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Bizet: Carmen & L'Arlesienne, Orchestral Suites
Grace Potter
Bigger, Better, Faster, More!
This sorta folky, sorta bluesy, totally rockin' San Francisco quartet lives up to it's critical acclaim and then some. Linda Perry's pyrotechnics on "Morphine and Chocolate" would give Robert Plant pause. Jeff Bateman
Back in Black
Most critics complain Back in Black, the album AC/DC recorded after the death of their original lead screamer Bon Scott, is ridiculously juvenile, obvious, snickering, bludgeoning, derivative, single-minded about sex and booze, a big cartoon. All true, of course, and—on rock 'n' ragers like "What Do You Do For Money Honey," "You Shook Me All Night Long," and the title track—all great. As Scott's replacement Brian Johnson reminds us, loud and crunchy, no-holds-barred "rock and roll ain't noise pollution...it makes good, good sense." Never trust anyone who refuses to drink domestic beer, laugh at the Three Stooges, or crank Back in Black. —David Cantwell
The Best of the Alan Parsons Project
Alannah Myles
Songs in A Minor
She may be beautiful, but Alicia Keys is a musician first and foremost. She plants herself firmly behind the piano keys on her debut, unlike many of the booty-waggin' junior divas who are crowding the R&B videoscape these days. Though many of the tracks on Songs in A Minor are embellished with adolescent angst, this 20-year-old's substantial, gorgeously soul-drenched alto putties the cracks between notes with astonishing ease. "Fallin'," the album's first single, showcases Keys at her best. She wails plaintively and passionately over rolling blues chords, in the tradition of the greats that this young talent clearly wants to align herself with—Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and Aretha Franklin. She swoops and soars over the spicy, flamenco-fueled melody that opens "Mr. Mann," one of the many winning tracks gathered here. And she digs deep into a remake of the beloved Prince B-side, "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" packing more heat into her melismatic wails than most singers twice her age. —Sylvia W. Chan
The Diary of Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys has more than lived up to the promise of her formidable debut Songs in A Minor, pushing beyond her flirtation with old-school soul and venturing into the modern world, even hiring Timbaland to guide her through the shoals of anthemic hip-hop on the breathless and funkified "Heartburn." Sounding like a hyperthyroid cheerleader, Keys unleashes a quirky sense of humor that no one even suspected she possessed. Her effortless singing on the beat-driven "Karma" is a wonder of sonics on this uplifting piece of pop philosophy, giving countless anxious woman hope that everything will work out as it's meant to, or on "Samsonite Man," where it won't. But despite her edgy styling and jazzy vocal posturing, Keys hasn't abandoned her love for old R&B and travels back in time, giving Gladys Knight's "If I Was Your Woman" a face lift it may not have needed, then turns around and recasts the song as the winsome and dramatic "You Don't Know My Name." But at its heart, The Diary of Alicia Keys is a gross misnomer. After listening to the disc, fans will know little more about the elusive diva than they did before, her lyrical style consistently more narrative than confessional. In fact, the title track doesn't delve into the singer's inner life, but instead is about a long-distance love affair, with Keys promising the object of her affection that: "I won't tell your secrets/Your secrets are safe with me/I will keep your secrets/Just think of me as the pages in your diary."—Jaan Uhelszki
Unplugged
With MTV's decision to revive its much-missed "Unplugged" series came a certain obligation: Whoever was going to kick the shows off needed to have the means to deliver serious heat, Grammy-vote garnering heat. The "powers that be" couldn't have chosen better than Alicia Keys. Throughout this consistent set, marked by warmth, sincerity and a powerful lack of inhibition, Keys convinces that if she's not the new Aretha Franklin, she's a force of equal might and measure. All the favorites are here, the danceable "Karma" carries into the funky "Heartburn" and the give-it-up glory of "Unbreakable." "Fallin'," "If I Ain't Got You," and "You Don't Know My Name" come later, but interspersed are enough pleasant surprises to make even fanatical Keys followers forget the signature songs. Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me," for instance, gets a playful work-up, complete with audience-aimed banter and an unbroken promise to "take it to the bridge," and a duet that on paper seems misguided works surprisingly well, as Keys resists any instinct to clobber Maroon 5's Adam Levine vocally. Yowling, piano pounding, hip-hop tics (the ubiquitous, emphatic "unh"), and even a spot of theatrical poetry all have their places here, but Keys manages them with a master's sense of what's song-appropriate. Her band is spot-on, her arrangements soar, and her guests—count Mos Def and Common among them—complement the proceedings without even momentarily carrying them. The best "Unplugged" discs leave a listener wishing artists would kick the amps altogether; this is one of them. —Tammy La Gorce
As I Am
By the time this long-awaited album saw its release date, most fans had probably read at least a couple of interviews with Alicia Keys in which she explained that first single, "No One"—a firestorm of a song clearly born of a sore heart and steeped in serious soul-searching, was about her decision to retreat from the obligations of stardom when she found out a loved one was in need of her care. The anecdote sticks not just because it explained the song so well—you can actually hear the pain, commitment, and determination in her sultry voice—but because it gets at what makes the woman behind the music so appealing. There's only one way R&B artists grow to become legends, and it's by drenching the words they sing with feeling (think Gladys Knight, Roberta Flack). The skeptical listener might have had her doubts before As I Am, but there's no mistaking it now: Alicia Keys is well on her way to sharing a category with them. This record radiates not just old-soul maturity, the kind Alicia fans say makes her modern rarity, but real soul. Vintage-leaning hooks and horns grab hold on "Where Do We Go from Here" and an assortment of other songs, but Keys can also get by just fine without them, as she proves on more pop-flavored numbers like "Lesson Learned," with John Mayer, and "Superwoman." The genres may be smearing, she seems to say, but bring them on: she won't shrink back. Her commitment is not to a single style but to what's stirring her soul. Because of it, she's moving R&B, or something like it, from the hips back to the heart. —Tammy La Gorce
Now That I've Found You: A Collection
A poll-winning fiddler since her teens, Alison Krauss was an established bluegrass star when her label persuaded her to step out from her usual projects with Union Station, her crack band, and sanction this compilation of various band and solo guest performances. The ploy worked, yielding a wonderful, odds-beating crossover hit with Krauss's cover of "Baby, Now That I've Found You," a carousing late-'60s pop chant transformed into a delicate, vulnerable declaration of love. Focusing on Krauss's lovely, yearning soprano, the track elevated the musician above her resolutely democratic role in her quintet, catapulting Krauss to the biggest bluegrass success story in over 30 years. Krauss has stayed true to her bluegrass roots, as well as to Union Station, but this cross-section of contemporary bluegrass songs, joyous gospel, and canny rock covers testifies to the young artist's luminous appeal. —Sam Sutherland
A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
A Hundred Miles or More carries the subtitle A Collection, and what a curious collection it is—cuts from soundtracks, side projects, and tribute albums, plus guest duets on other artists' albums and five previously unreleased tracks. In other words, this is a collection of Alison Krauss performances that have never appeared on an Alison Krauss album, though it holds together better than such a grab-bag approach might suggest. Highlights such as her duet with Brad Paisley on "Whiskey Lullaby" and her a cappella rendition of "Down to the River to Pray" from O Brother, Where Art Thou? will be familiar to most Krauss fans, though it's doubtful that many share her infatuation with retro rocker John Waite (with whom she revives his "Missing You" and duets on a cover of Don Williams's "Lay Down Beside Me."). Other projects represented range from Disney to the Chieftains to the Louvin Brothers (she duets with James Taylor on their "How's the World Treating You." There's minimal contribution from her Union Station band—making this a solo release by default—and little information to indicate whether the previously unreleased tracks were outtakes from earlier releases or recently recorded for this one. —Don McLeeseMore Alison Krauss Lonely Runs Both Ways Live Now That I've Found You: A Collection So Long So Wrong
Many bluegrass musicians have incorporated contemporary elements into their work, Jim & Jesse, the Osborne Brothers, and Mac Wiseman among them., but Krauss's contemporary bluegrass contains particularly heavy doses of pop, folk, and modern country. Whatever style she chooses, her flawless voice and her crack Union Station cohorts usually maintain a high standard. The instrumental "Little Liza Jane" and the traditional "I'll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers" prove their instrumental chops, and songs like "No Place to Hide," with an impressive fiddle turn from Krauss herself, effectively mold modern elements into the bluegrass idiom. However, others such as "It Doesn't Matter" and "Deeper Than Crying" have very little to do with bluegrass at all. A mostly solid contemporary-bluegrass album, except when the contemporary drowns out the bluegrass. —Marc Greilsamer
New Favorite
After her 1999 gold release, Forget About It, Alison Krauss has found additional success as part of the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?—an album that's done more to advance the cause of bluegrass since Bill Monroe first conjured the music out of the hills of western Kentucky. While Forget About It showcased the more contemporary part of Krauss's musical equation and the O Brother soundtrack spotlighted the more traditional, New Favorite combines the approaches in balancing the softer sounds with the rougher-edged material. Krauss particularly shines on the soulful title tune of love gone cold, her vocal—softer than a cloud and more intimate than a midnight kiss—threatening to steal your breath away. However, it's mostly the older sounds that you'll remember from this largely somber album, one that telegraphs uncertainty, doom, and the promise of bloodshed throughout much of the repertoire. On "Momma Cried," a song about a child-snatching that tore a family asunder, Dan Tyminski's tenor vocals rise above a wailing Dobro, a driving banjo, and a thumping, anchoring bass to convey unspeakable pain. Too many of the pop-minded songs fall flat in comparison, but although this may not be the group's best effort overall, no other crossover bluegrass band begins to meet their mark either musically or emotionally, as New Favorite so amply shows. —Alanna Nash
