‘White Lies for Dark Times’

‘White Lies for Dark Times’

Ben Harper and Relentless 7

(Virgin)

Grade: A

Since the release of his first disc in 1994, Ben Harper has enjoyed a higher profile and received more fanatical praise in Europe and Australia than in his native United States.

Shame, shame, shame.

Harper, replacing his longtime backing band The Innocent Criminals with a tight set dubbed Relentless7 — Jason Mozersky (guitars), Jesse Ingalls (bass) and Jordan Richardson (drums) — has crafted another superb collection on his latest effort, “White Lies for Dark Times.”

Harper’s flower-child poetry continues to shine through his sweet, quivering falsetto, and he and his new mates offer a potent blend of blues, country, folk, funk, gospel and R&B.

He takes a back-to-basics approach throughout, opening with the buzzing up-tempo blues of “Number With No Name,” the haunting “Up To You Now” and the fuzzed-out “Shimmer & Shine.”

The transcendent “Fly One Time” is one of the best songs Harper has ever penned, soaring high on his dazzling vocal while building to a beautiful coda, and the playful “Keep It Together [So I Can Fall Apart]” slowly burns behind aggressive wah-wah guitar.

Harper also slows things down with crisp acoustic guitars on the ballad “Skin Thin” and the disc’s heartwarming, country-tinted closer “Faithfully Remain.”

If intelligent songwriting and crack musicianship are your thing — well, you’ve probably already heard of Ben Harper.

— John Kosik, Associated Press

‘Epiphany’

Chrisette Michele (Def Jam)

Grade: B

Chrisette Michele’s first album was all about love, but it seems heartbreak, or at least singing about it, has given the artist room to grow.

Fans loved the old-time glamour that dominated Michele’s sound on her debut album “I Am,” but they might also appreciate that the twenty-something singer’s youthfulness, vibrancy, and attitude get the spotlight on her sophomore disc “Epiphany.”

Unlike “I Am,” which featured the sort of love-struck ballads that might have made Michele’s music great for wedding receptions and easy listening stations, lead single “Epiphany [I’m Leaving]” is a sassy getting-over-him anthem that sets the tone for the disc.

There’s the upbeat “What You Do,” featuring Ne-Yo, and the high-stepping track “Mr. Right.” And while both songs are of the radio-friendly variety, the Chrisette Michele whose voice and singing style drew comparisons to Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan is still very much present.

Michele sounds best when she digs deep, and sings slow. The mournful “I’m Okay,” and heart-wrenching “Blame It On Me” are all about saying goodbye to painful relationships. Both songs prove that whether she is crooning about love or the loss of it, Michele still has her touch.

— Melanie Sims, Associated Press

‘How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway’

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Vanguard)

Grade: C

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s homage to Cab Calloway, “How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway,” comes off accordingly upbeat, but the drama of the Cotton Club’s quintessential showmanship is nowhere in sight.

The band’s eighth album instead proffers musicianship over moxie. This approach is fine in some respects, since no one could imitate Calloway — the man. But Calloway was so acutely ingrained in his signature songs, comparisons are hard to escape.

Lead singer Scotty Morris tries in vain to summon the Calloway growls and wails on songs such as “The Old Man of the Mountain” and “Minnie the Moocher.” Morris’ lack of range renders him helpless when the vocals should have soared.

Where’s the volume? Was Morris afraid to wake the neighbors?

The band recorded the material at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles on vintage microphones and equipment. That’s a nice nod to the music’s era, but the recording sounds flat, lacking thrilling highs, barrelhouse lows and the requisite “oomph” that such a talented group of musicians should have delivered.

— Ron Harris, Associated Press

‘Fantasy Ride’

Ciara (Jive Label Group)

Grade: C

Ciara’s latest album has all the right elements: good producers, catchy hooks and beats that bump with dance, pop and R&B flavors. But for some reason, “Fantasy Ride” isn’t as fun as the title suggests.

The 13-track set is mediocre at best, though it boasts production work by Polow Da Don, Danja, Dr. Luke and The-Dream, and has guest appearances from Chris Brown and Ludacris.

It’s not that the songs on the CD sound bad — tracks like “Ciara to the Stage” and “Tell Me What Your Name Is” show the singer at the top of her game. But the majority of the disc sounds just like what we’ve heard from the 23-year-old sensation before — and that’s not fulfilling.

The energy-charged “Work” featuring Missy Elliott sounds just like the 2005 hit “Lose Control,” Elliott’s song on which Ciara appeared. Most of the other tunes — “Like a Surgeon,” “Pucker Up” and “Never Ever,” for example — are enjoyable but show she hasn’t grown much as a singer since her last release.

Ciara shines, however, on the Janet Jackson-esque “Love, Sex, Magic” with Justin Timberlake and on “Keep Dancin’ On Me.”

With her 2004 debut CD “Goodies” and 2006’s “The Evolution,” Ciara had lots of hits but few songs that stood the test of time; “Fantasy Ride” is no different.

— Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press

‘Cause I Sez So’

The New York Dolls (Atco)

Grade: B

These Dolls are antiques now, but they’re priceless.

Formed in 1971, The New York Dolls helped launch the glam-rock movement along with Kiss, David Bowie and Alice Cooper, yet they imploded long before any of their peers, breaking up in 1977 after two seminal albums.

Reformed in 2004 with original members David Johansen (vocals) and Sylvain Sylvain (guitar), the Dolls second album since then defies easy categorization. The title track blends Ron Wood-ish guitar riffs with a snarling punk sensibility. “Better Than You” evokes The Ramones’ cover of “Needles And Pins,” and Johansen even sounds like Joey Ramone on the track.

“Lonely So Long” revolves around country steel guitars, while Johansen whistles the main melody line of “Temptation To Exist” over a cha-cha beat. And if drunken staggering had a soundtrack, it would sound exactly like “This Is Ridiculous,” in which a down-and-outer bemoans his lot in life.

“Drowning” blends a Stones-like “Paint It Black” mysticism with Johansen’s own “We Gotta Get Outta This Place” vibe. The album also includes a ska remake of “Trash,” which was on their 1973 debut disc.

“Exorcism of Despair” closes the album with flail-and-wail guitar and drums fury.

— Wayne Parry, Associated Press