Jun 22, 2009 09:30AM

Moby - Wait for Me

Artist: Moby Review: For a guy who made his name driving party people to ecstasy, Moby has always had a thing for the blues. His unlikely 1999 megahit, Play, used them literally, grafting ancient samples into inviting electronic grooves. His latest uses them spiritually, giving his melancholy streak room to brood and blossom. Instrumentals like "Shot in the Back of the Head" (Google the haunting video, directed by David Lynch) billow moodily, lush arrangements glowing with Eno-style analog-synth warmth. Never the... Rating: 3.5 Stars

Jun 22, 2009 09:26AM

Levon Helm - Electric Dirt

Artist: Levon Helm Review: The Dead's "Tennessee Jed" is an inspired kickoff to Levon Helm's first proper rock & roll record in a dog's age. His 2007 comeback from throat cancer, Dirt Farmer, was mainly an acoustic affair. Electric Dirt — recorded with Larry Campbell and the rest of the band from Helm's Midnight Ramble gigs at his Woodstock, New York, home — wants to party: Helm struts his slippery shell-game groove on "Jed" and works it deftly throughout. But he digs deepest here with his voice, which veers... Rating: 4 Stars

Jun 22, 2009 09:24AM

Wilco - Wilco

Artist: Wilco Review: Wilco's seventh studio album is a triumph of determined simplicity by a band that has been running from the obvious for most of this decade. The title is the giveaway. So is the opening gag, "Wilco (The Song)," with its rattling-bones guitar and singer-boss Jeff Tweedy's assurance, sung like pillow talk, that his combo is good for all that ails you: "Do you dabble in depression?/Is someone twisting a knife in your back?...Wilco will love you, baby." At times, Wilco (The Album) sounds like the... Rating: 4 Stars

Jun 22, 2009 09:21AM

Rob Thomas - Cradlesong

Artist: Rob Thomas Review: Rob Thomas will never, ever be cool. Thomas has been the large-lunged, chest-thumping voice of straight-down-the-middle pop rock since 1996, when he emerged at the helm of Matchbox Twenty. He writes big, blowzy songs about love and angst, occasionally sounds like he's trying to eat his microphone, and is the bearer of what may be the least appealing shag haircut in popular-music history. But there's no doubting that he's a powerful singer, and with his biggest hit — the ferociously cheesy... Rating: 4 Stars

Jun 22, 2009 10:06AM

Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor

Artist: Patrick Wolf Review: After his last album, the 2007 glam-rock epic Magic Position, Patrick Wolf had a horrific revelation: He wasn't being pretentious enough. So the art-damaged, beyond-androgynous U.K. poet goes all out here. You want great songs about minotaurs? "Theseus" features a spoken-word interlude from actress Tilda Swinton. He plays around with Celtic folk with violinist Eliza Carthy. "Vulture" is an electro-pop explosion with Wolf chanting, "You're d-d-d-dead meat," over buzzing beats from Nineties... Rating: 3.5 Stars

Jun 22, 2009 10:04AM

Babatunde Olatunji - Drums Of Passion

Artist: Babatunde Olatunji Review: In the early 1960s, Babatunde Olatunji was the face of African music in America. Though the real Afropop of the time was longer on melodies of wisdom than drums of passion, the Nigerian political-science student quickly found that to teach Americans anything at all about Africa, he'd best keep it simple. So his six albums for Columbia, the first and last of which resurface here with unnecessarily jazzy bonus tracks, stick to theatrical percussion compositions overlaid with catchy choral singing.... Rating: 3.5 Stars

Feb 25, 2009 01:13PM

Swift isn't slowing down

Tune Tracker: 'Fearless' remains at No. 1 on charts -- Taylor Swift's "Fearless" remains No. 1 on the nation's album sales chart for a 10th nonconsecutive week, having sold 62,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Feb 18, 2009 07:32AM

Plant, Krauss get Grammy boost

Tune Tracker: Swift's 'Fearless' returns to top of the charts -- The big winners at last week's Grammy Awards were also the big movers on the week's album sales chart.

Feb 11, 2009 08:30AM

The Fray lands at No. 1 on charts

Tune Tracker: Epic Records act moves 179,000 units -- The second album from the Fray, the Denver band that gained prominence after a song placement on "Grey's Anatomy" and ?Scrubs,? sold 179,000 copies last week to debut at No. 1 on the nation's album sales chart.

Feb 04, 2009 07:51AM

Springsteen charts ninth No. 1 debut

Tune Tracker: Swift's 'Fearless' drops to second spot -- Bruce Springsteen's "Working on a Dream" sold 224,000 copies in the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Soundscan, hitting the mark that was widely expected among industry observers. It is his ninth No. 1

Jan 28, 2009 07:58AM

'Fearless' on top for eighth week

Tune Tracker: Swift's disc sells 2.4 million in total -- Taylor Swift's "Fearless" claimed the No. 1 slot on the nation's album sales chart for the eighth week as critical favorites and early releases targeted as Valentine's Day gifts made top 100 debuts.

Jan 21, 2009 07:07AM

Taylor Swift holds steady at No. 1

Tune Tracker: 'Fearless' nabs top spot for seventh time -- Taylor Swift?s ?Fearless? held onto the No. 1 position for the seventh time despite dipping to 63,000 units sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan data.

Jan 14, 2009 06:56AM

'Fearless' wins sixth week at No. 1

Tune Tracker: Music's niche business sees sluggish slide -- The music industry is starting to lose its long tail.