record reviews

Herb Alpert

Album: “Human Nature”

Grade: B+

Why mess with success? Pop-jazz trumpeter Herb Alpert has sold records by the truckload since the 1960s, and if his easy-listening style has become a byword for elevator music, that doesn’t make it any less influential.

The 81-year-old founder of the Tijuana Brass returns with an album – his fourth in three years – featuring original compositions alongside tracks by songwriters including Burt Bacharach, seasoned with a light sprinkling of electronic dance music.

Alpert remains a skilled bandleader and arranger. The title track, made famous by Michael Jackson, entirely suits the treatment it gets here: relaxed and largely instrumental, with a Latin groove and a bubbling electronic bassline. The same is true of the lighter-than-air arrangement of Bacharach and Hal David’s “Alfie.”

The main new element is the strand of electronica underlying Alpert’s languid trumpet. It’s hardly a radical departure to Alpert’s sound, but a skittering electro beat propels Bacharach’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and Alpert’s composition “Incognito.”

— Jill Lawless, Associated Press

Bob Weir

Album: “Blue Mountain”

Grade: B-

The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, showing more than a little touch of grey at age 68, delivers a heartfelt and earthy solo record with “Blue Mountain.” It’s Weir’s first solo effort in a decade and the first of entirely original material in 30 years.

Weir, who sang with the Dead, strikes a more reflective pose on “Blue Mountain.” It’s a deeply personal collection of cowboy songs drawn on his memories working as a teenager on a Wyoming farm.

Say “cowboy songs” to many Grateful Dead fans and they will go running for the skip button. And, to be sure, songs like “Ki-Yi Bossie” on “Blue Mountain” aren’t likely to convert those who can do without tales from the dust-covered trails.

Still, Weir’s collaboration here with Josh Ritter and The National’s Bryce and Aaron Dessner results in a moody, dense record unlike anything he’s done before.

— Scott Bauer, Associated Press

Van Morrison

Album: “Keep Me Singing”

Grade: B

When Van Morrison’s fiercest critic likes his work, it’s easy to tell. There’s an audible murmur of approval, and it comes from the man himself.

It’s the sound Morrison makes when he’s into the music. He does it a few bars into “Let It Rhyme,” the opener to “Keep Me Singing.”

With playful references to past lyrics, nods to heroes such as Sam Cooke and Chet Baker, and heartfelt singing throughout, Morrison harkens back to the gentle, wistful spirit that made him Hollywood’s go-to guy for movie soundtracks.

He’s in a better mood than on other recent albums, and it’s easy to imagine songs like “Every Time I See a River,” written with lyricist Don Black, or “In Tiburon,” a name-dropping homage to the San Francisco Bay, playing as credits roll.

— Scott Stroud, Associated Press

John Prine

Album: “For Better, or Worse”

Grade: B-

Listening to one of this era’s greatest songwriters perform material written by others is like watching Peyton Manning in a TV commercial. It’s not what he does best, but it’s still entertaining.

“For Better, or Worse” pairs John Prine with well-chosen covers and female singing partners as a sequel to his 1999 duets album, “In Spite of Ourselves.” The best news is that Prine is in fine form despite his battle with throat cancer, and the familiar twinkle in his voice lends charm to every tune.

The set starts strong with Prine and Iris DeMent savoring the wit of “Who’s Gonna Take the Garbage Out,” a Loretta Lynn-Ernest Tubbs chestnut.

Best is the finale, “Just Waitin,’” an obscure Hank Williams gem that Prine performs solo with a masterful delivery.

— Steven Wine, Associated Press