New this week on CD from Chris Isaak, Jane’s Addiction, Everlast, Randy Travis and more.
The Deep Dark Woods, "Place I Left Behind" (Sugar Hill). Saskatchewan group with serious fondness for the Band and the Child ballads continues to live up to its name on new recording.
Emil & Friends, "Lo & Behold" (Cantore). Playful electronic/psychedelic Boston musician Emil Hewitt and lots of "Friends" follow up EP and awesome live reputation with debut album.
Melissa Errico, "Legrand Affair: The Songs of Michael Legrand" (Ghostlight). Broadway performer Errico and French jazzman Legrand meet 100-piece orchestra in Brussels for the culmination of six years of work and, for Legrand, decades of fine music.
Everlast, "Songs of the Ungrateful Living" (Martyr Inc./EMI). Still known for his part in the ’90s hip-hop band House of Pain, Everlast continues an interesting solo career on an album that puts his blue-collar perspective to the forefront.
Family Force 5, "III" (Tooth & Nail/III Entertainment). Atlanta quintet again combines serious dance music and silly attitudes on its third full-length.
Chris Isaak, "Beyond the Sun" (Vanguard). Beautifully coifed singer with long-standing debt to classic and romantic rockabilly pays up with album featuring covers of classic sides from Sun Records, the label that gave us Elvis and Jerry Lee.
Jane’s Addiction, "The Great Escape Artist" (Capitol). One of alternative rock’s truly seminal bands reunites after eight-year absence with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek helping out as writer and bassist.
The Kentucky Headhunters, "Dixie Lullabies" (Red Dirt). Two brothers, a cousin and a pal remain torchbearers of gutbucket Southern rock on latest disc.
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, "Smoking in Heaven" (DH/Verve). Two sisters and a brother from England prove remarkably adept at 1950s authenticity on second album.
Dave Koz, "Ultimate Christmas" (Capitol). Pop saxophonist makes another album for the season, with predictable but pleasant results.
Shelby Lynne, "Revelation Road" (Everso/Fontana). Independent-minded singer-songwriter with more than 20 years of experience releases her third album in two years, writing, recording and producing this particularly personal effort.
The Original 7ven, "Condensate" (SRR). The original lineup of the Time – including Morris Day, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – adopts new name after being denied the right to use the old name by Prince; the group still gets to be funky, though.
The Smiths, "The Smiths Complete" (Rhino). Eight discs of mopey English 1980s greatness newly remastered by guitarist Johnny Marr.
Patrick Stump, "Soul Punk" (Island). Lead singer of Fall Out Boy follows that band’s 2009 hiatus with a solo pop album he did pretty much all by himself.
June Tabor & Oysterband, "Ragged Kingdom" (Topic). Twenty-one years ago, these legends of English folk recorded a classic album; now, they follow up with a similar set of traditionals and covers of Bob Dylan and Joy Division, among others.
Randy Travis, "Blessed Assurance" (Spring Hill). Travis has always been one of the more properly traditional neo-Nashville traditionalists, and here he proves it with 15 favorite hymns and other spiritual songs.
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