Van Morrison: Keep It Simple
Lost Highway B0010658-02
Format: CD

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There’s no particular reason that Van Morrison’s new disc, Keep It Simple, should stand out from his recent recordings. In much the way his blues and R&B heroes did, the singer has settled into a comfortable late career of solid, workmanlike efforts. He’s consistent, and on occasion creates a real gem, but he probably isn’t going to surprise us any more, as he did with so many of his early and even some middle-period records. Keep It Simple succeeds mainly because it stays true to its title. The foundation for most of the songs is blues and soul, and the arrangements are spare, often just guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums. Occasionally steel guitar and background vocals are added, but it’s Morrison’s voice, as strong as ever, that propels these songs. "Behind the Ritual" conveys the singer’s spiritual interests with more conviction than anything he’s written in years, and "That’s Entrainment" describes the deep, encompassing feeling that occurs when life, love, and music are just right. Morrison is supported by a number of good musicians here, and he gives them room to show off, particularly John Allair on keys and Mick Green on guitar. Van Morrison could probably keep making discs like Keep It Simple forever. Good thing, too. . . . Joseph Taylor

Rosa Passos: Romance
Telarc CD-83677
Format: CD

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Bossa nova songstress Rosa Passos carries the torch of that classic genre with subtle ingénue in a Portuguese so thick with longing and passion it needs no translation. Her newest release, Romance, is an acoustic collection of Brazilian love songs, each delivered with effortless aptness and creating a mood of instant intimacy. In 2004, Passos released an album dedicated to the work of bossa nova forefather and guitarist João Gilberto, and ever since her first recording, in 1979, she has often been called, in her native country, the female version of Gilberto. With Romance, Passos offers her interpretations of newer ballads mostly written by her backing musicians, pianist Fabio Torres and bassist Paulo Paulelli, but the feel is nonetheless authentically Brazilian. The group is rounded out with drums, guitar, trumpet, sax, and flugelhorn. While the recording evokes a soft acoustic feel, Passos’s voice resonates richly and purely. Antonio Carlos Jobim’s "Por Causa de Você," and Chicho Buarque’s "Tatuagem," about being as close to a lover as a tattoo on the lover’s body, are standout beauties. . . . Shannon Holliday

Lorraine Feather: Language
Jazzed Media JM1032
Format: CD

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Singer Lorraine Feather is the daughter of esteemed jazz historian, author, composer, and producer Leonard Feather, so it’s not surprising that she has a natural affinity for jazz and is a hip, witty lyricist. Over the years she’s worked in regional theater, appeared off-Broadway, and sung backup for other artists. She also did a stint with the jazz vocal group Full Swing, experience she’s used to good effect in creating the vocal arrangements on Language, her seventh recording. Her songs look at modern life in all its confusion and silliness, from traffic jams ("Traffic and Weather") to the impersonal voice prompts on customer-service lines ("We Appreciate Your Patience"). She usually hits her mark squarely ("We now have a functioning website / Maybe you’re still not aware / Most customers choose to do absolutely everything there"), and many listeners will nod in agreement. She reaches back into her own years of paying dues for "Waiting Tables," and in "A Household Name" she looks at the downside of fame. Among her cowriters are pianists Shelly Burg and Russell Ferrante (of the Yellowjackets), who also lend their support as arrangers. Feather’s theatrical background causes her to lean a bit too much toward the precious for some jazz fans, but the rest of us will hear a strong interpreter of great songs. Handsomely mastered by Bernie Grundman. . . . Joseph Taylor

Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys: Best of
Rounder 11661-6117-2
Format: 2 CDs

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Any band that’s lasted longer than two decades is bound to have earned some stars on their lapels, but The Mamou Playboys have earned enough to be considered the unrivaled masters of traditional Cajun music. So a Best Of album was in order, and Rhino has delivered, compiling recordings from their entire discography, and kicking it all off with three new tracks that work well to carry on the tradition. Accordionist Steve Riley and fiddler David Greely formed the Playboys in 1988, and ever since have performed with a rotating mix of talented musicians. While the Playboys wear the crown of traditional Cajun, they’re not afraid to venture -- and often do -- into rock, country, blues, and swing, which makes this a rowdy album that highlights the energy and liveliness always present in the music of New Orleans. Be prepared to two-step the night away to this classic collection. Laissez le bon temps rouler!. . . . Shannon Holliday

Albéniz: Féte-dieu à Séville
Bizet: Carmen Suites
Borodin: Kismet
Ravel: Boléro
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; Erich Kunzel, conductor.
Telarc SACD-60703
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

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Most of the music that we associate with a particular location was written by tourists. On this colorful recording, while Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz stays home for his depiction of Seville’s Corpus Christie procession, Frenchmen Maurice Ravel and Georges Bizet visit Spain, and Americans Robert Wright and George Forrest plunder the music of Russian composer Alexander Borodin to journey to the East of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights. But wherever the music goes, Erich Kunzel and his fabulous Cincinnati Pops musicians sound right at home. The Ohio ensemble has become one of the world’s greatest orchestras, and though Kunzel seldom plumbs the depths of any of this music, he gives it lots of energy and zip, and technically it has seldom been better played. Telarc’s rich, sonorous, detailed recording is tops, whether you listen to the CD or SACD tracks, in two channels or 5.1. . . . Rad Bennett