peppers sound euphoric and enormously alive. Distilling the ecstasy of their live shows into 24 new songs, "Stadium Arcadium" is a mature showcase of concentrated power with riotous groove jams, super-sized hooks and transcendent vocal arrangements. It runs the gamut from classic funk rock ("Tell Me Baby") and crisp, hard pop ("Snow [Hey Oh]") to deep funk ("Hump de Bump") and soft-rap balladry ("Hard to Concentrate")—they even venture into hypnotic blues metal ("Readymade"). "Stadium Arcadium" is one wild melodic rush, and Rick Rubin's airy production squeezes the essence out of a monster—without taming it. A double disc makes sense because no real stadium show pulls the curtain after only 50 minutes. The Peppers' strongest set since "Blood Sugar Sex Magik." —SP

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - Snow (Hey Oh) (Single)
Billboard (11/08/06)
After scoring big at radio with the epic rock of "Dani California" and the crisp funk of "Tell Me Baby," the Red Hot Chili Peppers ready the third single from the colossal "Stadium Arcadium." One of the album's catchiest tracks, "Snow" is a bittersweet pop tune driven by a seductively serpentine melody, which curls and coils like a snake under the influence. Here Anthony Kiedis gives one of his best vocal performances to date, offering a relaxed, Zen-like "look inside" his lifelong struggle with addiction while delivering delicate pop hooks. It's refreshing to hear the Chilis strike a mature note without ever losing their energy and groove. Unstoppable, they once again reach for top 40. —SP

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - Tell Me Baby (Single)
Billboard (07/19/06)
As the unstoppable "Dani California" continues its run on rock radio, the Peppers unleash a sun-drenched, bass-heavy cut from "Stadium Arcadium." Bringing back the funk, "Tell Me Baby" is driven by Flea's bass-slapping salvos and gushes a catchy pop chorus over a crisp feel-good shuffle. It's a classic funk-rocker, featuring one of Anthony Kiedis' madcap raps ("Chitty, chitty baby/When your nose is in the nitty gritty/What a pity"). Über-guitarist John Frusciante takes a back seat, yet still moves from Motown to metal to Hendrix like a spaced-out jukebox. "Tell Me" lacks the rock power of "Dani," but overflows with melody and energy and is closer to the Peppers' hard-grooving core. —SP

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS -Dani California (Single)
Billboard (07/19/06)
As the unstoppable "Dani California" continues its run on rock radio, the Peppers unleash a sun-drenched, bass-heavy cut from "Stadium Arcadium." Bringing back the funk, "Tell Me Baby" is driven by Flea's bass-slapping salvos and gushes a catchy pop chorus over a crisp feel-good shuffle. It's a classic funk-rocker, featuring one of Anthony Kiedis' madcap raps ("Chitty, chitty baby/When your nose is in the nitty gritty/What a pity"). Über-guitarist John Frusciante takes a back seat, yet still moves from Motown to metal to Hendrix like a spaced-out jukebox. "Tell Me" lacks the rock power of "Dani," but overflows with melody and energy and is closer to the Peppers' hard-grooving core. —SP

RODRIGO Y GABRIELA - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Billboard (10/07/06)
Just when you think fretboard pyrotechnics are a thing of the past, an acoustic-guitar duo revives the genre with raw energy and endless elan. Mexican-born Rodrigo y Gabriela morph Latin styles and heavy metal into a wild fusion that sounds like the virtuoso work of a headbanging flamenco dancer. On groove-shifting originals like "Diablo Rojo" and "Satori," Rodrigo Sanchez shows off maniacal scale runs while Gabriela Quintero adds thunderous percussion by drumming on the guitar's body. "Ixtapa," a dreamy world-metal ballad, features gypsy violinist Roby Lakatos. The inventive duo, whose career took off in Dublin after busking through Europe, wrap "Stairway to Heaven" in four minutes and follow up with a brain-melting take of Metallica's "Orion." One of the best guitar albums in ages; one of the best discs this year. —SP

