‘Wait For Me’

‘Wait For Me’

Moby (Little Idiot)

Grade: A

It’s been a decade since pint-sized Moby blew up to extra-large to become the world’s biggest shaven-headed vegan DJ, with the blues-infused field-holler techno of the ubiquitous Play. Since then, the mixmaster born Richard Melville Hall has receded to a more comfortable size, most recently with last year’s old-school dance-floor workout, “Last Night.”

“Wait For Me” is that album’s antithesis: It’s an ambient chill-out record on which Moby wisely puts aside the modern rock moves of 2005’s “Hotel” and smartly farms out the vocals to singers more skilled and soulful than he, while melding the melancholy of “Play” with delicately pretty electronic textures. An old pro, getting back to what he does best.

— Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer

‘Electric Dirt’

Levon Helm (Vanguard)

Grade: B

With 2007’s Grammy-winning “Dirt Farmer,” Levon Helm made a triumphant return after a long battle with throat cancer. “Electric Dirt,” as the title hints, expands on that folk-based record, making it more reminiscent of his legendary work with the Band.

Rural themes surface again. “Growing Trade,” by Helm and guitarist-producer Larry Campbell, is a moving farmer’s lament, and Happy Traum’s “Golden Bird” has the fiddle-laced air of an old Appalachian ballad. “Move Along Train” and “When I Go Away,” however, introduce deep gospel grooves, and “You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had” injects a dose of blues.

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

‘My Turn’

Tanya Tucker (Saguaro Road)

Grade: A

From her sensational jailbait debut in the ’70s through her recent TLC reality show, Tanya Tucker has often led a tabloid-worthy life. Her musical instincts, however, have more often than not remained true. That’s especially so on “My Turn,” as the smoky-voiced singer teams with Pete Anderson, Dwight Yoakam’s old guitarist and producer, for a set of vintage country songs.

The music sounds familiar but fresh. Flaco Jimenez’s accordion adds Tex-Mex spice to “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone?” and Jo-El Sonnier’s squeezebox injects a heavy dose of Louisiana flavor into “Big Big Love.” Tucker, the onetime hellion, sounds pretty frisky tearing through “Love’s Gonna Live Here” (with Jim Lauderdale) and “Oh Lonesome Me,” and declaring her independence on “Ramblin’ Fever.” Her well-seasoned artistry really flowers, however, on ballads that also reveal a tender side, like “After the Fire Is Gone” and “Walk Through This World With Me.”

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

‘Alright Dynamite’

Kendel Carson (Train Wreck)

Grade: B

Kendel Carson closes her second album with “Mexico,” a ballad addressed to a lover that’s all about heading south of the border. The 24-year-old Canadian oozes so much seductive heat, however, that you realize she’s not talking just about a road trip.

That’s just one aspect of the fascinating personality Carson presents on the multifaceted “Alright Dynamite.” She’s the second singer-fiddler taken under the wing of “Wild Thing” composer Chip Taylor, now a respected Americana elder statesman (he produced the album, wrote nine of the songs, and co-wrote four with Carson). But she’s no clone of the first, the more demure Carrie Rodriguez.

“Mexico” and numbers such as “Oh Baby Lie Down” and “Ooh That Dress” represent Carson’s sultry side. But she also displays plenty of sass that’s right out of rock.

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer