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DARRYL SteRDAN THE PLAYLIST Sounding off about the latest music @darryl_sterdan H H H Kid Ink Fifth Harmony H H H “minorities” with real-world bodies instead of “perfect Bob Marley & The Wailers Full Speed little blond-haired, blue-eyed Barbie dolls,” to quote the Easy Skanking BRitishINVasiON Reflection members. But before we start handing out the Women of in Boston ’78 H H H 1/2 Colourful, attractive and ultimately the Year awards, it’s only fair to look at the other side: The Jamie Cullum H H H H The Charlatans H H H 1/2 skin deep. It doesn’t just describe Your reflection, of course, is not an original. group was assembled by Simon Cowell on X Jammin’? Oh yeah, they’re jammin.’ Interlude Modern Nature Kid Ink’s myriad tattoos; it more or It’s a duplicate — a perfect, reversed copy of Factor. Their songs are mostly written and Reggae icon Marley and his Wailers less sums up his third album too. reality. In some ways, it’s hard not to suspect produced by the usual cadre of mostly male are in fine form on this previously We now return to our regularly One man’s sunset is another’s The Los Angeles rapper keeps the the same of Reflection, the mostly decent debut album Scandinavian hitmakers and faceless hired unavailable (and superb sounding) scheduled programming. After sunrise. It’s hard to know which beats bouncing and the lyrics light from new pop queens Fifth Harmony. On the of the week guns. And while these tunes are decidedly double-live set from his 1978 Kaya Tour dipping his toes into original is pictured on the cover of The on these 15 cuts, welcoming the surface, the disc deliberately and convincingly catchy, they’re also fairly derivative, seldom — the first of several archival releases material, electronics and even house Charlatans’ 12th studio album, usual roster of VIP cameos (Chris mirrors the much-welcomed wave of female empowerment straying beyond the comfort zones of dance-pop, hip-hop planned for what would have been his grooves, singer-pianist Cullum but ultimately, it works either way. Brown, R. Kelly, Usher, etc.), hired- currently overtaking contemporary pop, with songs that and Beyonce-inspired R&B. Granted, it’s still early days for 70th birthday year. Hits and essentials returns to his roots for his seventh Modern Nature is the soulful English gun songwriters and producers (DJ celebrate successful women, sisterhood and self-reliance Fifth Harmony, so we’ll have to wait and see if they end up like I Shot the Sheriff, War, Exodus disc. Recording live in the studio rockers’ first disc since drummer Mustard, Featherstones, more) who (Sample lyric: “Michelle Obama, purse all heavy gettin’ being independent women or just the next here-today-gone- and Get Up Stand Up are present and with a jazz orchestra, Cullum tickles Jon Brookes died from brain cancer hayseed DIXIE favour midtempo beats and artfully Oprah dollars”) — while still making time to hit the club later-today pop trifle. For the moment, though, reflect on accounted for, along with lesser-known the ivories, croons standards and in 2013, and not surprisingly, measured backdrops that accentuate in a tight dress and heels to flirt with that cute boy. And this: There are far worse albums your teenage daughter — MIKE scOTT fare like the title cut — and a DVD (which belts R&B-based gems from icons many of these songs are mellow his fluid flow. But even if he is moving it’s admirable that the quintet consists of self-proclaimed and you — could be listening to. More power to them. I haven’t seen) of fan-filmed footage and such as Ray Charles, Cannonball and contemplative fare, tinged at full speed, he isn’t exactly making animation. Lively up yourself. Adderly and others — with his with bittersweet melancholy. But In the H H 1/2 bold strides forward. usual slate of left-field choices from ultimately, this set is more about Hayseed Dixie Petite Noir H H H H the likes of Hank Williams, Sufjan carrying on than looking back, as the Hair Down to My Grass pipeline H H H 1/2 Stevens and Randy Newman. A band regroups and moves forward Dengue Fever The King of Anxiety welcome return. And a pleasant from the hazy twilight of loss into Do arenas have back porches? If so, The Deepest Lake H H H H Interlude. the shimmering beauty of a new day. that’s where you’ll find Hayseed Dixie Feb. 17 The Waterboys It’s a small world after all. And getting these days. The American Rockgrass No still waters here (despite a Modern Blues smaller. Meet Yannick Ilunga, a 24-year- parodists turn their attention to ’70s song with that title). These female- old South African singer-songwriter and ’80s hair-metal and