SANTANA - All That I Am
Billboard
On "All That I Am," guitar legend Carlos Santana jams again with an all-star cast, while sneaking in fiery instrumentals and Latin grooves. His trademark guitar wraps around vocal offerings by Michelle Branch, Mary J. Blige and Sean Paul, to name a few. The familiar recipe works best on the lovelorn power ballad "Just Feel Better," where Santana's warm, bluesy cascades meet with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler's deliciously rugged voice. Other highlights: the Spanglish hookfest "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love" (with Los Lonely Boys) and "Twisted," a groovy slow-burner with neo-soul man Anthony Hamilton. But like its two predecessors, "All" relies on a hybrid hit formula to feed most radio formats, and too often Santana sounds like a guest on his own show. What is unforgivable: No one in the room stopped "American Idol" Bo Bice from joining the cameo parade ("Brown Skinned Girl"). —SP

SNOW PATROL - Chasing Cars (Single)
Billboard (06/24/06)
Rock fans may find Snow Patrol's new album a disappointing move toward anthemic power-pop, but if there's one track on "Eyes Open" that should not be missed, it's this one. "Chasing Cars" is a catchy, colossal ballad that succeeds without any fireworks. Giving his dreamy, unhurried best, frontman Gary Lightbody croons a plain beautiful melody over sparse guitars whose ever-building crescendo creates a warm, hypnotic, hard-driving pulse. "Let's waste time/Chasing cars/Around our heads," he sings as his band balances arena grandeur with an intimate, less-is-more vibe. This quiet bombastic song already pushed buttons during the season finale of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"; now it's building strong airplay and is poised to break at top 40. —SP

ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA - Rock Star Supernova
Billboard (11/25/06)
Rock Star Supernova's debut proves TV rockers Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke and Jason Newsted were spot-on in selecting the spiky-haired, eyeliner-heavy Lukas Rossi as its frontman. Ripping glam rock, grunge and metal into a rather soulless playlist, this year's most generic rock album is not without high points, thanks to Rossi's fresh vocal power, which channels Jeff Buckley and Chris Cornell. He lashes out with sugary stadium hooks on "Be Yourself," soars elegantly on the string-laden ballad "I Can't Bring Myself to Light This Fuse" and reveals his frenzied core on "Headspin," a sweeping widescreen lament about his mother. Too bad his all-star band offers only a festival of clichés, digitally assembled and prepackaged riff-rock best suited for a car commercial. Where's the smoking "Rock Star Supernova" house band when you need it? —SP

THE ROLLING STONES - Rough Justice/Streets Of Love (Single)
Billboard (08/20/05)
This three-pack of singles builds the appetite for the upcoming "A Bigger Bang," the first Rolling Stones studio album in eight years. "Rough Justice" is a steamy snapshot of the band's relentless live energy; it is already off to a jump-start at rock radio, although (or perhaps because) the chorus echoes "Brown Sugar." The stadium ballad "Streets of Love" —predictable but soulful—features a deliciously lovesick Mick Jagger hooked on phonics and "drenched with tears." At an average age of 61, the Stones sound raw and real. The smoky footnote "Back of My Hand" delivers a generic late-night blues jam, however. Marketing aside, why not release just one song with a bigger bang? —SP

SOUL ASYLUM - The Silver Lining
Billboard (07/15/06)
Soul Asylum gave us the big "I Love the '90s" set piece "Runaway Train," even performing it at President Bill Clinton's first inauguration, only to disappear soon after. Now the band is back with its first studio recording in eight years and its last with bassist Karl Mueller, who died last year. Mixing pop melody and garage grit, "The Silver Lining" is an old-school alternative rock album full of oversized riffs and open-hearted hooks. Dave Pirner's moody rasp still has that scratchy, spine-tingling quality. While some cuts are flooded with lyrical clichés ("Stand Up and Be Strong"), "Bus Named Desire" leads a raunchy Aerosmith blues into a soaring chorus that conjures Cher's 1998 smash "Believe," and on sunset anthem "Standing Water," power chords come crashing like perfect waves. Welcome back. —SP

