With nods to ’80s soul and pop, Solange, Beyoncé’s baby sis, lets her true colors shine on her new seven-track EP. (FameFlynet)
Rage Against the Machine has added rare tracks to the re-release of their bombshell 1992 self-titled album.
Songstress Alicia Keys (right) is ready to light a soulful match with her fifth album, “Girl on Fire.” (
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Check out new music from Alicia Keys, Solange, Rage Against the Machine, Wu Block, and more.
ALBUMS OF THE WEEK:
Alicia Keys
“Girl on Fire”
★★ 1/2
FOR all the natural musical gifts Alicia Keys has at her disposal, some of her recent work has been mind-numbingly dull — and she knows it. That’s why the theme of personal and musical rejuvenation runs so prominently through “Girl on Fire,” and more often than not, her fifth album offers a clean break from the staid, coffee-table soul of old.
The scattershot beats of “New Day” are a prime example of Keys’ quest for new pastures, and she even serves up a smart dancehall strut in the excellent “Limitedless.” The syrupy material hasn’t completely been excised (her paean to family life, “Not Even the King,” is definitely worthy of a skip), but while she’s not quite on fire, Keys is definitely cooking with gas for the first time in years.
Solange
“True”
★★★
DON’T mention Beyoncé, because for once there’s really no need to. Her often-overlooked kid sister Solange sounds like she’s finally forging her own musical path on this seven-track EP, co-written and produced by British pop savant Dev Hynes.
Gone are the weak Motown-isms of her previous work; in their place is an ’80s soul influence that shines through tracks like “Locked in Closets,” which elegantly references Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson.
Meanwhile, lead track “Losing You” is a modern breakup anthem that makes you want to cry hysterically and cut some rug all at once. It might seem like another step into the musical past, but it’s one that clearly fits Solange more comfortably.
DOWNLOADS OF THE WEEK:
Wu Block
“Stick Up Kids”
★ 1/2
A collaboration between members of Wu Tang Clan and D-Block, Wu Block should be a street rap tour de force. But as this cut from the super-group’s self-titled album shows, they stick too closely to the sounds and clichés of their original groups, and what results is ultimately a musical facsimile.
Rage Against the Machine
“Clear the Lane”
★★★
TWO decades after the arrival of their landmark debut album, Rage have raided the archives for a 20th-anniversary re-release, which includes this rarely heard demo. Built around siren-like riffs from guitarist Tom Morello and an irresistible funk groove, it indicates that even in their infancy, the LA rockers already had chops befitting those of giants.
Future
“First Class Flights”
★
FUTURE’S odd combination of Auto-Tune and hoarseness isn’t getting any easier to stomach, and this new track (lifted from the expanded “Pluto 3D” album) finds him running his aural calling card into the ground. The Atlanta rapper’s grating vocals, combined with some horribly synthetic beats, make “First Class Flights” a second-class listen.
Rihanna Feat. Kanye West
“Diamonds (Remix)”
★
WITH RiRi’s big ballad sitting pretty at the top of the charts, Yeezy has dropped his own version (available for streaming on SoundCloud) that features him rapping like an overexcited kid and laying down sophomoric rhymes that reference the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Hey Kanye, unless you’re willing to do hard time like the folks on her “777” tour, get off Rihanna’s bandwagon!