Joss Stone, “Introducing Joss Stone”
R&B|Virgin, released Mar. 20
Joss Stone is a celebrity who occupies a space so nebulous that her fame is more perplexing than logical. Is the R&B singer better known for her music or her Gap advertisements? Is she better known for her husky vocals or slender legs?
With more than 7 1/2 million records sold, the British singer is a bonafide music star. But her pop-angled R&B has always been content wallowing in stagnant pools of often inane rhythm and blues. Much has been rightly made of her throaty, authoritative voice. But even with this, Stone’s third record, she and her producers aren’t pushing any boundaries or presenting any music worthy of those pipes.
Stone is making a big deal of this record – saying titularly and in interviews that it might as well be her first, given her intensely stepped-
up songwriting and producing involvement this time around. (Stone executive-produced Raphael Saadiq’s production of the record.) But the results are pallid.
“Tell Me ‘Bout It” is an easy, albeit predictable, single for FM radio. Not even a collaboration with R&B royalty – Lauryn Hill, on “Music” – comes out on top. This record’s most successful outing is her partnership with Common in “Tell Me What We’re Gonna Do Now,” a bright, reggae-kissed celebration of two voices that belong together. |Ricardo Baca
Modest Mouse, “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank”
INDIE ROCK|Epic, released March 20
Like the Shins, Death Cab for Cutie and others, Modest Mouse divined the musical mainstream without polluting its indie roots. The raucous Pacific Northwestern group went commercial with 2004’s “Good News for People Who Love Bad News,” a disc that moved 1.5 million units – no small feat considering the band’s unapologetically spiky, warped songs.
The bright, shiny “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” retains Isaac Brock’s lyrical invective and jumpy delivery, and adds dashes of guitar from Johnny Marr (the Smiths) and occasional backing vocals from the Shins’ James Mercer. It’s pleasant in the way the Shins’ most recent disc was, but few songs possess the downed-power-line energy of “Bury Me with It” or “Dance Hall.”
The first single “Dashboard” is melodic and probably rocks the house live, but most songs can’t match its intensity. Subtle synths, strings and horns add a vaguely Caribbean flavor to some tracks, but overall “We Were Dead …” feels like a tepid response to the reception of the last disc. If more songs oozed the tattered nobility of “Parting of the Sensory,” then we’d really be in business. |John Wenzel
Philadelphia Orchestra, Organ Concertos
CLASSICAL MUSIC|Ondine, released Feb. 13
After 10 years without a recording contract, the Philadelphia Orchestra reached an agreement in March 2005 with Ondine Records, and it’s great to have this venerable music institution back on disc.
This release brings together exhilarating live performances of three major works for organ and orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns, Francis Poulenc and Samuel Barber, all beautifully recorded in high-fidelity Super Audio CD format.
It would be hard to overpraise the bravura solo work of Olivier Latry, titular organist of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. He reveals the extraordinary range of the massive, new pipe organ in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. This release is a must for organ fans and a treat for anyone who likes classical music on a big scale.|Kyle MacMillan
Other releases today:
Macy Gray, “Big” (Geffen) Gray’s big voice and even bigger personality get the multigenre treatment with production from Black Eyed Pea’s will.i.am and other marquee names.
Jennifer Lopez, “Como Ama Una Mujer” (Sony) Jennifer Lopez’s first full-length album of Spanish language songs features the London Symphony Orchestra, Argentine Latin rock singer Fito Páez and others.
