LIL' KIM
With a nod to her late and much-lamented mentor (and lover), the Notorious B.I.G., hip-hop's favorite bad girl is more boring than bodacious on this uneven and uninspired album. (Queen Bee/Undeas/Atlantic)
Michael Hutchence
MICHAEL HUTCHENCE
Sadly, the INXS star never finished this years-in-the-tinkering solo album before his death (by apparent suicide) in his native Australia in 1997. Despite a posthumous assist from U2's Bono, who adds vocals to one of his friend's incomplete tunes, the collection remains unfinished, unfocused and unworthy of the charismatic rocker's memory. (V2)
New Tattoo
MÖTLEY CRÜE
The thinning-hair band misses the big blustering beat—and humor—of drummer Tommy Lee. The three remaining original members (joined by new drummer Randy Castillo) do not a Crüe make. This album is as embarrassing as the titular new 'too can be. (Mötley/Beyond)
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
OASIS
Lemme hear you shout "Hubris!" After many wishful self-comparisons to the Beatles and years of obnoxious public behavior, the Brit pop brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher always seemed to save themselves by putting out smart, tuneful albums. Not this time. (Epic)
Sweet Kisses
JESSICA SIMPSON
Sugary as cotton candy and just as insubstantial, the living doll's debut album can cause toothache and confusion: She sings the praises of premarital abstinence in a low and breathy get-me-to-the-bedroom croon. (Columbia)
Amber
AMBER
Where Dutch disco queen Marie-Claire Cremers got her stage name is anyone's guess. The steam generated by the video for her single "Sexual (Li Da Di)" evaporates with one spin of this mind-numbing disc. (Tommy Boy)
Revelation
98°
More fizzle than sizzle, the Ohio-based vocal and dance quartet's tepid fourth CD disappoints by drowning the crisp, satisfying harmonies that once set them apart from their peers. Not quite body temperature. (Universal)
Oscar De La Hoya
OSCAR DE LA HOYA
In his debut round as a Latin pop singer, the former welterweight boxing champion proves to be a very lightweight Ricky Martin. (EMI Latin)
III GUY
With weak tunes and a dated style, the reunion of one of the 1990s' premier vocal acts (starring Teddy Riley and Aaron and Damion Hall) met with the mostly indifferent reception it deserved. (MCA)
The History of Rock
KID ROCK
Fusing the worst excesses of heavy metal and rap, the Kid (real name: Robert Ritchie) shoots for the gutter with soggy, familiar-sounding retreads. Subtlety, thy name is not Rock. (Lava/Atlantic)
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!
