Eric Benét

“Love and Life”

Reprise Records

“Love and Life,” Eric Benét’s fourth album since he arrived on the music scene in 1996, is 12 tracks of smooth, laid-back R&B best listened to after a long day of work.

If you have not heard of Benét, it’s probably because it’s easy to pass up his ‘90s throwback brand of soul for the more progressive music of Ne-Yo or T-Pain that dominates the airwaves.

However, Benét holds his own with impressive range and vocal quality. He moves from his tenor range into a beautiful falsetto on each of the album’s songs as he explores an entire spectrum of feelings from lust (“The Hunger”) to the moment when relationships get difficult and tiresome (“Don’t Let Go”). Rather than hiding behind heavy synthesizers and digital sound, Benét lets his voice take center stage over organic beats that often consist simply of keyboards, strings, bass and light drums.

If you are looking for some easy listening, or want to expand your musical horizons, check out Eric Benét’s latest effort.

— Jelani Sims/The Daily

3/5 stars

TV on the Radio

“Dear Science”

Interscope Records

The fourth full length album from New York’s TV on the Radio is a densely packed masterpiece of the same type of genre-bending art rock on which the band has established its reputation.

But don’t expect a lot of the same old from “Dear Science.” If anything, these constant innovators have tightened up their sound and made an album that’s more accessible than anything they’ve ever done – and yet, prepare to take some time getting comfortable with this one.

Call it the paradox of TV on the Radio – the band rewards its audience with the immediacy of the driving rhythms that underpin nearly every song, but these sprawling sonic landscapes require more than a couple of listens.

Something tells me most listeners won’t mind.

— Dusty Somers/The Daily

4.5/5 stars

The Subways

“All or Nothing”

Warner Bros. Records

The Subways jump out of the gate with a bang, but leave with barely more than a whimper on their disappointing second effort, “All or Nothing.” Contrary to the title, this is an album that gives its listeners neither all nor nothing. Save for a few early exceptions, it’s mired in mediocrity.

The opening guitar riff on the album opener, “Girls and Boys,” recalls the grungy British post-punk roots the band claims as their own, and the fan favorite “Shake! Shake!” is a catchy, fist-pumping anthem, but by the time the disc has run its course, most of the songs have devolved into generic, emo-tinged ballads that blend together into a faceless mass.

“All or Nothing” has its moments, but its pervading blandness relegates it mostly to background-listening territory.

— Dusty Somers/The Daily

2.5/5 stars

Jason Reeves

“The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales)”

Warner Bros. Records

You have to question the marketing strategy of Warner Bros., who have packaged Jason Reeves as some kind of folk troubadour, and have jammed his major label debut with 16 tracks totaling over an hour long.

Reeves’s music doesn’t even mildly resemble any type of folk, and there is no way the target audience for this sentimental drivel will be able to withstand an album of this length.

Simply put, Reeves writes songs for hopelessly romantic 14-year-old girls. I’ll let the lyrics speak for themselves:

“Do I wanna rock you, shock you, soothe you or move you/I just want to write you in a song/Put your smile on paper so you can sing along/I just wanna bottle the sun.”

And, “Girl, you are like summer rain/Soft and warm and delicate/And I am a foolish boy/Trying to catch every drop of you on my tongue.”

As singles, these songs might make you want to throw up a little. As an hour-long album, they’re almost unbearable.

— Dusty Somers/The Daily

1/5 stars

Noah and the Whale

“Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down”

Mercury Records

The members of Noah and the Whale are reportedly big fans of quirky film directors Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach, even taking their band name from the combination of Baumbach’s first name and one of his films (“The Squid and the Whale.”)

The influence shines right through on “Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down,” a folky blend of whimsy and tragedy.

Trumpet and trombone appear on more than half the album, and provide a counterpoint to lead singer Charlie Fink’s often-heartrending lyrics. This anchor of enthusiasm keeps lyrics like “So this lonely, lonely heart/Has no use left for living/After finding a love/In a heart so unpermitting” from becoming too cloying.

Fink may have heartache on the brain, but it hasn’t rendered his songwriting abilities impotent and it’s helped create a standout debut album.

— Dusty Somers/The Daily

4/5 stars