ARTIST: IRON MAIDEN
ALBUM: THE FINAL FRONTIER
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Iron Maiden knows how to make up for lost time. Four years after "A Matter of Life or Death" -- the longest wait for a new album in the British metal heroes' 35-year history -- the sextet delivers its longest outing yet (more than 76 minutes), a loosely thematic 10-song opus that features some of Maiden's most ambitious and intricate work. Recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, where the group also made some early favorites, "The Final Frontier" boasts just one track that runs less than five minutes and five that weigh in at more than eight. Those include the suite-like bookends "Satellite 15 ... The Final Frontier" and the epic album closer, "When the Wild Wind Blows," based on an apocalyptic graphic novel by Raymond Briggs. The delicately crafted "Coming Home" is Maiden's most effective power ballad ever, while "The Man Who Would Be King" delivers a slice of medieval mayhem. And the jam section during the cut "Isle of Avalon" suggests a metal take on the Grateful Dead. With all that, "The Final Frontier" boldly goes where few metal bands have gone before.
Artist: M.I.A.
Album: /\/\ /\ Y /\ (N.E.E.T./Interscope Records)
Anticipation was feverishly high for M.I.A.'s third album, "/\/\ /\ Y /\," and why shouldn't it have been? Aside from finally entering the U.S. pop charts with "Paper Planes" in 2008, Maya Arulpragasam has founded her career on a seamless pattern of musical innovation. If 2007's "Kala" rearranged the jungle beats of 2005 debut "Arular" into a sweaty stomp, "/\/\ /\ Y /\" blasts M.I.A. into outer space and lets her explore otherworldly electronic arrangements. "Teqkilla" is a seven-minute raver full of violent blips and vocal snippets, while "Born Free" commits to straight-faced rock and a screw-you attitude. There are flashes of brilliance throughout, notably the bouncy single "XXXO" and the Diplo-assisted pop track "Tell Me Why." But most of the album's production is so abrasively busy that it pummels M.I.A.'s vocals into the background. "All I ever wanted was my story to be told," her echoing voice confesses on the song "Story to Be Told." Although "/\/\ /\ Y /\" is an undeniable testament to M.I.A.'s inventiveness, the set is so jam-packed with beats that any statement that she's making gets lost in translation.
ARTIST: BIG BOI
ALBUM: SIR LUCIOUS LEFT FOOT: THE SON OF CHICO DUSTY (Def Jam)
For years, Big Boi has played second fiddle to OutKast partner Andre 3000. So Big Boi set out to do what anyone in his position would do: make his presence known. After years of setbacks, splitting from label Jive Records and facing contractual issues that prevented Andre 3000 from making guest appearances on his new album, "Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty," Big Boi delivers an inventive, high-spirited set full of synth-funk signifiers, talk-box flair and snares. The Atlanta rapper combines rock, electro, hip-hop, dubstep, rumba and classical on tracks like the single "Shutterbugg." The song "General Patton" begins with a sample of an opera performance and showcases Big Boi's bravado as he raps over the loud production. The cut "Tangerine' (featuring T.I. and Khujo Goodie) includes a country-like guitar as tambourines randomly quake throughout, while a breathy Jamie Foxx sings the hook on "Hustle Blood," a smooth R&B jam.
ARTIST: CROWDED HOUSE
ALBUM: INTRIGUER (Fantasy Records)
The urgent rocker "Saturday Sun" is a rousing, if somewhat misleading, way to open Crowded House's sixth studio album. A collection of moody, meditative numbers that gradually reveals its charms after successive spins, "Intriguer" feels far removed from the more radio-ready fare of the band's early years. But that'll suit frontman Neil Finn's core fan base just fine, particularly those who treasure his introspective solo work and his Finn Brothers projects with sibling Tim. "Archer's Arrows" throbs with righteous anger, while songs like "Falling Dove," "Twice If You're Lucky" and "Even If" evoke a sense of yearning and loss, without veering toward despair. And on the standout track "Isolation," Finn duets with his wife, Sharon, for a subdued meditation on solitude before the whole thing gives way to a cathartic fade-out featuring stinging guitar lines from son Liam. Through it all, Finn's durable songcraft never fails to enthrall.
