Pharrell Williams G I R L Columbia/Back Lot B+
On the heels of two monster hits where he was the co-star - Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and the much vilified yet utterly catchy “Blurred Lines” with Robin Thicke - Pharrell Williams took the lead with the relentless “Happy” from the Despicable Me 2.
The 10-track set is an ode to the female form and spirit, peppered with sexy vibes and brash come-ons. A definite change from his raspier, more alternative first album, G I R L proves Williams - a member of N.E.R.D. and the hit-making Neptunes - is a true, and exceptional, frontman.
The record’s tempo matches the upbeat “Happy,” and it deploys killer hooks. The sound ranges from dramatic violins in the Daft Punk-assisted “Gust of Wind” to Motown disco beats in “Hunter” and tribal drums in “Lost Queen.” Echoes of Michael Jackson-style sound lurk on the sultry “Gush,” the head-bopping “Marilyn Monroe” and the Justin Timberlake-featured “Brand New.”
The female empowerment ballad “Know Who You Are,” with Alicia Keys, is an homage to women.
Hot tracks: “Happy,” “Hunter,” “Brand New,” “Gust of Wind.” CRISTINA JALERU The Associated Press
Eli Young Band 10,000 Towns Republic Nashville B
The four hard-touring nice guys in the Eli Young Band aren’t even the least bit threatening, and maybe this is part of the reason they’re being embraced by the country music faithful. The hit single “Drunk Last Night” has a narrator filled with regret (the chorus says “Got a little drunk last night” and “little” is emphasized) - definitely outside the norm for standard, braying Nashville brotunes.
Other hits will follow (“Let’s Do Something Tonight” has to be odds-on favorite) because the Eli Young Band is nothing if not a sleek, hook-happy machine. This act never strays from basic instrumentation - guitar, bass and drums - and loves that midtempo ride. They are pros on a winning streak and clearly don’t care that they occupy an exceedingly narrow lane.
Hot track: “Let’s Do Something Tonight.” WERNER TRIESCHMANN Special to the Democrat-Gazette
Scott H. Biram Nothin’ but Blood Bloodshot B
One-man band Scott Biram slings another set of irreverent, boozy, folksy blues that also dips into metal, gospel and country, and somehow makes it all seem about as effortless as pouring whiskey into your coffee on a frosty morning.
This is Biram’s ninth album, and he can break your heart with a slow blues like the lonesome “Never Comin’ Home,” get you rockin’ with the slide-guitar of “Jack of Diamonds,” knock down a perfect character study on “Nam Weed” and go all distorted-death metal weird on “Around the Bend.”
Oddly, he falters a bit with his spot-on but not revelatory covers of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Backdoor Man” and Son House’s “John the Revelator.” But it’s not enough to distract from Biram’s gleeful, wacked out version of American roots music.
Hot tracks: the acoustic, toe-tapping “Gotta Get to Heaven,” the furious “Only Whiskey.” SEAN CLANCY
Drive-By Truckers English Oceans ATO B+
Roots rockers Drive-By Truckers took a four-year break from the studio before recording English Oceans and the stockpile of songs pays off. Stripping away the R&B influences and musical explorations of their last few albums, the band focuses on guitars and a garage-band stomp.
The Truckers have always shared songwriting between singer-guitarists Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, usually augmented by contributions by other band members. This time, Cooley and Hood are the only songwriters - another beneficial change.
The album’s opening guitar chords recall an old Replacements riff and would’ve fit nicely on the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street. It’s a strong kickoff to the Truckers’ rawest rocking album since the band’s early days. But it’s the storytelling that gives the band a special dimension. The colorful twists of “Till He’s Dead or Rises” and “Primer Coat,” the desperation of “Hanging On” and the poignant “Grand Canyon” show that this veteran band can still equal the high points of its past.
Hot tracks: “Hanging On,” “Grand Canyon,” “Primer Coat.” MICHAEL McCALL The Associated Press
Thumpers Galore Sub Pop B+
As Thumpers, longtime pals Marcus Pepperell and John Hanson Jr. make sweet, percussion-heavy, dance-flavored alt-pop that rests somewhere between M83’s gauzy expanse and the odd, squiggly sounds of Yeasayer.
On Galore, the London-based duo explores coming-of-age themes, youth and longing, reflecting back on days that were more carefree with a twinge of melancholy bolstered by vibrant, bright beats. It’s not hard to imagine the coming spring among Galore’s beefy drums and flighty synths.
Hot tracks: “Marvel,” “Now We Are Sixteen,” “Unkinder (A Tougher Love).” SEAN CLANCY
Style, Pages 34 on 03/11/2014