Billboard CD reviews: Pat Metheny, Lady Antebellum

ARTIST: PAT METHENY

ALBUM: ORCHESTRION

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Well into his fourth decade of jazz stardom, guitarist Pat Metheny has pretty much done it all, from recording in a variety of formats to working with colorful collaborators. Metheny has gone the solo route before, but his latest release, "Orchestrion," puts an entirely innovative spin on it. The main voice of the album's five expansive tracks is Metheny's signature electric guitar, but he also plays the keys and various rhythm instruments. Additionally, he uses guitar-bots (self-playing guitar robots) and radically employs an array of custom-made acoustic instruments that were invented for his sonic explorations. The most obvious distinction from past releases is the richly textured soundscape of unusual tones that Metheny harmonizes with on with his guitar. As a result, "Orchestrion" -- especially on the rollicking title track and the percussion-tinged "Spirit of the Air" -- surprises and exhilarates. Plus: Robots!

ARTIST: LADY ANTEBELLUM

ALBUM: NEED YOU NOW (Capitol Records)

"Need You Now," the sophomore album of Nashville-based Lady Antebellum (named vocal group of the year at the 2009 Country Music Assn. Awards) will be a genre fixture this year. On the title track, the trio's Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott harmonize on a melancholy tune about a bittersweet breakup and drunken yearning, and on "Love This Pain," Kelley shows off his vocal slyness and rough tenor with the accompaniment of lively guitar strings and pounding drums. And tracks like the riff-heavy, rock 'n' roll romp "Stars Tonight" and the delicate arrangement of "Ready to Love Again" highlight the trio's musical growth. The new set -- Lady A's follow-up to its self-titled debut in 2008 -- showcases the group's ability to combine its contemporary country sound and folk-rock flair with a familiar formula, making it a refreshing addition to the ever-expanding country genre.

ARTIST: SADE

ALBUM: SOLDIER OF LOVE (Sony)

Suave production? Check. Heart-piercing lyrics? Check. Sensual, husky-voiced singer? Check. Those are just some of the things Sade fans can expect from the group's new album, "Soldier of Love." The release is Sade's first new material in 10 years, but the act hasn't lost a beat. Over marching band drums and smeared electric guitar riffs on the title track, lead singer Sade Adu croons, "I've lost the use of my heart, but I'm still alive." And with the help of choppy violins and simple drums on the song "The Moon and the Sky," she declares her devotion to a former lover, singing, "You could let me love anyone, but I only wanted you." The heartfelt track "Morning Bird" is packed with strings, piano strokes and tambourine clatter, while "Be That Easy" is reminiscent of a country love song, with guitars and whistles. Standout track "In Another Time" features saxophone and a stunning violin arrangement, proving that good music stands the test of time.

ARTIST: VAMPIRE WEEKEND

ALBUM: CONTRA (XL Recordings)

Vampire Weekend's second album, "Contra," finds the New York-based band pushing its eclectic, intellectual indie rock further, using a mash-up of musical genres, clever wordplay and emotional heft. The group also adds some international flair to the new set. On the anomalous reverb-washed opener, "Horchata," thumping drums accompany a Bollywood-sounding harmony, while "California English" exhibits Ivy League rhyme skills, swirling strings and singer Ezra Koenig's idiosyncratic Auto-Tune vocals, which give the track a calypso vibe that's more futuristic new wave than T-Pain. First single "Cousins" incorporates a trashing punk bassline and a powerful rhythm section, and "I Think Ur a Contra" is the first Vampire Weekend song to use an acoustic guitar. Koenig's falsetto and austere piano on the track is unlike anything found on the band's 2008 self-titled debut -- or anywhere else, for that matter.

ARTIST: OK GO

ALBUM: OF THE BLUE Color OF THE SKY (Capitol Records)

The members of OK Go have always been known more for the zaniness of their music videos (like their 2006 treadmill-based YouTube favorite "Here It Goes Again") than for the zaniness of their music. Working with Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann, OK Go seems determined to change that on its latest album, "Of the Blue Color of the Sky," an effort that reflects a broadening of the group's stylistic palette. The set careens confidently from the Prince-inspired fuzz-funk of opener "WTF?" to the slinky live-band R&B of "I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe" to "This Too Shall Pass," a thudding psych-pop anthem in the mold of "Kids" by MGMT. It's not all so good-naturedly goofy. On "While You Were Asleep," frontman Damian Kulash floats his heartbroken croon over a zero-gravity space-soul groove, while "Last Leaf" is hushed acoustic folk that should please fans of late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith.

ARTIST: SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR

ALBUM: GRACE (Shanachie Records)

The Soweto Gospel Choir's latest album, "Grace," is easily as exuberant and inspired as any of its past efforts. The aptly titled 19-song set -- the South African group's fourth release on Shanachie Records -- is a creative blending of traditional South African gospel numbers with elegantly conceived arrangements of contemporary tunes, such as "Voices on the Wind." The choir's performance is a sustained display of individual and ensemble virtuosity, underwritten by its deep spiritual sensibility. The track "Eli" is an infectious cut reminiscent of the township jive that is one of the foundational styles of South African pop music. Lucas Bok's gospel-inflected arrangement of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is another highlight. Traditional South African gospel piece "Muphulusi" features the choir accompanied only by hand drums and a strong solo vocal from Bongani Khumalo, and Sipokazi Nxumalo's gentle delivery of "Prayer for South Africa" is also a noteworthy vocal performance.

ARTIST: FREEDY JOHNSTON

ALBUM: RAIN ON THE CITY (Bar None Records)

Singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston's moment as a critical supernova passed quickly enough during the '90s that probably few have noticed he hasn't released an album of new material since 2001. But his richly written and confidently performed new set, "Rain on the City," is a wake-up call that Johnston indeed left a hole with his recording absence. He makes up for the lost time on these 11 songs. Moving between Americana sass and Greenwich Village earnestness -- with subtle touches of psychedelia ("Lonely Penny"), soul ("The Devil Raises His Own") and bossa nova ("The Kind of Love We're In") -- Johnston delivers another album of nuanced and evocative tunes laced with vivid imagery and emotional depth. The song "What You Cannot See, You Cannot Fight" closes the set with a father's devastating address to a son after his mother's death. With tracks like these, let's hope there isn't as long of a pause between Johnston's projects next time.

ARTIST: MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK

ALBUM: MY DINOSAUR LIFE (Sony)

Minneapolis rock act Motion City Soundtrack offers up a darker shade of pop-punk on its fourth album and major-label debut, "My Dinosaur Life." On the set, produced by Blink-182's Mark Hoppus (who first worked with the group on its 2005 album, "Commit This to Memory"), Motion City Soundtrack tones down its perky synths in favor of heavier guitars, while maintaining the earnest vocals for which it has become known. Over pulsating guitar on the track "A Lifeless Ordinary (Need a Little Help)," singer/guitarist Justin Pierre laments, "I didn't think I would make it/ Thought everybody was against me/All those conquered eyes and Christmases alone." Pierre's voice strains over a mix of eerie and rollicking punk riffs on the single "Disappear," and the band's familiar sardonic lyrics are featured most notably on the foul-mouthed romp "@!#?@!." Motion City Soundtrack's smart-aleck tendencies combine nicely with a harder sound on "My Dinosaur Life," pushing the band back to its roots with enough twist to propel it in a new direction.