SAVOY BROWN Voodoo Moon savoybrown.com How long can one man live with the blues? It’s been 45 years for Kim Simmonds, leader of this British institution, and on these nine new originals, the guitarist and sometime singer brings the requisite hot licks and bad-mojo lyrics. Something about this stuff must do the body good.  Read More →

CORREATOWN Pleiades okcorreatown.com Correatown mastermind Angela Correa was made for Los Angeles. She’s shown showbiz savvy, having landed songs in films and on television. More importantly, the Yuba City, Calif., native has mastered the hazy ’60s pop, Laurel Canyon folk and cool-kid indie that have long been the soundtrack of her adopted hometown.  Read More →

EMILY O’HALLORAN Morphine and Cupcakes emilyohalloran.com A pretty young blonde with the voice of a wizened roadhouse belter, O’Halloran figures “Nashville is where it’s at,” as she sings two songs in. The Aussie newcomer promptly lands in a Hollywood noir version of the Music City, where she savors the feeling of being done wrong.  Read More →

AMY WINEHOUSE  Lioness: Hidden Treasures  [Island] We know the drill here, right? After endless posthumous releases from Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, 2Pac and countless others, the pattern is set: A singer-songwriter in his or her 20s dies, and somehow a few spare tracks can always be found in the vaults to justify one more new piece of product. Lioness is with us less than six months after British songbird Amy Winehouse’s premature... 

THE ROOTS Undun [Def Jam] The latest from hip-hop’s hippest band is a concept album that tells the fictional—although all too believable—story of Redford Stephens, a low-level street hustler who makes all the wrong choices on his way to an early end. That’s not giving anything away: The Roots tell this story in reverse, rewinding Stephens’ life through songs carefully constructed to avoid glorifying his brief and unfortunate time in the... 

KATE BUSH 50 Words for Snow [Fish People/Anti] This is Bush’s first recording of all new music since the double-disc Aerial in 2005, although earlier in 2011 she released Director’s Cut, which included slightly reworked versions of some previously released songs. Not so much a holiday album as a soft, meditative and lush rumination on winter, 50 Words for Snow will remind listeners of a time when musical artists were more intent on creating unified... 

THE BLACK KEYS El Camino [Nonesuch Records] Prior to its release, Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney proclaimed El Camino the first “all rock ’n’ roll album” of the duo’s decade-long career. Point taken, but the Keys have hardly forsaken the retro-soul vibe that’s underpinned previous discs. Kicking off with the raging, surf-guitar-driven “Lonely Boy” (think the Cramps with a touch of Memphis R&B), Carney and guitarist Dan Auerbach... 

DRAKE Take Care [Young Money] Every movie about fame has a scene in which the rising star ducks out of the party and stares through the penthouse window, weighing what they’ve gained against what they’ve given up. Stretch that moment into an entire album and you get Take Care, the sophomore effort from Canadian hip-hop phenom Drake. With his confessional lyrics and sing-rap-chat vocal style, Drake follows in the footsteps of Kanye West. While... 

DAVID NAIL The Sound of a Million Dreams [Universal Nashville] With his third album, 32-year-old David Nail proves that he is a cut above contemporaries whose songs often rely on a slapdash collection of tired, countrier-than-thou stereotypes. Nail shows a knack for songcraft, most notably on “Catherine,” a tune written for his wife. But his supple, soulful tenor elevates the album’s outside material, too, as he tackles everything from frenetic... 

RICH ROBINSON Through a Crooked Sun [Circle Sound/Thirty Tigers] This second solo album from Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson finds him drawing from the usual sources—the Stones and Faces, in particular—but more dominant are some old-school rock influences that rarely surface in the Crowes’ music. The strummy “I Don’t Hear the Sound of You” evokes the breezy shimmer of the Hollies, but mostly Robinson works in darker colors. “Follow... 

GORILLAZ The Singles Collection 2001–2011 [Virgin] Straight out of the cage, Gorillaz promised to be more than merely a high-concept art project. The “cartoon” rock band formed by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and animator Jamie Hewlett broke through in 2001 with “Clint Eastwood,” a heavy helping of spaghetti-western dub and meaty old-school hip-hop. Albarn sang with quintessentially British melancholy, but he couldn’t help but dream of the... 

