LeAnn Rimes‘ ’Spitfire‘ aptly named

LeAnn Rimes
“Spitfire”
(Curb)

LeAnn Rimes has appeared in tabloid headlines more often than the record charts the last few years. But don’t fault her music: Her last three albums have featured the best work of her career and the new ``Spitfire‘’ tops them all.

The onetime child star always had a powerful voice. She often picked good material, too. But it never gelled into a consistent creative direction.

``Spitfire‘’ finds Rimes emerging as a mature artist whose songwriting ability is catching up with her vocal talent. Ballads like ``What Have I Done‘’ and ``Borrowed‘’ convey deeply felt, difficult emotions. She also has developed into an effective pop-rocker: On ``Gasoline and Matches,‘’ she bites into a raw, bluesy groove, while the exposed nerves of the modern rocker ``You‘ve Ruined Me’‘ burn with the fire of truth.

Rimes displays a newfound subtlety in her strong voice on several songs. She effectively uses phrasing and shifts in tone to express complex feelings that sound like they come from real experience.

It’s too soon to say Rimes has finally found a direction that can carry her back to the top of the charts. But ``Spitfire‘’ does show she‘s found her adult voice - as a songwriter as well as a singer.

(AP)


The Weeks hit hard with ’Dear Bo Jackson‘

The Weeks
“Dear Bo Jackson”
(Serpents and Snakes)

Here’s more proof Nashville is saving rock `n‘ roll one band at a time: The Weeks.

The mostly Mississippi quintet moved to Nashville a few years ago after putting out a few promising albums, signed with Kings of Leon imprint Serpents and Snakes Records, and have been polishing the music and enhancing the songs on ``Dear Bo Jackson’‘ till they shine.

The only real knock against them was that lead singer Cyle Barnes sounded waaaayyyy too much like KOL frontman Caleb Followill. ``Dear Bo Jackson’‘ mostly dispenses with that issue with 11 flavor-packed songs that show a band unafraid to embrace -- and update -- its Southern rock roots with the kind of love that’s mostly missing from today‘s scene.

Five or six listens in and ``Dear Bo Jackson’‘ is still offering new delights from keys, pedal steel and strings that were initially obscured by the country funky, groove-oriented heart of each song. The Weeks rocked harder on earlier albums, but show they’ve grown into a band with the ability to stun on slow, emotional tracks like ``Ain‘t My Stop,’‘ a song that stays with you awhile, ``Gobi Blues’‘ and ``Chickahominy.’‘

(AP)


Production spoils Cold War Kids‘ 4th album

Cold War Kids
“Dear Miss Lonelyhearts”
(Downtown Records)

The four-piece indie band Cold War Kids released their debut EP, ``Mulberry Street,’‘ in 2005 while they were still working out of one member’s apartment in Fullerton, Calif. That record featured ``Quiet, Please!‘’ -- a unique, drama-building, slow tempo tune that showcased lead vocalist Nathan Willett‘s somersaulting tenor.

After a few more EPs and albums, and relocating to Long Beach, the band is releasing its fourth full-length album, ``Dear Miss Lonelyhearts.’‘ Willett’s unique vocals are still their signature, but this 10-song collection is uneven. When the arrangements become crowded, instead of adding color or ornamentation, the songs get weighed down and are less interesting.

``Dear Miss Lonelyhearts‘’ lacks the wonderful energy heard on the 2010 EP, ``Behave Yourself,‘’ which included original songs like ``Coffee Spoon‘’ and ``Audience.‘’ The guitars were simple and bright, and the drums an efficient motor. Willett‘s voice is theatrical and dominant, and best highlighted with sparser arrangements and even slower tempos.

The title track is the most effective song on the album for precisely these reasons. There’s space for Willett‘s voice to soar, the guitars are pretty, chiming along a plodding tempo with restrained reverb. The drums rumble like ominous thunder.

This talented singer needs some room and understated accompaniment. Unfortunately, this record affords him too few opportunities.

(AP)