Nelson gets into the swing of Sinatra again
New albums
Willie Nelson, “That’s Life” (Sony): Now on his second album of Frank Sinatra covers, the Red Headed Stranger is really starting to dig deep on standards made famous by Ol' Blue Eyes.
Nelson's 2018 LP “My Way” earned him a Grammy Award for best traditional pop solo album, and “That's Life” keeps honoring Sinatra's rich vocal tradition. A ballroom-ready version of “I Won't Dance With You” is the album's lone duet (with Diana Krall), set to grand piano and classy horns. Nelson even tackles Cole Porter's ubiquitous “I've Got You Under My Skin,” popularized by Sinatra in the '40s, '50s and '60s.
Recorded at both Capitol Studios in Hollywood — one of Sinatra's old recording haunts — and at Nelson's Pedernales Studio in Austin, “That's Life” masterfully illuminates the best of both worlds from two undisputed legends.
Adrian Spinelli, San Francisco Chronicle
Julien Baker, “Little Oblivions” (Matador): Julien Baker commands attention on stage with just the sound of her voice and guitar. She's expert at holding audiences rapt with unadorned, emotionally fraught songs that turn noisy concert halls into hushed, hallowed spaces.
In some ways, “Little Oblivions,” the 25-year-old Memphis songwriter's third album, which is self-produced, feels like a departure from that approach.
The arrangements are fleshed out, with a grand, full-band sound she created playing most instruments herself. Her engineer, Calvin Lauber,
also chipped in, and Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, Baker's bandmates in indie supergroup boygenius, contribute backup vocals.
But while the bigger sound offers Baker a barrier she could hide behind, she has no interest in shielding herself.
“Little Oblivions” explores themes of addiction, its consequences, and recovery. But
Baker doesn't do easy moralizing here. Both life and the music — which draws on Baker's experience in punk bands — get messy. “Bloodshot” and “Relative Fiction” achieve a rare beauty. The songs are all the more harrowing because they confront demons once thought safely locked away.
Dan Deluca, Philadelphia Inquirer
Song of the moment
Aloe Blacc and Leann Rimes, “I Do” (BMG): “I Do” first appeared on versatile pop vocalist Aloe Blacc's 2020 album, “All Love Everything.” But following his runner-up finish to country star Leann Rimes on the Fox TV show “The Masked Singer,” the pair linked up to release a duet version, and it's the type of number that's meant to keep the post-valentine's Day flame burning. “I Do” showcases two incredible pop vocal talents and will appear on both the March 12 deluxe version release of Blacc's “All Love Everything” as well as on Rimes' upcoming album “God's Work,” out on May 14.
Adrian Spinelli, San Francisco Chronicle