NICOLE ATKINS Mondo Amore [Razor & Tie] Four years ago in “Brooklyn’s On Fire!” Nicole Atkins sang about a city in flames while sounding too wrapped up in a magical, boy-crazy dream to really care. Her second album fast-forwards to a point where love-induced blindness has lost some of its power and where a conflict has arisen between our need to move on and our desire to keep what’s in front of us. When Atkins isn’t sticking up for... 

TALIB KWELI Gutter Rainbows [Javotti Media/3D] The latest from Talib Kweli is largely a DIY affair: The rapper recorded and released it outside the major-label system, and no big-name producers or big-shot guests were involved. It’s just Kweli with a handful of collaborators, dropping rhymes that veer toward the socially conscious over neo-soul beats. In other words, it’s not all that different from what the New York MC has been doing all along.... 

PJ HARVEY Let England Shake [Vagrant] After years of making love songs sound like declarations of war, PJ Harvey is flipping the script. Let England Shake is a blunt indictment of her country’s past and present militarism, and while the lyrics range from mournful to venomous, the music is steady and restrained. Part of that is due to instrumentation: Harvey wrote these songs on autoharp, an instrument that doesn’t exactly lend itself to hardcore... 

RADIOHEAD The King of Limbs [TBD Records] There are two Radioheads, and there have been for some time now. One is a five-piece rock band from Oxfordshire, England, that is responsible for relatively straightforward modern classics like “Creep” and “Karma Police.” The other is a six-piece studio collective (including producer Nigel Godrich, an essential part of the team since 1997’s landmark OK Computer) that assembles complex, surreal sonic... 

BOB REA Ragged Choir bobreamusic.com Rea’s songs can come across ragged at times, but they’re also very easy to like. An old school raconteur with a stylistic similarity to the likes of Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings and Rodney Crowell, Rea demonstrates a surefooted take on the Everyman perspective.  Read More →

MICK RHODES ’Til I Am Dust myspace.com/mickrhodesmusic Mick Rhodes jumps genres like a kangaroo navigating the Outback, yet consistently cranks out great tunes. Whether it’s the pop spark of “Back to the 909,” the Americana revelry of “It’s Too Late” or the backwoods stomp of “Brown and Blue,” Rhodes rocks with conviction.  Read More →

KEVENS We Are One kevens.com Reggae has splintered into several subgenres over the years, but Kevens takes a traditional tack that would likely find Bob Marley nodding his approval. Opening track “HalleluJAH” echoes Marley’s spiritual side, while songs like “Open Your Eyes and “Breakdown the Walls” offer further affirmation. Kevens maintains a rock steady rhythm throughout.  Read More →

BIRDSONG AT MORNING Annals of My Glass House birdsongatmorning.com A lovely compendium combining Birdsong At Morning’s four EPs, Annals of My Glass House finds the chamber folk trio gently ruminating on matters of the heart. Nick Drake’s influence is obvious, but hushed covers of Blondie’s “Dreaming” and the Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile” also prove revelatory.  Read More →

AUDITORIUM Be Brave auditoriummusic.com You’d expect a musician who brands himself Auditorium to go for theatrics, but the man behind this curtain, Spencer Berger, keeps the drama to a minimum. There’s delicacy in his deft approach, with his sweeping vocals and ornate acoustic settings rekindling memories of Mike Love and the Beach Boys.  Read More →

PATRICK WILLIAMS Aurora patrickwilliamsmusic.com While known mainly as a film and television composer, Grammy and Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Patrick Williams is also an accomplished jazz arranger whose work with Frank Sinatra, Tom Scott and clarinetist Eddie Daniels has earned him acclaim throughout his 50-year career. Aurora reunites Williams with Scott and Daniels and also includes other ace players like Hubert Laws, Arturo Sandoval, Chuck Findley... 

