Kanye West ‘evolves’ again on Life of Pablo – Judd reinvents self with ‘Noise’

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Kanye West, “The Life of Pablo” (GOOD Music/Def Jam)

Some two decades ago, Prince re-named himself with an unpronounceable symbol and scrawled “SLAVE” on his cheek in a feud with Warner Bros Records. He spent lavishly on unreleased creative projects and he put out a video game. Then he sang about betrayal and a higher purpose on 1995’s “The Gold Experience”, asking: “What’s the use of money if you ain’t gonna break the mold?”

Wealth and singular pop chart success left an eccentric, sometimes rude Midwestern musical genius in his late 30s searching for a fresh challenge, a new struggle.

Flash forward to Kanye West, who has poured his creative energy and millions into an Adidas fashion line. He made public appeals for help with an ambitious string of non-music ventures. He wore a full-face mask while performing for most of his “Yeezus” concert tour. He worked on a video game. And yes, he raps and sings on “The Life of Pablo”, released online over the weekend, about betrayal and a higher purpose.

Like the music Prince released early in his symbol phase, West’s seventh solo album isn’t as instantly catchy or cohesive as his earlier work. But it’s consistently interesting and full of feeling, with off-kilter hip-hop soundscapes and lyrics that pivot suddenly from generous spirituality to crass insults. Their tools are vastly different, of course: Where the Purple One is famously self-contained, the Louis Vuitton Don now creates like a Hollywood film director, overseeing a massive team of writers, producers and other collaborators all working to realize his vision.

Personal

This 18-track collection feels impressively personal, and warm, compared to the aggressively glitchy “Yeezus”, West’s pre-fatherhood primal scream of an album from three years ago. He repeatedly references his family and reveals wryly humorous self-awareness that’s often missing in those famed Twitter rants and TV appearances. “I guess I get what I deserve, don’t I?” he laments about an absence of “Real Friends”. On “Feedback”, he acknowledges, “I’ve been out of my mind a long time”. Rhyming as a fan at the album’s halfway point”, West raps “I miss the old Kanye … I hate the new Kanye”.

Among mainstream hip-hop artists, West stands out for his commitment to continually evolving and expanding both his own sound and the genre as a whole. That’s evident even in the weakest sections of “Pablo”. West sounds both rejuvenated and challenged by young musicians like Chance the Rapper and Future soundalike Desiigner, whose song “Panda”, released just months ago, is sampled alongside a 1970s gospel recording on the dense two-parter “Father Stretch My Hands”.

West’s calling card is smartly utilizing such unexpected samples, from Arthur Russell’s soulful murmurs on the sublime “30 Hours” to the album-opening snippet of a 4-year-old girl’s boisterous prayer, pulled from an Instagram post. A bassline then gurgles abruptly under a soaring gospel choir and praise-filled contributions from Chance, Kelly Price and Kirk Franklin.

That song, “Ultralight Beam”, sets a high bar that the rest of the album doesn’t quite reach. Chris Brown sings strongly over layers of ethereal vocals on “Waves”, but the tune doesn’t go anywhere. West’s auto-tuned humming make the otherwise haunting “Wolves” feel incomplete.

Compared to West’s 2010 masterpiece “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”, there’s too much lyrical sloppiness on “Pablo”, possibly stemming from a falling-out with longtime ghostwriter Rhymefest. While West still delivers laugh-and-cringe one-liners (that Taylor Swift dig on “Famous”) and aspirational exhortation (“Highlights”), he seems overly proud of many run-of-the-mill couplets, repeating them for emphasis but to no effect.

Still, “Pablo” finds our most provocative modern hip-hop star evolving yet again, flexing his nerdy crate-digging bona fides alongside tabloid-ready call-outs and relentless ambition. He refuses to sell what’s already been sold.

Joey + Rory, “Hymns That Are Important To Us” (Farm House/Spring House)

Joey Martin, of the wife-and-husband duo Joey + Rory, opens the couple’s gospel album with an a cappella rendering of the first two verses of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”.

When her liquid alto intones “I am tired, I am weak, I am worn”, the starkness of those beautifully rendered lines will be all the more powerful for those who know Martin is in hospice care with cervical cancer.

The couple recorded “Hymns” last fall, after Martin discovered her prognosis was terminal. Throughout, her voice maintains its full, burnished tone; although she rarely flashes the vocal strength that once came naturally to her, the intimate tone fits the setting.

