SOUND CHECK.Celine Dion/``Let's Talk About Love'' Dion doesn't wait long on her latest album to cop to an unholy alliance  This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved. with the dark side. The pop diva admits in the opening cut, ``The Reason,'' that ``I made a deal with the devil A deal with the Devil, pact with the Devil, or Faustian bargain is a cultural motif widespread wherever the Devil is vividly present, most familiar in the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, but elemental to many Christian folktales. ... been to hell and back.'' Could this really be sweet Celine or have we stumbled onto something new from Cannibal Corpse? Despite the gravity of the situation, Dion couches her confession in throbbing throb intr.v. throbbed, throb·bing, throbs 1. To beat rapidly or violently, as the heart; pound. 2. To vibrate, pulsate, or sound with a steady pronounced rhythm: George Martin-arranged strings, washes of keyboard and those big, big drums, ultimately reassuring listeners her dalliance with the devil was just a misbegotten mis·be·got·ten adj. 1. a. Of, relating to, or being a child or children born to unmarried parents. b. Not lawfully obtained: misbegotten wealth. 2. fling. But, in the very next song, Dion appears to crow about the payoff of her Faustian bargain - ``Immortality'' - in which she is awarded ``my journey through eternity.'' There's more evidence of this frightening alliance - the fact that Dion snagged the lucrative love theme to ``Titanic,'' the duet with Barbra Streisand Noun 1. Barbra Streisand - United States singer and actress (born in 1942) Barbra Joan Streisand, Streisand (herself no stranger to contracts with the prince of darkness - see James Brolin) and, of course, the unmistakable message inherent in the album title when the word ``love'' is reversed. Dion is really urging, ``Let's Talk About Evol.'' One and One Half Stars ?13- Fred Shuster Led Zeppelin/``Led Zeppelin: BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. Sessions'' Everyone knows the awful ``Song Remains the Same'' album was a terrible way to remember Led Zep's live legacy. ``BBC Sessions,'' a two-CD package of oft-bootlegged live stuff from 1969 and 1971, is much better. The early years were Zep's best time, before the quartet became bloated with ``Stairway to Heaven'' pretension Pretension See also Hypocrisy. Prey (See QUARRY.) Pride (See BOASTFULNESS, EGOTISM, VANITY.) Absolon vain, officious parish clerk. [Br. Lit. and stateside state·side adj. 1. Of or in the continental United States. 2. Alaska Of or in the 48 contiguous states of the United States. adv. Informal 1. success. The ticket here is blues and hard rock, warts and all. Most of those pimples belong to the forever-overrated Jimmy Page, a sloppy, unimaginative lead player who lacked the finesse and control of either Jeff Beck or Eric Clapton. However, on the marvelous ``Since I've Been Loving You,'' Page pulls off some beautiful arpeggios. And the aptly-named Robert Plant draws laughs in this set, which contains no less than three versions of ``Communication Breakdown,'' by injecting the old lemon-squeezer routine in every nook and cranny Noun 1. nook and cranny - something remote; "he explored every nook and cranny of science" nooks and crannies detail, item, point - an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole; "several of the details are similar"; "a point of information" . Three Stars ?13- Fred Shuster Barbra Streisand/``On Higher Ground'' Babs dedicates this collection to the memory of Virginia Kelley (President Clinton's mom) and Princess Diana, so the material is - horror of horrors Horror of Horrors is an American death metal band based in the Washington DC area. The four piece was formed in the winter of 1994 by Aantar Lee Coates, Michael Marchewka (both formerly from the Maryland band Exmortis) and Harry M. - inspirational. And indulgent. Among the less-than spectacular results here is ``Everything Must Change,'' which Streisand cut once before in 1974, and the spirituals medley ``The Water Is Wide/Deep River,'' which somehow rings false. The much-trumpeted duet with Celine Dion, ``Tell Him,'' reaches notes only canines will be able to enjoy. Throughout this effort, Streisand comes down with Michael Bolton disease, otherwise known as overemoting for fun and profit. It's indeed a pity this Mount Rushmore-sized ego couldn't have simply toned it all down a bit. One and One Half Stars ?13- Fred Shuster Finley Quaye/``Maverick a Strike'' Quaye may be Tricky's younger uncle but he's much more upbeat and accessible. In fact, listening to this perfectly produced bit of pop fluff, you're not sure whether Quaye yearns to be Lee Perry, Bob Marley or Nat King Cole. He throws in bits of reggae patois pat·ois n. pl. pat·ois 1. A regional dialect, especially one without a literary tradition. 2. a. A creole. b. Nonstandard speech. 