Albums of the Week
Pharrell Williams
“G I R L”
★★★
The inscriptions on his recent haul of Grammys have barely been carved and, yet, Pharrell Williams’ name looks highly likely to feature prominently again next year because “G I R L” is a smash in the waiting. His second album is loaded with the kind of lush R&B that is both sumptuously produced and spectacularly catchy. Opening tracks “Marilyn Monroe” and the Justin Timberlake duet “Brand New” sound worthy of Michael Jackson’s early solo work, and on “Gust of Wind,” he reunites with Daft Punk for a gorgeous disco-ballad. The lightweight reggae of the Alicia Keys collaboration “Know Who You Are” is one of the rare moments of fluff, but, otherwise, Pharrell’s ear for the hits is as finely tuned as ever.
Rick Ross
“Mastermind”
★★ ½
Last year, Rick Ross was reportedly the victim of an attempted drive-by shooting in Florida, and on his sixth album, the after-effects are still being felt. “Mastermind” has a noticeably harder edge than his last album, “God Forgives, I Don’t,” and that reconnection with the street is mirrored lyrically on the Notorious B.I.G.-referencing “Nobody” and “Ready For War,” where Ross states his preparedness for more potentially deadly battles ahead. But the rapper’s downbeat delivery gets monotonous over time and, occasionally, he sounds downright sluggish when compared to some of his collaborators, especially Kanye West, who makes a lively cameo alongside Big Sean on the dynamic highlight “Sanctified.” The self-proclaimed “Bawse” is still capable of much, but “Mastermind” shows his pomp has been slightly pricked.
Downloads of the Week
Lea Michele
“If You Say So”
★★
The New Yorker’s debut album, “Louder,” is full of bland melodrama, but on this cut the emotion feels a little more real — probably because it is. “If You Say So” is the “Glee” star’s tribute to her late boyfriend, Cory Monteith, and although the song itself is a run-of-the-mill piano ballad, Michele delivers harrowing vocals in a way that is undeniably affecting.
Coldplay
“Midnight”
★
“Magic”
★½
Ahead of their new album “Ghost Stories” (due out in May), Coldplay has served up two tasters in the space of a week. “Midnight” features warbled vocals and an awful interlude of new-age rave, while new single “Magic” continues the electric bent, but does at least have something resembling a tune attached to it. “Ghost stories”? The British band’s new direction is already sounding more like something designed to aid sleep rather than prevent it.
Ashanti
“No Where”
★★
If this were 2004, it’s easy to imagine a song like “No Where” being a hit. But things have changed since Ashanti’s heyday, and so, like much of the Long Islander’s new album, “BraveHeart,” it’s a fun but dated cut of R&B. Her voice sounds timeless, but the production, not so much.
Pitbull feat. G.R.L.
“Wild Wild Love”
★
The success of “Timber” seems to have inspired Pitbull to try the trick again with his latest offering of irritating EDM. It’s essentially the same tune without the faux country touch but with all the usual ickiness. “You need it/You want it/All over your body,” sings the Florida Lothario at one point. Let’s pray he’s singing about a particularly effective exfoliant.