Mattea has always been on the cerebral side, even when she sang about truck drivers bringing flowers to their girlfriends. On this album she indulges her self-conscious philosophizing while blending her country-folk background with Scottish and Irish folk music. The results are uneven. The ponderous lyrics come draped in a sonic quilt sewn out of such unusual instruments as pennywhistles, Celtic concertinas and even a pie plate. Yet so warm and rich is Mattea's intimate alto, so pervasive is her musicality, that she never succumbs to the dirgelike quality that marks much Scottish and Irish music. Even "Ashes in the Wind," her songwriter-husband Jon Vezner's tribute to a dead friend, comes across as a celebration, not a eulogy. Still, those who prefer the Mattea of "18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses" may not have any bouquets for this disc.
Bottom Line: Thorny listening
Bruce Springsteen (Columbia)
Album of the week
Welcome back on the job, Boss. Re-invigorated and reunited with some of his oldest buddies, Bruce Springsteen recaptures a little of the glory days on a foot-stomping, spiritually aware new rocker, his first studio album since 1995's stark folk effort, The Ghost of Tom Joad.
You can feel the return of the whole E Street Band—which hasn't recorded an entire studio disc (save one ballad) with Springsteen since 1984's Born in the U.S.A.—on the opening track, "Lonesome Day." The band's full-bodied heartland sound drives powerfully behind Springsteen's still-urgent baritone. Max Weinberg's lively drum attack and Clarence Clemons's robust sax bring to mind 1980's The River on such rousing, arena-ready rockers as "Mary's Place" (could it be the same Mary of "Thunder Road," 27 years later?). Elsewhere, Springsteen evokes images of Sept. 11—and lives "forever changed in a misty cloud of pink vapor"—on the title tune, some slower folk-tinged numbers and an awkward foray into world music, the Middle Eastern-flavored "Worlds Apart," about intercultural love soaring over barriers in the domain of Islam. He closes the disc with a gospel-infused studio version of "My City of Ruins," the song he performed on America: A Tribute to Heroes, that, 10 months later, celebrates all that has risen from the ashes.
Bottom Line: Reborn in the U.S.A.
Counting Crows (Geffen)
The old-fashioned tin on the cover of Counting Crows' fourth studio disc promises that this assortment of Hard Candy features "13 fresh new flavors." Basically, though, the septet sticks to the same dependable mix of jangly roots rockers and brooding ballads that fans have been snacking on since their 1993 debut. With its bouncy, melodic guitar pop and Beach Boyish vocal harmonies, the title tune recalls the Crows' breakthrough hit "Mr. Jones." On the similarly jaunty ditty "American Girls," they get help from another Crow-Sheryl-who chirps in with some sunny background vocals. Not one to get too chipper, lead singer and principal songwriter Adam Duritz has found a kindred tortured soul in Ryan Adams: After Duritz collaborated on Adams's Gold last year, Adams cowrote and sings backup on "Butterfly in Reverse," a lilting confection that, with its wistful lyrics ("Do you wanna go back? / You should have known/ That the butterfly in reverse here is me"), is both sweet and sour.
Bottom Line: Count on the Crows
Mary Mary (Columbia)
With their 2000 hit "Shackles (Praise You)," Mary Mary broke the chains that once discouraged gospel artists from getting busy on the dance floor. On their second album, sisters Erica and Tina Campbell continue to spread their Christian message to the clubs with songs that will put the spirit in your feet. With funky hip-hop beats and lush harmonies worthy of Destiny's Child, Mary Mary's R&B sound is so contemporary that, on the title track, the casual listener might think that they're referring to a mere mortal when they sing about how "incredible" His love is. Mostly produced by Erica's husband, Warryn Campbell, who also worked on Brandy's latest, this is music that is cause for rejoicing even if you never set foot in church.
Bottom Line: Hail, Mary Mary
Michele Greene (Appleseed)
L.A. Law alum Michele Greene shows that her talents aren't limited to acting on this surprisingly credible debut (the title of which means "eye of the shark"). She artfully combines music from her multicultural heritage—a Mexican-Nicaraguan mother and a dad from Oklahoma—to create a melting pot of Latin and folk styles. Greene wrote or cowrote all 10 songs and sings them with considerable brio in both Spanish and English. Produced by Peruvian Ciro Hurtado, who also backs Greene with his delicate, resonant guitar, the disc more than does justice to all branches of her family tree.
Bottom Line: A winning case
The Vines (Capitol)
This Australian quartet—led by singer Craig Nicholls—brazenly borrows from its trusty rock and role models: the Beatles, the Kinks, Cheap Trick and Nirvana. The result is an exhilarating mix of raw rock—as noisy as it is infectious—tempered by a smattering of dreamy, psychedelic songs that might even have impressed John Lennon. Throw in some melodic ballads, ska-influenced bop and postmodern punk, and you're left with a debut disc that easily transcends other garage-band revivalists such as the Strokes, the Hives and the White Stripes, which have emerged as the latest rage in rock.
Yes, these young bands all strive to sound like the seminal giants that came before them, but it's the Vines who still manage to distinctly reinterpret those influences, proving that for a derivative rock group, they really are highly evolved.
Bottom Line: A natural selection
- Contributors:
- Ralph Novak,
- Chuck Arnold,
- Carolyn E. Davis.
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!
