‘The Distance’

‘The Distance’

Taylor Hicks (101 Distribution) Grade: D

Has Taylor Hicks become Michael Bolton yet?

Oh, maybe that’s harsh. Maybe. Still, I can’t help thinking that Hicks is co-opting blue-eyed soul in the same calculated way that the Boltster once hitched himself to Otis Redding and Percy Sledge.

Or maybe he’s Michael McDonald.

“The Distance” offers more of the singer’s glossy, not-too-dangerous pop. Every note’s in its place, but a few rough edges might have lifted stuff such as “What’s Right Is Right” out of the generic, easy-listening realm. “The Distance” isn’t worth the trip.

—Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel

‘Midnight at the Movies’

Justin Townes Earle (Bloodshot)

Grade: B

On his sophomore album, Earle has a song called “They Killed John Henry” that starts out at the folk hero’s funeral and moves the celebrated tale forward. It’s a gutsy move for a songwriter, essentially offering up a sequel to a slice of classic American folk literature, but Steve Earle’s son clearly has the talent to carry out such ambition effortlessly.

He’s fully absorbed his genetic and cultural heritage and draws upon both with great skill and dimension. “Mama’s Eyes” recognizes the curse and blessing of that heritage. He walks in the large footsteps of Willie Nelson and Bob Wills in “What I Mean to You” and “Poor Fool,” a couple of Texas honky-tonk swing tunes.

The title song exhibits some of his dad’s and John Prine’s deftness for creating and empathizing with outsider characters.

—Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times

‘Written in Chalk’

Buddy and Julie Miller

(New West Records)

Grade: C

No Depression magazine’s artist of the decade, Buddy Miller, who recently underwent bypass surgery, hasn’t released an album since 2004’s “Universal United House of Prayer.”

It has been eight years since the last studio collaboration with his singer-songwriter wife, Julie Miller.

So there’s high anticipation in the Americana/alt-country realm for “Written in Chalk.” The majority of the 12 songs are Julie compositions, though the vocal spotlight is shared almost equally.

The album’s best moment is its most collaborative: “Gasoline and Matches” is a thundering blues concoction flavored by heavy, propulsive bass and drums, as well as Buddy’s greasy, tremolo-laden guitar solo. The opening “Ellis County” also highlights the sandpaper-and-satin blend of the Millers’ voices, this time above an earthy backdrop of fiddles and gospel piano.

Soon, however, the album takes on a dual personality: When he’s in the spotlight on songs such as Dee Ervin’s “One Part, Two Part,” there’s grit and energy. Then, the mood downshifts — too often — to subdued, sad ballads by Julie. On the solitary “A Long, Long Time,” the jazz-inflected chords and muted trumpet veer mighty close to Norah Jones territory.

—Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel

‘Technicolor Health’

The Harlem Shakes

(Gigantic Music)

Grade: B

The Harlem Shakes are a longtime up-and-coming New York indie rock band. Their energetic live show and fine 2007 debut EP (“Burning Birthdays”) won them considerable buzz, but they didn’t follow up with a long-player until now. Scheduled for release this month and filled with poppy guitars, synth washes, bouncing lyrics and smiling harmonies, “Technicolor Health” is a welcome arrival.

The Shakes take their name from a previous incarnation as a dance band, and their Latin-influenced beats are toe-tapping, but the sound is much more shambling than precise. They generally stay midtempo, with occasional rave-up intros but no real rock-outs. There’s nothing too heavy, and the instrumentation is so perky that even the dark lyrics seem bright. It isn’t quite saccharine, but it might be too sunny if it were much longer than its 10 songs and 37 minutes.

The best song is “Niagara Falls,” the album’s ballad, a lovely pop slice with slide guitars and a piano vamp, oohs and la-la-las: a love song on an all-night drive. Another highlight is the title track, a straightforward three-minute mini-anthem that closes the album.

As well-produced pop confections, the songs are hard to fault, though a few more minor keys and dischord, a little less sun and a little more dialed-up rock ‘n’ roll, might be a welcome direction for the sophomore album. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait so long next time.

—Alexander F. Remington, Washington Post

‘Let Freedom Sing! Music of the Civil Rights Movement’

Various artists (Time Life Music)

Grade: A

In the wake of the historic election of President Barack Obama and all the buzz about America becoming a “post-racial” nation, it’s easy to get wrapped up in good-natured glow of how far the United States has come in regard to its tangled, troubled relationship between whites and blacks.

The recently released three-CD “Let Freedom Sing! Music of the Civil Rights Movement” is a great reality check and excellent history lesson that demonstrates indeed how far America has come, but also how much further there is to go in the struggle for equality among the races: It is filled with songs that bring to life some of the most painful and shameful moments of our nation. Stirring and sobering, this is a must-have, for history’s sake and for music’s sake.

There are classic songs by some of music’s greats — Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” an Otis Redding version of “Change is Gonna Come” and James Brown’s black pride anthem “Say it Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud [Part I],” just to name of few of the more well-known tracks.

But some of the more moving songs are from artists who are most likely unknown to most music fans, like “Alabama Blues,” by J.B. Lenoir, which begins with the stark line: “I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me ... you know they killed my sister and my brother, and the whole world let those peoples go down there free.”

—Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Associated Press