REVIEWED BY CHUCK ARNOLD
CRITIC'S CHOICE
COUNTRY-ROCK
Forgive, sounds good/Forget, I'm not sure I could/They say time heals everything/But I'm still waiting." So sings frontwoman Natalie Maines on "Not Ready to Make Nice," the defiant first single of the Dixie Chicks' seventh studio disc and first since the backlash from her anti-Bush comments made at a 2003 concert. Indeed, having been blacklisted by some country stations and even having received death threats, the Chicks are still "mad as hell." You can also hear that newfound edge—call them the Dixie Chicks with Attitude—on the excellent "The Long Way Around": "Moved with the shakers/Wouldn't kiss all the a—that they told me to." Yes, this time it's personal: Cowriting all their material for the first time, the Chicks also poignantly address the infertility struggles faced by Emily Robison and Martie Maguire (on "So Hard") and celebrate their kids (on "Lullaby"). With production by Rick Rubin—who has worked with everyone from Run-DMC and Red Hot Chili Peppers to Johnny Cash—and guests like Bonnie Raitt, John Mayer and Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, they move further away from the sound of the country establishment.
[stars 3.5]
DOWNLOAD THIS: "The Long Way Around"
Surprise
POP
The literate, lilting touch displayed on Paul Simon's first studio album since 2000's You're the One should come as no surprise to fans of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who is still crafty after all these years. While his latest doesn't reach the heights of, say, 1986's Grammy-winning Graceland, this is artful music full of subtle pleasures that don't just slip and slide away but deepen after each listen. Just check out the rhythmic textures of songs like "Sure Don't Feel Like Love," which nimbly glides across a light jazz-funk groove. Or soak up the soothing, Latin-inflected atmospherics of "Another Galaxy." Elsewhere, on the gospel-tinged "Wartime Prayers," Simon offers sweet comfort "for every family scattered and broken."
[3 stars]
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Sure Don't Feel Like Love"
Foiled
POP-ROCK
Despite its mantra, Blue October's single "Hate Me" has won the Texas band nothing but love from radio. The song, about a man who is tormented by all the mistakes he made in a relationship, succeeds by marrying pop-rock hooks to goth-style slit-your-wrists lyrics: "I have to block out thoughts of you/So I don't lose my head/They crawl in like a cockroach/Leaving babies in my bed." Blue October's third studio album is unlikely to inspire such extreme passion, but it is fairly enjoyable if somewhat uneven. There is a little bit of everything here, from harder rock ("What If We Could") to folky pop ("Overweight") and light electronica ("X Amount of Words"). While a bit scattershot, all these shades of Blue October at least manage to keep things interesting.
[stars 2.5]
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Hate Me"
All American Bluegrass Girl
REVIEWED BY RALPH NOVAK
BLUEGRASS
Whether kicky or solemn, Vincent delivers on this down-home disc, which combines her vivacious, sweet-toned vocals with the zesty picking of her splendid band, the Rage. She boasts of both her Missouri roots and her bluegrass ones on the vigorous title song, celebrates her Christian upbringing on "Jesus Built a Bridge to Heaven" and proudly waves the American flag on "God Bless the Soldier." Vincent also gets a notable visit from Dolly Parton, the den mother of bluegrass girls everywhere, who adds ethereal backup vocals to "Heartbreaker's Alibi." [stars 3]
DOWNLOAD THIS: "All American Bluegrass Girl"
Director
R&B
His new disc may be called Director, but early on it's clear that Avant is more of a follower than a leader. On "This Is Your Night," one of many bedroom ballads on his fourth CD, the R&B Romeo borrows heavily from L.T.D.'s 1980 hit "Where Did We Go Wrong?" He also gives a shout-out to standard bearers Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye, which only drives home the fact that Avant is nowhere near in the same league as these soul men. Still, the smooth tenor brings the requisite mix of sensitivity ("4 Minutes") and sexuality (the title cut), throwing in the occasional hip-hop flourish for a little street cred. You could do worse to set the scene for a night of romance.
[stars 2.5]
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Right Place, Wrong Time"
Baby Makin' Music
R&B
With classic slow jams like "For the Love of You," "Footsteps in the Dark" and "Between the Sheets," the Isley Brothers were doubtlessly responsible for a spike in the population in the '70s and early '80s. Recent releases have demonstrated that the veteran R&B group—which now consists only of lead singer Ronald and his guitarist-brother Ernie—has not lost its baby-making mojo. Fresh but familiar, the Isleys' latest seduces the listener with its sumptuous sound (produced by contemporary hitmakers like Jermaine Dupri and frequent collaborator R. Kelly) and Ronald's sublime falsetto, which takes even the more mediocre material to a higher place.
[stars 3]
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Gotta Be with You"
Louder Now
ROCK
After two independent releases went gold, Taking Back Sunday unleashes its major-label debut. But anyone expecting the hardcore band to have gone soft will quickly find out otherwise, as they kick off with the rampaging assault of "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" with its ripping drums, two-guitar attack and frontman Adam Lazzara's emotive wail. The quintet keeps it cranked up for most of Louder Now, although the disc loses steam in the second half. At least the dreamy ballad "Divine Intervention" shows how effective they can be when they turn the decibels down.
[stars 2.5]
DOWNLOAD THIS: "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?"
Soundtrack to Your Life
POP
His first MTV reality series, Making the Band, led to the 2001 debut of his short-lived boy band O-Town. Now Ashley Parker Angel's second MTV reality show, There and Back, has set the stage for this, his first solo outing. The good news is that Soundtrack to Your Life is better than anything O-Town ever did: For the first half, Angel gamely keeps up with the Ryan Cabreras of the world thanks to some punchy pop-rock tunes courtesy of go-to producers like Max Martin (Britney Spears) and the Matrix (Avril Lavigne). But the bad news is that, with drippy ballads dominating the CD's second half, he falls hopelessly back into O-Town territory.
[2 stars]
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Let U Go"
For information on where to find our Download This picks, go to www.people.com/downloadthis
>BEVERLY HILLS COP There were a few months that every day after school I would come home and watch Beverly Hills Cop. That song "Axel F" takes me right back.
ARMAGEDDON It's good for long road trips because it has a little bit of everything. And it's got one of my favorite ZZ Top songs [La Grange].
TOP GUN I love the Kenny Loggins song on it, "Danger Zone." Plus, that was just a great movie.
GREASE It's more of a musical. I love all the songs. It reminds me of when I was in high school. I did a production of Grease in my town.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING The score is great to listen to. It's very epic.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
