SOUND CHECK.Byline: - Fred Shuster Aretha Franklin/``A Rose Is Still a Rose'' Here working with top r&b producers Jermaine Dupree, Dallas Austin This article has multiple issues: * It may violate Wikipedia's policy on . * It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by citing reliable sources. and others, Aretha turns in a largely successful synthesis of 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. soul and light hip-hop. Still more force of nature than mere singer, the Queen of Soul packs a punch on such simmering tracks as ``Never Leave You Again,'' ``In Case You Forgot'' and the now-charting title track. Best of all is when she lays down the law on ``In the Morning'' and the funky ``Watch My Back.'' It's Aretha's classiest record in years. Three Stars Semisonic/``Feeling Strangely Fine'' Buzz band Semisonic is the best thing to come out of Minneapolis since the Replacements. The trio's first hit, the irresistible bar-stool rocker ``Closing Time,'' is already all over radio, but it's just one of many fine r&b-tinged groovers here. Using Fender Rhodes piano, funky backbeats and slide guitar on some tracks, the band boasts a soulful, late-night feel. Memorable moments include ``Secret Smile'' and ``Completely Pleased.'' An all-around winner. Three Stars - Fred Shuster Van Halen/``Van Halen 3'' Is Van Halen the absolute worst mainstream rock band? No, just one of the more pedestrian ones. Of course, taste matters little to the legions that made these nitwits millionaires. Adding to the group's usual mediocrity is new singer Gary Cherone Gary Cherone (b. Gary Francis Caine Cherone, July 26 1961, Malden, Massachusetts) is an American rock vocalist and recording artist. He is best known for his contributions to the hard rock bands Extreme and Van Halen. , a generic mouthpiece who boasts all the distinguishing characteristics of a head of iceberg lettuce iceberg lettuce n. A crisp, round, compact head of lettuce with light green, tightly folded leaves. [From its pale color. . Whammy-bar wizard Eddie lends unexceptional un·ex·cep·tion·al adj. 1. Not varying from a norm; usual. 2. Not subject to exceptions; absolute. See Usage Note at unexceptionable. un material momentary excitement with standard scale-based speed runs. The album ends on an unintentional comic note when the guitarist grabs the microphone to offer mullet-headed social commentary in ``How Many Say I.'' One and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Junior Wells/``Keep on Steppin': The Best of Junior Wells'' Toward the end of his career when these tracks were cut, late Chicago singer-harpist Wells didn't have much fire left in his belly. The days of such classic albums as ``Hoodoo Man Blues'' were long gone. Composed of material from his four unexceptional discs for Telarc, this collection has its moments, including the songs ``Broke and Hungry'' and ``Messin' With the Kid,'' but interested parties would be better served by Wells' earlier efforts. One and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster A.R Rahman/``Vande Mataram'' Rahman, India's top movie composer, crosses over into nonfilm pop territory with an album that fuses pop, rock, reggae rhythms Reggae Rhythms is a Reggae radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 97 and Dish Network channel 6097. Reggae Rhythms moved from channel 32 to its current location on February 14, 2007. and Asian influences. Not known as a singer, Rahman handles vocal chores throughout, sharing the microphone on ``Gurus of Peace'' with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan This article is about the Pakistani musician. For the Turkish minelayer, see Nusret Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Urdu: نصرت فتح على خاں) (October 13, 1948 - August 16, 1997), a Pakistani musician, was . Title track ``Vande Mataram Vande Mataram (Sanskrit: वन्दे मातरम् Vande Mātaram, Bengali: বন্দে মাতরম Bônde Matorom ,'' an old freedom-fighter's tune for which Rahman penned a sizzling siz·zle intr.v. siz·zled, siz·zling, siz·zles 1. To make the hissing sound characteristic of frying fat. 2. To seethe with anger or indignation. 3. contemporary arrangement, is one of several pieces that will surely catch the fancy of world-music devotees. Two and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Junkie junkie Popular health A popular term for a person, usually an IV narcotic abusing addict, whose life is disorganized vis-á-vis family and societal structure, whose existence revolves around obtaining–often through theft, prostitution or other illicit XL/``Saturday Teenage Kick'' This Amsterdam-based duo is making noise among the electronic/dance crowd. What ``Saturday Teenage Kick'' does well is mix loud guitars with the genre's chattering computerized drums and sequenced techno keyboards. Members of Fear Factory and Urban Dance Squad Urban Dance Squad were a Dutch band whose music was a blend of genres such as hard rock, funk, soul, hip hop, reggae, and ska. They were one of the first mainstream acts to incorporate a turntablist in a live line-up. collaborate to make funky, hard-edged grooves that go further than Prodigy in aiming squarely at the dance floor. Most tracks get right to the point, although disc-closer ``Future in Computer Hell'' lives up to its title. Two and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Nick Lowe/``Dig My Mood'' Nick's mood, since he mentions it, is low-key and plainly downhearted down·heart·ed adj. Low in spirit; depressed. See Synonyms at depressed. down  heart on this eclectic 10th solo effort. Backed by a tight 'n' tasty quartet, the former Basher turns in some rockabilly, a little blue-eyed soul Blue-eyed soul (also known as white soul) is a term used to describe R&B or soul music performed by white artists.The term is a misnomer, in that the artists don't all have blue eyes. , pure pop and dim-the-lights jazz for an album that ultimately feels like a collection of demos. Expect gems like ``Faithless Lover,'' ``I Must Be Getting Over You'' and ``Man That I've Become'' to surface on future big-budget albums. Three Stars - Fred Shuster Jay Leach/``Beyond Words'' Studio guitarist Leach boasts a long line of heavy duty film and TV credits. On this pleasant smooth-jazz and country effort, he's backed by such dependable talents as saxophonist Kirk Whalum, percussionist Alex Acuna and bassist Abe Laboriel, along with horns and strings. Leach, who also lays down dobro and pedal-steel parts, has a sweetly reflective instrumental tone that works well on spiritually inclined originals like ``On Eagle's Wings,'' ``Rise Again'' and ``Beyond Words.'' The guitarist appears tonight at the L.A. Baptist High School auditorium in North Hills. Two and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Various/``Good Will Hunting: Music From the Motion Picture'' At the heart of this focused collection of music accompanying the hit film ``Good Will Hunting'' are five contemplative acoustic songs - including the Oscar-nominated ``Miss Misery'' - by promising singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, pieces that gently frame (and sometimes mirror) the knotty knot·ty adj. knot·ti·er, knot·ti·est 1. Tied or snarled in knots. 2. Covered with knots or knobs; gnarled. 3. Difficult to understand or solve. See Synonyms at complex. relationships in the film. Without being overly literal, Smith's laconic la·con·ic adj. Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise. See Synonyms at silent. [Latin Lac phrasing of ``Angeles'' and ``No Name 3'' give a quiet eloquence to emotional turmoil. They're understated, small-scale pieces that hover in the air, rich with meaning and just out of reach. The disc also includes vintage material, including Al Green's ``How Can You Mend a Broken Heart'' and the Waterboys' ``Fisherman's Blues.'' Three Stars - Tom Moon Philadelphia Inquirer Jules Shear/``Between Us'' Given that Jules Shear's songs have always found widest expression in the mouths of women - Cyndi Lauper, the Bangles - it makes perfect sense he would enlist popular radio divas to vitalize vi·tal·ize tr.v. vi·tal·ized, vi·tal·iz·ing, vi·tal·iz·es 1. To endow with life; animate. 2. To make more lively or vigorous; invigorate. his solo career. Paula Cole, Rosanne Cash, Carole King and 11 others (including some men) appear on this duets album. Shear unifies the sprawl with spare accompaniments, delicate production and beautifully quiet songs. Now recording for Windham Hill, he declares without irony that ``I hate background music'' (``On These Wheels Again'') and reworks ``Don't Think Twice, SIt's All Right'' into an elegant exchange with Cash (``Who's Dreaming Who''). Unfortunately, having so many proficient singers merely emphasize the fact that Shear's own bothersome whine makes Richard Marx sound like Howlin' Wolf. Three Stars - Fred Beckley Philadelphia Inquirer CAPTION(S): 7 Photos Photo: (1) Minneapolis trio Semisonic taps an r&b vibe for its ``Feeling Strangely Fine'' album. (2--7) no caption (CD covers) |
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