ON CD > REVIEWING THE MUSIC.WILL.I.AM "Songs About Girls" Interscope - Three stars A retro-disco album with a modern club sensibility, the first solo release from the Black Eyed Peas This article is about the American hip hop group. For the vegetable, see Black-eyed pea. The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, who have enjoyed worldwide pop success. The group is currently composed of will.i.am, apl.de. mastermind is rife with stylish, bouncy dance grooves ("Heartbreaker") and slick slow grinders ("She's a Star"), marked by the immaculate production that's help make Black Eyed Peas popular worldwide. Unfortunately, our Will doesn't show much lyrical depth and instead relies on the usual dancehall dance·hall n. 1. or dance hall A building or part of a building with facilities for dancing. 2. See ragga. dancehall Noun a style of dance-oriented reggae cliches. But musically, the album draws from a deeper well than most Peas albums, incorporating everything from buzzing synth ("The Donque Song") to nicely funky guitar. >LEN (Low Entry Networking) In SNA, peer-to-peer connectivity between adjacent Type 2.1 nodes, such as PCs, workstations and minicomputers. LU 6.2 sessions are supported across LEN connections. CUTLER MARY GAUTHIER "Between Daylight and Dark" Lost Highway - Three stars This Louisiana-bred, broken and sobered-up singer-songwriter makes Lucinda Williams look like a starry-eyed optimist. But while events have given Gauthier even more to get depressed about than usual, hope glimmers throughout this set of odes and dirges. With cameos from Loudon Wainwright III and Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, and actor. His work spans six decades, and he has worked with luminaries from Grace Kelley to the Beach Boys and the Byrds. , her literate ballads, tastefully arranged and sung straight from the gut, are certainly something to get happy about. >BOB STRAUSS KID ROCK "Rock and Roll Jesus" Atlantic - Two and one half stars His doomed four-month marriage to Pam Anderson in 2006 left Kid Rock without much of a sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour , although his libido remains strong -- according to him. With declining sales a problem Viagra won't cure, Rock is trying to appeal to an aging core audience now forced to confront issues beyond strip-club bills. With "Rock and Roll Jesus," Rock makes a halfhearted half·heart·ed adj. Exhibiting or feeling little interest, enthusiasm, or heart; uninspired: a halfhearted attempt at writing a novel. bid for relevance. It works to a point. The problem is, in the past, the Michigan rich-kid rocker could be relied upon to provide a few smiles, especially in concert at the time of what remains his most consistent record, 1998's breakthrough "Devil Without a Cause." Unfortunately, "Jesus," taken as a whole, just isn't very amusing. Tracks like "Amen," with its gospel-tinged social commentary, fall rather flat. "So Hott," the single, is promiscuously stupid. And the nasty country workout "Half Your Age," which proclaims Rock's new girlfriend to be "half your age and twice as hot" (as Anderson), isn't worth a snort. Sorry, Kid, you're not going to convince us there's anything wrong with Pammie -- past, present or future. While the soul-rocker "Roll On" is one of Rock's best romps ever, and "All Summer Long" makes for a convincing Bob Seger impersonation Impersonation Patroclus wore the armor of Achilles against the Trojans to encourage the disheartened Greeks. [Gk. Lit.: Iliad] Prisoner of Zenda, The , Kid Rock is nearing that point where he's almost run out of time. >FRED SHUSTER CD releases> Cecilia Bartoli: "Maria" A tribute album dedicated to the little-known Spanish opera singer Maria Malibran, born in Paris in 1808 and dead at age 28 in a riding accident. Michael Buble: "Let It Snow" The combination of Buble's Sinatra-lite croon croon v. crooned, croon·ing, croons v.intr. 1. To hum or sing softly. 2. To sing popular songs in a soft, sentimental manner. 3. Scots To roar or bellow. and pretty arrangements creates a cozy addition to any winter evening. Jimi Hendrix: "Live at Monterey" The Jimi Hendrix Experience's breakthrough appearance at the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival in full. Angie Stone: "The Art of Love and War" The first signing to the new Stax Records, reactivated after 30 years by its current owner, Concord Music Group Concord Music Group is a record company formed in 2004 by the merger of Concord Records and Fantasy Records. In 2005, the company acquired the classics and jazz label Telarc International. . Kenna: "Make Sure They See My Face" This guy's progressive dance rock has been used in Sony's PSP (PlayStation Portable) See PlayStation. ads. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 3) no caption (CD covers) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion