Joanna Newsom, “Ys”
INDIE-FOLK|Drag City, released today
If you can get past her voice, which is so affected and precious it makes cartoon characters sound earnest, then Joanna Newsom’s “Ys” will likely sit atop your Best of 2006 list. The indie-folk harpist and singer has taken a massive leap forward over her 2004 debut with this ambitious five-song, 55-minute disc.
Stuffed with delicate vocal turns and impressive orchestral arrangements, the songs on “Ys” range from the epic, 17-minute “Only Skin” to the nimble, narrative “Emily.” Producers Jim O’Rourke and Steve Albini join with arranger Van Dyke Parks to cast Newsom’s harp playing and the thick orchestral backing in the best light possible. Despite the relative novelty of the instrumentation, the listener’s attention is never drawn to it. The roomy, polished production is always put in service of the twisting stories and melodies.
The album is tailor-made for readers of the Pitchfork website and sensitive novelists toiling at record stores, but that doesn’t discount its wider appeal. If your attention span hasn’t been ravaged too heavily by video games and iPods, “Ys” may hold it rapt. Just be ready to swallow a lot of pseudo-Elizabethan theatricality while you’re at it.|John Wenzel
C.L. Smooth, “American Me”
HIP-HOP|Shaman Work, released Oct. 31
Surprise and innovation escape this solo debut from one- half of the 1990s rap super-group Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. While the former maintained its music presence over the past decade, Smooth tells interviewers that his focus shifted after 1994’s “The Main Ingredient” to investments and real estate. Here he maintains the lyrical confidence and stylistic wordplay that made “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” a classic, yet relies too heavily on producers who are cutting their teeth as opposed to cutting-edge.
A few tracks – namely “I Can’t Help It,” “CL Smooth Unplugged” and “It’s a Love Thing” – stand out either because they perfectly frame Smooth’s timbre or because their R&B and soul sound harkens back to Smooth’s jazz-laden collaborations with Pete Rock. But too many of these cuts lack the savvy and interest to elevate this to a true comeback.|Elana Ashanti Jefferson
Le Concert d’Astrée, Louis Langrée, conductor “Mozart Mass in C Minor”
CHORAL|Virgin Classics, released Oct. 3
Bold, powerful and evocative – this superb release immediately must be counted among the authoritative recorded versions of Mozart’s great Mass.
Eschewing the many established editions of the incomplete work, Langrée, music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège and frequent opera conductor, created his own cohesive, highly workable version.
Besides a characteristically potent performance by Le Concert d’Astrée, Emmanuelle Haïm’s amazing period ensemble, the performance is boosted by the stunning, almost otherworldly voices of sopranos Natalie Dessay and Véronique Gens. |Kyle MacMillan
Other releases today:
The Game, “Doctor’s Advocate” (Geffen) The Game strikes out on his own after 2005’s multiplatinum “The Documentary,” employing producers Kanye West and Scott Storch on this boast-heavy and ultimately superior follow-up.
Tenacious D, “The Pick of Destiny” (Sony) The soundtrack to the D’s movie debut features Dave Grohl, the Dust Brothers and even Meat Loaf. “Spinal Tap” fans will enjoy this updated parody of heavy metal conventions.
