RYAN MONTBLEAU BAND Heavy on the Vine ryanmontbleauband.com Credit Ryan Montbleau with the ability to sound folksy without being folk-y. His down-home shuffles belie an uptown sound, and given his casual vocals and the feast of fiddles that weave their way into the mix, Montbleau’s breezy presentation provides a jam-band feel without that genre’s tendency toward overindulgence. Take the low-key “Slippery Road,” a pleasing paean to procrastination,... 

CONNIE LIM The Hunted connielimmusic.com Connie Lim describes her music as “retrotronica,” a melding of old-school folk and modern techno. The 24-year-old Lim’s reverence for role models like Suzanne Vega, Feist and Natalie Merchant is made evident in her sophomore set through the purity of her vocals and her Anglophile inclinations. Likewise, several songs—“Sugar,” “Now” and “Morning”—evoke the pastoral imagery of quiet idyllic... 

THE PINX Southern Tracks myspace.com/thepinxatlanta Atlanta rock trio the Pinx come roaring out of the gate on this Molotov cocktail of an EP, bashing through these seven cuts as if their rock ’n’ roll lives were at stake. Classic-rock influences prevail, but there’s no dust on these guys—singer and guitarist Adam McIntyre, bass player Joseph T. Giddings and drummer Jim O’Kane play as if they’re opening for a double bill of the Who and... 

TREASA LEVASSEUR Low Fidelity treasalevasseur.com Plowing the fertile fields of blues, soul, jazz and cabaret, Canada’s Juno award-winning chanteuse Treasa Levasseur is an old soul recast as a contemporary crooner. Suggestive, seductive, soulful and scornful—depending on the song and circumstance—she sounds as timeless as the love-struck laments that soar throughout this set. With hints of Sade, Norah Jones, Laura Nyro and Bonnie Raitt, Levasseur’s... 

DAVID LANZ Liverpool: Re-imagining the Beatles davidlanz.com Any attempt to reinterpret the Beatles runs the risk of coming off as corny, cheesy or worse. So credit David Lanz for recasting these songs as stirring instrumentals that ring true to the originals while adding an original perspective to the mix. A skilled pianist and adept arranger, Lanz transforms “Things We Said Today,” “Yes It Is” and “Lovely Rita” into elegiac mini-suites... 

KRISTIAN HOFFMAN Fop kristianhoffman.com Veteran pop purist Kristian Hoffman has previously notched credits working with former Kinks kingpin Dave Davies and veteran producer Earle Mankey. On Fop, his fourth solo sojourn, he expands his ambitions by weaving together the strands of America’s popular music traditions. From the sounds of the roaring ’20s (“Imaginary Friend”) to ’70s-style power ballads (“Something New Is Born,” “Cassandra”)... 

GAELIC STORM Cabbage gaelicstorm.com Like fellow Irish expatriates Black 47, Santa Monica’s Gaelic Storm pays homage to the homeland and keeps the ties intact. Not surprisingly, then, fiddles, bagpipes, rock and reels make Cabbage a hearty stew. Comprised mostly of uptempo tunes, the album revives the celebratory style that got the Storm attention for its role as the resident dance band in the film Titanic. Gaelic Storm’s spirited approach informs... 

KEVIN CONNOLLY North/East kevinconnolly.com Over two decades and a catalog that includes nine independently released albums, Kevin Connolly has become one of New England’s most respected troubadours. However, unlike the usual wistful folkies who haunt the region’s clubs and coffeehouses, Connolly’s music can be tough and tenacious. Although its roots are in the singer-songwriter tradition, he’s never been reticent to inject elements of R&B,... 

MARSHALL CHAPMAN Big Lonesome tallgirl.com Marshall Chapman’s been mining a roots-oriented sound for nearly 35 years, first for major labels and subsequently under her own Tall Girl imprint. She’s also toured and recorded with Jimmy Buffett, releasing a live album as the maiden offering on Buffett’s Margaritaville label. Her ongoing association with Buffett bandmate Tim Krekel informs Big Lonesome, an album that highlights her usual mix of feisty... 

