Mt. Desolation

Rating 4/5
Mt. Desolation / Cooperative Music
Keane’s pianist and second vocalist Tim Rice Oxley and bassist Jesse Quinn take center stage with their new band Mt. Desolation; and they are not alone. The self-titled debut album features a star-studded cast of some of the best names in alternative rock including Ronnie Vannucci from The Killers and Country Winston from Mumford & Sons. Oxley’s raspy vocals and songs endowed with warm spirited play and atmospheric quivers are the finer details that set the band apart from their contemporaries. More than a worthwhile listen if you can detach yourself from the Keane sound and enjoy this for what it is. ZA

Jerry Lee Lewis

Rating 4/5
Mean Old Man / Verve Forecast
Rock ‘n’ roll music legend Jerry Lee Lewis shows he’s still a mean musical force to be reckoned with in his latest collaboration effort Mean Old Man. There’s still a hint of the rockabilly goodness that Lewis was known for during his Sun Records days. The opening title track with Ronnie Wood certainly get things going with its catchy guitar hooks, while other frolicking numbers are with the likes of Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, John Mayer and Sheryl Crow; Lewis proves that he pretty much still has his groove on. TO

Esperanza Spalding

Rating 4/5
Chamber Music Society / Head Up
One of the latest toasts on the fusion jazz and chamber music scene, Portland native Esperanza Spalding’s debut album is an intoxicating mix of tinkling piano chords, precise bass lines and groovy trumpets, topped with Spalding’s soaring soprano voice. The result: Something that you’d play over and over again at cocktail parties where you can still have a decent conversation along the way. Spalding quotes William Blake’s poems in tracks such as “Little Fly” (go figure), so it’s not just all bubbly here. TO