SOUND CHECK.Celine Dion/``All the Way . . . A Decade of Song'' (550 Music) ``Near, far, wherever you are . . .'' Thought you were finally safe from the ``Titanic'' love theme, didn't you? No such luck, folks. Dion's back with a greatest-hits collection (in stores Tuesday) that contains all her formulaic tear-stained million-sellers - ``The Power of Love,'' ``Because You Loved Me,'' ``I'm Your Angel,'' ``My Heart Will Go On'' - plus seven new songs recorded during the summer. Of interest to fans are those new numbers, which include the midtempo ``That's the Way It Is,'' a soporific soporific /sop·o·rif·ic/ (sop?o-rif´ik) (so?po-rif´ik) 1. producing deep sleep. 2. hypnotic (2). sop·o·rif·ic adj. 1. remake of ``The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,'' the awful Diane Warren ballad ``I Want You to Need Me'' and the Dion/Sinatra duet ``All the Way.'' There's just something so artificial about this stuff - too much of it can leave you with that disoriented dis·o·ri·ent tr.v. dis·o·ri·ent·ed, dis·o·ri·ent·ing, dis·o·ri·ents To cause (a person, for example) to experience disorientation. Adj. 1. feeling you get after wandering into a Ralphs market at 3 a.m. But if you're a Dion fan, you well know that supermarket of the heart where Dion sings 24 hours a day. Two stars - Fred Shuster Master P/``Only God Can Judge Me'' (No Limit/Priority) New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded rap mogul Master P was recently cut from the Raptors, extinguishing his NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= dreams, but his sixth solo release landed at No. 2 on the charts last week. His success proves, among other things, there's no accounting for taste, because Percy Miller (for it is he) hasn't made a good album in years. Following in the No Limit tradition, ``Only God Can Judge Me'' is filled with cameos from the likes of Nas and Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri also known simply as JD (born Jermaine Dupri Mauldin on September 23 1972) is an American record producer and rapper. Dupri is the youngest inductee to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. along with No Limit soldiers The No Limit Soldiers was a stable in World Championship Wrestling that was created after rapper Master P. signed with the company. The Soldiers feuded extensively with the West Texas Rednecks. The relationship between WCW and Master P. Mystikal and the charmingly named C-Murder dropping by to add the usual threats and boasts. Master P's now defunct production team Beats By the Pound Beats By the Pound, now known as the Medicine Men, is a four-man Southern rap remix and production team.[1] It consists of the former in-house production team for Master P's No Limit Records, as well as some new artists, and was responsible for the production of offers 23 generic tracks while the monotonous P drones on and on. One star - F.S. ``The Straight Story'' (Windham Hill) soundtrack Composer Angelo Badalamenti has written several scores for director David Lynch over the years; he won a Grammy for his work on that ode to black coffee and cherry pie Cherry pie is a pie made with a cherry filling. Morello cherries (sour cherries) are often used in cherry pies. Cherries are expensive — and sweet varieties are best used eaten fresh and raw. Sour cherries are best for cooking and may be used fresh or preserved. , ``Twin Peaks.'' But he has never been better than this. The soundtrack for ``The Straight Story,'' Lynch's quiet masterpiece about an old man who takes a trip on his lawnmower to see his dying brother, has familiar Badalamenti touches - the lush, haunting orchestrations will remind many of his work on ``Blue Velvet.'' But he also adds some folk touches here with violins and guitar that perfectly capture the film's Midwestern setting. Nostalgic without wallowing in sentiment, this is the ideal accompaniment to one of the year's best films. Four stars - Glenn Whipp Andrea Bocelli/``Sacred Arias'' (Philips/Universal Classics) Like Celine Dion, heart-on-the-sleeve Italian tenor Bocelli's success has mostly been based on formulaic pop ballads. But unlike Dion, there's apparently little emotional connection to the material. There's even less emotional investment evident on his fifth disc and third classical collection, which intersperses new compositions and