SOUND JUDGEMENT
THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED
CHRIS CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS ★★★★★
WHEN Heloise Letissier delivered Chris to her record label, she produced not only a collection of vividly imagined and brilliantly captured songs of self-discovery but also a 15-page dossier that portrayed her physical emancipation – she has embraced her androgynous, nonbinary self.
Chris is a fresh shell for Letissier and an unshackled confidence streams through the record, the basslines funkier, lyrics punchier, the full package strikingly sensuous.
Girlfriend, the glitterball-disco single, has Chris candidly pursuing flings above commitment, and is one of several songs here that recall peak-period Michael Jackson.
Doesn’t Matter and Damn (What Must A Woman Do) are mighty works from a phenomenal artist.
BRIDGES JOSH GROBAN ★★★★★
WITH Bridges you get exactly what you want from a Josh Groban album: Soaring melodies and a vocal tone that just oozes richness and comfort.
Groban’s eighth studio album doesn’t hold any real surprises. The emotions he evokes however are priceless, such as in the soaring vocals in the cover of Snow Patrol’s Run, here reworked as a duet with Sarah McLachlan.
There’s a collaboration with flamenco composer and virtuoso guitarist Vicente Amigo on Musica del Corazon, a foot-tapping love song and duets with renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli on We Will Meet Once Again and with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles on 99 Years.
So light the fire, grab a blanket and settle down with Bridges.
LIVE FROM ATLANTIC CITY LYNYRD SKYNYRD ★★★★★
LIKE all good live albums should do, this recording of a 2006 set in New Jersey by the iconic southern rock band transports you to the jubilant atmosphere of the real show.
During the show the band are joined by guests Hank Williams Jr, rock band 3 Doors Down and former American Idol contestant Bo Bice.
The wailing guitars and honky tonk keys are red hot throughout but the undoubted highlight comes with the finale of Sweet Home Alabama followed by the epic Freebird.