SOUND CHECK.MARIAH CAREY: ``Charmbracelet'' (Monarc/Island) - One star Mariah from the block sounds like Mariah's on the clock. Her carefully assembled new album resembles a computer preset in its soulless soul·less adj. Lacking sensitivity or the capacity for deep feeling. soul  less·ly adv. precision. But there's a reason. This tin ``Charmbracelet'' is a throwback throwbacksee atavism. to the soft and fuzzy Mariah the masses succumbed to in the 1990s before she began competing with DMX See DMX512. for street credibility. To bring in the customers, Carey delivers her parts here in the familiar high-pitched coo, sort of Minnie Riperton without soul, backed by just-press-play synth-strings and soft, sparkly spark·ly adj. spark·li·er, spark·li·est 1. a. Giving off tiny flashes of light; glittery: a dress with sparkly sequins. b. keyboards. The songs are just average, but from the unusual bedfellows department comes a cover of the Def Leppard power ballad ``Bringin' on the Heartbreak.'' Mylanta might help. - Fred Shuster CHARLES LLOYD ``Lift Every Voice'' (ECM (1) (Enterprise Change Management) See version control and configuration management. (2) (Error Correcting Mode) A Group 3 fax capability that can test for errors within a row of pixels and request retransmission. ) - Three and one half stars Saxophone titan Lloyd had been scheduled to open at New York's Blue Note jazz club on 9-11. In the ensuing months, he found solace in spirituals and eventually put together this two-disc album, which stands as a beautiful reflection on both healing and joy. The music is equally divided between Eastern and Western sounds, taking in everything from Marvin Gaye's soulful ``What's Going On'' to fresh takes on spirituals like ``Amazing Grace'' and ``Go Down Moses'' to the mournful mourn·ful adj. 1. Feeling or expressing sorrow or grief; sorrowful. 2. Causing or suggesting sadness or melancholy: the mournful sound of a train whistle. first-disc closer ``Hafez, Shattered Heart,'' a tribute to a 14th-century Islamic Sufi poet. ``Lift Every Voice'' is a big, bold statement on the human condition that, befitting be·fit·ting adj. Appropriate; suitable; proper. be·fit ting·ly adv.Adj. 1. its title, does try to examine the current world climate from every angle. Honest and heartfelt, it's one of the essential jazz albums of the year. - Glenn Whipp JENNIFER LOPEZ: ``This Is Me ... Then'' (Epic) - One star 'Tis the season for the CD industry's weapons of mass consumption - Mariah, Shania, Shakira, Christina and, er, J.Lo. And this time around, J.Lo has B.Lo on her mind. On her predictably antiseptic new record, the celebrity crows about fiance Ben Affleck in the treacly ``Dear Ben'': ``My lust, my love, my man, my child, my friend and my king.'' Hey, J.Lo, tell us how you really feel. And whatever you do, don't rent ``Reindeer Games.'' Musically, tracks like ``Jenny From the Block'' and ``You Belong to Me'' are built on the familiar technoclub sound with a few attempts at '80s r&b in the impotent ballads ``The One'' and ``Still.'' Like other fast-food products, ``This Is Me ... Then'' is designed to be purchased, consumed and discarded. - Fred Shuster VARIOUS ARTISTS ``Making Singles, Drinking Doubles'' (Bloodshot blood·shot adj. Red and inflamed as a result of locally congested blood vessels, as of the eyes. bloodshot Vox populi adjective ) - Three and one half stars The demented folks at Bloodshot Records are as surprised as anyone that their 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 label has made it to its 100th album release. To celebrate, they dug behind all the Jack Daniel's empties at their Chicago warehouse to find the rare singles, B-sides and alternative tracks that make up this ultra-special anniversary collection (in stores Tuesday). Great covers of everything from Loretta Lynn to a trilogy of Madonna songs done speed-cowpunk style from the likes of Neko Case, the Meat Purveyors and the Waco Brothers, as well as too-clever-for-radio originals by Jon Langford, Andre Williams and an acoustic version of Ryan Adams' Dylan-esque ``To Be Young.'' Plus, naturally, an excess of more. - Bob Strauss VARIOUS ARTISTS ``Music From the Motion Picture: The Wild Thornberrys Movie''(Jive) - Three stars Paul Simon's endearing ``Father and Daughter,'' with its unraveling guitar and hiccuping woo-hoo, should be reason enough to love this movie soundtrack. But really, that's just the tip of the iceberg tip of the iceberg n. pl. tips of the iceberg A small evident part or aspect of something largely hidden: afraid that these few reported cases of the disease might only be the tip of the iceberg. . This is a 14-song collection of pop-tinged world beat, hip-hop and rock by the likes of Angelique Kidjo and Dave Matthews, who team up for the joyous ``Iwoya.'' Brandy sweetens up the party on ``Dance With Us,'' an r&b groove that features Bow Wow and finds P. Diddy urging ``let's dance, come on.'' Reel Big Fish Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out." The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska. Since the band's founding in 1992 and their demo In the Good Old Days... gets zany on ``Monkey Man,'' while Peter Gabriel offers up the deliciously weird ``Animal Nation.'' - Sandra Barrera CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- 4) no caption (CD covers)(5) no caption (Mariah Carey) |
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