Gretchen Wilson
CRITIC'S CHOICE
I ain't no high-class broad/ I say, 'Hey, y'all' and 'Yee-haw' and I keep my Christmas lights on my front porch all year long/ And I know all the words to every Charlie Daniels song." So proudly announces Gretchen Wilson, 30, on "Redneck Woman," the hit first single off her debut disc, which opened at No. 2 on the Billboard pop chart. Sounding like a cross between Carlene Carter and the pre-glitzed-over incarnation of Shania Twain, Wilson is a most welcome addition to the ranks of country-rockers. She sings with an exceptional level of energy and control, unabashedly flaunting her good-ol'-gal proclivities. Wilson cowrote "Redneck Woman" with John Rich of Big & Rich, who has been an adviser to her since they met in a Nashville club. The two also cowrote (along with Vicky McGehee) another of the album's highlights, "When I Think About Cheatin'," with its ingratiatingly rueful lyric "Even when I'm tempted by some stranger/ There's never any danger/ I just think about you leavin' when I think about cheatin'." Meanwhile, Wilson, Rich and his usual sidekick Big Kenny cowrote the honky-tonkish title tune, a brash song that reflects Wilson's hard-living background: She moved to Nashville in 1996 from Pocahontas, Ill., where she dropped out of school after eighth grade to help manage a bar five miles outside of town. This may not have been a great triumph for liquor-licensing laws, but it does give Wilson some credibility as a honky-tonker now. And if there's any justice, this rousing Party will make her a big star.
COUNTRY
Lionel Richie
On "Ball and Chain," the best song on Lionel Richie's passable eighth solo disc, he reminds you of why he had a lock on the charts in the '80s. It's a vintage Richie weepie with a simple, effortlessly catchy melody, a clever, country-style lyrical conceit ("This love's a ball and chain") and an affecting, acoustic-guitar-driven arrangement that would make Babyface jealous. Just for Youshows that Richie, 54, is still at his richest on ballads such as the Celtic-tinged "Just to Be with You Again" and the sentimental, string-laden "Time of Our Life," cowritten by Lenny Kravitz, who plays guitar and sings backing vocals on the track. Kravitz also produced "Time" as well as "Road to Heaven," a southern-accented mid-tempo number that seamlessly bridges the gap between soul and country. Richie is less successful incorporating gospel on cuts such as the "We Are the World"-esque "One World" and Middle Eastern flourishes on the underwhelming "She's Amazing." Worst, though, is his faux-funk duet with Daniel Bedingfield ("Gotta Get Thru This") on "Do Ya," which is really something worth crying over.
POP
on the charts in the '80s. It' s a vintage Richie weepie with a simple, effortlessly catchy melody, a clever, country-style lyrical conceit ("This love's a ball and chain") and an affecting, acoustic-guitar-driven arrangement that would make Babyface jealous. Just for You shows that Richie, 54, is still at his richest on ballads such as the Celtic-tinged "Just to Be with You Again" and the sentimental, string-laden "Time of Our Life," cowritten by Lenny Kravitz, who plays guitar and sings backing vocals on the track. Kravitz also produced "Time" as well as "Road to Heaven," a southern-accented mid-tempo number that seamlessly bridges the gap between soul and country. Richie is less successful incorporating gospel on cuts such as the "We Are the World"-esque "One World" and Middle Eastern flourishes on the underwhelming "She's Amazing." Worst, though, is his faux-funk duet with Daniel Bedingfield ("Gotta Get Thru This") on "Do Ya," which is really something worth crying over.
