SOUND CHECK.RYAN ADAMS David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is a prolific American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Raised by his mother and grandmother, Adams dropped out of school at age 16 and performed with several local bands before moving to Raleigh and & THE CARDINALS: ``Cold Roses'' (Lost Highway) - Three and one half stars In case you were worried that something had happened to prolific alt- country-rocker Adams (it's been, what, a year since he last put out a pair of albums?), rest easy. This double-disc set with a new, ad hoc For this purpose. Meaning "to this" in Latin, it refers to dealing with special situations as they occur rather than functions that are repeated on a regular basis. See ad hoc query and ad hoc mode. band is the first of three releases scheduled for this year. Greatly informed by the Grateful Dead, this all-things-stringed endeavor also goes for long stretches of goosed-along emo and anthemic rock poses. Most of it is quite tuneful, unobtrusively twangy and more than evocative of love's longing losses. But it feels like there are a few more cuts than necessary. Adams may finally have reached his too-much-of-a-good-thing threshold. Not that we want him to stop. - Bob Strauss SOUNDTRACK: ``Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Soundtrack'' (Sony) - Three stars John Williams This biographical article or section needs additional references for verification. Please help [ to improve this article] by adding additional sources. Unverifiable material about living persons must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. , of course, is master of the ``Star Wars'' musical galaxy. The Oscar-winning composer is back for his sixth intergalactic in·ter·ga·lac·tic adj. Being or occurring between galaxies: intergalactic space. in trek. Thanks to the London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre. History , this richly textured music is filled with elements foreshadowing fore·shad·ow tr.v. fore·shad·owed, fore·shad·ow·ing, fore·shad·ows To present an indication or a suggestion of beforehand; presage. fore·shad everything from a turn to the dark side (``Palpatine's Teachings'') to an optimistic future (``A New Hope''). The two-disc package also includes a 70-minute DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. with 16 new music videos designed around a chronological timeline through the entire saga. ``Sith'' opens in theaters May 19. - Phillip Zonkel RAVEONETTES: ``Pretty in Black'' (Columbia) - Three stars This duo from Denmark - Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo - is as clever as their name. They crib from all the right places - Phil Spector's ``wall of sound'' (``Ode to L.A,'' with Ronnie Spector Ronnie Spector (born Veronica Yvette Bennett, 10 August 1943, New York) is an American musician and was the lead singer of the girl group The Ronettes. She is known as the "original bad girl of rock and roll"[1][2] Career on guest vocals), rockabilly and country twang (``The Heaven'' and ``Somewhere in Texas''), the Everly Brothers (``Here Comes Mary''), and Jesus and Mary Chain/Velvet Underground (``Love in a Trashcan,'' ``Sleepwalking''). There's also a cover of that most enjoyable of revenge songs, ``My Boyfriend's Back,'' and a song (``Twilight'') that puts us in mind of Rod Serling's famed series of the '60s. - Rob Lowman ELVIS COSTELLO  The of this article or section may be compromised by "peacock terms".You can help Wikipedia by removing peacock terms. : ``King of America'' (Rhino) - Three and one half stars Fans, of course, know this to be one of the great Costello albums, a rootsy collection of personal songs revolving around the songwriter's usual themes - heartbreak, loss and bitterness with some nice observations about America thrown in for good measure. The 1986 release is one of the last Costello albums to get the double-disc Rhino treatment, which adds 10 cuts to the 1995 Rykodisc reissue. If, say, you don't have the Rykodisc and want a good companion to last year's ``The Delivery Man,'' use your head, man, and buy this. - Glenn Whipp CHEMICAL BROTHERS: ``Push the Button'' (Astralwerks) - Three stars Which button to push with the new Chemical Brothers album? Repeat. The disc just gets better with a second listen, and the English duo's innovative dance-rock-rap fusion is a perfect musical fix. Guest vocals by Q-Tip and a catchy string sample spark the first track ``Galvanize gal·va·nize tr.v. gal·va·nized, gal·va·niz·ing, gal·va·niz·es 1. To stimulate or shock with an electric current. 2. ,'' while the infectious beats of ``Believe'' and ``The Big Jump'' will satisfy the rock crowd. And guest vocalist Anwar is the rap MC on the politically charged ``Left Right.'' Good stuff. - P.Z. CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Ryan Adams) (2) no caption (CD covers) |
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