#1 Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man
in the Universe
On his staggering 27th album
The Bravest Man In The Universe, soul singer Bobby Womack is
expounding devotion and skepticism in equal measure which is a hard
balancing act to maintain. Though he made his name in the early 70s
Womack's star has been on the rise in the last few years, helped by
his recent work with Gorillaz. It appears that it wasn't a clean
break with Gorillaz / Blur alumni Damon Albarn helping out on
production duties. The title track swims in a slinky trip-hop groove
while the retro funk of "Love Is Gonna Lift You Up" is crisp and
refreshing. On The Bravest Man In The Universe Womack has
completely overshot neo-soul and landed in the future - an
incomparable blend of soul, R&B, electronica and old school grit
that proves once again that you can never count the crafty veteran
out.
Rating: B+
Recommended tracks: Jubilee (Don't let
nobody turn you around), Love Is Gonna Lift You Up
#2 Rocketjuice & the Moon –
Rocketjuice & the Moon
Rocketjuice & the Moon is the first
of what is supposed to be many post-Gorillaz projects from mastermind
Damon Albarn. For this album Mr Albarn has hooked up bass player Flea (RHCP) and
legendary Nigerian drummer Tony Allen. The result is typically funky
(as you would expect with the talent on board) but is all over the
place creatively and lacks any kind of focus. Guest vocalists like
the always excellent Erykah Bahu and Ghana's M.anifest help to turn
the rambling afrofunk into something more palatable but their efforts
are often too little too late. Not a bad album but it is just a mess
to listen to. Perhaps I was expecting too much from Albarn and his
talented ensemble?
Rating: C+
Recommended track: Poison.
#3 Santigold – Master Of My
Make-Believe
Back in 2008 when Santogold (now
Santigold) released her self-titled debut album she was a flag bearer
for a new kind of hybrid modern pop that the world was desperately in
need of. Fast forward to 2012 and many major pop acts have followed
her lead and are looking to embrace their inner freak. So where does
that leave Santigold? Master Of My Make-Believe is a competent
album that, try as it might, cannot reach the heights of her superb
debut. “GO!”, full of defiant slogans and agitated beats, sets
the scene nicely. Even at 37 minutes the album feels a little long,
probably because there are no obvious standout hits (unlike, say,
“L.E.S. Artistes” from '08). It sounds as though Santigold is
getting closer and closer to the “real her” which bodes well for
album number 3. Can we all finally drop the hackneyed MIA comparisons
yet?
Rating: B-
Recommended tracks: GO!, Fame.
#4 Torche – Harmonicraft
Miami's Torche are a hard act to
define. Collectively the members have backgrounds in stoner rock,
sludge metal, and grindcore yet Torche make something more akin to
pop rock – albeit of a very furious kind. Harmonicraft is
their third full length album and their modus operandi is still to
make bite-sized chunks of heavy rock with razor sharp pop hooks (e.g.
“Walk It Off at just 1:26). Listening to the album is like pouring
pure rock music directly into your ears without any of the
radio-friendly pretensions of their contemporaries. 13 songs in under
40 minutes is one hell of a pace to keep up with but Torche don't
even think about slowing down. The only track to break the four
minute mark is album closer “Looking On”. Harmonicraft is
full of the fun, dynamic, but heavy rock we have come to expect from
Torche. Rock on!
Rating: B+
Recommended tracks: Walk It Off, Snakes
Are Charmed
#5 Dr John – Locked Down
New Orleans swamp rock legend Dr John
has kept up a steady rate of work since the late 60s, having released
29 albums in total. The most recent, Locked Down, is set to be
one of his most commercially viable and accessible. This is in no
small part due to rocker de jour Black Keys singer/guitarist Dan
Auerbach on production duties. The album is an improbable mixture of
blues, gospel, voodoo funk, and
boogie woogie rock'n'roll but it is a
damned good time to be had strart to finish. The title track throws
you immediately back into the murky mid seventies, and the organ solo
on “Revolution” perhaps even further back than that. Older Dr
John fans will find plenty to like here and potential fans have a
great inlet into his odd little world of music.
Rating: A-
Recommended tracks: Revolution,
Getaway, Ice Age
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