record reviews

Chris Brown

Album: “Fortune” (RCA Records)

Grade: C

One of the best songs on Chris Brown’s new album is a soft number, “Don’t Judge Me,” that finds him asking a girlfriend to look past his mistakes.

“So please don’t judge me, because it can get ugly, before it gets beautiful,” he sings in his signature semi-high pitch.

For another singer, such a tune might come off as just another relationship plea. But coming from the bad boy singer whose career is nearly restored after his attack on Rihanna three years ago, it seems like a cry for understanding to the whole world and makes him sound vulnerable and appealing.

When Brown opens up, he’s the best version of himself. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough of those songs to make “Fortune,” the 23-year-old’s fifth album, a must have (it’s the follow up to last year’s Grammy-winning “F.A.M.E.”).

The album veers from hip-hop flavored party jams to electronic, pulsating tracks meant for laser light shows to more emotional fare. The album suffers from Brown’s cocky rap-talk and the computerized noises that drown out today’s dance songs.

One of the highlights is “4 Years Old.” Like “Don’t Judge Me,” it is soft and slow, with Brown recalling his childhood, singing: “Feels like I’m 4 years old all over again, because I’m just running fast, I should be walking, saying when I grow up you gon’ see, I’m gon’ be comfortable and happy.”

But most of the other tracks are mediocre, and those that standout — like “Biggest Fan” and “2012” — suffer from the album’s lack of flow and patchy feel. But production may also be the blame: The 14-track set is overloaded with too many producers and songwriters. Sometimes “Fortune” feels like a mixtape.

—Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press

FLO RIDA

Album: “Wild Ones”

Grade: C+

It’s been nearly five years since Flo Rida cracked the code for radio-friendly up-tempo hip-hop with “Low” and the underappreciated “Mail on Sunday” album. However, on his new “Wild Ones” (Atlantic) album, Flo’s formula wears thin. “Wild Ones” basically plays like one long song cut into bits to swap out the various guests and lyrical concepts. Cue Jennifer Lopez and the candy references for “Sweet Spot.” Speed up the sample on Brenda Russell’s “Piano in the Dark” to fit the pattern for “I Cry.” “Wild Ones” is pleasant but bland, and aside from a few short bits, way too tame.

—Glenn Gamboa, Newsday

METRIC

Album: “Synthetica” (Mom & Pop)

Grade: A

Think of a band like Fleetwood Mac, which had a semi-career’s worth of blues-rock behind them — and then unveiled a poppy blockbuster like “Rumours.” That’s the size of the jump the band Metric makes in “Synthetica,” an album both new and full, in effect, of greatest hits; it trumps the band’s entire career up to this point. Only “Gimme Sympathy” off their 2009 album “Fantasies” hinted at this entire record of nervy songwriting perfection. Emily Haines has never before lined up hooks this way, one after another, like the Gary Glitter stomp of “Youth Without Youth,” girl-group pop of “The Void,” sly bounce of “Lost Kitten,” and atmospheric- anthemic “Breathing Underwater.” “Clone” is a dead-on Death Cab rip followed by “The Wanderlust,” which is aided (literally) by Lou Reed. Indie is rarely this imaginatively encyclopedic and slickly pop at the same time.

—Dan Weiss, Philadelphia Inquirer

STEVIE JACKSON

Album: “[I Can’t Get No] Stevie Jackson” (Banchory)

Grade: C

Belle & Sebastian fans know Stevie Jackson as the band’s lead guitarist. He’s integral to the ’60s pop and ’70s soul flavors that anchor B&S’s sound. Jackson has also contributed a song or two to most B&S albums, often character- specific tunes such as “Seymour Stein” or “Jonathan David.” His first solo album, “[I Can’t Get No] Stevie Jackson,” showcases his songwriting talents - no flashy guitar solos, but lots of judicious hooks and creative arrangements - and he’s aided by members of B&S, the New Pornographers and the Pastels.

It touches on the garage rock, orchestrated pop, and blue-eyed soul that B&S favors, and some songs, such as the lovely, string-soaked “Telephone Song,” show the influence of his bandmate Stuart Murdoch. But Jackson’s singing isn’t always a match for his songwriting, and some tunes - “Richie Now,” “Press Send” - fall flat. The album’s fun - “Cute girl said ’Come to Philadelphia’ / I took the Gamble then she took the Huff,” Jackson sings to a slinky Philly-soul groove on “Just, Just So To The Point” - but it’s erratic.

—Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer

PAT METHENY

Album: “Unity Band” (Nonesuch)

Grade: A

Thirty years have passed since guitarist Pat Metheny last recorded with the guitar/tenor setup of “80/ 81.”

Here the mighty tenor saxophonist Chris Potter assumes the role Michael Brecker and Dewey Redman played on that earlier CD, and the “Unity” session ranges from beautiful to adventurous to sublime.

Metheny melts into his airy zone, achieving a free sound that is both accessible and hard to categorize. Potter is ever churning new ideas, while a new collaborator, bassist Ben Williams, joins with longtime Metheny drummer Antonio Sanchez to create the high-end rhythm section.

“New Year” is one of the most gorgeous Metheny intros ever, with its Spanish tinge. For “Signals,” Metheny breaks out the orchestrion, the electronic gizmo that dominated his last recording, for a piece that segues from modernistic to smart and subtle. “Then and Now” is luxurious and happy, while Metheny’s solo on “Come and See” makes for a persuasive climax.

—Karl Stark, Philadelphia Inquirer