Billboard CD reviews: Tim McGraw, Joss Stone

ARTIST: TIM MCGRAW

ALBUM: SOUTHERN VOICE

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Tim McGraw is one introspective SOB, or so it seems on his latest album, "Southern Voice." He doesn't reveal any new sides to his personality on the mostly down-tempo set, but he does prove that when it rains, it pours. On the song "If I Died Today," the singer wonders who would or wouldn't miss him after death, while "I Didn't Know It at the Time" ponders the knowledge that life brings. "You Had to Be There" is a reflection of living without a father, and "Love You Goodbye" is more of the same. Standout tracks include "Ghost Town Train," which echoes the work of Glen Campbell, and "Good Girls," a dark tale of cheating with an unexpected twist. On "I'm Only Jesus," McGraw offers an interesting take on personal responsibility while singing from the perspective of Jesus Christ. "Southern Voices" is done well overall, but listeners may want to keep close a copy of McGraw's upbeat hit "I Like It, I Love It" to lighten the mood.

ARTIST: JOSS STONE

ALBUM: Color ME FREE (Virgin Records)

On "Free Me," the lead single from Joss Stone's fourth studio album, "Color Me Free," the U.K. singer indirectly addresses critics who have suggested that her sound isn't wholly original. "There's nothing that you can't do/'Cause it's all about your attitude/Don't let them get to you," she growls on the track. The notion that swagger trumps all seems to have guided Stone throughout her career -- and it's no different on "Color Me Free." She continues to hit each note with the precise amount of retro pomp that one would expect, and there are again moments when the '70s soul love affair gets a little carried away. The arrangement of the song "Parallel Lines" is every bit like Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground," and the protest "Governmentalist" (featuring rapper Nas) may as well be about Vietnam. The sublime track "Big Ole Game" (featuring fellow soul revivalist Raphael Saadiq) almost sounds like an old Al Green recording. But what's the harm in that?

ARTIST: JOE PERRY

ALBUM: HAVE GUITAR, WILL TRAVEL (Roman Records)

At the beginning of 2009, Joe Perry didn't plan to record a solo album, but the guitarist wound up making the most fully realized set he's created outside of Aerosmith. Started after Steven Tyler's health problems halted sessions for the band's next album, "Have Guitar, Will Travel" finds Perry following up his self-titled 2005 album with 10 songs that travel happily and energetically, from the sinewy synthesizer groove of "We've Got a Long Way to Go" to the blues-rooted shuffles of "Slingshot" and "No Surprise." "Do You Wonder" is a rootsy number, while the instrumental "Wooden Ships" is a dedication to the late Les Paul. Perry gets strong backing from a cast that includes German singer Hagen (a YouTube find), periodic Aerosmith fill-in bassist David Hull and drummer Ben Tileston. Perry tosses out a few lyrical messages in tracks like "Freedom," the hymn-like "Oh Lord (21 Grams)" and the epic "Heaven and Hell," but the star here is the titular guitar, which is as unleashed as it's ever been on any Perry project.

ARTIST: GUSTAVO CERATI

ALBUM: FUERZA NATURAL (Sony Music Latin)

"I never felt so fine," Gustavo Cerati sings on the title track to his new album, "Fuerza Natural" -- and then proves it with a set of intricately crafted and introspective folky melodies, psychedelic splashes and power pop. Cerati's storied past as frontman of the seminal Argentine pop-rock trio Soda Stereo hasn't overshadowed his solo career. On his first album after the group's successful 2007 reunion tour of Latin America and the United States, he echoes the sound of Soda and honors the Beatles, while moving forward with a pared-down acoustic sound incorporating subtle beats and celestial strings. From a sort of galactic country song ("Convoy") to a more typical driving guitar track ("Domino") to a perfect rock ballad ("Cactus"), Cerati shows a musical sophistication that reaches far beyond your average Latin pop fare. But his South American heart and soul are revealed in the lyrical beauty of the hypnotic songs on this set.

