REVIEWED BY CHUCK ARNOLD
POP-ROCK
Full disclosure: I rooted for Bo Bice to win American Idol. After Mario Vazquez dropped out and Nadia Turner was booted off prematurely, the southern rocker with the folksy charm and the Breck Girl hair was my hands-down fave over the big-voiced but bland Carrie Underwood. So does Bice vindicate me—and himself—with this, his debut? Well, yes and no. While Bice gets our vote for the best CD by an Idol runner-up, topping lackluster efforts by Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken and Diana DeGarmo, he fails to truly set himself apart from the pop-rock pack. Positioning him in VH1-friendly territory somewhere between Rob Thomas and Jon Bon Jovi (who cowrote the disc's “Nothing Without You” with Bon Jovi bandmate Richie Sambora), The Real Thing doesn't always show the real Bo. Songs like the title-track single gloss over his gritty edges, sucking out much of the Birmingham, Ala., native's down-home flavor. Despite contributions from an array of hitmakers, the assembly-line production sometimes leaves the album with the hooks but not the heart. Still, Bice shows flashes of his potential on tracks like the blues-rocker “You're Everything” and the gospel-tinged ballad “Valley of Angels” (one of two tunes cowritten by the singer). On these songs, at least, we get to hear the Bo we know.
DOWNLOAD THIS: “You're Everything”[
> DOWNLOAD THIS: “You're Everything”
Change It All
R&B
Her name (pronounced GWA-pa-lay) means “to move forward” in the South African language of Setswana. And like other neo-soul songstresses such as India. Arie and Jill Scott, this Oakland, Calif., artist is interested in making a difference. “I've been waiting restlessly for the words to a song to change it all,” Goapele sings on her sophomore album's politically conscious title track, which was inspired by her frustration after the 2004 presidential election and delivers its message in a smooth, jazz-kissed style. On the uplifting, uptempo “Find a Way,” she encourages people to “start new today” over a gospel-infused groove complete with churchy organ and hand claps. With Goapele's light, silky touch, though, things never get too heavy-handed. She balances the righteousness with plenty of romance on songs like the gently funky “First Love” and the sweet confession “Crushed Out,” both of which showcase her supple, understated delivery. And Goapele expands beyond traditional R&B horizons with a little help from writer-producer Linda Perry on the Pink Floyd-inspired ballad “Darker Side of the Moon.”
DOWNLOAD THIS: “First Love”—C.A.
> DOWNLOAD THIS: “First Love”
29
ALT-COUNTRY
If anyone deserves to kick back on a beach for a nice long vacation this winter, it's Ryan Adams. The alt-country crooner released 29, his third recording of 2005, in December, following May's double disc Cold Roses and September's Jacksonville City Nights. While those previous efforts were recorded with the backup band the Cardinals, this CD puts Adams back in an intimate singer-songwriter setting that lets him indulge his mood to brood. The album reunites him with producer Ethan Johns, who was also behind the boards for what are arguably Adams's best solo works, his 2000 post-Whiskeytown debut, Heartbreaker, and its 2001 follow-up, Gold. In particular, 29 evokes the beautiful ache of Heartbreaker with wistful ballads like “Blue Sky Blues,” on which Adams pensively asks, “Blue sky, when you gonna learn to rain?” In a nice bit of sequencing, that tune is followed by “Carolina Rain,” a twangy story song on which Adams confesses that “I met your sister and I married her in July/ But if only to be closer to you, Caroline.” With sweet longing like this, 29 adds up to another fine effort in Adams's ever-expanding catalog.
DOWNLOAD THIS: “Blue Sky Blues”[
> DOWNLOAD THIS: “Blue Sky Blues”
III
REVIEWED BY RALPH NOVAK
COUNTRY
In 2004 The New York Times declared Joe Nichols “country music's next poster boy.” And the singer appears to have done as much preening as practicing for his latest, seemingly choosing songs with even more attention than usual to the videos they might generate. His No. 1 hit “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” is tasteless and sexist, while “Size Matters (Someday)” comes up puny. Best is Steve Earle's “My Old Friend the Blues.” Nichols's style is twangy enough, and he sounds sturdy and self-assured, but he could use a little more thought behind his singing and songs.
DOWNLOAD THIS: “My Old Friend the Blues”
> DOWNLOAD THIS: “My Old Friend the Blues”
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THE PRODUCERS With Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick singing their stage roles, this album captures the fun spirit of Mel Brooks's lively score. The soundtrack includes the new tune “There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway.” But it's old faves like “Springtime for Hitler” and “Keep It Gay” that truly make this production work.
WALK THE LINE It's a testament to the singing of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, as Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, that their performances hold up on CD. Grammy-winning producer T Bone Burnett (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) brings a real ear for authenticity.
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK Director George Clooney hand-picked the jazz numbers included in his '50s docudrama, but this excellent disc belongs to featured singer Dianne Reeves, who lights the fire on torch songs like “I've Got My Eyes on You” and “Solitude.”
RENT The soundtrack to the movie version of the 1996 Tony winner shows that this is music for all seasons. The mostly original cast sing these tunes like they own them. And newcomer Rosario Dawson brings down the house on “Out Tonight.”
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN Like intertwined lovers, the great soundtrack to the gay cowboy romance perfectly weaves the evocative score (by Gustavo Santaolalla) with rootsy songs, new and old, from the film. Mountain peaks with the haunting original “A Love That Will Never Grow Old” by Emmylou Harris.
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