SOUND CHECK.JUSTINE TIMBERLAKE: ``Future/Lovesounds'' (Jive/Zomba) - Two and one half stars Sex is written all over this electro-funk nod to vintage Prince. But you can read. The Timbaland-co-produced club bangers -- ``Futuresex/Lovesounds,'' ``SexyBack,'' ``Sexy Ladies,'' ``LoveStoned'' -- may be scorchers on the dance floor, but on the headsets they're as sexless sex·less adj. 1. Lacking sexual characteristics; neuter. 2. Lacking in sexual interest or activity: a sexless marriage. as reigning world champ World Champ is a boxing game created by Visco for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released in Japan under the name Great Boxing: Rush Up, and was later published in the US by Romstar. The gameplay is very similar to Ring King, another NES boxing game. Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Gottfried (born February 28 1955 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American stand-up comedian. His voice is very distinctive and recognizable, as it is often loud and obnoxious. . The fault lies in the lyrics, whose hint of carnal carnal adjective Referring to the flesh, to baser instincts, often referring to sexual “knowledge” desire with promises like ``daddy's on a mission to please'' and ``I'll let you whip me if I misbehave'' go unfulfilled. On ``My Love,'' Timberlake gushes for (it's presumed) his actress-girlfriend Cameron Diaz. The song recalls his 2002 hit, ``Cry Me a River,'' about his much-publicized breakup with Britney Spears. Judging by ``What Goes Around ... Comes Around,'' it appears he's still not over the hurt, although the 25-year-old former 'N Syncer insists that he didn't write it about his ex. It's about somebody he knows. In fairness, Timberlake's Rick Rubin-produced old-school soul ballad ``All Over Again'' is classic. But first you have to get through 11 tracks of pathetic come-ons and one crackheaded lament (``Losing My Way''). So he's not Prince. Timberlake is no Michael Jackson Noun 1. Michael Jackson - United States singer who began singing with his four brothers and later became a highly successful star during the 1980s (born in 1958) Michael Joe Jackson, Jackson , either, and yet his falsettoed debut, ``Justified,'' was one of the biggest releases of 2002. His new one, which finds Timberlake exploring a lower range, will undoubtedly follow suit for its production values Production values is a media term for "production cost." It refers to the professional look, or "polish," of a production. Factors that affect perceived production value may include video and audio quality, lighting, number of errors, and amount and quality of special effects. alone. -- Sandra Barrera LAURIE LEWIS & THE RIGHT HANDS: ``The Golden West'' (High-tone) - Three stars Basically a 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. album named after a Bill Monroe instrumental, Lewis' latest brings a looser, more celebratory sensibility to the old mountain sound. Call it California coolgrass, if you must, but don't mistake it for laid-back. Trading vocals with mandolinist (and longtime duet partner) Tom Rozum and guitarist Scott Huffman, fiddler Lewis breathes crisp air into standards like Jimmy Martin's ``Before the Sun Goes Down'' and Billy Joe Shaver's ``Live Forever.'' Linda Ronstadt lends harmonies on a couple of tracks, too. In stores Tuesday (Lewis appears tonight at McCabe's in Santa Monica). -- Bob Strauss JOE LOVANO: ``Streams of Expression'' (Blue Note) - Three and one half stars Lovano's latest is another expert melding of past and present forms, containing two extended explorations -- the five-part title suite, which incorporates swing and avant-garde, and the three-part ``Birth of the Cool'' suite, a gorgeous salute to the old-school cool of Miles Davis, expertly updated by conductor Gunther Schuller. Two pieces spotlight Lovano's trio; otherwise the selections feature several big-band lineups with Lovano's work on tenor sax, alto clarinet and a new instrument called the aulochrome (which looks like two soprano saxes cobbled cob·ble 1 n. 1. A cobblestone. 2. Geology A rock fragment between 64 and 256 millimeters in diameter, especially one that has been naturally rounded. 3. cobbles See cob coal. tr. together) convincingly conveying whatever mood is required. Another strong effort from a musician too often taken for granted Adj. 1. taken for granted - evident without proof or argument; "an axiomatic truth"; "we hold these truths to be self-evident" axiomatic, self-evident obvious - easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind; "obvious errors" . -- Glenn Whipp MADELEINE PEYROUX: ``Half the Perfect World'' (Rounder) - Four stars The 32-year-old singer has been compared favorably to Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday because of surface similarities in her voice. But rather than grit and angst, there's a dreamy, wistful quality to Peyroux's new album, which at times is even sunny (sort of the glass-half-full interpretation). Of the 12 songs, four are originals she co-wrote -- one (``I'm All Right'') with Steely Dan's Walter Becker and her producer Larry Klein, the others with Jesse Harris (a Norah Jones collaborator). The others are from a distinguished group of songwriters -- Leonard Cohen's ``Blue Alert,'' Tom Waits' ``(Looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. ) The Heart of Saturday Night,'' Joni Mitchell's ``River'' (a duet with k.d. lang), Fred Neil's ``Everybody's Talkin','' the Frank Sinatra hit ``Summer Wind'' and Charlie Chaplin's sentimental ``Smile,'' which Peyroux makes seem like a gentle lilting nudge. While many of these songs can be seen as sad, don't be fooled into thinking this album is a downer down·er n. A depressant or sedative drug, such as a barbiturate or tranquilizer. . Peyroux, with her smoky, light style and her lingering phrasing, gives these old songs a new, enticing feel. And sad? As she sings on the easy- going, 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. opening cut, ``I'm all right, I've been lonely before.'' -- Rob Lowman BT: ``This Binary Universe'' (Digital Sound) - Three and one half stars The new two-disc project from electronica/trance pioneer Brian ``BT'' Transeau contains expansive music at once lush, dense, intense and poignant. Veering into Eno-styled ambience on the imaginative CD-DVD package, BT creates immersive music that seems to envelope the listener. Among the most evocative moments is ``Good Morning Kaia,'' a poem to the musician's daughter, with home footage and concert video used to suggest separation between parent and child. Elsewhere, ``The Antikythera Mechanism'' is a whimsical musical head trip of psychedelia psy·che·de·li·a n. The subculture associated with psychedelic drugs. Noun 1. psychedelia - the subculture of users of psychedelic drugs and fantastic imagery. BT is set to perform Thursday at the ``Video Games Live'' event at the Hollywood Bowl. -- Phillip Zonkel CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Justine Timberlake) (2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers) |
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