* BLINK-182 “Blink-182” [] Geffen
Forget what you think you know about SoCal pop punks Blink-182.
On the band’s self-titled new disc, the trio known for raunch ‘n’ roll rock is downright introspective and musically diverse.
While there are no ballads, the language of the album is surprisingly poetic, even if sung in pile-driver melodies.
The staccato “Violence” is riddled with lyrics like “Your warm breath in cold air . . . You speak and time stands still.”
It may not be the language of a bard like James Dickey, but it’s also miles away from songs about urination or album titles that triumph scatological functions, such as the band’s very popular “Enema of the State.”
One of the best tracks is “Stockholm Syndrome,” which has all of the rushing power Blink is famous for, but as the tune bangs with a giant thrash hammer, the words suggest vulnerability: “I’m so lost, I’m barely here/I wish I could explain myself/Words escape me.”
And if you’re ready to get blown over with a feather, check out the song “Down,” a number with a spiritual quality that would make Bono green.
* DAVE MATTHEWS BAND “The Central Park Concert” [ 1/2] RCA
This live recording of the group’s Central Park gig a couple of months ago just doesn’t capture the experience over the course of its three discs.
The concert in the park was a thrill, but listening to the lengthy record is less than enthralling.
The crowd (estimated at 250,000) and the rock-show trappings were what made being there exciting – and without those elements, the disc comes up lacking.
Songs such as “Don’t Drink the Water,” “Two Step” and the cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” were peaks in the concert and remain so on record.
But other numbers like “Granny” and “Rhyme and Reason” just don’t pack the wallop on the record that they did under the stars.
Good editing might have made this collection better.
* CYNDI LAUPER “At Last” [] Epic
Twenty years after her “She Bop” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” youth – which helped move the fledgling MTV from an experiment to a musical force – Cyndi Lauper takes on a collection of pop standards.
From the jazzy title track, “At Last,” to the moody, old-fashioned “La Vie en Rose,” Lauper makes the statement that she can do it all.
While the songs here are clearly her personal favorites, it’s not the melodies but the renderings that give the disc appeal.
On “At Last,” Lauper defines herself as a stylist rather than a quirky footnote in contemporary music.
The song “Stay” is a great example, with itseccentric samba beat that makes it fresh.
On “Making Whoopee,” Lauper snagged Tony Bennett for some duet action, and Stevie Wonder blows harp for her on “Until You Come Back to Me.”
For the best of this album, check her cover of Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold on Me.” The tune aches with the kind of passion that makes it hard to breathe.
* GODSMACK “The Other Side” [ 1/2] Universal
Godsmack has traded in its amps, attitude and aggression for “The Other Side,” an album that illustrates a quieter facet of these Boston bruisers.
Screamer Sully Erna sings – that’s right, sings – with confidence throughout a collection that mixes some older Godsmack songs like “Awake” and “Spiral” with a few new tunes written as unplugged compositions.
As good a hard rock band as Godsmack is, in past albums the group’s musicality was often lost in the assault and volume. On this acoustic disc, the band has nothing to hide behind.
The best tune is the fast strummer “Keep Away.”
This terrific album shows a completely new side of a band known for thrashing metal grooves.
* TIMBALAND & MAGOO “Under Construction II” [ 1/2] Universal
Timbaland, one of the most sought-after producers in hip-hop, releases “Under Construction II” with his performing partner, Magoo.
On this third effort, the pair are listenable but repetitious over 19 tracks.
Calling in markers from artists for whom he’s provided production efforts, Timbaland snagged Missy Elliott, Bubba Sparxxx and Wyclef Jean as guests, but even these high-caliber pals don’t elevate this record to the standards he sets when he’s twisting the dials.