TIM LEE 3 Raucous Americanus timleethree.com After winning over rock fans in Let’s Active and the dubiously dubbed Windbreakers, Tim Lee has been soaking up the sounds of the South while touring what he and his wife, bass player Susan Bauer Lee, call the “pulled pork circuit.” The accurately titled, sprawling double disc Raucous Americanus emphasizes the gritty, no-nonsense MO that’s become the Tim Lee 3’s stock in trade. With drummer Matt... 

DARDEN SMITH Marathon dardensmith.com While Darden Smith’s Austin upbringing might lead some to tag him as just another Texas troubadour, his recent efforts have shown some distance from his homegrown roots. While he is known to dabble in pop, Marathon reflects a darker side to his musical persona, given a set of songs united by a sense of hushed introspection. The album maintains a consistent conceptual feel that connects the steadfast sway of... 

BRIAN RAY This Way Up brianray.com Although Brian Ray honed his chops backing Etta James, Smokey Robinson and French heartthrob Johnny Hallyday, since 2002 he has been perhaps best known as a member of Paul McCartney’s backing band. Not surprisingly, Ray’s second solo effort reflects a pop sensibility honed by experience and enhanced by long-term exposure to McCartney. Yet his fondness for big beats, vibrant hooks and catchy choruses doesn’t... 

MINI MANSIONS Mini Mansions minimansionsmusic.com Mini Mansions’ ambitious and complex sound draws equally from pop and prog-rock. Their appealing melodies aim for accessibility, and radiant textures and breezy harmonies make Mini Mansions feel spacious. At times the L.A.-based band’s members seem intent on proving their skill at shaping soundscapes, especially on songs like “Monk” and “The Room Outside.” That comes with the territory,... 

THE JIGSAW SEEN Bananas Foster thejigsawseen.com Given to elaborate arrangements that incorporate a staunchly retro feel, the Jigsaw Seen remains one of the more accomplished power-pop outfits to have emerged from L.A.’s 1980s paisley underground. Their music veers from exuberant and embracing to precious and precocious, giving songs like “David Hart’s Name of Song,” “Fruitbasket Upset” and “Melancholy Morning” a consistent sound that’s... 

KATE JACOBS Home Game katejacobsmusic.com Kate Jacobs’ sly, childlike vocals generally tread the divide between innocence and whimsy, but Home Game finds her cloaked in a blanket of domesticity. With two toddlers keeping her occupied, she sings of being drawn to the hearth although tempted by the tug of the road. The sentiments are simple, but Jacobs’ alluring delivery makes even the wistfully dreamy “Time for Bed” seem like a sumptuous delight.... 

GARY HUSBAND Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1 garyhusband.com Drummer and keyboardist Gary Husband’s résumé is peppered with albums by famous musicians, Jeff Beck, Jack Bruce, Robin Trower and John McLaughlin among them. Several notables contribute here—McLaughlin, Trower, Steve Hackett and Allan Holdsworth included—but Dirty & Beautiful isn’t a mere exercise in superstar indulgence. Rather, it’s a showcase for Husband’s talents as... 

JEFF FINLIN The Tao of Motor Oil jefffinlin.com Singer and songwriter Jeff Finlin’s latest offering is a study in tone and temperament, ranging from the sobering pronouncements of “Barefoot in the Snow,” “Hands Off the Wheel” and “La Luna” to the steadfastly determined “East by West” and “Stones Must Roll.” The Tao of Motor Oil (a title Finlin said refers to his hope for a smoothly running life) maintains an unwavering resolve... 

STACIE COLLINS Sometimes Ya Gotta… staciecollins.com Stacie Collins represents a refreshing break from the shy, retiring types that seem to dominate Austin and Nashville these days. Opening track “Hey Mister” emphasizes that point by tossing out the typecasting so prevalent in commercial country music these days. “Hey mister, listen to the radio playin’/Another shooting star/But they ain’t got a damn thing to say.” Collins isn’t so... 

ERIC BRACE & PETER COOPER Master Sessions redbeetrecords.com Inspired by a shared admiration for a pair of iconic instrumentalists—Dobro legend Mike Auldridge and pedal steel master Lloyd Green—Peter Cooper and Last Train Home’s Eric Brace opted to celebrate their legacies by actually enlisting these veteran virtuosos themselves. With additional support from Nashville’s finest session players, the performances are flawless—and the material... 

