Hugh Laurie

“Didn’t it Rain”

Warner Bros.

Yeah, that Hugh Laurie always has been pretty up front about his musical leanings and has been involved in several musical projects, the most notable of which was the group Band From TV, and his current work with The Copper Bottom Band. Laurie released an album in 2011 that’s something of an ambitious mess that often overextends itself, as vanity projects are wont to do. But here, Laurie seems to have taken his music in the opposite direction. He is content to let the band and a series of guest singers overshadow him. It’s not so much a Hugh Laurie album as an album where Hugh Laurie happens to play some of the music. And if the point of a project like this isn’t to showcase the name on the cover, then there are far tighter albums to spend your time listening to. CV

KT Tunstall

“Invisible Empire”

Virgin

Up to this point in her career, KT Tunstall has been largely a beautiful disappointment. She’s seemingly made a career out of being not quite what people thought she could be. Turns out, all it took was some crushing tragedy to rectify that. Written on the heels of a divorce and the passing of her father, “Invisible Empire” is far and away Tunstall’s best work to date. Subtle and moving, the album is a deft exploration of the fragility of life and plumbs the depths of sadness and loss without ever becoming maudlin or over-wrought. Tunstall’s touch on every track is just about perfect, with “Made of Glass” being the track that elevates the album to its sublimely highest point, before the album turns around and knocks you over with tracks like “Crescent Moon” and “Chimes.” This is the album that people who have really wanted to like Tunstall have been waiting for. CV