Dig These Discs :: Caleb Johnson, Sinead O'Connor, Gaslight Anthem, Kimbra, FKA Twigs

As her career rounds a quarter of a decade, Sinead O'Connor drops her 10th studio album, and shows that she is the boss. New Jersey rockers Gaslight Anthem drops their fifth full-length studio album this week, and it's a two-fer. Asheville native and "American Idol" star Caleb Johnson releases his debut album, a hot collection of rock and country tunes that's about as American as you can get. Kimbra, of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" fame, drops her second album, and it's like we're back in the '90s, listening to Prince records. And FKA Twigs goes from "that girl in the video" to "that star in the video," with her sultry, electro/R&B debut.

"I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss" (Sinead O'Connor)

With a career that spans more than 25 years, Sinead O'Connor releases her 10th studio album this month, "I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss." And is she ever. Her voice is still as strong as ever, yet the album has a certain charming fragility. She starts the album off with her wish list, singing, "I wanna be a real full woman.... A woman like me needs love." The song title, "How About I Be Me," is a callback to her last album, "How About I Be Me (and You Be You?)" This lioness says that the current album title is a statement on her views on how women are treated in the industry, inspired by a photo of Beyonce in the "Ban Bossy" campaign. She gets folky in "Dense Water Deeper Down," but more funky in "Kisses Like Mine," a rhymey, funny tune with lyrics like, "you never had kisses like mine, so soft you'll find yourself crying and after you weep you'll fall asleep." She sets up a meeting at the old apple tree in the slow rocking "Your Green Jacket" and sings of love in breathy tones in "The Vishnu Room." "I want to make love to you more than I ever wanted to," she sings, perhaps pointing to those baser carnal desires she's always Tweeting about. O'Connor said that many of the cuts on this album follows the journey of self-discovery for a character who is seeking romance. This kicks off the crazytown portion of the album, as she accuses, "You tricked me into make love!" in the next song, "The Voice of My Doctor." In "Harbour," she hits the midpoint of the character's journey. It tells the awful tale of a broken 14-year-old girl - perhaps mirroring her own childhood of sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother. In "8 Good Reasons" she sings slowly about why she's sticking around in this strange place. She drives her feeling on showbiz with the lines, "you know I love to make music, but my head got wrecked by the business/everybody wants something from me, they rarely ever just wanna know me." The song "Take Me to Church" refers to a tune in "My Fair Lady," and "Where Have You Been" pairs upbeat music with creepy lyrics, asking, "What does it mean when a man's eyes turn black when you're making love?" She finishes clean, with "Streetcars," featuring only a piano and her voice, just the way we learned to love her. Just goes to show, nothing still compares to you, Sinead O'Connor.
(Nettwerk Records)

"Get Hurt" (The Gaslight Anthem)

New Brunswick rock outfit The Gaslight Anthem drops their fifth full-length studio album this week, citing Pearl Jam's "No Code" as their inspiration, with lots of references dropped into the songs. On lead vocals and guitar, Brian Fallon holds down the guys, namely Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine and Benny Horowitz. Fallon told reporters that they changed up a lot of their Springsteen-tribute sounds in this go-around, and that the album was "completely different than anything we had ever done before." But they have kept some of their trademark anthemic rock tunes, complete with that infectious hook that makes fans want to scream the refrain. Their lead single, "Stay Vicious" dropped on iTunes in late July, and it's a heavy-metal guitar explosion with the lyrics, "I still love rock 'n' roll and I still call somebody baby." Halfway through, it morphs into a different, slower song. Which kind of describes the album. That's not to say those rock anthems are gone; fist-pumping rock tunes like "Rollin' and Tumblin'," "Dark Places" and "Ain't That a Shame" will remind fans of the Anthem they love. They even throw in the folk ballad "Break Your Heart," a slow, acoustic song about regret and rejection -- the theme of almost every song of the 16 tracks featured. "Underneath The Ground" is another slow rocker, and "Red Violins" is a countrified song that takes its time. Tracks like "1,000 Years" and "Stray Paper" remind audiences of the straight-up rock that they love, but they are somewhat forgettable. The title track invites you to "do your worst to me," because the damage is already done. They have fun with the raucous "Helter Skeleton" with the confusing lyrics, "since you only get high on the weekends, why don't you feed on me tonight?" But there's a lot of synth-rock and grunge sound in the mix that fans might not love, and that diverts from the blue-collar everyman rock that they made their reputation on. Some critics have torn the band apart for straying from their tried and true formula, but it takes balls to make a change, and that should be respected. Although fans are in general resistant to change, there's enough of the old Gaslight Anthem here to indulge this flight of fancy without getting your feelings too hurt.
(Island Records)

