New Recordings: "Another Day, Another Time"; Mark Ronson; Swamp Dogg

Various Artists

Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of Inside Llewyn Davis

(Nonesuch ***)

nolead ends As a tie-in to Inside Llewyn Davis, the Coen brothers' film about the New York City folk scene in the early '60s, T Bone Burnett gathered an impressive cast of artists to perform folk songs, old and new, at a concert in N.Y.C. in late 2013. The double-album Another Day, Another Time documents that event, filmed for a Showtime special.

It's a multigenerational, collaborative affair, ranging from old-guard veterans Joan Baez and Bob Neuwirth to established stars Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and Jack White, to younger bands such as the Punch Brothers and Lake Street Dive, to the film's star, Oscar Isaac. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings anchor the proceedings, appearing on their own or with Conor Oberst, Colin Meloy, or Baez. The live recording suits these acoustic, sparse songs, too, whether it's an old traditional number such as "The Midnight Special" or a newer one such as the Avett Brothers' "All My Mistakes." The set is similar to what Burnett did with O Brother, Where Art Thou?: It's both a primer and a lively update.

- Steve Klinge

nolead begins Mark Ronson
nolead ends nolead begins Uptown Special
nolead ends nolead begins (RCA ***1/2)

nolead ends Producer and composer Mark Ronson goes beyond his most famous work - the warm, updated soul sound on Amy Winehouse's best recordings - to find a fired-up sonic mix for his solo efforts. With its buoyant live-band blend of electro, disco, new wave, and R&B, Ronson's 2010 Record Collection came close to perfection. Uptown Special goes just a little further. You have the lava-lamp psychedelia of its trippy tracks, with Tame Impala's Kevin Parker. You have a grittier groove, as in the aptly titled "Uptown Funk," with partner-in-crime Bruno Mars. And you have nastier stuff, as in the James Brown-like "Feel Right," featuring the shouted-out soul of New Orleans' Mystikal.

Ronson's instrumentalists are a huge force in Uptown Special's melodic funk: Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar, R&B rhythm giants Steve Jordan and Willie Weeks, harmonica giant Stevie Wonder. Like the stalwart session legends of Stax and Motown, these guys lay an exquisite groundwork for Ronson, lyricist/author Michael Chabon, and their team of interpretative singers. Parker adds a cottony sound to "Daffodils," and powerhouse Keyone Starr gives "I Can't Lose" a sensual dynamic not heard since the reign of Chaka Khan.

- A.D. Amorosi

nolead begins Swamp Dogg
nolead ends nolead begins The White Man Made Me Do It
nolead ends nolead begins (Alive Natural Sounds ***1/2)

nolead ends It was 1970 when singer, songwriter, and producer Jerry Williams unveiled his Swamp Dogg persona and promised "Total Destruction to Your Mind" on the title song of his cult-classic debut. Now here it is, 45 years later, and not only is the outrageously entertaining agitator and jester still at it, he has one of the first standout albums of 2015.

The White Man Made Me Do It follows the time-honored Swamp Dogg formula: Whether anguishing over a "Lying Lying Lying Woman" or delivering righteous messages on race and politics, he frames the songs in irresistibly tight, horn-stoked Southern soul, with occasional traces of gospel and country.

With "Where Is Sly?," Swamp Dogg pays tribute to Sly Stone, a visionary artist who helped inspire the young Jerry Williams to be himself. "Is he off somewhere still getting high?," Swamp Dogg wonders. Sly may have lost his way and squandered his talents, but his disciple certainly hasn't.

- Nick Cristiano

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