After selling more than 16 million copies of their debut album, 1994's Cracked Rear View, Hootie & the Blowfish went belly up with their last disc of new material, 1998's Musical Chairs, which sold fewer than 1 million copies. Fans should give a Hootie about the group's latest, though, which finds the quartet delivering the same agreeable, rootsy pop-rock that led to early hits like "Hold My Hand" and "Only Wanna Be with You."
Unlike frontman Darius Rucker, who last year tried a radical neosoul makeover on his overlooked solo debut, Back to Then, the group has chosen not to mess with a dependable formula. They still sound like the ultimate bar band. Upbeat tracks with sing-along choruses, like "Space," are exactly what we've come to expect from them: songs that will sound great blaring out of your car stereo. They are balanced by bittersweet ballads like the folky, aching "Tears Fall Down." For his part, Rucker brings some of his new soulfulness to the cautionary tale "Little Brother," but he sounds corny when he tosses in urban slang: "How you gonna say what you can and can't do/ Sittin' in the crib parked in front of the tube." The band also ventures into country territory on the hokey "Little Darlin'." They're more successful covering the Continental Drifters' 1999 tune "The Rain Song," with Drifters Vicki Peterson and Susan Cowsill adding sunny harmonies.
BOTTOM LINE: Solid if unspectacular
Dar Williams (Razor & Tie)
Album of the week
When Dar Williams sings "Farewell to the Old Me" on her fine fifth studio album, the singer-songwriter could be waving goodbye to her coffeehouse period. The disc, which was largely inspired by her relocation from New England to New York City, finds Williams moving away from the spare, acoustic-guitar-based folk of her earlier work to a more full-bodied, pop-flavored sound that should win her new fans. Helping Williams with this more expansive approach are an eclectic array of guest artists, including bluegrass singer Alison Krauss, Blues Traveler frontman John Popper (on background vocals and harmonica), Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and banjo player Béla Fleck. Still, the focus remains on Williams's pure, resonant voice and intelligent lyrics. When she insightfully asks, "Am I the habit you're too tired to break?" on the shimmering "Closer to Me," you'll be hooked.
BOTTOM LINE: Beautiful Dar
Willie Nelson (Sugar Hill)
Long before Willie Nelson became country's grand ol' hippie, he was just a songwriter who used demos to pitch his tunes to vocalists. The centerpiece of this compilation of recordings made in the early '60s is "Crazy," the Nelson composition that became Patsy Cline's signature song and one of the greatest American pop tunes. Among the 18 cuts—some of which include masterful studio musicians on accompaniment—are such lesser-known Nelson gems as "Permanent Lonely," "I Gotta Get Drunk" and "What Do You Think of Her Now." Eight tracks feature just Nelson himself singing and playing acoustic guitar, revealing a brilliant raw talent in the rough.
BOTTOM LINE: Dandy demos
Aaron Neville (Tell It/EMI Gospel)
With his heavenly tenor and soul-stirring delivery, Neville is a gospel natural, as he shows on his second spiritual CD (following 2000's Devotion). Here, he elevates an assortment of inspirational selections, revisiting such traditional hymns as "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" as well as more contemporary material like Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody." Two original songs, including the intense "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," are also featured. For a twist, a couple of tracks have a dash of Cajun-zydeco flavor. All of it soars on the wings of Neville's angelic voice. --R.N. BOTTOM LINE: DivineBOTTOM LINE: Divine
t.A.T.u. [Interscope]
File Russian teenagers Julia Volkova and Lena Katina, who make up the new pop duo t.A.T.u., under Most Likely to Be One-Hit Wonders. Buoyed by a controversial video that shows the two girls kissing—prompting are-they-or-aren't-they questions about their sexuality—the group's first English-language single, "All the Things She Said," is climbing the charts after already hitting No. 1 in the U.K. Aside from the electronic-charged ear candy of "All the Things," though, t.A.T.u.'s cheesy Euro-pop debut makes little impression. And we do mean little: There are only eight songs on the album; of those, two are repeated in Russian and one recurs in an extended version.
BOTTOM LINE: Stay out of this Lane
BlackStreet (Dream Works)
BlackStreet's fourth effort is a sequel of sorts to its second disc, 1996's Another Level, the R&B vocal quartet's biggest-selling CD and the one that spawned the No. 1 hit "No Diggity." The new album reteams the same lineup featured on Another Level, with Mark Middleton back on the block after leaving to pursue a solo career. BlackStreet is still masterminded by producer-member Teddy Riley. However, his jittery, popping street beats, which were so fresh back in 1996, sound somewhat dated on uptempo tracks like "Wizzy Wow" (featuring rapper Mystikal). BlackStreet is better off on melody-driven ballads such as the pretty, acoustic-guitar-laced " Bygones," which, for one soulful song, reunites the group with original member-gone-solo Dave Hollister.
BOTTOM LINE: A middling Level
- Contributors:
- Chuck Arnold,
- Ralph Novak.
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!
