CD reviews

This week we review Boz Scaggs, Peter Gabriel, BlakRoc, The Ruby Suns and Groove Armada.

Boz Scaggs. Speak Low. Decca Records.
3 stars (out of 5)

Moving from a Lido Shuffle to a soft-shoe one, Boz Scaggs flips open the American songbook and eases through a collection of standards by the likes of Hoagy Carmichael and Rodgers & Hart, turning in a hip, mellow set that recalls the lounge-lizard days, sans the cheese.

Key here is pianist Gil Goldstein's imaginative arrangements - forsaking the conventional orchestral snap and punch in favour of vibe swirls, strings and Fender Rhodes surges, he creates a smooth, intimate atmosphere that nicely underpins Scaggs' occasionally astringent vocals.

One for the wee small hours.

Single download: Dindi
For those who like: Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Chet Baker

- Paul Mooney

Peter Gabriel. Scratch My Back. Virgin.
3 stars (out of 5)

Genesis founder and long-time musical adventurer Peter Gabriel's latest project involves reworking tracks by a range of other artists.

Some are obscure, such as Magnetic Fields' The Book Of Love or Bon Ivor's Flume; others are better known, including David Bowie's Heroes and Paul Simon's The Boy in the Bubble.

Using the skills of production heavyweights Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Lou Reed) and Tchad Blake (Tom Waits, Suzanne Vega), and with composer John Metcalfe, Gabriel set himself the challenge of not using guitar or drums.

This lush, languid collection pushes Gabriel's distinctive voice to the fore.

Single download: Philadelphia (Neil Young)
For those who like: Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks

- Shane Gilchrist

BlakRoc. BlakRoc. Shock.
4 stars (out of 5)

The marriage between indie-blues duo The Black Keys and rappers Mos Def, Q-Tip, RZA and Raekwon seems like a match made in rap-rock hell.

Yet the BlakRoc project, the brainchild of Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon Dash, does much to consign baggy shorts and goatees to the early noughties.

Lyrically, it's standard street talk (Coochie, Dollaz & Sense), which would quickly wear thin over synthetic beeps and gurgles.

Supple musicianship is the key, with Mos Def's laid-back drawl on On the Vista enhancing the lo-fi strut, while bluesy guitar licks (w)rap themselves around Nicole Wray's feline vocals (Why Can't I Forget Him).

Single download: On the Vista
For those who like: The Roots, The White Stripes, and when two worlds collide

- John Hayden

The Ruby Suns. Fight Softly. Lil' Chief Records.
4 stars (out of 5)

The Ruby Suns' prime musical force, Ryan McPhun, has clearly thought long and hard about this third album; he's taken his time and, in doing so, has fulfilled an ethereal, dreamworld ambition.

Fight Softly is big on texture and dripping with details; it mixes '80s synthscapes and dense electronic drum sequences with psychedelic, ambient vocals that float in the mix, refusing to be bogged down by more traditional song structures.

Yet despite the lushness of several of the tracks, others are underpinned by a delicate minimalism (Dusty Fruit, Two Humans).

All confirm McPhun's burgeoning compositional artistry.

Single download: Mingus and Pike
For those who like: SJD, Yazoo

- Shane Gilchrist

Groove Armada. Black Light. Cooking Vinyl.
4 stars (out of 5)

Groove Armada might have been lighting up dancefloors for 12 years, but it has definitely reached a career-defining epoch with Black Light, its sixth album.

Being able to line up the likes of Brian Ferry is a coup that Andy Cato and Tom Findlay haven't taken lightly.

In fact, Ferry's contribution, Shameless is possibly the most outstanding thing he has done since Roxy Music.

Exciting, exuberant, ethereal and addictive, Black Light might raise the eyebrows of a few old fans, but is guaranteed to earn Groove Armada a shed-load of new ones.

Seldom has a marriage of '80s synth soundscapes and rock beats sounded so good.

Single download: Time and Space
For those who like: Empire of the Sun, Roxy Music, Ladyhawke, New Order, PIL

- Mark Orton