LISTEN UP

Britney Jean shines as true electro-pop presence

Britney Spears Britney Jean RCA A-

Gaga, Katy and Miley may be all the hype at the moment, but Britney Spears has maintained it far longer while selling far more records. While the first three women were sweating in the studio for the last year, Spears coolly marched through The X Factor, plus duets with Miley (Brit’s the best thing on Cyrus’ Bangerz), plus yet another fragrance line, plus rehearsing for her Las Vegas show at Planet Hollywood (A Piece of Me opens Dec. 27), while recording this inventive, occasionally heavy-handed, electro-pop crusher.

The heaviest hand is that of producer will.i.am. His version of electronic dance music is sometimes rote, and his raps (“It Should Be Easy”) add little to Britney’s sound. But he does bring “Work B*tch” to life with an aggressive, scorched-earth approach. Madonna’s onetime mixologist William Orbit creates a creepy, futurist-funk soundscape in “Alien” for steely soul of the highest order.

Spears is Britney Jean’s star, something electro-pop doesn’t easily allow room for: a true, even earnest, presence. “Perfume” is a genuinely emotive, ’80s-ish power ballad (co-penned by Spears with folk-popper Sia). The midtempo “Passenger”asks its audience to walk in her shoes with a tear, and “Don’t Cry” is an old-fashioned breakup stunner with a silvery, bittersweet sheen.

Hot tracks: “Perfume,” “Passenger,” “Alien.” - A.D. AMORISI

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

TV Soundtrack The Sound ofMusic Masterworks B+

It’s almost impossible to imagine The Sound of Music without Julie Andrews. Carrie Underwood doesn’t quite measure up, but she’s better than you might think on this soundtrack for the NBC production that aired Thursday.

There’s no twang from the country superstar. She sings it the way a theater performer would, with clear tones and no pop tricks. She strains some on higher notes and her tone isn’t always consistent, but it’s creditable, coming across best on the upbeat “The Lonely Goatherd.” Slower, more dramatic numbers like “Something Good” are a bit weak.

Weaker still is Stephen Moyer as Captain von Trapp, but luckily he doesn’t have much singing to do.

The children, meanwhile, are terrific and Broadway veterans Christian Borle and Laura Benanti sparkle in their two numbers as Max Detweiler and Baroness Elsa Schraeder. Audra McDonald’s powerful voice is perfect for the Mother Abbess.

This recording might come as a surprise to those who only know the movie version, as the movie rearranged some numbers, jettisoned two and added two. This version isn’t going to give the film’s soundtrack a run for its money, but it’s good enough and it’s fun to hear the two numbers the movie cut out - Max and Elsa’s comic “How Can Love Survive?” and cynical “No Way to Stop It.”

Hot tracks: “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “No Way to StopIt,” “The Lonely Goatherd” and “How Can Love Survive?” - JENNIFER NIXON

Various artists How the Grinch Stole Christmas! - The Musical Masterworks Broadway B

Dr. Seuss’ classic had already been immortalized in a classic cartoon and a not-so-classic movie, so it’s no surprise that it also made the jump to the stage.

Grinch premiered on Broadway in 2006 and returned in 2007 before heading out on tour as a seasonal production, but this is the first time the songs, a mix of originals and carry-overs from the 1966 cartoon, have been recorded. The album features several original Broadway cast members, including John Cullum as Old Max (the story’s narrator), Rusty Ross as Young Max and Patrick Page as the Grinch.

It can be cynical and satirical on songs like the shopping number “It’s the Thought That Counts” and “Whatchamawho,” in which the Grinch conjures the sounds and images of hyperactive children, but the bite is never that sharp. The show is intended for families and small children, after all.

On the whole, the lyrics for the new songs are simple and forgettable but the singing is strong, particularly from the three leads. With a deep, rumbly voice, Page makes a perfect, gleefully evil Grinch.

Hot tracks: “Whatchamawho,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” - JENNIFER NIXON

Handel and Haydn Society Joy to the World: An American Christmas Coro A-

There is something so very moving about hearing classically-trained soloists and choirs singing holiday music, most likely because it is more evocative of the spiritual reason for the season. And Joy is the word for these 19 tunes by The Handel and Haydn Society.

The vocal tones and harmonies are glorious, bringing a sense of wonder, peace and joy to these tunes, including Gustav Holst’s “In the Bleak Midwinter,” Herbert Howell’s “A Spotless Rose,” Charles Ives’ “A Christmas Carol” and a tender “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”

“Carol of the Bells” is exquisite.

Hot tracks: “Carol of the Bells,” “A Christmas Carol,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” - ELLIS WIDNER

Midlake Antiphon ATO C+

For their first album without founding member Tim Smith, progressive-folkies Midlake embrace a pastoral psychedelia that shouldn’t be out of place wafting from a few, ummm, smoke-filled dorm rooms.

There’s a definite Pink Floydish sheen across Antiphon’s 10 songs, and they all sort of blend together in a midtempo, navel-gazing way, with an occasional jazzy and even classical flourish, as on the sprawling “Vale,” which bursts toward the end like a thunderstorm, or at the beginning of “Aurora Gone,” with its chimes (and what sounds like woodwinds).

It’s beautiful stuff, but the mood is plodding and insular and often hard to penetrate.

Hot tracks: “Provider.” - SEAN CLANCY

Style, Pages 29 on 12/10/2013

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