SOUND CHECK.Os Mutantes/``Everything Is Possible! World Psychedelic Classics 1: Brazil - The Best of Os Mutantes'' (Luaka Bop/Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .) More fruitful results of David Byrne's excavation of '60s and '70s Brazilian pop, this is a wonderful overview of one of the grooviest and brain-bending of the tropicalia groups. Os Mutantes Os Mutantes (IPA pronunciation: [us muˈtã.tʃis] , Portuguese for The Mutants) are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that arose out of the Tropicalia movement of the late 1960s. , a favorite of Beck, Stereolab, the Beta Band and other contemporary musical collage artists, gleefully glee·ful adj. Full of jubilant delight; joyful. glee  ful·ly adv.glee integrated pop, samba, feedback and lysergic juices with synthesizer synthesizer Machine that electronically generates and modifies sounds, frequently with the use of a digital computer, for use in the composition of electronic music and in live performance. , theremin ther·e·min n. An electronic instrument played by moving the hands near its two antennas, often used for high tremolo effects. [After Leo Theremin (1896-1993), Russian engineer and inventor. and electric guitar for a particularly Brazilian variety of psychedelia psy·che·de·li·a n. The subculture associated with psychedelic drugs. Noun 1. psychedelia - the subculture of users of psychedelic drugs . Some tracks on this multilingual compilation lifted from Os Mutantes' innovative first five albums from 1968-72 seem a little dated, but others, like the lush reading of Caetano Veloso's ``Baby,'' could've been cut yesterday in Silver Lake. Hipsters everywhere will love visiting this delightfully strange trio's surreal universe. Three stars - David Bloom David Bloom (May 22, 1963 – April 6, 2003) was an NBC journalist (co-anchor of Weekend Today and reporter) until his sudden death in 2003 at the age of 39. Early life George Jones/``Cold Hard Truth'' (Asylum/Elektra) The man called the greatest living country singer was working on this album when his near-fatal car crash took place, curtailing future sessions beyond the guide vocals already taped. Luckily, that work is among Jones' most relaxed, subtly powerful singing of the decade. Like fine wine, Jones has only mellowed and improved with age, easily outclassing the pop-country contingent that includes Garth Brooks and Shania Twain. Thanks to top-notch material like the title track, the radio hit ``Choices'' and ``Our Bed of Roses,'' and the cream of Nashville's studio crew, ``Cold Hard Truth'' ranks with Jones' finest records. Three and one half stars - Fred Shuster Diana Krall/``When I Look in Your Eyes'' (Verve) After two hit albums with her incomparable trio, this Canadian jazz chanteuse chan·teuse n. A woman singer, especially a nightclub singer. [French, feminine of chanteur, singer, from chanter, to sing; see chant.] faced a decision: stay the course or expand her repertoire. Not surprisingly, Krall went the ambitious route, employing orchestral arrangements and expanded lineups for nine of the 12 cuts on her new album. The emphasis here is on vocals, not piano, which may disappoint fans accustomed to Krall's breezy keyboard work. It's hard to argue with these results, though. This is a beautiful album of well-chosen standards, tasteful string arrangements (courtesy of orchestrator Johnny Mandel) and sultry singing. Highlights include slow samba versions of ``Let's Face the Music and Dance'' and ``I've Got You Under My Skin'' as well as the jaunty jaun·ty adj. jaun·ti·er, jaun·ti·est 1. Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk. 2. Crisp and dapper in appearance; natty. 3. Archaic a. Stylish. b. Genteel. ``Popsicle Toes.'' Three and one half stars - Glenn Whipp Mel Torme/``Mel Torme at the Movies'' (Rhino) Just weeks after the crooner's death comes a collection of his movie work. A huge film buff, Torme first appeared on screen at age 17 in 1943's plotless ``Higher and Higher,'' a film notable mainly as Frank Sinatra's first major film effort. Unfortunately, the seven selections from it and 1947's ``Good News'' include less-than-fascinating duet and group work from Torme. But the rest of this collection, spanning nearly 50 years, includes such lushly romantic material as Torme's signature tune, ``Blue Moon,'' plus various rarities and silliness like ``Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives.'' The