New CDs in stores today are coming from one of alternative rock’s most consistent, driving forces, a country superstar and a ’90s boy band that absolutely refuses to call it quits.
Foo Fighters, “In Your Honor” (RCA). This full-on, 20-song, two-disc effort caps the Foos’ 10th anniversary, and it is a milestone record of a sort. Dave Grohl not only rocks out with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones on mandolin for a track, but he’s also the undeniable matured rock star, taking chances while also keeping true to his roots.
Dwight Yoakam, “Blame the Vain” (New West). It has often been said that Dwight Yoakam makes music that is the thinking, artistic man’s country. He has fooled around with the formula of his heroes and contemporaries, and the result is a consistent vibe, a variations-on-a-theme aesthetic revolving around alternative-minded honky-tonk that isn’t afraid to turn what Buck Owens did on its head.
Backstreet Boys, “Never Gone” (Jive). It’s hard to believe the Backstreet Boys have been around for more than a dozen years. Thankfully, contemporary tastes in popular music have come a long way – or at least a little way – since 2000’s “Black & Blue” dominated worldwide charts. But now the boys are back, with the formula altered ever so slightly, to give it another try.
– Ricardo Baca
