Musically, bandleader and producer will.i.am (with some help from French house artist David Guetta of Love is Gone fame) provides lush backdrops of layered synthesizers, deep bass lines and electronic drums that segue each song to the next, making The E.N.D ideal for party environments.

I Gotta Feeling is the type of undeniable, ubiquitous feel-good song that will surely be used in commercials and movie soundtracks for years to come. Equally compelling is Rock That Body, a robotic club-banger that digitally distorts Fergie's voice beyond recognition alongside a sample of Rob Base's voice from the seminal '80s hip-hop anthem It Takes Two.

More common, though, are disposable songs like Boom Boom Pow, the minimalist first single with little discernible structure or chorus, the abrasive and annoying Imma Be and the deceptively raunchy ode to booty calls, Ring-A-Ling. Can you guess what they rhyme that with?

But 15 songs of sugary dessert is bloating to the listener, and will keep you yearning for a more substantive meal. Even the two politically aware songs, Now Generation, a screeching pair of Blues Traveller-esque harmonicas and punk rock drums; and the Paul Simon-lite One Tribe are relegated to the album's end so as to not interfere with the party. Why concern ourselves with the world's problems when we're having so much fun?

-- ADRIAN RUHI

aruhi@MiamiHerald.com

TEENA MARIE

Congo Square

Stax

***

Despite starting out 30 years ago on Motown, Teena Marie has landed on its revived rival Stax for her 13th album. A slinky R&B affair at once retro and modern, it opens with duets with MC Lyte and Faith Evans. Marie wrote, produced, and contributed guitar, keys, or percussion to every song, her famously soul-informed vocals still dripping with confidence.

Aside from bold come-ons and fraught cooing, Marie here looks to Aretha Franklin and Sarah Vaughan for inspiration, while the New Orleans-set title track lingers on jazz heroes. Her daughter guests on Milk & Honey, which, despite its overtures to hip-hop, meditates on gifts passed from parent to child. There are definitely cheesy moments, but fans of Marie and R&B should sink easily into this set.

-- DOUG WALLEN

The Philadelphia Inquirer

SEAMUS BLAKE QUARTET

Live In Italy

Jazz Eyes

*** ½

Seamus Blake was a 2002 winner of the Thelonious Monk saxophone competition, and the longtime New Yorker has risen to be a fixture with the Mingus Big Band.

On this double-CD set, Blake leads a quartet with drummer Rodney Green, pianist Dave Kikoski and bassist Danton Boller, documenting parts of three live concerts along Italy's northern Adriatic coast and down in Palermo, Sicily.

You get a feel for this group on the handsome take of Claude Debussy's String Quartet in G minor. The work's stately melancholy unleashes all kinds of expressive playing.

Blake makes similar connections throughout with listeners. His Way Out of Willy is quirky and funky, with wah wah-pedal-like effects, while Fear of Roaming is muscular and pleasant, a players' romp.

Kikoski, Boller, and Green are worthies too, as evidenced by the deep swing of Ellington's The Feeling of Jazz and the sensuality of Brazilian composer Djavan's Ladeirinha. Blake & Co. pay sizzling tribute to one of his mentors on John Scofield's Dance Me Home.

-- KARL STARK

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@