disc comes with excellent liner notes liner notes pl.n. Explanatory notes about a record album, cassette, or compact disk included on the jacket or in the packaging. , as always with Rhino compilations, and some marvelous archival shots. ``Mel Torme at the Movies'' is not the retrospective a great voice deserves, but an entertaining look at one small section of his much-beloved oeuvre. Two and one half stars - D.B. Beta Band/``The Beta Band'' (Astralwerks) The long-awaited full-length debut from London's bizarre Beta Band manages to touch on almost every style of pop music imaginable, making the album difficult to classify beyond ``sample-adelic.'' The quartet wear their very diverse influences on their sleeve - reggae, '70s jazz-fusion, '60s rock, hip-hop, soul, punk, blues - and while the music is layered and dense, the Betas clearly know the value of a groove. Odd but enjoyable. Three stars - F.S. Lyle Lovett/``Live in Texas'' (MCA MCA in full Music Corporation of America Entertainment conglomerate. It was founded in Chicago in 1924 by Jules Stein as a talent agency. In the 1960s it bought Decca Records and Universal Pictures, and today it produces films, music, and television shows. ) This album could be subtitled ``Lyle's Greatest Hits'' since it compiles the majority of the witty Texan's most popular songs on a single disc. As Lovett's first live record and the second made entirely with his celebrated 18-piece Large Band, ``Live'' is a winner. Recorded over five nights in Austin and San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. during a 1995 tour, the disc spotlights the many talents of Lovett's back line (cellist John Hagen John Hagen is a fictional character on the television series . He was portrayed by Holt McCallany. Detective John Hagen was a member of the Miami-Dade Police Department who occasionally worked alongside the Crime Lab to investigate homicides, appearing first in episode 117, and singer Francine Reed have particularly big moments) as well as the timeless beauty of the songs. Alternating between rave-ups (``Church,'' ``She's No Lady'') and delicate gems (``Nobody Knows Me,'' ``If I Had a Boat''), ``Live'' neatly sums up the first 10 years of Lovett's career. Irresistible. Three and one half stars - G.W. Various/``Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures Vols. 1 and 2'' (Kent Soul) British soul enthusiast/journalist Godin here compiles his favorite rare singles from the '60s and early '70s, and the two volumes are essential for anyone who loves the less obvious strains of this wonderful genre. Practically an underground music these days, rare soul is highly sought-after by collectors on both sides of the pond but rarely reissued in a worthy form. The illuminating ``Deep Soul Treasures'' lives up to its name, offering tear-stained gems from such little-known but mighty talents as Jean Wells, Bessie Banks, the Knight Brothers The Knight Brothers were a soul music duo, comprising Richard Dunbar (b 31 May 1939) and Jimmy Diggs (b James Leon Diggs, 11 October 1938). Both had been singing in local church choirs, when they met while living in Washington D.C. in the early 1950s. , Timmy Willis and the Incredibles. Both volumes are available on import through various Internet music retailers. Four stars (both) - F.S. Earl Hooker/``Simply the Best'' (MCA) Considered one of the greatest guitarists by such legends as Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy and Otis Rush Otis Rush (born April 29, 1934 in Philadelphia, Mississippi) is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound, jazz-style arpeggios and long bent notes. , the late Hooker remains one of those word-of-mouth artists known only to educated blues fans. Finally, the amazing slide guitarist and cousin to John Lee Hooker gets his due with this sterling 19-track collection that delves into Hooker's most stirring recordings of the '50s and '60s. Drawn from the vaults The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page. of Chess, Blue Thumb and ABC-BluesWay, ``Simply the Best'' features one great track after another, among them ``Sweet Black Angel,'' ``Hookin' '' and ``You Shook Me'' (with Muddy Waters). A real eye-opener. Four stars - F.S. CAPTION(S): 7 Photos Photo: (1) no caption (Os Mutantes) (2--7) no caption (CD covers) |
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