SOUND CHECK.VARIOUS: ``Grammy Nominees 2005'' (Grammy/Capitol/EMI) - Three and one half stars One good thing you can say about this 21-song preview of Grammy day Feb. 13 is the inclusion of Brian Wilson. But this sampling of the best new artist, record, album, pop, rock and rap categories is no ``Pet Sounds.'' That means for every Black Eyed Peas This article is about the American hip hop group. For the vegetable, see Black-eyed pea. The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, who have enjoyed worldwide pop success. The group is currently composed of will.i.am, apl.de. rabble-rousing booty-shaker, there's a torch-singing Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar on March 30 1979 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and occasional actress of American and Indian descent. . She's got two songs on this set, including her wistful duet with the late Ray Charles For the composer and conductor of the Ray Charles Singers, see . Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his stage name Ray Charles, was a pioneering American pianist and soul musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. on ``Here We Go Again.'' Yes - sometimes the album does breed sweet nostalgia, from the early-'60s-rock-inspired ``Monkey to Man'' by Elvis Costello  The of this article or section may be compromised by "peacock terms".You can help Wikipedia by removing peacock terms. & the Imposters to Joss Stone channeling a Rufus-era Chaka Khan  The of this article or section may be compromised by "weasel words".You can help Wikipedia by removing weasel words. on ``You Had Me.'' But those moments are rare. Mostly you get last year's blockbusters from U2, Kanye West and Green Day, plus Gretchen Wilson giving a honky-tonk shout-out to all her girls on ``Redneck Woman'' and a brokenhearted bro·ken·heart·ed adj. Grievously sad. brokenhearted Adjective overwhelmed by grief or disappointment Adj. 1. Usher on ``Burn.'' A portion of the proceeds goes to the MusiCares and Grammy foundations. - Sandra Barrera LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO Ladysmith Black Mambazo (mämbäz`ō), choral group formed in 1965 in Ladysmith, South Africa, led by Joseph Shabalala. The group, which sings with a precise yet free-flowing phrasing, has consisted of 8 to 12 members. : ``No Boundaries'' (Heads Up) - Three and one half stars This long-standing South African vocal group, best-known to casual listeners for stellar work on Paul Simon's ``Graceland,'' have been on a creative roll recently. Last year's album of spirituals, ``Raise Your Spirit Higher,'' copped two Grammy nominations and now comes this collaboration with the English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra is a chamber orchestra based in London. It has its roots in the Goldsbrough Orchestra, founded in 1948 by Lawrence Leonard and Arnold Goldsbrough. on a set that combines their trademark ``tiptoe'' vocals with classical compositions from Bach, Mozart and Schubert. It's an ambitious undertaking, but the execution is flawless and the results are simply gorgeous. The group's rousing take on the ancient prayer ``Dona Nobis Pacem'' should put them in the Grammy winner's circle next year. Ladysmith performs at UCLA's Royce Hall on Feb. 12. - Glenn Whipp SASHA & JOHN DIGWEED: ``Renaissance: The Mix Collection'' (Renaissance) Two stars Sasha and John Digweed are dance-music czars, credited with helping put British dance music on the map. In the '90s, their sets at the U.K.'s Renaissance club were legendary. Now comes the duo's first mix compilation, reissued to coincide with the 10th anniversary of their first club appearance. The triple-disc set time-warps listeners to the dawn of Brit house music, but it's not the Holy Grail many critics think it is. While it's nice to have a snapshot of those early days, most of the tracks don't hold up today. Too many numbers, infused with '90s electro-pop and early trance, just don't get the dance floor shaking. Thank goodness the scene evolved. Sasha plays at Avalon in Hollywood on Saturday. - Phillip Zonkel JAKE LA BOTZ Jake La Botz (b. 1968) is an American blues singer-songwriter from Chicago. He is also an actor. La Botz learned blues from "Maxwell St." Jimmy Davis, David Honeyboy Edwards and Homesick James. : ``All Soul and No Money'' (Joseph Street) - Four stars South Central church guitarist and sometimes movie actor La Botz has penned himself a brilliantly blasted blues album, full of Chicago electric thunder and the hardscrabble hard·scrab·ble adj. Earning a bare subsistence, as on the land; marginal: the sharecropper's hardscrabble life. n. Barren or marginal farmland. Adj. 1. squawk of Mississippi hill country. Some of the songs -``Used to Be,'' ``Ballad of the Unknown Bluesman'' - are just epic odes to trouble-turned lives. Others, like ``Love Advice From Grandma,'' are plain profane funny. And La Botz brilliantly works in unexpected flourishes like string quartets, flinty flint·y adj. flint·i·er, flint·i·est 1. Containing or composed of flint. 2. Unyielding; stern: a flinty manner. flutes and Willie Chambers' gospel shouts to the most authentic-sounding blues any white guy has recorded in ages. See La Botz at Hollywood's Hotel Cafe on Feb. 4 and at the Mint most Mondays. - Bob Strauss ANI DIFRANCO: ``Knuckle Down'' (Righteous Babe) - Four stars Collaboration suits DiFranco, resulting in some of the best music of her career. Most notable is the folk-punk song stylist's decision to co-produce the album with inventive singer-songwriter Joe Henry and to recruit guest musicians to fill out the sound. Another key to the success of ``Knuckle Down'' is DiFranco's focus on personal, universal narratives, as opposed to ones with a political slant that veer too often into diatribes. The mesmerizing mes·mer·ize tr.v. mes·mer·ized, mes·mer·iz·ing, mes·mer·iz·es 1. To spellbind; enthrall: "He could mesmerize an audience by the sheer force of his presence" ``Sunday Morning,'' for example, is a sharply drawn recollection of happy, casual times shared with a lover. Whether it's the strings on ``Studying Stones,'' the whistling on ``Manhole'' or the chunky string bass and snare-drum riff on ``Modulation,'' the disc is filled with ear-catching touches that work well with DiFranco's sadder-but-wiser lyrics. - Martin Bandyke, Knight Ridder Newspapers CAPTION(S): 7 photos Photo: (1) WILSON (2) STONE (3 -- 7) no caption (CD covers) |
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