Beck: Guero

After several style changes, Beck strikes back with his unique type of genre bending. Country, alternative, techno, and any number of other influences show up, say hi, and disappear on Guero. In that way, it is vintage Beck. However, this time he has tamed some of his quirkiness and abandoned altogether the lyrical jabberwockies that marked his early stuff. “Girl,” the third song, caught my attention. What is this? I thought. A straight song? A second listen proved me wrong, but only to a degree. Like several songs on Guero, “Girl” maintains Beck’s recognizable branding but moderates his eccentric weirdness.

Rating: * * * *

Elvis Costello: Secret, Profane & Sugarcane

Mr. Costello has been going strong since the ‘70s. I can’t imagine doing anything since the ‘70s. That’s a long time. According to an amazing statistic that is used to prove how fast life moves nowadays, we will all switch careers seven hundred times over the course of our lives. Not Elvis. He’s been able to earn a living as a singer decade after decade. Secret, Profane & Sugarcane can be summed up in a few words: rootsy, acoustic, and Nashville. It’s not going to introduce him to a new generation or anything, but it’s very good all the same.

Rating: * * * *

Todd Snider: The Excitement Plan

Todd Snider’s The Excitement Plan is a set of 12 barren country blues songs. The instrumentation is minimal and his voice is way up front in the mix. While the singing’s not good enough to take center stage, the lyrics are worth understanding (despite the ain’ts and double negatives). Mr. Snider tells interesting stories (or at least tells them in interesting ways), conveying a pleasantly folksy and homespun air. Here and there the acoustic guitar disappears in favor of a harmonica or piano. Mr. Snider would likely sound the same in your living room as he does on this record.

Rating: * * * *