Archive for January, 2007

UNTIL YESTERDAY - JC CHASEZ

To date, JC Chasez’s post-’N Sync career has met resistance due to a bagful of musical tricks that attempted to cast the singer as a hip-hop aficionado to less-than-convincing effect. “Until Yesterday” marks a dramatic change in his musical approach, with a minor-chord-driven Beatles-esque meets “Rocky Horror” track about discovering your girlfriend is pregnant with […]

January 6th, 2007 - Posted in Single Reviews

LITHIUM - EVANESCENCE

Evanescence’s sophomore album “The Open Door” has sold 1 million copies in mere weeks and delivered the instant hit “Call Me When You’re Sober.” The next dose from the album is “Lithium,” a power ballad that could blow a hole through a wall. It’s the kind of number Evanescence was born to perform: cinematic production, […]

January 6th, 2007 - Posted in Single Reviews

AGAINST ALL ODDS - KIRA

The inevitable question when listening to Kira’s high-energy remix of Phil Collins’ 1984 classic is . . . what took so long? Once again, indie dance label Robbins — Cascada, Lasgo, D.H.T., DJ Sammy, Reina — holds the promotional reins, with a song that goes exactly where you would hope and expect. In under three […]

January 6th, 2007 - Posted in Single Reviews

QUEST FOR LOVE - JEWEL

For all the quality that Jewel delivered on current album “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland,” her contribution to the soundtrack to family fantasy flick “Arthur and the Invisibles,” due in theaters January 12, is perhaps her most accessible single since “Foolish Games.” So simple, stunningly melodic and delivered with utter ease, “Quest for Love” blossoms with […]

January 6th, 2007 - Posted in Single Reviews

A WOMAN’S LOVE - ALAN JACKSON

The second single from Alan Jackson’s wondrous “Like Red on a Rose” album, produced by bluegrass diva Alison Krauss, follows the title track, which became the latest in a long string of country radio hits for the Georgia native. Like its predecessor, this single is a warm, romantic tune that showcases Jackson’s softer side. It’s […]

January 6th, 2007 - Posted in Single Reviews

JUST SAY THE WORD - JOSH KELLEY

The vocal clarity of singer/songwriter/ producer Josh Kelley, accompanied by crisp musicianship on current album “Just Say the Word,” reveal the craft of that rare artist who not only delivers live, but translates the goods onto record. New single “Just Say the Word” lyrically lays to rest a lost love, with the caveat that if […]

January 6th, 2007 - Posted in Single Reviews

MISSING YOU - JOHN WAITE

John Waite’s first album in three years, “Downtown: Journey of a Heart” cooks up the same trick that many heritage artists are using these days: reheating the hits that made them famous — usually to ill effect. But wait: His revision of signature 1984 No. 1 “Missing You” has an appreciable twist. Recording as a […]

January 6th, 2007 - Posted in Single Reviews

Everything New - Natalie

You know how sometimes you might need to hear a cd more than two or three times before you get a feel for it and begin to either like or hate it? Well I didn’t even get to the end of this the first time round before I fell in love with it. It’s […]

January 2nd, 2007 - Posted in Album Reviews

Sister Love - Lorraine Ellison

Deeply steeped in gospel, Lorraine Ellison possessed a vocal range, power and intensity that was maybe TOO intense for the mainstream, and thus only scored three chart hits during her career. She’s well known to soul fans, though, especially for the three classic albums she made for Warner Bros. in the ‘60s and ‘70s, […]

January 2nd, 2007 - Posted in Album Reviews

L-Tunes: Music from and Inspired by the L-Word - Original TV Soundtrack

This new compilation contains music from and inspired the hit Showtime® series, The L Word. The soundtrack features songs from by Fiona Apple, Pink, PJ Harvey, Kelis, Peaches, Tori Amos and Introducing Kirsten Price featuring “Magic Tree.” The L Word can be seen on Showtime®. Season Four premier, Sunday - January 7, 2007. L […]

January 2nd, 2007 - Posted in Album Reviews

Moment Like This - Leona Lewis

2007 debut CD single from the winner of British television’s X Factor talent show (similar to American Idol and both feature Simon Cowell as a judge!). The X Factor has yet again been the biggest TV story this year with viewing figures of over 10m every week. The contestants and judges have dominated UK […]

January 2nd, 2007 - Posted in Album Reviews

Romantic Classics - Julio Iglesias

Julio Iglesias–he of the endearing Latin accent, endless-summer suntan, and stunning charisma–could make “Mary Had a Little Lamb” sound sexy, so it’s no surprise that the 11 selections here smolder with the approximate heat of high noon in his native Madrid. What may be surprising to longtime listeners, though, is the range of songs […]

January 2nd, 2007 - Posted in Album Reviews

Into White - Carly Simon

For a CD with a lot of soft songs on it–”Scarborough Fair,” “Over the Rainbow,” “You Are My Sunshine”–Into White sends a loud message, that being: when you’re as important an artist as Carly Simon, you can pretty much sing what you want, which accounts for this disc’s genre confusion. Part kids’ record, part […]

January 2nd, 2007 - Posted in Album Reviews

Family Values Tour 2006 - Various Artists

The fourth in The Family Values Tour series (The Family Values Tour ‘98, The Family Values Tour ‘99 and The Family Values Tour ‘01). The CD (DVD also available) features live tracks from Korn and the Deftones, as well as select cuts from all the bands on the bill: Stone Sour, Flyleaf, Dir en […]

January 2nd, 2007 - Posted in Album Reviews