By the writers of Last Word Features

Richard Thompson: ‘Dream Attic’ (Shout Factory)

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Richard Thompson has always been a stellar live performer, able to recreate the nuances of his moving ballads, add fire to his rocking material and top it all off with his jaw-dropping guitar playing and the tight playing of his consistently excellent backing bands.

So the idea that Thompson had recorded his new CD, “Dream Attic,” before live audiences seemed like a stroke of genius. And at times, it is.
The opening track, “Money Shuffle,” is a prototypical Thompson burner that offers his singular blends of rock, English folk and smart wit, and gets a little extra juice from its live presentation.

If only the rest of “Dream Attic” could have maintained that standard. Instead, it’s a mixed bag. For every winner like the sprightly “Haul Me Up,” or the aching ballad “Love Whispers Her Name” (which also includes one of those dazzling Thompson guitar solos), there’s a torpid ballad like “Burning Man” or “Stumble On.”

Thompson has made many great albums in his four-decade career; he is perhaps the most under-appreciated artist in all of rock and roll and should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But “Dream Attic” feels a bit aimless, never finding the focused momentum of Thompson’s best efforts.
– Alan Sculley
Buy if you like: Dire Straits, Van Morrison

Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs: ‘God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise’ (RCA)
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“God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise” opens with the funky, soulful shuffle of “Repo Man,” a song that makes you suspect that Ray LaMontagne has turned a page and is going to rock a little. But it turns out to be the liveliest tune on a disc that finds LaMontagne and his excellent band loosening up a little, but wandering back to his Laurel Canyon ways.

That said, even when he gets all sensitive/singer-songwriter-ish, things are richer — as evidenced by the blue-eyed soul of “Are We Really Through” and “This Love Is Over” (the titles more than explain the songs). Even when he’s singing “New York City’s Killing Me,” “God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise” is a country-tinged record, bringing to mind middle-of-the-road Neil Young on songs like “Beg Steel or Borrow” and “Like Rock & Roll and Radio” (another breakup song). LaMontagne has never sounded better vocally and the homemade record fits the band just fine. Too bad, there are not more songs like the opener and the rowdy closer “Devil’s in the Jukebox.” -- L. Kent Wolgamott
Buy if you like: Neil Young, David Gray

Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses: ‘Junky Star’ (Lost Highway)
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After winning an Oscar for “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart),” Ryan Bingham and his band should have galloped far away from soundtrack producer T Bone Burnett. Instead, they made “Junky Star” with him. Unfortunately, “Star” shines only when it mimics that hit.

Gone is the Stonesy swagger of “Mescalito’s” “Bread and Water” or “Roadhouse Sun’s” honky-tonkin’ “Roadhouse Blues.” Instead, there’s balladry. The title song and “The Poet” are powerful and affecting, as are the harmonica-laden “Yesterday’s Blues” and “Depression” — which builds intensity as Bingham croaks the word with scraped-raw vocal cords. But the Southern rock-reminiscent “Strange Feelin’ in the Air” falters lyrically and musically, despite his fine guitar work and Corby Shaub’s mandolin chops. By “Hard Worn Trail,” you’ll wonder if you’re hearing the next “Lonesome Dove” soundtrack. Which wouldn’t be so bad if they’d lasso that weary poet and ride him to a roadhouse for another shot of spirit. — Lynne Margolis
Buy if you like: Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt

BARB: ‘BARB’ (Yep Roc)
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First off, there’s no Barb in BARB (though there is a song called “Looking Out Through Barb’s Eyes”); frankly, it’s hard to tell exactly what there is in BARB, besides five talented New Zealanders with separate careers who decided to spend a month in a studio with “no plans and plenty of wine.”

Sometimes, it works, as in the Polyphonic Spree/Arcade Fire whimsicality of “Leo,” “Alcoholic Darling” and “Not A Bird.” Sometimes the eclecticism comes close to leaping off the deep end. But experimentation is good; heck, look what it did for the Beatles. Traces of the influences Liam Finn picks up working in his dad’s band, Crowded House, are most evident in “Counting Sheep.” That familiar sound gives the album its most accessible moment, but there’s a lot of charm here. And the sweet-sexy satin of Eliza-Jane Barnes’ voice on “2004” is a nice bit of icing. — Lynne Margolis
Buy if you like:  Crowded House; Arcade Fire

Goo Goo Dolls: ‘Something For The Rest Of Us’ (Warner Bros.)
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Count this reviewer among those who feel the Goo Goo Dolls did its best work early in its career on albums like “Jed” and “Hold Me Up,” when the group wanted to be like the Replacements. But by the mid-1990’s, the group had decided to do a Soul Asylum and churn out middle-of-the-road pop rockers and radio-ready ballads. The shift paid off, turning the Goo Goo Dolls into stars, but it’s made for a lot of predictable, sound-alike albums.

I bring this up because there are a couple of moments on “Something for The Rest of Us” that have some of the less polished spunk of early Goo’s songs. “Sweetest Lie” is as brisk and hooky a rocker as the group has committed to disc in some time. And “Say You’re Free,” while a bit restrained, has a bit of the old scruffiness.

Unfortunately, most of “Something for The Rest of Us” offers more of the competent, well oiled mid-tempo rock (“Home” and “One Night”) and sensitive balladry (“Notbroken”) that has become the later day Goo Goo Dolls’ stock and trade. One can’t fault the songs — they’re finely crafted and actually a bit stronger overall than on some recent Goos CDs. But for this band, playing it safe is making things feel a bit played out. — Alan Sculley
Buy if you like: Matchbox Twenty, Soul Asylum.

American Bang: ‘American Bang’ (Reprise)
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Without a doubt, the mainstream rock scene is heavily populated these days — mostly with groups trying to sound (and sell) like Nickelback, Disturbed or Shinedown. So it’s refreshing to hear a group come along like American Bang that brings something a bit different to the mainstream rock party. The Nashville-based band has found a way to take its classic rock and mainstream rock influences, throw in a bit of pop, some punk energy and attitude and just a bit of a Southern accent to create a sound that nicely skirts the line between mainstream and modern rock.

Of course, having a different spin on a sound is one thing. Having songs is another. And that’s where American Bang really thrives on this self-titled debut. With primary songwriter Jaren Johnston leading the way, the group cranks out one hook-filled rocker (plus a rough hewn ballad or two) after another, with “Wild And Young,” “She Don’t Cry No More” and “Whiskey Walk” being among the aces in this deck. Now this is the way to come on the scene with a bang. — Alan Sculley
Buy if you like: Kings Of Leon, 3 Doors Down