Aging Beastie Boys Ad-Rock (from left), MCA and Mike D show a lot of energy and playfulness on their new album. (Phil Andelman)
BEASTIE BOYS
“Hot Sauce Committee Part Two”
4 STARS
The Beastie Boys, who for the past 10 years have seemed ready for the old-rappers home, make an incredible return to form on “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.” The NYC rap pioneers show off MC skills that defy the crisis of middle age and fight for the right to party.
On all 16 tracks, the Beasties are nimble in their elocution, their bottom beats are infectious and their rhymes range from profane to absurd in street poetry that chills with New York cool. Musically, they dodge rap’s monotony with a mix of styles including Jamaican dancehall on “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win”; funk on “Funky Donkey”; and Daft-Punk robotic rapping on “OK.” The wordplay can be silly to make the rhyme happen, but it’s also smart, such as when it refers to their own early work: “We gonna party for the motherf – – king right to fight” in “Make Some Noise.”
If there is a single thread running through the disc, it’s the blend of playfulness, optimism and raw energy.
JENNIFER LOPEZ
“Love?”
3 STARS
Dispelling the notion that those who can’t, judge, J.Lo — coming up from behind the safety of the “American Idol” desk for her seventh studio record — reaches for dance-diva greatness. On “Love?” Lopez shows off solid pop skills with upbeat tracks in both English and Spanish. Jenny from the block is more vibrant when she sings in Spanish — or at least when she sings to a tune ripe with Latin textures, such as “Papi.” And her Spanish version of “On the Floor,” featuring reggaeton raps by Pitbull, tops the record. While J.Lo hits a low point with the syrupy ballad “Until It Beats No More,” she gets hip-hop cred by enlisting Lil Wayne for “I’m Into You,” which has a nice balance of rough rap and smooth croon.
THE JOLLY BOYS
“Great Expectations”
3 1/2 STARS
Jamaican roots music doesn’t go much deeper than the Jolly Boys. Together for the past 60 years, they are so ancient that they got their moniker from Errol Flynn. The film star named them after they played house parties at his villa in Jamaica in the ’50s. So you’d think the Jolly Boys, each over 70, would be traditionalist. Think again. Their new record follows basic arrangements for mento music (a pre-calypso style) featuring vocals supported by banjos, bongos and guitars, but the songs are all gems of modern pop and rock. Among the album’s best are renditions of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab,” Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger” and the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Vocalist Albert Minott has the raggedy baritone of a natural-born singer.