norah jones Not Too Late
If you're the type to sit on a New York City bench at sunrise, writing poetry and listening to music, then Norah Jones is the musician for you. At least, this was true of her breakout album, Come Away With Me. Her latest, Not Too Late, feels like a rehash of that debut, with heavier folk and country influences. While most of her songs from Not Too Late sound identical, there are some aspects that lend to an interesting aural experience. The first track, "Wish I Could," blends Jones's distinct voice with cello played by Kronos Quartet's Jeffrey Ziegler. Other notable guest appearances include M. Ward in the spunky "Sinkin' Soon" and jazz organist Larry Goldings in "My Dear Country." Each song has an essence of blues, jazz, country and folk that is enough to appeal to fans of the individual genres without scaring away foes of any one in particular. Despite an occasional blues riff or jazz interlude, the primary facet in Jones's music is her voice. Not Too Late would be skin and bones if only evaluated for its instrumental value. No particular track rises above the others, but the mish-mosh of variances and styles compiled into Not Too Late makes it worth a listen. But if you're looking to do some early morning poetry writing, Jones' latest may be more worthy of the sunrise in Newark than New York. - Colin Jacobsen
Clinic Visitations
Clinic owes its signature sound to frontman Ade Blackburn's grinding, reverb-heavy voice. Unfortunately, there's little that's unique or notable about it. It falls into the broad "indie darling" category, alongside Spencer Krug, Alec Ounsworth, and Daniel Bejar. Think Thom Yorke with a Southern twang (I can see all you indie kids salivating already). On their fourth full-length release, Visitations, Brit rockers Clinic have stuck to their tried-and-true formula that will appease long time fans, but won't likely gain any new ones. Booming, hollow drums open up the first track, "Family", and set the album's midfield pace. Most songs are structured around a heavy rhythm section embellished by shaky guitar flickings, harmonicas, and melodic keys. Even the saw makes an acoustic appearance on "Children of Kellogg", just to show that the band is not afraid to lay everything on the table. But the album is neither here nor there, even with the gimmicks. And if it's invention you crave, you won't find a note on Visitations that puts Clinic's sounds ahead of any other post-Velvet Underground bands. Expect Blackburn's reverb vocals and echoed recording to give the album its familiar, heavily metallic sound, complemented by Clinic's trademark distorted strumming. There's nothing particularly catchy about the sounds, but the smooth subtlety of the layered melodies, combined with the head-nodding grooves, eccentric vocal stylings, and good-hearted '70s-rock influence will still turn a few heads in this solid, if indistinct, release. -Johann Diedrick
lily allen Alright, Still
Britain's newest pop sensation, Lily Allen, was discovered from an unlikely source-MySpace. The sassy singer's debut album, entitled Alright, Still, fulfills all of the criteria for a huge mainstream success: clich‚d love songs about "staying real," a schizophrenic compilation of catchy reggae riffs, cutesy melodies, hip hop beats, and well placed swear words meant to establish the singer's street cred. Weaving through a multitude of emotions, musical styles and obnoxiously catchy hooks, the album is probably best marketed to the MySpace crowd of teeny boppers looking for the next Ashlee Simpson or Nelly Furtado. The album's first single "Smile," which depicts the singer's animosity for her ex-boyfriend who was "fucking the girl next door," sets the tone for the rest of the album, with admirable energy and a sweet sense of humor, yet by the end of the first minute, one can't help wondering how many times the hook can be repeated before driving the listener insane. Allen's sharp wit and charmingly childish voice fail to make up for the overproduced and played-out themes and melodic content of songs like "Littlest Things" that recycle the same washed out pop themes of lost love and mind-bogglingly repetitive melodies. Alright, Still, though decidedly lacking in some key areas, promises some serious potential for Allen, who shows her sarcastic sense of humor and quirky personality with songs like "Alfie." The song, which features a campy polka beat and endearing lyrics about Allen's brother, who only "smokes weed" and plays computer games, shows perhaps the only truly unique aspect of Allen's music: a sharp sense of humor and a refreshing willingness to make fun of herself. Lily Allen's self-deprecating lyrics and who-cares attitude are what separate her from her aforementioned American counterparts, and are what will probably propel her to fame above and beyond the confines of MySpace. -Lucia della Paolera
