THE CURE
“The Cure”
(three and one half stars)
Geffen/Universal
After 25 years of toying with gloomy despair and disintegration on good but uneven albums, the Cure has made a terrific collection that re-establishes the band’s place in contemporary rock.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think 45-year-old singer Robert Smith was a teen again, from the way he articulates alienation, anger, angst and intense love.
On this disc, Smith’s shouting vocal style isn’t disembodied from the music – a problem they overcame by playing live in the studio. The Cure has learned that beauty and perfection are different and don’t have to hold hands.
That notion is in the opener, “Lost,” and you’ll hear it on “The End of the World” and also on the album’s best track, “The Promise,” a golden falling-out-of-love song.
CHRIS ROBINSON
“This Magnificent Distance”
(one star)
Vector Recordings
Swagger and soul were what made us pay attention to the Black Crowes’ music. The band built on the canon of Southern rock with psychedelic twists and funked-up country. Two years after getting plucked, Crowes leader Chris Robinson seems to have forgotten how to rock.
He used to get slagged for being derivative of the Faces, Humble Pie and the Rolling Stones, but here Robinson makes you wish he’d ape those influential bands.
Robinson’s guitar odes are plodding and mopey. The music makes the listener long for the crashing Crowes guitars that made you shake your money-maker. That happens once, with the song “Piece of Wind,” but one out of 12 is a reason to download that tune, not to buy the album.
THE GOODIE MOB
“One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show”
(three stars)
Koch Entertainment
It’s all about the words in hip-hop, and on the Goodie Mob’s re-emergence into the game, they’re fighting words from the start. Take the title, which sounds a lot like a jibe at former member Cee-Lo, whose departure left the group a trio.
Since the Goodie Mob is part of the Drrrty South movement, it’s easy to hear the rhythmic parallels to breakout rap team OutKast.
Despite such tunes as the “Shaft”-like “Shawty Wanna Be a Gangsta” and “Dead Homies,” the fight is often to make the world a Goodie-er place, pushing the fatalism of hardcore rap back to the ghetto.
Some of the unusual musical interludes here showcase the trio’s liberal use of gospel, dark Goth keyboard riffs and grinding soul.
JESSE MALIN
“The Heat”
(three stars)
Artemis
New York home boy Jesse Malin, who first won fame fronting the punk outfit D Generation, expands his repertoire beyond three chords and a shout on his second solo disc.
These songs are generally about living your dreams and taking a chance on love. Malin’s vocals on what is a surprisingly gentle disc recall “Nebraska”-era Bruce and occasionally the blue-eyed soul of Van Morrison, especially on “Scars of Love” and the pretty ballad “Block Island.”
These songs are cerebral on disc and become more visceral when played a few times, or maybe heard live. For D Generation fans, this music is certainly connected, but the leap from there to here is wide.
Note: Listen for guest cameos from Malin’s pals Ryan Adams and Pete Yorn.