SOUND CHECK.Frank Sinatra/``In the Wee Small Hours small hours pl.n. The early hours after midnight. small hours Noun, pl the early hours of the morning, after midnight and before dawn Noun 1. ,'' ``Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely,'' ``Come Dance With Me!'' ``Sinatra's Swinging Session'' As part of a long-planned ``Entertainer of the Century'' promotion, Capitol and Reprise re·prise n. 1. Music a. A repetition of a phrase or verse. b. A return to an original theme. 2. A recurrence or resumption of an action. tr.v. joined forces to release 18 of Frank Sinatra's best albums, digitally remastered and including all the original packaging. The four Capitol albums here include two of the late singer's absolute finest ballads collections - ``In the Wee Small Hours'' and ``Only the Lonely'' - along with two revved-up, high-energy, swinging sets. ``Wee Small Hours'' finds Frank wistful and sometimes bitter, ruminating on lost love as his marriage to Ava Gardner was fizzling out. The pain shows - brilliantly - on numbers like ``When Your Love Has Gone,'' ``Ill Wind'' and the title track. Somehow, Sinatra managed to top himself three years later with another ballads concept album, ``Only the Lonely,'' that Frank Sinatra Jr. once famously said was so sad that it ``should be sold by prescription only.'' Sinatra's singing had matured to an even deeper level and the songs just drip with despair. Both albums feature Nelson Riddle's beautifully despondent de·spon·dent adj. Feeling or expressing despondency; dejected. de·spon  dent·ly adv. arrangements.
On the other side of the emotional spectrum, ``Come Dance With Me!'' sports Billy May's sprightly spright·ly adj. spright·li·er, spright·li·est Full of spirit and vitality; lively; brisk. adv. In a lively, animated manner. spright arrangements on 16 tunes that make you want to kick up your feet. The band roars, the arrangements are brassy and Sinatra moves them along with a swing that never stops. ``Sinatra's Swinging Session'' is one of his last efforts for Capitol, cut after he launched his own label, Reprise. Legend has it Sinatra was miffed miff n. 1. A petulant, bad-tempered mood; a huff. 2. A petty quarrel or argument; a tiff. tr.v. miffed, miff·ing, miffs To cause to become offended or annoyed. at the situation and deliberately set out to sabotage this album by speeding up the tempos past their breaking point. The result is one of Sinatra's most energetic, 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. sets; even the ballads crackle crackle /crack·le/ (krak´'l) rale. with energy. A note on the remastering: For those who own these Sinatra CDs and are wondering about the sound quality on these reissues, there's good news and bad news. The good news: They sound great. There's a noticeable improvement. The bad news: Now you'll feel compelled to buy them again. Next week: The Reprise reissues. Three Stars. - Glenn Whipp Smashing Pumpkins/``Adore'' Smashing Pumpkins is the Journey it's OK to like. Group leader Billy Corgan has made no secret of his passion for what was known in the '80s as the power ballad This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since September 2007. , but on this fourth studio album brings down the volume on his dark retro-urges with good results. Corgan is still the post-grunge Adam Sandler, so in touch with his inner child he almost deserves a cameo on ``Teletubbies.'' But this time he leaves out the trademark whining and whimpering that made the Pumpkins resemble smashing puppies. ``Adore'' has much to recommend, such as the spare and beautiful ``Tear'' and the electro-tinged rockers ``Pug,'' ``Annie-Dog'' and ``Ava Adore.'' But then there's ``For Martha,'' an eight-minute ode to Corgan's recently deceased mom that pulls all the strings but may not get many return visitors. The album's most glaring negative - the drumming. Without a regular percussionist, Corgan utilized either a series of studio helpers or the dreaded one-note drum machine drum machine n. An electronic device containing a sequencer that can be programmed to arrange and alter digitally stored drum sounds. drum machine Noun . In the end, though, where the sprawling and terribly titled 1995 double-CD ``Mellon Collie'' would've made a fine single disc, ``Adore'' mostly gets it right. Three Stars - Fred Shuster Gloria Estefan/``gloria!'' Opting for an upbeat state-of-the-nightclub collection that sheds the introspective in·tro·spect intr.v. in·tro·spect·ed, in·tro·spect·ing, in·tro·spects To engage in introspection. [Latin intr and largely acoustic tone of 1996's ``Destiny,'' Estefan's latest