SOUND CHECK.MADONNA: ``Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .) - Three stars Break out the disco ball A disco ball, mirror ball, glitter ball, or ball mirror is a roughly spherical object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display. . After getting weighed down by politics in 2003's ``American Life,'' Madonna returns with this set of energetic, Ibiza-style anthems sure to whip clublanders into a frenzy. The dozen tracks, seamlessly woven together in classic dance club form, are driven by catchy hooks, thumping Euro-dance beats and disco grooves, such as the ABBA-sampled single ``Hung Up,'' which borrows from ``Gimme gim·me Informal Contraction of give me. adj. Slang Demanding material things or especially money; acquisitive: today's gimme society; tired of gimme letters. n. ! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).'' There are other hints of vintage disco elsewhere on the album, including in the multilingual ``Sorry'' (The Jacksons' ``Can You Feel It?'') and in the techno gem ``Future Lovers'' (Donna Summer's ``I Feel Love''). Really, the only complaint here comes in the way of lyrics - especially on ``I Love New York This article is about the advertising campaign. For the Philippine television show, see I Luv NY. For the VH1 reality-show, see I Love New York (TV series). The logo for the I Love New York ,'' a swirling anthem in which Madge confesses to feeling like ``a dork'' in every other city but. - Sandra Barrera WILCO: ``Kicking Television: Live in Chicago'' (Nonesuch none·such also non·such n. 1. A person or thing without equal. 2. See black medic. none ) - One star Devoid of melody and utterly convinced of their own importance, the mind-numbingly dull Chicago ensemble Wilco is essentially the ``Morning Becomes Eclectic'' house band. The listless (programming) listless - In functional programming, a property of a function which allows it to be combined with other functions in a way that eliminates intermediate data structures, especially lists. , dreary, humorless music of this six-member outfit perfectly reflects the moment the mind goes blank before sleep sets in - but not in a good way. Here, in a self-indulgent, endlessly droning two-CD set, the incomprehensibly beloved group proffers its brand of college- rock in 23 tuneless tracks. Simply put, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy is what happens when a painfully average songwriter is told repeatedly he's a genius. ``Kicking Television'' will have you watching more of it. - Fred Shuster KEITH SEWELL: ``Love Is a Journey'' (Skaggs Family) - Three and one half stars As daily listeners to XM's bluegrass bluegrass, any species of the large and widely distributed genus Poa, chiefly range and pasture grasses of economic importance in temperate and cool regions. In general, bluegrasses are perennial with fine-leaved foliage that is bluish green in some species. channel, we've fallen hard for this uncommon Texas picker and singer. With this excellent debut effort, Sewell, who pays the rent as lead guitarist for both mandolinist Sam Bush and Dobro whiz Jerry Douglas, has come up with something increasingly rare - a top-notch contemporary bluegrass effort that doesn't insult the intelligence. The songs - especially ``Misery and Happiness'' and ``We Go Around'' - are unusually heartfelt and wonderfully tuneful, performed with a progressive flair for eye-widening guitar solos and other instrumental moments. ``Love Is a Journey'' is something to discover. - F.S. SUSIE ARIOLI BAND: ``Learn to Smile Again'' (Justin Time) - Three and one half stars Vocalist Arioli and her headlining guitarist partner, Jordan Officer, are best-known for their swing albums, but their music has always contained tinges of folk, blues and country, too. So, it's not shocking that with their latest release they've decided to deliver warm, jazzy jazz·y adj. jazz·i·er, jazz·i·est 1. Resembling jazz in form or nature; rhythmical. 2. Slang Showy; flashy: a jazzy car. versions of songs by Roger Miller. Six of Miller's melancholy compositions are included here, along with striking versions of two oft-covered titles: Jimmy Webb's ``By the Time I Get to Phoenix'' and Alan Toussaint's ``Ruler of My Heart.'' As always, Jordan's soft guitar flourishes contrast nicely with Arioli's vivid singing, only this time they want to move your heart, not your feet. - Glenn Whipp PATRICIA PATRICIA Practical Algorithm To Retrieve Information Coded In Alphanumeric PATRICIA Proving and Testability for Reliability Improvement of Complex Integrated Architectures PATRICIA PApilloma TRIal Cervical cancer In young Adults VONNE VONNE Voluntary Organisations Network North East (UK) : ``Guitars & Castanets'' (CoraZong) - Three and one half stars Drama is the watchword on this collection of rebel rockers and passionate Spanish ballads. Not surprising, really, as Vonne is also an actress (she was the Zorro zorro: see fox. Zorro masked swordsman, defender of weak and oppressed. [Am. Lit.: comic strip (1919); Am. Cinema: Halliwell, 794; TV: Terrace, II, 461–462] See : Disguise hooker in her brother Robert Rodriguez's ``Sin City'' movie). Her songs add up to a blast-fired vision of her native Texas. It's a landscape of intense emotion inhabited by crazy characters, and Vonne's deep, bilingual-Cher voice leaves you guessing whether she's telling it like it is or exaggerating like mad. Well past ready for her close-up, this actress-singer is always right in your face. - Bob Strauss CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Madonna) (2 -- 6) no caption (CD covers) |
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