ALBUM REVIEWS
FEIST Pleasure Interscope
Canadian singer-songwriter Feist has, by her account, gone through some low times since the release of her last album, Metals (2011).
So listeners won’t be surprised to find a deep seam of pain on her new record. But there is much to enjoy on Pleasure, a collection of songs that feels alternately delicate and raw.
The title track sets the tone, as Feist’s rich, resonant voice goes from a murmur to a shout against a crunchy guitar backdrop. Her diverse influences — folk, indie rock, jazz, metal and more — remain discernible, but the album has a pared-down feel. Many songs are built around her voice — quirky, ironic, delicate, arresting — and the sounds of a guitar being plucked, strummed or whacked.
There’s a sense of an artist keen to keep listeners off-balance. Feist worked on the album with her longtime collaborator Dominic “Mocky” Salole, but Pleasure feels very much her own.
WILLIE NELSON God’s Problem Child Legacy Recordings
God’s Problem Child is Willie Nelson’s first CD of new material in three years, and being 84, hasn’t dulled his pen, his voice, or his simple, eloquent guitar.
This is a warm, mellow work, with few surprises but many moments to savour. It’s taken decades for Nelson to sound this comfortable and relaxed.
Seven of the songs are cowritten with longtime producer Buddy Cannon. They include his succinct analysis of America’s choice of Donald Trump: “We had a chance to be brilliant and we blew it again.”
There is a tang of mortality. Leon Russell, a close friend, appears on the title cut in what is thought to be his last recording, and the final song on the CD is a heartfelt homage to the late Merle Haggard, who recorded with Nelson. Many greats from his era have fallen but Nelson’s incredible run is still going strong.
MARY J. BLIGE Strength of a Woman Capitol
Mary J. Blige has a way with hurt. Songs like Not Gon’ Cry and No More Drama, might even prove that Blige is at her best when she’s at her worst. Her latest set, Strength of a Woman, supports that almost-fact. Sure, “happy Mary” can make a hit. But “scorned Mary” can make you feel both her pain and your own — every cut, every bruise, every pang of fragile hope.
On Strength of a Woman, Blige harnesses that power. Perhaps thanks in no small part to reallife drama with her estranged husband. Lead single Thick of It — one of four standouts co-written by Jazmine Sullivan — movingly captures Blige torn between staying and walking away.
She’s down, but she’s not out, as she declares on the Kanye West-assisted Love Yourself. Maybe that’s why fans cling to “sad Mary” if she soldiers on, then maybe everyone else can, too.