record reviews

June 13, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA

Album: “Bionic”

Grade B-

Christina Aguilera has a great voice and, generally, she knows how to use it. On her new album, “Bionic” (RCA), the sensual soul she breathes into the quiet-storm ballad “Sex for Breakfast” and the yearning she uses to warm up the electro “Lift Me Up” prove it. So why does she waste so much of “Bionic” hiding her talents in crass dance-pop odes to her nether regions (the current single “Woohoo”) and up-tempo throwaways, including the title track? Aguilera should know that making her voice trill so that it sounds like a squeaking door is a bad idea in the otherwise lovely “You Lost Me.” To make it worse, she revisits the vocal tic in the Katy-Perry-knock-off “I Hate Boys.” Aguilera should know that lines like “I’m your supplier of lust, love and fire tonight,” from “Desnudate,” can’t be taken seriously. Aguilera had a lot of good collaborators on “Bionic,” including M.I.A. on the quirky “Elastic Love” and Le Tigre on the thrillingly poppy “My Girls.” But, too often, the pieces don’t fit. She should know it’s a thin line between “Bionic” and scrap heap.

— Glenn Gamboa, Long Island Newsday

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Album: “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Soundtrack”

Grade: B+

Can we raise a cheer for Team Alexandra? For “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Soundtrack” (Chop Shop/ Atlantic), music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas curates another collection of smart, dramatic gals and hip, quirky guys. The women clearly win this time out with the lush “Heavy in Your Arms” from Florence and The Machine and the anthemic “Eclipse” from Metric. But Muse’s Queen-ish bombast on “Neutron Star Collision” is thrilling, and The Black Keys build a nice groove on “Chop and Change” on the men’s side, making the third soundtrack in the series the best yet.

— Glenn Gamboa, Long Island Newsday

TRACEY THORN

Album: “Love and Its Opposite”

Grade: A-

Tracey Thorn has always seemed an old soul. In Everything but the Girl, Thorn and her musical and life partner, Ben Watt, started off dabbling in bossa nova and cool jazz back in the mid-’80s before moving into club territory later in a career that’s been on hiatus since 1999. No matter the setting, Thorn’s restrained, unaffected alto conveyed a somber wisdom and heartfelt experience. That’s even more true on “Love and Its Opposite” (Merge). After 2007’s percolating “Out of the Woods,” Thorn tones down the beats in favor of subdued ballads that contemplate the difficulties of adult love: friends divorcing, a daughter’s hormones (”yours are just checking in / mine are just checking out,”), a sad visit to a singles bar. The unadorned spareness of “You Are a Lover” recalls Thorn’s earliest days in the Marine Girls, but she’s a better singer now, with more control, more depth and more truth to share.

— Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer

PAUL WELLER

Album: “Wake Up the Nation”

Grade: B

“Wake Up the Nation” (Island/Yep Rock), the 10th solo album from influential British rocker Paul Weller, isn’t nearly as ambitious as its title might suggest, but it is a high point in an often frustrating solo career. If the entire album lived up to the promise of its jittery opener, “Moonshine,” Weller would truly have a stellar solo record. But forgettable tracks like “She Speaks” and “Aim High” substitute aimless riffs and falsetto warbling for genuine substance. It’s not until Weller looks backward musically, on the Bowie-inspired “Andromeda” and the punky “Fast Car — Slow Traffic,” that the album begins to come together. A solid (if unspectacular) song set, “Wake Up” could do with less filler, but its highlights make this icon’s latest work worthy of repeat listening.

—Emily Tartanella, Philadelphia Inquirer

HOT HOT HEAT

Album: “Future Breeds”

Grade: B

Even back when Hot Hot Heat hit it big in 2002, with their debut LP “Make Up the Breakdown,” there was something a bit quirky about the band’s music. Their songs were catchy and poppy, but melodies were unpredictable and lyrics were disjointed and disconcerting. Eight years later, with five albums under their belt, they’ve managed to remain both odd and appealing. The 12 tracks on “Future Breeds” (Dangerbird) present a band encumbered with angst and urgency — vocalist Steve Bays still sings with a slight snarl and a manic undertone, while reverb-soaked guitars and keys aggressively lurch to the pulsing beat. They’ve created another album of pop tunes that defies the standards of pop music — this is the stuff indie kids will dance to, but it has a heart and a soul, and an element of musical and mental consciousness that prevents it from becoming cultural ephemera.

— Katherine Silkaitis, Philadelphia Inquirer

DIERKS BENTLEY

Album: “Up on the Ridge”

Grade: B

On the smart mainstream country albums that made him a star, Dierks Bentley always unplugged for a bluegrassy number. For “Up on the Ridge” (Capitol), the Arizona native goes virtually all-acoustic, with the help of several well-known guests, and it’s an inspired move: The album represents an artistic rebound from 2008’s somewhat tepid “Feel That Fire.” Bentley contributes strong co-written originals, including the opening invitation to go “Up on the Ridge” and the somberly moving “Down in the Mine.” Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers, not usually favorites in this corner, help power strong takes of Dylan’s “Senor [Tales of Yankee Power]” and the traditional “Rovin’ Gambler,” adapted by Bentley and producer Jon Randall Stewart. Kris Kristofferson performs a duet with Bentley on the former’s “Bottle to the Bottom,” which includes a long instrumental passage to give the pickers a chance to cut loose. “Bad Angel” is a terrific slice of barroom honky-tonk with Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson .

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer