Lizz Wright
Dreaming Wide Awake
(Verve Forecast)

C+

Website: www.lizzwright.net

Natacha Atlas
The Best Of
(Mantra Recordings Ltd.)

B

Website: www.mantrarecordings.com

Vocalist and sometime belly dancer Natacha Atlas is a prime example of a true world-beat artist. From her early liaison with multicultural musical collective Trans-Global Underground to being named 2001’s Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Conference Against Racism, this honey-voiced singer has done much to open ears and hearts to her thrilling abilities. This 16-track compilation brings tracks and remixes from her six solo albums dating back to 1995’s Diaspora. Atlas rarely sings in English, instead using Arabic and French overlaid onto the stuttering, deeply ethnic beats and thick, trance-inducing throwdowns. Covers of the Bond classic You Only Live Twice, the James Brown-derived It’s A Man’s World and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ I Put A Spell On You will at least provide rank neophytes with an aural lens to Atlas’ passionate style — without their having to learn any new languages.

Jeff Monk

Van Morrison
Magic Time
(Exile)

B-


Website: www.vanmorrison.co.uk

Sometimes abstract concepts require more than dictionary explanation, so Van Morrison has been leading us through the emotional landscape for over 30 years. Magic Time, while not perfect, does deliver what we’ve come to expect and cherish from The Man: lubricated vocals, lush production and simple songs unfolding somewhat predictably. Have you noticed that all our senior singer/songwriters are becoming the new bluesmen? Dylan, for example, has taken on the reverence we once reserved for the likes of Etta James. Now Van is following suit. Stranded, Celtic New Year and Lonely and Blue are solid tunes with universal themes, but I wish Van would find a producer who would strip away the polish and strings and pull out a bit more soul. On a good day Van makes you want to slow dance, and Magic Time is a pretty good day.

Chris Brown

Avenged Sevenfold
City of Evil
(Warner)

F

You just don’t mix some things. Oil and water come to mind. So do strippers and Christians. Another boner is mixing thrash metal/eurometal with pop-punk wanking. Men and women have died for less. Here’s some advice, A7X: Singer M. Shadows — leave the band. Guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ, and drummer The Reb — kick M. Shadows out of the band and get a singer who sucks less. When you guys are rocking out, as on The Beast and the Harlot, keep rocking and resist the urge to tuck your penises between your legs and play mall-punk crap. The musicians in A7X can really thrash and shred at times, but the saccharin vocals and ridiculous harmonies on City of Evil are an affront to metal and all it stands for.

Mike Warkentin

James (Blood) Ulmer solidified his career decades ago as one of the world’s premier harmolodic guitarists. After studying under the great ‘free’ saxophonist Ornette Coleman, Blood has had some ups and downs in his career, and he’s released as many duds as he has diamonds. Birthright finds the master in straight blues mode, self-accompanied mostly and wandering down a path that gilds the traditional form with his own wacky, sometimes cacophonic sheen. The instrumental High Yellow is the most experimental, or perhaps natural (for Ulmer), track here, and his idiosyncratic playing style is in full effect throughout. Shedding typical jazz guitar convention, he trinks and tronks through the track with such obvious joy that it’s hard not to fall in line. Birthright, however, is not a great JBU album. Ulmer needs to think of himself less as a living legend than a monstrously creative composer who could yet vibrate the walls of convention.

Jeff Monk

The debut offering from K’naan Warsame serves notice that k-os isn’t without competition at the top of Canada’s hip hop heap. Laying a smooth flow over African rhythms and urban beats, K’naan drops 18 tracks that should cause some ears to perk up. The MC’s voice at times recalls that of Eminem, but K’naan’s pipes are just a touch more ragged, even though he can sing melodically, as on the standout tracks I Was Stabbed by Satan and If Rap Gets Jealous. Just about every track here is laced with some sort of social commentary, and K’naan’s lyrics about the violence in Somalia carry more weight than those of wannabe gangsters pimping their rides and puffing their chests under bulletproof vests. Check out Soobax and What’s Hardcore? for another pair of tracks that make this an outstanding hip hop release.

Mike Warkentin

OK, I know electronica is supposed to be innovative, but sometimes you just want the same formulaic sequel instead of a whole new screenplay. Norway’s Royksopp follows in the footsteps of all credible electronic acts with The Understanding, a release that is nothing like 2001’s Melody A.M. Back then we were treated to dreamy layers echoing across the room and into your soul. It was a dream for lovers of chillout music. This time the approach is funkier, with bigger beats and multiple guest singers. Chelonis R. Jones lends his smooth R&B-tinged voice to 49 percent, a track that you’ll learn to love, and Karin Dreijer’s voice rivals Bjork’s on What Else is There? Circuit Breaker and Alpha Male are funky tunes for your workout, while Someone Like Me is for those who prefer to sleep in for just a few extra minutes.

Shannon Ander

Keeping with the times, Sasha recently gave up his decks in favour of a new computerized mixing system designed by a friend of his. The Ableton system lets the superstar DJ remix and re-edit during a live show, and he can potentially create a new set every night. The DJs most recent residency was at New York’s crobar, where his monthly high-energy Fundacion nights filled the club. Taking his album title from the night of the same name, Sasha presents an exciting journey through some top progressive and electro-house releases. Check out the Tiefshwartz dub of Freeform Five’s Electromagnetic and the We Are Glitter mix of Goldfrapp’s Strict Machine. With tracks from Swayzak, Funk Da Void and Playgroup, this is definitely a dance-floor album — and nothing like 2004’s coma-inducing Involver.

Shannon Ander