NILS LOFGREN Old School [Vision Music] Among his fine work in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, stewardship of Grin and work alongside Neil Young on classics like Tonight’s the Night, Nils Lofgren once simultaneously enjoyed a prolific solo career. But as his day job as an E Streeter has taken up increasingly more of his time, devotees have been left hoping he’d step out more on his own—and Old School should satisfy those Lofgren loyalists.... 

THE DECEMBERISTS Long Live the King [Capitol] Even as they fail to hold together in one piece quite like this year’s full-length The King Is Dead, most of the songs on this six-track EP strike a fine balance between frontman Colin Meloy’s literary depth and some easily accessible tunes. The real keeper here is “Foregone,” on which Meloy’s love poetry is driven forward by a homey steel-guitar lick. Also on the simpler side are the Prince-ly... 

R.E.M. Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage 1982-2011 [Warner Bros.] With R.E.M.’s demise last fall the timing is perfect for this double-disc, chronologically arranged retrospective that makes a valiant, if lopsided, attempt to put the group’s three-decade run into perspective. Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage is the first R.E.M. compendium that surveys the full breadth of that career, from the mumbly, jangly early innovations... 

KELLY CLARKSON Stronger [RCA] Unlike most American Idol alumni, Kelly Clarkson has always set herself apart by generally placing artistry over histrionics. The pattern continues on her latest pop-rock collection, on which she wisely lends her impressive pipes to address purely emotional matters of the heart. On the opening “Mr. Know It All” she reminds us why she’s the queen of the kiss-off with a gritty delivery reminiscent of Melissa Etheridge... 

RYAN ADAMS Ashes & Fire [Pax-Am/Capitol] Ryan Adams recently took a two-year break from releasing new music, an eternity for a prolific singer and songwriter who put out 10 albums in the preceding eight years. Apparently refreshed, Adams returns with 11 songs that are among the best he’s written. That’s saying something given the sheer volume of Adams’ catalog, but he’s rarely equaled the poignant feeling of these tunes. His vivid lyrics... 

PATRICK STUMP Soul Punk [Island] If ever you needed proof that Fall Out Boy was primarily a vehicle for bass player Pete Wentz, one listen to the solo debut from lead singer Patrick Stump should convince you. Largely eschewing FOB’s driving power-pop, Stump lets his funk flag fly right away on the opening “Explode,” its propulsive electro-pop resembling some of his outside work with Cobra Starship or the Roots. Likewise, “This City” shows... 

REID PALEY AND BLACK FRANCIS Paley & Francis [Sonic Unyon Records] “I’ll bring down my foot on your daisy chain/I’ll have a drink from your jugular vein…” Given Black Francis’ reputation as a dark character, those lyrical musings from opening entry “Curse” would seem to affirm his ability to shock the heck out of his listeners. Joining forces with frequent collaborator Reid Paley, the former Frank Black (born Charles Thompson)... 

DARYL HALL Laughing Down Crying [Verve Forecast] When Daryl Hall tackles a solo project, it’s always interesting to hear how far he’ll stray from the sounds that made him and partner John Oates staples of pop radio. Hall’s fifth solo disc hews pretty closely to those styles. With production help from Greg Bieck (Jennifer Lopez, Destiny’s Child) and guitarist Paul Pesco, Laughing is an update, not a departure, despite the loping Americana beat... 

ANDREA BALESTRA Fine Arts Avenue myspace.com/andreabalestra Talent and training will get you far, as this Berklee-educated guitarist can attest, but it takes taste and restraint to make an instrumental album as simultaneously eclectic and enjoyable as Fine Arts Avenue. From funky wah-wah workouts to simmering jazz explorations, Balestra demonstrates the upside of virtuosity.  Read More →

SLEEP OVER Forever sleepoverforever.com Existing in some nebulous nether region between New Wave and New Age, the music of Austin synth sorceress Stefanie Franciotti is at turns soothing and frightening. It’s as though Enya has gone Goth and recreated from memory the score from a horror flick she saw as a child.  Read More →

JANE’S ADDICTION The Great Escape Artist [Capitol] Two decades have passed since the first time pioneering alt-rock band Jane’s Addiction broke up, imploding from within via a variety of personality conflicts. Since 1997 the group has reunited in fits and starts with a series of bass players filling in for reluctant original member Eric Avery, including Flea, Martyn LeNoble, Duff McKagan and Chris Chaney. Avery finally rejoined the band in 2008,... 