POP
Wilson Phillips
Wilson Phillips—the vocal trio consisting of Chynna Phillips and sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson—seem to be the ultimate California girls. The three not only grew up in the Golden State but their pop pedigrees—Chynna's parents are John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, and Carnie and Wendy's dad is Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys—have made the California sound their birthright. On Wilson Phillips's first studio album since 1992's Shadows and Light, the group respectfully remakes the '60s and '70s songs that put Schwarzenegger's domain on the music map. In addition to saluting the Mamas and the Papas ("Monday Monday") and the Beach Boys ("Dance Dance Dance" and "In My Room," the latter featuring Brian Wilson on vocals and piano), they turn their pretty harmonies to glossed-up gems by Jackson Browne ("Doctor My Eyes"), Fleetwood Mac ("Go Your Own Way"), the Byrds ("Turn! Turn! Turn!") and Joni Mitchell (the folky title track). The result is the equivalent of a good beach read: easy listening that's pleasantly diverting, but so light it could float away with an ocean breeze.
POP
Evan & Jaron
Identical twins Evan and Jaron Lowenstein, 30, make perfect brothers in harmony on this EP featuring six new songs and three previously released bonus tracks. Continuing in the melodic guitar-pop vein of their 2001 hit "Crazy for This Girl," Half Dozen serves up such tasty tunes as the first single "What She Likes," a country-tinged ditty whose sunny vocals and jaunty beat belie the heartbreak lyric: "I should have known that I never could have known enough about her to keep her mine." Evan & Jaron, who split songwriting, guitar and keyboard duties, also juxtapose the bitterness of love gone wrong with the sweetness of their harmonies on hook-heavy tracks like "Another Mistake" ("I'm just another mistake that you're not gonna make") and "Fly Away" ("You can fly away if you want to/ Just don't crash on me when you hit the ground"). They will, to quote a Beatle-esque ballad here, make you "smile through the blue."
POP-ROCK
Toby Lightman
Singer-songwriter Toby Lightman, 26, has a big voice for such a petite woman (she's 5'1", 95 lbs.). J With her soul-powered delivery and bluesy rasp, this Cherry Hill, N. J., native brings a distinct R&B flavor to her savory folk-pop. Little gems such as the first single "Devils and Angels," with its slyly funky mid-tempo groove and vaguely Middle Eastern strains, and "Every day," one of several lovely, acoustic-guitar-based ballads, showcase Lightman's bright talent. Other album highlights include the rootsy, Bonnie Raitt-ish "The River" and the sexy come-on "Front Row," on which Lightman flirts with a fan at one of her shows: "Are you making passes/While I'm pleasing the masses?" While Little Things ultimately lacks a killer cut, it offers plenty of small pleasures.
FOLK-POP
Montgomery Gentry
Four producers, an executive producer and 20 songwriters make for too many cooks on Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry's fourth album, which suffers from serious lapses in judgment. Take the insipid "It's All Good," which takes its title from a tired hip-hop cliché that is ill-suited to the country duo. Also showing poor taste is the downbeat "Gone," which lists things that have passed on, including freight trains, bad relationships and, crudely, "a Civil War soldier—bang, bang." There are a couple of enjoyable tracks, such as the lively "All I Know About Mexico" and the romantic "Talking to My Angel," and the pair are in fine voice through out. Next time, though, they would be better served to cut down on the collaborators and do more of their own thing.
COUNTRY
Raven Watch out, Hilary: Raven, 18, has returned to recording with the soundtrack to her Disney Channel series That's So Raven. Here are her current musical picks.
SONGS ABOUT JANE MAROON 5 They have the most unique sound to me right now. The lead singer's voice is really different.
THE BLUEPRINT, JAY-Z He's my favorite rapper. His lyrics make me think when I'm listening to them.
JAGGEGED LITTLE PILL ALANIS MORISSETTE Girlfriend had some major issues, and she sang through them. I also consider it my lucky album. When I auditioned for Dr. Dolittle, I listened to that CD, like, 7 million times. I got the part. Same thing happened when I auditioned for That's So Raven.
"NAUGHTY GIRL," BEYONCÉ It's ridiculously hot.
TRUTHFULLY SPEAKING, TRUTH HURTS I love [Shari Watson's] voice. It's very rich and down-to-earth. She has this one song, "Hollywood," that really captures the way you feel sometimes when you're here.
- Contributors:
- Ralph Novak,
- Chuck Arnold,
- Alison Gee.
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!
