Relish spins

Little Brother

Leftback

Label: Hall of Justus

If you like: Little Brother

Song to download: "Second Chances"

For seven years, the Durham-based rap group Little Brother pumped out socially conscious hip-hop backed by soulful beats. DJ 9th Wonder crafted hypnotic soundscapes over which Rapper Big Pooh and Phonte kicked rhymes about the everyday struggles of surviving in a cold, cold world. Over three studio CDs and numerous mixtapes, the group was an alternative to the formulaic drivel played too often on radio.

Little Brother was old-school rap (i.e. De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest) trying to sell records to a new-school generation more accustomed to hook-heavy rap music. That makes the group's fourth studio CD, Leftback, a bittersweet moment. The group is breaking up, and 9th Wonder (Winston-Salem native Patrick Douthit) has long since left the group (his heavy demand as a producer and his unwillingness to tour became an issue, according to media reports).

Leftback largely sticks to what has garnered Little Brother such critical acclaim over the years -- laid-back melodic beats and lyrics.

Little Brother's strength has always been its willingness to keep it real, and not within the limited street-cred criteria that demands that you either deal drugs, get shot or do time in prison. Big Rapper Pooh and Phonte never claimed to be gangsters; they're just regular guys trying to make it through a life that's filled with potholes called relationships, industry drama and just plain struggle.

But truth be told, the group's last CD, Getback, was better and much more fitting for the group's farewell than this one. That could be the reason why this CD includes remixes of two songs from Getback. Instead of a celebratory victory lap (i.e. Jay-Z's The Black Album), Leftback is simply a good CD that should have been better.

-- Michael Hewlett / relish reporter

Jews and Catholics

Who Are? We Think We Are!

Label: 307 Knox Records

If you like: Post-punk

Song to download: "Zombie Teeth"

What happens when you combine a Win­ston-Salem music legend with one of the are­a's most creative bands? You get Who Are? We Think We Are!, the new album from Jews and Catholics produced by Mitch Easter (front man of Let's Active and producer of early REM). This is the band's first CD on Durham's 307 Knox Records.

Eddie Garcia's J. Mascis-like guitar shredding, the warm-bowed bass textures from Alanna Meltzer and the measured rhythms of the drum machine combine to create a huge sound for just two people. You can hear possible influences by early-'80s post-punk bands like Big Black and Killing Joke, but Jews and Catholics' music stands on its own.

The band shines on the all-out big guitar rock of "Up for Days" and "Golden Arrow," a song that spotlights Alanna's classically trained playing. Who Are? We Think We Are! keeps the energy of the duo's live show while revealing sometimes-hidden subtleties. All in all, a must-hear.

-- Nicholas Weir / relish reporter

PJ Morton

Walk Alone

Label: Indieblu Music

If you like: Erykah Badu, India.Arie

Song to download: "Love You More"

PJ Morton's fifth album, Walk Alone, only has 10 songs -- but luckily they are all near-perfect gems.

One highlight is "Son of a Preacherman," a song that combines spoken word and soulful singing, where the 29-year-old Morton addresses his upbringing in the church.

There's also the reggae-tinged "Love You More" with singer Tweet, the R&B jam "Don't Ever Leave," and "The One," a finger-snapping tune highlighted by the sax, trumpet and strings, among others.

Tweet's vocals are crisp and Morton sounds great on "Love You More," most impressive song on this CD.

Morton -- who's written for Erykah Badu, Monica and India.Arie, with whom he won a Grammy Award in 2003 -- also wrote and produced all but two tracks on Walk Alone. He may not be walking alone for long if people catch on to this album.

-- Mesfin Fekadu / The Associated Press

Melissa Auf der Maur

Out of Our Minds

Label: Roadrunner

If you like: Hole, The Smashing Pumpkins

Song to download: "Meet Me on the Dark Side"

A great bassist does not a great album make. Melissa Auf der Maur's long-awaited second solo album Out of Our Minds is a dark and stormy, Viking-themed melodic tornado, complete with an epic mess in its wake.

While Out of Our Minds is her first album in nearly six years, Auf der Maur just as well could have been gone a century. Many aspects of the record seems unapologetically dated. From the nautical theme to the languid and exhausting pacing of all 12 tracks, this album seems to be a relic of the late 1990s Hot Topic School of Rock. "Meet Me on the Dark Side" is the album's lifesaver, a well-executed example of concept rock.

Auf der Maur's instrumentation is another saving grace for the album. Having cut her teeth with bands Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, the record's echoing violent guitars and thundering bass lines are masterful. Long instrumental tracks like "Lead Horse" are strong testaments to Auf der Maur's sonic prowess.

Ryan McLendon / The Associated Press