FEIST Metals [Cherrytree/Interscope] What’s Leslie Feist been up to since her 2007 album The Reminder? Breaking up, from the sound of things on her latest. These songs play like letters from a broken heart, delivered in the Canadian singer’s typically understated style. Her drowsy voice—which works so well on the lovely offhand pop numbers for which she’s become known (“Mushaboom,” “1234”)—requires only a slight adjustment to sound... 

SUPERHEAVY SuperHeavy [Universal Republic] Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, Damian Marley and A.R. Rahman are billing themselves collectively as SuperHeavy, but the all-star quintet’s debut doesn’t quite earn them the label of supergroup. That criticism isn’t a knock on any of the album’s individual tracks. The first half could be the foundation for a perfectly fine, guest-heavy Marley record, and the last half would be adequate filler... 

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH Hysterical [Red General] For a band whose very name implies hyperactivity, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have been surprisingly inactive for the last few years. Following a self-released 2005 debut that became an indie-rock sensation, the band released a hurried sophomore LP in 2007 before entering a self-imposed hibernation. That break led to the usual flurry of forgettable side projects, but now it’s back to business. Frontman... 

WILCO The Whole Love [dBpm/ANTI] Although its first seven minutes and last 12 minutes help to make The Whole Love Wilco’s boldest record since 2001’s landmark Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, those opening and closing marathons are also familiar reminders of leader Jeff Tweedy’s wide emotional range. Amid the gloom of the opening “Art of Almost,” Tweedy is the dark-clothed loner with his head down. Yet he’s the same man who, on the closing “One... 

THE BEACH BOYS The SMiLE Sessions [Capitol] In a scene from the classic movie Citizen Kane, the character of Mr. Bernstein (played by Everett Sloane) rhapsodizes about a comely stranger he briefly spied from a distance some 45 years earlier. “I only saw her for one second,” he says. “She didn’t see me at all, but I’ll bet a month hasn’t gone by since that I haven’t thought of that girl.” There is no beauty quite so radiant as that... 

BJÖRK Biophilia [Nonesuch] Björk’s eighth solo release is not so much an album as the foundation of an ambitious multimedia project. Partly recorded on an iPad and released (in addition to traditional outlets) through 10 interactive apps, Biophilia boasts a lyrical thread drawing from biologist Edward O. Wilson’s ideas about the connections that humans subconsciously seek with the life that surrounds them. By fusing African-derived rhythms,... 

GEORGE BENSON Guitar Man [Concord Jazz] As the title of Guitar Man makes clear, George Benson has rediscovered his axe. Benson began his career as a hotshot jazz guitarist in the ’60s—then in the mid-’70s, he discovered he could sing. Switching gears, he became a pioneer of smooth jazz and has rarely looked back since. Guitar Man offers irrefutable proof that Benson can still play, although all too often he eschews the more nuanced, exploratory... 

MATTHEW SWEET Modern Art [Missing Piece] After a nearly 30-year career and the critical acclaim reaped by much-loved albums like Girlfriend, Altered Beast and 100% Fun, Matthew Sweet has earned his place among power-pop’s elite. His up-and-down fortunes have been dictated all too often by never-ending shifts in record-label affiliations, but each new album still brings an endlessly renewed sense of possibility. True to Sweet’s retro sensibilities,... 

THE JAYHAWKS Mockingbird Time [Rounder] The big news for fans of this quintessential alt-country band is that Mockingbird Time is the first new studio release since 1995 to feature the Jayhawks’ original co-frontmen, Gary Louris and Mark Olson. Reunions can be iffy, but the Jayhawks have marshaled their strengths and assembled a recording truly worthy of their stellar reputation. The omnipresent close harmonies, smart songcraft, instantly memorable... 

