The Pretenders "Break up the Concrete" (Artist First) Sounds like: Soft classic rock with country and Latin-rock influences Grade: B-
Chrissie Hynde may be 57 years old, but she has proven that she can still rock your socks off with The Pretenders' new album "Break up the Concrete." This 11-track album will please listeners who are fans of the old-school Pretenders' sound and attract new admirers by incorporating unique lyrics and different genres into the mix.
"Break up the Concrete" demonstrates The Pretenders' effort to reach out to a new fan base with fast-paced, country-like tunes, soulful blues and Latin-influenced melodies. The song that named the album, "Break up the Concrete," branches out even more with rhythms that sound like Sha Na Na's "Hand Jive."
The album's first track, "Boots of Chinese Plastic," sounds like a song that would be sung by the Dixie Chicks, minus the thick southern accents. Like other songs on the album, "Boots" features lyrics written in another language. Hynde sings: "Nam yo ho ren gay kyo," which is a Buddhist chant used during meditation to awaken the heart, according to yogajournal.com. Boots also includes references to Hari Krishna, Allah and Jesus Christ.
Another great song is "Love's A Mystery," which sounds more like The Pretenders of 1978 than any of the album's other tracks. The song's lyrics are meaningful, relatable and refreshing. Its chorus talks about the fast pace of love that many listeners can associate with: "Love's a mystery, it arrives without a warning, leaving evidence and clues, making headlines in the morning, then it's history, love's a mystery ... but I'd do it again, I'd do it again."
One of the album's best numbers is "Rosalee," a compilation of rock and blues with a Latin-American twist. It sounds like a jazzier version of Santana's "Maria Maria," and is the album's only song not written by Hynde. Robert Kidney, a friend of Hynde and fellow Ohio native, wrote it.
Two of "Concrete's" weakest tracks are "Don't Lose Faith in Me" and "Don't Cut Your Hair." The prior is an unsuccessful attempt at integrating soul and blues melodies and the latter is another interesting, yet unconvincing stab at imitating the Dixie Chicks. Despite the songs' failed melodies and stylings, both have exceptional lyrics that create vivid imagery for listeners. The first verse of "Don't Cut Your Hair" is bizarre, but Hynde executes it successfully.
"From Ipanema to the Copacabana, the monkeys give their asses for a piece of banana, porn stars - playboys - they're all after the money, but you never got a taste for that ... that's why, I love you honey."
-HILARY LEISTER
Operation Aloha "Operation Aloha" (Self Released) Sounds like: A perfect match for a cold drink and a good book down at the shore Grade: B+
It is not often that an artists' surroundings affect a sound so overtly as they do in Operation Aloha's self-titled debut. Less a fully fledged band than just a gaggle of friends, Operation Aloha is made up of members of Maroon 5, Phantom Planet, Gomez and others, all of whom took an extended trip to Maui and recorded this album from their new home, which consisted of a complex of tree houses. As hard as it may be to imagine, it's exactly how the album sounds as well.
Opener "Ika Pono" gives us the prototypical island treatment with twinkling ukulele and a hula-shaking sensibility that reminds the listener more of Elvis movies than the work of Operation's prestigious pedigree. But by the next track, the excellent "Failure," thumping bass and smooth vocals bring across the laid-back atmosphere of an island getaway while keeping one's foot tapping. And "Blue-Eyed Son" takes the call-and-response form and refrain of Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rains a-Gonna Fall" and transforms it into a stripped-down acoustic piece that feels wholly new despite it's similarities to the original.
The album is marked by both its understated scoring and its layered vocals. The project comes across as a little scatter-brained at times but is remarkably polished for having so many creative minds behind it. Its tone is uniform - it's an album produced on the beach and one you should listen to on the beach. Each song has a distinct flavor while maintaining its low-key personality. Operation Aloha had the potential for disaster - it's rare that these types of collectives produce such a fun listen - but managed to stay focused on their vision and give us an exceptionally pleasant record.
-MICHAEL RICHARDSON
Ben Kweller "Changing Horses" (ATO) Sounds like: A New York songwriter taking a long sabbatical southward Grade: B
Ben Kweller's newest album "Changing Horses" does just that midstream. While Kweller enjoyed success with his last few albums featuring earnest, shameless rock 'n' roll, "Horses" takes a wide swerve towards the heartland, featuring a sound more country than anything on previous albums would suggest.
Kweller doesn't short-change the genre either. In "Fight," among twang-flooded steel guitar, he sings, "He is a trucker / Burning the highway / His heart is strong as stone." The song feels at times like genre parody, referencing evangelical spirituals and bar fights over women. It's as if the song were written while pouring over a laundry list of Southern cliches. We're only lucky there were no references to hunting or loving sonnets dedicated to one's oversized automobile.
While the album sounds like a newcomer's take on country, it is anything but generic. The songs are easy on the ears, thanks to Kweller's big voice and talented composing abilities, and he does country music justice on songs like the opening "Gypsy Rose" - a steel guitar flavored with straining vocals rife with emotional splendor - and on the album's rich serenades like "The Ballad of Wendy Baker," a slowed-down, pared-down acoustic piece deeper on introspection than the more boisterous lyricism of the other tracks.
"Horses" may stray into territory unfamiliar to Kweller's fans, but it's clear that he has a certain comfort with the material. While on the surface it seems like a huge change for the songwriter, his unmistakable storytelling shines through in a form that suits him. It doesn't transcend the genre, but it succeeds at carving out a niche for itself.
-M.R.