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Live
This two-CD, 25-song set, recorded in Louisville on two nights in the spring of 2002, finds bluegrass's most celebrated crossover band at the top of its game. Krauss's warm, feathery vocals, capable of conveying complex emotions in a single note, appear more full-bodied than in studio recordings, yet lose none of their sensual appeal or dramatic tension. She's perfect, for example, as the melancholy temptress on "Let Me Touch You for Awhile," coming across as both savior and seductress, while Jerry Douglas's Dobro echoes the searing strains of passion and pain. With banjoist-guitarist Ron Block, bassist Barry Bales, and guest drummer Larry Atamanuik anchoring the rhythm, the ensemble deftly blends bluegrass with jazz, rock, and folk, combining lightning speed (though rushing through "Forget About It") with sophisticated chops, tangible emotion, and thrilling vocal blends. The crowd, more spellbound with every note, doesn't even breathe on "Ghost in This House" and nearly tears the place down on Dan Tyminski's voice-of-George Clooney showcase, "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow." But who could blame them? It's only one highlight on an album of uncommon artistry, a moving testament to how good live music can be in the hands of world-class players. —Alanna Nash
Lonely Runs Both Ways
Nobody makes somber sound more exquisite than Alison Krauss. She's come an awfully long way from her days as a teenage fiddle prodigy, as her glamour gown on this CD's cover suggests and the bittersweet maturity of the music confirms. Krauss exchanges her bluegrass fiddle for the chamber strains of viola on much of the material, including four songs by Robert Lee Castleman (whose "The Lucky One," "Let Me Touch You for Awhile," and "Forget About It" were previously popularized by Krauss). Castleman's compositions showcase the emotional intimacy and interpretive subtlety of her breathy trill. The yearning harmonies on "Wouldn't Be So Bad" (written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings) and "Borderline" (written by Sidney and Suzanne Cox) reinforce the album's restless spirit of quiet desperation. Change-of-pace contributions by Krauss's bandmates are more deeply rooted in the bluegrass/folk tradition, with Dan Tyminski renewing Del McCoury's "Rain Please Go Away" and Woody Guthrie's populist anthem "Pastures of Plenty"; Dobro master Jerry Douglas leads the charge on his instrumental "Unionhouse Branch." Few bands in bluegrass can match the virtuosity of Union Station's interplay, but the artistry of Alison Krauss transcends genre. —Don McLeeseRecommended Alison Krauss & Union Station Discography Now That I've Found You: A Collection Two Highways I've Got That Old Feeling Live Forget About It So Long So Wrong Wreck of the Day
Twenty-year-old Anna Nalick is the rare artist who makes you want to grab pop music's wheels by the spokes so they'll stop spinning so fast. "Wait," the 11 songs on this debut disc say collectively to the newly initiated, "there's something substantial here." An onslaught of substance is more what it feels like, actually, and it grabs hold early. Though each of these songs is distinctive enough to avoid congealing with the others into a gorgeous glop of introspection, heavy sighs, and reflection, leadoff track and first single "Breathe (2 A.M.)" works small wonders as a flagship song. Its simple, lonely piano swirls into guitars that stop just short of rocking, allowing plenty of room for Nalick's unaffected voice to spill in. When it does, the music turns forest-thick and dreamy—influences run the Tori Amos indie singer-songwriter gamut, with streaks of Jewel and Alanis Morissette spiking out—but there's a naturalness and urgency to her singing that saves every chorus and verse from clouding over. Now that she's cautiously alighted into pop territory, sophisticated listeners will do well to dust off their welcome mats. —Tammy La Gorce
3 Years 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of—
With their feel-good humanism, uniquely rural perspective, and melodic blend of funk and rap, Arrested Development seemed like the next big thing in 1992. The group hailed from Atlanta, which was not then a capital of hip-hop and R&B, and this, their debut recording, won the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics poll. Speech, the primary lyricist, wrote and delivered eloquent attacks on gangsta rap's mindless nihilism: the band's first hit, "Tennessee," spoke of reclaiming Southern black traditions from the racism that sullied their memory, while their second, "People Everyday," deftly updated the Sly Stone classic. Although Speech's rapping style was not distinctive, Dionne Farris's keening vocals highlighted the band's front line. Unfortunately, Speech began to run short of ideas and the band failed to maintain the high standards that this debut set. They disbanded a few years later. —Martin Johnson
Cosmic Thing
Nirvana made a lot of things irrelevant when Nevermind was released in 1991. Among the most unfortunate casualties caught inside the blast radius were the B-52's. Just two years prior, they had released their very first mainstream breakthrough album, Cosmic Thing. This album was featherweight, sun-kissed, playfully pansexual and, most importantly, danceable. Tracks like "Love Shack" and "Roam" reminded us there could be fun without responsibility. Alternately kitschy and lazy (I still insist that "Deadbeat Club" was a slacker anthem long before Beck's "Loser"), Cosmic Thing took the B-52's signature Trekkie-camp sensibility and slowed it down just enough to click on MTV and portable radios wonderfully. And let's be honest, anyway: would you rather road-trip to Kurt's sad refrain of "Well, whatever, nevermind" or Fred Schneider belting out, "The whole shack shimmies!!" at the top of his lungs? On second thought, don't answer that. —Todd Levin
A Christmas Album
You haven't heard "Jingle Bells" until you've heard Barbra Streisand's version. Sounding more like a bebop Santa on A Christmas Album's rousing opening track, Streisand keenly races through the stanzas, toying with the words, pushing the song's tempos, and generally having a lot of fun. After that, she gets down to the more serious side of holiday offerings, with tracks that include "My Favorite Things," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Silent Night," "The Christmas Song," and others. At times this world-class singer can bowl you over with her range, sensuality, and emotion, and when she visits "Ave Maria" or closes with "The Lord's Prayer," it's easy to see why this is one singular Streisand record that has traveled so well for so many years. A classy classic. —Martin Keller
Revolver [UK]
Revolver wouldn't remain the Beatles' most ambitious LP for long, but many fans—including this one—remember it as their best. An object lesson in fitting great songwriting into experimental production and genre play, this is also a record whose influence extends far beyond mere they-was-the-greatest cheerleading. Putting McCartney's more traditionally melodic "Here, There and Everywhere" and "For No One" alongside Lennon's direct-hit sneering ("Dr. Robert") and dreamscapes ("I'm Only Sleeping," "Tomorrow Never Knows") and Harrison's peaking wit ("Taxman") was as conceptually brilliant as anything Sgt. Pepper attempted, and more subtly fulfilling. A must. —Rickey Wright
Bering Strait
Nashville has long been abuzz about Bering Strait, six classically trained Russian musicians who play country and bluegrass music as if they grew up in Omaha, not Obninsk. But after four years and five record labels with no record released, do Bering Strait live up to the hype? Well, there's no question about their chops. The album's one instrumental, the Grammy-nominated "Bearing Straight," proves it in a Béla Fleck fusion sort of way. Yet mostly this debut aims for the solidly mainstream target audience, in songs about love, sensuality, and romance, whether shattered or shared. Lead vocalist Natasha Borzilova delivers poised and nuanced readings, and almost all the songs were written by bankable Nashville tunesmiths, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Mary Ann Kennedy, and Pam Rose among them. The only hints that these kids hail from somewhere outside the WSM listening area come from brief, spoken dialogue and a traditional Russian folk song ("Porushka-Paranya"). What's missing is a little more personality, a few more original tunes (the best, "Only This Love," finds band member Ilya Toshinsky at the head of the credits), and a lot more of that aforementioned hot picking. But oh, what a cultural exchange this could be! —Alanna Nash
Pages
This sophomore album from Bering Strait, the clutch of Russian musicians with classical chops, makes less of a plea for mainstream success than their 2003 debut, settling more into a sort of Nickel Creek groove, with moody meditations on life and love and a flash-fingered, 'grassy, Jerry Douglas-produced instrumental, "From Ankara to Izmir," that should have live audiences standing up in wild cheers. They mine the Slavic mood on their opener, "Safe in My Lover's Arms," and its successor, the folk song "Oy, Moroz-Moroz," then move along to cover (less successfully) Fleetwood Mac's "You Make Lovin' Fun," in which lead vocalist Natasha Borzilova never manages to get a grip on the song's tense undercurrent. Ultimately, with the addition of the jazzy instrumental "What's for Dinner," Pages is an album that offers a little something for everybody. As such, it's hard to pin down stylistically, and tends to play things a bit too safe. But doesn't it do it beautifully? —Alanna Nash
Greatest Hits Volume 1 and Volume 2
It's one of the cruel ironies of music today that Billy Joel has been relegated to a kind of adult-contemporary hell, where his legacy is measured by soft-rock staples such as "Just the Way You Are," "Piano Man," and "New York State of Mind." To be sure, well-crafted ballads are a part of his legacy, but they're hardly the whole story, as this collection of his early and mid-period hits amply demonstrates. From the unbridled biographical boasting of "The Entertainer" and the ambitious storytelling of "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" to the careening abandon of "Only the Good Die Young" and the thoughtful social commentary of "Allentown," Joel was as complete an artist as the last three decades have produced. —Daniel Durchholz
So Blu
Blu Cantrell is tired. Tired of no-good, wrong-doin', sweet-talkin', always-cheatin', ever-schemin' men. Luckily for listeners, the Providence, Rhode Island native (discovered by Arista CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid) has decided to settle her scores in song. In the process, she delivers a gorgeously heartfelt soul album that manages to avoid no-scrubs, bills-bills-bills clichés, and get down to the business of broken-heart healing. Lacing scats into melismas and blues runs into R&B riffs, this torch-singing newcomer doesn't just take it to church with her debut: she takes it to the dimly lit juke joint, the crowded club, and the smoky underground cafe. Transitioning effortlessly from starry-eyed breathlessness to Eartha Kitt growl, to full-throttle, shiver-inducing wail, Cantrell incants catharsis with haunting ballads like "That One," in which she muses upon finding a soulmate, and "I'll Find a Way," on which she offers up a glorious, show-stopping vocal transition out of the song's bridge that would do Chaka Khan proud. Cantrell, the daughter of a jazz-singing mother, also manages to succeed with up-tempo numbers here——"Hit 'Em up Style (Oops)," the album's first single, is a jubilant revenge anthem, complete with an infectious, finger-wagging, Charleston riff that should have the ladies wiggling and their fellas checking themselves—and their wallets. —Sylvia W. Chan
