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The Black Keys, Attack and Release (Nonesuch )

Damn. Poor Ike Turner must have been salivating over the prime-rib collaboration that would have put the old man in the studio with Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton, the crazy alchemist of Gnarls Barkley and Gorillaz fame, and a stew of Black Keys' songs written especially for him. 
 
Unfortunately, Ike died before getting his fangs into the first course, but the idea lived on. The outcome is Attack and Release, a Burton-produced Keys record that proves the band has the legs to get past the stripped-down blues approach that had become as repetitive as pea soup in recent years.
 
From the opening clip-clop of "All You Ever Wanted," a cosmic cowboy tune with subtle synth effects, to the raucous beat of the hard blues-driven "Strange Times" with its rollicking Brit-rock piano and handclaps, the team proves, at least in this case, that it's OK to have more than one cook in the kitchen.
 
It was a gutsy feast or famine risk they took here. Pairings such as these can sometimes convolute the offerings that each side brings to the table (e.g. Jon Spencer, R.L. Burnside, every remixed Verve jazz album). But Burton and the boys pull this one off in such a seemingly effortless way that you might find yourself begging for seconds.
 
Chomp chomp.

Dustin Coleman | 210SA

George Strait shows versatility on new CD 'Troubadour'

George Strait, Troubadour (MCA)

As one of country music's traditional standard-bearers, George Strait mistakenly gets described at times as conservative or predictable. The wide-ranging, often surprising Troubadour should put that notion to rest, once and for all.

In fact, Troubadour emphasizes the opposite sides of Strait's musical tastes. Several songs are as contemporary and pop-influenced as he's ever sounded, as in "River of Love," which unfolds to an upbeat island rhythm. Also, the complicated country-rock arrangement of "Brothers of the Highway" shows off Strait's vocal range in ways few songs of his past ever have.

On the other side, he steps back in time with the rousing two-stepper, "Make Her Fall in Love with Me Song," and a delightful western swinger, "That West Texas Town," a duet with Strait's favorite songwriter, Dean Dillon. Strait also soars in another duet, this time with the great Patty Loveless, on "House of Cash," a fiery tribute to Johnny and June Carter Cash.

Strait has only rarely veered into the over-the-top sentimentality that runs through some contemporary country songs, but his current hit, "I Saw God Today," is the kind of formulaic tear-jerker better left to lesser artists. But "Troubadour" finds Strait taking risks — a rare move for an artist with a three-decade track record. For the most part, his gambles pay off nicely.

CHECK THIS OUT: "If Heartaches Were Horses" is a wistful, and beautiful, cowboy ballad, landing somewhere between a Gene Autry romantic tune and a Marty Robbins' western story-song.

Michael McCall | For The Associated Press