ARTIST: DEAD BY SUNRISE

ALBUM: OUT OF ASHES (Warner Bros. Records)

There's a question that lingers when listening to the debut album from Dead by Sunrise, the new project from Linkin Park's Chester Bennington: What can he do musically in this setting that he can't in his day job? The answer, apparently, is quite a bit. Bennington's emotive vocals and a similar quiet-to-loud dynamic identify Dead by Sunrise with Linkin Park, but "Out of Ashes" is grittier and more punk-driven. This is best displayed on the punchy groove of "Crawl Back In," the blistering cadence driving "Inside of Me," the three-chord attack of "My Suffering" and the butt-kicking rock of "End of the World." Bennington and his Dead by Sunrise bandmates (who hail from the electronic rock band Julien-K) also display a deft touch with atmospherics and textures on tracks like "Too Late," "Give Me Your Name" and the Goth-tinged "Let Down," among others. On the opening track, "Fire," Bennington searches for "a way to keep my pain from burning down to the bone." But his agony is the listener's sonic gain, so let it burn.

ARTIST: N'DAMBI

ALBUM: PINK ELEPHANT (Stax Records/Concord)

Singer-songwriter N'Dambi has been a darling of the indie-soul movement since the release of her 1999 debut, "Little Lost Girls Blues." With the arrival of her major-label debut, "Pink Elephant," the mainstream audience can finally hear her gut-rousing brand of soul. A former backup singer for Erykah Badu, N'Dambi possesses a rich, earthy voice that grabs the listener from the very first note. Coupled with lyrics that keenly observe life's frequent ironies, her vocals add a striking depth to each song. Helping the singer bridge her contemporary and classic soul influences is R&B veteran Leon Sylvers. Whether discoursing on pursuing your dreams, reaffirming the bonds of love or sarcastically bemoaning the inability to sever a bad relationship, N'Dambi proves that she's every bit the real deal -- one of the talented few who can truly make the listener feel a song.

ARTIST: BRANDI CARLILE

ALBUM: GIVE UP THE GHOST (Columbia Records)

Brandi Carlile knows how to wring every last emotion from a lyric. On her third studio album, "Give Up the Ghost," the singer-songwriter channels heartache, fear, nostalgia and joy in nearly the same breath, creating a vivid pastiche of alt-folk pop. The best evidence of this is the song "Before It Breaks," a haunting post-breakup ballad full of Robert Frost-like imagery, where she sorrowfully sings, "Will the collar on my coat, Lord help me, kill off the cold/Will the rain drops sting my eyes or keep them closed?" By contrast, the uptempo track "Caroline" soars merrily, with a welcome cameo on vocals and piano by Elton John. Meanwhile, the cut "Touching the Ground" is more subtle but no less arresting as Carlile sings over simple guitar strums, "Why do my troubles turn true/Whenever I rest my eyes on you?" "Give Up the Ghost" is another rich offering from this distinctive talent.

ARTIST: LUKE BRYAN

ALBUM: DOIN' MY THING (Capitol Nashville)

Luke Bryan's recent single "Do I" (which first appeared on his latest EP and is now on his second album, "Doin' My Thing") is a bona fide three-hanky lost-love ballad. But the listener won't be sniffling through the spirited 11-song "Doin' My Thing," which begins with the winking witticisms of the Brad Paisley-like song "Rain Is a Good Thing," followed by the buoyant pop of the title track. "Welcome to the Farm" is kind of a contemporary take on "Green Acres" that blends Bryan's country and rock sides, and the cover of OneRepublic's "Apologize" allows the singer to explore more soulful territory. Meanwhile, "Drinkin' Beer and Wastin' Bullets" is a hard-driving Southern rocker about deer hunting, while "Every Time I See You" and "Chuggin' Along" should keep Bryan's country credentials in good standing.