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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 17, 2008

GHOSTFACE KILLAH:

THE BIG DOE REHAB

(DEF JAM) **

Ghostface Killah's 2006 release, "Fishscale," was rightly heralded as one of the great hip-hop albums of that year. The rhymes, beats and production combined to create an album with a cinematic flow; and if the story line covered familiar, drug-dealing territory, it was told with an attention to detail, honesty and, dare it be said, some sense of morality.

"Big Doe," then, is Ghostface on cruise control. While it's not a bad listen by any means, it lacks the creativity and character of "Fishscale."

The lyrics too often wander lazily into pedestrian guns-and-hos cliches, even if Ghostface does manage to get off a number of clever lines. OK, but OK isn't enough from this artist.

Download this: "Walk Around"

Curtis Ross

THE SADIES:

NEW SEASONS

(YEP ROC) ****

This is an album for driving after midnight in the desert, headlights reflecting on the center-lane blacktop, a lover left in a border town miles behind and an uncertain future waiting somewhere on the pitch-black horizon.

The Sadies of Toronto, Canada, have created a gothic Americana classic on "New Seasons," their seventh studio album. It's a haunting disc full of standout tracks, flowing seamlessly from mournful laments to dark, guitar-driven confessions.

Opening with a blast of bluegrass banjo, the disc lifts off - 13 songs and 35 minutes that will remind you why you love the genre and leave you fitful at trying to pick a favorite track. For me, I'm still torn between "What's Left Behind," "A Simple Aspiration" and "Anna Leigh."

Download this: "Anna Leigh"

John W. Allman

THE WRECKERS:

WAY BACK HOME: LIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY

(WARNER BROS.) *½

Sometimes the whole is, in fact, less than the sum of its parts. That's certainly the case with "Live From New York City," an album that puts two incredibly talented singer-songwriters, Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, in front of an energetic audience in New York's storied Bowery Ballroom. The resulting recording is DOA.

There's passion, vitality and intelligence in this music, but none of these elements are captured on the disc. "Live" feels listless until the sixth track, "Cigarettes," a brush-off song to an ex-boyfriend. "Different Truck, Same Loser" and "Leave the Pieces" also stand out. Everything else is forgettable, which is a shame.

Download this: "Cigarettes"

Dave Simanoff

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