ALT-ROCK
CRITIC'S CHOICE
Recently Chris Martin, leader of Britain's Coldplay and husband of Gwyneth Paltrow, told the Los Angeles Times, "Our goal is to take over from U2." If that mission might seem a bit audacious—even after these blokes sold 17 million copies worldwide of their first two albums and won four Grammys (including Record of the Year in 2004 for "Clocks")—it won't after you feast your ears on X&Y. This is their Joshua Tree, achieving an anthemic grandeur that rivals Bono and company. Boasting a bigger sound and a bigger musical scope than 2000's Parachutes or 2002's A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y is the work of a band reaching for the masses—and immortality. Some songs, such as the dynamic "Twisted Logic," rock harder than ever before, while the hidden track "'Til Kingdom Come," which was originally written for Johnny Cash (who died before he recorded it), is a simple, countryish ditty. It is one of several love songs that seem to allude to Martin's relationship with Paltrow: "I need someone, someone who hears/For you I've waited all these years." With more drum kick from Will Champion throughout and some danceable rhythms that nod to both electronica ("Square One") and neo-new wave ("Low"), X&Y is Coldplay's most energetic effort. But they are still at their melancholy, melodic best on glorious ballads like "Fix You," on which Martin's choirboy falsetto, Jonny Buckland's acoustic strumming and the cathedral-ready keyboards give way to a bridge ("Tears stream down your face/When you lose something you cannot replace") built to carry you over troubled waters.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Fix You"
Fijación Oral Volumen 1
LATIN
Since her English-language debut, 2001's Laundry Service, sold 13 million copies worldwide, international star Shakira has grown more committed to being a bilingual artist. In fact, this year the Colombian singer will release two discs: one in Spanish (Fijación Oral Volumen 1, out June 7) and one in English (the sequel Oral Fixation Volume 2, due in November). Although Shakira returns to singing and writing in her native tongue on Fijación Oral—a disc that will no doubt satisfy her legions of Spanish-speaking fans—she broadens her musical horizons beyond the usual Latin-pop fare. In addition to bringing a rock edge to tracks like the punk-spiked "Escondite Inglés," she dabbles in electronica-infused dance (on "Las de L'Intuición"), breezy French-style pop (on "En Tus Pupilas") and bossa-nova-inflected lounge music (on "Obetener Un Si"). On this CD's hip-shaking highlight, "La Tortura," Shakira employs dancehall rhythms, accordion and the services of Spanish star Alejandro Sanz (on vocals and the Cuban tres guitar) for a duet that is muy, muy steamy. Somewhere Ricky Martin must be kicking himself in the bonbon that she didn't ask him.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "La Tortura"
State of Mind
ALT-R&B
Like many of today's soul men, Raúl Midón owes a huge debt to Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, and this newcomer pays up right away. Midón, working with Hathaway's former producer Arif Mardin throughout, dedicates one song ("Sittin' in the Middle") to that late singer and shows love for Wonder by recruiting him to play harmonica on another ("Expressions of Love"). There's more than idol worship, though, to this, one of the year's most exciting debuts. Midón—who, like Wonder, is blind—is the real deal. A New Mexico-born singer-guitarist of African-American and Argentinean descent, Midón is an electric adventurist, drawing from pop, jazz, reggae, Latin, Afro-Cuban as well as '70s R&B influences. His remarkable voice is just as versatile; it's an elastic instrument that boasts the warm, rich timbre of Wonder and Hathaway, a spine-tingling falsetto and an uncanny ability to mimic a trumpet on cuts like the upbeat title tune (one of many tracks that reflect Midón's positive outlook). And his fluid yet fervent acoustic-guitar work—schooled in the flamenco, jazz and classical traditions—is mind-blowing. —C.A.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "State of Mind"
Delicious Surprise
COUNTRY
Jo Dee Messina's no-frills approach to country music is a slick match for the tunes on her latest outing. It works especially well on "My Give a Damn's Busted," a clever, confrontational song that might seem to be man-bashing if it hadn't been written by three men. Her straight-ahead style also suits the jaunty "I Wear My Life" and the defiant "It's Too Late to Worry." And since Messina rarely displays anything like traditional feminine softness, she wisely steers away from anything resembling romantic ballads.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "My Give a Damn's Busted"
Magic Time
POP/JAZZ
"Let me go back, for a while/To that magic time," sings Van Morrison on the sweetly nostalgic title track of his 38th solo release. And at 59, the ever-cool Irishman lovingly revisits the good old days of jazz, blues and classic R&B. Although newly written by Morrison, soulful ballads such as "Stranded" and "Just Like Greta," which takes its "I want to be alone" mantra from Greta Garbo, sound as if they were unearthed gems from the '60s. Morrison also dips into Latin-tinged funk on "Gypsy in My Soul," while honoring his native roots on "Celtic New Year." But a big-band turn on "This Love of Mine," one of three jazz standards he covers, fails to do the trick.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Just Like Greta"
Fantasia: With her platinum debut album, Free Yourself, still riding high on the R&B charts, Fantasia, 20, launches her first solo U.S. tour June 8 in St. Louis.
ON HER TOUR SET LIST I do a little old-school: Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Prince. I'm doing Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." We mix it up.
ON HER UPCOMING AUTOBIOGRAPHY It's basically about a lot of things I went through at a young age that I think will help and touch a lot of people. I went through a lot of bad relationships, being a young mom, hanging in the streets. It goes from the age of 5 until now.
ON HER FAVORITE IDOL FINALIST THIS SEASON Bo Bice. He's got great stage presence. He's a great singer. His a cappella performance [of Badlands' 'In a Dream'] was awesome. I'd want to do a duet with him. He's rock, I'm soul.
ON HER ADVICE FOR NEW AMERICAN IDOL CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Be yourself. Stay humble. Have a good time. Take it and run as far as you can with it. —CARLA HAY
For information on where to find our Download This picks, go to www.people.com/downloadthis 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!
