Jewel: “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland”
FOLK-POP|Atlantic, released today
Dabbling in electronic pop, however ironically, yielded mediocre results for this folkie mainstay, so on her new album she returns to what she does best: earnest, confessional ballads.
No longer the fresh-faced darling she was when “Pieces of You” burst onto the scene in 1995, Jewel has settled into the role of a contemporary folk-pop signpost, one she fulfills well. The title track of this disc employs gentle mandolin and relaxed
multipart harmonies to make for one of her most appealing songs in years.
Still, “Goodbye” will not win over any haters, as the performances remain as saccharine as ever, and the lyrics border on high school poetry. It’s a solid Jewel album, but not necessarily a great album in general. | John Wenzel
Rockie Lynne: “Rockie Lynne”
COUNTRY|Universal South, released today
This debut album bodes well for the future not only of Rockie Lynne but also for country music.
Lynne is one of those overnight sensations that took untold years to unfold. He served time in the Army and years playing small clubs in several states. He started performing in high school and wrote songs from the beginning. That time and effort has produced a highly polished – but not overproduced – first album.
He wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs, which range from almost-rock to traditional country. Of the latter, he penned the best one himself, “Love Me Like You’re Gonna Lose Me.” It’s also the best song on the CD. | Ed Will
Think About Life: “Think About Life”
INDIE ROCK|Alien8 Recordings, released today
From the same fertile scene that brought us the Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade comes Montreal’s Think About Life. The band name commands you to take it seriously, even if the music is all about partying.
Multi-instrumentalist Graham Van Pelt crafts fuzzed-out dance-punk that drinks from the same shallow well as other lo-fi ’80s-pop fetishists – think overdriven keyboards, cheap Casio beats and bursts of sticky noise.
The abrasive texture of tracks like “Commander Ricker’s Party” gets to be a bit much by album’s end, and the lack of melodies renders this nonessential, but fun. | John Wenzel
OTHER RELEASES TODAY
Tool, “10,000 Days,” (Volcano) Maynard Keenan and company return from a five-year hiatus with more mystical-themed art metal and thinly veiled political statements.
Gomez, “How We Operate” (ATO) These U.K. boys stumble through a predictable landscape of faux-
tortured laments, scrubbed clean of the spontaneous, eccentric blues-pop that established them.
Gnarls Barkley, “St. Elsewhere” (import, WEA) The online buzz for this album, a collaboration between DJ Dangermouse and Cee-Lo, is deafening, propelled by the soulful, addictive single “Crazy”