DWIGHT TWILLEY Green Blimp dwighttwilley.com There’s no shortage of individuals who would take credit for jumpstarting the power-pop movement way back when, but none of them stake as convincing a claim as Dwight Twilley. His 1975 Top 20 hit “I’m on Fire” helped lay the groundwork for the entire retro rock regimen, and by the time he returned to the charts with 1984’s “Girls,” his argument had been made. Sadly, Twilley’s accomplishments... 

VARIOUS ARTISTS Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 [Rhino] DVD REVIEW Rock ’n’ roll as a genre couldn’t exist without the electric guitar. That means Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, put on by the guitar legend tri-annually since 2004, is in essence a celebration of rock ’n’ roll’s very raison d’être. For each event Clapton handpicks a lineup of axe slingers that embraces a broad range of styles and generations, from his... 

JOHN LENNON Gimme Some Truth [Capitol] BOX SET REVIEW “Look at me,” sang John Lennon in 1970, with the Beatles’ bitter breakup just behind him and an uncertain new decade ahead. “What am I supposed to be?” Every great songwriter asks that question in one way or another, but few do so with the ruthless honesty with which Lennon pursued it through a solo career rich with contradictory impulses, wild course corrections and—of course—an... 

TRACE ADKINS Cowboy’s Back in Town [Show Dog/Universal] Trace Adkins’ new album begins with a punchline about the wah-wah guitar lines that once dominated porn soundtracks (“Brown Chicken Brown Cow”) and ends with a hillbilly brawl (“Whoop a Man’s Ass”). In between, the rest of this underwhelming set might make you forget the fact that Adkins, with his profound baritone, is one of modern country music’s most powerful voices. When... 

KATIE MELUA The House [Dramatico] Katie Melua has become a U.K. sensation, but stateside success has escaped her grasp so far. Her latest disc might just gain her the foothold she’s been seeking. Produced by techno-pop wizard William Orbit, The House boasts a Dido-flavored feel perfectly suited to Melua’s chanteuse-y approach. “I’d Love to Kill You,” the opening track, sets the tone, as Melua’s old-school pop voice is framed in a lovely... 

DAVID GRAY Foundling [Downtown] Following the breakup of his longtime backing band, David Gray pursued a new direction on 2009’s Draw the Line. Foundling is a spinoff from those earlier sessions, which found him shuffling off with a small group of essential players and doing solitary takes on songs originally intended for a larger ensemble. Not that this material is stripped down entirely; while selections like “Forgetting,” “The Old Chair”... 

SUPERCHUNK Majesty Shredding [Merge Records] Superchunk doesn’t aspire to be Merge Records’ most innovative or best-selling act. Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance—founders of both Superchunk and Merge—leave that to the Arcade Fire, whose Suburbs album recently became the venerable North Carolina indie imprint’s first-ever chart-topper. The decidedly less ambitious Majesty Shredding, Superchunk’s first full-length in nine years, is a gift... 

PETE YORN Pete Yorn [Vagrant] Pete Yorn’s latest proves that off-the-cuff projects can yield superb results. Recorded in just five days with former Pixies leader Frank Black producing, the disc strips Yorn’s songwriting, singing and guitar gifts to their essence. The opener, “Precious Stone,” sets the tone. Framed by fuzzed-up guitars and a molten bridge, Yorn sounds scruffy and vulnerable on this country-tinged pop rocker. “Velcro Shoes”... 

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE Harlem River Blues [Bloodshot] As evidenced by what is certainly his best album to date, Justin Townes Earle has put the brakes on his attitude and opted for a more traditional stance. Unabashedly emotional, these retro-minded songs could sub for old-school standards, each drawing on archetypal Americana styles ranging from bluegrass and classic country to blues, folk and gospel. They’re etched with bold strokes, mining a sound... 

MATT AND KIM Sidewalks [Fader] There’s a “grab the world by the tail” message tucked into the third full-length effort from the Brooklyn duo Matt and Kim. Singer Matt Johnson is so busy painting the town that he claims not to have time to stop and photograph any of it. But that fearless adventurousness isn’t transferred to the sound of the new songs. Other than the startlingly bare “Northeast,” this is nearly the same keyboard-driven,... 

