Comin' to Your City
vs
Merle Haggard
Chicago Wind
CRITIC'S CHOICE
Comin' to Your City: [STARS 2]
Chicago Wind: [STARS 4]
If Big & Rich represent the new school of country, then Merle Haggard represents the old school. Both have recently released albums that, for better and for worse, demonstrate the great divide in Nashville.
With last year's double-platinum debut, Horse of a Different Color, Big & Rich—the MuzikMafia duo of "Big" Kenny Alphin and John Rich—became true country outlaws by mixing rock and rap into their decidedly untraditional sound. But on Comin' to Your City, they mostly seem to be going through the motions, with the boots and hats but without the soul or spirit. While their vocal shortcomings are finessed—they sound slick and video-ready—tracks like "20 Margaritas" and "Blow My Mind" seem to have been composed by a focus group. And not even the sonorous presence of Kris Kristofferson can put any heart into "8th of November," about an ambush in Vietnam.
On the other hand, Haggard, despite kicking around for 40 years, sounds fresh and enthusiastic; he's still writing and finding engaging songs to wrap that warm, unfailingly musical baritone around. The highlight of his excellent latest, Chicago Wind, is Haggard's own jaunty "Some of Us Fly," a duet with Toby Keith that manages to be playful and tuneful even as it conveys its big statement about pursuing dreams. Haggard also shines on Roger Miller's "Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go," a wry lament on which the singer flexes his own keen sense of irony, and Willie Nelson's "It Always Will Be," which allows him to affectingly wax romantic. It all goes to show why Haggard, unlike Big & Rich, is as close to Nashville royalty as it gets.
RAP
Original Soundtrack
[STARS 2.5]
Although this is technically the soundtrack to 50 Cent's semi-autobiographical movie, Get Rich or Die Tryin', it could also be the new G Unit album. All 16 cuts (plus two bonus tracks) feature either 50 himself or one of his G Unit posse: Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and Tony Yayo. Coming off his impressive solo debut, 2004's The Hunger for More, Banks, in particular, steps up on five songs, including the down-and-dirty party jam "Get Low." But this disc ultimately lives and dies on the strength of its leading man, who appears on all but four numbers. Unfortunately, with a shortage of hot beats to inspire him, 50 sounds like he is in cruise control for much of the CD. While tracks like "Hustler's Ambition" and "I Don't Know Officer" may serve the plot of the film, they are not up to the gangsta standards of his 2003 debut, also named Get Rich or Die Tryin', or even this year's The Massacre. (There's certainly nothing here that can touch Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from his 8 Mile soundtrack.) Still, even a subpar 50 is better than most, and he has his moments, such as "We Both Think Alike," a sexy sequel to "Candy Shop" also featuring vocalist Olivia, and the blaxploitation-sounding "What If."
DOWNLOAD THIS: "We Both Think Alike"
FOLK-POP
The Body Acoustic
[STARS 2.5]
Lauper must be having trouble coming up with some good new material. After 2003's covers disc At Last, she redoes her own hits in stripped-down settings with help from guests like Shaggy and Ani DiFranco. The results, including two soothing new songs, are pleasant if sometimes pointless: A folky "Time After Time" benefits from Sarah McLachlan's ethereal presence, but on a plaintive "She Bop," this girl doesn't seem to be having any fun.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Time After Time"
HARD ROCK
The Great Divide
[STARS 3]
Despite selling 25 million albums, Creed was always considered the poor man's Pearl, Jam making frontman Scott Stapp the post-grunge answer to Eddie Vedder. But now Stapp has done something Vedder never did by stepping out on his own. And this rock-solid solo debut—which sounds an awful lot like his old band that split up last year—shows that Stapp needs Creed a lot less than Creed needs him. Stapp announces his independence with the blistering one-two punch of "Reach Out" and "Fight Song," as if to assure Creed fans that he hasn't gone soft and taken the singer-song-writer route. Elsewhere Stapp, who wrote all his own material and coproduced with John Kurzweg (who also worked on all of Creed's discs), piles the hooks, the guitars and his booming baritone on earnest rockers like the power ballad "Surround Me" and the soaring title track. The latter, which alludes to Stapp's breaking free from Creed, is one of many cuts that reference the singer's strong Christian beliefs. He even brings in a gospel choir for the healing closer "Broken."
DOWNLOAD THIS: "The Great Divide"
JAZZ-POP
To Love Again
[STARS 3]
Last year a plug from Oprah made trumpeter Chris Botti's When I Fall in Love an unexpected hit: It's one of the few jazz recordings to go gold. Get ready to dim the lights again. By turns stark and wistful, this engaging follow-up features Botti's piercing high notes and melancholy tones (à la Miles Davis) backed by a string orchestra. With a diverse lineup of vocalists from Sting to Gladys Knight, To Love Again strikes a smooth balance between tales of affection and ardor. On "Smile," Aerosmith's Steven Tyler surprises as he displays a fragile courage. But it's Jill Scott, on an unusually jaunty rendition of "Good Morning Heartache," who really helps Botti show what love is all about.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Good Morning Heartache"
>George Jones, Hits I Missed...And One I Didn't Jones originally passed on the great country songs he now catches up to, including "The Blues Man," his beautiful duet with Dolly Parton.
Kindred the Family Soul, In This Life Together This married duo explores the emotional dynamics of family and long-term commitment with richly crafted R&B harking back to the '70s Sound of Philadelphia.
Madonna, Confessions on a Dance Floor Madonna's body-rocking latest is an all-dance album that balances the '80s synth pop of her early years with her latter-day electronica. Get totally into the groove.
Neil Diamond, 12 Songs Diamond ditches the glitz and picks up the acoustic guitar on a stunningly stripped-down affair with bits of country, jazz, gospel and Tin Pan Alley pop.
>Sheryl Crow
With a new CD, Wildflower, and her engagement to her bicycling boyfriend Lance Armstrong, whom she plans to marry next spring, pop-rocker Sheryl Crow has a lot making her happy these days.
ON HER NEW WORK ETHIC I had to adjust the way I approached my work because it was taking such precedence over my life. The last few years I've taken off more time, and it's really made my desire to work stronger.
ON GEORGE HARRISON'S INFLUENCE I've always loved him, and for me his passing was an epiphany moment. I had just begun meditating a lot, and he seems to have a presence on the stuff I've done since he passed away.
ON WEDDING PLANS We'd both like to have it outside. I find as much spirituality in nature as inside of a beautiful church. Our main objective is to make sure the kids feel like it's their wedding too. Lance has three small children.
ON WHEN SHE KNEW LANCE WAS THE ONE It was obvious after a month of dating that we were so good together. I've compared it to getting on the escalator with somebody and just riding up. We're so in sync. He's the picture of strength and control, and I'm the picture of sensitivity and vulnerability. I hope I inspire him the same way he inspires me.
For information on where to find our Download This picks, go to www.people.com/downloadthis or AOL (Keyword: People)
- Contributors:
- Ralph Novak,
- Chuck Arnold,
- V.R. Peterson,
- Natasha Stoynoff.
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!
