LIL WAYNE “Rebirth.” **½
BUSTED on the Mex-Tex border for drug possession just before Christmas and staring at a year in prison when he’s sentenced next week on gun charges, it’s easy to assume Lil Wayne likes to live dangerously. With today’s release of “Rebirth,” this is also apparent in his music. On this album, the rapper ditches the familiar hip-hop beats that helped him sell 3 million copies of “Tha Carter III” and trades them for screaming rock guitars, a pileup of live drums and auto-tuned vocals. Before this album, you could imagine Wayne making fun of Freddie Mercury — but on the power ballad “Paradise,” he’s referencing Queen. Of course, he does rap on the record, but that may not satisfy hard-core hip-hop fans who may view this as traitorous rather than musically adventurous.
PHOTOS: GRAMMY SHOW | PHOTOS: GRAMMY RED CARPET
NICK JONAS & THE
ADMINISTRATION “Who I Am.” ***
FOR an artist who many believe is as processed as a block of American cheese, Nick Jonas’ solo record is occasionally raw and often passionate. Not the kind of puppy-love plastic passion that earned him millions of Disney Channel fans, but honest vocal emotion that makes you believe he believes what he’s singing. There are a couple of clunker ballads, but for the most part there’s a strong rock base in the music, well-illustrated on the title track and on “Conspiracy Theory.” It’s also different from his work as a JoBro because there is an undercurrent of funk and soul that Jonas realizes with the help of his four-man backing band, formerly known as musicians with Prince. Don’t be afraid to buy this record, but maybe don’t tell your buddies at your Super Bowl party on Sunday.
VLADIMIR
HOROWITZ “The Legendary Berlin Concert.” ****
TO those of us who know more about classic rock than classical music, the late Vladimir Horowitz is intimidating. Yet he and this record are simple to understand. His playing is romantic. There’s a distinct feeling of emotion as he works the keys, especially in the Liszt and Chopin selections. There’s also a sense of drama in his playing because he knows how to use the sound of silence throughout the record, which also includes numbers by Scarlatti, Schumann, Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. While Horowitz is clearly more technically accomplished than contemporary pop piano men like Billy and Elton, on this live record he’s energized by the same concert adrenaline rock stars draw from their fans. Berlin was the city where Ukrainian-born Horowitz became an international star in 1926. He performed there until 1932 — and had a dramatic 1986 return. The synergy of place and man take all of the hype out of the title of this disc.