EVEREST On Approach [Vapor/WBR] From the opening snare drum slam of “Let Go,” this second album by L.A.’s Everest finds ensemble playing and melodic hooks taking precedence over flashy soloing. That’s not to say this is merely living-room rock—with its propulsive backbeat and cascading guitars, “Let Go” sounds like a stadium anthem in waiting. Ditto for the hard-rock gestures of “I’ve Had This Feeling Before” and the lush closer,... 

CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET Mirror [ECM] Rabo de Nube, Charles Lloyd’s previous release with pianist Jason Moran, double-bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland, was so well received—awards galore, rave reviews—that it’s not surprising to find the same lineup returning for an encore. Mirror is more subdued than its predecessor—nearly all of the tracks are ballads, and while the musicianship is of course exemplary, it’s a relatively tamer... 

DIPLOMATS OF SOLID SOUND What Goes Around Comes Around [Pravda] Iowa City’s Diplomats of Solid Sound have been plying their trade for more than a decade now, so they’ve been at it since the early days of the soul revival that currently is fully dialed up. The band’s first three records were purely instrumental; they expanded their membership and their scope in 2008 with the addition of a trio of vocalists dubbed “the Diplomettes.” Two of... 

OLD 97’S The Grand Theatre Volume One [New West] While earlier albums found them etching their own variation on the roots-rock template, The Grand Theatre Volume One suggests the Old 97’s have again chosen to pursue a more rambunctious direction. The three songs that open the album—“The Grand Theatre,” “Every Night Is Friday Night (Without You)” and “The Magician”—constitute a rowdy triple threat that soars on rapid-fire refrains... 

SYD BARRETT An Introduction to Syd Barrett [Capitol] The driving force behind just three full-length albums—Pink Floyd’s 1967 masterpiece The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and the 1970 solo albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett—the late Syd Barrett nonetheless had a profound impact on rock. This 18-song collection, culled from the above albums and fleshed out with three essential singles, shows why Barrett remains such a revered cult figure. “Arnold... 

CORIN TUCKER BAND 1000 Years [Kill Rock Stars] The solo debut from Sleater-Kinney founding member Corin Tucker may not be instantly comparable to the aggressive work of her famous riot-grrl band, but it doesn’t qualify as a startling departure either. Despite being short on screams and relatively eclectic in its choice of instruments, 1000 Years channels the do-it-yourself spirit of punk rock during every second of its running time. Alongside the... 

LORETTA LYNN AND FRIENDS Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn [Columbia Nashville] This all-star salute commemorates the 50th anniversary of Loretta Lynn’s debut single, “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl,” along with the 30th anniversary of her biopic Coal Miner’s Daughter. Top female country singers—Carrie Underwood, Gretchen Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, Faith Hill—offer up their heartfelt and mostly faithful covers of Lynn classics alongside... 

BRYAN FERRY Olympia [Astralwerks] The guest list for Bryan Ferry’s first batch of (mostly) original material in eight years is star-studded to the point of practically begging for attention. There’s Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood—and those are just the guitarists. But if you don’t have the liner notes handy, the sidemen won’t matter, and your mind will stay focused on a single thought:... 

NORAH JONES …Featuring [Blue Note/EMI] For an artist with such a distinctive style of her own, Norah Jones is quite an adaptable character. …Featuring collects 18 tracks she has recorded with other artists over the last nine years, and her roster of musical partners has been remarkably diverse. Here we find Jones teaming with acts ranging from Foo Fighters and Willie Nelson to Outkast and Herbie Hancock, and sounding perfectly at home alongside... 

NEIL DIAMOND Dreams [Columbia] Neil Diamond has made a remarkable resurgence as a songwriter during the past decade, but this album of covers finds him paying tribute to material that helped shape that songwriting brilliance in the first place. Diamond instills these classic tunes from the ’60s and ’70s with an after-hours ambiance that spotlights their melodic strength and lyrical power. High points include an Americana-tinged take on the Beatles’... 

TAYLOR SWIFT Speak Now [Big Machine] “There is nothing I do better than revenge,” warns Taylor Swift on Speak Now, in one of many observations that demonstrate she’s still fond of wielding her smartly crafted pop-country songs as weapons against those who have wronged her. But her third and darkest album yet scales up the drama, her oversize emotions matched by full-bodied arrangements. During her teen years Swift took aim at classmates who... 

