Jack White, “Boarding House Reach”: Going back to his beginnings with his ex-wife Meg in the White Stripes, Jack White has been making music for nearly 20 years, and his tics and predilections have grown mighty familiar. In other words, there are a fair number of wicked Led Zep guitar riffs and obscure spoken-word ramblings on “Boarding House Reach,” the Third Man Record honcho and willful eccentric’s third solo album and first in four years. To overcome the sense that we’ve heard it all before, White goes on the attack with restless experimentation, zinging from one style to the next. “Boarding House Reach” is maddeningly manic if not downright silly. But although it never comes together as a cohesive whole, its wildcat energy and willful weirdness is plenty diverting.
— Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer
Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, “Tearing at the Seams”: The “Intro” to Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats’ new album comes, oddly, halfway through the set’s 12 tracks (14 if you get the deluxe edition). It’s a pounding vamp, punctuated by chants, that’s long on grit and energy. But “Intro” segues into the aptly titled “Coolin’ Out,” a delectable slice of sweet soul. That sequence follows the pattern at the start of Tearing at the Seams, which opens with the greasy groove of “Shoe Boot” before moving on to the punchy pop-soul of “Be There.” Frontman Rateliff, who wrote or co-wrote all the songs, is just a passable lyricist. It’s the music that stands out. The album is released by Stax, the storied Memphis label that introduced such artists as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave. With their invigoratingly unvarnished and down-home approach, Rateliff and the Night Sweats are doing an admirable job of keeping Stax’s bedrock musical spirit alive.
— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer
Ruben Studdard, “Ruben Sings Luther”: When Luther Vandross died in 2005, he left a void never to be filled. Only a singer with similar power and range, such as Ruben Studdard, could come close. The “American Idol” Season Two winner has been nicknamed the “Velvet Teddy Bear.” He’s comparable to Vandross in physical size and pipes and has covered Luther-associated tunes such as Leon Russell’s “Superstar” since his start. For this full-on lush-and-funky tribute, Studdard smartly doesn’t copy Vandross’ runs, slides, or scats. The up-tempo “Bad Boy”/”Having a Party” and the coolly complex “Never Too Much” (both written or cowritten by Vandross) could have appeared as part of Studdard’s own slick R&B catalog, as could a soaring “Here and Now.” That doesn’t mean Studdard avoids reminiscing or picking up Vandross’ tics (he toured as Fats Waller in a theatrical revival of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and knows what to borrow to complete an artist’s portrait), and he veers close to Vandross’ simmer on the pensive “A House Is Not a Home.” That, however, is exactly what you want from a great tribute — soulful things old, new, borrowed, and blue.
— A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer
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