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Auf der Maur Auf der Maur (Capitol)
Melissa Auf der Maur has endured enough rock-star ego-tripping to leave anybody celebrity-skinned. Now she's going solo with the help of a group of rocker boy pals (including Josh Homme and James Iha) who give Auf der Maur's thorny but wispy tunes some goth-metal crunch. Auf der Maur's voice has girl-next-door appeal, flipping from Liz Phair flatness to the blase seethe of Veruca Salt. Unfortunately, like most side-person projects, the spirit is willful but the songs are weak: Ham-fisted lyrics such as "I've got a big mouth/I will taste you" might make you pine for her former bosses' gifts of gab. (LAURA SINAGRA)
Tiesto Just Be (Nettwerk America)
Born Tijs Verwest, Holland's Tiesto is easily the most loved and hated DJ in dance music. While hordes of fans hail him as living proof that God is a DJ, critics contend that his beats are nothing but commercial dance fodder -- and both will use Just Be to argue their points. The album is another energetic collection of crowd pleasers that are undeniably infectious, but equally unoriginal. With its orchestral sweep, predictable synths and euphoric drum rolls, the opening track, "Forever Today," sets the tone for an album that never strays far from Tiesto's crowd-winning formula, especially on "Love Comes Again," a disappointing collaboration with another chart-topping producer, BT. The affair concludes with Tiesto's remix of composer Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings," which should leave devotees crying with joy, and others just crying. (GENEVIEVE POWERS)
Gary U.S. Bonds Back in 20 (M.C.)
For a sixty-five-year-old who hasn't made a record in twenty years, Gary U.S. Bonds sounds surprisingly lively. Forty-plus years ago, his stock-in-trade was raucous party anthems, and Back in 20 doesn't wander far from his strengths. Longtime Bonds benefactor Bruce Springsteen brings some guitar strut and throaty background growls to the rootsy rocker "Old Dog," while punchy horn lines enliven bluesy rave-ups like "Fannie Mae" and "Nothing but Blue." As a vocalist, Bonds is what used to be called a shouter; his gritty, soulful hollers on the Delbert McLinton-penned "Every Time I Roll the Dice" and the R&B shuffle "Don't Do It Here" split the difference between Screamin' Jay Hawkins and a youthful Van Morrison. Nothing here is exactly revelatory -- in fact, Back in 20 feels like it's been sealed in a time capsule for four decades -- but as a slingshot back to early rock & soul, it's powerful and convincing. (DAVID PEISNER)
Melissa Ferrick The Other Side (Right On)
Melissa Ferrick's seventh studio release finds the singer-songwriter where she's been before: searching for happiness and singing about the fallout. Written, produced and engineered by Ferrick herself, The Other Side is ten mostly down-tempo, first-person accounts of dysfunctional romance going good, bad and nowhere. With her signature Collings acoustic guitar sounding soft, her lyrics sort through and document the disasters and disorders that romance can dish out, as if pausing over boxes of mementos on moving day. On several occasions, Ferrick goes for the kill but falls just short with an underwhelming lyric or chord at the would-be emotional crescendo. But the album has its moments, like the Ani DiFranco-esque "Nebraska," and it finishes strong with the electronica-tinged "Westbound," where Ferrick resolves that her happiness lies down the road. Not triumphant or transcendent, The Other Side is admirable in its relentless cathartic slog. (TODD SPENCER)
Cary Hudson Cool Breeze (Black Dog)
Since the dissolution of Oxford, Mississippi's pivotal roots-rock posse Blue Mountain, frontman Cary Hudson has been busy touring his ass off (on many short-run occasions with Philly rockers Marah) and putting out modest folk/rock/blues material. His latest effort, Cool Breeze, is easily his most realized, expanding upon the easy-going countryside rambles of his 2002 debut, The Phoenix. Hudson is a natural guitar picker of many trades, and on this outing he mingles his loose Southern drawl around a pleasant batch of tunes. "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" cuts to the chase early on with hammering, gritty guitar rock. Hudson then reverts smoothly into a hill-country shuffle ("Cool Breeze") and antes up with White Stripes-esque dirty garage blues ("Jellyroll"). The straight acoustic "Little Darlin," a wistful ode to his daughter, provides a delicate touch to the album's flow, as Cool Breeze intimately treads the musical path down the Mississippi back roads. (DOUGLAS WATERMAN)
Fancey Fancey (March)
That pop music can be feel-good without being saccharine seems to be a point in need of reminder. Leaving a Post-It on the fridge is Todd Fancey, with his breezy, blue-sky debut. Fancey, the ex-keyboardist and guitarist for the New Pornographers, mellows that band's upbeat pop and brightens its sometimes dark lyrics, letting his solo album bask in the glow of Seventies AM pop radio. "Carry Me" layers sun-drenched Beach Boys' harmonies, bouncy Wurlitzer and the requisite escapist lyrics about leaving town or going into outer space. Fellow Pornographer Kurt Dahle is on hand to add a quirky drum intro on "Rock and Roll Rhythm," Sara Wheeler duets on the wistful, nostalgic "Autumn Music" and Charlie Hayes puts the (steel) pedal to the floor on the alt-countryish "In Town." At just over thirty minutes, Fancey is just enough sunny exuberance to leave you a nice golden brown. (ROBIN DAS)
Truth Hurts Ready Now (Universal)
With her aptly titled sophomore disc, Ready Now, former Dr. Dre protege Truth Hurts rebounds after an unauthorized sample on the hypnotic, bhangra-driven single "Addictive," halted the sale of her 2002 debut, Truthfully Speaking. This time, the sassy Detroit songbird is under the protective wing of neo-soul forerunner Raphael Saadiq, whose gospel-and-funk-infused production gives Ready Now an intimate, melodic quality her uneven debut lacked. Throughout the engaging disc, Truth, whose smoky, seasoned vocals recall former En Vogue and Saadiq collaborator Dawn Robinson, addresses the familiar themes of falling in love ("U"), infidelity ("Lifetime"), and unrequited love ("Catch 22"). But Truth isn't the type to pine for long. Instead, she unleashes her inner bad girl on the Middle Eastern-flavored "Phone Sex" and the piano-accented plea, "Love U Better." On the latter track, she boasts: "I'm on my knees/Oh sugar, you know what that means." Ouch, it sounds like the truth never hurt so good. (TRACY E. HOPKINS)