New Recordings: Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires; NRBQ; Common

Dereconstructed

(Sub Pop ***)

nolead ends Alabama-born gospel-reared rocker Lee Bains spends a lot of time thinking about Southern identity on the excellently titled Dereconstructed. You might not immediately notice the soul-searching nature of songs like "The Weeds Downtown" and "The Kudzu & The Concrete," however. That's because Bains, a former member of the much-loved Dexateens, rocks with such bracing abandon, as he brings howling garage-punk intensity to the Southern rock lineage that runs from Lynyrd Skynyrd to the Alabama Shakes. The sonic assault can be too undifferentiated from track to track, but Bains' best intentions, in singing songs as a proud Southerner horrified by the bloodstained past of the land he loves, still comes ringing through, very loud if not always crystal clear.

- Dan DeLuca

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nolead ends nolead begins Brass Tacks
nolead ends nolead begins (Clang ***)

nolead ends It was a nervy move by keyboardist and founding member Terry Adams to take the NRBQ name for his own group a few years ago. The New Rhythm and Blues Quartet had built up a loyal following and cherished legacy over more than four decades of smart and freewheeling music-making.

This new iteration, however, manages to retain a lot of the old NRBQ flavor. Naturally it all starts with Adams: He still exudes a shaggy charm as he blends pop classicism and virtuosic musicianship with an offbeat lyrical perspective, while also taking the occasional detour into jazzy meditations ("Places Far Away") or the Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook ("Getting to Know You"). Guitarist Scott Ligon also has a sure touch for effervescent pop, as he shows right out of the box with the opener, "Waitin' on My Sweetie Pie," and new bassist Casey McDonough provides a bracing slab of twang-fueled country with "Fightin' Back."

What's still missing is the boisterous bar-band side of the old 'Q. (Of course, for many longtime fans, that rock-and-roll aspect was best personified by swashbuckling guitarist Big Al Anderson, who left more than 20 years ago.) But when this version gets down to Brass Tacks, there's still a lot to like.

- Nick Cristiano

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nolead ends nolead begins Nobody's Smiling
nolead ends nolead begins (Def Jam ***)

nolead ends Common, one of hip-hop's most socially conscious lyricists, seldom takes it easy on his chosen targets. Along with mistrust of the justice systems that bind and deny us, Common is a pragmatic (if not romantic) equal-opportunity critic in all matters. Everyone is innocent. Each is guilty. With Nobody's Smiling, Common looks homeward - to Chicago - with laser focus and slick, honest imagery.

The album is singularly produced by longtime collaborator No I.D. It's no little feat, in this age of multiple-producer songs (let alone albums), that  Smiling has a unifying sonic flow - "Diamonds" sounds like "Blak Majik" sounds like "Real" - without being samey. That ambience helps focus Common's look into the social ills that plague Chi-Town (lousy school system, black-on-black violence, drugs). "Lay it down for the world, for Chicago I stand," muses Common on "Speak My Piece." Alone or with the vocal aid of Cocaine 80s, Jhené Aiko, and Vince Staples, Common looks at Chicago's grim realities ("The Neighborhood") without giving up hope ("Hustle Harder") or dope poetry.

- A.D. Amorosi

This Week Last Week

Locally   Nationally   Locally   

1   5    Trey Songz Trigga   1

2   1    SIA 1000 Forms of Fear   -

3   2    Various Artists "Frozen" Soundtrack   5

4   4    Ed Sheeran X   2

5   3    Sam Smith In the Lonely Hour   4

6   6    Judas Priest Redeemer of Souls    -

7   8    Dirty Heads Sound of Change   -

8   13    Mike Stud Closer   -

9   17    Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young   CSNY 1974   -

10   73    Styx, Foreigner & Don Felder       The Soundtrack of the Summer  -

SOURCE: SoundScan (based on purchase data from Philadelphia and Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, Chester, Camden, Burlington and Gloucester Counties). Billboard Magazine 7/26/14 © 2014

Yes, Heaven & Earth;

Over Kill, White Devil Armory;

La Roux, Trouble in Paradise;

Fozzy, Do You Wanna Start a War