boasts material ranging from lush to gritty while keeping the spirit in tune with the party vibe of the vintage Miami Sound Machine records that clearly inspired the making of ``gloria!'' Best of all is the salsa flavor that seasons such high-energy standouts as ``Real Woman,'' ``Lucky Girl,'' ``I Just Wanna wan·na Informal 1. Contraction of want to: You wanna go now? 2. Contraction of want a: You wanna slice of pie? be Happy'' and the infectious hit single, ``Heaven's What I Feel.'' More evidence of disco's return. Two and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Richard X Richard Philips is a record producer, best known by his stage name Richard X. In an early issue of the now defunct Popworld magazine, Phillips told of how he had simply sealed a postcard with a kiss which was misinterpreted as the letter X; from then on he has used the alias . Heyman/``Cornerstone'' This alluring pure pop effort from New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of tunesmith tune·smith n. One who composes melodies, especially for popular songs. Heyman wears its influences proudly - Beatles, Byrds, Beach Boys and Kinks. Yet, there's nothing fossilized fos·sil·ize v. fos·sil·ized, fos·sil·iz·ing, fos·sil·iz·es v.tr. 1. To convert into a fossil. 2. To make outmoded or inflexible with time; antiquate. v.intr. about such strong radio-ready material as ``Everything the Same,'' ``The Drone Song,'' ``Racing After You,'' ``If We Should Ever Meet Again'' and the gloriously ornate Brit-pop title track. Heyman, who plays most of the instruments here, avoids the overly meticulous atmosphere of other self-produced solo records. Thanks to Sherman Oaks indie Permanent Press for this blast of pop-tastic fresh air. Three Stars - Fred Shuster Ralph Stanley Ralph Stanley (born February 25, 1927) is an American bluegrass musician. Stanley was born in Big Spraddle Creek, Virginia, near Stratton, Dickenson County, Virginia, USA. The son of Lucy and Lee Stanley, Ralph Edmond Stanley grew up in rural southwestern Virginia. & Friends/``Clinch Mountain Clinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains. It runs in a general east-northeasterly direction from near Blaine, Tennessee to Garden Mountain near Burke's Garden, Virginia. Country'' Country crooner Hal Ketchum put it best: ``Singing with Ralph Stanley is like painting with Picasso.'' Now that Bill Monroe has passed on to that great front porch in the sky, claw-hammer banjoist and singer Stanley is bluegrass' last giant. This fantastic two-CD set features duets with 30 of old Ralph's pals, including Bob Dylan, George Jones, Junior Brown and Patty Loveless. Stanley, 72, is a unique and powerful singer and backed by the always-elegant Clinch Mountain Boys. ``Clinch Mountain Country'' makes a terrific introduction to an often underrated genre as well as a true original. Three and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Various/``The X-Files: The Album'' Chris Carter, creator of ``The X-Files,'' and David Was of soon-to-reunite Was (Not Was) have put together an uneven compilation that should appeal to alt-rock completists or fanatic followers of the hit TV show, which hits the wide screen June 19. Radio is already playing Foo Fighters' reflective ``Walking After You'' and Filter's high-energy cover of Three Dog Night's ``One,'' but those aren't the only memorable moments. We liked X's exciting take on the Doors' ``Crystal Ship'' with Ray Manzarek on keyboards, Soul Coughing's inventive ``16 Horses'' and Ween's ``Beacon Light.'' There's also a new Cure track called ``More Than This'' and a sly remake of the ``X-Files'' theme by the Dust Brothers. Two and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Various/``Soulful Divas: Bold Soul Sisters'' This volume of the Soulful Divas series focuses on such r&b scorchers as Ann Peebles, Aretha Franklin, Millie Jackson and Denise Lasalle. If all you know of female soul is Randy Crawford or Anita Baker, these 14 tracks will be a revelation. This is the sweetly gritty sound that melds gospel and soul, the moment Saturday night becomes Sunday morning. Songs like Laura Lee's ``Women's Love Rights,'' Jackson's wonderful ``If You're Not Back in Love by Monday'' and Peebles' golden ``I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down'' have one thing in common - they're all about testifying in love's court of law. A fine compilation. Two Stars - Fred Shuster CAPTION(S): 7 Photos Photo: (1) Frank Sinatra's four best albums for Capitol have been remastered for reissue on CD. (2--7) no caption (CD covers) |
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