Billboard CD reviews: Drive-By Truckers, The Chieftains

ARTIST: DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS

ALBUM: THE BIG TO-DO

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Drive-By Truckers know all about big to-dos, whether it's releasing a full-blown "Southern Rock Opera" or such sweeping conceptual pieces as "The Dirty South" and their last studio album, 2008's "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." By those standards the band's latest release, "The Big To-Do," is a modest affair: a collection of unconnected -- though certainly related -- songs that traverse all sorts of Southern terrain and situations. The group's songwriting trio (mainly Patterson Hood) offers the usual array of potent guitar riffs, stomping hard rock and vivid lyricism -- the last of which particularly surfaces in Hood's chronicle of "The Flying Wallendas" and the true-life murder tale "The Wig He Made Her Wear." The buoyant "This F---ing Job" and the boogie "Get Downtown" speak to the current economic climate, while the Truckers shift gears with the ethereal ambience of the Shonna Tucker-sung "You Got Another" and the gentle album closer, "Eyes Like Glue." Those tracks also highlight the impact that keyboardist Jay Gonzalez is making on the band.

ARTIST: THE CHIEFTAINS FEATURING RY COODER

ALBUM: SAN PATRICIO (Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group)

The latest collaboration between the Chieftains and Ry Cooder symbolizes more than the union of two of the most respected names in world music; there's also a powerful thematic concept at work here. An unlikely alliance formed by the fusion of the Chieftains' traditional Irish music with Cooder's wide-ranging Latin sounds, new album "San Patricio" relates the little-known story of a group of immigrant Irish soldiers who deserted the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War and instead fought with the Mexicans. An all-star cast pitches in to help tell the tale: Singer Lila Downs opens the album with "La Iguana," on which uilleann pipes jostle for space with fluttering mariachi guitar, while actor Liam Neeson narrates "March to Battle (Across the Rio Grande)" against a backdrop provided in part by California's Los Cenzontles. Other guests include Linda Ronstadt, Van Dyke Parks and Los Tigres del Norte (who both appear on "Cancion Mixteca"). The result is as thrilling as it is enlightening.

ARTIST: PETER GABRIEL

ALBUM: SCRATCH MY BACK (EMI Label Services)

Peter Gabriel apparently doesn't want to be your "Sledgehammer" anymore. The incoming Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's first studio album in eight years, "Scratch My Back," hits softly, with mostly lush orchestrations rather than typical rock 'n' roll trappings. As the title suggests, the set is a collaboration with other artists in which Gabriel covers one of their songs and they, in turn, plan to do the same for one of his on a subsequent album, "I'll Scratch Yours." He treats David Bowie's "Heroes" with shimmering strings and Paul Simon's "Boy in the Bubble" as a mellow piano ballad. The dark ebb and flow of "My Body Is a Cage" gives the Arcade Fire song a proggy veneer, while subtly deployed strings lend an even more romantic tinge to Lou Reed's "The Power of the Heart." It may take listeners a while to wrap their heads (and ears) around "Scratch My Back," but it undoubtedly will polarize an audience that has long awaited something new from Gabriel.

ARTIST: MIGUEL BOSE

ALBUM: CARDIO (Warner Music Latina)

A pop icon in his native Spain since the '70s, Miguel Bose is no stranger to lycra and headbands. And though he maintains that the title of his new album, "Cardio," is a reference to the Greek word for "heart," these tracks are destined for workout playlists throughout the Spanish-speaking world. From the bouncy electro-pop title track to the echoes of the Ziggy Stardust phase of his idol David Bowie on "Hay?" to the Bollywood-tinged "Ayurvedico," Bose's seductive frivolity is in full force. The lusty rap "Jurame" was inspired by the 2009 humanitarian Paz Sin Fronteras concert Bose organized with Juanes in Havana, and "Eso No" is a poignant power ballad that could be an anthem for his gay followers. "Cardio," the follow-up to his 2007 hit album, "Papito" (a duets album honoring his 30-year career), is brimming with retro flavor. While his music might not be completely original, Bose overcomes any thin spots in his repertoire with his personal flair, a charming combination of sophistication and camp.