3. The special jargon of a group; cant. here and there, covers Marley on the infectious ``Sunday Shining'' and basically sings like a real smoothie smooth·ie also smooth·y n. pl. smooth·ies Slang 1. A person regarded as being assured and artfully ingratiating in manner. 2. A smooth-tongued person. throughout. A sweet album, but a bit shallow at times. Two and One Half Stars ?13- Fred Shuster Millie Jackson/``Totally Unrestricted: The Millie Jackson Anthology'' Among the greatest, if most underrated of Southern soul divas, Jackson cut two classic concept albums about romantic triangles for the Spring label in 1974 and 1975. Using the Muscle Shoals studio team, she put the stories across with genuine bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. emotion on ``Caught Up'' and ``Still Caught Up,'' two pure soul gems. Like the affairs of the heart Jackson was singing about, this double-disc anthology, while welcome, is a hit-and-miss proposition. Although five tracks come from the first of the two concept efforts, just two items stem from the equally excellent sequel. Also missing in action is Jackson's superb ``This House for Sale'' album cut. Still, enough uncut Millie shines through, including the stunning ``Hurts So Good'' (from ``Cleopatra Jones''), the tour de force ``Keep the Home Fire Burnin' '' and the touching ``If You're Not Back in Love by Monday.'' Three Stars ?13- Fred Shuster Donnie Fritts/``Everybody's Got a Song'' Folks like Dusty Springfield, Percy Sledge and the Box Tops came to Donnie Fritts for material years before the grizzled griz·zled adj. 1. Partly gray or streaked with gray: a grizzled beard. 2. Having fur or hair streaked or tipped with gray. Nashville singer-songwriter and onetime Muscle Shoals studio hand toured as Kris Kristofferson's keyboardist. Here, Fritts shows off some chugging new tunes alongside beloved classics like ``Breakfast in Bed'' and ``A Damn Good Country Song.'' An all-star ensemble, including Waylon Jennings, Dan Penn, Tony Joe White, the late Eddie Hinton, Spooner Oldham and Kristofferson, lend down-home atmosphere and hot licks. Three Stars ?13- Fred Shuster Jay-Z/``In My Lifetime, Vol. 1'' Chart-topping 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 rap star Jay-Z's sophomore effort offers more cut-rate street attitude and shallow observations on the fame game. Case in point: the track ``Rap Game/Crack Game,'' which examines the move from street hustler to corporate type with typically little insight. The collaboration with hip-hop diva Foxy Brown on the single ``Sunshine'' is sparked by a cameo from Babyface, but Puff Daddy and Lil' Kim add little to the predictable ``I Know What Girls Like.'' Blackstreet, Too Short and others also drop by, but you've heard it all before Heard It All Before was released by Jamie Cullum when he was without a record deal and copies are now highly sought after. Track listing
?13- Fred Shuster Les Paul/``The Complete Decca Trios-Plus (1936-47)'' You can't overstate Les Paul's influence on pop music as both a performer and studio innovator. Generations of jazz, pop and country guitarists have been hypnotized by his playing. Paul also made real strides in double-tracking, use of echo and other now-familiar aspects of recording. This marvelous two-CD set contains six of Paul's accompaniments for Georgia White, all of the titles credited to Rhubarb rhubarb: see buckwheat. rhubarb Any of several species of the genus Rheum (family Polygonaceae), especially R. rhaponticum (or R. rhabarbarum), a hardy perennial grown for its large, succulent, edible leafstalks. Red (the nickname given to a youthful Paul by a traveling string musician) and at least one example of every title Paul waxed for Decca in the '40s with Helen Forrest, the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby and others. A joy from beginning to end. Four Stars ?13- Fred Shuster John Mellencamp/``The Best That I Could Do: 1978-1988'' After undergoing three name changes over the course of his career (wouldn't you change your name from Mellencamp?), John Mellencamp emerged from the '80s as one of the decade's most underappreciated rockers. Yet, his heartfelt heartland images of ravished RAVISHED, pleadings. In indictments for rape, this technical word must be introduced, for no other word, nor any circumlocution, will answer the purpose. The defendant should be charged with having "feloniously ravished" the prosecutrix, or woman mentioned in the indictment. Bac. Ab. farms and dysfunctional families rang true for legions of fans. This 14-track hits collection contains such chart-busters as ``Pink Houses,'' ``Jack and Diane,'' ``Small Town'' and ``R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,'' plus a cover of Terry Reid's 1968 rock ballad ``Without Expression,'' which the Indiana-bred Mellencamp cites as an early inspiration. May he keep going strong for the next 10 years. Three Stars ?13- Stuart Levine CAPTION(S): 7 Photos Photo: (1) The two-disc ``Led Zeppelin: BBC Sessions'' chronicles the British band's early years. (2--7) no caption (CD covers) |
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