SOUND CHECK.CHRISTINA AGUILERA  Some statements may be disputed, incorrect, , biased or otherwise objectionable. Unlike many of her fellow pop stars who hide behind the tricks of their producers, the former Mouseketeer can sing -- really sing. A few years ago, I heard her do a live version of ``At Last,'' getting down cold the full power of the Etta James version. All she needed to do was develop some style of her own. With the two-disc ``Back to Basics,''she's taken a giant step in that direction. While the provocative shots of the diva and songs like the nervy ``Still Dirrty'' -- ``Don't be fooled by everything you see/I still got the naughty in me'' -- may lead you to think that Aguilera hasn't moved on from her second album, 2002's ``Stripped,'' ``Basics' '' first disc offers an alluring fusion of hip-hop/pop rhymings and rhythms, sampling, and catchy syncopations soaked in an early-r&b groove with heavy bass lines. The arrangements by the likes of DJ Premier and Big Tank, and Rich Harrison are inviting, while giving Aguilera room to show off her ample chops. While the first disc was meant to be an oblique tribute to singers of the past -- Aguilera checklists everyone from Stevie Wonder to Billie Holiday -- the second aims at re-creating the past with tunes like ``Candyman,'' an Andrew Sisters outtake out·take n. 1. a. A section or scene, as of a movie, that is filmed but not used in the final version. b. A complete version, as of a recording, that is dropped in favor of another version. 2. , and ''Nasty Naughty Boy'' could be paired up with ``Hey, Big Spender.'' Aguilera may have overreached on this album -- there is plenty to nitpick nit·pick intr.v. nit·picked, nit·pick·ing, nit·picks To be concerned with or find fault with insignificant details. See Synonyms at quibble. nit -- but give the girl credit for knowing how to have fun. -- Rob Lowman ELDAR: ``Live at the Blue Note'' (Sony Classical) - Three stars He's 19, has a contract with Sony and is accomplished enough to go simply by his first name. It's easy to dislike piano prodigy Eldar Djangirov on principle, but then you hear the kid play, and all is forgiven. Eldar -- who will begin a four-night run at Catalina Bar and Grill on Thursday -- is talented enough to throw down the lyrical runs of a Bill Evans or Ahmad Jamal and also get a little funky in the spirit of Oscar Peterson. Judging from the barreling speed he employs on this live disc, recorded last year on dates that included guests Roy Hargrove and Chris Botti, Peterson towers as his biggest influence. Eldar does slow things down -- to a fault -- on his own compositions, four of which are included here, but given his age and experience, you can cut him a break. He's just getting started. -- Glenn Whipp VARIOUS: ``Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys'' (Anti/Epitaph) - Three stars Real pirates appreciated music so much that they would force musicians at gunpoint to join their crews. The motley bunch who turned up for this sprawling two-disc set needed little coaxing. The back story of this entertaining ``Rogue's Gallery'' of gritty songs from Liverpool, Cape Cod, South Australia and other ports of call, goes that while working on ``Pirates of the Carribean II,'' director Gore Verbinski fell under the cultural spell of the larcenous lar·ce·nous adj. 1. Of, relating to, or involving larceny: a larcenous scheme; with larcenous intent. 2. Guilty of or given to larceny. sailors who ran the high seas high seas In maritime law, the waters lying outside the territorial waters of any and all states. In the Middle Ages, a number of maritime states asserted sovereignty over large portions of the high seas. . Hal Wilner signed on to match musicians with a boatload boat·load n. The number of passengers or the amount of cargo that a boat can hold. Noun 1. boatload - the amount of cargo that can be held by a boat or ship or a freight car; "he imported wine by the boatload" of songs borrowed from the collections of folk archivist ARCHIVIST. One to whose care the archives have been confided. Alan Lomax and the like. So, you have Bono, Sting, Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, Richard Thompson, Lucinda Williams, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp and fellow buccaneers Buccaneers can refer to:
n. pl. pin·er·ies 1. A hothouse or plantation where pineapples are grown. 2. A forest of pine trees. Pinery plantation of pine trees, 1831. Boy'' are immediate attention grabbers. In stores Tuesday. -- Fred Shuster KINNIE STARR Starr , Belle Originally Myra Belle Shirley. 1848-1889. American outlaw whose Oklahoma cabin became a hideout for fugitives from justice. Tales of her criminal exploits are largely unsubstantiated. : ``Anything'' (MapleMusic/Fontana) - Three stars Before recording this album, Starr was singing in Vegas as part of the Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (French for "Circus of the Sun") is an entertainment empire based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier. cabaret production ``Zumanity.'' She's since come back down to Earth and delivered ``Anything,'' an 11-track collection of block-party anthems, sultry grooves, electronica and power pop so catchy it will rattle around in your head for days. OK, not everything sticks -- the sluggish ``Walking Away,'' for one. But that doesn't make this album by the Canadian singer-songwriter any less listenable lis·ten·a·ble adj. Being such that listening is pleasurable: an undistinguished but listenable soundtrack. lis , especially the Mazzy Star-ish ``Please Hold My Hand'' and the bluesy battle cry ``Step Back.'' There are a couple more scattered along the way in the form of the hypnotic electronica of ``Sex in the Prairies,'' and the sentimental ``Wind In Your Sail,'' but they're no match for ``La Le La La'' (featuring Tegan Quin of Tegan & Sara). That song alone makes this album worth having. -- Sandra Barrera RANDY WEEKS: ``Sugarfinger'' (Rathouse) - Three stars The SoCal country-rock tradition lives on in Weeks. Some bona fides: singer-songwriter good enough to be covered by no less than Lucinda Williams (``Can't Let Go''), alternating Saturday night mainstay at Culver City's music closet the Cinema, jangly adj. 1. like the discordant ringing of nonmusical metallic objects striking together; sounding with a jangle ; as, a custodian with a jangly set of keys s>. Adj. 1. guitar grooves that send Byrds-like shivers ... and the list goes on. ``Sugarfinger'' features standout ``Transistor Radio'' and a slew of catchy takes on love gone bad, belly up and sideways. Other local legends, including guitarist Tony Gilkyson and drummer Mike Stinson, ride shotgun. In stores Tuesday; Weeks celebrates at the Mint on Aug. 25. -- Bob Strauss CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Christina Aguilera) (2 -- 6) no caption (CD covers) |
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