MUSIC REVIEWS: Justin Bieber’s ‘Believe Acoustic,’ Kris Kristofferson’s ‘Feeling Mortal’

Like Johnny Cash’s “American Recordings,” a series of albums recorded during the Man in Black’s final years, “Feeling Mortal” turns Mr. Kristofferson’s shortcomings into strengths. His voice, wobbly and withered after years of use, is pushed to the front of the mix, where it delivers each line with the authority of some old-world sage. The arrangements are filled with softly strummed acoustics and gauzy accordions, and Mr. Kristofferson never sounds overwhelmed by the band that supports him.

This is the sound of a legend aging gracefully.

Bjork

When Bjork recorded her last album, “Biophilia,” she developed a series of iPhone apps to go along with each song. The interactive apps were aimed at children, serving as miniature educational programs that exposed the link between science, technology and music.

Bjork has been taking the “Biophilia” project into public schools for the past two years, holding creative workshops in New York, Iceland, Buenos Aires and Manchester, England. The apps have been the cornerstone of her curriculum, and she says that the students — particularly those from low-income areas and schools with unfunded art programs — have been responding well. The apps are free, and she has been running into some issues when it comes to reprogramming them for Android and Windows 8, two platforms that will allow more students to access the material.

That’s where her new Kickstarter campaign comes into play. Those who wish to support the nonprofit “Biophilia” educational project are encouraged to donate what they can to the campaign, which runs through the end of February. Financial backers will be rewarded with different “prizes,” from T-shirts to autographs to VIP seats at one of Bjork’s upcoming residency shows.