Bittersweet [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD]
A Christmas Festival
The Rising
Although it seemed the Boss had put writing rock anthems behind him after Born in the U.S.A., his longtime fans knew if any artist could write anthems addressing September 11, 2001, and not make them sound jingoistic, it would be Bruce Springsteen. The numerous anthems on his much-anticipated first full-length album with the E Street Band in 18 years are subtler than those of the Born to Run era. But the elements are all there: the joyous rocking strains of "Countin' on a Miracle," "Mary's Place," and "Waitin' on a Sunny Day"; the dark overtones of "Further on Up the Road"; the stunning guitar solo that closes "Worlds Apart," a dramatic Arabic-tinged piece detailing star-crossed love between a Muslim and an "infidel." Although most of these songs deal with death and tragedy, they still inspire. But while the lyrics are intriguing, what's more remarkable is how well The Rising works as epic rock & roll as it draws from rockabilly, soul, doo-wop hard rock, country, and even industrial. To skewer a cliché, when The Rising is good, it's great. And even when it's not great, it's still awfully good. —Bill Holdship
Devils & Dust
The last time Bruce Springsteen ventured West for inspiration, the result was the desolate Nebraska and its tales of serial killers and used cars. On his first record in three years, Springsteen navigates barren deserts and Old West war fields for a dozen forlorn songs that co-star the artist and his acoustic guitar. Though he's always had a knack for carving out the hooks and melodies that make each journey memorable, this time around Springsteen relies on the lyrics to carry the tune-desperate tales of tragedy, heartbreak, and lust with a Latino twist, like the boxer coming home ("The Hitter"), a distressing border-crossing incident ("Matamoros Banks"), and the Nevada hooker with good intentions ("Reno," which led to the warning sticker Adult Imagery). With no E Street Band in the mix, the album is decorated with horns and strings and Springsteen's novel falsetto on two his best efforts: "Maria's Bed," where the narrator comes home to his woman after 40 nights on the road, and the fast-picking "All I'm Thinkin' About," where he has more than Carolina on his mind. A decade from now this will be an underrated record in the Springsteen chronicles. —Scott Holter The Best of Bruceby guest editor Steve Perry Steve is editor-in-chief of City Pages newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle (1973) After a folk-rockish debut album that bubbled with ideas and dense lyrical play, this is where Springsteen began to find his voice as a rocker and as a songwriter. The prisoner-of-love romanticism of "Rosalita" and "Incident on 57th Street" hinted at what was coming, and this early version of the E Street Band—jazzier and more spare than later versions, thanks largely to David Sancious's piano—sounds great, if a little ragged, these many years later. Born to Run (1975) and Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) These two records, which belong on any compilation of the top 100 rock albums of all time, sketched the themes that he would spend his whole career chasing, and defined the expectations fans would bring to his records ever after. The first chords of "Born to Run" sounded like freedom itself the first time I heard them on the radio, and the album lived up to them. "Thunder Road" is still the greatest rock & roll love song anyone's ever written. The record sounded so big and impassioned and propulsive it was easy to miss the dread running underneath it. Darkness... put the dread front and center. There are more of his best songs here than anywhere else, even if the sound is muddy and leaden at times. Nebraska (1982) After The River (the best record that didn't make this list) and the ensuing tour answered his rock & roll prayers—he was a big star now, not just a perennial critics' favorite—Springsteen holed up in a rented house on the Jersey shore, where he wrote these songs and sang them into a four-track recorder in his living room. The tape was supposed to be a demo for the band, but after several false tries he concluded that the tape he'd been carrying around in his pocket was the record. Quiet and bleak, Nebraska nonetheless grabbed you by the collar and made you listen as surely as his rock & roll records ever had. Tunnel of Love (1987) The glare and hubbub surrounding the Born in the USA tour (the tour was great—the record itself overrated) made him pull back again, this time to write a cycle of songs about love and fear and self-doubt. After this, Springsteen's first marriage broke up, and he started a family with Patti Scialfa, disappearing for the better part of 10 years, notwithstanding the pair of not bad, just disappointing albums he released in 1992, Human Touch and Lucky Town. The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995) Some call it Nebraska II, but his second acoustic album was not a repeat of his first—the characters and settings had changed, and their circumstances were more expressly desperate, and social—though it did share the same interest in what happens to people whose isolation or marginal status renders them invisible. The Rising (2002) Everybody—including Springsteen himself—seemed to think it was a record about 9/11, but the subject was broader: death and loss as seen from more than halfway down life's road. Dave Marsh nailed it: "A middle-aged man confronts death and chooses life." Brendan O'Brien's production sounds great. From the Original Master Tapes
Though he was only 22 when he died in 1959, and had a recording career that lasted but three years, Buddy Holly remains one of the most influential figures in rock & roll history. A great stylist as well as ingenious synthesist, Holly forged a sound that combined elements of R&B, country, and pop, but was distinctly his own. To wit: such eternal classics as "That'll Be the Day," "Not Fade Away," "Peggy Sue," "Words of Love," "It's So Easy," "Heartbeat," and "Well...All Right"—all included in this 20-song package. At the time of his tragic death, he was moving in still new directions, hinted here by "Reminiscing" (with King Curtis on sax) and the string-aided "True Love Ways." —Billy Altman
Gonna Make You Sweat
The two singles "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" and "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...." certainly do the trick. They are powerful dance-pop tracks with a serious hip-hop trunk deep enough to support (almost) the rest of the album, which is a bit of a motivational cool-down. The singles will pack the dance floor, and although the rest of the tracks won't clear it entirely, this album does prove to be unbalanced in the get-up-on-your-feet department. —Beth Bessmer
Under These Rocks and Stones
When an artist signs a million dollar deal to a label nearly immediately after sending them a demo tape, the music industry stands up and listens. When the Winnipeg-based Kreviazuk takes her show on the road, her audience stands listening in awe. An incredibly powerful debut, the pianist/vocalist provides lyrics both eloquent and cathartic in tracks like "Grace" ("Please don't go/without you I am weak/find myself drinking and sinking and seeking") and "Wayne" ("It's crowded and I'm lost in here/I'm trying to find a familiar fear"). Kreviazuk's music—as well as her piano playing—is rich, warm and beautiful, well worth the purchase price. —Denise Sheppard
Back to Basics
Back to Basics, Christina Aguilera's first disc in four years, refines and clarifies the—let—let's call it "sexy"—aura surrounding this platinum firebrand. Here, the best belter in a class that counts Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears on its roll call has turned her attention to love songs: the supercharged and ubiquitous first single "Ain't No Other Man," for one, and the hushed stunner "Save Me from Myself" for another. That doesn't mean she's foresworn being nasty, though. Dive deep into this set, past the gorgeous crackle that frames the old-school jazz-, blues-, and soul-inspired tracks on the first disc, and you'll reach a playful and familiar raunch; "Candyman" celebrates a "one-stop shop" who "makes the panties drop" to a boogie-woogie beat, and "Nasty Naughty Boy" sends out a heated, big-beated invitation to "sip on my champagne/Cause I'm gonna give you a little taste/Of the sugar below my waist." Thoughtful listeners should snap out of their fascination with Xtina's undiminished yet newly un-tramp-like sexuality, though, because what they'll really want to focus on throughout these 22 tracks is the honest-to-God artistry. While the rock producer Linda Perry helps disc two pop in interesting and unexpected ways (check the muffled blues number "I Got Trouble" and "Mercy on Me," an obvious nod to Fiona Apple), DJ Premier, a mainstay on Jay-Z and Nas projects, pipes a batch of aural high-fives into the nostalgia-bitten first disc (the deep-down funk of "Back in the Day," the strut-strut early hip-hop sound of "Still Dirrty"). Their nudges aside, though, Back to Basics is all Aguilera's baby—she executive-produced, and she's found herself artistically. Nobody would argue, in fact, if she swiveled around the chorus to "Ain't No Other Man," written for her husband, and aimed it at herself: "You got soul, you got class/You got style, you're bada—.—."—Tammy La GorceMore from Xtina Christina Aguilera Stripped Mi Reflejo My Kind of Christmas Christina Aguilera -Stripped-Live in the UK Christina Aguilera-My Reflection Measure Of A Man
No one will lament the passing of the boy band phenomenon; now the American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken has released his first album. He's picked up right where 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys left off, not only borrowing Andreas Carlsson, the Swedish songsmith who penned some of their biggest hits (also using the services of other well-known popmeisters like Desmond Child and Cathy Dennis), but turning out the same type of impeccable over-produced and seamless creations that the Orlando pop mafia rode up the charts at the dawn of the millennium. Several years into the new millennium it seems like there's still quite a bit of life left in that zeitgeist, since Aiken's Measure of a Man debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Well crafted and well sung, but at times lacking discernable personality or endearing idiosyncrasies, many of Aiken's tunes sound the same, whether he's lamenting the lack of love in his life ("Invisible"), reveling in it ("Perfect Day"), or supporting his fellow man ("I Will Carry You"). As a made-for-TV pop star, it'll be interesting to see how Measure of a Man measures up in the years to come. —Jaan Uhelszki
D12 World
Survivor