LENI STERN Sa Belle Belle Ba lenistern.com Virtuoso guitarist Leni Stern continues to explore her fascination with the rich culture of the African continent, deftly blending vibrant rhythms, communal chants and exotic instrumentation with Western styles like jazz, funk and R&B.  Read More →

ROB MORSBERGER The Chronicle of a Literal Man robmorsberger.com On first encounter Rob Morsberger sounds like a Dylan wannabe, but the sharp air of defiance in the title track quickly upends preconceived notions. Morsberger’s literate songs are etched with irony (“Old Jolly Farm”), nostalgia (“Nebraska in Winter”) and recrimination (“Like Eating a Stone,” “Independent Movie”).  Read More →

THE GREEN PAJAMAS The Red, Red Rose thegreenpajamas.com Hot on the heels of the recent reissue of their psychedelic classic Book of Hours, this new EP by Seattle’s Green Pajamas suggests they haven’t abandoned the MO they established nearly 25 years ago.  Read More →

JOHN DOKES With The GEORGE GEE SWING ORCHESTRA John Dokes Sings, George Gee Swings georgegee.com Newcomer Dokes’ smooth tenor combined with the big band sound of veteran Gee’s swinging orchestra brings to mind the classic collaboration between Joe Williams and Count Basie. The musicians create a rollicking set, their infectious exuberance easily bridging the generational divide.  Read More →

ANDREW COLE Why We Wonder andrewcolemusic.com Canadian Andrew Cole arrives fully formed, armed with instantly engaging songs, sumptuous arrangements and an emotional investment in his material. Finding common ground between Paul McCartney and David Gray, Cole scores a mesmerizing debut graced by a voice that effortlessly soars, and sentiments that are always fully felt.  Read More →

WRECKLESS ERIC & AMY RIGBY Two-Way Family Favourites wrecklesseric.com amyrigby.com They always seemed an unlikely musical couple, but for their second album together, Cockney pop punk Wreckless Eric and the unassuming Amy Rigby show their common roots through a heady cache of rock standards. Appropriating the formula mined by Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs for their Under the Covers collaborations, Eric and Amy apply a twelve-string sheen,... 

STAN RIDGWAY Neon Mirage stanridgway.com Over 33 years, first with Wall of Voodoo and subsequently through a solo career full of darkly cinematic musings, retro jazz affectations and creepy film scores, Stan Ridgway hasn’t exactly made accessibility his raison d’être. But Neon Mirage is his most revealing effort yet, one that bares his torn psyche following the deaths of his father, his uncle and musical colleague Amy Farris. “Big Green Tree,”... 

RAIN PERRY Internal Combustion rainperry.com Rain Perry is sassy and sensual on Internal Combustion, offering no qualms about exploring her sexuality in song. On opening track “The Compartmentalized Thing,” she touts the fact that she knows what she wants and isn’t shy about demanding it. “Keanuville” and “Next Best Thing” find her idolizing members of the opposite sex, and her take on the bedroom anthem to beat them all, Marvin Gaye’s... 

FRED EAGLESMITH Cha Cha Cha fredeaglesmith.com As the title implies, Cha Cha Cha recreates vintage sounds like classic gospel and retro rock ’n’ roll. Eaglesmith usually plays the irrepressible troubadour, but here his wry observations and critical commentary are tempered by the album’s romantic allure. Throughout these 10 tracks, Eaglesmith segues smoothly from the gypsy sway of “Careless” and the bottleneck shuffle of “Car” to the... 

THE DIRTY GUV’NAHS Youth Is in our Blood thedirtyguvnahs.com Youth may be in their blood, but tradition guides their instincts. With this sophomore disc, the Knoxville, Tenn. sextet channels respected forebears like the Allman Brothers, Doobie Brothers and the Black Crowes. The Guv’nahs reflect other influences along the way—specifically, the Stones’ strut and swagger on “It’s Dangerous” and John Mellencamp on “New Salvation.” The... 