BLEU Four bleutopia.com Bleu—also known as singer, songwriter and instrumentalist William James McAuley III—boasts a power-pop sound that embraces rousing anthems, outsized arrangements and the kind of insistent singalongs that might give the E Street Band a run for their money. After taking honors in Boston’s annual Battle of the Bands competition, McAuley joined L.E.O., a group that shared members with Chicago, Hanson and Jellyfish while... 

Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)? [Lorber Films] DVD Harry Nilsson was a one-of-a-kind character: an immensely talented songwriter whose biggest hits were covers; an ebullient soul fueled by a terror of abandonment; an ambitious striver who seemed determined to wreck his career; a man with the voice of an angel and a devilish sense of humor; a lover of life who often appeared to have a death wish; a onetime multimillionaire... 

ROCK BAND 3 [Harmonix] GUITAR HERO: WARRIORS OF ROCK [Activision] VIDEO GAMES The music game genre has grown crowded quickly over the last few years, but the essential battle at its core remains that between the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises. The latest iteration of each demonstrates the very different ways in which the games have evolved. The Guitar Hero series is on its sixth major incarnation, not counting seemingly endless variants like... 

GUITAR HERO: WARRIORS OF ROCK [Activision] ROCK BAND 3 [Harmonix] VIDEO GAMES The music game genre has grown crowded quickly over the last few years, but the essential battle at its core remains that between the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises. The latest iteration of each demonstrates the very different ways in which the games have evolved. The Guitar Hero series is on its sixth major incarnation, not counting seemingly endless variants like... 

JIMI HENDRIX West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology [Experience Hendrix/Sony Legacy] BOX SET At some point the world resigned itself to the idea that every scrap of tape left behind by musical giants like Miles Davis and John Coltrane was worth hearing—that every alternate version was at least a little revealing, and even a seconds-long take that broke down before getting started offered a glimpse into the creative process. It’s... 

CAREY OTT Human Heart [DiscoverRock.com] On his second full-length solo album, Ott again displays the understated melodicism of his previous work as well as a winsome voice reminiscent of Freedy Johnston. On the punchy “Wish I Could,” Ott voices his eternal optimism with pithy lines like “I want to talk and communicate with everyone.” That theme continues on the oughta-be-a-hit “Be Honest,” where he croons, “A little more courtesy, empathy/All... 

KAT MASLICH-BODE The Road Of 6 [Mishara Music] A decade ago, Kat Maslich-Bode (then just Maslich) was half of the buzzed-about Los Angeles-based acoustic duo eastmountainsouth with Peter Bradley Adams. They released an album and toured with folks like Lucinda Williams and Nelly Furtado before breaking up in 2004. The alluring EP The Road of 6 is the at-long-last solo debut for the now Nashville-based singer-songwriter. The opening track, “March,”... 

VIOLENS Amoral [Friendly Fire/Static Recital] Producer and multi-instrumentalist Jorge Elbrecht digs everything from black metal and hardcore punk to ’90s dance music, but he has the ’80s on the brain with Amoral, the debut album from his Brooklyn trio Violens. Elbrecht’s is a different sort of nostalgia. Rather than referencing indie-rock faves like New Order or Gary Numan, he aims for the high-gloss Top 40 pop of the decade’s latter half;... 

THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT Rhythm of the Road, Vol. One: Incident in Atlanta [SCI Fidelity] This 2000 show in Atlanta has achieved legendary status among String Cheese Incident fans, capturing a moment at which the veteran jam band reached a new plateau as a performing unit. And what a treat it is for Cheeseheads: over three hours of the group’s trademark stew of bluegrass, funk and jazz with oodles of interplay among the members. The group quickly... 

THE VOLEBEATS The Volebeats [Rainbow Quartz] The Volebeats have been putting records out sporadically and without much fanfare since 1989 without attracting a great deal of attention. The band has displayed an unwavering adherence to a ’60s British Invasion sound, particularly in its R&B permutations (the Stones’ Out of Our Heads would be an appropriate touchstone), strained through a country sensibility and throwing in various dollops of... 

SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS The Kudzu Ranch [Kudzu] Southern Culture on the Skids has been providing its own particular perspective on the lowbrow side of the South for more than two decades now, from dirt-track dates to banana pudding, all set to a raucous, party-ready amalgam of rockabilly, blues, surf music and whatever else crosses its members’ minds. The band’s 13th album is a brisk race through hick-rock character sketch (“My Neighbor... 

THE PIPETTES Earth vs. the Pipettes [Polka Dot Sounds/Fortuna Pop] After delving into the sound of classic early-’60s girls groups on 2006’s We Are the Pipettes, the Brit indie act’s follow-up takes the next logical step by diving into disco. Maybe they should have stuck with the girl-group thing. Now a duo after near-constant lineup changes over the past four years, the Pipettes approach disco head-on with glossy songs packed full of candy-colored... 

ERIC JOHNSON Up Close [Vortexan Music] While it’s been 20 years since Eric Johnson had his closest brush with fame with the landmark Ah Via Musicom, the joyful noise that is his signature remains completely intact. At times, his entire multi-decade discography feels like it could have been cut in one long session in any given year. For its part, Up Close lacks anything quite as breakneck as “Zap” or as hummable as “Cliffs of Dover,” but... 

EDIE BRICKELL Edie Brickell [Redeye] Before adult-contemporary audiences could get the wah-wah guitar of her debut hit “What I Am” out of their heads, media-shy Edie Brickell had already grown disaffected with show business. Because her career since the ’80s has been modest by choice, it’s a feel-good shock to hear her sounding so comfortable on just her sixth album in 23 years. “Give It Another Day” starts out sounding like Laura Nyro... 

STEREOLAB Not Music [Drag City] Sadly, this new release does not signal an end to Stereolab’s recently begun hiatus. The 13 songs on Not Music were recorded in 2007 alongside the 17 that made it onto the following year’s Chemical Chords. This new batch shares much in common with the first, while building on ideas the London collective has been cooking up since the early ’90s. As always, Stereolab makes music for situationist cocktail parties—soirees... 

DEADMAU5 4×4=12 [Ultra] Canadian electro producer Deadmau5 (pronounced “deadmouse”) has appeared at the 2010 Winter Olympics, won a slew of electronic music awards and spun on national TV during the MTV Video Music Awards, but he demonstrates on his new album that building laptop beats and wearing a surreal costume on stage does not make one Daft Punk. His third album is a wide-ranging collection of dance tracks, with pumping rhythm on “Some... 

CHARLIE WILSON Just Charlie [Jive] As long as there has been popular music, its focus has remained on love and all it entails—from yearning and desire to courtship, contentment and/or heartbreak. Former Gap Band singer Charlie Wilson doesn’t nudge those parameters on the aptly titled Just Charlie, but his smooth croon and penchant for bedroom ballads make them seem less constrictive. Capping a productive decade-long solo career, this offering... 

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX Farmer’s Daughter [19 Recordings/Jive] American Idol contestants are often accused of oversinging, pseudo-dramatics and the like—and on her high-spirited debut, former Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox sometimes stands guilty of these musical crimes. Still, she explores her own path often enough on Farmer’s Daughter to stake a claim to a promising recording career. After a feisty opener, the top-down roadhouse rocker “Ridin’... 

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN Relentless [Rising Force] If guitarists were paid by the note, Yngwie Malmsteen would be a gazillionaire. For 30 years the Swedish six-stringer has shredded with a scorched-earth vengeance, delivering flying-fingered arpeggios and whammy bar acrobatics that at times defy credulity. By that measure, his latest album ranks among his best. Framed by pile-driving percussion, medieval choral flourishes and portentous lyrical themes, Malmsteen... 