old favorites. Along with several interpretations of ``Ave Maria,'' Christmas chestnuts ``Silent Night'' and ``Adeste Fideles,'' the crooner offers a new take on Franck's ``Paris Angelicus'' and Handel's ``Ombra Mai Fu "Ombra mai fu" is an aria from the opera Serse (Xerxes) by George Frideric Handel. The title, which translates from the Italian as Shade there never was, is the first aria of the opera. .'' The disc's final track, ``Gloria A Te Cristo Gesu'' - penned by French priest Father Lecot - has been named the Vatican's official millennium hymn, proving the Pope should avoid programming jukeboxes. Two stars - F.S. C-Jam All Stars/``Diminuendo di·min·u·en·do n., adv. & adj. Music Abbr. dim. or dimin. Decrescendo. [Italian, present participle of diminuire, to diminish, from Latin , Crescendo and Blues'' (RCA See RCA connector and video/TV history. Victor) Paul Gonsalves/``Ellingtonia Moods and Blues'' (RCA Victor) Cootie Williams/``Cootie Williams in Hi-Fi'' (RCA Victor) Johnny Hodges and Wild Bill Davis/``Live in Atlantic City'' (RCA Victor) Duke Ellington's band always featured some of the greatest jazz musicians in the world, and the leader gave his sidemen plenty of freedom to lead their own recording dates. These four midpriced reissues from RCA showcase some solid sessions from these standouts. The C-Jam All-Stars disc (Three and one half stars), featuring trumpeter Clark Terry and Gonsalves on tenor sax, has never been released in any form in the United States. It's a sublime session full of masterful playing.The Gonsalves album (Three stars) is also a showcase for alto great Hodgesin a program of music by Ellington and the two star saxophonists. Williams isn't quite as known as the other leaders on these dates, but he put his stamp on the Ellington band in the 1930s and '40s with his signature growling trumpet. ``Hi-Fi'' (Three stars) compiles a number of R&B-flavored sides that show him in fine, swinging form. The summit between Hodges and funky organ master Davis (Four stars) is the most essential album of the bunch, a high-spirited live date with soulful versions of several Ellington standards. - G.W. Soundtrack/``Fight Club'' (Restless) Cut-and-paste producers the Dust Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . are known for their esoteric edits and funky breaks for Beck and the Beasties. But for years, they've also been working on a solo epic of their own. Hopefully, this slick, staccato score full of loops, buzzing noises and handclaps doesn't approximate the brothers' dream. Though apt for the speedy, violent nightmare that is David Fincher's black comedy, the soundtrack's sleek horns, funky Fender Rhodes and wah-wah guitar drama don't make for routine at-home listening. They're really good for those moments when you want to beat the hell out of Brad Pitt, though. Two and one half stars - A.D. Amorosi Amorosi is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 45 km northeast of Naples and about 30 km northwest of Benevento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,931 and an area of 11.0 km². Philadelphia Inquirer Alan Jackson/``Under the Influence'' (Arista Nashville) On covers of classic country songs by the likes of Charley Pride, George Jones and Merle merle a pattern of coat color pigmentation with dark, irregular blotches on a lighter background. Seen in some Collies and Welsh corgis. In shorthaired dogs, e.g. Great Danes and Dachshunds, the similar pattern is called dapple. Haggard, Jackson doesn't reveal anything new about the men behind the music or the songs themselves, but in his reverent rev·er·ent adj. Marked by, feeling, or expressing reverence. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin rever approach he reminds us why we won't be forgetting these tunes anytime soon. Closing with a faithful cover of Jimmy Buffett's overplayed ``Margaritaville'' (with the Parrothead himself harmonizing) isn't the best idea, though. The song is too identifiably Buffett and ``Come Monday,'' Jackson's first choice according to his self-written liner notes, would have fit his mild-mannered style better. Two stars - Howard Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. Miami Herald CAPTION(S): 7 Photos Photo: (1) no caption (Celine Dion) (2--7) no caption (CD covers) |
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