Today is Friday, the most wonderful day of the week for music lovers because it’s the day when new albums are released. Let’s celebrate by highlighting some of today’s new records.
Kyle Craft
Full Circle Nightmare (Sub Pop)
Singer-songwriter Kyle Craft owes a lot of his success to emulation. He’s a devoted member of the school of folk, with a touch of glam bravado and some alt-country earthiness. His huge vocals and swagger scream David Bowie and his specific twangy guitar fits right in with modern country trends. He even looks like Ryan Adams. By far, however, Craft owes the most to Bob Dylan. From the honky tonk piano and harmonica to the picaresque-style lyrics, Craft is clearly a Dylan fanatic through and through, and he has no problem showing that via his music. He does not come off as hackneyed, however; he carefully controls his fandom and channels it into an amalgamation that ends up being his unique voice. His debut album Dolls of the Highland had Craft barrelling out of the gate with winding tales of whimsical romance and drunken adventure. In true Dylan fashion, nearly every track from that album paints a picture of a different female muse, vibrant and fearless, whether wooed or otherwise. He enjoys that subject so much, in fact, that in October he released Girl Crazy, a covers album of tracks by female musicians like Patti Smith, Jenny Lewis and TLC. It’s to be expected, then, that Full Circle Nightmare will pull the best from his range of influences and still have his own spin. In essence, Kyle Craft is a great cover musician once removed and twice refined, and it’s enjoyable stuff. He plays Chicago’s Schubas Tavern on April 4.
Listen on: Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal
Rhye
Blood (Loma Vista)
Woman, the 2013 debut album from a mysterious group named Rhye, took the R&B world by storm. Its smoldering, glossy single “Open” is a completely immersive experience in sensuality that still maintains grace and elegance, in the vein of early 2000s R&B songstress Sade. The crooning, smoky vocals of Mike Milosh coupled with not-always-implicit lyrics about romance and sexuality earned Woman the label of a “bedroom album,” which is a fitting and complimentary assignment for it. Little was known about the act then, and they remain shrouded in quietude still. Rhye has previously been known as a duo, consisting of singer and lyricist Milosh and producer Robin Hannibal. The designation is misleading, and has been since the act’s inception. Rhye is primarily Mike Milosh’s project, and their second effort, Blood, differs significantly from their debut in that it does not feature Hannibal. But for as personal and private as Milosh’s music feels, he is still fully comfortable in vulnerability, and thrives in the organic atmosphere of shared experience. His work on Blood was backed primarily by touring musicians who have been with him on the road since Rhye’s debut, and they strove to channel that organic feel into the album. Consequently, tracks like “Count to Five” are a step removed from the shininess and production of Rhye’s debut, and have a more unassuming, stripped-down feel. Rhye plays Chicago’s Thalia Hall on March 8.
Listen on: Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal
Justin Timberlake
Man of the Woods (RCA)
As a woman who grew up in the ’90s, my relationship with Justin Timberlake is complicated. My paper-thin preteen skin was no match for saccharine ballads sung by polished, androgynous man-boys, and I fell victim to boy band fever, particularly the tight blonde ramen noodle curls and toothy grin of NSYNC’s cherubic frontman Justin Timberlake. But that adoration naturally sloughed off as I grew older and wiser (and developed a taste for more thoughtful music). Many of those man-boys grew up alongside me and embarked on solo projects, enabling myself and other music consumers to experience each member on his own. As I got into my twenties, JT continued to put out pop albums, but they were different than the NSYNC catalog: multi-layered and more sophisticated in sound, with clear strings of influence ranging from R&B to funk to rock. They were well crafted and catchy as hell. I saw him sing, dance and poke fun on shows like Saturday Night Live and easily propel burgeoning pop artists to stardom via seamless collaborations and productions. Eventually it became obvious that Justin was no longer just a plastic pop star. He had become a multi-talented pop chameleon and authentic entertainer, and he had won me over once again.
However, today’s release, Man of the Woods, has already gotten reviews that range from lukewarm to downright flop. It’s been called derivative and insincere, and that can be seen both in the bawdy, graceless “Filthy” or the strange indie-folk-pop mashup “Say Something,” which features rugged country act Chris Stapleton for some reason. Man of the Woods is shaping up to feel churned-out and dull, just like Timberlake’s boy band material from 20 years ago, and it’s possible that my relationship with JT is cyclical and that this might be a regression toward the mean. But, it remains that the flurry of commentary around the album merits a try, because either way, it’ll be interesting. Whether it’s with his return to the Super Bowl halftime show this weekend, or with his confusing new album, one thing is for sure: Justin Timberlake promises to entertain, and he’s always worth an (occasionally guilty) listen. He’ll be at Chicago’s United Center on March 27 and 28.
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