RIGHT ON DYNAMITE In Vino Veritas myspace.com/rightondynamite Three songs into their debut album, these New Yorkers ask, “What Would Ringo Do?” If the ex-Beatle were 22 today, he might join a band like Right on Dynamite. The trio makes classic power-pop with a mussed indie edge, building big hooks from Daniel Murphy’s chunky guitars and excited mumbling.  Read More →

JONNY CORNDAWG Down on the Bikini Line corndawg.com The artwork and song titles (“When a Ford Man Turns to Chevy,” etc.) scream comedy record, but Corndawg is no hipster Jeff Foxworthy. His playing is too good, and his love of classic country—in all its heartbreaking, plainspoken, at times ridiculous glory—burns hotter than a backyard tire fire.  Read More →

TIM EASTON Beat the Band timeaston.com In Easton’s America, we’d all resist apathy (“Open Letter”), dream non-mediocre dreams (“What Do You Live For?”), and seek redemption in pop music (“Daily Life”). Whether he’s a purist or a dreamer, he’s got the raspy voice and troubadour soul to make it all seem tenable.  Read More →

THE VEDA RAYS Gamma Rays Galaxy Rays Veda Rays thevedarays.com Brooding and bombastic, Veda Rays jams straddle Echo and the Bunnymen-style ’80s psychedelia and U2 stadium pop. There’s also some modern ennui: a post-Radiohead dread that creeps into both the guitars and Jim Stark’s Red Rocks-ready bellow, giving the disc a seductive, shadowy tinge.  Read More →

ANNIE DRESSNER Strangers Who Knew Each Other’s Names anniedressner.com Now here’s a gal we can root for. A singer of plucky can-do folk-pop tunes—some electric, others acoustic—Dressner loves, loses and wakes up in Brooklyn bars wearing painter’s caps. She takes it all in stride, staying silly and sweet in a sourpuss world.  Read More →

THE PACK A.D. Unpersons thepackafterdeath.com Listening to the fourth album from this Canadian garage-rock duo, an image emerges of singer Becky Black. She’s red-eyed and sneering, hurt and angry, seconds away from either breaking down and bawling or bashing someone in the teeth. Her gnashing guitar riffs suggest the latter, as does Maya Miller’s total-war drumming. Their sound is violent and cathartic, and on “Rid of Me”—a start-stop rager... 

ADAM LEVY The Heart Collector adamlevy.com In Adam Levy’s hands, even murder ballads make for warm, easy listening. On the title track, he describes in suspicious detail a serial killer’s exploits. Levy’s narrator might be the guilty party, or in a metaphorical sense, he might just sympathize with the “cardiophile” and his hunger for human hearts. Either way, it’s a rare moment of darkness from this former Norah Jones guitarist. Levy specializes... 

THE MEKONS Ancient & Modern myspace.com/mekons On their 26th studio album, British post-punk vets and alt-country innovators the Mekons aim to cover 100 years of history, from the eve of World War I to the present. Frontman Jon Langdon’s lyrics touch on war, death, religion, nostalgia and the battle between good and evil, and because these themes are applicable to any era, few songs stand out as fundamentally “ancient” or “modern.”... 

ICEBIRD The Abandoned Lullaby rjselectricalconnections.com Philly’s answer to Gnarls Barkley, Icebird pairs producer and multi-instrumentalist RJD2—known for both his Mad Men theme and string of solo albums—with soul man Aaron Livingston, who’s sung on albums by the Roots, among others. The sound is spaced-out, low-key hip-hop crossed with moody psychedelic soul—a confluence of bumping beats, doo-wop pianos and analog synths. Highlight “Just... 

MR. LEWIS AND THE FUNERAL 5 Delirium Tremendous myspace.com/mrlewisthefuneral5 A pulp novel set to music, the second album by this Austin sextet is overrun with losers, boozers and other lowlifes. They’re all given voice by Gregory Lewis, a scenery-eating thespian of a frontman with Tom Waits’ taste for gallows humor and gutter poetics. Lewis opens the disc by singing, “There’s murder and cheap canned beer all around the highway,” and just... 