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Billboard (05/06/06)
Just one year after "Devils & Dust," Springsteen offers another acoustic-based set sans the E Street Band, a collection of traditional songs associated with folk hero Pete Seeger, who turns 87 next month. Cut live with 13 local musicians, the Boss' first covers album is a surprisingly upbeat tour de roots, veering from tavern tunes ("Old Dan Tucker") and banjo tales ("John Henry") to swinging gospel ("O Mary Don't You Weep") and boisterous Mardi Gras chants ("Pay Me My Money Down"). Throughout, Springsteen's raucous rasp—often more Tom Waits than Woody Guthrie—soars with lightness and ease, driven by swampy brass, accordion and spontaneous shouts. Even the protest anthem "We Shall Overcome" becomes a relaxed prayer, delivered with a knowing smile. Anxious rock fans can relax, too: This folk album is a loud, energetic, arena-ready fiesta. —SP

STARS OF TRACK AND FIELD - Centuries Before Love and War
Billboard (01/13/07)
On its first full-length release, this mellow alt-rock outfit from Portland, Ore., fleshes out its laid-back gloom with hushed samples and electronics. The band creates a set of chilling crescendos that veer from frozen loneliness to hopeless arena grandeur, with lyrics like "Blue light and giant space/You stare and stare" ("Arithmatik"). Standout "Movies of Antarctica" is a desolate stadium anthem that echoes Radiohead and Coldplay, and the delicate "With You," a loss-filled ballad, leads a stuttering indie-pop verse into a lush, harmony-rich chorus. Sounding like an astronaut who knows he'll never make it home, singer Kevin Calaba tells us what he sees, but never how he feels, his voice dreamy and disembodied, hardly comforted by swirling guitar leads. "Centuries" has a sparse, glacial beauty, but remains a movie with gorgeous images in which nothing ever happens. —SP

SANDI THOM - I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair) (Single)
Billboard (07/08/06)
Ending Gnarls Barkley's brow-raising seven-week run, Scottish folk-pop newcomer Sandi Thom has already scored a No. 1 U.K. single with this naked a cappella anthem that relies on her strikingly potent pipes, sparse percussion and a lyric that commands immediate attention. "I was born too late/To a world that doesn't care," she sings with an achy, old-soul voice that suggests Janis Joplin waking up in an Internet café, dazed and confused. Born in 1981, Thom "misses" the days "When record shops were on top/And vinyl was all that they stocked/And the super info highway was still drifting out of space." Intelligent and moving, this gorgeously stripped ballad is building top 40 airplay; whether it will become a massive radio hit is unlikely, but not impossible. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. —SP

SANDI THOM - Smile. . . It Confuses People
Billboard (09/16/06)
This Scottish singer/ songwriter won instant U.K. fame after webcasting a series of home concerts that drew a stadium-sized audience. Ironically, her debut album luxuriates in the predigital warmth of vintage folk and soul. Signature track "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)" is a foot-stomping update of Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz," catchy and original, but not enough to carry an entire album. While ballads like the soul-tinged "Lonely People" or the acoustic "Sunset Borderline" conjure sweet echoes of Carole King and Stevie Wonder, retro-styled folk-rockers like "When Horsepower Meant What It Said" feel like KT Tunstall-lite. Thom is blessed with a beautiful, old-soul voice, but one is left wishing she would break out of her sunny adult-pop once in a while to reveal more personality. —SP

