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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 15, 2009

Updated:

GLASVEGAS:
GLASVEGAS
(COLUMBIA) ***½

Glasvegas recalls early, angry Elvis Costello or a Scottish incarnation of The Arcade Fire or Okkervil River with big ambitions, urgent vocals, soaring choruses and jangling guitars.

Frontman James Allan uses intricate wordplay filled with pop culture, literary and historical references to color his narrative songs of life in Glasgow.

This is heady stuff for a blue-collar band with workingman sensibilities, and it grabs hold quickly and never lets go. Each song runs straight into the next, which serves to keep the listener rapt. Allan's other genius stroke is to use snippets of classic doo-wop, spoken word and other flourishes to propel the album forward.

Download this: "Flowers & Football Tops"

John W. Allman

NEIL YOUNG:
SUGAR MOUNTAIN: LIVE AT CANTERBURY HOUSE 1968
(REPRISE) ****

The tapes of Neil Young's two nights at The University of Michigan's Canterbury House have circulated among bootleg hounds for years. For the rest of us, this CD/DVD release will be our introduction. Pardon two cliches, but this is a treasure trove and worth the wait.

Young has only his first solo album and Buffalo Springfield material (plus "Sugar Mountain," which he unveiled here) to draw on, so this features songs Young hasn't played live in years. Also, facing a small, intimate crowd, Young jokes, spins tales and comes across as willfully engaging and, well, sweet. This is a must have for anyone who cares about Young's music.

Download this: "The Last Trip to Tulsa"

Curtis Ross

AKON:
FREEDOM
(UNIVERSAL) ***

The sexually explicit dance with the 14-year-old daughter of a preacher was first.

That was followed by the shoulder-press toss of a teen fan from the stage. Finally, The Smoking Gun blew up Akon's spot by revealing he didn't have as extensive a criminal record as he claimed.

For a singer bent on pop domination, such blows to his character and credibility could be devastating, but Akon has a

plan.

He's toning down the hip-hop swagger and emphasizing his romantic, dance-pop side. Instead of singing about smacking that sexually and using needless profanities, he's making respectful love songs.

The clean lyrics and Akon's keen pop instincts make for a CD featuring several potential singles that could make his

missteps mere footnotes.

Download this: "Beautiful"

Joinville Michel

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