record reviews

April 25, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

‘All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu’

Rufus Wainwright (Decca)

Grade: A-

On “All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu” (Decca), Rufus Wainwright strips away the lush, piano-pop construction of his previous albums until all that’s left is his gorgeous voice, his emotional piano playing and his grief.

The illness and death in January of Wainwright’s mother, Kate McGarrigle, influences much of the album, either explicitly — as in “Martha,” which chronicles a phone call with his sister, the singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright — or in tone, as in “Zebulon,” about the drowning death of a classmate.

Though at times Wainwright’s pain is almost palpable, he succeeds in turning it into something more universal. With “The Dream,” he adorns the poppy melody with classical finery, celebrating the mixed emotions of having a loved one’s suffering end when they die, while still missing them.

— Glenn Gamboa, Long Island Newsday

‘Tears, Lies and Alibis’

Shelby Lynne (Everso)

Grade: A-

Shelby Lynne can do it all, and she proves it on “Tears, Lies and Alibis” (Everso). Even though it’s the first time she’s written, sung and produced all the songs — and then released them on her own label — her 11th album doesn’t fall into the traps of many artists with total control. Instead, Lynne shows how well she knows herself, letting the lovely, country-soul “Alibi” unspool perfectly and slipping into a nice groove on “Why Didn’t You Call Me,” before unveiling the poignant “Loser Dreamer” and securing her strongest album in a decade.

— Glenn Gamboa, Newsday

‘I Learned the Hard Way’

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

(Daptone) Grade: A

It’s not hard to describe what Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings do: It’s old-school soul and R&B, straight up. The 54-year-old Jones, a powerhouse singer in the Aretha Franklin/Tina Turner mold, fronts the eight-piece Dap-Kings (the band Amy Winehouse borrowed for 2007’s “Back to Black”), and they unabashedly take their cues from horn-fueled Stax /Volt and James Brown classics from the mid-’60s. They’re not updating a tradition; they are firmly within it. Impressively so.

“I Learned the Hard Way,” the New Yorkers’ fourth album, often dials back the hard-edged energy from 2007’s “100 Days, 100 Nights” to make way for new forays into Philly soul. Sure, one could footnote the source inspirations throughout the album, starting with “Money,” which owes everything to the Barrett Strong classic of the same name. But that wouldn’t diminish the authenticity of these powerful performances.

— Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer

‘Here Lies Love’

David Byrne/Fatboy Slim

(Nonesuch/Todomundo)

Grade: B

It’s important to know that this whirlwind song cycle, starring the diverse likes of Steve Earle, Nellie McKay and Santigold, started life as a musical theater piece. That’s how David Byrne conceived of this schmaltzy disco splash dedicated to enigmatic Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos’ wild life and love of shoes, the woman who raised her, her despot husband, and ’70s nightlife. Knowing such gives you an indication why its melodies and arrangements are so hammy.

Byrne and co-composer Fatboy Slim left the evil politics of martial law implied and took Lady Marcos’ sappy words, fashioned them into garish show-tune lyrics and got 20-plus vocalists to tell her tale. There are sprightly grooves and curious tales of courtship (”Eleven Days,” sung by Cyndi Lauper) and Manhattan society (“Dancing Together,” with Sharon Jones) that allow its vocalists dramatic breadth even when the music is fluffy. There are wrenching and darkly comic songs featuring Natalie Merchant (as Marcos’ cast-aside caretaker) and the B-52s’ Kate Pierson. With Byrne’s patented tropical lilt and Fatboy’s beats added to the music’s snazzy patina, the whole affair comes across as equal parts Latin telenovela and “Evita.”

— A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer