On her latest pop anthem, Rihanna shows “Diamonds” may be her best friend. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
The wild imagination of Muse, led by frontman Matt Bellamy, continues to push the Brit trio to new territory with funk, prog-rock and some dubstep dabbling on their sixth album. (
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Albums of the Week
Muse
“The 2nd Law”
★★★
HAVING an overactive imagination hasn’t always served Matt Bellamy so well. (The Muse singer and Kate Hudson’s beau recently reversed his opinion that 9/11 was an inside job.) But when it comes to the band’s bombastic sound, it’s something that continues to push them into wondrous territory. The Brit trio’s sixth album lunges from Prince-worshipping funk jams (“Panic Station”) to prog-rock musings on the theory of evolution (“Survival”) and even blasts of bastardized dubstep set to dialogue about Western economics (“Unsustainable”).
It’s a recipe that would leave most groups sounding farcical and deluded, but crucially, Muse spins their musical complexity into something that’s wildly entertaining to boot. Whether you’re here for the kicks or the concepts, “The 2nd Law” has got you covered.
TORI AMOS
“Gold Dust”
★★
TWENTY years on from her landmark debut album “Little Earthquakes,” Tori Amos boasts a hard-core audience that would follow her to the ends of the earth. “Gold Dust” isn’t quite that far out there, but it’s definitely one for the loyalists. The album finds the flame-haired singer revisiting some of her best-known songs with the Dutch Metropole Orchestra.
The result is grander versions of songs such as “Jackie’s Strength” and “Precious Things” — but despite the richer sounds, it’s still Amos’ harrowing lyrics that provide the biggest pull. Aficionados will probably delight in comparing and contrasting, but, for the rest of us, a cursory listen will suffice because, in this case, the first thought is most certainly the best.
Downloads of the Week
RIHANNA
“Diamonds”
★★★ 1/2
RIHANNA’S already multifaceted career has apparently moved into a new era ahead of her seventh album (due later this year). A warm, uplifting and sincere pop anthem, “Diamonds” is the sound of the Barbadian trying to prove herself a vocalist for the ages and not just a scandal-aided fad. And she most definitely succeeds.
THE VACCINES
“Teenage Icon”
★★★
THIS track from the Vaccines second album, “The Vaccines Come of Age,” is a maddeningly catchy number that salutes the quiet glories of being a self-obsessed slacker. The irony, of course, is that the London band has clearly worked very hard at sounding so apathetic, and it could yet propel them to huge success.
LANA DEL REY
“Ride”
★★★
AS tempting as it is to mock Lana Del Rey for being a clotheshorse or a vacant soft-core pin-up, “Ride” — the lead single from the reissued version of “Born To Die,” due in November — irritatingly reminds us that there is musical talent somewhere inside her, too. The Rick Rubin-produced track is a rich slice of orchestral melancholy that captures the singer’s sumptuous voice beautifully. Time to put the snarky comments on hold again. Dammit.
DIANA KRALL
“I’m a Little Mixed Up”
★★
MRS. Elvis Costello returns with a new album, “Glad Rag Doll,” that finds her straying from her usual jazz territory, not least on this bluesy cover of an old Betty James song. Krall’s voice, meanwhile, is as impeccable and inviting as ever.
Taylor Swift
“Begin Again”
★ 1/2
AFTER making personal and artistic strides to sound more like a grown-up over the past few years, it’s strange to hear Swift sounding like a doleful teenage girl again on this dreary, country-tinged ballad taken from her forthcoming album “Red” (out Oct. 22). She should have outgrown this phase by now — hopefully the rest of the album will show her spunky side.
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
“Your Body”
★ 1/2
XTINA returns and this time, she’s sexifying herself! Again. Following the middling sales of 2010’s “Bionic,” “The Voice” star is playing the raunch card to the hilt ahead of new album “Lotus” (due in November) but despite the racy lyrics, the overly polished production of this club-friendly track actually nullifies the carnal feel. Talk about killing the mood . . .
WIZ KHALIFA feat. The Weeknd
“Remember You”
★ 1/2
THERE’S something off about this track, lifted from Wiz’s forthcoming sophomore album “O.N.I.F.C.” While the Weeknd gives a potential sexual conquest the come-on over slick R&B beats, Wiz ruins the sultry vibe by clumsily rapping about how many clothes he’s got, among other things. Evidently, the art of seduction is lost on some people.
PAPA ROACH
“Before I Die”
★ 1/2
PAPA Roach singer Jacoby Shaddix almost committed suicide before the band recorded their new album “The Connection”; instead, he chose to channel his personal frustrations into this track. But the honesty and passion in Shaddix’s vocal delivery is not enough to hide the humdrum metal his band still insists on writing.
WHITNEY HOUSTON feat. R Kelly
“I Look to You”
★
THE grave robbing begins. Constructed from vocal outtakes from the recording of her 2009 album of the same name, this ballad captures the late singer in unconvincing form before Kelly embellishes with his own vocals and signs off with, “We love you Whitney, rest in peace.” Mawkish tripe dressed as a heartfelt tribute.
CODY SIMPSON
“Got Me Good”
★
MORE airbrushed, Justin Bieber-approved pop, this time from Australian 15-year-old Cody Simpson. His shtick is that he plays acoustic guitar, and, accordingly, “Got Me Good” (from the debut album “Paradise”) sounds like a pubescent Jack Johnson set to beats so bland that you forget they’re actually there. Snooze.