Billboard CD reviews as presented by Reuters from New York
Artist: Air
Album: Love 2 (Astralwerks Records)
Few bands live up to their names as well as Air. The French electronic duo makes gravity-defying disco-pop that can be as foreboding as it is frothy (see the 2000 soundtrack to “The Virgin Suicides”). Air’s fifth studio album, “Love 2,” hinges on Joey Waronker, a percussionist who toured with the band on its last outing. His delicate playing helps bring all of those potentially spacey piano arpeggios back down to earth, resulting in a sound that resembles the lo-fi pop for which Air first became known, more than the cosmic symphony of recent efforts. Ditties like “Sing Sang Sung” include a vibraphone, wind chimes and tambourine, while “African Velvet” has horns and light-handed syncopation from Waronker. It’s not always immediately clear if the group is being tongue-in-cheek (“Tropical Disease” is so lounge-y and psychedelic that it could be retrofitted into a Roger Moore-era James Bond flick), but one thing is certain: Style trumps substance in this particular breath of Air.

Artist: Devendra Banhart
Album: What Will We Be (Reprise Records)
Devendra Banhart’s major-label debut, “What Will We Be,” was recorded with the same collaborators who graced his 2007 “Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon.” This time the quintet holed up for two months in a Northern California cabin, and the resulting collection from the idiosyncratic singer-songwriter is intimate, experimental and ultimately accessible. The first single, “Baby,” is a breezy yet bass-heavy love song about “learning to let in all the laughter,” while “Chin Chin & Muck Muck” is something of a vanguard mini-review, changing acts between swinging jazz, cabaret torch and a twinkling chant. Banhart’s Venezuelan childhood peeks through with Spanish lyrics on “Angelika” and “Brindo,” and “Rats” is a full-fledged psychedelic-rock jam. Throughout the set, Banhart’s expressive vocals are the real pleasure point; the artist may be known for his self-supported aura of knowing peculiarity, but his voice carries a frankness that — save some well-applied reverb — is gratifyingly free of modern affectation.

Artist: Meshell Ndegeocello
Album: Devil’s Halo (Downtown Music)
Though not as sprawlingly ambitious or experimental as the 2007 “The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams,” Meshell Ndegeocello’s eighth release, “Devil’s Halo,” neatly straddles a line between challenging and accessible, with some of the tightest and catchiest compositions she’s yet brought forth. Listeners might not get that from the opening song, “Slaughter,” which moves from liquid-like verses to crash-bang choruses with a Radiohead-style prog vibe, but tracks like “Mass Transit” and “Blood on the Curb” channel melodic, if slightly subversive, New Wave influences — and the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde would pay large for the leathery attitude of “Lola.” Ndegeocello lays jazz overtones atop of “White Girl,” employs old-school synthesizers through “Die Young” and brings out front-porch Americana for “Crying in Your Beer.” She also uses a big beat and subtle dissonance to turn Melvin Riley’s “Love You Down” into a Joni Mitchell-flavored tone poem. “I transform myself for maximum attraction,” Ndegeocello sings in “Mass Transit.” It works.

Artist: Joe Nichols
Album: Old Things New (Univer-sal South)
It’s no stretch to say that Joe Nichols is country music’s finest vocalist in at least a generation. That’s not to diminish the often stunning vocal work of his immediate predecessors — what puts Nichols above his peers in terms of vocal chops is that he’s a natural singer. This was evident on his 1996 debut, and it’s fully realized on his sixth album, “Old Things New.” The set’s title track evokes the primal pain and loneliness of George Jones during his Billy Sherrill-produced ’70s heyday, while Merle Haggard’s influence is displayed on the bone-chilling “This Bed’s Too Big.” Playful moments emerge on “Gimmie That Girl” and “Cheaper Than a Shrink,” the latter extolling the painkilling virtues of good whiskey (though Nichols has successfully battled his own demons recently). The haunting “An Old Friend of Mine” finds the 32-year-old Nichols reciting words of sober resolution while communicating tortured forbearance. It looks like his honky-tonk forefathers — Haggard, Jones, Lefty Frizzell and Gene Watson, to name a few — were effective tutors.

Artist: Lou Barlow
Album: Goodnight Unknown (Merge Records)
Lou Barlow’s latest release, “Goodnight Unknown,” incorporates the aggressive guitar, angst-ridden lyrics and low-fi sensibilities of his other bands (Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh) while maintaining the sweet sophistication of his 2005 solo release, “Emoh.” Recorded last year between tours with the two aforementioned acts, “Goodnight Unknown” is layered with subtle distortion and commanding percussion, combined with Barlow’s confident, sometimes contemplative vocals. The set opens with the gritty “Sharing,” and takes a lighter turn with the playful acoustic cut “Take Advantage,” on which Barlow charmingly sings, “Love me like a pancake.” But the album is strongest when he combines elements of folk and noise-rock, as on the title track and the stomping “One Machine, One Long Fight,” where heavy percussion builds energy behind his determined vocals.

Artist: Kings Of Convenience
Album: Declaration Of Dependence (Astralwerks Records)
On their first album in five years, the Norwegian duo Eirik Boe and Erlend Oye — who record under the name Kings of Convenience — have returned with more atmospheric folk-pop to soothe the soul. Percussion is nowhere to be found on the group’s latest release, “Declaration of Dependence,” and the pair’s Simon & Garfunkel-esque harmonies are less dynamic than they once were. But there are still plenty of bright spots. Kings of Convenience’s melodies range from the brisk and abstruse — as heard on the angular “My Ship Isn’t Pretty” and the brooding “Renegade” — to the disarmingly catchy. On the standout track, “Mrs. Cold,” Boe and Oye lace their beloved bossa nova rhythms with R&B lyrics aimed at an ice queen.