One listen to the eagerly anticipated third CD from the world's biggest girl group and it's clear there is one child with the most destiny. To paraphrase the hip-hop legends, "Who's house?" Beyoncé's house, and with the lead vocalist producing or cowriting all of the 14 tracks, it's hard to imagine what those other two chicks even do (other than act grateful to still have a gig). Seizing creative control is a bold move for Miss Knowles, and anytime an R&B act eschews the beat of the week, they have to be commended. But the problem is that Beyoncé, even with her ambition, has yet to suss out that the key to a pop-R&B smash is hook and melody. With the exception of the now-played-out title track (Can we all take a moratorium on this mighty goddess theme for a second, please?) and the equally you-go-girlish "Independent Woman Part 1," most of the tracks here lack a strong core. Beyoncé crams a litany of thoughts and motifs into her mini-anthems, with samples ranging from Stevie Nicks to Tarzan Boy, but though the cuts sizzle and sparkle and throw off much attitude, Survivor is way too frenetic. Even with some strong singing and songs (most notably the laid back "Fancy"), Survivor lacks real emotion. —Amy Linden
Destiny Fulfilled
Some thought it would never happen, but after solo successes and a three-year hiatus the ladies of Destiny's Child have reunited for the eagerly-anticipated Destiny Fulfilled. The Houston-based trio of Kelly, Michelle and some girl named Beyonce follow up their mega successful Survivor with another album full of infectious dance grooves and melancholy tales of women done wrong. Lead single "Lose My Breath" is their first offering of the former. Backed by a kinetic marching band sample, they sing with an urgency that bolsters the Rodney Jerkins-produced track. Current single "Soldier" is more of the same. Featuring T.I. and Lil' Wayne, the song allows the trio to sing the praises of the kind of men they like.Despite this one-two uptempo punch, DC does do ballads. They go old-school on the moving "If." Michelle, who has several impressive solos throughout, and Beyonce trade lines about finding and holding on to love. However, on "Bad Habit" the trio goes for the paint-by-numbers woman finding her inner-strength theme. Other highlights include the 9th Wonder and Beyonce-produced "Girl" and the midtempo gem "Free." —Rashaun Hall Compact Command Performances: 20 Greatest Hits
No Angel
Dido's debut is molded from Sarah McLachlan's intimate soul, Sinéad O'Connor's Celtic yelp, and Beth Orton's morose resolve—with all the sharp edges rounded out. Sculpted by producers Rollo (her brother) and techno-scientist Youth, No Angel is dream-pop mixed with Portishead-esque trip-hop; the results are midtempo ballads that would feel at home in Seal's neighborhood. The melancholy opener, "Here with Me," incorporates acoustic rhythm guitar, fluid strings, and a snare-driven tempo that simulates the slapping of rain off a windshield. "My Lover's Gone" is ethereal and misty, sounding at once ancient and modern with its synthesized ocean sounds and seagull cries. The only clunker is "Don't Think of Me," a passive, soft-bellied cousin to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know." These songs play out beautifully in that quiet zone between slumber and consciousness—where you can see everything behind closed eyes. —Beth Massa
Wide Open Spaces
The major-label debut from this Texas trio proves their instrumental abilities, blending more traditional twang with slow melodic blues, foot-tapping rockabilly, and bluegrass-inspired pop harmonies. From the opener, "I Can Love You Better," the Chicks let their love of music and genuine joy shine through while the energy on this album reminds one of Carlene Carter. Solid musicianship, topnotch vocal performances, and infectious pop hooks make this a stellar project. —Paula Ghergia
Fly
After the roaring success of Wide Open Spaces—a blend of turn-of-the-century pop and country traditionalism—what do you do for an encore? Rather than deliver more of the same, the Chicks have chosen instead to up the ante in country radio with a follow-up that's both poppier and twangier than its predecessor, and just plain better too. Some of it we've heard before: "Hello Mr. Heartache," for example, adheres pretty closely to the honky-tonk model of "Tonight the Heartache's On Me." Mostly, though, the record lights out for new territories. "Without You" is driven by an in-your-face string arrangement that's downright fierce, and the rootsy "Sin Wagon" may rock harder—and with more solos—than any mainstream country since Buck Owens held forth. That's not to say Fly's perfect. A couple of songs miss the mark, particularly "Goodbye Earl," an abusive-husband murder song that's sure to get criticized (wrongly) for being anti-male but actually fails because it can't decide if it's a moral lesson, a horror movie, or a joke. Still, even in this failure, the Chicks are bravely pushing the envelope. If they push hard enough, maybe Young Country radio will open up some wider spaces. —David Cantwell
Home
The Dixie Chicks aren't old enough to remember when radio programmed pop records next to country, rock, folk, and beyond, but their Texas DNA tells them that's the way music was meant to be heard. On Home, which they coproduced in Austin with Lloyd Maines, the father of lead singer Natalie Maines, they strip off the star-making gloss of Nashville and get down to the meat of the matter, turning out an acoustic record that gives a big Texas howdy to bluegrass. But that's only the framework they use to salute all their influences, from the raggedy rock of Little Feat (on Darrell Scott's irresistible "Long Time Gone") to the pained ballads of Stevie Nicks (covering her melancholy "Landslide") to the confessional Texas singer-songwriters who straddle the country-folk line (Patty Griffin, Bruce Robison). Maines's raw, irrepressible soprano remains a thing of wonder, as do the threesome's exquisite harmonies, which seem tighter and more organic than ever before. Still, the jaw-dropping thrills come from the passionate and masterful picking of Emily Robison on banjo, bluegrass guitarist Bryan Sutton, and Adam Steffey, whose fluid mandolin does Bill Monroe proud. Home, the Chicks' first release on their own record label, puts the front porch back into mainstream music, whatever the genre. And not a minute too soon. —Alanna Nash
Top of the World Tour
Recorded during their controversial 2003 tour, these two discs romp through an ample sampling of hits ("Wide Open Spaces," "There's Your Trouble," "Goodbye Earl," "Travelin' Soldier") as well as beloved album cuts ("Hello Mr. Heartache," "Some Days You Gotta Dance"). Twangy and cheeky all the way, the group rides an energy wave that continues through the stunning two-song encore of "Top of the World" and "Sin Wagon." Yet as powerful as the full-band performances are, the trio's true essence emerges during the acoustic moments——"White Trash Wedding," "Ready to Run," and "Lil' Jack Slade" among them—as well as the Texas shuffler "Hello Mr. Heartache." Some acts might have tried to gloss over a flap like the one Natalie Maines's anti-Bush administration remarks caused. Not here. Patty Griffin's "Truth No. 2" (from the Chicks' Home album) faces that issue head-on. But beyond the political tempests—and Music Row's still-bruised feelings over their contractual firefights with their label—this collection affirms one truth: the Chicks remain the best hope of bringing country into the 21st century with postmodern vitality and its traditions intact. —Rich Kienzle
Taking the Long Way
Nothing changes folks like babies and war, and since the release of their last album, 2002's Home, the Dixie Chicks have been forever altered by both. If that album showcased the trio as precocious young adults, Taking the Long Way finds them sobered and matured, and in a grown-up state of mind. Produced by the celebrated Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers), who saw the Chicks as "a great rock act making a country album, not a country act making a rock album," their new record impresses both as beautiful sonic tapestry (peppered with myriad Beatlesque hallmarks) and forthright yet vulnerable portrait of three women shaken by the personal and political events of the past few years. As they make clear in the defiant "Not Ready to Make Nice," they still smart over the backlash from their 2003 Bushwhacking. But as they assert on the equally autobiographical "The Long Way Around," they could never "kiss all the asses that they told me to" and just follow others aimlessly—and silently—through life. This means that the Chicks are simultaneously prideful and scornful of celebrity ("Everybody Knows"), and that as new mothers they increasingly treasure the refuge they find in life with their families, out of the spotlight ("Easy Silence," "Lullaby," "Baby Hold On"). The push and pull of both passions drive this record, which also touches on the personal issues of infertility (with which sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison both dealt) and Alzheimer's (from which Natalie Maines's grandmother suffers). The trio crafted all 14 cuts with the help of such writers as Sheryl Crow, Gary Louris, Mike Campbell, and Keb' Mo', laying out their lives as honestly and intimately as they might in their diaries. For that reason, on first listen, Taking the Long Way seems too somber—in need of a bit of levity and more than a couple of uptempo songs (like the sexy, '60s-flavored "I Like It") to resonate for the long haul. It also seems to lack the writing quality that Darrell Scott, Patty Griffin, and Bruce Robison brought to Home. But on repeated plays, those concerns dissipate. By the last cut, the R&B/gospel offering "I Hope," the Chicks have chronicled their journey with as much spirituality as spunk, their pain deeply ingrained in their protests. —Alanna Nash
Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll
Four years in the making, Checks Thugs and Rock 'n Roll features a virtual who's who of artists from various musical genres. They include Sarah McLachlan, Run, Kid Rock, Doug E. Fresh, Elliot Easton, Josh Todd, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer, Gary Dourdan, DJ Lethal, Ms. Jade, Sonny Black and Napoleon. The music of Checks Thugs and Rock 'n Roll is sure to introduce DMC the solo artist, to a younger audience that challenges those in his own generation to re-embrace hip-hop. Musically rich, the title of the album eviscerates the lifestyle-driven mentality that has come to dominate the rap world at the expense of authenticity.
VH1 Presents: Live & More Encore!
Since her '70s heyday as disco's reigning diva (and one of its most adventurous artists), Donna Summer has scored the odd hit: "She Works Hard for the Money," "This Time I Know It's for Real." She's still best remembered for the likes of "Last Dance," "Dim All the Lights," and "I Feel Love," though, and this VH1-tie-in comeback bid concentrates on full-bodied if somewhat murkily mixed versions of those classics and their kin. The two new studio cuts that round out the disc are OK at best, although they do display Summer's ability to adapt to changes in pop-dance sounds. —Rickey Wright
Eagles - Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975
Import pressing of Their Greatest Hits 1971-75. Vinyl replica CD comes housed in a slipcase. Rhino UK. 2006.
Hell Freezes Over
Japanese only SHM pressing. The SHM-CD [Super High Material CD] format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players. Universal. 2009.
Elton John - Greatest Hits
Elton John has always fancied himself a big-theme album artist, but because even his finest albums are spotty, his best moments, with few exceptions, have been singles. Greatest Hits collects nine of them from '70 to '74, plus one of those exceptions, the stirring faux-gospel "Border Song." If you overlook the weightless "Crocodile Rock" and the contrived "Your Song," this album shows why John is a superstar, especially on the big ballads, where collaborator Bernie Taupin supplies some interesting lyrics for his impeccable melodic hooks. The ethereal "Rocket Man" is a marvel despite its goofy premise, and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" remains the greatest pop moment of John's career. —David Cantwell
Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
Elton John's second volume of hits covers the incredibly fertile hit-making period from late 1974 to early 1976, with a step or two outside that era. Some of his very greatest pop creations are here: "Philadelphia Freedom," "The Bitch Is Back," the giddy John Lennon-abetted cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "Levon." If you love him, no doubt many of these songs are among the reasons. —Rickey Wright
One Night Only
In typically splashy style, Elton John rushed One Night Only, a document of his two-night Madison Square Garden stand, into release just weeks after the October 2000 shows. Basically a rundown of 30 years of chart hits smoothly played (if occasionally roughly sung), the disc is a solid buy for the Elton John fanatic. Others will have to decide if a plethora of guest stars—Mary J. Blige, Bryan Adams, Kiki Dee, Ronan Keating, and Anastacia—warrants owning new versions of old warhorses. Even without the sense of Event surrounding the performances, though, One Night Only satisfyingly captures the thrill of EJ's recent sets. —Rickey Wright
The Top Ten Hits
This two-disc collection delivers exactly what it promises: Every Top 10 hit achieved by Elvis Presley during his remarkable reign as the King of Rock & Roll. Beginning with his earliest singles from the mid-'50s—the bluesy "Heartbreak Hotel," the doowop-styled "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You," the folkish "Love Me Tender," and the raucous "Jailhouse Rock"—right through such melodramatic early-'60s chart-toppers as "It's Now or Never" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight," and on to late country-tinged hits as "In the Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds," and his final entry, the mucho macho "Burnin' Love," there's just no getting around Pesley's imposing history and accomplishments. —Billy Altman
The Marshall Mathers LP (Clean) [Edited Version]
Encore
Eminem's fourth album offers few surprises, but still enough pleasures to carry the day. As evinced by Em's pre-election, pro-voting "Mosh," this is not exactly the same Eminem who seemingly crapped on anything and everything. Encore finds a surprisingly mature Eminem waxing reflective about his battle with Benzino ("Like Toy Soldiers") rather than unloading both barrels. However, it's not all elder statesmanship: "Puke" goes after his ex-wife Kim with incredible scorn, and "Big Weenie" showcases the familiar juvenile humor that made him famous. If Encore has a clear weakness, it's the bland production—the same plodding sound that he and Dr. Dre cooked up on the previous three albums. The exotic flavor of "Ass Like That" catches the ear, but many others run off the same monotonous minor-key melodies and tempos. Of course, people buy Eminem albums to hear him spit first and foremost, and in that regard few fans will be disappointed by Encore; it'd just be nice to see him switch up his sound at some point. —Oliver Wang
Relapse
Funky Divas
Like the Supremes, En Vogue were the perfect mixture of fabrication and fabulousness. On their blockbuster second CD, the four women set the standards for female black pop. Blessed with killer vocals and a sizzling set of songs that married funk, rock, and slinky soul, Funky Divas remains the career highlight of a "girl group" that transcends the label. —Amy Linden
Double Live
Garth Brooks's obvious inspirations for Double Live were all those 1970s double-album concert recordings from album-oriented-rock influences such as Bob Seger, Kiss, and Peter Frampton. The difference between those classic-rock sets and this one is that Live Bullet, Alive and Frampton Comes Alive all helped to rescue their respective artists from virtual obscurity. Coming as they did from still largely unknown commodities, they seemingly promised nothing yet delivered everything. Already a superstar, Brooks merely promises more of the same on Double Live. He delivers, too. "You guys already know what's coming, don't you?" he asks at one point. "And you know what? You're right." Loaded with 22 hits (and three new tunes) recorded in any number of unnamed cities (and studios, too) over the past seven years, Double Live finds Brooks exaggerating his most irritating tics—the Wynnona-ish growls, the ridiculously elastic twang—in the process ruining even his finest songs. Still, even those convinced that Brooks is the Garth Vader of country music will be brought to pause as tens of thousands of admiring fans sing earnestly along to "The Dance" or "Unanswered Prayers," and scream their way through the anthem "Friends in Low Places." (Please note: You may receive any one of the album's six different covers.) —David Cantwell
Nothing But the Water
21st Century Breakdown
Here for the Party
Her mother was 16 when she had her, and her father moved on when she was two. By the age of 15, with a double-barrel shotgun always at the ready, she was managing a kicker bar in rural Illinois where the corn fields meet the pig farms. That gave Gretchen Wilson something to sing about, with attitude in spades. "You might think I'm trashy, a little too hardcore," she admits on the smash single "Redneck Woman," "but in my neck of the woods I'm just the girl next door." Wilson, already the toast of Nashville before this full-length debut hit the shelves, isn't just putting the trailer park back into country music—she—she's the antidote to Shania and Faith. Nothing here sounds manufactured or studied, and the best songs are those she wrote. If most of those spotlight the fightin' side that has made "Redneck Woman" an anthem with blue-collar babes, she lets her vulnerability show on her choice of covers, particularly Leslie Satcher's gospel-rap of "Chariot" and the marital weeper "The Bed." Whatever you think of Wilson, who packs a hint of Sammi Smith and Allison Moorer—and even Janis Joplin—into her double-fisted delivery, you won't forget her. Move over, Loretta. Make way, Tanya. Here's another good ol' honky-tonk girl. —Alanna Nash
Kick
Throughout the early 1980s, INXS kept threatening to go big league, and with 1987's Kick they broke wide open, sENDing a sharp quartet of singles——"New Sensation," "Devil Inside," "Need You Tonight," and the shimmering ballad "Never Tear Us Apart"—right to the charts. The rest of Kick, especially the strutting "Guns in the Sky" and the groovy "Wild Life," is of similar quality; all of it is marked by the band's Stones-y guitars and angular, funk-tinged rhythms. Vocalist Michael Hutchence's MTV good looks and Aretha-meets-Aerosmith swagger completed the musical equation for both the girls and the boys. One of the decade's great live bands, too. —Michael Ruby
The Best of INXS
Helmed by the unabashed rock-god vocal sass of frontman Michael Hutchence and powered by a club-pub musical ethos rooted in the '70's funk and R&B of Chic and others, Australia's INXS became international superstars by cutting against the grain of '80s new wave and '90s post-punk. That rhythmic spirit infuses much of this comprehensive 21-track hits anthology, which leans smartly on single versions ("Need You Tonight," "Original Sin," "Not Enough Time") and remixes (maxi-singles of "Suicide Blonde" and "Devil Inside") to set it apart from previous INXS single-disc collections. Two previously unreleased outtakes (the nervous "Salvation Jane" from X and a hip-hop-infused dub remix of Welcome to Wherever You Are's "Tight") offer the band's fans a couple of new angles on the band's legacy. The set also includes written introductions from the five surviving members of the band. —Jerry McCulley
Switch
Inxs have just released their long-awaited brand new studio album, 'switch', through epic records.'switch', the band's first studio album since the death of michael hutchence in 1997, features the band's newly appointed vocalist, canadian jd fortune.The album was produced by robbie williams' former songwriting partner guy chambers.The dual disc edition of the album contains a 25 minute "in-the-studio" piece with the band, as well as featuring the entire album in enhanced stereo!
Rhythm Nation 1814
Picking up where the breakthrough funk-pop of Control left off, Janet Jackson and her production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis laced Rhythm Nation with high-minded references to societal ills—seldom the favored province of dance music, but a daring attempt nonetheless. Songs like "State of the World" and "The Knowledge" follow in the tradition of "free your mind and your ass will follow." Still, aside from the title track, it was the pure pop fare and dance music that stormed the charts: "Escapade," "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," "Alright," and "Come Back to Me" concentrate on the politics of personal relationships, not public policy, while "Black Cat" burns the place down with a fierce burst of hard rock. Rhythm Nation 1814 doesn't necessarily hang together thematically, but it's so chock full of hits, you scarcely notice. —Daniel Durchholz
Fearless
Sinner
Relish
Early Recordings
Third Rock from the Sun
The one Nashville sub-genre tthat never gets the respect it deserves is the comic-novelty song. From Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now" to Tracy Lawrence's "It Only Takes One Bar (To Make a Prison)," exaggerated shaggy-dog stories and awful puns have provided country music with some of its finest moments. Joe Diffie, once marketed as a neo-traditionalist heartthrob, has found a new niche as a comic singer on Third Rock from the Sun, and his light, giddy touch with this material proves infectious. The album includes several run-of-the-mill romantic ballads, but it's the funny stuff that makes this recording special. —Geoffrey Himes
Cuttin' Heads
Mr. Happy Go Lucky
The Soul Sessions
Not every 16-year-old white, English girl can hang with the likes of Betty Wright ("Clean Up Woman") and Angie Stone. Joss Stone (no relation), however, is blessed with a strong voice and a will to sing old-school soul. This debut CD is worthy of more than novelty status, though. Wisely avoiding iconic songs by the genre's biggest names, Stone and a production team that includes Wright opt for lesser-known tunes more often by the likes of Laura Lee, Joe Simon, and the Soul Brothers Six—not to mention their digging out (with guest co-producer ?uestlove from the Roots) the great soul lyric in the White Stripes' "Fell in Love with a (Boy)." Joss Stone occasionally misses a connection; her "Some Kind of Wonderful" is listless, and when she develops a bit more subtlety, it'll be welcome. But The Soul Sessions has a spark beyond the album's obvious good taste. —Rickey Wright
Mind, Body & Soul
These days, it seems anyone can make an R&B album. However, recording a soul album takes that special intangible element. The 17-year-old Devon, England, native first proved that she has it with The Soul Sessions, a collection of rare soul grooves. She does it here again with Mind, Body & Soul, her first album of original material. For those who thought that Stone could only interpret vintage ballads, witness the midtempo attitude of "Jet Lag." Backed by a thumping backbeat, Stone tells of a love of so all-encompassing that it is physically draining. On lead single, "You Had Me," Stone takes the persona of a woman done wrong with biting edge and a funky wah-wah guitar introduces her "get lost" sentiment over an infectious hook. Mind, Body & Soul also features a host of moving ballads that are reminiscent of the more downtempo fare characteristic of The Soul Sessions. The choir-backed "Security" is an organ-touched tale of love and support in the wake of tragedy. "Spoiled," a song Stone wrote with the legendary Lamont and Beau Dozier of Dozier-Holland-Dozier, is a romantically lush offering in which Stone's alto caresses the piano-driven arrangement. Other Mind, Body & Soul highlights include the hypnotic "Snakes & Ladders" and the roots reggae vibe of "Less Is More." While The Soul Sessions introduced Stone to the world, this album will make her placement in the soul canon undeniable. —Rashaun Hall
Mind, Body & Soul
European pressing of the soul star's 2004 album features 20 tracks on 2 CD's including 6 live tracks that were recorded during her concert at the Dutch church De Duif including 'Super Duper Love', 'Fell In Love With A Boy', 'Spoiled', 'Less Is More', 'You Had Me' & 'Right To Be Wrong'. Capitol. 2005.
Introducing Joss Stone
In the run-up to this, her third album, Joss Stone told a phalanx of glossy magazines that the difference between this disc and the two that preceded it was a newfound clarity of vision. Whereas the other records—their gold status notwithstanding—represented the fumblings of a huge-voiced kid being bossed around by experienced music-biz types, this one, she promised, would reveal the real her. Thus, the titular "introduction." To which anybody who spins the 14 groovy and fully unbuttoned tracks herein will wish to reply not "nice to meet you"—far too lame a sentiment for so fully realized a disc—but "Where have you been all my life?" As good as Joss Stone's previous efforts are, Introducing Joss Stone represents a giant step forward: there's a freshness to these songs that suits her age (19 as of the album's release) and a funkiness that suits modern pop sensibilities. There's also a cross-hatching of visions with artists like Lauryn Hill and Common that will rightly advance her reputation as an artist who can sling disco, R&B, and rock almost as convincingly as soul. Splicing girl-group harmonies with blaxploitation-style funk with Joplin-esque and, at times, Shelby Lynne-reminiscent vocals, Stone works these Raphael Saadiq-produced beats with the stealth and steadiness of a '70s-era legend who's still going strong. "Girl They Won't Believe It," she wails against the tight hoo-hoo harmonizing of talented backup singers on the opening track; get a load of how much she's accomplished in the space of three albums, and you won't believe it, either. —Tammy La Gorce
False Alarm Ep
4-track EP backed with 'Heal Over', 'Miniature Disasters' & 'Throw Me A Rope'. 2004.
Eye to the Telescope
If the art of the female singer-songwriter revolves around coffee-table soliloquies then Eye to the Telescope—the debut album from Edinburgh-born chanteuse/guitarist KT Tunstall—is a pleasing mediation between the traditional demands of brooding egocentricity (espresso) and frothy commerciality (cappuccino). KT Tunstall has star quality. "Suddenly I See" is an effortlessly liberating pop fillip while, conversely, "False Alarm" redresses ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" for losers who had nothing to lose to begin with. However, Tunstall isn't entirely convinced by the compromise ("I'm struggling to cater for the space I'm meant to fill" she sings) and "Miniature Disasters"—one of several strong numbers showcasing her aptitude for wrapping up pop tunes in either folky bluesiness or ponderous jazz—catalogues her desires for unfettered self-expression. The opening cut "Other Side Of The World" might sound like Dido without the giftwrapped grief (she's none too flattered with the comparisons) but Eye to the Telescope is spiritually closer to Carole King and Elvis Costello than Katie Melua. And that's no bad thing. —Kevin Maidment
Waves
TRACK LISTING: [1]. Is That It? [2]. Tears for Me [3]. Sun Street [4]. Lovely Lindsey [5]. Riding Shotgun [6]. Sleep on My Pillow [7]. Money Chain [8]. Mr. Star [9]. Love That Boy [10]. Stop Trying to Prove (How Much of a Man You Is)
Kaleidoscope
First heard trying to calm Ol' Dirty Bastard on "Got Your Money" from his Nigga Please, 20-year-old Kelis now appears with her own album. Multi-threat production team the Neptunes turn the aptly named Kaleidoscope into the same kind of playground they provided for ODB, and even singing the masterminds' songs, Kelis quickly establishes it as her own hip-hop-wise R&B turf. Already gaining attention for the ranting "Caught Out There" ("I hate you so much right now!"), the disc proves this unique singer equally as convincing in other complex moods, such as a comic take on romantic pain ("Game Show") and an offbeat memory of childhood ("Roller Rink"). More playful than Mary J. Blige, Kelis makes as strong a first impression—and, like Blige, shows every sign of sticking around. —Rickey Wright
This Woman
LeAnn Rimes, now 22, can't catch a break. After she belted her way into national consciousness at 13 with the Grammy-winning Blue in 1996, comparisons to Patsy Cline came flying around every corner. She spent the rest of the decade ducking countryphiles' charges that she had sold out (a few miscalculations in the electronic-dance direction are all it takes, apparently), and by the release of 2002's unselfconsciously poppy Twisted Angel, the genre had largely given up on her—her much-publicized move to Nashville notwithstanding. Now, if you believe early buzz on This Woman, she's back and ready to be re-embraced. You'd have to be a hard-hearted purist to turn her away: though tracks like "When This Woman Loves a Man," tucked toward the bottom of the disc, owe more to Janis Joplin than to Tammy Wynette, it's impossible to argue with This Woman's casually country aesthetic. Rimes's earthy unscarred voice is huger than ever, inhabiting lyrics that are no longer two sizes too big, and jolts of Cline-esque howling and Black Crowes-y guitar raise the interest bar. Call it a pleasingly solid stab at a reconciliation with her country base, but don't call it kid stuff—one glance at the cover, and it's clear the onetime child prodigy has grown into her title. —Tammy La GorceRecommended Contemporary Crossover LeAnn Rimes, Blue Faith Hill, Faith Shania Twain, The Woman in Me Martina McBride, Martina Faith Hill, Breathe Shania Twain, Come on Over Linda Ronstadt: Greatest Hits
1. You're No Good~~~2. Silver Threads and Golden Needles~~~3. Desperado~~~4. Love Is A Rose~~~5. That'll Be The Day~~~6. Long, Long Time~~~7. Different Drum~~~8. When Will I Be Loved~~~9. Love Has No Pride~~~10. Heat Wave~~~11. It Doesn't Matter Anymore~~~12. Tracks Of My Tears.
Linda Ronstadt: Greatest Hits, Volume Two
The latter part of the '70s found Ronstadt roughing up her image a bit, covering songs by the Rolling Stones and Warren Zevon and eventually taking inspiration from the burgeoning punk and new-wave scenes. All of this was a long way away from the laid-back country-rock sound that established her as one of the top female artists of the day. On the material collected here, Ronstadt remains as strong a singles artist as ever. Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 contains winners such as "It's So Easy," "Blue Bayou," and the Chuck Berry romp "Living in the U.S.A.," as well as edgier material such as the Stones' "Tumbling Dice" and Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." —Daniel Durchholz
Winter Light
Feels Like Home
Vivid
Living Colour's exceptional debut is strong all the way through; there simply isn't any weak material on this album. Generally classified as hard rock, Vivid also contains touches of funk and even jazz, which keeps things interesting. Living Colour were also one of the few bands to succeed in writing socio-politically conscious songs that never sound preachy; they take on politicians ("Cult of Personality"), slumlords ("Open Letter (To a Landlord)"), modern life ("Desperate People" and "Glamour Boys"), and the gap between rich and poor in America ("Which Way to America?"). Outstanding music, skilled lyric-writing, and Corey Glover's strong singing make these songs entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time, something most bands never manage to do. — Genevieve Williams
On How Life Is
Gray starts from a solid foundation of retro funk and soul and builds on it by adding hip-hop signifiers and modern studio techniques. The result is one of the better debuts of the year, thanks to Gray's blunt proclamations ("I've committed murder... and I don't feel bad about it") and inimitable vocal phrasing. On How Life Is offers the sass of a '20s blueswoman plus the don't-mess-with-me strength of a 21st-century R&B icon-in-the-making. —Keith Moerer
The Immaculate Collection
The naughtily titled Immaculate Collection culls 15 of Madonna's Top 10 singles from 1984 to mid-'90, plus 2 new ones that continued the run (the dirty, trunk-bumping funk of "Justify My Love"—a Lenny Kravitz production that justifies his entire career—and the danceable desperation of "Rescue Me"). Rooted in disco and classic AM pop from girl groups and ABBA to Strawberry Alarm Clock, Madonna made savvy, touching music throughout her first golden era. These tracks retain their sonic and historical significance while, like "She Loves You" or "Rocket Man," still brightening any space they're being played in. Far more than just a wise, irreverent image-maker—like the Beatles or Elton, come to think of it—Madonna during these years was the gift that kept on giving, forever fresh, sexy, hooky, and joyously sharp. —Rickey Wright
Like a Prayer
Considered by many to be the Material Girl's most mature effort of the '80s, Like a Prayer upped the ante of controversy with its gospel-infused title track and the singer's emotional confessions throughout. It also unveiled the hit "Express Yourself," which ushered in the era of Madonna as a "stainless steel sexual icon." Musically, Prayer showcased her burgeoning songwriting prowess, with the beautiful "Oh Father" and the perky pop of "Cherish." Besides a throw-away collaboration with Prince ("This Is Not a Love Song"), the CD stands as one of her strongest works, eschewing the strong dance beat influences from her past—she saved that for the remixes—and concentrating instead on melody and structure. Like a Prayer also gave a hint of things to come with the delightful "Dear Jessie" displaying a maternal side worthy of her name. —Steve Gdula
The Way That I Am
A relatively new, nonwriting artist is at the mercy of outside material, selected not just by the performer but by the producer and record label, each with not-always-overlapping priorities. It's long odds that a truly satisfying, no-weak-cuts album can come of this song-selection-by-committee approach , but Martina McBride pulled it off on her second album, 1993's The Way That I Am. McBride's vocal versatility is a big plus; she sings the four ballads here exceptionally well, with "That Wasn't Me" and "She Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" especially affecting. Better yet are the uptempo songs, to which she adds just the right pinch of polite raunch. The breakthrough hit "My Baby Loves Me" is structured too close to "I Fought the Law" for comfort, but kicks satisfyingly; "Life #9 " is delightfully spunky; "Heart Trouble" is well-executed modern rockabilly; and the Pam Tillis/Bill Lloyd collaboration "Goin' to Work" effectively extols the virtues of a job as a salve for heartache. The album's key track is the powerful "Independence Day," Gretchen Peters' groundbreaking table turner about a battered wife who burns house and hubby to ashes one symbolic July 4. McBride's impassioned performance is a fitting cap to a first-rate collection. —Ken Barnes
Wild Angels
Evolution
Martina McBride's fourth RCA album may not be her best work, but it remains a state-of-the-art '90s pop-country album, filled with insouciantly catchy melodies, flawlessly smooth production, and some genuinely memorable material. The 1997 set is balanced between earnestly romantic tunes like "Here in My Heart," midtempo acoustic songs like "Be That Way," and quasi-feminist numbers like "A Broken Wing," which rivals "Independence Day" for her most focused, soulful performance to date. The album might have benefited from more judicious editing: the cutesy opening snippet, the superficial "Keeping My Distance," and the gooey "Valentine" feel out of place on this mostly well crafted, emotionally sung work. —Roy Kasten
White Christmas
It's difficult to conceive of a less imaginative project; song selection, arrangements, even album title all emanate from the stock Yuletide script. Then again, Christmas isn't about innovation, is it? It's about smiles and curling up by the fire and listening to the same songs over and over. For those purposes, McBride's holiday offering will suit you just dandy. Her lovely voice is capable of enormous power and delicate nuance. Dennis Burnside's arrangements don't match up in most cases, although the perky, harp-filled "Let It Snow" and the dark-toned "Away in a Manger" and "What Child Is This" are more attractive than the others. Still, even McBride's substantial pipes can't rescue this record from the doldrums; it overtly distances itself from the whole of her country-music roots. —Marc Greilsamer
Emotion
Liquid-eyed Martina McBride finds herself in a holding pattern after 1997's Evolution, unable to break completely free of country radio's indistinguishably bombastic mandates but also perceptibly champing at the bit to disobey them. The arena-ready country-rock ditties lead her to overreach badly (did it really take three writers to invent the hackneyed "I Love You"?), and the trite power ballads just push her bluster buttons, but when McBride's got good material, she's capable of making music that's quite nearly memorable. "Anything's Better Than Feelin' the Blues" (by Matraca Berg and Randy Scruggs) could be an exciting country single, and the two final tunes, Patty Griffin's "Good Bye" and Gretchen Peters's "This Uncivil War," clearly advance McBride's pop-ballad tendencies with some believable lyrical introspection. Such moments, however, are only brief respites from the overbearing Nashville formula. —Roy Kasten
Martina
Martina McBride is something of a marvel. Throughout her career she has managed to walk a tightrope between Nash-Vegas commercial concerns and the high art of well-crafted songwriting and serious singing that makes up modern country at its best. Her hits in the Nineties ("Wild Angels," Independence Day," "Life #9, ," "Safe in the Arms of Love") were beacons of light in a darkness of clichéd and over-produced cowboy-disco tunes. Martina continues her tradition of tasteful tune picking and powerful but never over-the-top vocals. "This One's for the Girls" mines much missed Mary Chapin Carpenter territory, while tunes like "In My Daughter's Eyes" and "So Magical" (with its scenes of rural bliss) stay safely this side of excessive sentimentality thanks to McBride's considered performances. Even pop tunes like "When You Love Me" and "Learning to Fall" are kept country with an emphasis on guitars, fiddles, and steels over syrupy synthesizers. Throughout, producers Paul Worley and McBride herself give Nashville lessons on how to make a record that is shiny but never slick. Finally, her live performance of "Over the Rainbow" is a lesson on delivering a show-stopping vocal with minimal melisma and maximum soul. —Michael Ross
Shooting Straight in the Dark
Mary Chapin Carpenter's third album perfected her mix of singer-songwriter introspection, storytelling, and the occasional up-tempo mood changer. It spawned a huge country radio hit in the surprisingly durable zydeco romp "Down at the Twist and Shout," but the most memorable track is "Going Out Tonight," a gutsy, folk-rocking statement of purpose from a brokenhearted woman who's gonna start living again even if it kills her. —Rickey Wright
Come on Come On
Skeptics might say that Carpenter's smash version of Lucinda Williams's "Passionate Kisses" pales beside the tougher original, or that Mary Chapin is but a folkie in poor-fitting country clothes. They're not exactly wrong, but her million-selling third album finds its charm in a spare Americana sound and smart, imaginative material. Carpenter bridges country and folk audiences, much as Emmylou Harris has done, and as few others have managed. And she's a better singer than generally recognized. Originals such as "I Am a Town" and the title cut are genuinely evocative, and "Walking Through Fire" and "I Take My Chances" have an emotional edge that is as raw as it has been rare on country radio in the '90s. —Roy Francis Kasten
Stones in the Road
The 1994 sequel to her mainstream country breakthrough on Come on Come On further underscores Mary Chapin Carpenter's true identity, more Ivy League folk rocker than new country cowgirl. Her coolly delivered, deeply felt songs include meditations on family, community, and social injustice without rant or cant, never more so than on the gently incisive midlife reflections of the title song, which filters historic milestones and childhood lessons through its delicate verses. Elsewhere, she sketches a heart-breaking, restrained speculation on the inner life of a blind, deaf mystery man ("John Doe No. 24") with the economy and detail of good short story. The set's many love songs are no less intelligent, emotionally authentic, or moving. Chapin Carpenter's elegant yet earthy alto is beautifully framed in the settings, coproduced with longtime collaborator John Jennings, that balance jangling guitars, rippling piano, occasional fiddle and crisp rhythm sections closer to the best of L.A. country rock than what normally emanates from Nashville. —Sam Sutherland
A Place in the World
She's sophisticated, she's strong, and she's not afraid to be sexy—in short, Mary-Chapin Carpenter is a mirror on '90s American womanhood. Her songs explore everything from the complexities of boomer angst ("Hero in Your Own Hometown") to the simple joy of love ("I Want to Be Your Girlfriend") in a forthright manner that's garnered a following that spans boot-scootin' country types and soccer moms. It might be oversimplifying things to call her "a little bit country, a little bit rock & roll," but her knack for mingling guests like Shawn Colvin and Benmont Tench attests to Carpenter's refusal to accept a pigeonhole as her place in the world. —David Sprague
Party Doll and Other Favorites
In addition to subverting the conventions of greatest-hits discs—only 5 of these 17 tracks appear in the hit versions from Carpenter's studio albums—Party Doll does a better job of balancing the singer/songwriter's moods than any of her releases since 1992's Come On Come On. Here, upbeat celebrations such as "Down at the Twist and Shout" (included in a live Super Bowl take) and "I Feel Lucky" comfortably rub shoulders with the quietly sweet ("Dreamland," originally on an early-'90s various-artists set of lullabies) and brooding ("Stones in the Road") sides of Carpenter's work. Finally, her rendition of Mick Jagger's title tune hints that she has vital work yet to do. —Rickey Wright
time* sex* love*
On albums like State of the Heart, Shooting Straight in the Dark, and Come on Come On, Mary Chapin Carpenter melded folkie singer-songwriter concerns with melodies and hooks that country (and, occasionally, adult-pop) radio programmers could get behind foursquare. Since those late-'80s/early-'90s high points, the Brown University graduate has often pushed niceties such as catchiness to the artistic back burner. Despite some too-languid stretches, Time* Sex* Love*, her first studio disc since 1996, finds Carpenter recapturing some of the balance that marked the best of those earlier records. "In the Name of Love" lifts off with a trademark midtempo groove and a complex lyric about attraction and independence. Other tracks subtly spice Carpenter's formula with lovely, sighing vocal harmonies and fleeting evocations of Beatles-era AM radio. Her need to attempt major statements about the sad realities of grownup life may ultimately be Time's biggest flaw; where's Carpenter hiding her gifts for limning small moments (State's "This Shirt") or events that few other songwriters would think to commit to tape (Shooting's comet-appearance commemoration "Halley Came to Jackson")? There's reality, and there's reality. —Rickey Wright
Between Here and Gone
Mary Chapin Carpenter's first album of new material in three years has been hailed as a fine example of pop music for adults. This is both true and misleading. In changing producers (from John Jennings to celebrated piano man Matt Rollings), the literate singer-songwriter has slightly broadened her sophisticated Americana sound, and although it's less rhythmic as a whole, her acoustic-folkie approach remains at the core of her classic style. And while "Between Here and Gone"—which addresses the theme of travel and transition, the fragility of life, and the ephemeral nature of happiness—might be said to concern itself with grown-up issues, most of Carpenter's writing has always done just that. Yet this stunning album, informed both by her 2002 marriage ("Elysium," "River") and by the events of 9/11, is more introspective than much of her early work. The alto-voiced singer is compelling throughout, but never so much as on "My Heaven," inspired by Alice Sebold's novel, The Lovely Bones, or on "Grand Central Station," in which a New York City ironworker, standing on the bucket brigade at Ground Zero, hears the voices of the dead, desperate to find their way home. In moments such as these, Carpenter reestablishes herself not only as a world-class poet, but as an artist of the first order. —Alanna Nash
No More Drama
Anyone who's purchased one of Mary J. Blige's albums understands that the "queen of hip-hop soul" would much rather push artistic envelopes than lick 'em. With No More Drama, her enlisting of hip-hop's finest beat-makers to create lush musical soundscapes is nothing short of genius. On the Dr. Dre-produced "Family Affair," Blige implores the club set to "get crunk 'cause Mary's back" as she introduces some new slang to the hip-hop vernacular ("holleration"). "Steal Away" is a classic Neptunes-induced head-nodder in the "Love Is All We Need" vein, as Pharrell Williams chimes in a Curtis Mayfield-like falsetto. Those who like their R&B straight might be offended by the acoustic guitar solo by Lenny Kravitz on "PMS," or the album's title track, which samples the theme from The Young and the Restless soap opera. But listen to "Where I've Been" (a redemptive tale of Blige's not-so-rapid ascent from the 'hood, featuring guest raps from Eve) and the Missy Elliott-assisted "Never Been," and misgivings vanish. Whereas past Mary J. efforts were limited to tales of relationships gone awry, her outlook is more diverse and upbeat, while her scratchy, bluesy vocals have become more expansive, too. She raps on "Love," scats on "Beautiful Day," chats on the a cappella "Forever No More," and caps No More Drama with a string of uplifting ballads ("2 U," "In the Meantime"), neatly polishing off a release that will stand as one of the best of 2001. —Dalton Higgins
