Billboard CD reviews: Herbie Hancock, Marina & the Diamonds

ARTIST: HERBIE HANCOCK

ALBUM: THE IMAGINE PROJECT

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Whether or not Herbie Hancock's newest release, "The Imagine Project," wins the album of the year Grammy Award in 2011 (he received the honor in 2008 for "River: The Joni Letters"), it's certainly eligible for some sort of frequent-flier miles prize. Traveling to multiple countries, Hancock and co-producer Larry Klein assembled an international array of talent to make an obvious but not overbearing statement about unity and world peace. Pink, Seal, India.Arie and Jeff Beck help turn John Lennon's "Imagine" into a rich, Caribbean-flavored chorale, while Los Lobos and Canadian rapper K'Naan join Malian Tuareg troupe Tinariwen on a trancey coupling of the latter's "Tamatant Tilay" with Bob Marley's "Exodus." And Derek Trucks trades licks with Hancock, while Susan Tedeschi sings a gritty, gospelized take on Joe Cocker's "Space Captain." Other key contributions come from Dave Matthews (the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows") and James Morrison (Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come"). Amid all this, Hancock holds his own as a visionary and pianist, playing just enough to be present but also serving as a gracious host to his distinguished guests.

ARTIST: MARINA & THE DIAMONDS

ALBUM: THE FAMILY JEWELS (Chop Shop/Atlantic Records)

Some pop singers have plenty of attitude but lack the pipes to back it up. Not so with British singer Marina Diamandis, who performs under the moniker Marina & the Diamonds. On her debut album, "The Family Jewels," Diamandis backs up her bark with a promising bite. The cabaret-flavored song "Hermit the Frog" finds the Welsh singer delivering sharp lyrics with the vocal strength and confidence of Annie Lennox. From the romping track "Girls" to the orchestral pop of album closer "Numb," Diamandis knows no bounds. And that means no one is safe, whether it's an insecure lover in need of tough love ("I Am Not a Robot"), the in-crowd ("The Outsider") or the singer herself. And the synth-heavy standout "Oh No!" finds a success-obsessed Diamandis singing, "TV taught me how to feel/Now real life has no appeal."

ARTIST: NAS & DAMIAN 'JR. GONG' MARLEY

ALBUM: DISTANT RELATIVES (Universal Republic)

It's tempting to focus primarily on the messages of the collaborative debut between rapper Nas and reggae royalty Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. "Distant Relatives" centers on Africa as the origin of and link among civilizations and the struggles of those who live on the continent or descended from it. The lyrics are alternately thoughtful and well-worn. But the themes are communicated best through the music, a dynamic hybrid of the genres each artist has mastered, coupled with African- and African-American-derived rhythms. On the track "As We Enter," Nas and Marley seamlessly but distinctly trade rhymes like "I got the guns," "I got the ganja" over blends of African, funk and hip-hop beats. Heavy reggae and jazz dominate "Nah Mean," while "Count Your Blessings" is a thankful jam that somersaults from R&B to rap to disco. Children's gospel choirs and Joss Stone make somewhat unnecessary appearances, but musically the project impressively meets its goal of cultural connection.

ARTIST: TRACEY THORN

ALBUM: LOVE AND ITS OPPOSITE (Merge Records)

Everything but the Girl's Tracey Thorn has a voice that is lush and haunting, while also understated and relatable. It's such a touching instrument that it barely needs accompaniment. Thorn's third solo album, "Love and Its Opposite," honors her vocals with arrangements that are beautifully minimalist. The 10 tracks are meditations on the many phases and life stages of love and lovers, beginning with wistful stunner "Oh, the Divorces!" On the track, Thorn reflects on the relationships collapsing around her and how they reflect upon her own. A married woman looks elsewhere for intimacy on the poignant "Singles Bar," while "Hormones" playfully muses on anxiety and unpredictability. Album closer "Swimming" is a gorgeous, dreamy and hopeful lament about the end of an affair. Throughout, restrained lines of guitar, synth and strings construct sultry noir beats and flowing harmonies that nimbly support Thorn's narratives. Everything but the Girl fans might miss the duo's dancey leanings, but Thorn proves that her voice is enough to transcend genre preferences.

ARTIST: THE BLACK KEYS

ALBUM: BROTHERS (Nonesuch Records)

It takes a tight musical alliance to forge a complete rock sound without full band support. In that sense, singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Pat Carney, who make up the blues-rock duo the Black Keys, are true soul brothers. Entirely produced by the Black Keys (except for the Danger Mouse-helmed song "Tighten Up"), the pair's latest album, "Brothers," lures with its spooky throwback sound, preternatural grooves and dark bluesy jams. The 15-song set opens on a sunny note with the gospel-tinged track "Everlasting Light," which boasts a charming vintage cackle and tuneful verses. The acid-blues follow-up "Next Girl" touches on bitter romance with the sage lyrics "Well, the look of the cake/It ain't always the taste" and the caustic couplet "My next girl/She'll be nothing like my ex-girl." "Brothers" bursts with gritty garage soul, resonating with retro grooves like "Tighten Up," creeping with Screamin' Jay Hawkins eeriness on the reverb-driven blues ballad "Ten Cent Pistol" and oozing old school from start to finish.

ARTIST: JANELLE MONAE

ALBUM: THE ARCHANDROID (Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy Recordings)

As her cyborg alter-ego Cindi Mayweather, eccentric 24-year-old singer Janelle Monae embarks on a sprawling journey of futuristic pop marked with the wonderment of a Pixar epic on her latest album, "The ArchAndroid." With a vast array of musical styles, Monae and her band echo the pop-funk of Michael Jackson ("Locked Inside") and Prince (on the Of Montreal-assisted "Make the Bus"). The timelessness of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" is finessed into the lilting piano ballad "Say You'll Go." Throughout the set, sweeping and prancing strings add beauty and drama to a vibrant storyline that centers on love. Manipulating her voice as much as she does her sound, Monae widens the cast of characters and pushes the self-explorative narrative. "The ArchAndroid" could be the stuff of stage or screen, 3-D without the annoying glasses.

ARTIST: JAMIE LIDELL

ALBUM: COMPASS (Warp Records)

British retro-soul crooner Jamie Lidell's fourth album, "Compass," takes listeners down an electro-funk path blazed by its fair share of rock collaborators. The set heralds the return of frequent Lidell cohorts Feist and Chilly Gonzales, along with support from Wilco's Pat Sansone and additional production provided by Beck and Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor. Lidell's glitchy beatbox evolves into a pulsing industrial grind on opening track "Completely Exposed." "Enough's Enough" recalls the uptempo grooves of Sly & the Family Stone, and the singer's lilting tenor soars above a bloated bass line on the supremely funky track "The Ring." Beck's heady DIY production approach is felt on the song "Big Drift," which features backing vocals by Feist. Even as his piecework band stretches the sound in unexpected directions, Lidell -- like a peculiar cross of Prince and Otis Redding -- remains confidently true to his soul vision, creating a tense musical discourse that wrings raw emotion from each eclectic track.