BANKS‘ luxurious vocals propel debut

BANKS
“Goddess”
(Harvest)

The debut album “Goddess” from Los Angeles-based singer BANKS spells trouble for a lot of people. Namely, anyone she opens for on tour and anyone who passed on signing her to their label.

Jillian Banks sings that good and “Goddess” is easily and suddenly one of the best albums of the year.

Her luster-tinged voice is mature beyond her 26 years and it’s soulful and heart-wrenching in all the right places. Her pitch-perfect highs and husky whispers meld perfectly with top-shelf production ambience from SOHN on “Alibi” and Shlohmo on the catchy track “Brain.”

Much of the success here is due to gorgeous down-tempo arrangements that set the stage for that voice. It’s all very cool and understated until BANKS hits her vocal stride and builds to a crescendo on “You Should Know Where I’m Coming From,” a tender requiem about going into a warts-and-all relationship with eyes wide open. Quite frankly it’s the most beautiful song I’ve heard this year.

BANKS is the real deal and “Goddess” is a perfect and emotional debut effort. Come for the music. Stay for the pathos. (AP)


Brice moves step ahead on ‘I Don’t Dance’

Lee Brice
“I Don’t Dance”
(Curb)

On Lee Brice’s third album, “I Don’t Dance,” he furthers his reputation as the most sensitive of the ball cap-bedecked male singers grouped under the “bro country” banner.

Like the others, Brice packs albums with testaments to consequence-free partying (“No Better Than This”) and an idealized version of rural life (“My Carolina”). However, in his arrangements and lyrics, Brice takes creative liberties that pay off in ways few of his peers ever accomplish. Like Brad Paisley before him, Brice comes off as a risk-taker willing to push the boundaries of what country music can address in a 3-minute song.

Where Brice truly sets himself apart is on his ballads. The title song, a recent No. 1 country hit, as well as on “That Don’t Sound Like You,” “Good Man” and other songs, he reveals a talent for avoiding clicheuros and displaying an empathy for the real-life concerns of women. His ballads also show off his rangy baritone, confirming that he’s among the most expressive singers to emerge from Nashville in recent years.

As the album title suggests, the hefty Brice isn’t likely to dazzle with fancy footwork. But when it comes to insightful looks at modern life, he is a step ahead of most other contemporary country hit-makers. (AP)


Too many hazy sentiments bog down McGraw

Tim McGraw
“Sundown Heaven Town”
(Big Machine)

Twenty years after his breakthrough hit, “Indian Outlaw,” Tim McGraw still pushes at country music’s boundaries. His new album, “Sundown Heaven Town,” incorporates contemporary Nashville flourishes while holding onto McGraw‘s signature sound -- a moody, atmospheric tone developed over the years with producer Byron Gallimore.

The album hits several creative peaks, but bogs down with too many forgettable, mid-tempo tunes.

At age 47, McGraw hits home with reflective songs about love and modern life -- especially those of a mature Southern man seeking balance between the past and present. His recent hit, “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s,” a duet with wife Faith Hill, epitomizes his strengths. McGraw’s tempered voice, all restrained emotion, conveys how the anchor of family helps him deal with the pressures of daily life.

His current single, “Shotgun Rider,” and complicated relationship songs like “Sick of Me,” show how good McGraw is at real-life situations, buoyed by Gallimore’s atmospheric production. The veteran also offers a welcome surprise with “Diamond Rings And Barstools,” which brings a contemporary context to old-school country sounds and themes.

But too many hazy sentiments -- in the songs “City Lights,” “Looking For That Girl,” “Keep on Truckin’” -- keep the collection from achieving the glowing consistency of McGraw’s best work. (AP)