ALBUM REVIEWS
The Temptations All the Time UMe
Every music star covers The Temptations. So what happens when this legendary group does its own covers? The answer is something special when the Motown icons get their hands on songs by Sam Smith, Bruno Mars, John Mayer, Maxwell, Ed Sheeran, Michael Jackson and The Weeknd. Some covers might even be better than the originals.
The R&B pioneers are respectful of each tune on the 10-track All the Time, but still infuse their own gospel-tinged sound and distinct soulful harmonies.
Still Feel Like Your Man is stripped of Mayer’s sharp guitar work in favour of strings and new R&B clothes. Smith’s astonishing vocals on Stay With Me are matched in a white-hot cover.
A fantastic reworking of Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud now fits effortlessly into The Temptations’ catalogue.
Whether it’s new songs or old classics, you can’t beat The Temptations.
Sevendust All I See Is War Rise Records
The Atlanta-based metalheads are back with All I See Is War, their 12th studio album. It’s filled with Sevendust’s typical blistering hooks, driving grooves and infectious choruses.
They’ve teamed up for the first time with producer Michael (Elvis) Baskette, and he’s layered more production elements and allowed the group to explore softer terrain. It’s not a revolution — more like another step toward a cleaner, more polished sound.
Much of the new album could fit on a Foo Fighters’ CD, including most of the second half ’s songs rooted in bluesy or progressive rock. Old-school fans have God Bites His Tongue, Cheers and Risen.
Other outstanding tracks are the first, Dirty, and the last, The Truth, both showcasing a band able to rage furiously and then instantly switch to melodic.
After a dozen albums, Sevendust has earned respect.
Luke Winslow-King Blue Mesa Bloodshot Records
Don’t look for ferocious twists and turns on Luke WinslowKing ’s Blue Mesa. Though he knows life is usually far from trouble-free, this is a collection of soulfully simple and effective songs with a wide range of guitar sounds and a mix of blues, rock, folk and boogie.
While its predecessor, I’m Glad Trouble Don’t Always Last, from 2016, dealt with the breakup of his marriage, the sources of his melancholy this time were the deaths of his father and of (Washboard) Lissa Driscoll, one of his New Orleans mentors.
The title track is a gentle road song in farewell mode with a weeping slide guitar, while the character on Born to Roam probably won’t even bother saying goodbye. Driscoll also co-wrote opener You Got Mine and the album ends fittingly with Farewell Blues. Winslow-King raises the bar with every new album. It’s his unadorned and heartfelt sincerity that elevates Blue Mesa.