Critic's Choice
Take note, Whitney: Monica has made the kind of album that you should have made instead of last fall's lackluster Just Whitney. Saucy yet sultry, hip but not too hip-hop, the 22-year-old singer's first disc since 1998's multiplatinum The Boy Is Mine is about as good as it gets for contemporary R&B-pop divas. The secret to the CD's success is an old-meets-new-school vibe that should please both teenyboppers and their parents. The first single "So Gone," one of three standout tracks produced and cowritten by Missy Elliot, samples the Whispers' 1977 song "You Are Number One" to bring about a retro-soul reverie reminiscent of Aretha Franklin's 1972 hit "Day Dreaming." Elsewhere Monica sings and raps on the '80s-style party jam "Get It Off," which lifts its percolating groove from Strafe's 1985 club classic "Set it Off." Guest vocals by Tyrese, DMX and Tweet complement Monica's fully matured alto, which is equally adept at gospel-tinged numbers like the acoustic-guitar-laced "That's My Man" and pop-flavored ones like the bittersweet ballad "Breaks My Heart."
BOTTOM LINE: A near-perfect Storm
John Mellencamp (Columbia)
Ever since his 1987 tour de force The Lonesome Jubilee, heartland rocker John Mellencamp has been digging in the roots of American music. He delves deeper on this album of covers surveying the rich tradition of blues, folk, country and even gospel. From the opening number, a rickety-good rendition of bluesman Robert Johnson's "Stones in My Passway," it's clear that Mellencamp is no downhome poser. The Indiana native brings a juke-joint stomp to cutes like Woody Guthrie's "Johnny Hart," while giving a stripped-down soulfulness to hoady Carmichael's "Baltimore Oriole." Meanwhile, more pop-oriented songs like the first single "Teardrops Will Fall" and the ballad "The End of the World" could have fit right in on any of Mellencamp's post-Jubilee discs. During the CD, mandolin, upright bass, fiddle and tambourine provide authentic accompaniment for Mellencamp's raspy growl. BOTTOM LINE: Righteous and rootsy
Suzy Bogguss (Compadre)
Country-pop singer Suzy Bogguss puts some swing in her step on this delightful jazz-styled album mixing standards with contemporary material. Producer Ray Benson, frontman of the western swing band Asleep at the Wheel, deftly guides Bogguss through 12 fluidly arranged numbers, including the Duke Ellington class "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me" and the sweetly romantic "It's Always New to Me," which Bogguss cowrote with her husband, Doug Crider. Bogguss has the phrasing of a big-band singer and the timbre of her voice evokes Helen Forrest, the best of the white female swing-era vocalists.
BOTTOM LINE: Nothing Bogguss about Suzy
Hot summer movie
•Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Pink contributes the electronica-infused first single "Feel Good Time." Mostly, though, the CD is a fun nostalgia trip with hits from the '70s and '80s.
•2 Fast 2 Furious This hip-hop-heavy album gets revved up with the party anthem "Act a Fool" by Ludacris and stays in gear with pumping rap tracks by Trick Daddy and Fat Joe.
•The Matrix Reloaded Disc 1 captures the film's spirit with edgy rock (new tracks by Deftones, Marilyn Manson and P.O.D.) and electronica, while Disc 2 features the orchestral score.
•The Lizzie McGuire Movie A bubble-gum-flavored CD, with two songs by star Hilary Duff. But grown-ups will cringe at Jump5's remake of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star."
•Bad Boys II The cast for this stellar soundtrack (out July 15) features a who's who of rap and R&B, including Jay-Z, Nelly, Beyoncé, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige.
- 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!
