Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone
Lucinda Williams
“Have compassion for everyone you meet,” goes the opening line on the new album from Lucinda Williams, who struggles to follow her own counsel on the rest of the two-CD set. More than once, Williams advises the subject of a song to buzz off as she copes with the toll of bad decisions, dysfunctional relationships and wrath inspired by heartache.
Like most of Williams’ work, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone digs deep. The title comes from the thoughtful opening ballad, Compassion, originally a poem written by her father. It’s impossible to know another person’s burdens, the song says.
Even so, Williams finds her tolerance tested. She sounds both angry and, at age 61, a bit weary. But whenever the energy flags during the 20-song album, one of the fine guitarists sitting in — co-producer Greg Leisz, Tony Joe White and Bill Frisell among them — launches into a rejuvenating solo. The album is a testament to the power of patience, empathy and a good guitar solo.
— Steven Wine
Associated Press
Cosby: His Life and Times
Mark Whitaker
Bill Cosby broke new ground: as a comic who pushed standup comedy from jokes to storytelling; as the first African-American actor to star in a prime-time television drama series (I Spy); as a leader in educational TV (The Electric Company, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids); as the world’s No. 1 pitchman (Jell-O pudding, Coca-Cola, etc.); as the guy who rescued the TV sitcom (and a network), and made prime time safe for “real” black families, with The Cosby Show.
Cosby: His Life and Times, the first major biography of one of America’s most beloved and influential figures, captures all of it, along with the occasional misfires and darker moments in Cosby’s life.
The book by journalist Mark Whitaker is not exactly an official biography; at first, Cosby steered clear of the project, although he eventually agreed to let Whitaker spend a lot of time with him.
But it’s hard to call Cosby: His Life and Times an objective, warts-and-all look at its subject. While Whitaker acknowledges Cosby’s shortcomings — his philandering, his distrust of outsiders — he is clearly a fan, and more often than not gives the comedian the benefit of the doubt, or at least the last word.
Still, the book is a solid, well-researched reminder of Cosby’s impact on the pop-culture landscape.
— Chris Foran
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Bringing Back The Sunshine
Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton’s public persona — a mix of smart-aleck whimsy and thoughtful sensitivity — has made him country music’s most ubiquitous male star. A full-grown man with a boyish cheekiness, his easy likability has made him a consummate award-show host, a high-profile judge on The Voice and a constant presence in ads.
His recent albums draw on both sides of this personality — but it doesn’t always work as well on record. His new Bringing Back the Sunshine connects mostly when he sounds like a busy adult trying to balance love and career.
Lonely Tonight, an impassioned love song performed as a duet with the wonderful Ashley Monroe, shows off his vocal and emotional range. Other romantic cuts, like the fiery I Need My Girl and the wistful Just South of Heaven, prove how well Shelton can deliver a well-written song.
The boyish side comes out when Shelton slips into a sweet, funky groove. The hit Neon Light is lighthearted fun, but on songs like Gonna and A Girl, where he assumes the role of a guy half his age, he stops being believable. And credibility is just as important in country music as it is when sitting in the judge’s chair.
— Michael McCall
Associated Press