We Are the Night
The Chemical Brothers
(Virgin)
A follow-up to 2005's Push the Button — a mixed bag at best — We Are the Night finds the Chemical Brothers back to their business of producing fresh, texturally complex, relentlessly danceable electronica. The songs are catchy without being cheesy, and several are augmented by a diversity of interesting and unexpected guests.
U.K. electronic pop group The Klaxons chant and sing through the dramatic, pulsating "All Rights Reversed;" West Coast hip-hop artist Fatlip gives quasi-serious directions on how to execute a brand new set of moves in the fun, upbeat "Salmon Dance;" East Coast singer-songwriter Willie Mason's sonorous vocals provide weight to the dark, contemplative lyrics of "Battle Scars;" and the melancholy crooning of Texas indie-rockers Midlake in "The Pills Won't Help You Know" is set against trancified electronic instrumentals that build to a discreetly euphoric conclusion.
The tracks that lack cameos are far from forgettable, though. The computer-possessed and brilliantly spooky "No Path to Follow" leaves a lasting impression while clocking in at barely a minute. "Saturate" comes off as an insta-classic via fuzzy-fat riffs, heavy synths and quality percussion samples. "Das Spiegal" is retro-disco funkadelic dance music marked by all manner of samples. And "A Modern Midnight Conversation" blips and beeps along as if on its way to a 1980s skating-rink debut.
Overall, We Are the Night exceeds expectations and proves, once again, that the Chemical Brothers are no run-of-the-mill electronica act. 4 stars —Leilani Polk
Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur
Various Artists
(Warner Bros.)
Hipsters looking for a pop star to secretly adore would be justly served by Christina Aguilera. If last year's adventurous, retro-chic double album Back to Basics wasn't enough to sell you on her singing prowess, then let me suggest her remarkable reading of the John Lennon therapy session "Mother." Whereas lesser big-voiced divas would have surely delivered the emotional bombs that constitute the song's lyrics with soulless bluster, implementing the trite vocal acrobatics popularized by the likes of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, Aguilera shows restraint, judiciously using her amazing range to inhabit a truly sad tale of abandonment. As for the rest of this double-disc of Lennon covers being used to raise funds for Amnesty International, it's your typical tribute album mess of good, bad and awful. Jakob Dylan (remember him?) and Dhani Harrison collaborate on "Gimme Some Truth," which features Bob's kid singing like he's actually pissed off and George's boy playing some fat, gorgeous slide guitar licks. Corrine Bailey Rae's jazzy reworking of "I'm Losing You," Regina Spektor's cabaret take on "Real Love" and Green Day's fiery-albeit-predictable interpretation of "Working Class Hero" are recommendable as well. Avril Lavigne and Jack Johnson each contribute nauseating covers of "Imagine." Remember when Neil Young made grown men cry when he did "Imagine" at that 9/11 tribute? Yeah, that's the version that should've appeared here. 2.5 stars —Wade Tatangelo
One Tough Town
David Olney
(Red Parlor)
Olney's that rare singer/songwriter who can adopt the gravelly voice, dabble in myriad old-timey music styles ranging from honky-tonk to Tin Pan Alley and actually make it work. (Think Tom Waits.) On One Tough Town, listeners are treated to the gutbucket blues of "Sweet Poison," the French Quarter kiss-off "Who's the Dummy Now?" and "Panama City," a pedal-steel-laced ditty that Jimmy Buffett could've written back in the early 1970s. Olney's at his finest, though, when he drops the affectations and just issues a heart-wrenching ballad like "No Lies," a song about brown whiskey, tears and painful goodbyes. 3 stars —WT
El Cartel: The Big Boss
Daddy Yankee
(Interscope)
The king of reggaeton returns with the aptly titled El Cartel: Big Boss, the follow-up to his 2004 breakthrough album Barrio Fino, which features the international smash "Gasolina." On El Cartel, Puerto Rico's top pop star is back rapping and occasionally crooning in Spanish and English over quick, stuttering rhythms that rarely slow, plus what sounds to be some actual live horns and piano. There's even a little Mr. Roboto-style talk on the lead single "Impacto," which sounds like the perfect anthem to play in the final minutes of a close World Cup match — even if it isn't quite as infectious as "Gasolina." Guesting on the album are Akon, as well as Will.i.am and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. 3.5 stars —WT
This article appears in Jul 4-10, 2007.