Album — Backwoods Barbie by Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton returns with Backwoods Barbie … I’m just going to let that title sit out there for a bit. For its title-marketability-cuteness, the album is a nice contrast to some of the recent similarly titled efforts by younger artists in the industry (i.e., Hick Chicks, Redneck Woman). It’s no reckoning like the late, late Johnny Cash albums, but Dolly delivers here with her trusted conviction, along with some Dixie Stampede-sized doses of sincerity and substance. My only complaint is that there are a few brief moments where her transitional album back into mainstream country sounds like it belongs back on the “9 to 5″ soundtrack.
Quarters for the songs: She Drives Me Crazy (Fine Young Cannibals cover); Cologne; The Tracks of My Tears (Smokey Robinson cover).
Worth listening, if you like: Dolly Parton, duh.
Single — Love In This Club by Usher (and Young Jeezy)
Usher is back with Young Jeezy for the single, Love In This Club — an ode to potential voyeurism and making love in public spaces … “I want to make love in this club, in this club, in this club, in this club … meet me in the bathroom … I don’t care who is watching … .” Usher is doing this “for the ladies,” and I imagine he’ll find some out on the Top 40 airwaves. The song has got a decent slow groove reminiscent of the recent smash-hit, “Apologize” (OneRepublic and Timbaland). Check for yourself.
Worth a listen, if you like: R. Kelly, Justin Timberlake, previous Usher, etc.
EP — Get Dirty by Dabrye
Dabrye (Tadd Mullinix) continues his disjointed hip-hop production with this EP of three songs, each mixed twice. Check for yourself.
Worth listening, if you: like avant garde stuff and don’t mind the absence of melodies and the standard construction of a song; Mouse on Mars; Enigma; Grey Area; Kill Memory Crash, etc.
Album — Ex-Aquarium by Kelpe
Kelpe (artist Kel Mckeown) provides atmospheric sounds without words to the concept of his own seaweed-inspired name. As for tracks, Shipwreck is a good mix, blending in synths and ping pong balls, as well as Whirwound. Yet all in all, this LP is only for those who like their dance in a trance with “bedroom discotheque.” For fans of the genre, this is worth checking out. Check for yourself.
If it was in a movie: the whole album might as well be a movie soundtrack … a trippy, dreamy, watery movie …
Worth a listen, if you like: Cut Chemist, DJ Shadow, Quantic, etc.
