'Christmas Cornucopia'
Annie Lennox (Decca)
'Christmas Jazz Jam'
Wynton Marsalis (Compass/Wynton)
'Celtic Christmas'
Orla Fallon (Elevation)
'About Christmas'
Berlin Voices (Hanssler Classic)
Christmas albums can be a blessing -- or curse. Well done by favorite performers, they can lift a listener's mood into holiday happiness. Or they can be yet another version of much-to-often-done carols. These four releases provide that music with enough energy and creativity to become gifts for the season. Annie Lennox from the Eurythmics offers a "Christmas Cornucopia" of carols as familiar as "The First Noel" to lesser-known gems such as "See Amid the Winter's Snow." Wynton Marsalis' "Christmas Jazz Jam" is exactly as it sounds, and done with a great 10-piece band. Orla Fallon, once of Celtic Woman, celebrates her "Celtic Christmas" with guests such as Vince Gill and an Irish version of "Soul Cake." The Berlin Voices sing "About Christmas" in a style mindful of the New York Voices -- but sometimes in German. All make for merry listening.
— Bob Karlovits
'Live in Berlin'
Sting (Deutsche Grammophon)
CD-DVD sets often are identical versions of a concert, one without video. On "Live in Berlin," however, Sting offers a 22-song DVD concert and a 14-number CD with five songs that are not on the DVD. That makes listening to the CD different from simply "hearing" the DVD. Whatever version, the recordings are excellent with Sting performing in a packed, Consol Energy Center-like hall in Berlin, accompanied by an ensemble called the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. They are joined by saxophonist Branford Marsalis along with lesser-known performers. The orchestra's arrangements, some by the great Vince Mendoza and Jorge Calandrelli, often give familiar songs new spins, such as a gentler "Roxanne." But all of them work well. The DVD is a well-filmed, two-hour concert that provides a good reason for an evening at home.
— Bob Karlovits
'Loud'
Rihanna (Island Def Jam)
The last time we heard Rihanna, the Barbados-born vocalist had moved from the ebullience of youthful song (OK, she's 22) and indigenous vibes into the starker electro and scarred sexuality of "Rated R." Coming off emotional and physical wounds famously inflicted by her then-beau, "R" was all about how sweet revenge could be and how chilly it would sound. Way past that mess, Rihanna still borrows "R's" icy command, so perfect for her voice's stilted lilt, on "Loud" tunes such as "S&M." Beyond that drama, Rihanna seems to let go more than ever on this flirty new record. Loud brings her back to the West Indian flavor of her start (the raga-riffic "Man Down") and the sass of young-adult sensuality (the deal-breaking ballad "Fading") without eschewing innocence, romance, and silliness as she did on "R." The giddy "Cheers (Drink to That)" and the synth-fizzy "Only Girl (In the World)" are rivaled only by the clubby "What's My Name?" for absolute zeal -- all with Rihanna's loose voice following its bliss.
-— The Philadelphia Inquirer
'Bullets in the Gun'
Toby Keith (Show Dog/Universal)
In recent years, Toby Keith's output has been uneven, but on "Bullets in the Gun," the good ol' boy is, indeed, very good. It just might be his best album. The lead-off title track is a headlong, outlaws--on--the--lam saga reminiscent of Robert Earl Keen's "The Road Goes on Forever," and "Drive It on Home" is a rocking trucking song. But Keith really excels on ballads and mid-tempo numbers that delve into matters of the heart, whether it's the straight-up ache of "In a Couple of Days," the false bravado of "Think About You All the Time," or the battle-scarred resilience of "Ain't Breakin' Nothin'." The deluxe edition of the album contains four bonus live tracks that display Keith's excellent taste in influences as he covers Johnny Paycheck, Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller and Gordon Lightfoot.
— The Philadelphia Inquirer
