John Legend - "Get Lifted" (GOOD Records, 2004) - * * *
Concept albums have always been a tricky thing. Some, on multiple listens, manage to survive the supposed curse that rests on the artist's hubris in expecting casual listeners to want to listen to the album as a whole. Some fall under the weight of the artist's pretensions. John Legend's debut for Kanye West's label falls somewhere in between. The album, which follows a nameless man through a relationship which collapses due to his cheating ways. He then finds his way back to the good side, and spends the second half of the album talking to his lover about how much he's changed, and how he hopes their love can find a way. It's a nice attempt, really; the album is well constructed, and many of the Kanye West-produced tracks ("Used To Love U" and "Alright") are clearly aimed at a radio audience and rightly so. And other more introspective tracks, particularly the Legend-produced "It Don't Have To Change," which beautifully evokes his R&B music's gospel background, suggest that John Legend may have a lot more depth than many of his modern soul counterparts. But "Get Lifted" only works as a whole for a few listens, and then one can't help but focus on the standout tracks. But there's plenty of room for growth, and if Legend has his way, he'll be remembered 20 years from now as a true gem in the history of the New Soul revival.
Randy Travis - "Passing Through" (Word Records, 2004) - *** 1/2
Randy Travis was a country star who became used to surviving under the radar. After the success of his initial work in the late eighties, he dropped off the map as country fans moved on to their "big things," including the likes of Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and their ilk. What impresses me is that this doesn't seem to have stopped Travis for a blind second. He's kept recording solid albums for the last 15 years, even as not one of them even managed to go Gold. And even as he's passed the age when most country artists are shunned by the industry (Johnny Cash, anyone?) Travis has decided to reinvent himself by working with a new label, which is giving him the chance to reinvent himself as a roots country gospel artist. Where his last album, "Three Wooden Crosses", dabbled in the latter, while "Passing Through" brings us a taste of what made Travis a star in the first place. Songs like "My Daddy Never Was" paint solid lyrical sketches of real people, the kind we'd meet in any midwestern town. And "Train Long Gone" is one of the best true country originals I've heard in a decade. If Travis continues to produce albums of this caliber, he'll age gracefully in a genre where you're usually considered d.o.a. at thirty. Impressive indeed.
OFF THE RADAR
Smith Point - "All In All" (Independent, 2003) ***
This seven-song EP from Northern California four-piece Smith Point is something fans of Phantom Planet and The Calling will love. Blending a competent indie rock sound with radio-friendly lyrics, "All In All" is a quick sample of what is certain to eventually send this band to alt pop stardom. Is it formulaic? Sure. But this is one of those cases where the band plays conventional alt pop that just comes out sounding like so much more. This is for everyone who can't get Phantom Planet's "California" out of their head ... and don't find a damned thing wrong with singing along.
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