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REACHING 2,250.000 READERS AROUND THE GLOBE
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THE WORLD OF MUSIC: CHOICE OF THE MONTH
Somewhere
Down In Texas While country trends (most of them regrettable) come and go, George Strait has varied little from the buttoned-down traditionalism that's earned him more than 30 No. 1 hits, including Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind and The Chair. Strait's latest, Somewhere Down In Texas, won't change that. On weepers like the Lee Ann Womack duet Good News, Bad News, his unaffected tenor allows stock lines like "But I'm in love with you/ With all my heart" to land without so much as a smirk. Other songs, such as If the Whole World Was a Honky Tonk, feature twin fiddles and more imaginative rhymes: "We'd tell our troubles to the bar/ Over cryin' steel guitars." Coming at a time when country seems self-consciously hip, Somewhere Down In Texas keeps things on the straight and narrow. -Reviewer: Paul Griffin
TP.3
Reloaded On R. Kelly's last album, Happy People/U Saved Me, which was released after he was hit with child pornography charges, R. Kelly chose a family-friendly, spiritual vibe -- praising the joys of God instead of his usual wild sexual shenanigans. With his new disc, Kelly will have plenty to repent for. If you thought the man who came up with such freaky songs as Bump 'N Grind or Ignition (on which he compared lovemaking to driving a car) couldn't come up with anything wilder, take a listen to Sex In the Kitchen. Remote Control continues his penchant for comparing sex to machinery -- "baby push enter, than fast forward," he croons on one delightfully naughty track. Put My T-Shirt On sounds like a reply to Destiny's Child's pillow-talk slow jam T-Shirt, but of course Kelly ratchets up the foreplay and a whole lot more (take that, Jay-Z!) -- never has a white T sounded so erotic. And his duet with fellow Jive artist Nivea on Touchin' sounds so tender and lovely, it would be appropriate for a wedding -- if it didn't have lyrics like "something tells me this may be the greatest sex in history." The disc is weakest when Kelly tries to appeal to the fellas with thug anthems like Players Only with The Game. But for all the sex talk, Kelly's best effort is the five-part serial drama Trapped in the Closet (a bonus DVD includes the music video). The song -- or more accurately, songs -- tell a dramatic story about an episode of infidelity that has a ricochet effect, touching several different people and leading to dramatic confrontations that are hilarious and riveting at the same time. Even after hearing the Trapped songs a dozen times, they're still stirring, demonstrating Kelly's amazing ability to draw in listeners with either raw sex grooves or musical cliffhangers. It's hard to imagine any other artist, in any genre, with such a gift.
Forget Juliana Hatfield the waif. Ditch that memory of her song Spin the Bottle, the one that seemed to emanate from the film Reality Bites. Forget the Massachusetts girl who made up a third of the Blake Babies. She's gone. And that's a good thing. Hatfield has eviscerated her past, exorcised her previous pure-pop lyrics and dumped the foundation of her previous recordings in the dustbin. On Made In China, her eighth LP, Hatfield emerges scarred and smarter, playing a collection of biting, angry but oh-so-melodic songs that herald the indifference of not fitting in and, frankly, not giving enough of a damn to even try. The 37-minute, 12-song disc is a collection of defiant yet personal songs and music that is more Husker Du than Blake Babies or Lemonheads. Lust, addiction, the hurt of betrayal and the sting of loneliness emanate from the songs, including standout singles Digital Penetration and Stay Awake, which could rip out the floor if the volume is high enough. Maybe it's being victimized by rants from critics jaded by her failure to be pop queen she was supposed to be. Or it could be the state of music today, where women are resorting to near striptease and selling sex rather than singles. It doesn't matter. Her rage, indifference and edginess are in full effect on Made in China, and her damnation has brought salvation. This is her best album ever. -Reviewer: Matt More
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Roc-a-Fella
Records Presents: Teairra Mari Teairra Mari (Roc-A-Fella Records) As Jay-Z's appointed Princess of the Roc, Teairra Mari proves she's worth the royalty status with her self-titled debut album. Merging sweet, laid-back vocals with off-the-block swagger and style, the 17-year-old angel-faced songbird from Detroit conveys candid accounts about the whirlwind of emotions felt by girls when dealing with the fellas. The single Make Her Feel Good serves as an open call and challenge to boys who think they have what it takes to bring girls joy. Mari's verses and overall content on the song are mature, grown and sexy, while the hook still maintains her age's innocence. The track's effortless production, which samples the catchy Eric B. and Rakim My Melody cut, simply allows Mari to showcase her laid-back sound and style. However, on the introspective No Daddy track, Mari takes a page from the queen of hip-hop soul, Mary J. Blige, when she asks young girls from broken homes to lean on her when going through strenuous times. When Mari's swagger level is low, her vulnerable side shines through. Phone Booth creatively narrates an account of a girl who calls her boyfriend from a public phone following a heated argument with her mother. Young girls whose mothers don't approve of their boyfriends should be able to relate. While Mari doesn't have the vocal heft of another new R&B artist, Keyshia Cole, she frankly doesn't need it. Her midwest edge, accompanied by Jay-Z's co-signing on her talent, grants her immediate hip-hop edge and credibility. While her female counterparts keep employing up-tempo club anthems, Mari's slower, sly sound should have staying power. This album marks the introduction of an artist we should be hearing a lot from in the future. -Reviewer: Mark Lewinla
June Carter Cash was an actress, an author and the love of Johnny Cash's life. She also assumed a prominent place in country music's most famous family tree, and Keep On The Sunny Side nicely summarizes her pioneering role as a singer-songwriter. The two-CD, 40-song set is one of two new anthologies from the House of Cash on the 50th anniversary of Johnny Cash's first single. The Legend presents highlights from his vast catalogue in a handsome four-CD boxed set. But while Johnny Cash has been the subject of several previous retrospectives, Sunny Side is the first comprehensive compilation of his wife's best work. The breadth of performances from 1939 to 2003 is moving: a 10-year-old June Carter jauntily sings Oh! Susannah!" (she pronounces it Susiannah), and a failing Carter Cash leads a regal rendition of her family's signature tune Keep On The Sunny Side shortly before her death. Material is drawn from Carter Cash's three solo albums, and from performances with Johnny Cash and others, including her sisters and mother, country music matriarch Maybelle Carter. Carter Cash's bracing, unvarnished vocals are as earthy as the soil in her native Appalachia, and an obvious influence on such later performers as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and countless other women who have sung mountain music. The young Carter Cash's hillbilly humour makes several songs sound dated, but others remain timeless. She's helped by hot picking from Chet Atkins on several cuts, and there's some lovely harmony singing by the Carter sisters -- including four-part yodelling on Foggy Mountain Top. While The Legend tends to duplicate other compilations, it's hard to go wrong with 104 songs by Johnny Cash. Included is an entertaining disc of performances with family and friends ranging from U2 and Elvis Costello to Ray Charles and Billy Joe Shaver (the marvellous You Can't Beat Jesus Christ, one of seven previously unreleased cuts). Also new is a Johnny-June demo duet that closes the set. They sound weary but wise and larger than life, which makes for a fitting finale. -Reviewer: Stephen Winne. MORE NEXT
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Made
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