WITH THE LIGHTS OUT
CRITIC'S CHOICE
REVIEWED BY CHUCK ARNOLD
ROCK
Most rock bands wouldn't rate a box set after putting out just three studio albums. But Nirvana wasn't like most rock bands. They were the kind of band that comes around once, if that, in a generation. Which is why anticipation had been amped to mythic heights for this four-disc collection (three CDs plus one DVD), which Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, once promised would be "the holy grail of rock and roll." After a three year battle between Love and the surviving members of Nirvana (Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic) over this box set-which was initially planned for release in 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of Nevermind-it finally sees the light of day. And while musically it has its dim moments, it is a fascinating, warts-and-all study of the trio, replete with demos, B-sides, outtakes and other rarities. You can practically feel the grunge under your fingernails from Nirvana's formative days heard on Disc 1, which kicks off with a raucous cover of Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker," played at the group's first show in 1987. Disc 2 finds Nevermind coming into bloom. Listening to the 1991 rehearsal demo of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which Cobain's raw yowl, sends shivers down your spine all over again. Perhaps because we know how the story ends (with Cobain's suicide in 1994), there is a sadness surrounding the In Utero-era sessions on Disc 3. After the CD closes with his haunting acoustic solo turn on "All Apologies," you can't help but wonder, "What if?"
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (rehearsal demo, 1991)
OFF TO JOIN THE WORLD
REVIEWED BY RALPH NOVAK
COUNTRY
If Larsen writes and sings about the joys and lessons of youth with uncommon familiarity, it shouldn't be surprising. At 18, he's a lot younger than most of his Nashville contemporaries. But even though he just graduated from high school in Buckley, Wash., last year, this knockout debut is smartly written and beautifully snug, in a warm baritone reminiscent of his inspirations, Merle Haggard and George Strait. In fact, one of six cuts that Larsen had a hand in writing is "If Merle Would Sing My Song." The title track is a clever tune about a man who falls for a girl on a flying trapeze, then leaves the circus for the real world. And "The Best Man" pays tribute to Larsen's stepfather, who introduced him to country music. The disc is effectively modulated, from the touching teenage-suicide song "How Do You Get That Lonely?" to the sprightly "That's Just Me," which shows that Larsen can kick up his heels ingratiatingly. Every young singer should blend youthful energy and respect for tradition this artfully.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Off to Join the World"
BORN FOR THIS!
R&B
It was clear that Stephanie Mills was born for singing when, 30 years ago, the little lady with the big voice first starred as Dorothy in the original Broadway production of The Wiz. On this, her first disc since 1995's gospel outing Personal Inspirations, Mills has finally found her way back home to recording. And it's good to hear her again. Still possessing those showstopping pipes, Mills, 47, doesn't try to act half her age by hooking up with 50 Cent or attempting to shake booties with the Ciaras of the world. Instead she delivers a sophisticated set of slow to midtempo R&B that will make grown-ups feel good all over. Mills puts an old-school spirit into gospel-tinged numbers such as "Can't Let Him Go" and "Healing Time" that would have played just as well in 1985 as 2005. Occasionally things feel a little too déjá vu: "Never Knew Love" retreads the romantic theme of Mills's similarly titled 1980 gem "Never Knew Love Like This Before," and the CD includes an unnecessary remake of the singer's own 1989 hit "Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)." But when it belts the BeBe Winans-written title track, there is no doubt that Mills has been reborn.
STREET'S DISCIPLE
RAP
First Outkast released the double disc Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Then Nelly simultaneously issued two separate albums, Sweat and Suit. Now the latest hip-hop act to super-size his musical output is Nas, with this ambitious two-CD set. And the extra-large effort shows that the Queens emcee, whose rap glory was restored with 2002's God's Son, remains a highly inspired street poet. Just listen to Disciple's ingenious highlight "Bridging the Gap," one of two cuts on which Nas teams up with his jazz musician father, Olu Dara. Set against a harmonica-driven blues riff straight from the jook joint, the autobiographical track finds Nas recounting when he "discovered my father's music like Prince searching through boxes in Purple Rain." The song deftly bridges "the gap from the blues to jazz to rap," as well as from father to son. Elsewhere, Nas turns political on cuts like "American Way," which features a Q-Tip-produced groove (with samples from George Clinton's "Atomic Dog") and a guest vocal from new wife Kelis. The latter brings out the romantic in Nas on tracks such as "Getting Married," on which he raps, "Say hello to the man, goodbye to the gigolo."
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Bridging the Gap"
BEAUTIFUL SOUL
TEEN POP
Now that Justin Timberlake is all of 24 and has permanently shed his bubblegum image, Jesse McCartney steps up as the fresh-scrubbed heartthrob most likely to take Timberlake's pinup spot. The 17-year-old singer, a former member of the boy band Dream Street who also costars on the WB drama Summerland, makes tasty teen pop that updates the 'N Sync sound (R&B-tinged upbeat cuts and sweet ballads) for a new generation of screaming girls. Indeed, the title tune on his solo debut, an irresistibly pretty guitar ditty, is destined to be dedicated to many a junior-high-school sweetheart.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Beautiful Soul"
Keane, Hopes and Fears
The hypermelodic, piano-driven music on Keane's debut shows that there is hope for Brit pop beyond Coldplay. Lead singer Tom Chaplin's angelic choirboy voice can soar to Freddie Mercury-like heights.
Merle Haggard, Unforgettable
On this splendid album, country veteran Haggard wraps his rich, warm voice around such standards as "Stardust," "Pennies from Heaven" and "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You."
Martin Luther, Rebel Soul Music
This rebel soul man does his forebears (Jimi, Sly, Prince) proud with insightful, socially conscious lyrics and the kind of righteously retro funk-rock Lenny Kravitz wishes he could make.
The Futureheads, The Futureheads
With herky-jerky beats, fast guitars and wacky song titles ("Le Garage"), these neo new-wavers spark a get-up-and-dance delight that recalls XTC and Devo.
BEYOND THE SEA
Bobby Darin was a terrific pop singer who was also a very good actor. Kevin Spacey, who plays Darin in this movie biography, is a great actor who is also a first-class pop singer. While he's a gifted mimic, Spacey never seems to be merely imitating the original. In fact, he displays an easier, more naturally swinging style than Darin on tunes like "Mack the Knife."
RAY
These marvelous songs, all recorded in the '50s and '60s, display Ray Charles's profound musicality and his definitive sense of soul. Cuts such as "Hallelujah I Love Her So" also show the energy and inventiveness of Charles's band, anchored by the Genius's own piano and sax man David "Fathead" Newman. Six tracks are live recordings, bringing even more life to this CD.
THE AVIATOR
This disc serves as a lofty introduction to the music that was contemporaneous with Howard Hughes's life. Most of it is vintage material from musicians such as jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, blues singer Leadbelly and Swing Era star Benny Goodman. But modern-day crooner Rufus Wainwright soars on the '20s standby "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise."
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
This soundtrack should satisfy hardcore Phantom-philes and maybe even create a few new ones. Emmy Rossum sings Christine with a sublime power, coaxing every nuance of emotion out of Andrew Lloyd Webber's score. And Scotsman Gerard Butler is a touch less bombastic than the most famous Phantom, Michael Crawford.
For information on where to find our Download This picks, go to www.people.com or AOL (Keyword: People)
- 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!
