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Clay Aiken: “Tried & True”
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If there’s a poster boy for “American Idol” as nothing more than a glitzed up, glorified karaoke contest, it’s Aiken. He has a perfectly acceptable singing voice, but so far in his career he hasn’t shown a vision for the kind of artist he wants to be, not to mention an ability to write his own songs. In the latest attempt to revive his flagging fortunes, the new CD, “Tried & True” goes back to the worn out formula of singing classic Great American Songbook and vintage pop songs. There’s nothing particularly offensive about covering songs like “Mack The Knife,” “Moon River,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” or “Suspicious Minds.” But the big and brassy approach to the songs is at times interesting, more often overblown — and a rather obvious treatment for the songs. And one thing is sure: the world doesn’t need another Songbook singer — not unless he has something truly original or vocally unique to bring to the music. Aiken does not. They should have called this album “Tired & True.”
Buy if you like: Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow

Band Of Horses: “Infinite Arms”
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Band of Horses, Horse, the Band, An Horse — it’s getting a little confusing with all the groups with Horse names these days. But “Infinite Arms” should help clear things up. Its music helps Band of Horses stand out from the herd. The group’s potential was apparent on its 2006 debut, “Everywhere All The Time,” and especially on the 2007 follow-up, “Cease To Begin.” Those albums established the group’s appealing sound — ringing vocal melodies riding on top of washes of chiming guitars that blended the shimmering rock-pop of the early Byrds with a bit of the country of a group like the Jayhawks. But “Infinite Arms,” is the sound of Band of Horses coming into its own. This time out, the group has both broadened and sharpened its sound. The opening song, “Factory,” (with its strings and lush sound) brings a graceful and spacious dimension to the group’s sound. The group’s country influences take center stage on the easy-going Jayhawks-ish gem, “Older.” The band successfully goes for more of a delicate and spare sound on “Evening Kitchen.” On rootsy songs like “Compliments,” “Laredo” and “NW Apt.,” meanwhile, the group proves it can still rock, weaving together bright and sturdy guitar riffs with equally strong vocal melodies. Saddle up. This group’s got the goods to have a long and successful ride.
Buy if you like: My Morning Jacket, Rogue Wave

New Heathens: “Hello Disaster”
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Before playing one note of “Hello Disaster,” there is already a promising sign about the CD — the words “produced by “Eric ‘Roscoe’ Ambel” on the back cover. Ambel, a former member of the Del-Lords and current member of the Yayhoos, knows a thing or 10 about making great no-nonsense bar-band-style rock and roll. And in the New Heathens, he’s working with an act that delivers the goods, as this group delivers some terrific rockers, like the grooving “Responsible” and the hard-charging “Crybaby.” But “Hello Disaster” shows the New Heathens are more than a highly accomplished bar band. “Thankless War,” a shuffling country-edged rocker, takes a hard look at the futility of war. “Don’t Think I Can’t Stop (Just Because I Don’t)” is a pop-rocker that’s strongly influenced by the original Byrds, but is strong enough to not be an imitation. The band shifts effectively into full-on heartfelt ballad mode on “Only Gets Better.” If the New Heathens keep this up, they’ll soon be mentioned alongside the likes of the Drive-By Truckers and Dave Alvin as one of the premier roots rock acts going.
Buy If you like: The Bottle Rockets, Backyard Tire Fire

Magic Slim and the Teardrops: “Raising the Bar”
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Magic Slim and the Teardrops, come out charging on “Raising the Bar,” with biting guitars and Slim’s gritty vocals driving “Part Time Love.” Ten songs later, the latest CD from the Mississippi-born, 70-something Chicago bluesman winds up with the traditional slow shuffle of “Treat Me The Way You Do.” In between, Slim, whose real name is Morris Holt, and the Teardrops run the gamut of blues styles and themes, from the ache of “Cummins Prison Farm” through the lascivious “Mama Talk to Your Daughter” and a killer take of Robert Nighthawk’s “Gonna Move to Kansas City.” Three of the songs are originals: the walkin’ shake of “Do You Mean It,” the edgy groove-driven “Shame” and the closer, “Treat Me The Way You Do.” All are pure Chicago blues, of which Magic Slim is one of the last living masters.
Buy if you like: Muddy Waters, Magic Sam

Far: “At Night We Live”
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Far singer Jonah Matranga has openly said many times that he didn’t think his band would ever make another album. And for a decade, it looked like that would be precisely the case, as band members pursued various projects. But here we are, 12 years after the last album from Far, and the group has released a new studio CD, “At Night We Live.” And in an era where hard rock and metal has shifted toward bands boasting screaming vocals and pummeling riffs, it’s refreshing to welcome back a band that knows how to build actual full-bodied melodies into its music. And to be fair, Far has more in common now with the Nickelbacks and Shinedowns of the world than metal. What helps Far stand apart is the epic sound of “At Night We Live” tracks like the title song or “The Ghost That Kept On Haunting.” And when Far wants to rock out, the band works up a decent lather on songs like “Burns” and “Better Surrender.” Has “At Night We Live” been worth the decade-long wait? Well, that’s a long time, but it’s good to see Far back in action nonetheless.
Buy if you like: Incubus, the Deftones

REISSUE

The Rolling Stones: “Exile on Main Street” (Hip-O)
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The Rolling Stones’ 1972 masterpiece has been reissued to great fanfare in three versions, remastered disc of the original record, a two-CD “deluxe” package that adds 10 “new” songs and a “super deluxe” set that includes a vinyl LP, DVD and coffee table book that lists for a pricey $180. The remastered album is a shade brighter and crisper than the original, including the vinyl and earlier CD releases. But it doesn’t lose the basement grime that pervaded the vinyl version. It still connects viscerally, which can’t be said for most albums from four decades ago. The “new” songs are, in one way, problematic. It’s unclear exactly how much was added to the original recordings, but Mick Jagger has said he composed the melody and lyrics for “Following the River” and added vocals to other songs. Keith Richards contributed some new riffs to the old recordings, Mick Taylor was brought in for a solo and there were no backing vocalists in 1972. That said, there’s no reason to call the purity police. It is the Stones’ music, after all, and producer Don Was preserves the original sessions’ gritty integrity even as he uses modern studio trickery to make Jagger’s vocals sound closer to 28 than 66. The 10 previously unreleased songs were outtakes for a reason. Of the lot, only “Plundered My Soul” would have been a serious threat to make the final version of “Exile,” a double album that has come to be considered the Stones’ best album — and arguably, the top rock ‘n’ roll disc of all time. The new set simply confirms that.
Buy if you like: The Faces, the Black Crowes