AMY CORREIA You Go Your Way amycorreia.com Three albums on, Amy Correia continues to expand her palette, expressing herself through songs that cover a wide musical terrain, both stylistically and geographically. With Correia’s sturdy vocals at the fore, the arrangements range from laidback to brassy to string-laden serenades. The vocal performances on the fan-financed You Go Your Way conjure up comparisons to Bonnie Raitt (on “You Go Your Way”)... 

CARRY ME OHIO Oak and Iron Bound carrymeohio.com Colorado singer, guitarist, songwriter and onetime solo act Evan Pugh formed Carry Me Ohio in 2009 to play his songs in a full-band context, but the emphasis on Oak and Iron Bound remains on songcraft rather than showy musical fireworks. That said, this is a real band—guitarist David Goodheim’s licks pointedly punctuate Pugh’s vocals, bass player Jeff Miller’s low-end contributions are melodic... 

THE CHAPIN SISTERS Two thechapinsisters.com The aptly titled Two is a solid sequel to the Chapin Sisters’ critically hailed 2008 debut, Lake Bottom LP. With Jessica Craven on hiatus and focusing on her family, siblings Abigail and Lily Chapin take up the slack, their delicate, shimmering harmonies effectively filling the newfound space in the sound. The daughters of veteran singer and songwriter Tom Chapin (and the nieces of his late brother Harry),... 

ANDREW ANDERSON As Long as This Thing’s Flyin’ andrewandersonmusic.com The initial outing by Idaho-to-Austin transplant Andrew Anderson combines a sense of austerity with a hard-bitten, road-weary resolve. He and colleagues Luke Meade and Jeremy Harris rummage through a veritable acoustic instrumental arsenal on As Long as This Thing’s Flyin’, providing their ramshackle narratives with a distinctive back-porch flavor. Anderson wails defiance... 

LUKE DOUCET AND THE WHITE FALCON Steel City Trawler lukedoucet.com With a burgeoning reputation in his native Canada as both an incisive songwriter and a riveting guitar slinger, Luke Doucet now makes a determined effort to balance both aspects of his talent. Steel City Trawler is as gritty as its title implies, its pure, unapologetic rock ’n’ roll referencing the Stones, the Faces and even the Who in all their frayed and tattered glory. An amped-up... 

DVD REVIEW RUSH Classic Albums: 2112/Moving Pictures [Eagle Vision] Most editions of the sterling Classic Albums series examine in detail the creation of a—you guessed it—classic album with the help of the musicians, producers and engineers who made it. So why does Rush’s first entry in the series cover two albums? Certainly, both 1976’s 2112 and 1981’s Moving Pictures represent turning points in the band’s career—but so do several... 

TROY TURNER Whole Lotta Blues [Evidence] Troy Turner has been putting out records since 1990, but this is only his fourth in those 20 years. His latest is a collaborative effort with producer Jon Tiven, who had a hand in writing 13 of the album’s 14 tracks and plays a variety of instruments throughout. Tiven in turn called on the likes of legendary Howlin’ Wolf sideman Hubert Sumlin as a partner in writing several of the songs, and supplemented... 

BOBBY BARE JR. A Storm, A Tree, My Mother’s Head [Thirty Tigers] Four years after his last studio album, Bobby Bare Jr. returns with his wry wit and droll eye for detail splendidly intact. Bare has never fit squarely into the country-singer mold of his father, but there’s subtle twang here, along with a gentle throwback-soul sensibility on tunes that would make you cry if you weren’t laughing. “One of Us Has Got to Go” is one of those, with... 

THE BAD PLUS Never Stop [E1 Entertainment] On its first album of all original material, the Bad Plus—bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King—makes the transition from gimmicky hipster jazz act to legitimate contenders. The trio lets it fly right from the get-go: Opening track “The Radio Tower Has a Beating Heart” is a shimmering, explosive number. For the most part, the songs aspire to an almost epic sound. (We... 

LOST IN THE TREES All Alone in an Empty House [Anti-/Epitaph] Highbrow and lowbrow find a happy medium on Lost in the Trees’ third album. Intricate classical arrangements effortlessly weave around accordion and guitar, creating an amalgam that band founder Ari Picker calls “orchestral folk.” Picker’s rich, evocative sounds lend further gravity to intensely personal lyrics about sexual abuse, dying infants and depression, sung in a boyish tenor...