LP, "Heart to Mouth" (BMG/Vagrant)
There's a reference to shape-shifting tucked into the lyrics of "When I'm Over You," the second song on LP's new album, "Heart to Mouth," and it didn't get there by accident.
Over the course of a dozen new songs, the diminutive singer works in enough different styles to draw comparisons to some of the world's greats — and yet she doesn't sound quite like any of them.
It works because LP is an enormous talent. Her heart-baring vulnerability makes this a rock-solid follow-up to the widely-praised "Lost on You" — and arrives in time to earn best-of consideration for 2018.
On "Dreamcatcher," close your eyes and hear Stevie Nicks. On "Girls Go Wild," the playfully bouncing bass line echoes early Madonna, but with better singing. And the show-stopping heartbreak ballad, "Recovery," suggests Adele at her pour-it-on best.
The shape-shifting doesn't end there. Other cuts call to mind everything from the power-anthem R&B vibe of Beyonce to the smoldering vibrato of Grace Slick, the commanding Jefferson Airplane singer.
LP really is that good.
"Heart to Mouth" succeeds because she sings with such uncloaked passion and urgency. Her big voice conveys the same don't-care-what-you-think confidence as the album's cover photo, in which the singer slouches in an orange chair against an orange background, wearing an orange polyester suit that doesn't entirely cover the sailing ship tattooed across her chest.
Sure, she may not care what you think. But she has put it all out there this time.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has moved some troops onto an airbase in Niger where a small number of U.S. forces remain, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he doesn't see it as a significant issue. Most American troops left that base in the nation's capital, Niamey, a U.S. official said.
The arrival of Russian trainers in the West African country about three weeks ago came in the wake of Niger’s decision to order out all U.S. troops. The order dealt a blow to U.S. military operations in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara desert where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate.
The Pentagon has said the U.S. troops will depart but has not provided a timeline.
When Russian troops arrived last month, it was unclear where they were staying. The Niamey base, Austin said late Thursday, is located at the capital city's Diori Hamani International Airport, and “the Russians are in a separate compound and don’t have access to U.S. forces or access to our equipment.”
He said the U.S. will continue to watch the situation but he doesn't see it as a significant force protection issue.
A U.S. official said the Russian forces are on the other side of the Niamey facility, known as Airbase 101, and that other international forces — such as the Germans and Italians — also reside. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements. It's unclear how many U.S. troops remain at the Niamey base.
The Russian presence on the base comes as tensions remain high between Washington and Moscow over the ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine's military.
About 1,000 U.S. troops are still in Niger, but the bulk of them moved to what's called Airbase 201 near Agadez, some 920 kilometers (550 miles) away from the capital, not long after mutinous soldiers ousted the country’s democratically elected president last July.
A few months later, the ruling junta asked French forces to leave and turned to the Russian mercenary group Wagner for security assistance.
In October, Washington officially designated the military takeover as a coup, which triggered U.S. laws restricting the military support and aid that it can provide to Niger. Since then, diplomatic efforts to restore ties with Niger have been unsuccessful.
Until recently, Washington considered Niger a key partner and ally in a region swept by coups in recent years, investing millions of dollars in the Agadez base, which has been critical to U.S. counterterrorism operations in the Sahel. The U.S. also has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger’s military since it began operations there in 2013.
The Pentagon also has said the U.S. will relocate most of the approximately 100 forces it has deployed in neighboring Chad for now. Chad is also considering whether to continue its security agreement with the U.S.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that the departure from Chad "is a temporary step as part of the ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume after Chad’s May 6th presidential election.”
FILE - Supporters of Niger's ruling junta gather for a protest called to fight for the country's freedom and push back against foreign interference, in Niamey, Niger, Aug. 3, 2023. Russia has moved some troops onto an airbase in Niger where a small number of U.S. forces remain after most American troops left the base in Niamey, the nation's capital, a U.S. official said Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
