Chris Smither, Call Me Lucky

Chris Smither, Call Me Lucky

Folkies age the best, it seems, and blues-folk legend Chris Smither is no exception. 50 years into his career, his voice has come into the fullness of his gravelly wisdom and it suits his songs perfectly. Smither’s acoustic blues rolls along confidently through songs about heartache, social commentary and playful philosophiszing on the first half of this double album, and then he turns it all on its ear during the second half; we get vastly different arrangements of five of the originals from the first side, plus a fanatstic Beatles cover. Highlights: “Change Your Mind,” “Everything On Top,” “Nobody Home”

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Odetta Hartman, Old Rockhounds Never Die

Odetta Hartman , Old Rockhounds Never Die Probably the most successful carriage of old-timey American folk music into the electronic era yet, Odetta Hartman’s sophomore album achieves greatness though juxtaposition. The roots music doesn’t pretend to be modern and the synths don’t pretend to be organic; they intertwine, by turns subtly and dramatically. Hartman plays many instruments, most notably the banjo, digging deep into her familial Appalachian roots. Her own field recordings lend an extra air of old-fashioned charm. Partner / producer Jack Inslee respectfully girds and surrounds all of that with electronic percussion and waves of synth which build steadily throughout the record. The only way this album could be better is if it were longer. Highlights: “Sweet Teeth,” “Misery,” “You You”

Broncho, Bad Behavior

Broncho , Bad Behavior Bouncing along over infectious dance beats, Ryan Lyndsey and his band deliver simple, catchy, sexy post-punk pop songs about scandalous behavior. Perfect for night-time city listening, this Oklahoma band’s 4th album is a cycle of songs revolving around the misdeeds we all do. Their approach to Bad Behavior ranges from cheeky and playful, to sincere and repentant, but there’s probably more of the former. This is a fun, tightly constructed album, which takes its rhythmic cues from the Talking Heads and melodic cues from the Beach Boys, with a punk-informed undercurrent of badassery. Highlights: “Family Values,” “Boys Got To Go,” “Keep It In Line”

Kanye West & Kid Cudi, Kids See Ghosts

Kanye West & Kid Cudi , Kids See Ghosts After his listener-alienating,public declarations of profound ignorance, it was inevitable one Kanye album had to bomb. And so we had Ye, full of bluster, short on insight and impossible to listen to without remembering its maker’s missteps. One week later comes this collaboration and suddenly, West seems willing and able to wrestle with his demons and, if not apologize, at least acknowledge what he’s wrought and try to move forward. Kanye does the lion’s share of the rapping and the production, while alternative rap icon Kid Cudi does most of the singing. Cudi’s presence and his vocal contributions seem to temper Kanye and guide him to higher ground, while Kanye sharpens Cudi’s focus. I don’t know if this album is enough to reassure anyone about where Kanye’s head is at, but it does suggest he‘s got better influences in his life than a delinquent president, and the music is unassailable. Highlights: “Reborn,” “Fe...

Album Reviews by Stefan Wenger

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