C Gwen Stefani
This Is What the Truth Feels Like
Interscope
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Gwen Stefani -- the squeaky-voiced No Doubt singer and judge/mentor for NBC's The Voice -- is certainly in full-court rebuff/rebound mode. Going through the heartbreak of discovering she had a cheating husband and then finding romance (unless it's a publicity stunt) with Voice co-worker Blake Shelton is Stefani's double default mode here. With her falsetto set to "cry," she croons the words to "Used to Love You" ("I remembered for the first time/Since I hated you/That I used to love you") with the perfect quavering blend of spite and sorrow. The computer game-synths of "You're My Favorite" give the breathy singer proper berth to be charmingly cheerful without gushing.
Aside from these few tunes, Truth doesn't feel like much, at least nothing original in terms of its sound or vision. Though previous solo albums Love.Angel.Music.Baby. and The Sweet Escape benefited from innovative, quirky rhythms and production flips, Truth is ska-synth-lite with pallid power ballads tossed in. Lyrically, Stefani -- bruised but buoyant -- sounds trite and goofy throughout, especially when she asks her new paramour to "rebound all over me."
Hot tracks: "Used to Love You," "You're My Favorite"
-- A.D. AMOROSI,
The Philadelphia Inquirer
B Anthony Hamilton
What I'm Feelin'
RCA
Soul singer Anthony Hamilton returns to some of his roots on his new album.
The Grammy-winning singer reunited with longtime producer Mark Batson, who co-wrote and produced his breakout songs "Comin' From Where I'm From" and "Charlene." Both picked up where they left off, working perfectly together on well-crafted tracks, from the upbeat "Save Me" to the smooth "Never Letting Go."
Hamilton's distinctive Southern vocals are strong throughout. He candidly sings about his appreciation of loving his mate, his relationship mishaps and spiritual growth.
On the piano-driven "Walk in My Shoes," Hamilton sings about nearly losing his mind after a regretful series of tribulations, from being arrested to parting ways with his wife last year.
On the Salaam Remi-produced "Amen," Hamilton rejoices about making love, cooking and going to church with his lover. He also teams up with his backup group, the Hamiltones, on the throwback-sounding title track.
Much of the album maintains a soulful identity. But on the '80s pop melody "Ever Seen Heaven," Hamilton shows that his vocals are capable of blending well with other sounds.
Hot tracks: "Walk in My Shoes," "Save Me," "Ever Seen Heaven"
-- JONATHAN LANDRUM JR.,
The Associated Press
B Zayn
Mind of Mine
RCA
Mind of Mine -- which comes a year to the day after Zayn Malik officially announced he was leaving One Direction -- is a mostly downbeat R&B-pop adventure that shows Zayn has some true star quality.
It's a departure from the pop grooves 1D has become known for, and Zayn's new songs -- in the vein of Chris Brown, Frank Ocean and recent Justin Bieber -- are appealing.
"It's You" is a pretty, falsetto-heavy slow groove; "BeFour" is addictive and catchy; "Truth" feels like a neo-soul song of the early 2000s; and on "She" and "Fool for You," the singer reminds you why he did well on The X Factor, where One Direction formed in 2010.
Malay, the producer who worked heavily on Ocean's Grammy-winning channel ORANGE, also works his magic on Zayn's album, as do producers Levi Lennox, xyz, Alan Sampson and MakeYouKnowLove.
While the album's sound isn't particularly new, it's unique and tailor-made for Zayn. He's heading in the right direction.
Hot tracks: "It's You," "Fool for You," "Truth"
-- MESFIN FEKADU,
The Associated Press
B The Thermals
We Disappear
Saddle Creek
Perhaps it's because Chris Walla (of Death Cab for Cutie, who produced their 2010 Personal Life) steered this one, or perhaps it's because Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster are approximately 40, but The Thermals' new one has a lovely, midtempo maturity. There is no more perfect angst-rock record than their 2006 classic, The Body, The Blood, The Machine, but it could be reasonably argued that a grunge rock band from Portland, Ore., gets only one of those out before subsequent efforts are deemed lame.
There's room for growth in the emotionally taut and frustrated-with-modernity rock 'n' roll that Hutch, Kathy and rotating-but-seemingly-permanent drummer Westin Glass have perfected. It's loud, brash, emphatic and propulsive, but not without moments of solitude and reflection.
The title comes from a line in The Great Dying series. That doesn't altogether feel like a title track, but the line does seem to reflect the short-but-sweet poetic punkness that Harris has cornered: "You said we came, we scrawled our name/We were here, we disappear." "In Every Way" follows and contains classic yelps and howls and jagged guitars that inevitably turn anthemic, but the chaos still feels authentically essential. The album's closer, "Years in a Day," is a beautiful, complex love song -- slow, sad and nuanced. But it seems the trio couldn't let this one out without one direct shot at American politics, "The Walls," which will "tear us in two."
Hot tracks: "The Great Dying," "In Every Way," "The Walls"
-- BILL CHENEVERT,
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Style on 04/05/2016