Album Reviews

Dolly Parton: Better Day (Dolly Records 88697915312) £12.99With a career spanning six decades, there’s no denying Dolly Parton is a living legend, having established herself as a performer, songwriter, actress and savvy businesswoman. Her 2008 album Backwoods Barbie was a return to country music after 17 years and Better Day continues in the same vein. Opening track In The Meantime is a burst of sunshine as she advises dropping the “doomsday attitude”. The inspirational theme runs throughout. Parton’s voice is sweet and strong. Fans will be more than satisfied by this collection. LA
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Aug 2011, 12:29 BST

Glen Campbell: Ghost On The Canvas (233444cd) £12.99

As a bona fide country music legend, Glen Campbell's Alzheimer's-hastened swansong deserves to be judged on its own merits, but we live in a world where any such album is judged against Johnny Cash's seminal American Recordings. There is little here that matches the majesty Cash achieved alongside Rick Rubin, but that is not to say the project falls flat. Campbell's voice remains a wonderfully expressive tool and the cast of contributors, which includes Billy Corgan and The Dandy Warhols, keep the arrangements breezy. RD

David Guetta: Nothing But The Beat (Positiva/Virgin PV0838942) £13.99

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David Guetta's breakthrough 2009 album One Love cast the French DJ-turned-headline artist into the international limelight. It is this reputation which has landed a lengthy list of the pop elite to guest on the house producer's new double album, Nothing But The Beat. Rappers Flo Rida and Snoop Dogg, R&B royalty Usher, kooky diva Nicki Minaj and Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am make up a stellar line-up and bolster another strong body of dance/urban fusion. Guetta is likely to keep his fans happy with this album, which doesn't set the world alight with new invention but outclasses its peers. JG

Beirut: The Rip Tide (POMP03CD) £11.99

After a four-year wait since their last album, Beirut's third LP is a refined, more American pop-rock-orientated polish on their previously overtly foreign outlook. Frontman Zach Cordon shows a preference for shorter, direct collections – following the 2009 EP, this “full length” offering is just nine tracks long. The all-conquering brass is reeled in and catchy rhythms allowed to shine, particularly on Santa Fe and Vagabond. A Candle's Fire is a warm, comforting opening, while the title track is a quieter reflection with harmonious strings and Port Of Call is an acoustic final flourish. NB

John Wilson: That’s Entertainment (EMI 5099902884325) £19.99

Having opened this year’s Harrogate Festival, John Wilson is at Opera North next month conducting the G & S operetta, Ruddigore, before bringing his orchestra to Leeds Town Hall in November. Recreating sold out BBC Prom concerts, his latest release takes us on a foot tapping journey down memory lane with the MGM musicals, Easter Parade, High Society, Singin’ in the Rain, Meet me in St. Louis and An American in Paris. Featuring top vocalists, Kim Criswell, Sarah Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Matthew Ford, this is quite irresistible. DD

Busoni: Doktor Faust (LPO 0056) £8.99

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A dream team of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Heather Harper, Richard Lewis and Ian Wallace were gathered at London’s Royal Festival Hall for this 1959 concert version of Busoni’s version of the Faust legend. At his death it remained incomplete, work, the conductor, Sir Adrian Boult, here directing his abridged that relates key moments of the story. Superbly sung and strongly characterised it makes for compelling listening. The London Philharmonic Orchestra gave deeply a committed performance in a very good BBC sound of its era. DD

* Lisa Allen, Rory Dollard, Jamie Grierson, Natalie Bowen (rock/pop), and David Denton (classical/opera)