Rappers flow on latest albums

Our last batch of Milwaukee album reviews for 2016 has a hip-hop focus.

Bliss & Alice, “Mama Tried” (

The rapper’s debut project two years back was overflowing with poetic bravado, but on “Mama Tried,” Bliss & Alice doesn’t appear to be trying as hard. This isn’t a criticism. If anything, Bliss & Alice seems even more assured, trading swagger for a more natural confidence. He’s also more vulnerable; on “Bathwater,” his verses, set over sparse piano notes, allude to self-mutilation and alcoholism. “Tell them I’m back (expletive),” he says at the end, but the line’s delivered not as a boast, but with a lump in the throat.

C.M.P., “Intuition”

The 18-track “Intuition” would have benefitted from an unflinching edit, and the Christian rapper threatens to alienate potential listeners with the occasional judgmental line (example: “All these songs telling her all she needs are drugs” on “Royalty (Theory 1)”). But there’s no shortage of conviction, best expressed on a cappella opener “The Voice,” where C.M.P. poetically praises God for his blessings.

First Class Music, “Peace to the Gods”

Just when the Milwaukee duo’s fun if shallow party rap starts to get redundant, rappers Skyy and Scottie Phresh’s switch gears on “Peace” with the more soulful and trippy “Mary J,” and the bouncy, late ’80s-inspired anthem “To the Grave.”

Genesis Renji, Might Be Home”

“IAt one point, Genesis Renji raps about being “somewhere between homicidal and suicidal.” That’s the general vibe across “Home,” where sinister-sounding rhymes intriguingly mask an uneasy sense of isolation. While Renji may emotionally be lost, he’s in fierce control of his confident phrasing.

Will It Burn, “Alcoholic Swear Monster”

Producer EightZero creates beats from a variety of influences, from classic country on “Daddy’s Home,” (a sort of spiritual sibling to Beyoncé’s “Daddy Lessons”) to the funky retro bounce of “Dynamite Pastures,” although sometimes it feels like the ornate music is competing for dominance with EmAliyah’s occasionally monotonous vocals.

Paul Cebar recently got a nice shout-out in New York magazine for his eclectic, long-running WMSE-FM (91.7) show “Way Back Home.” “Cebar’s definition of ‘back home’ could mean anything from New Orleans R&B to the indigenous sounds of Brazil and Cuba, and he manages to tie it all together as if they all resided on the same block,” the magazine proclaims, in an article spotlighting interesting radio stations and hosts from around the world. Find the story at RICK GERMANSON TRIO Style: Piano-led jazz that wears dexterity and classicism lightly. Backstory: After winning the grand prize at the American Pianists Association’s Jazz Piano Competition in 1996, Rick Germanson didn’t tarry too long in his native Milwaukee. He moved to New York in 1998 and has since played the 88 keys for the Cannonball Legacy Band, guitarist Pat Martino and, as a professor, for students at the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut. Why you should go: Germanson’s deft touch reveals his knowledge of traditional jazz keyboardists and the manner in which they could make soft notes hit like velvet-wrapped hammers. Leading a trio featuring two Peters — Dominguez on bass, Zimmer on drums — he’ll entrance a hometown gathering. Time and place: 8 p.m. Friday, the Jazz Estate, 2423 N. Murray Ave. Price: $8 at the door.

JEFF DUNHAM Style: Arena-filling ventriloquism with broad punchlines and the sensitivity of Don Rickles. Backstory: Starting with a Mortimer Snerd dummy when he was a tyke and performing in public before he hit puberty, Dunham has long used ventriloquism to insult and/or entertain everyone from Ed McMahon to former pro athlete Terry Bradshaw. His televised stand-up specials have showcased him to large audiences. Why you should go: Currently on his “Perfectly Unbalanced” tour before undertaking a Las Vegas residency next June, Dunham is of course bringing along such characters as Walter (a grumpy coot), José Jalapeño on a Stick (a talking pepper) and Achmed the Dead Terrorist (selfexplanatory). If ventriloquists still don’t get much respect, this particular ventriloquist does get applause. Time and place: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, BMO Harris Bradley Center, 1001 N. 4th St. Price: $33.50 to $48.50 at the box office, (800) 745-3000 and THE MOTET Style: Music to flip the funk switch in Bruno Mars aficionados and Stevie Wonder devotees alike. Backstory: Starting around 1998, the Motet set out to prove that Colorado is a groovier state than nonresidents would guess. Led by drummer David Watts and incorporating lessons from jazz and Afrobeat into its rump-shaking plans, the band has gotten a good reputation largely from its live gigs. Why you should go: On the Motet’s latest album, this year’s “Totem,” it’s easy to hear the influences the band lets hang out during the Halloween shows at which its members dress and (try to) play like Tower of Power, Sly and the Family Stone, etc. Onstage, the band will bring the heat and the beat. Opener: Minneapolis funk group Pho. Time and place: 8 p.m. Thursday, Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N. 4th St. Price: $15 in advance at the Pabst Theater box office (144 E. Wells St.), the Riverside Theater box office (116 W. Wisconsin Ave.), (414) 286-3663 and

$18 day of show. JIM GAFFIGAN Style: Conversational comedy that feels more off-the-cuff than it actually is. Backstory: Ten years ago, Jim Gaffigan was up to his seventh LP of stand-up laughs, “King Baby,” and telling his jokes on New Year’s Eve in Milwaukee. Now it would seem strange if he wasn’t in this city on NYE, and he’s a comic unlikely to miss the date because of rock-star misadventures. Why you should go: Two years after his latest LP, “Obsessed,” Gaffigan has almost certainly developed more tremendously inoffensive and consistently funny material for this “Fully Dressed” tour, and he’s willing to pull out crowd-favorite routines. Plus, he’s doing four shows in three days, so he’ll be in practiced form when the balloons drop Dec. 31. Time and place: 7 p.m. Thursday, 7 and 10 p.m. Friday, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Pabst Theater. Price: All shows sold out. Resale tickets available beginning at $90 at