The multiple Grammy winning singer/songwriter from Connecticut hasn't been seen dating any famous actresses lately so he must have found the time to lay down his fifth studio album.
iTunes was streaming this album all of last week so you might have been able to hear a preview of it. For those that haven't, Mayer goes heavy in the blues and folk genres forgoing the pop flourishes that once helped his music appeal to mass audiences.
I found this album by Mayer, who has recently cancelled all live tour events due to health issues related to his throat, to be overly reliant on blues standards rather than using that type music as a building block in creating something that goes beyond a typical genre as he has done on his best albums.
Instead we get an overly morose album where even on his most accessible songs like "Love Is a Verb" he is left pleading "show me" that "love is a verb" rather than exclaiming that fact on a song that could have easily had a much different tone.
Born and Raised isn't a complete disappointment but it is a mediocre album at best. While on his best works Mayer shines in both his witty song writing and his playful melodies, this release doesn't showcase either of those abilities. Here's hoping he returns to form in both his health and his creativity on his next outing.
Score: 5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Love Is a Verb" and "Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967"
The New Zealander who goes by the mononymous name of Kimbra is probably best known as the female vocalist on Gotye's ubiquitous "Somebody That I Used To Know" and today she releases her first solo studio album.
Well, this 13-track disc (with three bonus tracks if you purchase the MP3 version of the release) is already available if you are a Kiwi or an Aussie but the European and U.S. versions don't come out until today.
The music presented on this album is mostly soulful pop with Kimbra's sultry vocal style being the glue that holds the whole thing together. In fact, her vocals are constantly sublime over the duration of the album although her songwriting chops aren't able to achieve the same level of greatness yet.
A good example of this is the track "Two-Way Street" which Kimbra affects a gripping ethereal quality to her singing but the track which tries to incorporate string instruments, keyboards and even the odd xylophone comes across as forced melodically rather than the lush chamber pop feel it seems like she was aiming for.
Tracks like "Good Intent" where Kimbra's vocals take on a Nina Simone-esque rasp and where she doesn't try to do to much with the melodies is what really makes this album shine.
On the whole, Vows is a good debut where Kimbra's vocal talents far outshine her songwriting skills. It reminds me of a more downtempo version of a Zero 7 release but with less sweeping melodies. I could listen to her sing endlessly but I wouldn't mind seeing her get some song composition help on her next release.
Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Good Intent" [sample it below] and "Settle Down"
The long standing post-punk quartet from the British Isles release their first studio album in five years and their ninth album overall.
After releasing their last album and being dropped from their label, the band had announced that they would not be producing anymore studio albums. Instead they released two EPs and went on tour to support those two releases. Well the band has obviously backed off that proclamation and instead satiates their fans with this 10-track release.
Frontman Ian Astbury, who just turned 50, starts to show his age a bit on this release with a more narrow vocal range and more introspective songs. This is not to say that the man has gotten soft--far from it--but there is a weariness to the music this time around with a greater feel that he is taking stock of his life.
They Cult will probably never be able to recapture the fun and energy of their early hit albums like Sonic Temple and their 1994 eponymous release but there are a handful of songs on Choice of Weapon that will appease their longtime fans like "Honey From A Knife" and "For The Animals." For non-fans, you'll be fine skipping this release altogether.
Score: 5.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Life > Death" and "For The Animals" [sample it below]
