COUNTRY
“The Real Deal”
Billy Joe Shaver
Compadre
This is the real deal, a country album with both tenderness and edge, along with a great, bonus version of “Feliz Navidad” featuring Flaco Jimenez.
Shaver’s songwriting is as tough and insightful as it was when he penned 11 of the 12 songs on Waylon Jennings’ 1973 classic, “Honky-Tonk Heroes.”
Here he shows his versatility as a writer and singer. Songs range from the out-of-love ballad “I Changed My Mind” to the funny and rocking “If the Trailer’s Rockin’ Don’t Come Knockin”‘ to Shaver’s personal battle with the loss of his wife and son detailed in “Try and Try Again.”
– Ed Will
HIP-HOP
“Echos: Chapter One, Nubian Voyager”
Les Nubians
Triloka
It’s doubtful the buzz over grime luminary M.I.A. will trickle down to this international rap offering, the third from two dazzling sisters from Bordeaux, France. But this disc will please longtime Les Nubians fans – along with anyone who follows like-minded acts.
Les Nubians’ mix of old-school hip-hop, spoken word, R&B, world beat and house music is an earthy, original sound. “Fire,” featuring one of several spoken- word artists on the album, showcases the sisters’ paced, thoughtful approach. But even poetry set to music can’t match the allure of their French-language rhymes.
– Elana Ashanti Jefferson
