SOUND CHECK.Faith Evans/``Faithfully'' (Bad Boy/Arista) Silly as it sounds, we played half this album before realizing we were listening to Evans, not Hill. Goes to show how blurry the lines of Faith can be. Evans is hip-hop's most famous widow due to her marriage to murdered rap icon the Notorious B.I.G. She rose to fame as a background singer for Mary J. Blige, scoring hits of her own in the mid-'90s by blending rap with cooing vocals of the nothing-special variety. ``Faithfully,'' Evans' first release in three years, attempts to cover all bases with a myriad of generic r&b styles, opening with a spoken intro featuring her overexposed o·ver·ex·pose tr.v. o·ver·ex·posed, o·ver·ex·pos·ing, o·ver·ex·pos·es 1. To expose too long or too much: Don't overexpose the children to television. 2. , overrated Overrated was a Horde World of Warcraft guild, based on the US Black Dragonflight Realm. On November 2 2006, the majority of the guild members were indefinitely banned from the game for use of (or directly benefiting from) a third-party "wall-hack", used to bypass content and overpaid o·ver·pay v. o·ver·paid , o·ver·pay·ing, o·ver·pays v.tr. 1. To pay (a party) too much. 2. To pay an amount in excess of (a sum due). v.intr. To pay too much. producer Sean ``Puffy'' Combs. Then, it's straight into ``Alone in This World,'' which predictably uses a sample of her late husband to inflate her own mystique. But on the disc's most impressive tracks, a thumping ``You Gets No Love,'' the disco-tinged ``Back to Love'' and the Neptunes-produced ``Burnin' Up,'' Evans' smooth, confident delivery glides seamlessly into memorably tuneful choruses. And ``Faithful,'' one of the project's several short ``interludes,'' makes a convincing case for Evans as gospel songbird songbird Any oscine passerine (suborder Passere), all of which have a complex vocal organ, the syrinx. Some species (e.g., thrushes) produce melodious songs; others (e.g., crows) have a harsh voice; and some do little or no singing. See also birdsong. . Often accused of being too faithful to Blige's sound, Evans has come into her own. While fans of today's r&b could do a whole lot worse, country fanciers might want to wait for Hill's next album. Two and one half stars. - Fred Shuster Robbie Fulks/``13 Hillbilly Giants'' (Bloodshot blood·shot adj. Red and inflamed as a result of locally congested blood vessels, as of the eyes. bloodshot Vox populi adjective ) Not quite the immersion into Ozark obscurity its title might indicate, insurgent INSURGENT. One who is concerned in an insurrection. He differs from a rebel in this, that rebel is always understood in a bad sense, or one who unjustly opposes the constituted authorities; insurgent may be one who justly opposes the tyranny of constituted authorities. country commandante Fulks' latest is an eclectic collection of little-known covers, some by familiar names (Bill Anderson, Dolly Parton par·ton n. Any of the point particles believed to be a constituent of hadrons, now known as quarks. No longer in technical use. [part(icle) + -on1.] , Wynn Stewart), others by, well, obscure hillbillies. The songs are intense, plaintive tunes about working too hard and drinking your life away, interspersed with funny Freudian novelties like the voyeur's anthem ``Knot Hole.'' Recorded in two days on old two-track gear by indie icon Steve Albini Albini or de Albini (of white) is a surname, and may refer to:
This page or section lists people with the surname Albini. at his Chicago studio, there's a state-of-the-late-'50s-art tightness and delirious energy to this respectful if semi-silly shebang. Three and one half stars. - Bob Strauss Miles Davis/``Complete in a Silent Way Sessions'' (Columbia/Legacy) The title is a bit of a misnomer misnomer n. the wrong name. MISNOMER. The act of using a wrong name. 2. Misnomers, may be considered with regard to contracts, to devises and bequests, and to suits or actions. 3.-1. as the music in this triple-disc set was recorded at several sessions, some taking place a few months before Davis cut 1969's brilliant early-fusion excursion ``In a Silent Way.'' Listening to this package, which includes rehearsals and stray tracks, it's easy to recognize two heroes: producer Teo Macero, who pieced together rambling improvisations to create the hypnotic quality that makes this music so compelling; and keyboardist Joe Zawinul, risking unemployment from Cannonball Adderley's group for giving Miles the haunting title track. ``In a Silent Way'' is atmospheric jazz at its most intelligent, even if some of the odds and ends are more fascinating than essential. Three and one half stars. - Glenn Whipp Soundtrack/``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' (Atlantic) In scoring the first Harry Potter adventure, John Williams was faced with the challenge of translating mystery and magic into musical themes that mirror the film's imagery. He succeeds on ecstatically dreamy tracks like ``Leaving Hogwarts,'' ``Visit to the Zoo and Letters From Hogwarts'' and ``The Face of Voldemort,'' which perfectly reflect the otherworldly elements of the beloved fantasy. The main melody, ``Hedwig's Theme,'' stands with such Williams highs as ``Hook'' and ``Star Wars'' while ``The Quidditch Match'' is a throbbing throb intr.v. throbbed, throb·bing, throbs 1. To beat rapidly or violently, as the heart; pound. 2. To vibrate, pulsate, or sound with a steady pronounced rhythm: epic that will earn airplay air·play n. The broadcasting of an audio or audiovisual recording on the air over radio or television. airplay Noun the broadcast performances of a record on radio all by itself. Three and one half stars. - F.S. Joni Harms/``After All'' (Real West) Real rancher Harms swings convincingly on such self-penned tunes as ``Weakness for Cowboys'' and ``West Texas Waltz.'' But cuts like the Nashville-slick title track and syrupy odes to old-time religion, worldly waitresses and her audience belie be·lie tr.v. be·lied, be·ly·ing, be·lies 1. To picture falsely; misrepresent: "He spoke roughly in order to belie his air of gentility" James Joyce. the fact that, more often than not, Harms is simply serving homilies (there's even a bit of Mex-kitsch called ``Ay Yi Yi Yi''). That said, she admirably rides clear of anything resembling the pop end of country; her love for genuine western fiddles, pulsing pedal steel and crystal-clear phrasing is evident throughout. Two and one half stars. - B.S. CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Faith Evans) (2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers) |
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