The startling and richly satisfying debut of this Los Angeles singer-songwriter comes complete with a deafening wave of hype. In this case, it's justified. Gray (née Natalie McIntyre), a 31-year-old single mother of three, manages to conjure up the classic '70s soul-funk grooves of Sly Stone and George Clinton and infuse those sloppy, sexy rhythms with a modern, off-kilter and decidedly female point of view.
With her distinctive, husky and high-pitched voice, Gray sounds as if she has spent as much time sucking helium as smoking cigarettes. Backed by a band that is fluid and funky, she spins tales of unrequited lust, unrepentant acts of mayhem, and redemption and rejection, as evidenced on the deceptively breezy "The Letter," a suicide note set to a beat that would make even soul great Al Green jealous.
Often poignant, always pointed, Gray mixes rock, soul and the blues with a wit and a creativity that is joyously refreshing. Count this among the year's most promising debuts.
Bottom Line: First-class effort from a rising new star
Guided By Voices (TVT)
Raise your hand at a Guided By Voices concert and, out of old habit, bandleader Robert Pollard just might call on you. Until five years ago, Pollard, who began churning out little-heard albums of catchy pop gems in the basement of his Dayton home back in the late 1970s, supported himself by working as a fourth-grade schoolteacher. He quit after the Voices were signed by a major label in 1994. Since then, Pollard has achieved cult status as a prolific and pop-savvy auteur. Here, on the Voices' 11th full-length album, guitarist, singer and songwriter Pollard eschews his former rudimentary lo-fi sound and teams with producer Ric Ocasek, the former Cars driver who encases the album in his trademark wall of booming sound. Joined by longtime Voices bassist Greg Demos and newcomers Jim MacPherson (on drums) and guitarist Doug Gillard, Pollard, now 41, pays homage to the 1960s and '70s pop music he was weaned on with these 16 two-and three-minute symphonies. Blessed with an appealing voice to match the unwavering melodic sensibility that guides him, Pollard sweetens his basic guitar-bass-drums sound with some studio flourishes that seem more of a salute to Sgt. Pepper than a surrender to modern electronica. Pollard also has a gift for inventive lyrics, as displayed in titles like "Teenage FBI" and "Optical Hopscotch." Just hope that the last tune, "An Unmarketed Product," does not forecast the fate of this album.
Bottom Line: Former teacher scores high marks
Richard Thompson (Capitol)
Looking for lyrical songs, heartfelt vocals and masterful guitar playing? Then forget Eric Clapton and pick up the latest CD from another British bard who has spent more than 30 years coaxing mellifluous strands from his Stratocaster. Unlike his more famous compatriot, Thompson hasn't abandoned the primeval passions that have always energized his music. In the '60s he led the Fairport Convention, a London-based folk-rock group whose influence outweighed its sales. Later, he wed a singer and the couple recorded a string of melodic, memorable albums as Richard and Linda Thompson. In 1982 they divorced, and Richard went solo. Since then he has released a string of finely crafted albums that match a Beatles-esque pop instinct with musical influences ranging from mainstream Nashville country tunes to obscure Celtic reels.
Though Thompson still sometimes indulges his quiet, folkish side, he mostly turns up the volume here. The blues-tinged "Cooksferry Queen" builds to a magnificent lovelorn crescendo, and the extended ode "Hard on Me" rocks as hard as they come.
Bottom Line: The real deal
Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris (Asylum)
Harmonizing like a twang and a tear, these two Nashville outsiders (who first teamed with Dolly Parton on the 1987 hit Trio) reunite here to locate the country heart of pop masterpieces by such non-Nashvillians as Leonard Cohen ("Sisters of Mercy") and Sinead O'Connor ("This Is to Mother You"). Sweet surprises come from the pens of Patti Scialfa ("Valerie") and her husband, Bruce Springsteen ("Across the Border"), as well as Harris's own collaboration with Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff ("Sweet Spot"). Throughout, Ronstadt's earthy lead blends with Harris's airy soprano to heavenly effect.
Bottom Line: Tender, mournful and winning
>ARTIST OF THE CENTURY Elvis Presley (RCA) "Hearing him for the first time," Bob Dylan says of His Rock Highness in liner notes to this unarguably titled 3-CD, 75-track collection, "was like busting out of jail."
IT'S YOUR THING: THE STORY OF THE ISLEY BROTHERS The Isley Brothers (Epic/Legacy) From their 1950s rock classic "Shout (Parts 1&2)" to their polished R&B hits of the '90s, the Isleys have been shakin' it up, baby, for more than 40 years.
GAGA FOR YA-YA: ZYDECO MADNESS Various Artists (Allegro) The bestseller Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood inspired this collection of leap-froggin' Louisiana Zydeco by many of its top practitioners.
- Contributors:
- Amy Linden,
- Steve Dougherty,
- Alec Foege.
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!
