Here’s a whittled down version of our regular column due to all the releases over the summer. Next issue we’ll be back to our usual selves, reviewing cds in a more detailed fashion. Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses Junky Star (Lost Highway): Bingham might not sound familiar but you’ve heard his stuff, especially if you saw the Academy Award winning film Crazy Heart. This is his third full release and it’s a dandy. Think of Ryan Adams with a Kris Kristofferson like voice, that’s Bingham.

Not a rock record and certainly not a country record, Junky Star might just be what is needed in this undistinguishable musical climate. It’s a throw back to the old days when albums were a combination of songs and not calculatedly put together.

Standouts include “Self-Righteous Wall,” “Depression” and “The Wandering.”

Usher Versus (LaFace): I like this idea of making the bonus disc available to consumers instead of having to buy the Deluxe Edition of an album you already own. That’s what these 9 tracks are, the bonus disc to Ushers Raymond V. Raymond smash.

About time someone used their noodle. Good ones include “Hot Tottie” with the usual Jay-Z summer cameo, “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” and “Somebody To Love”(Remix).

Sheryl Crow 100 Miles From Memphis (A&M): Albums this summer by Tom Petty, Steve Miller and Jimmy Vaughan all failed trying to capture the vibe of 60’s r&b. It’s taken a skinny blonde to get it right – well sort of.

Thanks to a stellar group of musicians, the 12 tracks here sound like they were taken out of a 1960’s

Rock-Olla Juke Box. Until Crow actually starts singing, she sounds exactly how one would expect a girl from Fenton, Missouri to sound like, which isn’t good for a 60’s soul record.

You better have a soul singers voice to attempt an album like this otherwise why bother? The lone standout is her carbon copy tribute to Michael Jackson on “I Want You Back.”

Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs, God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise (RCA): Grammy nominated LaMontagne’s fourth studio album is a bit of a departure for this New Hampshire born singer/songwriter. This is a very loose, live sounding project filled with top-notch LaMontagne songs.

A worthy follow up to 2008’s Gossip In The Grain, standouts include “Beg, Steal or Borrow,” “Repo Man” and “For The Summer.”

The Black Crowes Croweology (Silver Arrow): Not since Guns N’ Roses has a band lived with so much internal drama. Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson fight like brothers do, except it greatly impacts the band. After the current tour (which opened here) the band plans on taking an extended (permanent?) hiatus.

This two-cd set has the band performing their classic hzzits live, in newly recorded acoustic arrangements. Everything here is good especially the extended work out on “Thorn In My Pride.”

John Mellencamp No Better Than This (Rounder): The guys last two studio albums are better than anything he’s ever released combined. His Life, Death and Freedom from 2008 was brilliant. This new one is right behind it.

Produced by T-Bone Burnett, the 13 songs here were recorded in three different historic locations including the First African Baptist Church and Sun Studios, using a single ribbon microphone and a lone Ampex tape machine. Standouts include “Save Some Time To Dream” and my favorite “Each Day Of Sorrow.”

Tom Jones Praise and Blame (Lost Highway): This album got a lot of unnecessary press when some yahoo leaked an interoffice memo that called the album ‘.a joke.’ No joke here, brilliantly produced by Ethan Johns, the album is a collection of gospel and inspirational songs stripped down of most instrumentation to highlight Jones still amazing vocals.

Standouts include “What Good Am I?,” “Burning Hell” and “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” I can’t believe I’m saying this. I like a Tom Jones record. My street cred is shot!

Arcade Fire The Suburbs (Merge): Simply a dreadful album. The perfect example on how a band with seemingly great potential falls on the wayside. I’m not gonna give up on them yet because it’s so hard to maintain consistency throughout a career.

This though is the unsightly wart on the fresh face of music. Stay away!

Heart Red Velvet Car (Legacy): Much like The Black Crowes, Heart is taking full advantage of their second chance. With the backing of a major label and working a tour that started in January and will last through November, Ann and Nancy Wilson have a decent record to support.

An acoustic based album produced by Ben Mink, this really lets Ann show off her vocal chops and Nancy’s guitar work. It would mean nothing though without the songs and the 10 here are a major upgrade. Good ones include “Wheels,” “Sunflower,” “Queen City,” “There You Go” and “Red Velvet Car”.

Kem Intimacy Album III (Motown): A lot of guys pop off about being old school soul singers or r&b artists. In reality, only D’Angelo and Nashville born Kem really fit the bill. Kem’s a soulful singer who makes the most of his adequate vocals and uses them to expand on his cleverly written material.

(Bob Hanson)