SOUND CHECK.Rentals/``Seven More Minutes'' (Maverick) The sophomore effort from ex-Weezer bassist and Rentals frontman front·man n. 1. also front man A man who serves as a nominal leader but who lacks real authority. 2. Music A leading singer with a group. Matt Sharp would've been better received five years ago at the height of the alterna-rock craze. Today, the new-wave synths, modern-rock sheen and cutesy cute·sy adj. cute·si·er, cute·si·est Informal Deliberately or affectedly cute; precious: a cutesy boutique for children's fashions. lyrics just seem dated. ``Seven More Minutes'' looks like a big-budget project with high hopes attached, though. The songs were composed in Spain and recorded in London, and guests include singers such as Blur's Damon Albarn, Elastica's Donna Matthews, Lush's Miki Berenyi and That Dog's Petra Haden. File under: Born too late. Two stars - Fred Shuster Nas/``I Am ...'' (Columbia) It's Nassir Jones, the guy who puts the Nas in ``nasty.'' For his third album, 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 rapper offers yet another set of tough-talking urban anthems designed for the white suburban teens who buy this sort of nonsense in droves and will make this record No. 1 this week. It all seems so calculated and ultimately empty. Just to make sure radio climbs aboard, the dreaded Puff Daddy makes a cameo on the overbearing single ``Hate Me Now.'' Students of hip-hop production, however, will want to note the presence of the imaginative Timbaland on just one track: ``You Won't See Me Tonight'' featuring the cooing singer Aaliyah. Two stars - F.S. Mandy Barnett/``I've Got a Right to Cry'' (Sire) With wide-ranging vocal power and the inherent good taste to know when to hush it down, 23-year-old Mandy Barnett wears all those comparisons to Patsy Cline well. On ``Right to Cry,'' her second album, she runs a pleasing gamut from full-throated torch (the title track, ``Whispering Wind'') to ache-infused ballads (``With My Eyes Wide Open This article contains links, text or other information that has been inserted due to a business arrangement by the Wikimedia Foundation rather than the usual Wikipedia editing process. It may or may not comply with all of Wikipedia's normal editorial standards. I'm Dreaming'') to jaunty jaun·ty adj. jaun·ti·er, jaun·ti·est 1. Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk. 2. Crisp and dapper in appearance; natty. 3. Archaic a. Stylish. b. Genteel. hillbilly swing (``Falling, Falling, Falling'') and sounds right at home in each genre. With four songs produced by the late, great Owen Bradley, the album boasts the richest countrypolitan sound since k.d. lang's Bradley collaboration, ``Shadowland,'' dripping with luscious string section arrangements and country gentlemen backup choruses. But the real instruments here are Barnett's sophisticated voice, precise enunciation enunciation (inun´sēā´sh  n),n an auxiliary function of teeth, particularly those in the anterior sector of the dental arch; the formation of sounds and astute phrasing; even the album's most lush orchestrations merely provide a showcase for her exquisite singing. Four stars - Bob Strauss Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/``Echo'' (Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .) Over a dozen studio albums, Petty has remained loyal to his signature Byrds-inspired classic-rock sound. No complaints here - ``Echo'' is packed with superior material and the sort of rootsy, emotive playing that makes the Heartbreakers one of rock's great back lines. The melodies are especially strong on standouts like album opener ``Room at the Top,'' first single ``Free Girl Now,'' the title song and the marvelous won't-back-down number ``Swingin'.'' Three stars - F.S. Mongo Mongo Any of several peoples living in the African equatorial forest. They speak a dialect of a common language, Mongo or Nkundo, which belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. Santamaria/``Skin on Skin: The Mongo Santamaria Anthology (1958-95)'' (Rhino) Long before ``fusion'' and ``world music'' went mainstream, conga player Santamaria was breaking ground. Consisting of 24 tracks on two discs, this anthology spans nearly 40 years of Mongo's career. Among the highlights of this entertaining collection are the first-ever release of ``Panamanian Aire,'' signature songs such as ``Afro Blue,'' ``Para Ti'' and ``Watermelon watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Africa and introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States and are popular also in S Russia. Man,'' plus the CD debut of some of Santamaria's early '70s cuts for Atlantic. Three stars - F.S. Bruce Springsteen/``18 Tracks'' (Columbia) You could view this album as a blatant attempt to rake more money off people who bought the ``Tracks'' box set - thanks to three tracks, including a stunning seven-minute studio version of ``The Fever,'' that didn't appear on the original four-disc set. On the other hand, maybe ``18 Tracks'' was designed for fans who didn't want that hefty collection of Springsteen odds and sods
- F.S. Joe Chambers/``Mirrors'' (Blue Note) A regular at Blue Note recording dates in the '60s, Chambers was valued for his writing as well as his drumming. Now comes his first Blue Note session as leader, and the resulting ``Mirrors'' offers polished, diverse and ear-catching performances of Chambers' varied tunes. With help from such energetic soloists as saxophonist Vincent Herring and trumpeter Eddie Henderson on highlights like the ballad ``Ruth'' and the New Orleans-flavored ``Tu-Way-Pock-E-Way,'' the album recalls the sturdy work of Tony Williams' last quintet. Three and one half stars - F.S. Charles Lloyd/``Voice in the Night'' (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. ) Back in the early '50s, Miles Davis once had the lights dimmed in a recording studio to help re-create the relaxed, after-hours feeling of a gin joint at 3 a.m. Much of ``Voice in the Night'' suggests a similar mood of sublime whispers and late-night blues. Veteran saxophonist Lloyd - with guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Billy Higgins - caresses sweet originals and borrowed ballads (Elvis Costello's ``God Give Me Strength'' and Billy Strayhorn's ``A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing''), with striking sensitivity. Everyone takes their cues from Higgins' sensuous brushwork brush·work n. 1. Work done with a brush. 2. The manner in which a painter applies paint with a brush. brushwork Noun , with Lloyd's Coltrane-derived tone and phrases swimming in lyricism lyr·i·cism n. 1. a. The character or quality of subjectivity and sensuality of expression, especially in the arts. b. The quality or state of being melodious; melodiousness. 2. . Three stars - Mark Stryker Detroit Free Press The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep". Some still refer to it locally as "The Friendly" -- a slogan from an ad campaign in the '70s. CAPTION(S): 7 Photos Photo: (1) no caption (Mandy Barnett) (2--7) no caption (CD covers) |
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