4Play: White Stripes, Slash, Jakob Dylan, Peter Wolf

May 9, 2010

White Stripes - Under Great Northern Lights- Warner Bros.
Recorded while Jack and Meg White undertook an ambitious tour across every province and territory in Canada, this album is the audio accompaniment to the film of the same name, capturing the Stripes’ emotional performances on all levels, from bowling alley sets to legendary theater venues. You’ll get familiar and more obscure tracks, from “Seven Nation Army” through “Icky Thump,” all presented with the powerful dual attack that this duo is capable of, and that’s less frequently captured on more controlled, sterile studio recordings.





Slash - Slash - DHR
Also pulling in more than a few guest musicians, former Guns ‘N Roses lead guitarist Slash sets the pace with his distinctive guitar stylings, while collaborating on a range of rock songs for his first solo (well, kinda solo) album. While Slash did most of the songwriting and arranging, his duties, surprisingly, are mostly as album mastermind and guitarist, while his pals take the spotlight, from The Cult’s Ian Astbury (“Ghost”) to Iggy Pop (“We’re All Gonna Die”) to Fergie (“Beautiful Dangerous”) and Soundgarden’s singer-gone solo Chris Cornell (“Promise”.)





Jakob Dylan - Women and Country - Sony
Following his work with The Wallflowers, frontman Jakob Dylan struck out on his own, stepping out from behind the shadows of both his band and his famed father (yes, Bob.) Now on his sophomore set, he enlists Grammy winner T Bone Burnett on production and shares mics with such guest vocalists as Neko Case and Kelly Hogan. Dylan’s own gravelly tones stay grounded yet are beautifully melodic on tracks like the jazz-inflected “Lend a Hand,” the ‘70s-esque “Smile...” and the instant classic ballad “Nothing But the Whole Wide World.”




Peter Wolf - Midnight Souvenirs - Verve
Wolf’s seventh studio set stays in his usual vein of storytelling songs that rely on the details as much as the melodies to get across their tales of woe and/or romance. This time around, Wolf sounds a little more hopeful then before as he duets with the likes of Shelby Lynne, Neko Case (again), and Merle Haggard on songs like the country-blues lament “Tragedy,” the rootsy “Overnight Lows,” and the encouraging “There’s Still Time.” As for Haggard, “It’s Too Late For Me” finds the two music veterans commisserating through the blues.