SOUND CHECK.50 CENT: ``Get Rich or Die Tryin' '' (Aftermath/Interscope) - Two stars He's been shot! Stabbed! Arrested! Kicked! Bitten! Mocked! Bootlegged! And his feelings have been hurt - more than once! That sums up Interscope's high-profile marketing gambit behind 50 Cent, the latest self-proclaimed street thug to get a $1 million advance and a huge promotional budget. Born Curtis Jackson, the 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 native, now out on bail on gun possession charges, pushes all the right buttons, especially if you think Eminem is too much of a humanitarian. ``Wanksta'' and ``Places to Go,'' the venom-spewing 50 Cent tracks included on Eminem's ``8 Mile'' soundtrack, are the perfect intro to ``Get Rich or Die Tryin','' a completely convincing celebration of all manner of low-rent crime, murderous revenge, illiteracy, bad language and even worse dating habits. You guessed it - 50 Cent is about to become Teen America's favorite new pop star. Along with ``High All the Time,'' ``U Not Like Me'' and ``P.I.M.P,'' our favorite moment here is the laconic la·con·ic adj. Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise. See Synonyms at silent. [Latin Lac spoken intro to ``Heat,'' in which our hero spells out a drive-by shooting drive-by shooting Public health A phenomenon in which one or more persons–commonly members of street gangs, open fire à la Al Capone from moving vehicles, often in retaliation for an alleged wrong-doing by a rival gang complete with shots, screams and squealing squeal v. squealed, squeal·ing, squeals v.intr. 1. To give forth a loud shrill cry or sound. 2. Slang To turn informer; betray an accomplice or secret. v.tr. tires. After this, you may want to take a palette-cleansing swig of Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American musician and artist known for his outrageous stage persona and image as the lead singer of the . - Fred Shuster PATTI AUSTIN Patti Austin (born August 10 1950[1], in Harlem, New York), to Edna and Gordon Austin, is an R&B and jazz music singer. Career She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. : ``For Ella'' (Playboy Jazz) - Three stars Jazz-r&b diva Austin delivers a soulful, moving tribute to America's first lady of song. Grammy-nominated for best jazz vocal album, the entertaining effort features surefire backing by the swinging WDR WDR Westdeutscher Rundfunk (German radio and TV station) WDR World Development Report (World Bank) WDR Wide Dynamic Range (cameras) Big Band and String Orchestra, with arrangements by the always-inventive Patrick Williams This article is about the American composer. For the Irish-American politician, see John Patrick Williams. For the American football player, see Pat Williams (NFL). Patrick Williams . Austin evokes memories of Ella Fitzgerald in renditions of showstoppers like ``You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini),'' ``Tisket, A Tasket,'' ``Honeysuckle honeysuckle, common name for some members of the Caprifoliaceae, a family comprised mostly of vines and shrubs of the Northern Hemisphere, especially abundant in E Asia and E North America. Rose'' and ``How High the Moon.'' To her credit, Austin doesn't copy Ella, she belts it out in her own style. - Phillip Zonkel VARIOUS: ``Bellydance Superstars'' (Mondo mon·do Slang adj. Enormous; huge: a mondo list of pizza toppings. adv. Extremely; very: a mondo big mistake. Melodia/Ark 21) - Three stars Now that lingerie parties are on the wane, navel-dancing has become a popular suburban fitness fad. So it's little wonder there's an abundance of belly-themed CDs in the stores. Here, purveyors of this undulating art selected the tunes, which range from traditional faves to the latest electro-beats. Dancers and vacationing weapons inspectors can get their groove on with tunes by Hakim and Oojami (a name we never get tired of pronouncing pro·nounc·ing adj. Relating to, designed for, or showing pronunciation: a pronouncing dictionary. ). The rhythms are geared toward advanced forms of belly-button movement, but there's plenty to keep the armchair sensualist enthralled en·thrall tr.v. en·thralled, en·thrall·ing, en·thralls 1. To hold spellbound; captivate: The magic show enthralled the audience. 2. To enslave. . - Michelle J. Mills FRANCINE: ``28 Plastic Blue Versions of Endings Without You'' (Q Division) - Two and one half stars Subdued indie rock from Beantown: That's Francine. The four-man Boston-based group sets an autumnal mood with its sophomore release, whose title was taken from a lyric in the melodic ``Chlorine.'' A bicycle with a sparkle seat (``This Sunday's Revival''), artificial wood logs (``Fake Fireplace Things'') and the online acronym ``lol'' (``Uninstall'') is just a sampling of the kind of quirky subject matter found in this 13-track compilation. Francine especially shines on ``NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. ,'' with its Gary Numan-esque synthesizer synthesizer Machine that electronically generates and modifies sounds, frequently with the use of a digital computer, for use in the composition of electronic music and in live performance. fading into the band's staple guitar-driven indie rock aesthetics. It's nothing new, but it's enjoyable listening nonetheless. -Sandra Barrera NADA SURF: ``Let Go'' (Barsuk Records) - Three stars On its first album since 1998's ``The Proximity Effect,'' Nada Surf turns out a catchy compilation of a dozen rainy gray modern rock songs. Opening the album is ``Blizzard of '77,'' a stripped-down pop gem whose melody builds around swirling guitars and gorgeous harmonies that gush poetic. Lyrically, the trio has a tendency to be ironic, witty and vivid. The energetic ``Happy Kid'' begins, ``I'm just a happy kid/stuck with the heart of a sad punk.'' The sleepy ``Blonde on Blonde,'' meanwhile, conjures strolling along a city street during a downpour while listening to Bob Dylan on the headphones Head-mounted speakers. Headphones have a strap that rests on top of the head, positioning a pair of speakers over both ears. For listening