record reviews

June 6, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

JACK JOHNSON

Album: “To the Sea”

Grade: B

Jack Johnson must be a carefree guy.

After all, the 30-something surfer dude living in Hawaii with his wife and three kids makes it all seem easy. He sells lifestyle, as much as his music, and his biggest gift is his ability to count his blessings while still sounding humble.

And that persona is sure to grow after his fifth album, “To the Sea” (Brushfire), because when there’s a rare bum note, as there is in “Pictures of People Taking Pictures,” or a slightly off-tempo musical phrase, Johnson leaves it in. It’s a choice not made out of laziness — obviously, studio tools can clean up those minor issues with a few mouse-clicks — but because it adds to the vibe. Johnson really is all about the vibe.

The first single, “You and Your Heart,” sets the scene for the album, with its acoustic groove and its tale of finding an easier life by following your heart. “My Little Girl” is a pretty, simple acoustic song for Johnson’s daughter that promises love and support while also accepting the limitations of parenting.

While the sentiments are sweet and the backdrop is soothing, Johnson is more interesting when he shakes things up. “Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology” brings in the blues, while the indie-rock leanings of “At or With Me” should raise some eyebrows.

— Glenn Gamboa, Long Island Newsday

TAIO CRUZ

Album: “Rokstarr”

Grade: B-

Like his countryman Jay Sean, British R&B singer Taio Cruz sure knows how to write a pop hit that goes down, down, down, down, down easy. Or should that be break, break-a break-break your heart?

With “Rokstarr” (Mercury), Cruz lays out a string of radio-friendly, dance-floor-ready anthems, including the No. 1 single “Break Your Heart” and the equally infectious “Dirty Picture” duet with Ke$ha. The formula works, even when extended to “Dynamite” and “Take Me Back.” “Rokstarr” all sounds interchangeable, but with so many potential hits that may prove to be a pretty smart strategy.

— Glenn Gamboa, Long Island Newsday

BETTYE LAVETTE

Album: “Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook”

Grade: A-

The inspiration for Bettye LaVette’s new album came from the soul singer extraordinaire’s knockout take on The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors. It was a rendition that prompted Pete Townshend to tell her, “You made me weep.”

That performance is included on “Interpretations” (Anti-) as a bonus track, following 12 newer ones to which LaVette almost invariably brings the same devastating power. With her gospel-infused grit, a well-disciplined sense of drama, and the ability to bring a lifetime of experience — including four decades of professional disappointments before her belated recognition — LaVette gives these mostly well-chosen songs by the Beatles, Stones, Traffic, Pink Floyd, and others a rich, new emotional depth as well as a shot of rhythm and blues. Perhaps nowhere are her skills more evident than on “It Don’t Come Easy,” as she transforms Ringo Starr’s seeming pop trifle into a profound, blues-edged soul ballad.

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

SLEIGH BELLS

Album: “Treats”

Grade: A-

Nobody’s got an attention span, or time to waste. So please, give us the hip-hop beats, the pop hooks, the power-chord guitars, the girl-group vocals, the whole emphatic this-goes-all-the-way-up-to-11 package right now. Make it quick and keep it short, before we lose interest.

Sleigh Bells is the indie duo of beat-maker guitarist Derek Miller and live-wire singer Alexis Krauss. They’ve sent the blogosphere buzzing since last fall, and their live show hits you with the force of a category-five hurricane. The good news is that they’ve been able to maintain most of that excitement on their gleefully distorted 11-song debut (N.E.E.T./Interscope), while upping the tunefulness quotient a notch.

The air-raid guitars of “A/B Machines” and booming drums of “Riot Rhythm” will beat you to a most enjoyable pulp, but there’s also enough hyper-catchy action on grabbers like “Kids” and the (relatively) down-tempo “Rill Rill” to bring you back for more.

— Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer

TIFT MERRITT

“See You on the Moon”

Grade: B

Tift Merritt opens her fourth album (Fantasy/Concord) with an ode to cassette compilations, and the song seems destined to be a self-reflexive prophecy. “I’m just making you mix tapes with homemade covers / Analog to show we’re lovers,” Merritt sings with a sweet, conspiratorial intimacy sure to be heard on many future homemade mix tapes (although most likely digital ones). Merritt’s mercurial career has moved from alt-country twang to Southern soul to more sedate singer-songwriter fare. For “See You on the Moon,” the North Carolina native drafts producer Tucker Martine, who has worked with the Decemberists and Sufjan Stevens, and ends up with a diverse album — not unlike a good mix tape — that mixes jangly guitars, understated, often drummer-less rhythms, and mournful strings. My Morning Jacket’s Jim James drops in for the aching “Feel of the World,” but Merritt needs little help. She’s at her best on the quietest tracks, and her near-solo take on Kenny Loggins’ “Danny’s Song” is another mix tape-worthy highlight.

— Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer

BILL KIRCHEN

Album: “Word to the Wise”

Grade: B

As a master of the Telecaster, Bill Kirchen has played with a lot of folks over a long career. Several of them return the favor on the roots-rocker’s new album (Proper American).

Commander Cody pounds the 88s on “I Don’t Work That Cheap,” a rollicking tale of Diddleyesque braggadocio; Dan Hicks swings with Kirchen — and scats — through their cowritten title track; Elvis Costello conjures vintage E.C. on the rocker “Man in the Bottom of the Well,” and Maria Muldaur injects a shot of sultry R&B into “Ain’t Got Time for the Blues.”

Amid all the fine up-tempo stuff, two ballads also stand out. Nick Lowe and Paul Carrack help give a country-soul bent to “Shelly’s Winter Love,” one of the finest interpretations of a Merle Haggard song you’re ever likely to hear, and Asleep at the Wheel alumna Chris O’Connell duets with Kirchen in a sublime take on Roger Miller’s “Husbands and Wives.”

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer