Music Forecast January 31-February 6

Heartfelt Anarchy
Heartfelt Anarchy is the newish collaboration between Les Izmore (best known as the guy who raps in Hearts of Darkness) and D/Will, a producer and beat maker (and occasional MC) about town. I caught the duo in October at the Riot Room. Izmore stomped around the stage barking out bars; D/Will wore a mask and tapped out beats on one of those MPC machines like AraabMuzik uses. It was pretty cool. The $10 cover to this show includes a copy of Heartfelt Anarchy’s debut album, as well as performances from jazz trio Diverse and DJ Soulnice.
Friday, February 1, at RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)

Kid Rock
“Born Free,” the 2010 Kid Rock song from the album of the same name, has so much going against it. It was Mitt Romney’s official campaign theme song. Its classic-rock hooks are totally basic and worn-to-the-bone. And its vague red-state freedom-lover lyrics are as empty as the old neighborhoods in Rock’s hometown of Detroit. It is absolutely dumb as hell. It is also one of my favorite pop songs of the past two years. What can I say? When I bump that motherfucker in my Nissan Altima, I feel like a fucking superhero. I’m not hearing anything I like quite as much on last year’s Rebel Soul — it’s just more of the same redneck party imagery and Southern-rock plagiarism — but give me a little more time with it, and I’m sure I can find something.
Saturday, February 2, at Sprint Center (1407 Grand, 816-949-7000)

Cam’ron
Cam’ron kicked off 2013 by dropping a new single, “You Know This.” It’s not terrible. Like a lot of Cam’s stuff, it’s a dense, non-sequitur-ridden brag session, but it’s not a return to his early ’00s form, either. This Riot Room show seems like it could go either way. It might be a no-effort, cash-grab gig or maybe we’ll see a hungry side of Cam, eager to reclaim his place as one of the most elite rappers in the game.
Tuesday, February 5, at the Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)

Lady Gaga
Spoiler alert: The stage show for Lady Gaga’s current tour, called the Born This Way Ball, includes a horse, a motorcycle and a giant castle. Madonna required 29 trucks to haul her touring spectacle to Sprint Center last fall, and I’d imagine that Gaga is somewhere in the same ballpark. Gaga recently announced that fashion photographer Terry Richardson is working on a documentary about her life and the making of her much-anticipated new album, Artpop, but it’s still anybody’s guess when that record will see the light of day.
Monday, February 4, at Sprint Center (1407 Grand, 816-949-7000)

Calexico
Calexico’s calling card — alt-country soundscapes with a Tex-Mex flavor — has long been informed by Tucson, Arizona, the group’s hometown and recording headquarters. For last year’s Algiers, though, the members migrated to New Orleans and recorded in a converted Baptist church. They didn’t exactly morph into the Meters or the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, but they did return with an album that’s louder, grander and poppier (relatively speaking) than anything they’d done before. Expect a set that’s heavy on cuts from Algiers as well as favorites from Calexico’s six other damn-excellent desert-folk albums.
Saturday, February 2, at the Granada (1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-842-1390)