Clay Aiken
The Al Gore of pop—if a couple of hanging chads had fallen his way, he would have beaten Ruben Studdard on American Idol—finishes first this time, beating the Velvet Teddy Bear to the stores with this not bad album. If you had access to an all-star team—including songwriters for Celine Dion, producers like J Records chief Clive Davis and American Idol's backstage mastermind Simon Fuller—you might be able to put out a decent disc too, but there's no denying Aiken has chops. His fans will devour this one like blueberry pie.
Predictably, the producers keep the schmaltz pouring and their knobs turned to optimistic power ballad at all times. Aiken's tendency to oversell a song is indulged to the hilt, but he also displays a tender touch when he needs it on the quieter, more melancholy tracks. The instrumentation plows along with a few Elton Johnish piano flourishes and a sprinkling of light rock guitar.
As Simon Cowell never tired of pointing out, this recovering geek doesn't project attitude. His aw-shucks personality is mirrored by the bland lyrics, which recycle standard themes of love and heartbreak. Aiken has said he's never been in love, and while his voice has impressive range, it's hard to locate any genuine emotion in it. Keep an eye on him, though. Clay has a knack for reshaping himself, and he could stay hot as long as his flatiron does.
POP
The Dixie Hummingbirds
CRITIC'S CHOICE
Even the most devout atheists will be moved to shout "Amen!" by this rousing gospel album. It honors the 75th (diamond) anniversary of the Hummingbirds, the choral group organized in Greenville, S.C., by James B. Davis, then 12. Davis himself is now lead singer emeritus, but Ira Tucker Sr., who joined the group in 1938, when he was 13, now fronts the 'Birds with grace, style and a still-vigorous baritone with shades of Johnny Cash. William Bright's wailing lead on "Too Many Troubles" is a lesson in how Christian music influenced the blues and ultimately all of American music. Other highlights include "God's Radar," a high-tech gospel song whose zydeco arrangement provides a showcase for Garth Hudson's accordion, and the Grateful Dead farewell song "I Bid You Goodnight." The 'Birds don't need a lot of frills to get their message across. If nothing else, their time-tested style is a tribute to the virtues of directness and clarity.
GOSPEL
The Darkness
Do not adjust your calendar; it really isn't 1987, despite the spandex-and-hair-spray metal of this band born in a karaoke bar. When guitarist Dan Hawkins saw his brother Justin singing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" with full-on Freddie Mercury regalia and flamboyance, an idea was born. The result is this debut full of punk-spiked mimicry of '80s big-hair bands like Mötley Crüe. Bold guitar licks back Justin's Steven Tyler-esque falsetto howling on head-banging, would-be anthems like "Growing on Me," on which he occasionally delves into a deadpan cool reminiscent of Weezer's Rivers Cuomo. The rest—"Get Your Hands Off My Woman," with its lyric "Octoped, you've got six hands too many," and "Love on the Rocks with No Ice"—is a series of well-executed sonic jokes. This sound was dead; it should have the decency to stay buried.
ROCK
Rhian Benson
Newcomer Rhian Benson has model looks, a pleasant voice and remarkable luck. Three years ago the Ghana-born investment banker abandoned Harvard to care for her ailing mother in London. While there, she was discovered singing at an open-mike session in a local cafe. Now the 26-year-old neosoul stirrer surprises with a sultry Sade-like sound and lyrics that speak of fortitude and self-reliance: "How does it feel/when I don't say what you think I'm supposed to say?" An ambitious mix of smooth jazz, African beats and groove-propelled R & B, Gold Coast marks a colorful debut.
R&B
Gary Allan
After five albums, Allan remains less than famous, but he is, as this nicely varied effort proves, a major-league singer. He sounds most comfortable with the Cal-Mex sound of "Guys Like Me," but for a change of pace, he gets sentimental on the hit single "Tough Little Boys." His witty delivery of Pat McLaughlin and Liz Rose's clever "Songs About Rain," which alludes to most of the famous rain songs and the classic honky-tonker "Drinkin' Dark Whiskey," is another reason why Allan deserves to break through to stardom.
COUNTRY
With CD sales plummeting, labels are releasing an onslaught of DVDs from bands like Jane's Addiction and Primus. Begging for an All-American Rejects DVD? Didn't think so—that's why we found the winners in the pile.
My World Avril Lavigne The petulant punk-pop princess skateboards, brushes her teeth and rides roller coasters. Oh, yeah, the disc also includes five music videos and live tracks from a raucous show in Buffalo last May.
The Farewell Tour Cher This Miami stop on Cher's never-ending "Living Proof" outing (now one year and counting) is a dazzling spectacle of papiermâché elephants, multiple multilayered wigs, trapeze artists and hits like "The Shoop Shoop Song" and "Believe."
Symphony KISS With one-on-one interviews and rare acoustic performances ("Beth"), this comprehensive 22-track, 2-disc set captures KISS at their finest, backed by the 60-piece Melbourne Symphony on hits like "Rock & Roll All Nite" and "Detroit Rock City."
Inside the Songs of Sacred Love Sting This making-the-music set, which includes a stunning, barebones, live rendition of "Every Breath You Take," follows Sting and his crew from rehearsals at his Malibu beach house to an intimate show at L.A.'s Mayan Theatre.
The Greatest Duran Duran Featuring uncensored versions of video classics like "Girls on Film" and "Wild Boys" plus an interactive DVD-ROM with a 30-minute Q & A, lyrics and photo gallery.
The Ed Sullivan Show Featuring the Beatles A must-have for fans, this disc is the only source for all four of the Beatles' 1964 appearances, which haven't aired in their entirety since then. Complete with vintage ads for Pillsbury and Chef Boyardee.
Sarah McLachlan
Six years after Sarah McLachlan's last album—a span in which she gave birth to a daughter, 19-month-old India, and lost her mother—the three-time Grammy winner, now 35, returns with Afterglow, due Nov, 4.
ON HER MOTHER'S DEATH FROM BREAST CANCER IN 2001: My pregnancy coincided with my mother dying of cancer and going through chemo treatments and being in pain and nauseous. I had morning sickness for five months—I was going through nausea for something beautiful and precious, and she was going through it because she was dying.
ON FINISHING AFTERGLOW WITH A BABY IN THE HOUSE: I used to go live in a cabin in the woods by myself and just go a little nutty. After India was born, I'd find an hour or two in the day where I'd go, 'Okay, be creative.' It was a challenge.
ON WHAT SHE'S LISTENING TO NOW: My husband [drummer Ashwin Sood] would be happy to ban Raffi, but it's India's favorite. She seems fairly content with me singing Raffi songs, but Ash still has to leave the room. He's mellowed a bit, because lately I've heard him singing them too.
ON THE LILITH FAIR TOUR: I can't see redoing it. You can only reinvent yourself so many times.
ON HER NEW DO: I always used to have long hair. Then I cut my hair off and probably bleached and dyed it too much and hacked it off. When I got pregnant, it started growing really fast. Change is good.
- Contributors:
- Carolyn E. Davis,
- Ralph Novak,
- Sona Charaipotra,
- V.R. Peterson,
- Sharon Cotliar.
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!
