Pages tagged “universal republic”

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Nas and Damian Marley: Distant Relatives

Two heavyweights leave their egos at the door Read enough pre-release commentary, and you might begin to think that Distant Relatives, Nas and Damian Marley’s new collaborative album, is unprecedented, transformative, and revelatory—not because it features great music, but merely because it exists. And it’s not just Universal’s press kit doing the talking: During an on-stage discussion at the Grammy Museum last year, Nas and Marley made clear that this would be an entirely new and unique record. And last December, the National Geographic Society hosted a panel in D.C. about the diverse roots of hip-hop, with Relatives as the...  read more

Lucero: 1372 Overton Park

Memphis rockers channel The Boss Like Springsteen’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., Lucero’s sixth album is named after the band’s home (1372 Overton Park was the address of the Memphis crew’s loft) and it’s comprised of anthemic story songs of lonely nights in the city’s darkest corners. While Ben Nichols’ sandpaper howl has always done his soulful hometown justice, this time Lucero adds a horn section to its dusty country punk for some extra Memphis flavor. But Overton Park best reps its city when it’s not trying so hard. While Lucero could’ve passed on the E Street saxes, Springsteen’s our-gang-versus-the-man...  read more

Tori Amos: Midwinter Graces

Famously idiosyncratic songwriter continues mid-career slump with album of holiday songs Given that holiday-themed releases are just a step above albums of pop standards on the continuum slumping toward creative irrelevancy, Midwinter Graces presents a career crossroads for Tori Amos. Having long wandered between pagan and Christian themes, here Amos attempts to combine the familiar spirit of well-known Christmas carols with Winter Solstice mysticism but eventually sinks into the same sentimentality and overproduction that often mars her more conventional projects. Struggling to stick to the script, her rendition of “Star of Wonder” starts off shrouded in a haze of pattering...  read more

Rocco DeLuca & the Burden: Mercy

More reserved and amorphous than its predecessor...  read more