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JOE HENRY
“Blood From Stars” (Anti-)
Reviewing “Blood From Stars” is daunting because Joe Henry has already done so eloquently in a three-page essay included in the liner notes.
Henry’s a marvelous writer of song, too, and “Blood” rivals his best work. It laments a world where “the stars have gone astray,” “true revelation is a thug” and “reason is traded for rhyme.”
Such sentiments are attached to music that mitigates the gloom, the way the blues can. Henry borrows from that genre, and jazz as well. A Grammy-winning producer, he throws in clangs, crashes, squeals and other spasms of odd noise.
The quirky rhythm of the record is crucial, too. Songs punch and jab and run together. Drums thunder. Henry breathes in the middle of vocal phrases. The result is exhilarating.
Helping Henry pull it all together is an excellent supporting cast that includes guitarist Marc Ribot, drummer Jay Bellerose, jazz pianist Jason Moran and Henry’s 17-year-old son, Levon, a precocious saxophonist who shines on the instrumental “Over Her Shoulder.”
Henry’s introductory essay shows he’s of a generation that believes in the album as a form of artistic expression. It’s a form he has mastered.
CHECK THIS OUT: The lovely “Light No Lamp” serves as bookends. Moran plays it as a solo instrumental prelude, and Henry sings it as a coda and hopeful benediction.
— Steven Wine, Associated Press

THIRD EYE BLIND
“Ursa Major” (Megaforce)
Following a six-year break between full lengths, alt rock veterans Third Eye Blind again walk a fine line between aggression and a deft pop sensibility on their latest, “Ursa Major.”
Frontman Stephan Jenkins still knows his way around a catchy hook (even those who hated the “do-do-do’s” of 1997’s “Semi-Charmed Life” probably couldn’t get it out of their heads) but he never skimps on throwing down a hard riff or unleashing a scream to get his point across.
Jenkins’ lyrics juxtapose poetry with profanity, anger with longing and big world issues with the personal — drug and emotional abuse for example — and his emotive voice still boasts a hip-hop influenced cadence that makes for some fun and interesting wordplay.
Opening with the pulsating “Can You Take Me,” Jenkins wails “Let’s start a riot me and you/cuz a riot’s overdue,” and on the world-weary single “Don’t Believe A Word” he laments that “We like thugs when they attack/And we like crime when it’s black on black.”
“Summer Town” is an acoustic-flavored delight, “Water Landing” soars with a gospel choir, and lighter moments come with mid-tempo tracks “About to Break,” “One in Ten” and “Why Can’t You Be.”
It’s been a while, but Third Eye Blind hasn’t forgotten how to lay down a strong record.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: “Bonfire” kicks off with a stuttering acoustic guitar before kickstarting into a bouncing rocker while Jenkins confesses a lovesick passion with the simple refrain, “I keep burning on, and on, and on.”
— John Kosik, Associated Press
ELVIS PRESLEY
“From Elvis in Memphis: Legacy Edition” (RCA/Legacy)
On the 32nd anniversary of his death, it’s nice to have a new reminder of Elvis Presley’s greatness. That’s what you get with this two-disc set from the King’s triumphant return to his hometown in early 1969.
The reissue gathers the material that resulted in the albums From Elvis in Memphis and Back in Memphis, as well as singles such as “Suspicious Minds.” This is the reborn Elvis, building on the credibility he regained with his spectacular TV special of December 1968. He doesn’t really rock out, but he does show the mature heights of which he was capable, with a magnificent amalgam of R&B, country, and orchestral pop that never turns schmaltzy. And he connects with an exceptional collection of songs — “Any Day Now,” “Long Black Limousine,” “Stranger in My Own Home Town” — that were a far cry from the trifles that had littered his movie sound tracks.
— Nick Cristiano, The Philadelphia Inquirer

THE SADDLE CATS
“Herdin’ Cats” (EastLight)
Hailing from the Bay Area, the Saddle Cats devote themselves to keeping Western swing alive while championing the West Coast’s role in shaping music more often associated with Texas and Oklahoma. They make a pretty lively case on Herdin’ Cats.
The four-man group, augmented by guests such as former Texas Playboys drummer Johnny Cuviello (now in his mid-90s), traverse familiar swing territory. They put their own stamp on the material, however, thanks mostly to steel guitarist Bobby Black, who played with Commander Cody and Asleep at the Wheel, and fiddler Richard Chon, of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. They take the lead in defining an ensemble whose playing is hot and virtuosic but never flashy. Chon’s tenor, meanwhile, lends an additional warmth to the vocal numbers, especially the slower selections, such as “Along the Navajo Trail” and “I’ve Got a Woman Crazy for Me (She’s Funny That Way).”
— N.C.

DISCOVERY
“LP” (XL)
Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend and Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot have collaborated to form Discovery, a “recording project” whose debut album, “LP,” is adorable and slightly affected, offering a geeky hybrid of the former’s orchestral rock and the latter’s “Upper West Side Soweto.” “LP’s” percussive computer pop approaches hip-hop but veers away from that genre’s frequently overwrought production and preoccupation with excess. Minimalist jams such as “Orange Shirt” and “So Insane” are refreshingly weightless, and the playfully tinkling melody of “Swing Song,” while danceable, remains stripped-down. The album incorporates insider friends and references throughout. Guest appearances by Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig and Angel Deradoorian of the Dirty Projectors, along with a nearly unrecognizable Jackson Five cover, reinforce Discovery’s precocious, faintly pretentious appeal.
— Nayeli Rodriguez, The Philadelphia Inquirer

EDDIE HARRIS/ELLIS MARSALIS
“Homecoming” (ELM Classics)
It was a memorable occasion when tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris met up with pianist Ellis Marsalis in 1985. Their duo recording originally was released on a small Texas label called Spindletop Records, which subsequently folded.
The reissue of this set with the performer of “Freedom Jazz Dance” and the patriarch of the New Orleans Marsalis clan proves to be a warm affair with high, swinging moments and some creative cacophony.
Harris, an extremely versatile player who died in 1996, was often dismissively typed as funky. But he had far more moves than that. “Ethereal Moments” finds him blowing gales that could recall Pharoah Sanders. “Zee Blues” is pretty spacey, too, while the title track shows an easy fluency in a more mainstream setting.
Marsalis lays down a quaint New Orleans mood on the classic “Have You Met Miss Jones?” and proves stellar throughout.
With the original session only 42 minutes in length, Marsalis teams up with fellow Crescent City pianist Jonathan Batiste on three tunes at the end. Their chemistry makes for a scintillating coda.
— Karl Stark, The Philadelphia Inquirer