Benjy Davis ProjectLost Souls Like UsRock Ridge Music
Benjy Davis’ fourth studio album is more than a slight departure of the rock-folk sound fans are used to hearing at the band’s live shows.
Recorded in Hendersonville, Tennessee, the record is a result of some not-so-subtle country influences. Davis’ festival-going college crowd will surely eat up songs like “Get High,” but the album largely lacks the punch of the band’s previous efforts.
Other than a select few tracks, fans are better off checking the band out live or throwing some older records back on.
Ben Bourgeois — C
Kina GrannisStairwellsSelf-released album on iTunes
Kina Grannis’ “Stairwells” is the little train that couldn’t. Grannis, a YouTube sensation, pulls in millions of viewers with her sultry, unique voice. But her YouTube sound and spark isn’t maintained on the album.
Grannis offers a flat monotone throughout the album. “Delicate,” “Say Just a Little Bit” and “Heart and Mind” will send listeners into a deep slumber.
The beats and voice tone are similar to a lullaby — soft, flat and boring. The album falls under the pop genre, but doesn’t deliver the upbeat, mainstream sound found in most pop. But “Stairwells” does have its redeeming qualities. “Back to Us,” “Stars Falling Down” and “Message from You Heart” offer fresh, personable lyrics — if fitted with the correct artist, the songs could be mainstream hits.
But Grannis’ singing is mediocre at best. She sounds like an amateur mix between Sarah Bareilles and Jewel. Grannis should reexamine her YouTube music videos to see why millions of fans loved her music and rediscover her voice and style.
Kieu Tran — D-
Joann NewsomHave One on MeDrag City
Joanna Newsom returns with her third album “Have One On Me,” a sprawling two-hour triple LP of spirited beauty. Newsom’s unique vocals carry the album as she weaves poetic lyrics over a swirling mix of harps, pianos and horns.
The album is an intensely personal one, but it still manages to have a universal charm. While “Have One On Me” is at times elusive and structurally dense, the album feels relatively streamlined — as much as a two-hour LP can be — and rewards patience with moments of thrilling elegance.
Chris Abshire — A
April Smith and the Great Picture Show Songs for a Sinking ShipSelf-released, 2010
April Smith and the Great Picture Show’s new release is neither original nor current – the music sounds as though it could easily have been lifted straight out of a 1930s saloon. But the powerfully emotional lyrics and the band’s obvious talent shine through all eleven tracks, proving music doesn’t have to sound new to sound good.
The total absence of electronic instrumentation puts the focus on beautiful vocals.
Smith has the kind of range rarely seen in popular musicians today, and uses it to express a spectrum of emotions, like jealousy, sarcasm and joy. “Songs for a Sinking Ship” might have a vintage sound, but the fan-funded album provides a refreshingly honest and worthwhile trip back in time.
Elizabeth Clausen — A
Cop OutWarner Bros. Pictures
This film strangely treads the line between spoof and full-blown action movie.
Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan don’t take their jobs seriously enough for a serious movie or as humorously as they should for a spoof.
The villain is completely ridiculous, killing his minions in a church and hitting baseballs at victims as torture. Morgan’s screen wife is Rashida Jones, making for awful casting chemistry. Sean William Scott puts in the most annoying performance of the movie as a dim-witted burglar.
The movie is full of cheap sex jokes and trite action scenes.
Morgan should stick to being hilarious in “30 Rock” and Willis is getting far too old to be a legit action star.
Lauren Coumes — D
“Parenthood”NBC
Lauren Graham and Peter Krause return to television in NBC’s new comedy-drama “Parenthood.”
The series revolves around a disjointed family struggling to find balance. “Parenthood” has good intentions and features an array of interesting characters, but the pilot resorts to cheesy dialogue and melodramatic music emphasizing what the writers consider emotionally clinching.
Krause turns in a good performance, but the show is filled with actors, such as the ever-annoying Dax Shepard and the over-the-top Erika Christensen.
The series has potential, but the writers will need to grab the reigns if they expect audiences to stick around.
Matt Jacobs — C
This brother and sister duo has mastered the art of taking turns. The Aussie siblings each compose individually and work together on compilation, but they alternate singing about love in men and women.
While Angus turns out songs for the Stones’ second album, “Down the Way,” via his solo side project Lady of the Sunshine, Julia takes the wheel on gems like “I’m Not Yours” and single “And the Boys.”
This effort is a dark, more rhythmic departure from their sweet and introspective first LP “A Book Like This,” which caught attention for its light, winding harmonies. But the siblings also take a turn for the mainstream with rhythms like “Black Crow,” which incorporates the use of electric guitars and overt percussion, unusual to the duo.
The Stones still use strings — they just come in later, and the slow-building instrumentals of “And the Boys” are absolutely fulfilling.
Angus’ voice is grainier, almost like a rock artist.
But Julia’s strange, beautiful voice is back with more intense intricacies.
The album is full of stories. Julia composed “For You” on her own and sent the track via Internet to a lover in India. And “I’m Not Yours” is a bitter sequel to her earlier composition “I’m Yours.”
The lyrics are just as thoughtful as “A Book,” but the songs are longer: Sprawling tracks like “Yellow Brick Road” and “The Devil’s Tears” are both about eight minutes long.
Be prepared for the intense lyrical and rhythmic offerings of “Down the Way” as well as the rewarding sweet harmonies and instrumental catches true to the pair’s identity.
Sarah Lawson
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