ARTIST: ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
ALBUM: STREET SONGS OF LOVE (Fantasy Records)
Given Alejandro Escovedo's struggles in the early '00s with near-fatal health problems, we should be grateful that the man is alive, let alone making music as vibrant as what's found on his latest album. An exhilarating, life-affirming blast of no-bulls--t rock 'n' roll, "Street Songs of Love" features Escovedo reteaming with famed David Bowie/T. Rex producer Tony Visconti, who also manned the boards for his arresting 2008 album, "Real Animal." Remarkably, "Street Songs" manages to top that earlier effort and includes Escovedo's most accessible work yet. The set is anchored by a trio of hard-driving anthems: "This Bed Is Getting Crowded," "Tender Heart" and "Faith" (featuring Bruce Springsteen), all of them bristling with defiant energy. Other high points include the beautiful ballad "Down in the Bowery" (with Ian Hunter sharing lead vocals) and hook-filled songs like "Silver Cloud" and "Undesired," which will find a home on rock radio if there's any justice in the world.
ARTIST: ENRIQUE IGLESIAS
ALBUM: EUPHORIA (Universal Republic/Universal Music Latino)
Enrique Iglesias' first almost fully bilingual album, "Euphoria" (the standard version includes six tracks in Spanish and four in English), is a cohesive set with a vast array of collaborators. They range from Pitbull in the ubiquitous dance single "I Like It" to Akon in the reggae-tinged "One Day at a Time" to Juan Luis Guerra in the romantic, bachata-laced Spanish lead single, "Cuando Me Enamoro." For production, Iglesias taps longtime collaborator Carlos Pautar and RedOne to deliver an international club sound. Although Iglesias is known in many circles as a crooner, here he jumps into dance with both feet -- even "No Me Digas Que No" (featuring Wisin & Yandel) eschews the duo's reggaeton in favor of uptempo club beats. When Iglesias gets introspective (on the sparse track "Dile Que," sung mostly over acoustic guitar) there is a sweet innocence to the interpretation, and the song -- and the album -- feels light, but not superficial. "Euphoria" aims unabashedly for all-out fun, and that's why it works.
ARTIST: IVY QUEEN
ALBUM: DRAMA QUEEN (Machete Music)
Ivy Queen is the reigning diva of reggaeton -- in fact, she's the only female in the genre who's a household name. In a male-dominated field filled with booty talk and braggadocio, Ivy Queen alone has carried the banner for pissed-off, heartbroken and betrayed females. While her latest album, "Drama Queen," isn't much of a departure in subject matter for her, the set presents a more diverse range of musical styles, from bachata to R&B to a poppy ballad ("Cuando") that's filled with a longing more honest than most of what's heard on commercial Latin radio. Highlights include "Cansada," where Ivy Queen's alto singing voice and nimble rapping are shown to best effect, and "Aya Aya," an otherwise conventional dembow beat flanked by the sounds of a sitar.
ARTIST: SUN KIL MOON
ALBUM: ADMIRAL FELL PROMISES (Caldo Verde Records)
Sun Kil Moon principal member Mark Kozelek takes a stripped-down approach on the band's latest album, "Admiral Fell Promises," using only a nylon-string guitar to deliver the 10-song set. The slow drawl and masterfully rendered progression of the song "Sam Wong Hotel" is proof enough that Kozelek should go down as a modern folk legend. The artist slips in a few vocal tricks during the 60-minute set, sometimes dropping his voice to a mumble or whisper, as heard on the track "The Leaning Tree." Kozelek's voice disappears before the end of a line in the song ("Scattered relics of your loves/Lying around your dusty ..."), leaving the remaining words open to interpretation. His Bob Dylan-esque voice combined with the hauntingly beautiful arrangement of the classical guitar throughout "Admiral Fell Promises" is hypnotic, trapping listeners in a melancholy spell of wonder.
