Linkin Park,
“Minutes to Midnight”
MODERN ROCK|Warner Bros., released May 15
Linkin Park is officially important. At least the guys in the band think so.
The maturation of a band is something that happens organically. But sometimes bands aren’t willing to wait, so they force evolution’s hand. In this case, Linkin Park – the Chicago band known for its melodic pop-hardcore fusion with hip-hop – hired megaproducer Rick Rubin for this mission.
But “Minutes to Midnight” is hardly the band’s great epic. It’s a strong radio record with enough pop hooks for four or five Top 10 singles. While the band has naturally evolved from 2000’s “Meteora,” its music has only gotten glossier and dumber since that impressive debut.
The beauty of Linkin Park’s early output was its grittiness. Even the band’s mash-up project with Jay-Z was an unexpectedly dirty melding of two very different musical forms. Much of this record could have benefited from a facelift that didn’t make every one of Joe Hahn’s bleeps, Mike Shinoda’s rhymes and Chester Bennington’s screams so perfect and premeditated.
Starting with some loosely clustered hand claps, “Given Up” has the right idea musically – but the vocals take the easy way out. Instead of trying something new, Bennington recycles something we’ve heard too many times before. “Bleed It Out” shows some of the influence Jay-Z must have had on the band, and it’s easily the best track on the record – even if it was written to be a stadium anthem.
In addition to the lyrics, the liner notes give fans part of the songs’ back stories. It’s a great idea, and it’s a service to the fans, but these are sometimes preposterous, referencing Rubin as some omniscient wizard and talking about the band as if the members were facing an impossible task.
Linkin Park is hardly following up “Pet Sounds.” The band goes overboard on the ballads that inevitably feature Bennington’s wistful pleading. “Leaving Out All the Rest” could easily fit on adult-contemporary radio, which, given the band’s modern-rock history, is ridiculous. “Valentine’s Day” is indecisive and boring. On the other side is the subtle “Hands Held High,” which seems like a moment of clarity and honesty for a band that wants to grow up too quickly. |Ricardo Baca
Rick James, “Deeper Still”
R&B|Stone City, released May 15
Rick James possessed alarming appetites for drugs, women and – surprisingly – polishing his tarnished legacy. Before his 2004 death he began work on an ambitious double album to reaffirm his pop-culture stature.
“Deeper Still” sports 11 of those finished tracks, recorded at James’ home studio. The assured performances and crisp production make the case that James never lost what made him galvanizing in the first place. The title track plumbs a shiny synth beat, delivering Latin- tinged smooth jazz that would sound fine on a Sade record. James’ passionate delivery also plays well against the innocuous lyrics.
A weirdly pitched cover of David Crosby’s “Guinnevere” feels a bit out of place, but one should note James got his start in the Toronto band Mynah Birds, which featured Neil Young. A few tracks sound more like the funkmeister we know and love (“Stroke,” “Funk Wit Me”) but overall the album shoots for a middle-of-the-road, adult-contemporary vibe and mostly nails it. |John Wenzel
Other releases today:
Maroon 5, “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” (A&M/Octone) These pop practitioners return after a five-year hiatus with an album of radio-friendly crossover hooks, including the single “Makes Me Wonder.”
Ozzy Osbourne, “Black Rain” (Epic) The former Black Sabbath leader is something of a punch line these days, but “Black Rain” reveals his humanity via mediocre but earnest midtempo rockers.