"The Golden Echo" (Kimbra)

New Zealand import Kimbra drops her second album, "The Golden Echo," with the help of bassist Thundercat, legendary drummer John JR Robinson and Daniel Johns. The result is a dozen tracks of funky pop. Her first track, "Teen Heat," sounds like Prince on helium. I could do without the weird kid-talky outros in these songs. She gets all future world hip-hop in "90s Music," with lots of electronic samples cementing that '90s vibe. She swings more toward pop in her cut "Carolina," singing, "In my heart I know I can't keep running away." She gets all R&B like Macy Gray with the excellent "Goldmine" and is working "Miracle," a soaring disco/soul track, as her new single. "Rescue Him" is a funky track, backed by the funkalicious "Madhouse," a wild ride. She blends this funky soul with electropop in "Be Everlovin Ya." After all of this, it's a surprise to encounter the mild piano intro and hushed vocals of the ballad "As You Are." Choppy percussives give an island sound to "Love In High Places," like a Rihanna track. "Nobody But You" is an R&B/pop delight a la Mary J. Blige, and she finishes strong with the twinkly ballad, "Waltz Me to the Grave." Kimbra will hit the road this fall for a U.S. tour, kicking off in San Fran on October 20. Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1999!
(Warner Bros. Records)

"Testify" (Caleb Johnson)

"American Idol" star Caleb Johnson releases his debut album this month, and the Asheville native is super jazzed. Johnson had a little help from his friends; the album features songwriters Blair Daly, Sam Hollander and Dave Bassett, plus frontmen James Michael and Justin Tranter. He kicks the album off with the grinding rock tune, "Sailing Away," showing off his vocals as he runs them down the scale, with a slow drum break in the middle. "Save Me" has a staccato beat with a rockabilly vibe, and finds Johnson "begging on my knees," calling out to be saved. He keeps the theme going in "Let Me In," singing, "I can be the one, I can save your life tonight." It's easy to see why Johnson did so well in the popular vocal competition; he has a voice made for rocking. But he does well with ballads, too; Johnson released his single, "Only One" at the end of July, and it's a touching song. And his slow cut "Change" tells a sad tale from the beginning, when Johnson sings, "I pushed you through the open door then blamed you for leaving." He gets bad-ass with "Devil's Daughter," singing while electric guitars shred, "Light me up wanna feel your touch wanna ride this rush watch the flames get higher." His title track "Testify" is a bluesy rock tune with arching, soulful guitar riffs and an awesome slide solo midway through. He wraps it up with the rocking "As Long As You Love Me," promising that's all that matters. He also covers Aerosmith's "Dream On" for a Target-exclusive edition of the album. Catch this real-life American idol now.
(Interscope Records)

"LP1" (FKA Twigs)

Talk about bad ass: when Tahliah Debrett Barnett was about to drop into the music industry under her longtime nickname Twigs (for the loud way she cracks her joints) and another established artist named Twigs complained, she just added the acronym FKA, as in Formerly Known As, to her moniker. And FKA Twigs was born. This Jamaican/English singer-songwriter from Gloucestershire got an early start in her teens as a backup dancer in videos for Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran and Jessie J -- in fact, her track "Video Girl" pays homage to this, with lyrics, "All eyes on you now, what you gonna do?" Now, she follows her 2012 EP1 with her new release, "LP1," 10 funky R&B tunes with spooky electro arrangements, like Beyonce on a wild acid trip. She has been compared to Massive Attack and Portishead, and there is something very late '90s about her vibe. But she never lets it devolve to mimicry; you can hear her style clearly through all of her tracks. She kicks off her album singing, "When I trust you we can do it with the lights on," and then moves on in "Two Weeks," another sexy, sultry, spooky single where she promises, "I can fuck you better, motherfucker, get your mouth open and you know you're mine." The video for the song features her on a throne like an Egyptian queen, calling all the shots with the point of a finger to other background dancers, who are all also her. It's very reminiscent of Aalliyah, to whom she's also been compared. This regal feel comes to "Hours," with its promises of never-ending kisses pinned down by an underlying bass drum. She showcases her vocal range in "Pendulum" and "Closer," and engages in some very funky electronic "scratching" in "Numbers." The cascade effect in "Give Up" is very cool, and her final number "Kicks" is a whisper of a songs that evens the playing field, as Twigs lets us know that she doesn't need any of us, she'll get her kicks her own damn self. Keep on leading with your right cross, girl; you'll need it in this industry!
(Young Turks)