record reviews

July 10, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

BAD MEETS EVIL

Album: “Hell: The Sequel” (Shady/Interscope)

Grade: B

Eminem’s “Recovery” was a blessing and a curse. That 2010 album put the foul Detroit MC back atop the pop-hop heap, but its softer, lyrical approach repelled Em’s hard-core fans used to rapid-fire misogyny and mayhem. Those listeners should be heartened by his reteaming with old rapper pal Royce da 5’9”, the “Bad” to Eminem’s “Evil.” The flinty pair produced a neo-horrorcore 12-inch in 1999, and its black comic vibe is apparent on this nine-cut (11 on the deluxe) EP.

The pair rap circles around each other and finish each other’s lines, one more ribald and caustic than the next. While “The Reunion” disses ladies hard, “A Kiss” saves its venom for pop Lolitas Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Along with the boys’ flow and their snarling voices, it’s the riveting rhythm and sizzling backing track that makes “A Kiss” succulent. Which brings us to the best (and least hard) tracks on Hell, “I’m on Everything” and “Lighters.” While the former humorously features rampant drug use and a most contagious score, the latter co-stars crooner Bruno Mars and his production and writing team, the Smeezingtons, as well as truly touching lyrics between old friends Royce and Eminem. They’re cute when they’re not angry.

— A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer

LIMP BIZKIT

Album: “Gold Cobra” (Interscope)

Grade: D

Limp Bizkit wasn’t always as bad as people said. They were legit superstars because they had naughty pranks as good as anyone’s. Replacing a naughty word with yeah in “Nookie” made it a classic; deconstructing a pop gauntlet as spotless as George Michael’s “Faith” was audacious. Fred Durst once knew the humorous side of being scum, once sang “Nobody loves me / Maybe I’ll go eat worms.” But he was plenty loved by the time he made a video in which he screams in a bound Thora Birch’s face. He’s lost the plot, and even his targets on “Gold Cobra” are F-list. “Why don’t you get a life?” he screams at YouTube commenters. If the one about his gun expertise is any indication, I really doubt he ever did eat those worms.

— Dan Weiss, Philadelphia Inquirer

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND

Album: “Revelator” (Masterworks)

Grade: B

Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks are like-minded artists who have made fine music as solo acts. They also happen to be married. They’ve toured together before, playing material from their individual repertoires. Now they’ve put together a group that features musicians from their respective bands and collaborated on original material.

“Revelator” is what you’d expect. It’s a richly organic stew steeped in soul and blues, spiced with dobro, slide, horns and B3. Trucks and Tedeschi are both excellent guitarists — lyrical solos punctuate many of these songs — and Tedeschi is a powerful vocalist who never succumbs to the temptation this kind of material offers to get overwrought. Listen to the way she slowly but inexorably builds the intensity of the Stax-like ballad “Until You Remember.”

The songs unfold at a leisurely pace, oozing soulfulness as they give the 11 musicians plenty of room to operate. Over the course of 61 minutes, though, you wish for a little more of the energy found in the gospel- fueled “Bound for Glory” and the loose-limbed funkiness of “Love Has Something Else to Say.”

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

LLOYD

Album: “King of Hearts”

Grade: A

Lloyd was the odd one out in the Murder Inc. posse, only getting attention when Ja Rule and Ashanti weren’t around. His early hits — especially “Southside” with Ashanti and “You” with Lil Wayne — felt like teenage coattail-riding.

That’s what makes his ambitious new album “King of Hearts” (Zone 4/Interscope) such a stunning surprise. Now part of Polow Da Don’s crew, Lloyd, at 24, proves himself to be a bold thinker and a skillful singer who can handle almost anything.

He makes his intentions clear from the start with the X-rated but catchy “Dedication to My Ex [Miss That],” that has a lot in common with Cee Lo Green’s, um, “Forget You” in style and substance. Then, Andre 3000 arrives and kicks it to the next level.

But the shocks don’t stop there, considering his soulful spin on “World Cry,” a Marvin Gaye-styled protest filtered through Michael Jackson that also includes R. Kelly, Keri Hilson and K’Naan, and the current single “Cupid,” which smooths out Polow Da Don’s usual aggressive production for a pretty, stylish pop ballad. On “This Is 4 My Baby,” he tweaks a Justin Timberlake-ish track and sets himself up as a real rival to Chris Brown, who he outsings on “Luv Me Girl,” and Drake.

Lloyd may not rule the kingdom just yet, but “King of Hearts” is a strong bid for the throne.

— Glenn Gamboa, Newsday

TEDDYBEARS

Album: “Devil’s Music”

Grade: B

It’s easy to see how Sweden’s Teddybears were able to line up an unexpected who’s who of guest stars for their new “Devil’s Music” (Big Beat/Atlantic) album. It’s a blast. The band’s mix of Kraftwerk synthesized bloops and upbeat indie rock is already a good time, with enough lyrical twists and musical turns to keep us all guessing. Throw in Robyn on the pulsing “Cardiac Arrest,” or Cee Lo Green and The B-52s on the wacky dance party “Cho Cha,” or Eve on the hip-hop-tinged “Rocket Scientist,” and Teddybears become an in-demand party-starter.

— Glenn Gamboa, Newsday