A & E

It is difficult to choose who is the star on this album. That is one of the pleasant features of "If Dreams Come True." Fine performances are the others. Singer Carolyn Leonhart, daughter of bassist Jay Leonhart, and saxophonist Wayne Escoffery put together a strong outing in which they share top roles. Her strong, clear voice and excellent diction rival his crisp tone and speed. The album shows their creativity in other ways: they wrote two of the songs; Escoffery wrote another; Leonhart added lyrics to a Kenny Barron song; and shares composition credits on one more. Overall, though, it is their strong performance skills and that of their band, featuring drummer Carl Allen and pianist Toru Dodo, that gives this post-mainstream release strength.

-- Bob Karlovits

'Dream of Nite'
Dave Liebman, et al. (Verve)

Saxophonist Dave Liebman makes it hard to ignore his albums. "Dream of Nite" isn't innovative in its approach to jazz. Nor do its six tunes present any remarkable talent other than Liebman, but his presence alone gives the album worth. Pianist Roberto Tarenzi offers good work on "En Noir" and bassist Paolo Benedettini creates a moody opening to "Tomorrow's Expectations." But, really, the album is Liebman's, a role he handles easily with sax work that can be wickedly fast or almost tearful in its sadness. The highlight of the album is the saxophonist's gently swinging version of Miles Davis's "Fran Dance," but he also stands out on "Tomorrow's Expectations." The set was recorded live, but crowd reaction is limited to polite applause at the end of songs.

-- Bob Karlovits

'Brighter Than Creation's Dark'
Drive-By Truckers (New West)

The Drive-By Truckers' landmark albums "Southern Rock Opera" and "Decoration Day" were almost Faulkneresque in depicting their native Alabama as a microcosm of the country. The new release "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" seems more akin to a short-story collection than a novel, its 19 songs episodic in nature.

"Daddy Needs a Drink," "Bob" and "That Man I Shot" feature characters and situations that reek of the ordinary, but are somehow made poignant by way of the attention to detail.

The band's principal songwriters -- Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell -- are never less than inspired. Hood's "The Righteous Path" is the album's centerpiece, an average man's lament about having "more bills than money/I can do the math" but nevertheless trying to live a life of dignity.

Notable is the emergence of the band's bassist, Shonna Tucker, as a songwriter. Tucker's "I'm Sorry Huston" the tale of an itinerant wanderer "looking to buy a horse" is the album's loveliest moment.

As always, the predominant Drive-By Truckers sound crosses roaring, thunderous guitars with subtle Southern rock accents. But any label less than great American music is an injustice.

-- Regis Behe

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News