The Veronicas
The Secret Life of the Veronicas (2.5 stars)
As the Veronicas, 20-year-old twin sisters Jess and Lisa Origliasso are already on their third music-biz career. The Australians released three teen-pop albums as Lisa and Jessica, and later worked as songwriters for pop singers. They've also dabbled in acting, and all of this before they're even old enough to drink (at least in the U.S.). On the Veronicas' debut, the sisters embrace the guitar-based pop sound that's been so successful for Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson and Kelly Clarkson.
For an album by a pair of successful songwriters, it's ironic that the best songs are the ones they didn't write. Teen-pop guru Max Martin, who's seamlessly transitioned from the dance pop of the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears to the current guitar-driven paradigm, contributes catchy lead single "4ever," and Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk deliver the energetic "Revolution." Unlike Ashlee Simpson, the Veronicas can actually sing, but the rest of their album is full of soppy ballads and really stupid lyrics, with only a few highlights. In other words, it's exactly like the rest of the teen pop out there.
BELLE & SEBASTIAN
The Life Pursuit (4 stars)
For all of its acclaim, Belle & Sebastian's 2003 "comeback" album, Dear Catastrophe Waitress, only truly shined in comparison to the rubbish pile that preceded it, stretching back to just after the band's mid-to-late-'90s heyday. This time, the Scots have crafted a disc with legs of its own that finally fulfills the promise of earlier, defining efforts.
Instantly identifiable as Belle & Sebastian by its sunny instrumentation, infectious hooks and twee lyrics, The Life Pursuit also finds frontman Stuart Murdoch and his merry crew stretching out, incorporating funk ("Song For Sunshine"), a '70s singer-songwriter vibe ("Mornington Crescent") and even a measure of T. Rexian glam ("The Boys Are Still Blue") atop a lush backdrop of violins, flutes and horns.
On the downside, all that commotion prevents any of the 13 tracks from ever quite conjuring the quiet, heartsick quality that made "The Fox in the Snow" or "The Boy Done Wrong Again" focal points on 1996's If You're Feeling Sinister. But even if parts of The Life Pursuit can feel like a dash toward the finish line, it's definitely a race worth lining up for.
Sergio Mendes
Timeless (3 stars)
Chali 2Na has one of the strongest, most soothing voices ever recorded, but he usually raps like it's a warning. With Jurassic 5 and especially when he used to stir the stellar Ozomatli's melting pot, he's sounded like he knows chaos could break out. But on Sergio Mendes' new album, 2Na's one of many stars who's downright chill.
Mendes, a Brazilian music legend from the '60s and '70s, has updated many of his hits, done up other Brazilian classics and even added an original tune from producer Will.I.Am. But where Will.I.Am's Black Eyed Peas would go for over-the-top, Mendes is restrained, like a wise papa who knows there's no need to rush.
True, there's no slowing Q-Tip on "The Frog," and Justin Timberlake pushes his Jackson 5 love a bit too much on "Loose Ends." But future lounge make-out hit "Please Baby Don't" cements John Legend as the male Alicia Keys, if not a worthy heir to Stevie Wonder, who's also on this album. But the best is closing track "Yes Y'all," which combines 2Na's authoritative raps with Debi Nova's sultry crooning. Nova purrs and pleads, "Don't you stop, don't you stop, don't you ever quit," but nobody replies and the song just ends, like it's daring you to play it again.