CD reviews for Oct. 10, 2008

• By JOHN WIRT
• music critic
• Published: Oct 10, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Robin Thicke
SOMETHING ELSE
Retro-soul singer Robin Thicke made big commercial impact with his 2006 album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. In an era when record sales are dramatically down, Evolution, featuring the hit, “Lost Without U,” is nearing sales of two million copies.

Thicke, writing or co-writing every track on his new CD, Something Else, studiously mines his classic soul influences. A string section of the kind heard in Motown and Philly hits adds sheen to “Magic.” Stevie Wonder-inspired vocal riffs fill “The Sweetest Love.”
Thicke turns to his soft falsetto for the smooth slow jam, “You’re My Baby.” He shifts to another vocal persona, gritty soul man, for the heavier “Sidestep.”

“Dreamworld,” unlike other Something Else tracks that owe much to Thicke’s heroes, stands apart. Its otherworldly mood and melody really are something else.

Thicke may not have the greatest voice or deepest expression, but the combination of his singing, songwriting, style and sincerity amount to a winning whole.

The Clash
LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM
For much of its existence, first-generation British punk band the Clash managed to stay true to its ideals and be commercially successful, too. Some may have seen the Clash’s opening act slot on the Who’s 1982 farewell tour as a sellout, but the band’s 16-song Live At Shea Stadium, recorded during the tour, is uncompromised Clash. The group’s musical prowess, on-stage ferocity and social consciousness shine through loud and clear.

The late singer-guitarist Joe Strummer sings most of the songs, including the opening anthem, “London Calling,” the military recruiting protest song, “Tommy Gun,” and the Clash hit, “Rock The Casbah.” Contrasting Strummer’s political lyrics, singer-guitarist Mick Jones covers personal matters in two more Clash hits, the aching “Train In Vain” and, a mainstream favorite in the United States, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go.” Jones’ conventional pop lyrics don’t stop his band’s customary intensity.

Live At Shea Stadium, a surprisingly clear concert recording made by Glyn Johns, producer of the band’s 1982 album, Combat Rock, presents the Clash in mighty form.

The Jesus and Mary Chain
THE POWER OF NEGATIVE THINKING: B-SIDES & RARITIES
Scottish brothers Jim and William Reid founded their noisy, often spooky pop-rock band, the Jesus and Mary Chain, in 1983. In its heyday, this intentionally difficult outfit’s 15-minute performances induced riots.

The Jesus and Mary Chain disbanded in 1998 but returned to the stage for 2007’s Coachella Music & Arts Festival, seemingly the place to be for many recently reunited music acts. In light of the recent return of the Jesus and Mary Chain to the recording studio, the darkly fun, intriguing, inevitably exhausting The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities may be a prelude to fascinating sounds to come.

The four-CD box collects 80 lesser-known Jesus and Mary Chain tracks. The band’s early recordings echo a few English neighbors, Joy Division and Bauhaus, as well as Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound productions, the garage rock of Velvet Underground and early punk rockers the Ramones.

But the Reid brothers soon blended their diverse sources into distinctively gloomy, cinematic originals. All the while they add their special touch to songs by the Beach Boys, Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf, Shane MacGowan, Roky Erickson and even the Temptations. B-Sides & Rarities gathers all of the above under a single roof.

Brian Wilson
THAT LUCKY OLD SUN
The late career renaissance of 66-year-old former Beach Boy Brian Wilson continues with That Lucky Old Sun, a lush song cycle interspersed with narratives written by longtime Wilson collaborator, Van Dyke Parks. These glowing songs and productions reveal a vital artist.

Wilson builds his new project around “That Lucky Old Sun,” a 1949 pop hit recorded by Frankie Laine, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and many others. The set’s original songs are part love letter to Southern California, part autobiographical reflection.