JON REGEN Revolution jonregen.com Jon Regen is a man who knows his instrument. The piano isn’t great for rocking out unless you’re Jerry Lee Lewis or Little Richard, but it’s perfect for sophisticated, slightly retro pop songs. Regen writes his with the smart, jazzy feel of Ben Folds or Randy Newman, and on such tunes as “She’s Not You (But Tonight She’ll Have to Do)” and “One Part Broken, Two Parts Blue,” he gets to play his favorite... 

ARRICA ROSE & THE …’S Let Alone Sea arricarose.com In Southern California, Stevie Nicks is a goddess and Depeche Mode are conquering heroes. Arrica Rose isn’t yet on their level, but the San Fernando Valley native is very much of their kind—an enigmatic enchantress adept at blending classic folk-rock songwriting and dark, dreamy atmospherics. She’s got a song called “Summer’s Gonna Burn Me (So Are You),” and that title sums up... 

URSULA 1000 Mondo Beyondo ursula1000.com If Ursula 1000 multi-instrumentalist, DJ and mastermind Alex Gimeno hadn’t invited Fred Schneider to sing on his latest album, the B-52s frontman might have known instinctively to show up anyway. Music this fun demands the kind of kooky enthusiasm Schneider brings to “Hey You!” a Technicolor dance track stuffed full of fuzz guitars, handclaps, whistles and honking car horns. Elsewhere, the Brooklyn-based... 

STEVE BELLO BAND Go Berserk! myspace.com/stevebello It’s no wonder Ibanez tapped Steve Bello to endorse its seven-string guitars. The New Jersey metalhead shreds with rare speed and fluidity, whether soloing or weaving the intricate leads that substitute for lyrics in his instrumental jams. On his fifth album Bello expertly mixes metal subgenres, grounding himself in the classic ’80s sound heard on opener “Surfing to Venus.” The trio flavors... 

CENTRO-MATIC Candidate Waltz centro-matic.com Of the nine tunes on Centro-matic’s latest, only one, “All the Talkers,” really lets listeners in. It’s about an overhyped rock group winning over a roomful of seen-it-all hipsters. “But the band, they were not like the ones before,” sings Will Johnson, still a rock ’n’ roll true believer 15 years after founding Centro-matic in Denton, Texas. Johnson’s faith in guitar groups might stem... 

JOE ELY Satisfied at Last ely.com Satisfaction doesn’t necessarily equal complacency. On this disc’s title track, Joe Ely finds contentedness by pushing forward, living for the moment, feeling his “bandana waving free.” Having toured with everyone from Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore (his partners in supergroup the Flatlanders) to the Clash, the veteran Texas country rocker sings with well-earned wisdom and self-assurance. He knows all... 

TOMMY STINSON One Man Mutiny tommystinson.com Long before his current stint in Guns N’ Roses, bassist Tommy Stinson served his apprenticeship with the Replacements—simultaneously the Beatles and Rolling Stones of the ’80s alt-rock underground. The Minneapolis group could be sharp and melodic, like a punky Fab Four, but also shambolic and self-destructive—particularly onstage, after a few drinks. Fortunately, Stinson seems to have soaked up... 

JUSTIN HINES Days to Recall [Decca] If “handicapped” is just a state of mind, then Canadian Justin Hines is as healthy as anyone. Born with Larsen syndrome, a disease that dislocates the joints and confines him to a wheelchair, he consistently exudes optimism on Days to Recall (his American debut and fourth album overall). With a voice that trumpets triumph and tenacity, he literally whoops his way through opening track “Just the Same” and... 

VARIOUS ARTISTS Phil Spector Presents the Philles Album Collection [Phil Spector Records/Legacy] Phil Spector was never about albums. Monaural 7-inch 45s ruled his world, and with them he elevated the pop single to an art form. Give Spector three minutes and he—with the help of his handpicked, world-class songwriters, engineers, vocalists and musicians—could tell a story for the ages. Nonetheless, Spector did release albums on his own Philles...