ARTIST: LIL WAYNE

ALBUM: REBIRTH (Young Money/Cash Money/Universal)

Lil Wayne's long-awaited new album, "Rebirth," is his first full-length release since the multimillion-selling "Tha Carter III" in 2008, and the rapper's first attempt at recording a true rock record. Tame punk-driven guitar licks may eclipse hard basslines, while Wayne maintains his willingness to be lyrically venturesome. The adolescent angst of lead single "Prom Queen" is just one of his rudimentary musings, and on the almost suicidal-sounding "Runnin'" (featuring newcomer Shanell), he despairingly sings, "I'm runnin' out of time, I'm runnin' out of space/Feel like I'm runnin' round, but I'm runnin' in place." "Rebirth" also finds Wayne exploring speedy pop-punk rhythms ("The Price Is Wrong"), but he still favors the balancing act between Auto-Tuned wailing and unhinged MC'ing ("Paradice"). Although the cleaner melodies and pop polish seem to mute the rapper's stream-of-consciousness salvos, he shines on "Drop the World," featuring Eminem.

ARTIST: JOANNA NEWSOM

ALBUM: HAVE ONE ON ME (Drag City)

It's hard to imagine folk singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom following up her five-song, 55-minute 2006 sophomore album, "Ys," with an even more ambitious release. Spanning 18 tracks and three discs, Newsom's third effort, "Have One on Me," ups the ante not only in quantity but also in musical diversity. The majestic arrangements of "Ys" are expanded, with crackling drums on the new track "Good Intentions Paving Company" and a lonely horn section on "You and Me, Bess." Other songs, like "'81," feature little more than a twinkling harp and vocals, but Newsom's songwriting evokes the same hypnotizing effect as early Joni Mitchell. The most powerful tracks combine sparseness and excessive instrumentation, as in the slow build of "Baby Birch." Newsom's wispy singing style may still be too inaccessible for some, but hardcore fans will savor the growing vocal confidence during the two-hour-plus running time. In an era of quick musical fixes, "Have One on Me" is a spacious artistic statement too original to pass up.

ARTIST: BLAKE SHELTON

ALBUM: HILLBILLY BONES (Warner Bros. Records)

Blake Shelton's six-song "Hillbilly Bone" may be a marketing and sales experiment by Warner Bros. Records, but fans of the Oklahoman artist won't be disappointed. The title-track lead single (featuring Trace Adkins) is a rollicking, redneck celebration of all things stereotypically Southern, including F-150s, blue jeans and fiddles. And although "Kiss My Country Ass," which conjures Hank Williams Jr. and honky-tonks, won't go down as the most original song in history, it's still a fun listen. On "Almost Alright," Shelton channels the carefree island feel of Jimmy Buffett while singing about getting over a lover with the help of a couple of beers. The album's highlight is "Delilah," inspired by his girlfriend Miranda Lambert's dog of the same name.

ARTIST: LITTLE BOOTS

ALBUM: HANDS (Elektra Records)

Nearly nine months after the U.K. release of singer-songwriter Little Boots' debut album, "Hands," stateside listeners will finally have the opportunity to acquaint themselves with a shining British talent who puts a futuristic spin on pop music. Little Boots surrounds herself with complex electronic tracks that collapse into each other like dominoes, with such producers as RedOne and Greg Kurstin contributing energetic beats. "New in Town" and "Earthquake" provide a vivacious one-two opening punch, while "Remedy" is a gorgeous synthesis of Girls Aloud's chic pop and Kylie Minogue's light-as-air atmosphere. For an album with crowded electro-pop instrumentation, the music isn't overbearing, and Little Boots' cheeky lyrics never lose any of their dry attitude. Despite the later U.S. release date, none of the glittery tracks on "Hands" have lost their luster; if anything, Little Boots may find more stateside success in a post-Lady Gaga pop landscape.