The Tour
It's almost impossible to breathe the name "Mary J. Blige" without coupling it with loaded phrases like "difficult diva" and "queen of hip-hop soul." But if you get past the prickly facade Blige often presents to the press—who can forget her infamous interview turned potential catfight with Veronica Webb?—it—it's the tag of royalty that counts. This collection of 23 tracks culled from various stops on her Share My World tour is the perfect sample of her highness's indisputable talent and a reminder that unlike many in her field, she is a powerhouse performer, not merely a studio puppet. The hits span her three studio albums, and while some cuts barely reach the two- minute mark, her renderings of favorites like "Real Love," "I'm Goin' Down," and "Mary Jane" more than make up for them. True to form, she also revives a couple of other classics—Aretha Franklin's "Daydreaming" and Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue." The Tour is both a great introduction for the uninitiated and an essential addition to the canon. —Rebecca Wallwork
Mary
After a three-year break from studio releases, the queen of hip-hop soul returns with her fourth. From the Fulfillingness' First Finale-style groove of the opening "All That I Can Say" to the replayed "Bennie and the Jets" sample on "Deep Inside," these tracks are perfect matches for Blige's update of classic R&B values. —Rickey Wright
Love & Life
The Breakthrough
Nobody knows heartache like Mary J. knows heartache. But as she releases her seventh disc, perhaps more important is that nobody understands better how unquenchable our thirst to hear what it sounds like can be. The Breakthrough, contrary to run-up rumors, is no retrospective or greatest-hits package. Rather than reheat, Blige and producers Dr. Dre, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Will.i.am tasked themselves with stirring a river of hurt into some of the highest-caliber hip-hop/soul to hit the airwaves since she burned up the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack with "Not Gon' Cry." Cameos alone could sell this disc: Brook, Jay-Z, Raphael Saadiq, and Bono step up. But it's the trademark ragged-edged soul of its star that shines brightest throughout the 16 tracks. "A love that tears you down ain't really love," a laid-bare Blige reminds us on "Ain't Really Love," after dedicating "Good Woman Down" to "my troubled sisters." Somewhere in between, she leaves absolutely no room for doubt that she just can't be without her baby ("Be Without You"). It's an exhilarating, love-affirming moment on a CD jammed full of them (check out "Can't Get Enough," with its echoes of a pleading Curtis Mayfield). Blige, never far from the thoughts of the lovelorn, didn't need a breakthrough, but anybody with an ear for artful confession will be glad she's given us The Breakthrough anyway. —Tammy La Gorce
Mary J. Blige & Friends
Mary J. Blige & Friends is a CD & DVD Combo. It features Mary J. Blige performing duets with her favorite artists, Track Listing 1. Whenever I Say Your Name (with Sting) 2. Ask Myself (with Robin Thicke) 3. Ain't No Way (with Patti Labelle) 4. Love Changes (with Jamie Foxx) 5. Alone (with Dave Young) 6. Favorite Flavor (with LL Cool J) 7. Love Is All We Need (with Nas) 8. My Man (with Santana) 9. I Guess That Why They Call It The Blues (with Elton John)
Reflections - A Retrospective
Mary J. fans are about as likely to put up with chain-pulling as the queen of hip-hop soul herself—which is why a good many of them have been quick to point out that this disc, exceptional as it is, doesn't quite equal a greatest hits package. Where among these favorites are biggies such as "Love @ 1st Sight," "You Remind Me," "Your Child," and "Dance for Me"? The answer is it doesn't much matter. Because Reflections, as its name suggests, is a mere dip in the Mary J. memory pool—a meatier hits package is likely on the way. There's no time like the present, then, for rolling with the latest on offer from R&B's reigning bruised-hearted lady. Threaded through evergreens like "Family Affair," "Not Gon' Cry," and "No More Drama" are four new tracks, not a one of which is a throwaway: "We Ride (I See the Future)" coasts on attitude and a hand-clappy beat; "King & Queen," a duet with John Legend, seems spun from some ecstatic fantasy; "You Know" breaks itself down to a dizzy-headed disco vibe; and opener "Reflections (I Remember)" is a proud look back on a lifetime of heartbreak and healing. It may not be as definitive a disc as some would like, but in determining whether to buy it, take a cue from Mary J.: don't hold back. —Tammy La Gorce
Growing Pains
"I'm talkin' 'bout things I know," Mary J. Blige wails on "Work That," the second single and opening track of Growing Pains. The album squeaked into 2007 too late to make best-of lists but otherwise would have stormed its way up several, for sure. She needn't have hit us with such a pronouncement: In 16 songs that ring as remarkably, unflinchingly true as those on 2005's landmark The Breakthrough, the queen of hip-hop soul keeps "keeping it real" a specialty. There's no sense in trying to assign credit for the skin-tight grooves and funked-up retro vibe here; with nine producers padding Blige's emotion-rich voice and the lyrics she so obviously lives by, what we're left with is a melange of sounds. But it's a measure of an artist who has mastered her own identity and left nothing to chance that this, her eighth studio album, comes off so free of wild cards and loose edges. "You ask what love feels like," she sings on "What Love Is," one of the disc's less fierce tracks. "It feels like joy, and it feels like pain, and it feels like sunshine, and it feels like rain," she continues, answering the question. The album feels the same way, a passel of complex feelings all wrapped up in love. No one knows struggle, heartache, and triumph over mediocrity like Blige. —Tammy La Gorce
Yourself or Someone Like You
Diesel and Dust
Grease
No Track Information Available Media Type: CD Artist: GREASE Title: SOUNDTRACK Street Release Date: 04/16/1991 Domestic Genre: MUSICAL In the Heat of the Night
Missundaztood
There's a rule in commercial pop: don't bite the hand that feeds you. Translation? If you're getting love on TRL, it's best leaving well enough alone and tinkering only slightly with the sound that pays your bills. So you have to give Pink a whole heap of credit. The Philly-raised songbird may have made her rep with infectious and rugged pop-R&B hits like "There You Go" and the remake of "Lady Marmalade," but like the fuchsia coif she once sported, that sound is gone. In its place is a more driving alt-rock attack, liberally laced with some late-night blues and heartfelt lyrics that, while they sometimes come off like diary entries (the simplistic bon mot "Your pain is painful" in "Family Portrait"), are clearly Pink's thoughts, as opposed to words someone put in her mouth. Helping Pink express her inner Alanis are Dallas Austin, who produced the insistent rocker "18 Wheeler," and former 4 Non Blonde Linda Perry, who Pink has resurrected from one-hit-wonder status. Mixing up thumping beats, ("Get the Party Started"), with folksy confessionals, Pink's potent vocals and her honest determination make this a risk worth hearing. —Amy Linden
Funhouse (Clean version)
Ghost in the Machine
Synchronicity
A night at the Opera
Jazz
Japanese Version featuring a Limited Edition LP Style Slipcase for Initial Pressing Only.
"Queen - The Platinum Collection: Greatest Hits I, II & III"
A Night at the Opera (30th Anniversary Coll. Ed) [CD/DVD Combo]
The Cosmos Rocks
Decade of Rock & Roll '70-'80
Hi Infidelity
REO Speedwagon The Hits
The Second Decade of Rock and Roll, 1981 to 1991
Building the Bridge
King's Record Shop
Retrospective
Another Rosie Christmas
Very Necessary
Supernatural
Shaman
Surfacing
Afterglow
Laundry Service
No Track Information Available Media Type: CD Artist: SHAKIRA Title: LAUNDRY SERVICE Street Release Date: 11/13/2001 Domestic Genre: LATIN POP/ROCK Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
C'mon, C'mon
War
The final album of U2's early period, before the group broadened its sonic palette and lyrical vision, War is a brilliantly conflicted album, sounding martial and majestic while its very purpose is to tear down false idols propped up by politics. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "40" take the subject of Ireland's troubles head-on, while it's the subtext of "New Year's Day," which is about a sundered love relationship symbolic of a greater division. "Torn in two, we can be one," Bono pleads, as Edge's guitar scratches and snarls behind him. Songs such as "Two Hearts Beat as One" and the delicate "Drowning Man" take a back seat here, but they help make War a compelling and well-rounded album. —Daniel Durchholz
Star Bright
Christmas A Festival of Carols & Readings
Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1963
Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1966
Cocktail
Oldies But Goodies: 21 #1 Hits
World's Greatest Overtures
DJ's Choice Kids Pop Christmas
Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Music from the Movie and More...
There's an ocean of reasons Nickelodeon fans and moviegoers will want to own the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie soundtrack, not least of which is its cover art. Even if such aesthetic considerations bore you—even if the movie itself bores you, you'll want to dive right in, because the packaging pales in comparison to the content. Skate-punk queen Avril Lavigne cranks up the guitars for a caffeinated cover of the cartoon theme; the Flaming Lips figure out what happens when "SpongeBob & Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy;" alt-rock heroes Wilco revisit music simpler than what's on their latest discs with "Just a Kid;" and indie rockers the Shins let it rip on "They'll Soon Discover." Lesser-known acts Ween and Electrocute also contribute, and they're matched in the keep-up-the-tempo challenge by characters including Patrick. His track, the barely listenable "Under My Rock," earns him the dubious distinction of the disc's biggest bellyflopper, but overall audiences will be squeezed to find a recent soundtrack as absorbing. —Tammy La Gorce
This Machine Kills Fascists
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Michael Charter
Collection Total:
1203 Items
1203 Items
Last Updated:
Sep 13, 2009
Sep 13, 2009
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