ARTIST: B.B. KING
ALBUM: PRODUCER: T BONE BURNETT
NEW YORK (Billboard) - In the heat of Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, John Mellencamp and all that's come before, T Bone Burnett is on such a producing roll out that his presence threatens to overshadow the artist(s) he's working with. But that's hardly the case on B.B. King's first new studio album in tercet years. Burnett's concept for the 12-track set -- to make the 82-year-old King revisit songs he played at the very beginning of his calling -- plays out in an inspired outing that finds King replacing the fire of his young person with a confident authorisation. King laces lyrical solos and fills into every song, a list that ranges from Blind Lemon Jefferson's "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean," T-Bone Walker's "I Get So Weary," Big Bill Broonzy's "Backwater Blues" and the Mississippi Sheiks' "Sitting on Top of the World." The tricks aren't new, merely the old dog silent has pile of bite left.
ARTIST: THE VERVE
ALBUM: FORTH (On Your Own/MRI/RED)
It was no self-aggrandising surprise that the Verve got back together utmost fall after a nine-year hiatus, only what's stunning is the quality of this reunion album. More than whatever of the recent return efforts from like-minded groups, "Forth" non only equals the Verve's best function, but in many cases exceeds it. "Judas" is the most beautiful song the band has ever written, its burbling guitar lines invocation a gloriously bleary New York sunrise. "Valium Skies" is the kind of ready-made anthem that sour the Verve into a superstar in the first base place, patch "Appalachian Springs" and "I See Houses" are hard-hitting hybrids of emotion and virtuosity. Even more beguiling are "Sit and Wonder" and the eight-minute "Noise Epic," which reignite the psychedelic passions of the Verve's earlier releases.
ARTIST: SOLANGE
ALBUM: SOL-ANGEL AND THE HADLEY ST. DREAMS (Geffen Records)
On her soph set, Solange not only takes on a sound that differs from her pop-driven 2002 debut, simply she demonstrates that, unlike her sis Beyonce -- who she vehemently refutes comparisons to on "God Given Name" -- she has no reservations around sharing personal experiences. The breakup song "Valentine's Day," on which she gloomily sings, "I sure wish we made it public treasury Valentine's Day"; the bad "T.O.N.Y.," about a one-night stand; and the SoulShock & Karlin-produced "SandCastle Disco," which finds her lightheartedly warning her Casanova not to snap off her mettle, all demonstrate Solange's weenie approach. The electronica-inspired "Cosmic Journey" and the '70s-drenched lead single, "I Decided," further accompaniment the eclecticist sound.�
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