arena-rock Carl Barât fronted Cambodian- Blues? You bet. Modern? Not so whose debut EP seamlessly and on their 15th album in about as many Let It Reign rock Angelenos much. Granted, Scottish singer- stylishly bridges musical worlds. On this years, a-pickin’ and a-grinnin’ their way change course for songwriter Mike Scott sounds more hand: The transfixing organic rhythms through lickety-split, harmony-rich Steve Earle NOW their fifth album of up-to-date than on his last album of and circular desert-blues guitars of renditions of Don’t Stop Believin’, Eye of original material, songs inspired by the poetry of W.B. Africa. On the other hand: The layered the Tiger, Final Countdown, Livin’ on a Terraplane moving beyond their Yeats. Even so, Scott’s 11th release is electronics and programmed grooves Prayer and many more. Don’t fear the heaR ’60s-style Khmer nothing short of classic American folk- and artistry of contemporary outfits like banjo. and garage-band rock, southern soul, and yes, blues — TV on the Radio and Bloc Party. Tying Estelle psychedelia — and performed with Nashville session cats it all together: His rich vocals, which H H H 1/2 True Romance this into a world where and topped with Scott’s Dylanesque move from a sonorous bass to a soaring 1976 Latin rhythms and vocals and poetic lyrics about rock ’n’ falsetto. More please. Goodbye to the percussion jam with growling soul- roll heaven, Jack Kerouac’s road and THE charlatans Kingdom of You and I BP Fallon revue horns and rap vocals. Go with women who marry the wrong guy. H H H 1/2 Live in Texas their flow. Released in the U.K. this month, it’s Bettye LaVette What a difference a year makes. not due here until April — but it’s worth Worthy Especially 1976. Not to be confused H H H 1/2 H H H 1/2 Juliana Hatfield Three H H H H 1/2 the import price. All We Are George Ezra with British rockers The 1975, 1976 is a Butch Walker Diana Krall Countless vocalists sing covers. All We Are Not Wanted on Voyage Taiwanese quartet named for the year Whatever, My Love Afraid of Ghosts Wallflower H H H Few claim them the way LaVette some of its members were born. But Gaz Coombes does. Like its predecessors, the R&B From humble beginnings come Some trips take longer than others. it’s clearly not the era that inspired the You have to confront your fears. Usually, Diana Krall could sing the phone book and Matador vet’s latest release finds her tackling great things. Exhibit A: All We Are, a For instance, it took more than six sound of their elaborately titled seventh Colin Hay And on his seventh solo album, rootsy make it captivating. Not this time. One of the usually everything from The Beatles’ Wait and buzzed-about Liverpudlian trio whose months for singer-songwriter Ezra’s album. That would be the ’80s — Next Year People singer-songwriter and superstar reliable singer-pianist’s rare missteps, her dozenth Growing up in public is never easy. the Stones’ Complicated to Bob Dylan’s understated moniker matches their debut album to make its way here specifically the clangy guitars, dreamy producer Walker does it head-on. album is an ill-conceived, tepid shlockfest of classic But Gaz Coombes has done a better Unbelievable — and investing them with quietly assured musical approach. from the U.K., where it came out last vocals, reverby ambience and prominent Reining in the more outgoing elements AM pop and soft-rock covers — from California job than most. Now 38, the former all with enough emotion and personality Simultaneously chilled-out and summer. Fortunately, it won’t take basslines of post-punk bands like New Imagine Dragons of his musical personality, Walker dims Dreamin’ and Desperado to Sorry Seems to be the frontman of cheeky teenage monkeys to make them seem like chapters in warmly enveloping, their debut listeners nearly that long to become Order, The Smiths and Psychedelic Furs. Smoke + Mirrors the lights to ponder life, love, loss and Hardest Word. She should be sorry; Krall spends the Supergrass continues to age gracefully her autobiography. Bonus points to album’s low-impact, fluidly groovy attached to the 21-year-old Ezra’s In any case, a pretty good year. the death of his dad with the help of whole album listlessly, huskily crooning these tunes on his second solo release. Reining in his returning producer Joe Henry, whose alt-pop will draw you in — and keep preternaturally weathered baritone The Mavericks VIPs like Bob Mould, Johnny Depp and amid the sluggish, generically orchestrated adult- mischievous tendencies and glammishly supportively unobtrusive approach and you coming back for more — with pipes and the engaging songcraft of H H H 1/2 producer Ryan Adams.