Owl City forgettable on latest

Owl City
“The Midsummer Station”
(Republic Records)

Owl City’s “The Midsummer Station” sounds like the soundtrack for one of those Nickelodeon or Disney TV movies you either enjoyed as a tween or endured as an adult. With generic pop-rock songs, it makes for passable entertainment, but ultimately it’s formulaic and forgettable.

It’s a far cry from Owl City’s breakout hit, 2009’s “Fireflies.” As grating as that song may have been to some, its quirky charm made it stand out from the rest of the pop pack. With this new album, Adam Young, the man behind the Owl City moniker, goes for a sound that we’ve heard countless times on top 40 radio: Upbeat grooves that attempt to have an anthemic feel, with a little bit of dance-synth thrown in for good measure. It doesn’t help matters that Young’s voice is defined by its lack of soul.

Carly Rae Jepsen provides the rare spark that lifts “Good Time,” while ballad “Silhouette” is one of the rare songs that makes you feel something, albeit melancholy.

But in general, “The Midsummer Station” doesn’t generate much emotion, from either its main performer -- or its listeners.

(AP)

R&B singer Tamia is consistent on 5th CD

Tamia
“Beautiful Surprise”
(Plus 1 Music Group)

Tamia, whose voice is one of music’s most powerful -- and underrated -- should be among the ranks of divas like Aretha, Chaka, Mariah and Beyonce. But her 17-year career hasn’t translated to chart-topping songs and multiplatinum album sales.

Despite that, the R&B songstress -- best known for the hits “Stranger in My House” and “Into You” with Fabolous -- has released four outstanding albums, including her stellar 1998 self-titled debut, which featured production work by Quincy Jones and Jermaine Dupri. Tamia’s fifth release, “Beautiful Surprise,” is another consistent effort, filled with soulful ballads and midtempo grooves.

The album’s biggest -- and best -- surprise is Tamia’s take on country music. She nicely remakes Wynonna Judd’s “Is It Over Yet,” and “Still” is a beautiful, twang-inspired version of a song from her third album, “More.” Her bold leap into a new genre makes up for some of the album’s shortcomings, including the lukewarm first single and title track, produced by frequent Amy Winehouse collaborator Salaam Remi.

The 11-track set -- her second independent release -- also includes bouncy tunes like “Lose My Mind” and “Believe in Love,” both produced by the Runners (Rick Ross, Rihanna, Usher). Fellow singer Jazmine Sullivan co-writes and sings background on the power ballad “Still Love You,” which finds Tamia stretching her voice to new heights.
(AP)

Souza explores different musical worlds

Luciana Souza
“Duos III” and “The Book of Chet”
(Sunnyside)

Brazilian-American singer Luciana Souza has made up for a three-year maternity break from recording by simultaneously releasing two CDs that explore the different but occasionally overlapping musical worlds in which she feels right at home. “Duos III” is the finale in a series of recordings of classic Brazilian songs that pair her with guitarists from her native country, while “The Book of Chet,” inspired by trumpeter-vocalist Chet Baker, is her first release devoted exclusively to American standards.

Baker is an appropriate choice because he was among the 1950s’ West Coast cool jazz players whose introspective, detached style influenced bossa nova creator Joao Gilberto. Souza did not try to replicate Baker’s sound by adding a horn player, but instead uses spare, simple arrangements played by a trio of guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist David Piltch and drummer Jay Bellerose.

Souza does not add any explicitly bossa nova flavorings to this collection of slow-tempo love ballads from Baker’s repertoire -- such as “The Thrill Is Gone” and “I Get Along Without You Very Well”-- as she did to rock songs on her “The New Bossa Nova” album. She shuns the vocal pyrotechnics favored by some jazz singers -- only occasionally embellishing a song like “The Very Thought of You” with some wordless vocalizing. She prefers a whispery, intimate singing style -- also common to bossa nova -- that captures the vulnerability and sadness in Baker’s music.

Unlike the black-and-white “The Book of Chet,” “Duos III” is a splash of bright colors full of contrasting moods and tempos -- from Dorival Caymmi’s fast-paced “Doralice” to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s haunting “Chora Coracao.” She is reunited here with Romero Lubambo and Marco Pereira, who appeared on her 2002 and 2005 Grammy-nominated “Duos” albums. She also records for the first time with guitarist-composer Toninho Horta, who engages in tender vocal interplay with her on his own song “Pedra da Lua.”

There’s a common thread to both albums, produced by her Grammy-winning husband Larry Klein. Whether singing in English or Portuguese, Souza focuses intensely on the lyrics and melody to bring her listeners closer to the core story of each song.
(AP)