U2 & GREEN DAY - The Saints Are Coming (Single)
Billboard (10/21/06)
"There is a house in New Orleans," Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong sings softly over weeping keyboards, but it's only a prelude to the bigger bang: a cover of "The Saints Are Coming" by Scottish punk band the Skids. Performed live at the Louisiana Super Dome reopening, the merger of two rock giants launches a spine-tingling avalanche of spiky guitars and crashing drums, with a riff that feels like a high-speed echo of U2's "I Will Follow." One year after Katrina, the 1978 lyric delivers a fresh sting: "I cried to my daddy on the telephone/How long now?/Until the clouds unroll and you come home," Bono duets with Armstrong. Proceeds go to the hurricane charity Music Rising. —SP

BUTCH WALKER - The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker & the Let's Go Out Tonites
Billboard (07/08/06)
Self-consciousness is never really sexy, but producer/ singer/ songwriter Butch Walker is going for it anyway. Blessed with a breathtakingly self-centered title (a reference to Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust"), his third solo album marinates power-pop hooks and polished guitars in a glam-rock sauce. Like Bowie's 1972 masterpiece, "The Rise" is a concept album, albeit one about a guy in a $10-per-drink bar, "pretty strung out for a girl" ("Bethamphetine"). Retro-styled party starters like the Marc Bolan rip-off "Hot Girls in Good Moods" and the Bowie-esque "The Taste of Red" are slick and catchy, but feel cool and calculated. The problem is that Walker is hopelessly aware of what he's doing—he picks titles like "Song w/o Chorus" or "This Is the Sweetest Little Song"—and doesn't offer a voice that is his own. —SP

LUCINDA WILLIAMS - West
Bilboard (02/17/07)
Three years after the hard-rocking-yet-intimate "World Without Tears," Lucinda Williams returns with a much quieter, even more personal album. Working for the first time with producer Hal Willner, the queen of alt-country channels loss and loneliness into cracked vocals and deep slow-burn grooves, held together by the beautifully longhanded fretwork of Doug Pettibone and Bill Frisell. Haunting victim-of-love ballads ("Rescue," "Where Is My Love") are punctuated by angry kiss-offs ("Come One"), and standouts like the Neil Young-esque "Learning How to Live" strike the perfect balance between majesty and melancholy. Willner's soulful production, elegant and layered, recalls Daniel Lanois' work with Emmylou Harris. Indeed, the mood is somber, but there is a shimmering sweetness on tunes like "What If," which envisions a world where the president wears pink. —SP

NEIL YOUNG - Looking for a Leader
Billboard (06/03/06)
Times of crisis can breed some beautiful noise. A Canadian citizen deeply concerned with the state of "our country," Neil Young returns to his classic Crazy Horse sound, welding warmly distorted, amp-blowing guitars with frail vocals and taut drums. It's the perfect medium for a raw, unfiltered message. "America has a leader/But he's not in the house," Young sings as a big church choir turns his howl of dissent into a hopeful hymn. Driven by his fuzzy fretwork, "Looking for a Leader" is as energetic as it is poignant, an urgent, grunge-leaning burst that has the immediacy of a live concert. It conjures "Rockin' in the Free World" and should also speak to Pearl Jam fans. If it's too unpolished for rock radio, triple-A will certainly join the campaign. —SP

PETE YORN - Nightcrawler
Billboard (09/02/06)
When Yorn burst on the scene with "Musicforthemorningafter," his husky growl and catchy hooks embodied the missing link between Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen. Five years later, he still sounds like he just rolled out of bed and is looking for some Advil while trying to find his voice. "Nightcrawler" begins with a dark, atmospheric crescendo ("Vampyre") and offers ambitious forays into dance rock ("Same Thing") and alt-country balladry ("The Man" with Dixie Chick Natalie Maines), but there are too many ordinary guitar-pop songs, driven by the same four chords and delivered with the same half-bored mumble ("For Us," "Maybe I'm Right"). Tellingly, only the previously released Warren Zevon cover "Splendid Isolation" has real energy and bite. Taking no risks, "Nightcrawler" shows little growth and makes one wish for the morning after. —SP

© 2006 SP