Albums of the week
HUGH LAURIE
“Let Them Talk”
3 STARS
In his liner notes, Hugh Laurie — TV’s Dr. House — writes: “You don’t buy fish from the dentist, so why listen to an actor’s music?”
In this case, it’s because he really can play the piano. Laurie, a Brit, is a classically trained pianist who’s musically trespassing in old-time Crescent City jazz. That training is easiest to hear on the opening track, an almost orchestral version of the down ‘n’ dirty “St. James Infirmary.”
A perfectly able singer, Laurie’s tenor is mostly too schooled and inhibited for the material. An exception is “Tipitina,” where his voice is sufficiently raw and boisterous.
“Let Them Talk” is at its best when Laurie lets others sing, as he sticks to his Professor Longhair-inspired piano, making way for guest vocalists such as Irma Thomas and Tom Jones.
Especially good is the track “After You’ve Gone,” a Bessie Smith classic where Dr. House consults with Dr. John.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
“Listen to Me: Buddy Holly”
4 STARS
The day the music died — Feb. 3, 1959 — Buddy Holly was just 22 years old, yet this kid from Lubbock, Texas, managed to become one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest legends. To celebrate what would have been Holly’s 75th birthday tomorrow, an all-star lineup takes on 16 of his hits. Aside from Linda Ronstadt’s boisterous 1976 cover of “That’ll Be the Day,” all are newly recorded. Other veteran artists include Ringo Starr (“Think It Over”), Brian Wilson (“Listen to Me”) and Stevie Nicks (with a country-tinged “Not Fade Away”). The vets are set side by side with fresh faces such as the Fray, Cobra Starship, Imelda May and Zooey Deschanel. While most of the artists offer fine, true-to-the-original versions, Cobra Starship’s “Peggy Sue” gets a nice change-up with a he said/she said duet, May is resourceful with a rockabilly edge on “I’m Lookin’ for Someone To Love” and Deschanel’s rendition of “It’s So Easy” has built-in sexiness missing from the original. It’s so easy to like this album.
Downloads of the week
ASA
“Why Can’t We”
4 STARS
Whether she sings in Yorba or in English, pretty young Asa — from Nigeria — makes a stunning world-music crossover to pop with her soulful and upbeat album “Beautiful Imperfection.” Her unusual style bridges Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat and early Jackson 5. That’s best heard on “Why Can’t We,” on which Asa asks with an earthy jazz vocal (which recalls Amy Winehouse), “Why can’t we be happy, what is life about?” The arrangement, which sounds both experimental and familiar, has a sturdy acoustic guitar and mandolin foundation that nicely reaches for a retro soul with a mid-song blast of trombone brass.
GEORGE STRAIT
“Here for a Good Time”
3 STARS
George Strait, the king of country music, is seeing double and feeling single on “Here for a Good Time,” the title track off his 39th studio release. On the breezy country shuffle dedicated to honky-tonk hedonism, 59-year-old Strait defies his nearing senior citizenship, singing, “I ain’t here for a long time / I’m here for a good time . . . Pour me some moonshine.” Purists may squawk at how the arrangement slips from traditional country instrumentation with the inclusion of a way-too-peppy organ riff, but the fiddles and pedal steel more than make up for that Wurlitzer indiscretion.