POP/ROCK
Mavis Staples, "You Are Not Alone" (Anti-)
Staples' collaboration with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy steers clear of wholesale reinvention à la Loretta Lynn with Jack White and Allen Toussaint with Elvis Costello. Aside from sharing a hometown -- Chicago -- Staples and Tweedy also appear to share a similar sensibility; gospel, folk and easy-going rock reside quite close to one another. Spirituality threads its way through the album, sprinkled with covers and a few originals, including the quietly powerful title track, penned by Tweedy.
The Wilco frontman (who drafted bandmate Pat Sansone, along with Neko Case backup singer Kelly Hogan and guitarist Rick Holmstrom) doesn't impose himself too much upon Staples, content to let her talent and passion carry the day. Thankfully, this isn't a case of a gospel/R&B legend being grafted onto avant-garde indie-rock songs; rather, Tweedy keeps things spare and tastefully showcases the 71-year-old vocalist's stout, soulful pipes. This is one of the year's more low-key delights.
PRESTON JONES, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
Grinderman, "Grinderman 2" (Anti-)
Nick Cave fans love his unhinged music, pervertedly anachronistic lyrics and unkempt live shows. And while Grinderman is a very different project from his other outlet, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, all of Cave's dirge-rock characteristics are present in Grinderman's second effort. This disc is an album that is violent and dirty, and that won't come as a surprise to fans. What comes as an unexpected gift is this record's ability to meld melody and pop sensibility with the digging-in-the-soil nature of Cave's songwriting. There are moments during "When My Baby Comes" and "Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man" that Grinderman sounds like a modern-day Nine Inch Nails.
RICARDO BACA, DENVER POST
