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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 21, 2008

Updated:

THE WATSON TWINS:

FIRE SONGS

(VANGUARD) ***

"Fire Songs" may not be the first description that comes to mind for this collection of mostly languid, country- and folk-tinged pop. But if The Watson Twins (Chandra and Leigh) don't burst into flame, they generate plenty of warmth with a steady smolder.

The sisters began their act a decade ago but first came to major prominence when they worked with Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis on 2006's "Rabbit Fur Coat." "Fire Songs" works similar ground - "Map to Where You Are" could just as easily have been sung by Lewis. But the Watsons go a long way toward establishing their own identity on terse, lean numbers such as "Dig a Little Deeper," and on a sweet remake of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven."

Download this: "Sky Open Up"

Curtis Ross

NAS:

UNTITLED

(DEF JAM) ***

Nas has never been one to shy away from controversy. In fact, he has often courted it. He stirred up a lot of it when he decided to name his latest CD after the N-word.

Pressured to change the title, he would leave the CD untitled, but the content stayed the same: the condition of blacks in America. Known as one of rap's top lyricists, Nas makes poignant commentary on race, politics and diet.

In the CD's best song, "Slave and the Master," Nas delivers the potent verse "We was scholars long before colleges. ... What you looking for? You're the question and the answer."

The CD falters, however, in cohesion as Nas often digresses and makes random allusions that don't fit the theme.

Download this: "The Slave and the Master"

Joinville Michel

THE TING TINGS:

WE STARTED NOTHING

(COLUMBIA) ***

Ting Tings are no poppycock.

The U.K. duo featuring Jules De Martino (drums, guitar, vocals) and Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drum) present a whimsical and ridiculously addictive debut album.

The album is all things electro pop, plus a little dance punk, too. The kids constantly kick the tempo up a notch and make, er, some interesting sounds - think "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal.

The tracks "That's Not My Name" and "Fruit Machine" build speed like a locomotive. They can multitask, too, as they slow things down on "Traffic Light."

The Ting team isn't trying to be deep; instead they're making moves with an energy that bubbles over.

Download this: "We Started Nothing"

Sarah Hoye

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