"I made a list of my favorite girl singers and the first nine I called said 'yes,' " Prine says in the liner notes to this collection of country duets. Listeners will find the songs and costars Prine has chosen equally irresistible. Prine, 53, has a smoke-and-whiskey rasp that partners such as Patty Loveless, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and Trisha Yearwood clearly enjoy harmonizing to on back-porch laughers ("[We're Not] The Jet Set") and hymns full of steel-string sorrow (Don Everly's "So Sad [To Watch Good Love Go Bad]"). Also featured are lesser known—but no less gifted—women like Iris DeMent, Connie Smith and Dolores Kean. Melba Montgomery stands out on "We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds," a tune she wrote, as well as on "Milwaukee Here I Come," about a brewer who demands that his starstruck gal choose between "Them Opry stars or me."
Bottom Line: Lots more sparkle than spite
David Bowie (Virgin)
Album of the week
During his 52 years, Bowie has been known to take a misstep or two. He once starred in a mime troupe, and his 1987 Glass Spiders tour was a tangled mess. So it seemed highly probable, then, that this techno-tinged album would turn out to be another sad attempt by an aging rocker to be trendy. Surprise: Rather than dabbling in the esoterics of pop's outer electronic edge, Bowie surfs it with aplomb. Where others toy awkwardly with studio effects, Bowie marshals them in service of a new batch of winning songs, including standouts like "Survive" and "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell," that will shine among his trove of rock classics.
Bottom Line: Rock's king of cool adds to his luster
Brooks & Dunn (Arista/Nashville)
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have been hiding their lights under a bushel. All their beer-party, bootscootin' country tunes have obscured their substantial singing abilities. So it's a pleasure to hear them tone it down a bit on many of these tracks, including a poignant version of John Waite's "Missing You." And "Hurt Train," which was cowritten by Dunn, gives the boys a chance to modulate their pace to a slow and lovesick, locomotive chug. The duo's sixth studio album doesn't totally neglect the line-dance crowd, however. "Goin' Under Gettin' Over You," another tune written in part by Dunn, is a clever ditty with a jaunty, insistent rhythm. "Temptation #9" (cowritten by Brooks) is similarly lively. Here then is reason to believe that Brooks and Dunn have discovered that there is more to life than straight-out boogaloo.
Bottom Line: Rowdy partners are caught in a more melodic mood
Kim Lenz and the Jaguars (Hightone)
Backed by dawn-of-rock guitar riffs lifted verbatim from Elvis sideman Scotty Moore's playbook, Lenz sings her rockabilly odes with the sort of randy sass that would have been considered unladylike in the King's court. A 32-year-old throwback who has built a following among club-goers with her rollicking stage act, Lenz looks like a living '50s-era doll in ruby-red lipstick and antique chiffon gowns. On this, Lenz's second album, the Jaguars, three dudes in white bucks and ducktails on guitar, drums and upright bass, are joined by boogie-piano man Carl "Sonny" Leyland, who gives the band an added dash of swing. Lenz, who wrote or cowrote half these 14 up-tempo tunes, plays the honky-tonk sex kitten as she warbles ditties like "Stick Em Up Honey," in which she warns, "I don't wanna hurt you honey, but you know I can."
Bottom Line: Lusty rockabilly
Tori Amos (Atlantic)
Love her or hate her, you've got to admit, Tori Amos has guts. Since the early '90s this sylphlike singer has brought an almost missionary zeal—as well as passionate piano playing—to her sweetly raging songs. As reward she has a rabid fan base, plus plenty of critics who deride her sometimes seemingly nonsensical lyrics. This double CD set should impress both camps. By packaging a disc of new tracks with a second of past concert highlights, Amos pleases her fans and shows everyone else what the fuss is about. Lyrics like "Father, I killed my monkey," from her single "Bliss," won't wow detractors, but her new techno-burbly sound should.
Bottom Line: Powerful singer rockets to new heights
>THE RIGHTEOUS ONES Toshi Reagon (Razor & Tie) Strutting her genes (mom Bernice is a member of Sweet Honey in the Rock), Reagon turns in a powerful batch of rocking soul songs.
PAPA Salif Keita (Metro Blue/Blue Note) The Golden Voice of Mali and American guitarist Vernon Reid brew a stew of cross-cultural funk.
THE BEST OF FACES: GOOD BOYS...WHEN THEY'RE ASLEEP... Faces (Rhino) Back when Rod Stewart wrote and sang like he meant it and before Ron Wood got Stoned, they belonged to the great Brit mod band the Faces.
- Contributors:
- Steve Dougherty,
- Ralph Novak,
- 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!
