SOUND CHECK.Various/``Lilith Fair: A Celebration of Women in Music'' This double live album recorded during Sarah McLachlan's fantastically successful Lilith Fair presents the full spectrum of that festival's musical diversity, from McLachlan and kindred singer-songwriters Suzanne Vega, Joan Osborne, Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole and Tracy Bonham to female-fronted bands like the Cardigans, Wild Colonials and September 67. The set also shines a spotlight on such lesser-known talents as Autour De Lucie, Lhasa, Dayna Manning and Yungchen Lhamo, potentially introducing these artists to wider audiences than they played to during the fair. Also noteworthy is the album's timing. Appearing on the eve On the Eve (Накануне in Russian) is the third novel by famous Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, best known for his short stories and the novel Fathers and Sons. of the 1998 Lilith Fair - which will be larger than last year's version - ``A Celebration of Women'' stands to benefit from the tour's ample exposure and from the ever-rising popularity of Cole, Abra Moore, McLachlan, Jewel, Meredith Brooks and its other participants. Three and One Half Stars - Billboard Lou Reed/``Perfect Night Live in London'' This ``Perfect Night'' - recorded last year as part of the Meltdown Festival at the Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. in London - hardly lives up to its billing. At best, it serves as a fairly impressive (re)introduction to one of American music's finest sourpuss sour·puss n. Slang A habitually gloomy or sullen person. [sour + puss2. poets. At worst, it's a lazy snooze down alternative memory lane. Behind his trademark can't-be-bothered vocals and anti-flash guitar work, and backed by an economical bassist and drummer, Reed delivers some memorable moments, though most are haunted by the original moments from years past. Sure, it's swell to hear songs such as ``Coney Island Baby,'' ``Vicious'' and ``Dirty Blvd.'' all in one sitting, but they receive no new musical arrangements or lyrical reworkings. On the other hand, a few performances still resonate after all these years, including ``Busload bus·load n. The number of passengers or the quantity of cargo that a bus can carry. Noun 1. busload - the quantity of cargo or the number of passengers that a bus can carry of Faith'' and ``Sex With Your Parents.'' Two songs are collaborations with theater director Robert Wilson, and one, ``Talking Book,'' is as trenchant as any of Reed's best material. Two Stars - Jim Walsh St. Paul Pioneer Press
The St. Paul Pioneer Press is a newspaper based in St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Public Enemy/``He Got Game'' It's been four years since Chuck, Flav, Terminator X, Professor Griff and the rest of the Public Enemy crew last kicked it together - a hiatus many thought was permanent. But by bringin' the noise for Spike Lee's latest joint, PE is putting the world on notice that it will not go quietly into the hip-hop night. The basketball theme of ``He Got Game'' provides plenty of fodder for Chuck D's razor-sharp pen. Shoe companies get the super-dis on ``Politics of the Sneaker Pimps,'' and he trains his sights on shady sports agents on ``Super Agent.'' Flavor Flav clowns around on the funky number ``Shake Your Booty,'' and Stephen Stills even gets into the act on the title track, singing a few bars from the Buffalo Springfield classic ``For What It's Worth.'' Terminator X cuts it up on several tracks, the venerable Bomb Squad provides plenty of bass-thumpin' noise, and guest rappers include KRS-One and Masta Killa. Three Stars - Mike Floyd Detroit Free Press The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep". Some still refer to it locally as "The Friendly" -- a slogan from an ad campaign in the '70s. Faith Hill/``Faith'' Only three albums and five years into her history as a country recording artist, Faith Hill has established herself as a major singer in the tradition of Tammy Wynette and Reba McEntire. With them, she shares a love of dramatic songs and the ability to imbue im·bue tr.v. im·bued, im·bu·ing, im·bues 1. To inspire or influence thoroughly; pervade: work imbued with the revolutionary spirit. See Synonyms at charge. 2. those songs with believable emotion. ``Faith'' shows an increased confidence in Hill's vocal delivery and presence. Since she does not write, her song choice is key, and her selections here take in a wide range of top-flight songwriters. Beth Nielsen Chapman Beth Nielsen Chapman (born on 14 September 1956 in Harlington, Texas, U.S.) is an American singer-songwriter, mostly known for her numerous hits recorded by Country music & Pop performers. co-wrote the single ``This Kiss''; from pop hitmaker Diane Warren comes ``Just to Hear You Say You Love Me''; Bekka Bramlett collaborated on ``Better Days''; Matraca Berg, Jim Photoglo and Harry Stinson penned ``You Give Me Love''; and Sheryl Crow contributed ``Somebody Stand by Me.'' Three Stars - Billboard Dave Matthews Band/``Before These Crowded Streets'' When all is said and done, this album is more about tricky adventure than easy access. ``Halloween,'' ``The Last Stop'' and ``Don't Drink the Water'' - recorded with producer Steve Lillywhite - are textured, multicolored epics. Drummer Carter Beauford again is the music's main man, piloting the songs with his distinct, pliable touch. The lurching rhythm of ``Rapunzel,'' the syncopated syn·co·pate tr.v. syn·co·pat·ed, syn·co·pat·ing, syn·co·pates 1. Grammar To shorten (a word) by syncope. 