to music or monitoring live performances and audio tracks, both left and right channels are required. - all over a hushed midtempo beat that culminates into a distorted, blues-rock guitar riff. From ``Hi-Speed Soul'' and ``Neither Heaven Nor Space'' to ``Treading Water,'' Nada Surf's latest is a keeper. - Sandra Barrera VINCE GILL: ``Next Big Thing'' (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. ) - Four stars Vince Gill has a message for all you up-and-coming country singers: ``When you finally hit the top/man, you know what that means/everybody's waitin' for the next big thing.'' That's experience talkin' with a wink. During the '90s, Gill did time at the top and bottom of Nashville's superstar barrel. Though it's hard to imagine the talented country singer-songwriter and musician anywhere else but at the top, given his 17-track set of swinging' roadhouse road·house n. An inn, restaurant, or nightclub located on a road outside a town or city. roadhouse Noun a pub or restaurant at the side of a road Noun 1. (``Next Big Thing''), traditional pop (``She Never Makes Me Cry,'') and spirited folk-rock (``Don't Let Her Get Away''). He even revives the ``Margaritaville'' vibe on ``We Had It All.'' So while experience may have taught Gill that Music Row is a ``Young Man's Town,'' this album and its 45-year-old star could very well be the next big thing. - Sandra Barrera WILLIE NELSON: ``Crazy: The Demo Sessions'' (Sugar Hill) - Three and one half stars This disc, in stores Tuesday, collects many of the demo tapes (rough, mostly one-take studio recordings) that Nelson the songwriter made to pitch his wares to Nashville recording artists in the early 1960s. Some have popped up on bootlegs and compilations over the years, a handful are never before heard on record, and there's the historic take of the collection's title song that was presented to Patsy Cline. Whether just Nelson and his guitar or fully rendered with studio musicians, the cuts confirm that Nelson's mastery of unique phrasing was fully formed from the start. And it's nice to hear songs he's sung thousands of times before the voice betrayed any boredom. - Bob Strauss HERB ELLIS/JOE PASS: ``Arrival'' (Concord) - Three stars Jazz labels tend to come and go, so it's understandable that Concord Records wants to make some noise to celebrate its 30th anniversary. A five-disc, comprehensive box set is planned, along with a number of significant reissues. Appropriately, the label has repackaged its first two albums - ``Jazz/Concord'' and `'Seven, Come Eleven'' - into a two-for-one offering, and it's a great buy. The records spotlight virtuoso guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass in concert, backed by bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jack Hanna. Ellis and Pass continuously challenge each other to new levels of inspiration, producing timeless bop-based music that's thoroughly enjoyable. It was a nice beginning of a beautiful 30-year run. - Glenn Whipp JACKY TERRASSON: ``Smile'' (Blue Note) - Three stars Every Jacky Terrasson album brings the delight in discovering what well- known song this grand pianist will reinvent. Here, there are two standouts - the title track, done in a tricky 5/4 time signature that makes it almost unrecognizable from other overwrought o·ver·wrought adj. 1. Excessively nervous or excited; agitated. 2. Extremely elaborate or ornate; overdone: overwrought prose style. versions, and a freaky freak·y adj. freak·i·er, freak·i·est 1. Strange or unusual; freakish. 2. Slang Frightening. freak cover of Stevie Wonder's ``Isn't She Lovely'' that would probably baffle Little Stevie himself. Terrasson and his trio also rework standards (``Autumn Leaves,'' ``My Funny Valentine'') and continue the French flights of fancy from the last album, ``A Paris.'' You'll have as much fun listening as Terrasson does in rejuvenating these gems. - Glenn Whipp VARIOUS: ``When Love Goes Wrong: Songs for the Broken-Hearted'' (Verve) - Three and one half stars If your prospects for romance look a little grim this Valentine's Day, you could do worse than wallowing in the despair of this excellent collection of desolate jazz vocal ballads. The usual advocates of melancholia MELANCHOLIA, med. jur. A name given by the ancients to a species of partial intellectual mania, now more generally known by the name of monomania. (q.v.) It bore this name because it was supposed to be always attended by dejection of mind and gloomy ideas. Vide Mania., - Billie Holiday, Chet Baker and Little Jimmy Scott - are included, but not the usual songs. And that's where ``When Love Goes Wrong'' stands tall among its ``love songs'' counterparts. We haven't heard most of the renditions of these torch songs before, so their angst sounds fresh and cuts deep. Bad love has rarely sounded so good. - Glenn Whipp Moe: ``Wormwood'' (iMusic) - Three and one half stars Seconds into ``Not Coming Down,'' the frenetic opener off this Buffalo jam band's ambitious 14-track set, the listener is awe-struck by bassist Rob Derhak's funky, jaw-dropping precision playing. And he's not the only member of this five-man band that knows his way around an instrument, or the studio for that matter. On the album, the band has commingled recordings taken from a number of live gigs during summer 2002 and studio work. The result is an album that has the energy of a live show and the polish of a studio album. From its slinky slink·y adj. slink·i·er, slink·i·est 1. Stealthy, furtive, and sneaking. 2. Informal Graceful, sinuous, and sleek: wore a slinky outfit to the party. grooves (``Wormwood'') and Southern rock sing-alongs (``Okayalright'') to festive island rhythms (``Kids'' and ``Kidstoys''), there's just one word that can sum up this endeavor: Wow. On Thursday, Moe headlines the Wiltern. For tickets or additional information, call (213) 480-3232 or www.ticketmaster.com. - Sandra Barrera CAPTION(S): 11 photos Photo: (1) no caption (50 CENT) (2) no caption (WILLIE NELSON) (3 -- 11) no caption (CD covers) |
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