Paul McCartney lounges through 'Kisses on the Bottom'

Enlarge

Paul McCartney "Kisses on the Bottom" (Concord)

Paul McCartney fans would no doubt rather see the left-handed bassist rocking out -- as he did in that raging testosterone guitarfest that closed the Grammy Awards -- than sitting around in a tux snapping his fingers with a full orchestra, as he did earlier in the show.

But give the softhearted, still-cute Beatle a break: This 14-song set of mostly pre-rock swing tunes (plus two originals) that Macca learned in his Liverpool living room growing up is a warmhearted trifle, a music box of chocolate truffles proffered to his new wife, Nancy Shevell.

With Diana Krall and a team of studio pros backing him, McCartney lounges his way through pleasant if hardly thrilling versions of "It's Only a Paper Moon" and "The Glory of Love."

Not what he does best, perhaps, but look on the bright side: The lyrics, by Irving Berlin, E.Y. Yarburg, and Frank Loesser, are much better than they'd be if he wrote them himself.

-- DAN DELUCA, Philadelphia Inquirer

Enlarge

Boy Wells "Blue Skies Calling" (Marcel Marsupial)

Consider this a long-overdue debut album and a darned good one. Blues guitarist-singer Boy Wells is largely unknown among the masses, even though he began performing as a featured act in the Washington area in the late 1970s and is a protege of the late guitar master Danny Gatton, who was known for fusing rockabilly, jazz, and country.

Wells, who once opened for the Beach Boys at a July 4 celebration near the Washington Monument, has played mostly blues and Southern rock since the early 1980s and in recent years has been anchored in Austin and the central Texas region.

On this album, he belts out a dozen steamy originals that ache with spiritual tenderness and the sense of road-weary awakening found in powerful Southern blues. His raw, yet fine guitar licks are accompanied by his weathered voice. Backup musicians include former Molly Hatchet drummer Bruce Crump.

Wells, who played in an Allman Brothers tribute band in the 1990s, shows he is more than capable in putting out fine albums himself.

-- TOM HENRY, The Blade

Enlarge

Adam Kromelow Trio "Youngblood" (Zoho)

This album by the Adam Kromelow Trio is not only an outstanding debut by three young musicians, it's also one of the most captivating discs by a jazz trio in years.

Driven by Kromelow's creative and heart-pounding piano chops and with the fluid grace of Raviv Markovitz on bass and Jason Burger on drums, the three lads -- who met in New York City while pursuing their college degrees -- do powerful, memorable renditions of Lennon/McCartney's "Across the Universe," Thelonius Monk's "Brilliant Corners," and Peter Gabriel's "Mercy Street" along with six Kromelow originals.

The trio's technique is outstanding, but what takes it to a higher level is Kromelow's ear for music and his ability to strike the right nerves in the listener's pleasure zones. Although the disc is mainly jazz, Kromelow said he was most influenced by the work of Genesis and Gabriel as he grew up, that he has rock and classical in his heart to go along with his budding appreciation for jazz.

--T.H.