Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Whitesnake, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Portishead, Joe Moss Band

My initial reaction upon receiving this CD was one of skepticism.

Many recordings of this work exist, not a few of which I've recently reviewed and found wanting. So who was violinist Norman Krieger to come along and crash the party? Well, I've since learned that he is a highly sought-after artist who received a full scholarship to Juilliard at the age of 15.

Any doubts I may have had evaporated as I began listening to this performance, recorded with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in 2007 with JoAnn Falletta conducting.

Krieger engages Brahms with power to spare, yet his performance is not about barnstorming. He is both lyrical and supple in the way he applies subtle rubato to passages - such as the searching subsidiary theme in the first movement - while still managing to press their urgency forward. In this, Falletta proves the ideal partner, probing deep into the score to reveal felicities of figuration often obscured by Brahms' massive orchestration.

Neither soloist nor orchestra yields supremacy to the other, yet so transparent and dynamic is the recording that both protagonists prevail and are heard in exquisite detail.

- Jerry Dubbins, Fanfare

Virginia Symphony Orchestra: Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1

Rating: Go get it now

After a decade-long sabbatical, trip-hop pioneer Portishead is back with the aptly titled "Third."

This album is not a return to the band's heyday of the mid- '90s, nor is it an attempt to cash in on any new musical trend, as Portishead has always proved itself above this.

The haunting vocal melodies of Beth Gibbons are probably the only thing akin to the band's two previous efforts. Shrouded in a haze of reverb and ambiance, Gibbons' wounded crooning is sure to find its way into the darkest regions of your cerebral cortex and linger there.

The opening track, "Silence," sets the stage for what is to come with delayed guitars over a rumbling synthetic bass line, while "Plastic" finds Gibbons' voice ripe with emotion in a disorienting, down-tempo arrangement with electronic flourishes.

"Machine Gun" proves to be the highlight of the album, with an assault of mechanical percussion reminiscent of an industrial assembly line.

While this album is not for everyone, it is sure to create a buzz among the more musically adventurous.

- Benjamin Weathers

Portishead: "Third"

Rating: Download a few tracks

Tracks to download: "Silence," "Plastic," "Machine Gun"

Any song that starts with "They tried to make me an idol American" has got to be good and make a statement. In fact, "Fail on Cue" makes a lot of statements, the tops being don't sell out and be true to you.

That's what Annapolis, Md.-based Jimmie's Chicken Shack has been doing for years, and this latest installment, the band's eighth, is a keeper.

Not only are lead singer Jimi Haha's lyrics and vocals dead-on, the band's cohesiveness and ability to mix genres, like reggae and rock in "Mutha Luvas," plainly rocks out.

Haha has the ability to sing quietly, like a lullaby in "The Qui et Ones," and then let his raspy pipes rip in "Mutha Luvas."

And, throughout the CD, the lyrics are worth paying attention to, from "don't want to be alternative, I want to be the norm, don't want to be indie or be reborn" in "Making Babies" to "who's gonna have your back" in "Friendly Fire."

If you haven't owned a Jimmie's Chicken Shack compilation, this is the one to buy. Let's hope the quartet makes its way to Hampton Roads to play live - the show would be worth a visit.

- Toni Guagenti, The Pilot

Jimmie's Chicken Shack: "Fall On Cue"

Rating: Go get it now

Tracks to download: "Mutha Luvas," "Friendly Fire," "Making Babies"

The Chicago-based Moss siblings, Nick and Joe, are true blues brothers. Nick, the younger, leads his critically acclaimed Flip-Tops through rousing rustic and reverent Chicago blues. The olde r is a bluesman, to be sure, but in the same way those with the same DNA differ, so does Joe.

And that's evident on his newest, and third, release, "Maricela's Smile," the follow-up to 2003's sophomore, "Monster Love."

Joe and his tight, capable combo present a groove-conscious mash-up of blues, vintage R&B and soul, funk, rock and a few touches of jazz. Moss adds surprisingly solid soul vocals and clean, stinging lead-guitar riffs and solos. Throughout the disc's 70+ minutes, Moss and mates add refinements, a little polish and variations to straight-up blues, but nothing's buttery slick or boring. Alongside mainly originals, the band powers its way through Free's "Fire and Water" and closes out the proceedings with a live 17-minute jam.

Blues purists should stay away, but for those enamored with the groove, come dancing - this Moss gathers a lot of rolling rock.

- Eric Feber, The Pilot

Joe Moss Band: "Maricela's Smile"

Rating: Download a few tracks

Tracks to download: "Green Eyes," "Fire and Water," "Ain't Got No Money"

David Coverdale and company return with a surprisingly good album after too many years out of the spotlight. "Good to Be Bad" is a collection of 11 bluesy, hard-rock creations that walk the line between Zeppelin rehashes and classic 1987 Whitesnake reinventions.

There's nothing new here, but that's not a bad thing. Huge, chewy, overdriven guitars is what Whitesnake has hung its hat on for its entire career. This time six-stringer Doug Aldrich is in the spotlight, with his over-the-top soloing and the multi-layered symphony of guitar tracks. Coverdale shines on the ballads "All I Want, All I Need" and "Summer Rain," the latter conjuring up an air of Zeppelin's "The Rain Song."

While Coverdale is definitely a capable vocalist, unfortunately his lyrics aren't all that clever, and most are pretty obvious and cliched - but the music rocks. "Call on Me" is a delightfully heavy romp, with a killer riff and some cool slide work. Riffs are plentiful on "Good to Be Bad," and Aldrich serves them up in all flavors. The sound here remains true to classic Whitesnake, and fans won't be disappointed.

- Mike Doyle

Whitesnake: "Good To Be Bad"

Rating: Download a few tracks

Tracks to download: "Best Years," "Call on Me," "All I Want, All I Need"