Solomon Burke, 'Like a Fire' (Shout! Factory)
If Burke's voice now lacks the stirring richness of his early-'60s R&B hits like "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" and "Cry to Me," his dramatic skills haven't faded a bit. Shifting gears from 2006's countrified Nashville, he turns to laid-back pop and gospel-flavored tunes about hard times and spiritual crisis, written by fans such as Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, and Jesse Harris.
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Animal Collective, 'Water Curses' (Domino)
Amid the globules of sound on "Cobwebs," Animal Collective's Avey Tare mumbles about being "organic like strawberry meat." But on this new four-song EP, that's as close as the Brooklyn group gets to the compacted Day-Glo noise pop of last year's Strawberry Jam.
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Quiet Village, 'Silent Movie' (K7)
Named for Martin Denny's seminal exotica/lounge album, Quiet Village opt for a sketchy sunset -- rather than the more traditional nymph in a loincloth -- on the cover of their woozy, sampledelic debut.
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Orchestra Baobab, 'Made in Dakar' (World Circuit/Nonesuch)
Since re-forming for the 2002 comeback Specialist in All Styles, this ’70s/’80s Senegalese band, like elder rockers Mission of Burma and Wire, remain incan-descent and relevant a second time around. Revisiting tunes from nights spent in steamy
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Jennifer Cardini, 'Feeling Strange' (Kompakt)
The first female artist to release a record on the famed Kompakt label, Jennifer Cardini distills those disorienting moments when you first plunge into the murk of an underground club.
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Atlas Sound, 'Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel' (Kranky)



