Shelton pushes sound in new directions

Blake Shelton
“Based On A True Story”
(Warner Bros.)

The more Blake Shelton rises in stature, the more he parades his swaggering, mischievous personality. His high-profile role as a judge on NBC‘s ``The Voice’‘ has provided a platform for the entertainingly outspoken side of this tall, drawling country boy from Oklahoma. Now Shelton is creating music as brash as he is, fully integrating his colorful character into his songs.

Before a career resurgence that included landing as a coach on ``The Voice,’‘ Shelton spent years struggling to establish a consistent presence on the country music charts, never creating a recognizable style of his own. ``Based On A True Story’‘ reveals how much has changed.

The album opens with a hip-hop treatment of the word ``redneck,’‘ traversing Shelton’s cross-interests in the rural and the urban, before blasting into the guitar-driven ``Boys `Round Here,‘’ about back-country folk who rock out in the cabs of their pickups. The tune sets the tone for Shelton‘s focus on boisterous country rock and emotional ballads that show off his expressive vocals as the Country Music Association entertainer of the year rises to his newfound superstar status with a lighthearted but rollicking album that pushes boundaries in all the right places.

(AP)

Charles Bradley turns up fuzz on latest CD

Charles Bradley
“Victim of Love”
(Dunham)

Charles Bradley is preoccupied with love on his latest album, but it‘s something of a stylistic leap on a handful of songs that makes his latest album stand out.

Buried at the center of the album is a small run of fuzzy songs that push Bradley into rockin’ psychedelic territory and add a different dimension to the 64-year-old soul shouter‘s sound. More important, they should fit right in onstage, where ``The Screaming Eagle of Soul’‘ truly shines.

Bradley’s Menahan Street Band opens ``Love Bug Blues‘’ with a vibrato horn solo meant to mimic the sound of a buzzing bee, then launches into a vibrant funk line that fits the former James Brown impersonator‘s aged voice perfectly. The band extends the run through the intermission instrumental ``Dusty Blue,’‘ with its shimmery keys and breathy woodwinds.

Then Bradley and band really crank things up with ``Confusion,’‘ laying down a fuzztone bass line with echoey vocals and a staccato horn line, back to back with the towering ``Where Do We Go From Here’‘ - both among their best work together.

(AP)


The Virgins fall short on ‘Strike Gently’

The Virgins
``Strike Gently‘’
(Cult Records/Frenchkiss Label Group)

The best thing about the New York quartet The Virgins is Donald Cummings‘ adept angular guitar playing. In spots it’s pleasantly reminiscent of Richard Hell‘s inventive work in television, or even the David Byrne/Jerry Harrison combination in Talking Heads _ and it’s clear there‘s a post-punk New York aesthetic that The Virgins are mining. It is, after all, their hometown.

``Strike Gently’‘ is their second full-length effort, and it is considerably more down-tempo than their 2008 debut. Much of the sexy dance beats from the first record have been shelved in favor of slower attempts at contemplative songs like ``The Beggar’‘ or ``Amelia.’‘

Cummings sings in an Iggy-esque basso that has a little too much reverb, or doubling effect, in places, and isn’t nearly as captivating. The verses with the sharp and often ornamental guitar licks unfortunately devolve into the most banal of choruses _ like a television tune with a Rick Springfield refrain. There are plenty of New York stories for a creative guitarist and vocalist to discover and transform into something unique and listenable. Sadly, ``Strike Gently‘’ fails to deliver.

(AP)