Billboard CD reviews: Fantasia, Rick Ross

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Fantasia has had her share of public ups and downs in the past few years.

The season-three "American Idol" winner has at times been forced to support her family (as depicted on VH1's "Fantasia for Real"), admitted to going broke on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and was hospitalized this past week for a "medical overdose," after reports concerning her affair with a married man. But she hasn't let these situations slow her down on new album "Back to Me." Over a midtempo production on the song "I'm Doin' Me," Fantasia reclaims her independence after walking away from an unstable relationship, while in "Who's Been Lovin' You" the singer boasts atop a piano-based beat about her ability to love a former boyfriend better than his new girl. With the accompaniment of synthesizers on the track "Falling in Love Tonight," she touches on love at first sight, and she loses desire for a man on "The Thrill Is Gone" (featuring Cee-Lo). But while Fantasia delivers a soulful, laid-back album with tinges of gospel, her distinct voice is most enjoyable when she's singing heartfelt ballads, as on first single "Bittersweet" and the motivational track "I'm Here (from the musical "The Color Purple").

ARTIST: RICK ROSS

ALBUM: TEFLON DON (Maybach Music/Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam)

Despite living in a gangster's paradise -- "I think I'm Big Meech/Larry Hoover," he raps on the track "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)," referencing incarcerated gang leaders -- Rick Ross has always been a respected lyricist. His fourth studio album, "Teflon Don," further establishes the Miami rapper as one of the genre's most creative forces. Over a Lex Luger-produced beat on "MC Hammer," Ross reawakens the memory of the once-successful artist while boasting about the good life. "Aston Martin Music" (featuring Drake, one of the many well-chosen guests on the set) is a sensuous number reminiscent of the R&B flavor of his 2009 set, "Deeper Than Rap." Then there's the striking "Tears of Joy" -- "Looking in the mirror but I don't see much/Still running the streets so I don't sleep much," Ross raps unhurriedly, encouraging listeners to mull his every word. "Teflon Don" is one of this summer's blockbusters.

ARTIST: ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL & LEON RAUSCH

ALBUM: IT'S A GOOD DAY (Bismeaux Records)

Whether you're a die-hard or casual fan of Asleep at the Wheel, one thing is certain: Everything this act has ever released is simply spectacular. And the veteran Western swing band's latest album, "It's a Good Day," is no different. The set casts its spotlight on longtime Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys lead singer Leon Rausch, an icon of the genre. The 82-year-old's voice remains supple and sure-footed as he works out with the troupe on such jazz and swing standards as "Cotton Patch Blues," "Osage Stomp" and "Basin Street Blues." The diamond here is Willie Nelson's collaboration on "Truck Driver's Blues," considered country music's first anthem for truckers (written by Ted Daffan and recorded by Cliff Bruner in 1939). The band's familiar swing/boogie "Get Your Kicks (On Route 66)" takes on new life with Rausch and Asleep at the Wheel vocalist Elizabeth McQueen. As they say on the rural route, there ain't a dud in the bunch.

ARTIST: BEST COAST

ALBUM: CRAZY FOR YOU (Mexican Summer)

"I want you." "I miss you." "I wanna be with you all the time." "Wish he was my boyfriend." The ideas on Best Coast's debut album, "Crazy for You," don't get much more complicated than these. Unpoetic simplicity, carried on salty sea air, accounts for much of the band's immediate appeal. The set sounds like it was recorded by an early-'60s girl group in a riot grrrl's bedroom -- songs of summer crushes and gloomy breakups, and harmonized "ooh's" and "ah's" over the Ronettes' rhythm and grungy minor chords. Bethany Cosentino's weed-soaked croon aches with teen preoccupation and short attention span, repeating lines like "When I'm with you, I have fun" and "I hate sleeping alone" until another tanned boy catches her eye. The musical and rhythmic uniformity among these 13 tracks might lose ears beyond the album's brisk 29 minutes, but it reflects a summer ambivalence to which most anyone can relate.

ARTIST: BRANDON BOYD

ALBUM: THE WILD TRAPEZE (Epic Records)

Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd is known for his alluring vocal additions that shepherd the rock band. On his debut solo set, "The Wild Trapeze," his voice continues to lead the music. Most of these 10 tracks could easily fit into Incubus' catalog, but Boyd demonstrates his musical mastery beyond singing by also playing some of the acoustic instruments on the set. The scratchy, distorted guitar on "Here Comes Everyone" is a nice contrast to Boyd's smooth vocal delivery, and the single "Runaway Train" employs intricate harmonies. On every track, Boyd's poetic lyrics are woven through the instrumental distortion by his confident, wide-ranging vocals. The slimmed-down acoustic number "Courage and Control" showcases the singer's ability to deliver a graceful ballad, and "All Ears Avow!" turns the tables with a beat-heavy clapping style that presents Boyd's voice in full wail. "The Wild Trapeze" expresses Boyd's ingenuity outside Incubus, but it's sure to keep fans buzzing for the band's in-the-works studio album.

ARTIST: SKY SAILING

ALBUM: AN AIRPLANE CARRIED ME TO BED (Universal Republic)

Adam Young, the mastermind behind synth-pop act Owl City's 2009 breakthrough, "Ocean Eyes," returns in stripped-down acoustic form on new musical project Sky Sailing. Instead of the lighthearted references to fireflies and manta rays heard on "Ocean Eyes," Sky Sailing's debut, "An Airplane Carried Me to Bed," reveals Young's more vulnerable side. The song "Brielle" touches on lost love, and the appropriately titled "I Live Alone" deals with loneliness. Many of these melancholy tunes are dominated by slow-strumming acoustic guitar, but the pace picks up on the catchy standout track "Tennis Elbow." And on the folk-flavored cut "Steady as She Goes," Young tackles the exhilaration of chasing a dream. Straying from the electronic-laced whimsical themes of Owl City, Young takes a more simple, honest approach to songwriting with Sky Sailing, resulting in a more grounded effort.

ARTIST: HELLYEAH

ALBUM: STAMPEDE (Epic Records)

If you've ever wondered what sort of code of conduct the cowboy community lives by, the first track on this heavy-metal supergroup's sophomore disc lays it out quite clearly: "What's mine is mine/What's yours is mine," Hellyeah frontman Chad Gray growls. "It's just a cowboy's way." Featuring members of Mudvayne, Pantera, Nothingface and Damageplan, Dallas-based Hellyeah doesn't pussyfoot around on the hard-charging "Stampede," which also informs the cowboy-curious that a love-'em-and-leave-'em approach is one that potential lovers should expect. (You have to appreciate the warning.) Even the album's ballad, "Better Man," offers strong medicine, with Gray detailing the various departments in which his father disappointed him and his family. By the end of "Stampede," all that alpha-male attitude can begin to tire out a listener with less fortitude than anyone in Hellyeah. But there's no doubting these guys' burly bona fides.

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