Costello Goes a Little Country

Reviews of new album surprised by candor about Guy Ritchie divorce

(NEWSER) - Madonna is back. Her latest album MDNA, is at once a confessional look at her divorce from Guy Ritchie and a bouncy dance album. Critical reaction is divided pretty starkly as well. Here's some of what people are saying:

• "It’s a bipolar collection that pumps out effervescent electronic pop before making way for a contentious personal agenda," writes Jon Pareles of the New York Times . Still, it's "less arty and more determinedly poppy" than Confessions on a Dance Floor. "Don't expect vulnerability. The lyrics insist there are no regrets," and the songs stick to the "unvarying, superhuman pulse of electronic dance music."

Inflated price 'appears to be either a misprint or a satire,' he quips

(NEWSER) - Elvis Costello's new Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook boxed set is pretty good—but no way is it worth the current price Elvis Costello says. The special-edition set, which includes a CD and DVD of a concert from earlier this year, plus a coffee-table book, is selling for at least $225 in the US and more than $300 in the UK, a price which the singer says "appears to be either a misprint or a satire," the Telegraph reports. More»

CDs showcase Fab Four as they were meant to be heard

(NEWSER) - The Beatles just got better: every one of their original albums and a batch of collected singles has been remastered, boosting the quality to the level “the Beatles themselves would have heard and intended,” writes Matt Hurwitz in the Washington Post. The stereo CDs remind us that the Beatles were a “rock band”: these recordings pack a punch not heard on the older discs. More»

Album maintains the 'good stuff,' tries something new

(NEWSER) - With their latest album, Britain’s Arctic Monkeys show they haven’t let the media hype get the better of them. Alex Turner and Co. try some new directions without abandoning the “good stuff” from “their usual territory,” writes Joe Tangari for Pitchfork. Humbug is “their loosest record yet by far,” with “snapping” guitars and production that emphasizes Turner’s dark lyrics. More»

(NEWSER) - Ciara's tiny voice can't survive in the spaces her producers leave on her new album, Fantasy Ride, but the disc does provide a few fascinating diversions. Some critical opinions:

• "That's what you get with Fantasy Ride," Tom Breihan writes on Pitchfork. "A few brilliant left turns that feel almost accidental mixed in with a sort of end-times hunger for a top-40 audience that doesn't seem to exist anymore. As a vivid little snapshot of what's happened to the pop music business, it's fascinating. But it's not much of an album."