Spring Album Reviews

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More album reviews:


Spoon
Hot Thoughts (2017)

I heard somewhere that Spoon is incapable of making a bad album. I think that's essentially true, aside from their first album Telephono, which sucked. Their ninth effort Hot Thoughts dropped last month, and it's outstanding. I won't say much because so many others have. Needless to say, check it out if you haven't already. Sidenote: see these guys in concert, their show is much more rock and roll than I would have though. Four stars.

Thievery Corporation
The Temple of I & I (2017)

Thievery Corporation's The Temple of I & I is more transparently cohesive than their other work. The reggae theme that pervades the album works pretty well with the classic Thievery sound, but it somehow also grates on me in more than a few spots. Maybe it's over-produced, and perhaps a little dated. Regardless, the guests on the album can flat out rap and are definitely worth a listen, even if it may be evidence of an act in decline. Three stars.

Nikki Lane
Highway Queen (2017)

The best album opening I've heard this year, this lady is the real deal. A well produced and cohesive work of outlaw country, modernized. Her last release was 2014's All or Nothin', produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys -- I read they met one day at a flea market -- was also pretty good, but the new album shows what a young talented artist can do in three years. She's got a great voice, knows how to use it, and isn't shy of expressing sexuality, angst, and the trials of life on the road. I can't tell you if the subject matter is "authentic" or not, but it doesn't matter and I don't care. You should definitely check this out, even if you don't think country is your thing. I will be shocked if this album doesn't end up in my top five of 2017. Five stars.

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