SOUND CHECK.Frank Sinatra/``Ring-a-Ding Ding!'' ``September of My Years,'' ``Sinatra at the Sands,'' ``Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim'' Reprise's entries in Sinatra's ``Entertainer of the Century'' remaster re·mas·ter tr.v. re·mas·tered, re·mas·ter·ing, re·mas·ters To master again, especially to produce a new master recording of (an old recording) in order to improve the sound quality. series demonstrate his versatility in a rich variety of settings. ``Ring-a-Ding Ding!'' was the first album Sinatra recorded for the label, which he founded, and its brassy, swaggering sound aptly reflects the singer's early '60s days with the Rat Pack rat pack n. Slang A closely knit group of people sharing interests. rat pack n (Brit) (inf) → journalistes mpl de la presse à sensation . It's not his best album, just as ``Ocean's Eleven'' wasn't his best movie. But it's fun. Three Stars ``September of My Years'' is one of the all-time Sinatra classics, an introspective in·tro·spect intr.v. in·tro·spect·ed, in·tro·spect·ing, in·tro·spects To engage in introspection. [Latin intr rumination rumination /ru·mi·na·tion/ (roo?mi-na´shun) 1. the casting up of the food to be chewed thoroughly a second time, as in cattle. 2. on middle age and the peaks and valleys of life. Sinatra was nearing 50 when he recorded it, and he infuses each song with such wistful nostalgia that you'll be taking stock of your life as you listen to it - even if you haven't yet turned 30. Four Stars ``Sinatra at the Sands'' was the singer's first commercially released concert album, and the initial two-record set has been transferred to a single disc, which now includes a previously unreleased version of ``Luck Be a Lady.'' Backed brilliantly by the Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra was usually a big band of at least sixteen pieces. Sometimes, as in 1950, it shrank to an eight-piece orchestra. The orchestra, founded by William "Count" Basie, was really a series of bands that had many members come and go over a span of many years, from , this 1966 concert date finds Sinatra running through most of his favorites - ``I've Got You Under My Skin,'' ``One for My Baby'' and ``Fly Me to the Moon'' are among the 16 songs - and goofing off during some extended monologues with the Vegas audience. A great starter disc for anyone looking to sample Sinatra. Four Stars Sinatra's collaboration with Brazilian composer Jobim combines some of his softest, most subtle singing with the breezy, bossa nova bos·sa no·va n. 1. A style of popular Brazilian music derived from the samba but with more melodic and harmonic complexity and less emphasis on percussion. 2. A lively Brazilian dance that is similar to the samba. rhythms of such songs as ``Dindi'' and ``How Insensitive.'' The aching longing in Sinatra's voice on the album's closer, ``Once I Loved,'' stands as one of the greatest achievements in his career. Four Stars - Glenn Whipp Brandy/``Never Say Never'' The sophomore effort by the teen superstar who's so big she makes Godzilla look like a pet gecko gecko (gĕk`ō), small or medium-sized lizard of the family Gekkonidae. The more than 300 species are distributed throughout the warm regions of the world, mostly in the Old World. Despite folklore to the contrary, their bite is not poisonous. is a bit uneven, but ultimately the kid pulls it off. Thanks to state-of-the-art production and strong material like ``Almost Doesn't Count,'' ``Top of the World'' (with rapper Mase) and the current chart-topper ``The Boy Is Mine'' (a duet with Monica), ``Never Say Never'' (Atlantic) is a top-notch urban r&b collection suitable for general audiences. The Woodland Hills-based Brandy is still G-rated. Three Stars - Fred Shuster Tricky/``Angels With Dirty Faces'' At London's New Musical Express, where the Tricky backlash is in full swing, this album was dubbed pretty much unlistenable un·lis·ten·a·ble adj. Being such that listening with comfort or pleasure is impossible: an unlistenable operatic solo; an unlistenable diatribe. . They're not too far off the mark. Missing are the rich textures, original melodies and audacious material found on Tricky's far superior debut, ``Maxinquaye,'' or in his even earlier work with Massive Attack. Instead, ``Angels With Dirty Faces'' (Island) mostly resembles an atonal a·ton·al adj. Music Lacking a tonal center or key; characterized by atonality. a·ton  al·ly adv. sound collage with Tricky and vocalist Martina Topley-Bird burbling bur·ble n. 1. A gurgling or bubbling sound, as of running water. 2. A rapid, excited flow of speech. 3. somewhere below the surface. Polly Harvey makes an appearance on ``Broken Homes,'' but she, too, is buried deep in the murk murk also mirk n. Partial or total darkness; gloom. adj. Archaic Partially or totally dark; gloomy. [Middle English mirke, from Old Norse myrkr . As if dull music wasn't enough of a crime, Tricky's hypocrisy shines through on the end track, ``Record Companies,'' in which he blasts the corporation that pays his bills. One Star - Fred Shuster Jimi Hendrix Experience/``BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. Sessions'' In this double-disc package are the radio sessions and most of the TV appearances Hendrix made for the British Broadcasting Corp. from 1967 to 1969. Included are many of the band's hits and 13 previously unreleased songs, including a couple of jams with Stevie Wonder on drums. It's all wonderful - there's no such thing as too much Hendrix - but especially welcome are such standouts as the sturdy instrumental ``Driving South,'' ``Wait Until Tomorrow'' and an exceptional performance of ``The Burning of the Midnight Lamp'' with a new ending. Other exciting moments on ``BBC Sessions'' (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. ) include a stunning ``Love or Confusion,'' a complicated tune Hendrix rarely tackled in concert. Great stuff. Three and One Half Stars - Fred Shuster Family of God/``We Are the World'' Fans of post-punk rockers Echo & the Bunnymen will certainly get a kick out of the highly charged ``We Are the World'' (Dull Recordings), featuring ex-Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant on one track. The band uses dance beats, atmospheric electronics and straight-ahead guitar rock to fashion a swirling neo-psychedelic stew that recalls the best moments of Sergeant's former band. Another plus is the sense of wry humor of Family of God's main guys Adam Peters and Chris Brick - standout titles include ``Help, I'm a Rock,'' ``Atomic Little Thing'' and ``Center for the Dull.'' Three Stars - Fred Shuster Grant Lee Buffalo/``Jubilee'' Grant Lee Phillips, frontman front·man n. 1. also front man A man who serves as a nominal leader but who lacks real authority. 2. Music A leading singer with a group. for North Hollywood's Grant Lee Buffalo Grant Lee Buffalo was a Los Angeles-based rock band, consisting of Grant-Lee Phillips (vocals and guitar), Paul Kimble (bass) and Joey Peters (drums). All three were previously members of another LA band, Shiva Burlesque. , makes a play for pop success with this thoroughly accessible and unusually varied new disc. Items that stand a chance at radio include ``The Shallow End,'' ``Fine How'd Ya Do,'' ``Truly, Truly'' and ``My, My, My,'' each boasting very different strengths. Phillips has matured as a songwriter and arranger, something ``Jubilee'' (Slash/Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .), his fourth album, reveals above all. Three Stars - Fred Shuster Soundtrack/``Hope Floats'' The 13 songs that make up the soundtrack to ``Hope Floats'' are as much a part of the landscape of the film as the characters and story. It's an eclectic and winning collection, from Garth Brooks' cover of Bob Dylan's ``To Make You Feel My Love'' (from Dylan's recent Grammy-winning ``Time Out of Mind'' album) to Bob Seger's duet with Martina McBride on the romantic ``Chances Are.'' Along the way, there's strong new stuff from Whiskeytown, Sheryl Crow, Deana Carter and the Mavericks, plus newly issued covers by the Rolling Stones, Lyle Lovett and Trisha Yearwood (doing her version of Dylan's ``To Make You Feel My Love''). ``Hope Floats'' (Capitol) is a terrific sampler. Three Stars - Fred Shuster Jimmie Vaughan/``Out There'' Though he's always been a limited singer (kid brother Stevie Ray got most of the vocal talent in the family), Vaughan is convincing at the mike here - especially on ``Positively Meant to Be,'' with its spoken-word bit segueing into sweet soul singing a la B.B. King. ``Out There'' (Epic) might not garner half the attention given these days to Buddy Guy or Jonny Lang, and between the ever-present whirring whir v. whirred, whir·ring, whirs v.intr. To move so as to produce a vibrating or buzzing sound. v.tr. To cause to make a vibratory sound. n. 1. of a Hammond B-3 organ and the church-style backing vocals on several tunes, the album could be too gospel to connect with the shot-and-beer blues rock crowd. Which would be a shame. As Vaughan reminds us so eloquently on ``Out There,'' how well you play the blues has nothing to with how loud or fast you play them. Three and One Half Stars. - Thor Christensen Dallas Morning News CAPTION(S): 6 Photos Photo: (1) Brandy offers r&b fans a second musical helping with ``Never Say Never.'' (2--6) no caption (CD covers) |
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