record reviews

December 23, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

T.I.

Album: “Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head” (Grand Hustle/ Atlantic Records)

Grade: B

After a lackluster response to 2010’s “No Mercy,” some questioned whether T.I.’s rap presence was still strong. But the Grammy winner shows he hasn’t lost a step, delivering an assortment of quality songs on his eighth album, “Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head.”

The self-proclaimed “King of the South” lives up to his billing with one of his best pieces of work, featuring stellar production from Pharrell, No I.D., T-Minus and DJ Toomp, and guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Pink, Andre 3000 and Cee Lo Green.

The 16-track album, which was inspired by Marvin Gaye’s 1972 album “Trouble Man,” details T.I.’s struggles to overcome his continuous missteps.

But despite his mishaps, T.I. is unapologetic to his critics. He’s certainly that way on the Jazze Pha-produced “Sorry,” featuring Andre 3000 and his superb rhymes.

On the top-notch “Can You Learn,” with R. Kelly, T.I. asks his woman if she could support her mate who often finds himself in trouble. Pink’s vocals soar on the melancholy “Guns and Roses,” while “Trap Back Jumpin”’ and “Go Get It” are definite street anthems. The easy-riding “Hello” and “Hallelujah” are standouts as well.

— Jonathan Landrum Jr., Associated Press

BIG BOI

Album: “Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors” (Def Jam)

Grade: B

Back when OutKast was having its way with the pop-music universe with the double-disc “Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below” in 2003, Big Boi was supposed to be the meat-and-potatoes half of the duo, in charge of churning out the funk in contrast to Andre 3000’s more fanciful musical flights. These days, though, with his other half in OutKast seemingly permanently on the sidelines, Big Boi has taken responsibility for delivering both bottom-heavy rump-shakers and experimental pop. He delivered the goods without fail on 2010’s “Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty,” but on “Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors” the results are more uneven. BB collaborates with a dizzying array of guest artists, from indie-rockers Wavves and Phantogram to R&B artist Kelly Rowland, to Southern rappers T.I. and Ludacris. But if that makes for a bumpy ride through hard-to-figure head-nodders such as “Thom Pettie” to the dreamy closer, “Descending,” “Vicious Lies” still gets envelope-pushing points, as it aims to expand the parameters of hip-hop.

— Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer

MARIA MULDAUR

Album: “... First Came Memphis Minnie” (Stony Plain)

Grade: A-

Although billed equally with the other contributors on the album cover, Maria Muldaur is really the driving force behind this “loving tribute” to Memphis Minnie. She produced the set and sings on eight of the 13 tracks.

Muldaur has had a long fascination with the pioneering blueswoman who became a primary influence on her. A photo on the inner sleeve shows Muldaur singing a Memphis Minnie tune with her then-husband, Geoff Muldaur, at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Her feel for the music comes through in performances of such numbers as “Me and My Chauffeur Blues” and “She Put Me Outdoors.”

Impressive on the album’s stripped-down acoustic arrangements are Bonnie Raitt, Rory Block and Ruthie Foster. Two of the album’s contributions are recordings by now-deceased artists: Phoebe Snow offers a striking rendition of “In My Girlish Days” from 1976, and Koko Taylor closes with a ferocious, full-band take on “Black Rat Swing” from 2007 that is electric in multipe ways.

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

BRUBECK BROTHERS QUARTET

Album: “Lifetimes” (Blue Forest Records)

Grade: B

Dave Brubeck is no longer on this earthly bandstand, but his sons play on, mining in many ways the artistic and entertainment values the old man championed.

Bassist and trombonist Chris and drummer Dan BrubeckSFlbcreate a warm, mainstream quartet that covers a bunch of tunes linked to dad, ranging from Paul Desmond’s iconic “Take Five,” done here as more electric and stiff, to “Kathy’s Waltz,” a winsome tribute to daughter Cathy (someone at Columbia Records misspelled her name on the “Time Out” album).

— Karl Stark, Philadelphia Inquirer