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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 12, 2009

DIERKS BENTLEY:
FEEL THAT FIRE
(CAPITOL) **

Something about seeing Bentley perform in person makes you want to root for him. Usually an opening act, Bentley plays as if he's the headliner. The crowd usually eats up his hay-in-the-hair farm boy energy and charm.

Unfortunately, those qualities only rarely translate to the studio. His albums are full of well-intentioned tunes built to sing to an audience, but it's almost as if Bentley makes the songs just so he can rebuild them on the road so people can then go buy the recording to compare the two versions. The result: up-tempo songs tend to sound alike.

The highlights come when he slows down on songs such as "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes." Dropping into a slower gear lets him wrap his vocals around the more nuanced notes.

Download this: "Beautiful World"

Jeff Houck

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE:
MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION
(DOMINO) ****

I can't figure out if this album was recorded underwater, in the farthest depths of outer space, or in a small clearing of a dense forest surrounded by a native tribal drum circle.

Percolating, bubbling beats and crisp, dreamy, falsetto harmonies part layers of thick, frothy, murky, sonic texture to create an experience that falls somewhere between a night club and a church sanctuary.

Song structures are kept loose enough for experiment, but are never sloppy. And the entire disc remains accessible without being predictable.

There's lots of buzz surrounding this one. Believe the hype. Drink the Kool-Aid.

Download this: "Also Frightened"

Ryan Bauer

HEARTLESS BASTARDS:
THE MOUNTAIN
(FAT POSSUM) **½

Erika Wennerstrom powers down considerably for the third Heartless Bastards album. She's swapped her original power trio lineup for all new musicians, added some violin and pedal steel and come up with something you might hear playing in Starbucks.

OK, not all of it. "Nothing Seems the Same" in particular threatens to kick down the stall.

She's still got a powerfully affecting voice full of animal howls and arching Appalachian vowels. She's still got a knack for hardscrabble poetry. But "The Mountain" offers fewer visceral thrills, substituting a rustic beauty that may attract some new latte sippers, er, listeners, but may test the patience of others.

Download this: "Nothing Seems the Same"

Curtis Ross

CDs are rated on a scale of zero to four stars.

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