Tim McGraw, “Sundown Heaven Town” (Big Machine)
Twenty years after his breakthrough hit, “Indian Outlaw,” Tim McGraw still pushes at country music’s boundaries. His new album, “Sundown Heaven Town,” incorporates contemporary Nashville flourishes while holding onto McGraw’s signature sound — a moody, atmospheric tone developed over the years with producer Byron Gallimore.
The album hits several creative peaks, but bogs down with too many forgettable, mid-tempo tunes.
At age 47, McGraw hits home with reflective songs about love and modern life — especially those of a mature Southern man seeking balance between the past and present. His recent hit, “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s,” a duet with wife Faith Hill, epitomizes his strengths. McGraw’s tempered voice, all restrained emotion, conveys how the anchor of family helps him deal with the pressures of daily life.
His current single, “Shotgun Rider,” and complicated relationship songs like “Sick of Me,” show how good McGraw is at real-life situations, buoyed by Gallimore’s atmospheric production. The veteran also offers a welcome surprise with “Diamond Rings And Barstools,” which brings a contemporary context to old-school country sounds and themes.
But too many hazy sentiments — in the songs “City Lights,” “Looking For That Girl,” “Keep on Truckin”’ — keep the collection from achieving the glowing consistency of McGraw’s best work.
Mendes spreads joy of Brazil’s music
Sergio Mendes, “Magic” (Okeh)
Sergio Mendes continues his mission of spreading the joy of Brazilian music to a global audience on new album “Magic.”
That mission began nearly 50 years ago when he helped merge bossa nova with jazz and enjoyed commercial success with Brasil ‘66’s bossa nova-flavored arrangements of pop tunes. Now, at 73, Mendes doesn’t indulge in nostalgia, instead offering mostly new songs that he wrote or co-wrote, blending contemporary styles with Brazilian rhythms in sometimes unexpected collaborations with musicians from different genres.
The album opens and closes with two exuberant sambas that reunite Mendes, John Powell and Carlinhos Brown, who collaborated on the music for the animated “Rio” films. “Simbora (Let’s Go)” and “One Nation,” also on the official FIFA World Cup album, are both guaranteed to get the body moving.
The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, who recorded a hip-hop version of Brasil ‘66’s breakthrough hit “Mas Que Nada” with Mendes in 2006, produced the funky “My, My, My, My Love,” mixing electronic percussion with Mendes’ hard-driving acoustic piano. John Legend contributes his own sensuous lyrics and smooth R&B vocals on “Don’t Say Goodbye” over Mendes’ bossa arrangement, while Janelle Monae easily adapts to bossa with some airy vocals on “Visions of You.”
But “Magic” above all spotlights emerging and established Brazilian artists, including Mendes’ wife, singer Gracinha Leporace, featured on Toninho Horta’s “When I Fell in Love,” a percussive tribute to Brazil’s African-influenced Bahia state.
Milton Nascimento’s trademark falsetto can be heard on his playful tune, “Olha a Rua,” while gravel-voiced Seu Jorge sings/speaks his way through the samba “Sou Eu” composed by Mendes’ mentor Moacir Santos. Ana Carolina sings the ethereal ballad “Atlantica,” engaging in a tender vocal duet with Mendes, sensitively accompanied by the song’s composer, the master guitarist Guinga. The younger generation is represented by Maria Gadu, who co-wrote “Meu Rio” with Mendes, on which her powerful dusky vocals build to a rollicking climax.
Mendes wears many hats here — as a pianist, vocalist, composer, bandleader and producer — yet magically weaves this eclectic mix together as he enjoys a late-career revival.
George Strait’s last concert album a gift to fans
George Strait, “The Cowboy Rides Away: Live From AT&T Stadium” (MCA Nashville)
The 20-song “Cowboy Rides Away: Live From AT&T Stadium” documents what was billed as Country Music Hall of Fame member George Strait’s final concert. Held on June 7 in Arlington, Texas, the event was more celebration than concert — where the waves of cheers play as big of a role as the voices and musicians.
The guest-heavy lineup leans on modern stars such as Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Miranda Lambert more than Strait’s peers or influences. Several cuts are reduced to karaoke sing-alongs, with the guests providing harmony vocals or taking a single stanza. But memorable cuts surface, such as a powerful version of “A Showman’s Life,” with Faith Hill on backing vocals.
There are other special moments. Strait reveals a playful side on a spirited duet with the great Martina McBride on the Johnny Cash-June Carter hit “Jackson.” He and Alan Jackson stick up for country traditions on “Murder on Music Row.” And Strait finds new emotion, given the circumstances, in songs like “Give It All You Got Tonight.” The highlight is a spoken recitation in “I’ll Always Remember You,” when Strait thanks his fans for a career that far out-distanced his dreams.
This live record isn’t the place to sample Strait’s long list of hits. It is, however, a gift to those who hate to see this legendary cowboy ride off into the sunset.
Associated Press
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