SOUND CHECK.STING: ``Songs From the Labyrinth'' (Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label. The company has long been known for its high standards of audio fidelity. The Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft ) - Four stars Sting is now a true Renaissance man Renaissance man n. A man who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of both the arts and the sciences. Noun 1. . As in Elizabethan, with lutes and the music of 16th-century composer John Dowland Noun 1. John Dowland - English lutenist and composer of songs for the lute (1563-1626) Dowland . The pop singer of today tackles what he rightly sees as the pop music of the late 1500s -- with substantial and well-wrought help from Serbian lutenist lu·te·nist also lu·ta·nist n. A lute player. Also called lutist. [Medieval Latin l  t Edin Karamazov Edin Karamazov is a Bosnian musician-lutenist (born in 1965 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia). He studied lute with Hopkinson Smith at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and worked with such ensembles as Hesperion, L'Arpeggiata, Hilliard Ensemble, Mala Punica, Orpheus . It was he who introduced Sting to the works of the composer who captured the hearts of the people, if not Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, or Elizabeth, may refer to: Living people
Bohemia Sting did learn to play the lute lute, musical instrument that has a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, which are plucked with the fingers. The long lute, with its neck much longer than its body, seems to have been older than the short lute, existing very early for this recording but wisely leaves the heavy fingering to Karamazov, who plays Dowland clearly and rhythmically. The songs are tied together by Sting's readings of Dowland's letter to one of QEI's courtiers, pleading for a position at court -- and possibly his very life. The narrative is powerful and will make for a compelling live performance, should they take this show on the road. Sting worked with a voice coach to capture the tone and breathing required for Renaissance vocalizing. He's out on a limb here, in territory too dangerous for almost every other rock star out there. And danger is what true rock, and in this case Elizabethan pop, is all about. -- Steven Rosenberg ATERCIOPELADOS: ``Oye'' (Nacional) - Three and one half stars This arty Colombian pop duo has always crafted delectable, fist-pumping pop music, and its appropriately titled ``Oye'' -- meaning ``Listen,'' as well as the more forcible ``Listen up!'' -- is further proof of it. Among the 13 South American folk-flavored alt-rockers are songs like ``Cancion protesta,'' which asserts that just because the band opposes war, herbicides to combat drug cultivation and -- yes, Mr. Vice President, duck hunting -- doesn't make it the enemy. The song goes on to give a shout-out to leftist left·ism also Left·ism n. 1. The ideology of the political left. 2. Belief in or support of the tenets of the political left. left singers, songwriters and literary icons from the last century, from Joan Baez and Atahualpa Yupanqui to Pablo Neruda. Andrea Echeverri then uses the raw, emotional power of her velvety vel·vet·y adj. vel·vet·i·er, vel·vet·i·est 1. Suggestive of the texture of velvet; soft and smooth: velvety skin. 2. voice to sing the praises of women in ``Oye mujer'' and make fun of mass consumerism in ``Don Dinero.'' All in all, a job well done. -- Sandra Barrera DALE ANN BRADLEY: ``Catch Tomorrow'' (Compass Records) - Three and one half stars Kentucky vocalist and guitarist Bradley brings 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. purity to a set of songs that incorporates Texas country (the album title is a line from Billy Joe Shaver's widely loved ``Live Forever,'' covered here), Celtic moderne mo·derne adj. Striving to be modern in appearance or style but lacking taste or refinement; pretentious. [French, modern, from Old French; see modern.] Adj. 1. (Lunasa pipes in on ``When the Mist Comes Again'') and even old hippie folk (``Me and Bobby McGee''). They fit right in with more traditional tales of moonshine moonshine Toxicology Illicitly distilled whiskey. See Lead poisoning, Saturnine gout. runners, loving grandmas and slaves yearning for freedom, all sung with pristine mountain passion and picked to a fare-thee-well. -- Bob Strauss ROD STEWART: ``Still the Same...Great Rock Classics of Our Time'' (J-Records) - One and one half stars Stop expecting better things from Stewart. The quintessential blue-eyed Brit soul man made great art in the late '60s and early '70s; now, he's making great money. After a series of cash-minting albums that took on the Great American Songbook (Ella's reputation remains intact), Stewart (as Michael Bolton for a new generation) now turns to tiresome adult- contemporary fare, arena-rock radio hits better left to their original owners. The Rod of old would never have given a second thought to stuff like Bob Seger's ``Still the Same'' or Elvin Bishop's ``Fooled Around and Fell in Love,'' but here, he applies his weakened rasp to such overused items. Those in the know will always prefer ``Gasoline Alley.'' -- Fred Shuster BOB WILLS & HIS TEXAS PLAYBOYS: ``Legends of Country Music'' (Columbia/Legacy) - Four stars Given the number of compilations of the groundbreaking Western swing created by the cigar-chomping, fiddle-playing Wills, you'd think another set would be superfluous. Think again. This four-disc box, arriving 101 years after Wills' birth, becomes the definitive statement on the bandleader's fantastic brand of old-timey music that blended jazz, big band, blues and country music into something uniquely its own. Some 105 remastered songs, featuring some of the greatest musicians to ever play, are included, most less than three minutes, all guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step. A-haaaaaaa! -- Glenn Whipp CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Sting) (2 -- 6) no caption (CD covers) |
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