2. Music To modify (rhythm) by syncopation. spunk of ``Halloween,'' the warm flow of ``Don't Drink the Water'' - all are Beauford's making, embellished by his partner in timekeeping, bassist Stefan Lessard. As it did on 1996's 6 million-selling ``Crash,'' the group starts hot only to lapse into a closing lull, and such tracks as ``The Stone'' and ``Crush'' wind up just ... sort of ... sitting there. But if you're willing to work a bit, stick your ear onto the first half of the album and you'll be rewarded. Three Stars - Brian McCollum Detroit Free Press John Coltrane/``Live at the Village Vanguard: The Master Takes'' This album distills into one essential disc last year's four-CD box set that collected all of the material recorded at a historic Coltrane stand at the Vanguard in the fall of 1961. ``The Master Takes'' are the five tunes that Coltrane approved for release on two LPs in '62 and '63. The two most famous tracks are ``Chasin' the Trane,'' an abstract blues, and ``Impressions,'' a defining essay of modality. On each, Trane's tenor steams along the edges of form and tonality tonality (tōnăl`ĭtē), in music, quality by which all tones of a composition are heard in relation to a central tone called the keynote or tonic. without completely breaking orbit. Breathtaking performances. Four Stars - Mark Stryker Detroit Free Press Various/``Ruthless Records Tenth Anniversary Compilation: Decade of Game'' Hearing these still-slammin' tracks now speaks volumes about what's been lost. When N.W.A's ``Dope-man'' and ``8 Ball'' get tense, the rhythms get light. When Above the Law's ``Untouchable'' gets gritty, that ``Light My Fire'' riff kicks in again. Best of all, when Eazy-E's ``Boyz-N-The-Hood'' hits its chorus, thundering drums underscore the levity lev·i·ty n. pl. lev·i·ties 1. Lightness of manner or speech, especially when inappropriate; frivolity. 2. Inconstancy; changeableness. 3. The state or quality of being light; buoyancy. . It was an ironic dichotomy (sometimes intended by producers Dr. Dre and Yella, other times stumbled upon) that kept early gangsta rap gang·sta rap also gangster rap n. A style of rap music associated with urban street gangs and characterized by violent, tough-talking, often misogynistic lyrics. interesting and not so patently morbid. It just seemed that, like Public Enemy, these guys hadn't given up on everything yet. Even when they made mistakes. Even when they sank into a pit of recriminating barbs barbs the primary, delicate filaments that are given off the shaft of a bird's contour feather. They project from the rachis and bear the barbules. and useless feuding. Even when - especially when - they felt like shooting somebody. Listen and discover what's gone missing. Two and One Half Stars - Ben Wener Orange County Register Soundtrack/``The Horse Whisperer'' Multi-artist soundtracks need a clever conceit to rally around. This has a great one. Inspired by Robert Redford's upcoming rural movie romance, it hitches today's best alternative country singers to classic cowboy tunes. Not that the soundtrack coordinators went all the way with it. They've got Dwight Yoakam yodeling yo·del v. yo·deled or yo·delled, yo·del·ing or yo·del·ling, yo·dels v.intr. To sing so that the voice fluctuates rapidly between the normal chest voice and a falsetto. v.tr. 1943's ``Cattle Call,'' Iris Dement de·ment tr.v. de·ment·ed, de·ment·ing, de·ments 1. To make (a person) insane. 2. To cause (a person) to lose intellectual capacity. applying her loose and loopy tones to the 1958 country weepie weep·ie n. Informal A work, especially a film or play, that is excessively sentimental. ``Whispering Pines'' and George Strait offering a voice as bold as Mount Rushmore on the traditional ``Red River Valley
The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North. .'' But most of the other tracks feature newly penned material that just apes the mood of traditional western songs. The result offers an ideal antidote to Nashville slickness. It's country music without a trace of corn. Three Stars - Jim Farber New York Daily News New York Daily News Morning daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson and his cousin Robert McCormick as a subsidiary of the Tribune Co. of Chicago. The first successful tabloid-format newspaper in the U.S. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1) Faith Hill works with a number of top songwriters on ``Faith.'' (2) Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair gets a boost from a double live CD of last year's tour. (3) Lou Reed trots through his classics on ``Perfect Night Live in London.'' |
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