Artist: Shafiq Husayan
Album: Shafiq en’ A-Free-Ka (Plug Research)
Most hip-hop artists shout out major US cities on their albums, but Shafiq Husayn covers far more extensive territory. “Senegal, Portugal, let’s go! Mexico and Japan, Kosovo and Sudan, US and Pakistan!,” he sings on the song “UN Plan.” As one-third of the progressive hip-hop outfit Sa-Ra and a collaborator on Erykah Badu’s album “New Amerykah: Part One,” Husayn has long cultivated an ear for the bold and experimental. On his latest release, “Shafiq En’ A-Free-Ka,” he continues the sonic innovation, culling from influences as diverse as Afrobeat and drum ‘n’ bass and bearing traces of Timbaland (the reggae-tinged track “Nirvana”) and Andre 3000 (the psychedelic “Major Heavy”). When French lyrics and an accordion appear on the smooth “Le’star” and then dissolve into a cacophony of synths, it’s not jarring at all — it’s just another trip into Husayn’s wonderfully open musical mind.

Artist: Gossip
Album: Music For Men (Columbia Records)
The androgynous face of Gossip drummer Hannah Blilie cops an intense stare on the cover of this electro-punk outfit’s newest album, “Music for Men.” With a quaffed confidence a la Morrissey, the photo personifies the cool poise that Gossip has maintained with its elegant glam-synth sounds and powerful beats, despite a raucous reputation. It may have been harder for the mainstream audience to swallow the image of Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto, whose onstage nudity and outsize persona have earned her respect among the gay and lesbian community. But on “Music for Men,” the band’s devotion to being itself has finally found it a place in the mainstream. The dark single “Heavy Cross” features ragged guitars accompanied by Ditto’s sharp velvety voice, while the feminist-leaning “Love Long Distance” is supported by a swaggering bassline. On “Dimestore Diamond,” Ditto employs all of her hard-edged sexiness and manages to charm with an appealingly intimidating allure.

Billboard Singles reviews as presented by Reuters from New York
Artist: Norah Jones
Single: Chasing Pirates (Blue Note Records)
Due Nov 17, Norah Jones’ fourth studio album, “The Fall,” will incorporate more rhythm and guitar, but it won’t be a 180-degree transformation. Both of these elements are introduced with subtlety and care on the album’s first single. “Chasing Pirates” floats along with Jones’ breathy, sensual vocals over a stream of guitar effects and a New Wave-esque groove, courtesy of producer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits). The lyrics are somewhat obscure but still manage to achieve a winning simplicity, as Jones sings of her preoccupied dream state. While her jazzy, piano-driven hits have always been rich in songwriting and arrangement, Jones’ experimentation with tempo and instrumentation on her new material is a welcome one.

Artist: Timbaland
Single: Morning After Dark (Blackground Records)
Timbaland is nearing the release of the second installment in his “Shock Value” series, and from the sounds of the first single, “Morning After Dark,” the producer is back in stride. Much like the material on his first set, the song heaves with massive sub-bass and weighty kick drums. Timbaland flirtatiously harmonizes over a galactic-sounding, double-speed piano and thumping beats. “When the cats come out, the bats come out to play,” he croons on the catchy hook, which features his new label signee, SoShy. While comparisons to the 2007 cut “Return the Favor” are undeniable — lacking shock value on that end — this club banger will send shockwaves through your speakers nonetheless.

Artist: The Bellamy Brothers Featuring The Balcon Brothers
Single: Guilty Of The Crime (Bellamy Brothers Records)
Two pairs of veteran country siblings come together with impressive results on this tune. “Guilty of the Crime” was featured on the Eagles’ 2007 album “Long Road out of Eden” and is revived for an intriguing collaboration between Howard and David Bellamy and Kevin and Michael Bacon. The song is now featured on the Bellamy Brothers’ “Anthology, Volume I,” and its new production is skillfully understated, focusing on what feels like an effortless blend of the duos’ voices. Their solid vocal delivery is what gives “Guilty of the Crime” its main appeal.

Also:
LONDON: Sales of music singles in Britain have hit a record high in 2009, already exceeding the previous peak in 2008 of 115.1 million.
With 10 weeks of the year still to go, singles sales have hit 117.6 million, 99 percent of which were sold in digital format.
The figure is good news for the recorded music industry, which has seen album sales worldwide tumble in recent years, partly due to Internet piracy.
“This truly is the era of the digital single,’’ said Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company which compiles the UK weekly music charts for singles and albums.
Lady Gaga has the two top-selling singles of the year so far, with “Poker Face’’ followed by “Just Dance.’’ Black Eyed Peas are third and fifth with “I Gotta Feeling’’ and “Boom Boom Pow’’ respectively, while La Roux’s “In For The Kill’’ is fourth.
Geoff Taylor, chief executive of industry group BPI, said the figures suggested the music market could “explode’’ in Britain if the government acted to tackle illegal peer-to-peer file sharers.
“That singles have hit these heights while there are still more than a billion illegal downloads every year in the UK is testimony to the quality of releases this year and the vibrancy of the UK download market,’’ he said in a statement.
The British music industry is divided over how to tackle illegal downloads, with some stars supporting government proposals to block repeat offenders from accessing the web and others opposing what they see as draconian measures.