Billboard album reviews: Mellencamp, Veloso

ARTIST: JOHN MELLENCAMP

ALBUM: FREEDOM'S ROAD

NEW YORK (Billboard) - For three decades-plus, Mellencamp's music has represented Middle America and its blue-collar values. "Freedom's Road" is no different. That's not to say his latest release is stale. The garage band feel of the album -- which was, in fact, recorded in a garage -- breathes new life into Mellencamp's common-man themes. Indeed, his first album of originals in five years shows he's as in touch with the working man as ever. The collection has a decidedly retro feel, but that doesn't mean it isn't relevant. Some question the "Authority Song" singer's credibility after he allowed Chevy to use "Our Country" to advertise a sport utility vehicle, but it doesn't diminish the song's insightful look into rural America. Other highlights include his duet with Joan Baez on "Jim Crow," the haunting "Rural Route" and the ultra Mellencamp-y "My Aeroplane."

ARTIST: CAETANO VELOSO

ALBUM: CE (Nonesuch)

Brazil's gift to popular music, Veloso has crossed many stylistic borders in his prolific career, from straight-up bossa to rule-breaking tropicalia fusion. But on "ce," he shifts gears with robust vitality and delivers what he calls his "clandestine rock album." Conceived while he was preparing to record a collection of sambas, the disc spotlights Veloso blasting off with raw, beat-driven fuel in the company of a band of youngsters who animate and invigorate him. He breaks out of the gate with the high-voltage "Outro/Other," which opens with the lines, translated into English: "You won't recognize me/Even when I go right by you." Recorded without postproduction Pro Tools fidgeting, "ce" features 12 originals (a first for Veloso) that run the pop gamut from dance-crazy rockers to quirky new-wave soundscapes to lyrical slow songs, all sung in Portuguese. Highly recommended.

ARTIST: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE QUEEN

ALBUM: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE QUEEN (Virgin)

If Danger Mouse's last big project, Gnarls something-or-other, existed in a zany monster movie, his new one takes place in the buildup scenes, where, say, a bunch of explorers are wandering around a misty, lost island. GBQ is a Damon Albarn-orchestrated supergroup featuring the Mouse, Clash bassist Paul Simonon and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, but despite the seeming firepower, things stay at an extremely controlled simmer throughout. Albarn uses his big-ticket friends as judiciously as possible, but though he's going for wartime detachment, he rarely locks into a memorable melody. And though Simonon gets all dubbed-out, and Danger Mouse helps create a sonic London fog, the whole thing is also, well, sort of boring. As was the case with the Gorillaz, Albarn's clearly into the concept (rickety chill-out), but as an album, "The Good, the Bad and the Queen" seems to be waiting for a payoff that never materializes.

ARTIST: ERIC BIBB

ALBUM: DIAMOND DAYS (Telarc)

Eric Bibb has an elegant, earthy feel for blues, folk and gospel -- it is so innate that every song he tracks nowadays is a seamless blend of these genres. "Diamond Days" is Bibb's unique musical alchemy and quite possibly his most perfect expression of what he's about as a musician. These dozen original tunes each move in their own way. The songwriting is superb, the production values are solid, and Bibb's performance is deep. Listen to a great-grandma's advice on "Tall Cotton," the sweet groove of "Shine On" and the shout-down gospel rock of "In My Father's House." Drop in on this disc anywhere you like. There's no wrong place to start getting acquainted with this extraordinary piece of work.

ARTIST: PHIL KEAGGY

ALBUM: DREAM AGAIN (Strobie Records)

Keaggy is an acclaimed guitarist (the late Chet Atkins was a fan) who usually lets his fingers do the talking. But his singer/songwriter persona takes center stage on this highly personal acoustic effort. When it comes to vocal delivery, Keaggy falls more in the stylist category, but what he lacks in range, he more than makes up for in earnest charm and sincerity. The subjects here are close to his heart. "It's You and Me" was written for his longtime wife, Bernadette. "Kathy's Song" is a loving tribute to his sister, and "There With You" was penned for daughter Olivia. On the other side of the creative coin, "Why" takes a long hard look at the turmoil in today's world. Keaggy may be revered as one of the industry's best guitarists, but this album reveals that his pen is just as mighty as his ax.

ARTIST: VARIOUS ARTISTS

ALBUM: JUMP IN! (Walt Disney Records)

The soundtrack to the Disney Channel's latest musical gets repetitive, what with all the frenetically paced pop-hop tunes about giving it all you've got. Then again, it is a movie about Double Dutch. Actress Keke Palmer ("Akeelah and the Bee"), who co-stars in the movie, doesn't wow with her vocals, and neither does designated dreamboat Corbin Bleu ("High School Musical"). But there are some quirky gems, notably the dancehall-rock production on Jupiter Rising's "Go! (Jump In! Mix)," the mature voice of Jordan Pruitt on "Jump to the Rhythm" and the "Planet Rock"-inspired "Gotta Lotta" by Prima J. Other Mouse-bitten old-school tunes include T-Squad's "Vertical," which channels Cameo's '80s hit "Word Up," and an inevitable House of Pain rehash, "Jump."

Reuters/Billboard