BEYONCÉ I Am … World Tour [Columbia] I Am … World Tour gathers two dozen of Beyoncé’s best-loved songs from various stops on a 78-city world tour. All her biggest hits are here: “Crazy in Love,” “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” and a sleek version of Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name” just for starters. The live setting strips away some of the hyperactive sheen of the studio versions and lets you hear Beyoncé put her ringing... 

SOCIAL DISTORTION Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes [Epitaph] The nihilistic Mike Ness of Mommy’s Little Monster, Social Distortion’s 1983 debut, has long since disappeared. The singer and guitarist is still a tough guy, but ever since embracing country and rockabilly influences in the mid-1980s he’s played a more sympathetic sort of antihero: the ruffian with the heart of gold. On Social Distortion’s first album since 2004, Ness remains very... 

DUFFY Endlessly [Mercury] Twenty-six-year-old Welsh singer Duffy created a stir with her 2008 debut Rockferry, eliciting a wave of comparisons to Amy Winehouse. This fine follow-up won’t rid her of that tag entirely, but it does edge Duffy closer to a stylistic identity of her own. Half the disc embraces the retro R&B style that shaped Duffy’s debut, while the other boasts a Euro-chic pop sound more akin to Kylie Minogue. Standout moments... 

THE DECEMBERISTS The King Is Dead [Capitol] Decemberists leader Colin Meloy has a flair for fanciful storytelling—but because America is too young to have produced its own ancient folklore, he and his cohorts tend to look elsewhere for inspiration. On its last two albums the band drew on Japanese and European traditions, creating elaborate fairy-tale song cycles. On first listen, The King Is Dead seems the opposite: a collection of scaled-back Americana... 

PAUL TURNER Another World paulturner.com With songs both pensive and forlorn, Paul Turner’s downcast demeanor is reminiscent of previous haunted souls like Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. The music conveys a tender fragility, with cello and acoustic guitar creating the sparse settings. Despite its meditative insularity, Another World is finally a welcome space for listeners.  Read More →

RAT WAKES RED Acres ratdisk.com Who would think that a trio that tags itself Rat Wakes Red would sound so seductive? If the name suggests punkish mischief, the music shatters that suggestion through its dimly lit melodies and sensual settings. The supple addition of violas, synths and keyboards to standard rock regalia makes Acres all the more alluring.  Read More →

ARTHUR NASSON Echo Garden arthurnasson.com Arthur Nasson effectively blurs the boundaries between pop practitioner and avant-garde innovator. Consequently, Echo Garden varies dramatically in its tones and textures, running the gamut from more engaging entries to brash rockers, with several songs given over to atonal soundscapes. Few other artists could so effectively express experimental ambition on such a grand scale.  Read More →

LELAND SUNDRIES The Apothecary EP lelandsundries.com Nick Loss-Eaton, also known as Leland Sundries, is a public-relations professional by trade but a musician at heart. On this sepia-toned EP, he proves as adept at creating intriguing music of his own as he is at marketing the sounds of others.  Read More →

MIC HARRISON AND THE HIGH SCORE Great Commotion micharrison.com The vibrant fall foliage that adorns the cover of Great Commotion reflects the homespun attitude in the grooves. Although Harrison and company tone down their edgier inclinations on this sixth album, the band still sounds ruggedly assured, even when allowing opportunity for sentiment to shine through.  Read More →

NOVEMBER Sugar Free novembernow.com November is a darker month, when trees are stripped of their leaves and the populace braces for the onslaught of winter. Not surprisingly then, the band with that name boasts an ominous sound—a snarling, insistent jackhammering that suggests danger on the way. Some songs are sweeping in scope (“Follow Me,” “Imagination”), but others lumber along insistently (“Scars,” “Love the Lonely”) like Pearl... 

CASEY NEILL & THE NORWAY RATS Goodbye to the Rank and File caseyneill.org Casey Neill emerged from the Pacific Northwest, a populist folk rocker with a penchant for posturing and protest. Half a dozen albums on, Neill offers his most accomplished effort yet, one that combines his world-weary view with a dramatic delivery. The riveting “All Summer Glory,” the bittersweet ballad “Ouroboros” and the reflective “Radio Montana” are strikingly...