Record Reviews

Aaron Neville

Album: “Apache”

Grade: B

Aaron Neville picks up the pace and delves into songwriting on “Apache,” a lively album meshing New Orleans R&B with Brooklyn funk.

Ably guided by Soulive’s Eric Krasno and backed by members of Lettuce and session aces like keyboardist Pete Levin and sax player Cochemea Gastelum, Neville’s famous falsetto and vocal quivers shine brightest on the ballads while also raising some of the brisker tunes above where they belong.

Evoking a childhood nickname, one of several inspirations behind the choice of title, the sounds on “Apache” are set firmly around the early 1970s. Deep guitar grooves and brash horns call to mind Neville peers like Isaac Hayes and Al Green, though there’s more style than substance in some efforts.

Fifty years after “Tell It Like It Is,” Neville’s biggest solo hit, the New Orleans native is still inspired and inspirational on slow ones like “Heaven,” “I Wanna Love You” and “Sarah Ann.” They all give one of American music’s most distinctive voices another chance to stir hearts and souls.

—Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press

Steven Tyler

Album: “We’re All Somebody from Somewhere”

Grade: B

The opening stanza of Steven Tyler’s move into country music includes references to Jesus, mama, bullets and whiskey. On paper, those cliches feed those who see the Aerosmith veteran’s Nashville embrace as a desperate attempt to stay relevant by finding a musical genre that will accept him.

Those naysayers would be wrong. “We’re All Somebody from Somewhere” — Tyler’s first solo album — plays to his strengths: inventive melodies, angelic harmonies, a juxtaposition of swagger and sensitivity, and room for that acrobatic voice to soar and strut. “We’re All Somebody from Somewhere” might not return Tyler to the top of the charts, but it suggests he still has a few tricks tucked into his velvet boots.

—Michael McCall, Associated Press