Michael Bubl‚

“Come Fly With Me” (143/Reprise)

Compare to: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Harry Connick Jr.

Michael Bubl‚’s music is exactly what both grandmas and their grandkids will love to hear coming out of the car stereo.

Bubl‚ remakes eight classic pop standards in superior fashion with an obvious focus on doing justice to the original vocal tracks.

The album starts out with “Nice and Easy,” which has the perfect elements of an intro to a ’50s musical. The instrumental crescendo at the beginning is complemented nicely by Bubl‚’s strong vocal presence. The pitch range for the song is admirable, and Bubl‚ hits every note with precision and grace.

The high and low instruments split parts during the song and trade off as the dominant group every three or four measures at points in the middle of the song. The backup musicians are also strong, but focus is taken away from them a bit too much at times, especially on the faster songs where the instruments should stand out.

The album gets slower for two ballads, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “My Funny Valentine,” then swings hard with Bubl‚’s classy version of “Mack the Knife.”

The song paints the picture of a black-and-white film about a performance one of New York’s old jazz clubs back in the days of Benny Goodman and John Coltrane.

“Fever” gives the album a classic sexual tension with lyrics like “Captain Smith and Pocahontas/ Had a very mad affair.” The song also mentions Romeo and Juliet’s romance as if it were more of a sexual fling than a loving relationship.

From there, the album transitions back to the sincere love ballad on “You’ll Never Know.” The feeling is brought out by the somber piano melody and the drummer’s brushes flowing against the grain of the snare’s drumhead.

The album finishes the way it started — quick and syncopated. Bubl‚ even throws down the word “fantabulous,” which is not normally used in anyone’s vocabulary, much less by a musician.

This album is a must-have for fans of big band, swing or jazz enthusiasts in general. However, Bubl‚’s choice of songs has made this album appealing to almost every level of musical taste.

— Dan Hopper

Tack Fu

“Presents the Production Team: 85 decibel Monks” (Tack Fu)

Compare to: RJD2, Jel, DJ Shadow

The only town in Iowa where hip-hop has a heartbeat has finally put out something worthy of attention.

Iowa City hip-hop producer Timothy Tack, aka Tack Fu, has pulled his production team together and created a 20-track album of much higher caliber than one would expect from such an uncompetitive region.

Although his only education in music was a semester of music appreciation at the University of Iowa and some piano lessons as a kid, Tack’s ear for harmonizing beats, various instruments and vocals are promising.

The project is a laid-back disc that works nicely as background music. However, like any good hip-hop release, closer listening reveals deeper layers that are more thought-out than they appear on the surface.

Coming from a producer rather than a rapper, “85 decibel Monks” must be judged on its coherence and layering quality more than its rhyme content. Tack Fu and friends lay down jazz break beats and some trendy Indian sounds, but they never seem overdone.

Lyrically, Tack Fu keeps things low-key and relaxed. A very impressive poetry reading by Rachel Kann on “Lie Down Beside You” flows in the vein of Ursula Rucker’s beat-backed spoken word.

Cousin of Iowa City’s most successful hip-hop group, Bad Fathers, sounds even more fitting on “85 decibel Monks” than on his own group’s newer material. His highlight performance is the reading of a recipe for “Weed Cookies,” laced with playful, yet soothing piano riffs.

Members of Bad Fathers (formerly The Committee) dominate the voices heard on the album but Tack Fu also brings in some talent from outside the local scene.

The most notable MCs dropping bars for Tack Fu are Blueprint of Soul Position, ManChild of Mars Ill and Illogic. None of the verses are knockouts, but they fit well with the sounds surrounding them, which is just as important.

This is not hip-hop for dance clubs. This is not Dr. Dre’s production. This is refined, instrumental hip-hop that would fit better on Mush Records than any mainstream label. It’s the one hip-hop release from Iowa that could be proudly sold on the streets of D.C.

— Andrew Mabe

Aerosmith

“Honkin’ On Bobo” (Sony)

Compare to: ZZ Top, The Black Crowes, Nashville Pussy

Honkin’ On Bobo” is expressly blues and unmistakably Aerosmith. Steven Tyler croons and screams his way through the 12 tracks with all the sultry energy fans have come to expect.

Over the past 31 years, Aerosmith has developed a specific sound, partly due to Tyler’s vocals. This album is, as the band puts it, “Blues done Aerosmith style,” and has only a few tracks with the type of rock beat that inspires people to blow out speakers. However, it is a mature and well-produced album, mixing musical styles few other bands could do with as much success.

“Shame, Shame, Shame” combines a swing beat with rock-style guitar playing, underlined with jazz piano. Tyler’s vocals weave the various musical styles of the song together, giving it an edge. Somehow, the band manages not only to make this marriage of styles sound good, but also to make it one of the best tracks on the album.

“The Grind” is the only song written by members of the band. Tyler and Joe Perry collaborated with Marti Frederiksen to write this tune with the most traditional Aerosmith sound of the album. This slower lament is about a lost woman who cannot be forgotten.

Aerosmith’s remake of Fleetwood Mac’s “Stop Messin’ Around,” by Peter Green, takes this classic blues rock piece and gives it an edge. The original, first released in 1968 and subsequently recorded on four Fleetwood Mac albums, has a simplistic oldies feel to it.

The remake retains the blues feel of the original, but adds more vertical dimension to the sound. Some artists and songs are just extremely hard to improve upon; however, the remake doesn’t attempt to essentially change the song. Aerosmith’s goal with the song seems to be to put a little of its own personality into it and have a good time playing it — and it succeeds.

Aerosmith is one of several bands who started rocking in the rock genre’s infancy and have helped to mold the direction it has taken. Will it be possible for current rock stars to endure three or more decades of performing and still create innovative, high-quality music? Not likely.

— Sarah Kloewer

Trey Anastasio

“Seis De Mayo” (Elektra)

Compare to: String Cheese Incident, Eric Johnson, The Grateful Dead

Trey Anastasio has released a new album. Amazingly, it’s not another live show.

Anastasio’s newest, “Seis De Mayo,” is the sixth release in his solo career, and it is by far the most unique to date.

“Seis De Mayo” is an all-instrumental arrangement of songs Anastasio has either done by himself or with Phish. Needless to say, it is a very unconventional sound.

Anastasio and Troy Peters’ mastery of orchestral arrangement is omnipresent in the album. Cleverly supported by both opposite and supporting melodies, the main themes of the songs covered are not lost in the arrangement. Anastasio has taken his uncanny ability of writing great jams, crossed them with his background in free jazz and poured that passion into arranging and playing seven songs.

“Guyute,” originally found on the album “A Story of a Ghost,” is the most impressive track. Although radically different from the original, this version takes the listener through an array of emotions ranging high to low and then abruptly ending. Seattlemusic, a 66-piece orchestra known for scoring many songs for movies, performs the 11-minute song.

“Prologue,” which is similar to “Pebbles and Marbles” on “Round Room,” is equally impressive and almost as good as “Guyute.” The tranquil sounds of both seamlessly flow together and will pacify any Phish fan with the unbelievable adaptation of the two songs.

“All Things Reconsidered,” covered off of “Rift,” is a very complicated piece. Mumbled with minor chords throughout the piece, it might leave listeners wondering how many notes can fit into one song.

“Andre the Giant” opens “Seis de Mayo” and really doesn’t fit in with the rest of the album. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly as complicated as the other six songs. Although it isn’t a bad song, its musical frailty makes it stand out awkwardly.

This album is a very mature work. Who knows what will be next for Anastasio — this was an impressive step him. For the “I’m-in-college-and-I-want-to-be-a-hippie” Phish fan, this album might not be for you. But for the hardcore Trey or Phish fan who knows every song, you’re going to love this album.

— Eric Rowley