Eric Dolphy
Illinois Concert (Blue Note)
An oft-forgotten contemporary of Coltrane and Mingus, Eric Dolphy walked the line between traditional and avant-garde jazz. This disc captures his touring quartet, which included pianist Herbie Hancock, and presents a spellbinding rendition of "God Bless the Child." A master of the clarinet, flute, and saxophone, Dolphy died young, but not before leaving his mark.
Everything but the Girl
Temperamental (Atlantic)
Sometimes you just need to wallow; Everything but the Girl understands this, and while Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn's music has become progressively more electronic over the last decade, its eerie gloom remains intact. On the duo's first full-length release since 1996, Watt calls on the dark DJ sounds of London's underground haunts. Somber ballads like "Low Tide of the Night" weave Watt's break beats with Thorn's sultry voice. EBTG has always dealt in the agony of broken relationships and lonely lives, and its latest release is no exception. As Thorn laments in "No Difference," "If you're all alone, well, whose fault can that be?" It's mine, dammit, so let me brood.
Shelby Lynne
I Am Shelby Lynne (Mercury)
After a decade as a singer-songwriter on the Nashville circuit, Alabama-bred Lynne has jumped out of the small pond. Joining forces with producer Bill Bottrell (who works with Sheryl Crow), Lynne performs musical alchemy on this pop-soul-country gem, conjuring Dusty Springfield, Lisa Stansfield, and early Bonnie Raitt. From the swelling strings of "Your Lies" to the '60s R&B of "Leavin'" and the drowsy, back-porch rhythms of "Where I'm From," she delivers 10 tunes about heartache and belonging, gorgeously wrapped in sultry melodies. And the slide-guitar-bluesy "Life Is Bad" resonates with her past. This CD is both a declaration of self and a crossover classic.
Handsome Boy Modeling School
So ... How's Your Girl? (Tommy Boy)
Prince Paul, the producer of Chris Rock's comedy albums, and partner Dan "The Automator" Nakamura team up on this lighthearted project. Silliness aside, what endures is the duo's sense of adventure as they create beats for hip hop luminaries (Brand Nubian, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien) as well as some unlikely folks (Sean Lennon, Father Guido Sarducci).
Don Byron
Romance With the Unseen (Blue Note)
After wowing fans and critics with dazzling excursions into klezmer, swing, funk, rap, and Afro-Caribbean music, jazz clarinetist Don Byron slips into a subtle, pastoral mode for this outing. With the help of guitar ace Bill Frisell and drummer Jack DeJohnette, Byron explores the work of Lennon-McCartney ("I'll Follow the Sun"), Herbie Hancock ("One Finger Snap"), and Duke Ellington ("Mural From Two Perspectives") with elegant melancholy.
Frederica Von Stade/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Gustav Mahler: Symphony no. 4, Songs of a Wayfarer (Telarc)
Known as the last of the great German Romantics, Mahler did his title proud. Not only are his compositions exemplary of this adventurous genre, but the man himself was obviously smitten. Songs of a Wayfarer - sung expressively by diva von Stade - is set to Mahler's own German lyrics, absolutely maudlin with the stains of love. For Symphony no. 4, he relies more on his prowess as a master of symphonic beauty. The 20-minute Adagio is exquisite, quietly securing the appraisal that Mahler's Fourth is one of the most evocative symphonies ever written.
Mos Def
Black on Both Sides (Rawkus)
Since Mos Def dropped his stellar first single, "Universal Magnetic," in 1997, he has emerged as the ubiquitous poetic b-boy - from co-owning an African-American bookstore in Brooklyn to appearing in a Visa commercial and on NYPD Blue. Last year's collaboration with fellow Brooklynite Talib Kweli, Black Star, underlined the renaissance of conscious hip hop. His solo debut album carries on that tradition, fueled by urgent calls for change delivered with singsong lyricism. Whether he's encouraging self-knowledge in "Fear Not of Man" or attesting to the power of home in "Habitat," Mos brings the voice of the underground to the masses.
Henri Dikongué
Wa (Shanachie)
Those who equate the music of Cameroon with the feverish, rhythmic buzz of makossa, zouk, and bikutsi will find Dikongué a revelation. This guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter works a decidedly gentler groove. And while his sound is essentially West African, the influences of samba, salsa, and reggae are evident as well. Cue up "Nama Poula Ndena" and "Ndolo" to experience the true breadth of the Cameroon sound.
STREET CRED
Rest in Inner Peace
Rip-and-Roll Highway
Biodetective
Magic Markers
Head Trip
Helping Hand
Electric Avenue
ReadMe
Music
Pocket Portal
Words for Windows
The Boy Mechanic
Spin Doctors
Just Outta Beta
Thrash and Burn
The Long View on Short-Term Profiteers
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