record reviews

KELLY ROWLAND

Album: “Here I Am”

Grade: B

It’s not fair for Kelly Rowland to always be compared with her Destiny’s Child co-star Beyonc , but the music business is far from fair.

This time out, Beyonc ’s “4” was like a high-difficulty dive that ended with a belly flop. On the other hand, Rowland’s “Here I Am” (Universal Republic) is sleek, simple and almost perfectly executed.

“Here I Am” is basically one potential hit after another. Her opening declaration, “I’m Dat Chick,” reveals the new Rowland, who takes Destiny’s Child’s poppier leanings and throws a European influence on them, and announces, “I’m not cocky, I just love myself,” before calling on all the ladies to join her esteem-building session.

Fans already are familiar with “Commander,” her club hit with super producer David Guetta, and the infectious “Down for Whatever” is equally polished and dance-floor-ready. Rowland’s sultry, spacey current single, “Motivation,” with Lil Wayne shows that she’s still willing to try new things.

She may have even bigger smashes still in the bag, though. “Work It Man,” with up-and-comer Lil Playy, rides an infectious, streamlined hip-hop groove. “Here I Am” isn’t just Rowland’s best solo album so far, it’s a well-crafted sign that she’s ready to reach for superstar status all by herself.

— Glenn Gamboa, Newsday

JOSS STONE

Album: “LP1”

Grade: B

After a public battle with her record label, Joss Stone now has the artistic freedom she wanted on her last album, “Colour Me Free.” She makes the most of that freedom on “LP1” (Stone’d). Working with producer Dave Stewart gives Stone a new edginess, whether it’s on the all-out R&B jam “Don’t Start Lying to Me Now” or the stripped-down acoustic ballad “Landlord.” When Stone soars to full bluesy-gospel glory at the end of “Boat Yard,” it becomes pretty clear she’s never going to hold back again.

— Glenn Gamboa, Newsday

BLAKE SHELTON

Album: “Red River Blue” (Warner Nashville)

Grade: C

“Where did all the good ole boys go?” Blake Shelton wonders on his new album. Well, one of them went to Hollywood, helped make the singing- competition show “The Voice” a hit and now is enjoying a level of stardom that far transcends country.

That good ole boy would be Shelton himself, of course. With “Red River Blue,” which has already hit No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genres Hot 200, the Oklahoma native again displays the qualities that made him an engaging if not great Nashville star — country-boy sincerity and a knack for not taking himself too seriously.

Beyond the terse workingman’s lament of “Get Some” and its sing-along chorus, Shelton never gets too rowdy here. But numbers such as the barroom come-on “Drink on It” and the swaying “Sunny in Seattle,” along with the aforementioned “Good Ole Boys” and “Honey Bee,” play to his strengths and let his country colors shine through (even if the album’s often overmiked drums are an annoyance). On the other hand, “God Gave Me You,” “I’m Sorry,” and “Over” are generic power ballads that don’t suit Shelton at all.

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

Eric Church

Album: “Chief” (EMI Records Nashville)

Grade: C

Most country music tough guys balance their snarl with lighter moments. But rising country music star Eric Church swaggers and scowls through his third album, “Chief,” without easing the bare-knuckled attitude with novelty tunes or love ballads.

There’s none of Toby Keith’s humor, Trace Adkins’ sensitive ballads or Jamey Johnson’s probing self-examination. More than ever, Church’s songs revolve around drinking (“Jack Daniels,” “Drink In My Hand”) and fighting (“Keep On”). But the relentlessly macho attitude wears thin over 11 songs, even with detours into songs toasting musical idols (“Springsteen”) and bemoaning the stale state of his chosen music genre (“Country Music Jesus”).

Church’s ace-in-the-hole is producer Jay Joyce, who brings unusual rhythms and fresh arrangements to the rock- influenced songs. When “Chief” works, as on the opening “Creepin”’ and the album’s first hit “Homeboy — a moralistic lecture to a wayward brother— Church joins singers Jamey Johnson and Jason Aldean in showing how country music can move into the future with substance and integrity. But too much of “Chief” forces its belligerence.

— Michael McCall, Associated Press

THEOPHILUS LONDON

Album: “Timez Are Weird These Days” (Warner Bros.)

Grade: B

It’s easy to understand why the haters attack Theophilus London. Even before this, his first album, arrived, the young hip-pop New Yorker garnered endorsements from upscale brands such as Bushmills and Cole Haan. He’s been featured in fashion and lifestyle mags for his retro look, and he’s not shy about his grand ambitions.

But London is aware that he cannot ride on his sartorial sense alone: On the elecro-anthem “I Stand Alone,” he states, “Clothes don’t make the man; it’s the man that makes the clothes.” This is a man who seems to have studied his Prince, his Andre 3000, and, especially and perhaps most surprisingly, his PM Dawn. London is least persuasive when he dabbles in hard-core, as on the pornographic “Girls Girls $,” but like Kid Cudi, he’s great at catchy, accessible pop, such as the twangy “All Around the World” or the tracks that enlist Holly Miranda or Sara Quinn (of Tegan & Sara).

— Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer