SOUND CHECK.Various/``Swing West!'' (Razor & Tie) This excellent series, packaged as three separate discs titled ``Bakersfield,'' ``Guitar Slingers'' and ``Western Swing,'' surveys California country with items from Bob Wills, Rose Maddox Roselea Arbana "Rose" Brogdon (August 15, 1925 in Boaz, Alabama - April 15, 1998 in Ashland, Oregon) was an American country singer/songwriter/fiddle player. She is referred to as "The Original Hillbilly Filly" and "The Grandmother of Rockabilly". , the Farmer Boys and Merle merle a pattern of coat color pigmentation with dark, irregular blotches on a lighter background. Seen in some Collies and Welsh corgis. In shorthaired dogs, e.g. Great Danes and Dachshunds, the similar pattern is called dapple. Travis. The first volume illustrates how the raw, earthy sound produced in central California Central California can refer to one of several divisions or regions of the U.S state of California:
- Fred Shuster Regina Carter/``Rhythms of the Heart'' (Verve) The classically trained Carter shows the range of her abilities as a violinist on this enjoyably eclectic disc that includes sounds ranging from Latin to lounge. Four of the 10 tracks feature the smooth piano work of Kenny Barron; elsewhere Carter duets with Cameroonian guitarist Richard Bona and backs singer Cassandra Wilson on a silky ``Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.'' Toss in a little bossa nova and a strong hard-bop influence and you have a playfully smart album from a singular talent. Three and one half stars - Glenn Whipp Backstreet backstreet Noun a street in a town far from the main roads Adjective denoting secret or illegal activities: a backstreet abortion backstreet n Boys/``Millennium'' (Jive) With their formulaic blend of r&b and Euro-pop now assimilated on all sides, Backstreet offers a near-copy of their enormously successful debut disc, complete with a handful of innocuous upbeat tracks that sound almost exactly like last year's smash ``Everybody (Backstreet's Back).'' The ballads, too, break little new ground, aside from the well-crafted bubblegum bub·ble·gum n. also bubble gum 1. Chewing gum that can be blown into bubbles. 2. Slang A style of popular music designed to appeal to adolescents, characterized by bouncy rhythms and a generally cheerful tone. hit, ``I Want It That Way,'' which you can't help humming after one hearing. With all the competition these boys face, it remains to be seen how much longer the teen-pop quintet will be on easy street. Two stars - F.S. Various/``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. Mandolin mandolin (măn'dəlĭn`, măn`dəlĭn'), musical instrument of the lute family, with a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum. Extravaganza'' (Acoustic Disc) Sometimes, too many virtuosos can spoil the gumbo. Fortunately that's not the case with this all-star concoction, which serves both as a thoughtful, thorough primer on bluegrass mandolin music and as a showcase for several of the genre's top pickers. Confidently subtitled ``A Complete & Perfect Compendium of Bluegrass Mandolin Artistry,'' this cross-generational mash note is co-produced by Ronnie McCoury, whose guitar-playing father, Del, was briefly a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, and the ubiquitous David ``The Dawg'' Grisman, a pioneer in crossover bluegrass/folk/klezmer collaborations. The other artists - mandolin players Sam Bush, Jesse McReynolds, Bobby Osborne, Ricky Skaggs, Frank Wakefield, Buck White and McCoury pere on rhythm guitar - demonstrate the amazing grace and wistfulness, the sacred and profane passions that can be coaxed from this venerable instrument. From the gospel-inflected ``Wayfaring way·far·ing n. Traveling, especially on foot. [From Middle English waifaringe, journeying, from Old English wegfarende : weg, way; see way + farende Stranger'' to the neo-trad yearnings of ``Ashokan Farewell,'' a tremolo-style fiddle waltz, a bluesy Monroe-esque piece (``McCoury Blues'') and the tricky time signatures of ``Mexican Stomp,'' this collection is crafted with a warm, funky spontaneity (it was recorded live in Nashville) and assembled with a scholarly yet unfussy un·fuss·y adj. 1. Not particular about or concerned with details. 2. Not cluttered or complicated, as with extraneous matters or details. eye. Monroe, the project's patron saint, is honored with no less than six covers, including two very different arrangements of ``Blue Moon of Kentucky.'' Three stars - Reed Johnson Robbie Williams/``The Ego Has Landed'' (Capitol) Like George Michael, Williams has a U.K. teen-pop past and a large adult following in the present tense. The ex-Take That member sings forceful, well-crafted dance-pop and ballads that will surely earn him a global audience. This U.S. debut, culled from two British discs, is a winner, revealing an earthiness, depth and sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour we frankly didn't expect. Among the better moments are ``No Regrets'' and the biting ``Karma karma or karman (kär`mə, kär`mən), [Skt.,=action, work, or ritual], basic concept common to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Killer,'' in which the star lashes out at a former manager. Three stars - F.S. Snoop Dogg/``Top Dogg'' (No Limit) While an obvious improvement over his previous effort for Master P's gangsta-rap assembly line, Snoop's latest is still a far cry from his glory days with Dr. Dre in the early '90s. The dull, synthetic backing tracks and silly cameos from about a dozen of No Limit's generic rap roster do little to give ``Top Dogg'' much shelf life, although the album takes off briefly when Warren G. lends a hand on ``Don't Tell.'' As is common with No Limit releases, the CD booklet is packed with lurid ads for upcoming releases, footwear and, most improbably, a Master P action figure. One and one half stars - F.S. Soundtrack/``Felicity'' (Hollywood) TV's popular ``Felicity'' exposes an enormous amount of music each week which in turn causes a surge in album sales. This witty and adventurous collection offers 15 tracks from the popular show's first season, most notably Heather Nova's poignant ``Heart and Shoulder,'' Joe Henry's lively ``Angels'' and Joan Jones' lyrical ``Everyday Down.'' Of special note is ``Puddle of Grace'' by ``Felicity'' co-star Amy Jo Johnson Amy Jo Johnson (born October 6, 1970) is an American actress, singer-songwriter and musician. She is perhaps best known for her role as Kimberly Hart, the first Pink Ranger of the Power Rangers franchise in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. as a tribute to her late mom. This soundtrack proves TV tie-ins don't have to be numbingly predictable. Three stars - F.S. Cranberries/``Bury the Hatchet'' (Island) After a two-year break, Ireland's Cranberries rebound with their fourth album and the results are distinctive if disappointing. Built around Delores O'Riordan's limited but recognizable vocals, the band retains its 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. sound but can't come up with enough memorable material to fill the album. Lyrically, there's not a lot going on either - in fact, nothing here comes close to the band's past hits, ``Zombie A computer that has been covertly taken over in order to perform some nefarious task. It is estimated that millions of PCs around the world have been compromised and, under the control of a third party, routinely transmit messages unbeknownst to the user. ,'' ``Linger'' and ``Ode to My Family.'' In the end, ``Bury the Hatchet'' works best buried somewhere in the background. Two stars - F.S. CAPTION(S): 7 Photos Photo: (1) no caption (Merle Travis) (2--7) no caption (CD covers) |
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