The 13 songs lean on standards: “I’ll Fly Away” finds Martin at her most spirited; “Softly And Tenderly” is surprisingly robust; and a jazzy, bass-led “Old Rugged Cross” is the standout track. The duo also includes a 2010 recording, “When I’m Gone”, which contrasts the agony of losing a loved one with the beauty of the world that remains.

“Hymns” speaks to life’s virtues, to Christian values, and to how music soothes and uplifts. It’s a touching parting gift from a woman known for her generosity and humility.

Vince Gill, “Down To My Last Bad Habit” (MCA Nashville)

Perhaps Vince Gill highlights his Gibson ES-355_the guitar B.B. King made famous_in his new publicity photos and CD artwork for a reason. “Down To My Last Bad Habit”, Gill’s first album in four years, features plenty of blues tones, sustained notes, and gut-bucket grooves.

A top-tier guitarist, Gill emphasizes that skill on southern roadhouse rockers “Reasons For The Tears I Cry” and “Make You Feel Real Good”. His interplay with steel guitarist Paul Franklin highlights the hardcore honky-tonk of “Sad One Comin’ On”, and he adds evocative notes to the superb love song, “Like My Daddy Did”.

No longer sculpting songs for country radio, Gill takes advantage of working outside of genre constraints. He mines sophisticated adult pop on “One More Mistake I Made”, featuring trumpeter Chris Botti, and on the Fleetwood Mac-styled “Take Me Down”, with harmonies by Little Big Town.

What ties his musical eclecticism together is the tight ensemble work of his hand-selected session players and the range of mature emotions his songs induce. At age 58, Gill knows what he does best — yet he also stretches in ways he couldn’t as a young up-and-comer.

Wynonna — the Big Noise (Curb)

Wynonna Judd has repeatedly reinvented herself since rising to country music stardom in her teens. Despite a career of high-water marks — including singing lead in the Judds, a duo with her mother Naomi_Wynonna sounds as good as ever on “Wynonna & The Big Noise”, her first collection of original material since 2003.

The songs blend blues, country and rock with an emphasis on rhythm ‘n’ soul. Vocally, Judd reveals the power of restraint-and-release while tapping into a well of emotion and wisdom. There’s plenty of variety, too, from the voodoo blues of “Ain’t No Thing” (with Susan Tedeschi) to real-life spiritual “Things That I Lean On” (with Jason Isbell) to finger-snapping love song “Something You Can’t Live Without”.

Her covers include Poco’s 1972 recording, “I Can See Everything”, with original vocalist and songwriter Timothy B. Schmit on harmony vocals; a sweet soul take on Raphael Saadiq’s “Staying In Love”; and a rollicking version of Julie Miller’s “You Make My Heart Beat Too Fast”, with harmonies by Judd’s husband and the album’s producer, Cactus Moser.

On her first album fronting a band, Wynonna brings the noise, for sure; but she also offers a master class on how to instill feeling into songs arranged in a variety of musical styles.

Mavis Staples, “Livin’ On A High Note” (Anti-)

Mavis Staples takes a joyful turn on “Livin’ On A High Note”, covering a dozen songs mostly from musicians decades her junior.

Staples has been on a hot streak since 2004, releasing four top-notch studio albums — including 2010 Grammy winner “You Are Not Alone”, produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy — while sticking mostly to traditional songs and songwriters from her generation.

Here, material written especially for Staples by the likes of Ben Harper, Justin Vernon, Son Little, Neko Case, Benjamin Booker and Aloe Blacc is deftly adapted by producer/guitarist M. Ward to fit her expressive, unembellished voice.

Harper’s “Love And Trust” is soulful, with haunting background vocals and a slinky basslin, “Action” from the Tune-Yards echoes Curtis Mayfield’s advocacy, while Ward’s “Don’t Cry” resembles a funkier, grown-up version of “Alright” by Supergrass.

Staples often sings in short, sharp phrases, her vocals taking on an almost conversational tone, transmitting feelings without having to resort to musical acrobatics.

The album ends with a highlight, as Staples returns to her civil rights roots on “MLK Song”. Accompanied only by Ward’s acoustic guitar, she delves into 1940s gospel hymn “If I Can Help Somebody”, as adapted by Martin Luther King Jr while envisioning his own funeral in one of his last sermons.

Not every track’s a winner, but Staples helps show there is plenty of talent among the young’uns. (AP)

By Ryan Pearson

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