The unpredictable Ms. Lynne was once a Nashville wunderkind. Now most of the wondering is along the lines of "What's she doing?"
In this case, Lynne, who made her album debut in 1988, seems to be striving for an edgier urban sound that has little, if anything, to do with country music. Never a run-of-the-mill country singer, the underachieving Lynne has always been one to experiment; she even recorded Duke Ellington tunes in the past. But this, her sixth album, includes 10 soulful-going-on-jazzy tunes that could have been recorded by Lauryn Hill. At best this allows Lynne to sound like Dusty Spring-field, but even her own big voice seems wrenched out of shape by the over dramatics of songs like "Life Is Bad" and "Black Light Blue."
The wistful "Dream Some" is a more reasonable stretch for Lynne, though country fans still should wish that she establish her Nashville bona fides more solidly before looking for other worlds to conquer.
Bottom Line: Misconceived crossover
The Life and Times of S. Carter
Jay-Z (Roc-a-fella/Def Jam)
By the time Brooklyn's Jay-Z (né Shawn Carter) released his 1998 smash, the Annie-inspired "Hard Knock Life," his name was already writ large in hip-hop circles. The 30-year-old rapper was hailed by many as heir to the late legends Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. and was so well-regarded as a lyricist that he was hired to pen rhymes for fellow artists. The CD that spawned the single, Volume 2: Hard Knock Life, was a staggering success both artistically and commercially and would stay at No. 1 for five weeks, sell more than 4 million copies and earn Jay-Z a much-deserved Grammy.
On his fourth CD, Jay-Z muses about the lingering impact of becoming a superstar. "I ain't crossover, I brought the suburbs to the hood," he laconically intones on "Come and Get Me." Elsewhere he insists that despite money, fame and a newly acquired summer home, he's still the same guy from the projects. Of course he isn't, but facts rarely interfere with a good story, and Jay can spin yarns like few others. With inventive imagery ("Who ever thought S. Carter would change the game? I used to rap to the raindrops on my windowpane") and a solid, no-nonsense style, Jay-Z pledges his allegiance to the streets. Little matter that he has covered much of this territory before. Jay-Z's ways with rap make it well worth hearing again.
Bottom Line: Hard knocks, hot sounds
Crystal Gayle (Platinum)
Album of the week
This winning tribute to the quirky, melody-rich tunes of the great songwriter Hoagy Carmichael proves that Gayle is as comfortable with pop songs as she is with country music—aybe even more so. The album includes CarmichaePs most familiar tunes, ubiquitous standards like "Stardust," "Lazybones," "The Nearness of You," "I Get Along Without You Very Well," "Georgia on My Mind," "Lazy River," and that favorite of neophyte pianists, the title tune. But Gayle also does justice to such lesser-known Carmichael compositions as the pastoral love song "One Morning in May" and "Ole Buttermilk Sky." And she joins Willie Nelson for a good-natured duet on "Two Sleepy People." Though steeped in jazz, Carmichael's songs have such an unmistakable down-home feel that more country singers could profitably exploit them. This is a fine demonstration of how to do it.
Bottom Line: Great songs, terrific singer
Mark Wills (Mercury)
If Wills sounded any more relaxed, his music would slide right off the disc. As it is, with three years of Nashville success under his belt, the 26-vear-old singer delivers his tunes with a practiced, heartfelt ease.
That's especially helpful to him because he has a penchant for treacly autobiographical songs. This album's "In My Arms," which Wills cowrote with Monty Criswell and Michael White, was inspired by his baby daughter Mally. Wills, in fact, makes several trips here to the same wells of paternal and spousal piety frequently visited by Garth Brooks. Wills is more convincing in his emotion-laden ballads, but he can also sell an energetic tune, such as "This Can't Be Love." The album also includes the Brandy hit "Almost Doesn't Count." That Wills seems comfortable with her song is a little alarming. One hopes he won't be tempted to forsake Nashville and head for Hollywood.
Bottom Line: Comfy country
- Contributors:
- Ralph Novak,
- Amy Linden.
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!
