album reviews: Spin Cycle is a biweekly roundup of the latest music releases selected by Citysearch editors.

Destiny's Child [ tickets ]
"Survivor" (Columbia)

Perhaps eager to prove that Destiny's Child is more than an artfully produced girl-group, lead singer Beyoncé Knowles co-wrote every track on "Survivor." And the good news is that the album's opening one-two punch--"Independent Women Part 1," followed by the title track--projects forceful pop feminism. After that, however, it’s just the artsy textures that stand out, while the songwriting riffs on a rather simplistic worldview. Things Knowles likes: Jesus, pie a la mode and cruising for a prospective hubby. Her dislikes: child abuse, competitive women and excessive cleavage (though in the video for "Survivor," the band shows almost as much skin as Richard Hatch). Clever rhythms, tricky harmonies and diverse musical reference points--including the opening riff from Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen"--frequently distract from the lyrical shortcomings. But when soggy balladry takes over, this talented Child gets stranded on a remote island, one that's already been well-charted.
--Justin Hartung, citysearch.com

The Black Crowes [ tickets ]
"Lions" (V2 Records)

A bad back forced Jimmy Page, the legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist, to cancel a 2000 tour with the Black Crowes. His frailty signaled classic rock's need for a youthful proponent, someone to bring the music into the 21st century. With "Lions," their first album of the new millennium, the Black Crowes offer their considerable skills to devotees of all manner of pre-rap rock and roll. Hendrix fans will dig the metallic blues of the record's opening track. Folks who dig Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Zeppelin and, of course, Rod Stewart--whose rasp so often echoes in the vocals of lead Crowe Chris Robinson--will also find much to enjoy in this smorgasbord of rock comfort food. Heck, the Crowes even quote their own decade-old hit, "Remedy," on one cut, the Steve Ray Vaughan-flavored "Come On". Deeply original? No. A rollicking, sing-along good time? Yes.
--Marc Weidenbaum, citysearch.com

Depeche Mode [ tickets ]
"Exciter" (Reprise)

Eighties provocateur Depeche Mode celebrates 20 years together by nearly abandoning its trademark temperamental synth-rock on its tenth full-length album. "Exciter" finds the trio recharged, with singer Dave Gahan's heroin addiction behind them, and with a carefree approach to the pop charts. The electronics are intact, but rather than rely on monitors and keyboards to produce familiar sounds, Depeche Mode lifts its chin and puts vocals first for some surprisingly taut techno-balladry. Gahan addresses his demons upfront on the lead track, "Dream On," and acutely delivers chief songwriter Martin Gore's tales from the dark side on "Shine" and "When the Body Speaks." Still, old habits are hard to break, and "Exciter" carries a couple of ill-advised indulgences. The silly sonic telephone game "Breathe" and dark-funk dirge "The Dead of Night" are as hopelessly overwrought as much of the material found on "Songs of Faith and Devotion" and "ULTRA," the band's forgettable last albums of original material.
--Scott Henkemeyer, twincities.citysearch.com

Robert Cray [ tickets ] Band
"Shoulda Been Home" (Ryko)

With full-bodied bass, snares as crisp as iceberg-lettuce hearts and an overall sound as big as a gospel choir, "Shoulda Been Home" coulda been a classic. Producer Steve Jordan and engineer Don Smith have contributed to making one of the finest-sounding R&B recordings ever. However, their accomplishments can't mask the inconsistent quality of the songwriting. Among several underdeveloped tracks, "No One Special" lacks a true chorus, and "Renew Blues" inexplicably fades out before it has a chance to begin. Strong songs, such as the bouncy homeward-bound opener, "Baby’s Arms," and "Love Sickness," with its low-down feel and rocking mantra, go a long way to helping Cray redeem himself from jazz-lite purgatory. Cray’s voice, though beautiful, wears thin towards album’s end. "Shoulda Been Home" is a postcard from an artist at a fork in the road, an artist with the potential, should he choose the road marked "Songs," to put out a true classic.
--Don Harvey, austin.citysearch.com

Mark Lanegan [ tickets ]
"Field Songs" (Sub Pop)

As a solo artist, former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan has traded dimly lit nightclubs for the gravelly back roads of rural Americana, combing the landscape for a new folk music to call his own. If "Field Songs" is any indication, he’s nearly found it. The song "No Easy Action" opens up Lanegan’s usually constrained atmospherics with Middle Eastern wails, evoking simmering menace. Short numbers like "Field Song," "Low" and "She Done Too Much" are jagged briars dipped in the same country, folk and blues influences that informed his covers disc from 2000, "I'll Take Care of You." Lanegan has fine-tuned his bourbon-and-cigarettes rasp into a spectral baritone capable of powerful emotional deliverance. He needs only to let the whisper build to a scream to fully realize the haunting potential of his material.
--Kevin Forest Moreau, neworleans.citysearch.com

Previous Spin Cycles:

April 26: Tim McGraw, Janet Jackson, Kirsty MacColl, Alejandro Escovedo, Red House Painters

April 12: Run-DMC, Creeper Lagoon, The Cash Brothers, MJ Cole and Los Hombres Calientes

March 29: Aerosmith, Shawn Colvin, Mirwais, Pete Yorn and Old 97's

March 1: SXSW Edition: Idlewild, Blake Babies, Kasey Chambers, Spoon, Kristin Hersh, Jim White, Brassy, Kid 606, Will Hoge and F--k

Have a comment or question? Send a message to the Spin Cycle editor: Don Harvey.