SOUNC CHECK.

GEORGE MICHAEL/"Songs From the Last Century" (Virgin)

Here's proof positive that a good voice can take you only so far when singing big-band pop standards. Like Linda Ronstadt, who sang Sinatra and got all the words right but never conveyed a sense that she LIVED them, George Michael is way out of his league trying to navigate among "Yip" Harburg ("Brother, Can You Spare a Dime"), Rodgers and Hart ("Where or When") and John H. Mercer ("I Remember You").

"Songs From the Last Century" is the velvet-smooth vocalist's overly low-key homage to some of the century's best songwriters. You can't really fault the material. He omits himself from the running, so no "Careless Whisper" (thank God!) and he selects only two '80s artists to cover - Sting (a lethargic pass at "Roxanne") and the U2 offshoot act the Passengers (the once-majestic, now anemic "Miss Sarajevo"). But there's no edge to Michael's studied singing and Phil Ramone's safe production never veers from middle-of-the-road. And Michael's attempt at humor by singing the old nudge-'n'-wink "Secret Love" after all the attention he's received since coming out isn't edgy, it's simply obvious.

All this goes to prove a good voice is easy to find, a good singer is not.

- Howard Cohen 

Miami Herald

EIFFEL 65/"Europop" (Republic/Universal)

Even if Eiffel 65 goes down as a one-song wonder, what a hook it is: "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" is the catchiest slice of European synth pop since Ace of Base's bouncy 1995 single, "Beautiful Life."

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" is drenched in electronic swashes, from the pulsating back beat to the bleeps and blurps that decorate the chorus. Then vocalist Jeffrey Jey turns in a nasal-tinged, processed delivery as indelible as that "da ba dee" refrain. The song is exploding on stateside radio after it hit big in 16 countries, including England, Germany, France and Sweden.

Ultimately, parts of this album underscore the threesome's shortcomings. As "Europop" passes its halfway mark, it's clear the band has run out of ideas. There's no choice but to home in on "Now Is Forever." By then, the rest of the tunes have cross-circuited, turning into one long computerized exercise.

You'll find yourself skipping back to "Blue." That's a telltale sign.

- Mario Tarradell

Dallas Morning News

BOB MARLEY/"Songs of Freedom" (Island)

"Songs of Freedom," a four-CD boxed set retrospective of the late Jamaican legend's career, originally appeared in 1992 and sold out its initial pressing of 1 million copies worldwide. With interest in Marley still burning, Island has repackaged the $59 set into a tight cube with slipcased CDs and a booklet and reissued it. Its small size makes it an ideal stocking stuffer.

Unfortunately, the label didn't apply advanced 1999 HDCD technology to these discs, choosing instead the original 1992 remastering. Still, the sonics are adequate, especially the late-'70s material on Discs Three and Four, and is in keeping with reggae's accent on homegrown humanity, not flashy studio trickery.

"Songs of Freedom" has a wide reach, stretching from Marley's first single, the endearing "Judge Not" from 1962, to a 1980 live version of "Redemption Song" recorded at his last concert. Instead of the familiar versions of favorites such as "I Shot the Sheriff," "Is This Love" and "No Woman No Cry" found on his popular "Legend" hits CD, "Songs of Freedom" stresses alternate live takes and 12-inch remixes.

It's to Marley's credit that these tracks live up to the studio originals. "Songs" is a smart sampler for the Marley novice (are there any left?) and essential for the converted who don't own the 1992 pressing.

- H.C.

PHISH/"Hampton Comes Alive" (Elektra)

If you don't like Mexican food, you shouldn't order the El Diablo Grande two-plate dinner.

Likewise, if you don't already love Phish, there's not much reason to pick up the live box set titled (groan) "Hampton Comes Alive."

The six-CD collection documents two shows recorded Nov. 20 and 21, 1998, in Hampton, Va. - captured live on two-track tape, without any editing or post-show sweetening.

Well over five hours of music, Hampton does do a good job of capturing the dynamics of a Phish show - how the music builds and unfolds. It also showcases the band's strengths and weaknesses: A group mind that can often function with dazzling precision, a byzantine creativity, a keen and funny eye for cover tunes and a relationship between band and audience that's tight enough at times to exclude the casual (or unconverted) listener.

For the completist, "Hampton Comes Alive" is a clean, band-sanctioned version of the countless bootlegs in circulation. For the curious, however, this monster will probably prove much harder to digest than Phish's other two live albums.

- Matt Weitz

Dallas Morning News

DOLLY PARTON/"The Grass Is Blue" (Sugar Hill/Blue Eye)

When you think of Dolly Parton you tend to think of two things and shame on you: her icon status in the country field (she was recently inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, which can lead to the false impression that she's had her day) and her business savvy (she founded the over-the-top theme park Dollywood).

Forget all that. Parton is one of contemporary music's consummate vocalists and songwriters and her latest CD is one of the jewels in her storied three-decade career.

"The Grass Is Blue" is Parton's first full bluegrass album and while the fiddles, banjos and high-pitched organic sound is a turn-off for some listeners, there's no faulting her ageless but pure voice, which is ideally suited to the energetic material. Parton wrote only four fine new songs but she sings Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone," the Louvin Brothers' "Cash on the Barrelhead" and Shorty Medlocke's "Train, Train" as if she wrote them, too. Even the 1973 Billy Joel pop tune "Travelin' Prayer," works as a bluegrass stomp, thanks to the authentic musicianship. Familiar names like Patty Loveless and Alison Krauss lend vocal harmonies here and there but neither can touch Parton's refreshing singing, which is the true anchor of this pristine recording.

- H.C.

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Photo: George Michael (no cutline)