T-Pain
Thr33 Ringz
HIP-HOP’S hookmaster general T-Pain has found inspiration under the big top for his third record “Thr33 Ringz.” If the title weren’t hint enough, then the ringmaster outfit he wore at the BET awards and his hitching a ride on top of an elephant to get to MTV’s VMAs this year spelled it out.
This album is smart like P.T. Barnum’s classic three-ring circus, where there was always something for everybody. If you don’t dig the electronic vocals of “Chopped N Skrewed,” in which Mr. Pain grooves with Ludacris, there’s the nu-funk of “Freeze,” in which Pain trades licks with R&B’s Chris Brown.
As with his past work – on his own records and as a producer for his pals – “Thr33 Ringz” is rich in ready-for-radio melodies, his signature robotic R&B vocals are everywhere, and there’s enough star power for this record to stay in orbit on the charts through the Grammy awards in February.
Tracy Chapman
Our Bright Future
2 ½ Stars
Lots of miles have gone by since Tracy Chapman drove her “Fast Car” up the charts. But 20 years later, on the folk singer’s eighth studio album, the mix of fire and gentleness is still in her original songs and her vocals remain distinctive. The album is mostly of the same high quality as the title track, but there are a couple of clunkers, such as the musically droopy “I Did It All.”
Still, this record mostly has the brightness and playfulness of her best work. Maybe it’s Chapman’s command of folk music, but there’s also an honesty here that makes you want to read her lyrics as she sings so you don’t miss a word.
David Archuleta
David Archuleta
1 ½ Stars
Don’t Nobody act surprised that an “American Idol” finalist cranks out a turd of an album. As he proved on TV, boy singer Archuleta – who lost earlier this year to David Cook – can sing, but his overproduced record is so antiseptic, it stuns with dullness. I did like the poppy “Your Eyes Don’t Lie,” but there are too many white-bread ballads like “Angels” and “To Be With You” to justify buying this album, when the same cash can buy
you a perfectly good pizza.