Combine the vocal styles of Dusty Springfield, Sheryl Crow and Diana Krall, add maybe a dash of Carly Simon and Patsy Cline, then subtract the writing ability of Bonnie Raitt, and you get this winsome singer from Long Island. McNally, who moonlights as a cosmetics model, deftly blends elements of blues, folk, rock and country on her midtempo material and renders it all with a powerful singing voice. Unfortunately this strong debut suffers from McNally's somewhat weak lyrics, which occasionally veer toward the banal. Take "It Ain't Easy Being Green": "Paddy cake, paddy cake, barkeep man/ Pour me a beer as fast as you can." You can do better than that, Shannon.
Bottom Line: A promising young singer who lacks the write stuff
Chris Isaak (Reprise)
Playing a fictional version of himself for the past year on Showtime's The Chris Isaak Show has apparently been taking up much of Isaak's time. How else to explain the fact that the singer-songwriter hadn't released an album since 1998's Speak of the Devil? Isaak makes a welcome return on this new album, which wisely avoids any trendy musical makeovers, sticking to rootsy tunes that are as endearingly retro as the pompadour he has often worn.
Whether this effort will generate the kind of buzz he attracted in 1991 for the steamy "Wicked Game" remains to be seen. Not since that single and its memorable video, featuring the beached wail of Isaak as he caresses model Helena Christensen on the shore, has his music so vigorously stirred the passions of listeners. He comes close, though, with new slow-burning acoustic ballads such as "Worked It Out Wrong," on which his voice quivers with romantic regret. Elsewhere Isaak continues to evoke that great ace of ache, Roy Orbison, with an airy falsetto on the single "Let Me Down Easy," a charming midtempo ditty that even Roy would have been hard-pressed to beat.
Bottom Line: Wicked Isaak
Johnny Cash (Columbia/Legacy)
Album of the week
If American oak trees could sing, they would sound like Johnny Cash—stolid, stately, authentic, organically attuned to the earth. Feb. 26 marks Cash's 70th birthday, and this glorious two-CD, 36-song set surveys the career of the gnarled troubadour known as the Man in Black. The selection demonstrates, if nothing else, how unparalleled Cash is at telling a story in song, from his classic "Folsom Prison Blues" to the now-timely "Ragged Old Flag." It also showcases his uncanny ability to complement other artists, from wife June Carter Cash (on three tunes included here) to Bob Dylan (on "Girl from the North Country") and U2 (on "The Wanderer"). Even better, Cash seems to have soldiered through his recent health crises, so fans can look forward to more original Cash recordings to add to these historic treasures.—R.N.
Bottom Line: Essential, indeed
Montell Jordan (Def Soul)
When Montell Jordan busted his first move on the charts in 1995 with the hip-hop-soul jam "This Is How We Do It," he seemed desperate to be the next R. Kelly but more likely to be a one-or two-hit wonder. Jordan brought plenty of bumpin' to the dance floor but showed no sign of the vocal chops and songwriting ability that make for lengthy careers.
That was then. Five albums into his surprisingly consistent catalog, Jordan still should not be mentioned in the same breath as Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder, but on his latest he more than holds his own. Cementing his credibility as an artist, this is more adult R&B that rarely disappoints. Having all but dropped the rapping of his early days—except for some tiptoeing into hip hop at the disc's outset—Jordan has evolved into a convincing soul balladeer, delivering an array of old-school slow jams that are alternately romantic, sexy and even spiritual. He gets strong support from guest singer Case on "Coulda Woulda Shoulda," one of several tunes that recall vintage Isley Brothers. But Jordan really excels on the bluesy, gospel-tinged "Can't Take It No More," which proves just how far he has come.
Bottom Line: Still doin' it
- Contributors:
- Ralph Novak,
- Chuck Arnold.
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!
