LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER | LEXGO.COM WEEKENDER: STAYING IN FRIDAY | OCTOBER.5.2012 | 33

MUSIC IN THE BINS ALBUM REVIEWS OUT NOW Tori Amos, Gold Dust Iris Dement, Sing the Delta CRITIC’S PICK Flying Lotus, Until the Quiet Comes Heart, Fanatic Van Morrison Diana Krall, Glad Rag Doll Born to Sing: No Plan B Matt and Kim, Lightning Sometimes one doesn’t know what to make But, as always, that tug of war between Tift Merritt, Traveling Alone of Van Morrison. After four-plus decades, he earthly strife and heavenly promise is at the Van Morrison, Born to Sing: No Plan B still has a scratchy, soul-saturated Irish tenor heart of Morrison’s songs. The Mountain Goats, Transcendental that embraces spiritual solace one moment and On the album-closing Educating Archie, Youth earthly unrest the next. Morrison offers a shopping list of modern Muse, 2nd Law His newest album, Born to Sing: No Plan evils (the media, corporate greed, etc.) that Beth Orton, Sugaring Season B, extends that tightrope walk. Early on, during rob society of individualism. It’s not exactly Papa Roach, The Goin’ Down to Monte Carlo, he seeks solitude a revelatory pronouncement. But when that Connection in a restaurant where, instead of the normal weary Belfast tenor hits the punch line (“What Jake Shimabukuro, Grand Ukulele social chatter, he faces a background polluted happened to you?”), Was’ blues stroll becomes Three Days Grace, Transit of Venus by “some phony kind of pseudo-jazz.” a profound ally. The Tragically Hip, Now for Plan A But one song later, on Born to Sing’s title decade for Blue Note, a label known for its Breaking from the pack is Pagan Heart, COMING TUESDAY tune, he sounds positively enlightened over sterling bop history but now presided over a lean, wiry mediation that sounds like a a light blues rumble with a pronounced New by pop maestro Don Was. Curiously, Was postscript from Morrison pal John Lee Hooker Ellie Goulding, Halcyon Orleans accent (“when the band starts to produces Born to Sing by placing Morrison’s but with a more elegant stomp. It’s a fitting KISS, Monster testimony. The rest of the album might go swing, you’ll know everything because you were vocals within orchestral, soul-leaning jazz Jeff Lynne, Long Wave on about the evils of bad jazz and corporate born to sing”). arrangements that are anything but “phony” The Wallflowers, Glad All Over Long-in-the-tooth visionary or blessed manipulation, but when Morrison and Was take or “pseudo.” The brass and rhythm sections SOURCE: CD CENTRAL curmudgeon? Morrison is a bit of both on temper the entire album, providing it with a Pagan Heart down to the crossroads, Born to his new album. Credit some of that spiritual warm but slightly autumnal cast that recalls Sing turns into true testimony. yin -yang to the surroundings. Born to Sing Morrison’s great Warner Bros. albums of the WALTER TUNIS, is Morrison’s first recording in more than a ’70s and early ’80s. CONTRIBUTING MUSIC WRITER

HOT TICKETS iTUNES TOP 10

Tickets on sale now: Top 10 songs on the iTunes Store Buster’s Billiards and Backroom, Lexington. Bustersbb. for Wednesday: com. Ticketfly.com. 1. Red, Taylor Swift ■ Roger Creager, 9 p.m. Nov. 3. $12-$15. 2. Live While We’re Young, One ■ Reckless Kelly. 9 p.m. Nov. 9. $12-$15. Direction ■ Municipal Waste, Napalm Death. 8 p.m. Nov. 21. $12- 3. Gangnam Style, PSY $15. 4. One More Night, Maroon 5 5. We Are Never Ever Getting ■ Houndmouth. 9 p.m. Nov. 23. $5. Back Together, Taylor Swift ■ Clutch, 8 p.m. Dec. 28. $25-$28. 6. Die Young, Ke$ha Drew Hastings. Nov. 8-10. Comedy Off Broadway, Lexington. 7. Begin Again, Taylor Swift $12-$20. (859) 271-5653. Comedyoffbroadway.com. 8. Some Nights, Fun. 9. Locked Out of Heaven, Bruno Tickets on sale soon: Mars Glen Campbell. 7 p.m. Nov. 11. Taft Theatre, Cincinnati. 10. Diamonds, Rihanna $25-$55. On sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 5. Ticketmaster, 1-800-745- For more information, go to 3000 or Ticketmaster.com. Apple.com/itunes. Lindsey Buckingham. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14. Lexington Opera MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE House. $75.50-$95.50. On sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 5. Ticketmaster. INFORMATION SERVICES Chris Young, Thomas Rhett, Joanna Smith. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17. Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, Pikeville. $17.75-$23. On sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 5. Ticketmaster. ■ 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30. The Arena at Southeastern Kentucky Agricultural and Expo Complex, Corbin. $15.75-$21. On sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 5. Ticketmaster. Over the Rhine. 8 p.m. Dec. 1. Taft Theatre, Cincinnati. $35. On sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 5. Ticketmaster. R. Kelly, Tamia. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14. Louisville Palace. $49.50-$89.50. On sale at noon Oct. 5. |Livenation.com. Pink. 8 p.m. March 8. KFC Yum Center, Louisville. $26.50- $96.50. On sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 6. Ticketmaster. George Strait, Martina McBride. 7:30 p.m. March 2. Rupp Arena, Lexington. $69.50-$89.50. On sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 12. Ticketmaster.