Shangri La [LP]

Jake Bugg's eponymous 2012 debut was enough of a success to push him into neo-stardom across the Atlantic Ocean. He never had an actual hit in America -- the album did get to 75 on the Billboard 200, though -- but his reputation was strong, strong enough to gain the attention of Rick Rubin, who signed up to record the young British singer/songwriter's sophomore album at the producer's home studio. Literal guy that he is, Bugg named his second album Shangri La after Rubin's Malibu studio, and it's an appropriate title because it's a collection of 12 songs that were recorded at Shangri La. Rubin cannily assists Bugg in going electric, accelerating the process that took Bob Dylan the better part of three years into something less than 12 months. Rubin skillfully retains a veneer of authenticity throughout Shangri La, adhering to the Dylan in Greenwich Village vibe of the 2012 debut and never letting the electric expansion feel like exploitation. The producer brings in Pete Thomas, one of rock's great unheralded drummers, to anchor this throwback to 1965 Dylan, an exercise in '60s folk-rock pastiche that is pleasing enough. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine