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Genere: Rock

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: Continuing to specialize in the art of curve-throwing, R.E.M. followed up its 1991 smash, <i>Out of Time</i>, with this fragile album of soft melodies and string arrangements. The sympathetic ballad "Everybody Hurts" must have prevented countless suicide attempts, while the Andy Kaufman tribute "Man on the Moon" (with Michael Stipe affecting an Elvis Presley imitation) and the rock-into-oblivion "Drive" are among the quartet's strongest hits. (The opening line, "Hey, kids, rock and roll," isn't so much a rallying cry as an expression of anxiety.) It takes a few listens for its charms to unfold, but <I>Automatic</I> is the gem between bigger hits <I>Out of Time</I> and <i>Monster</i>. <I>--Steve Knopper</I>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: While purists will insist on an undiluted copy of the band's 1982 <I>Chronic Town</I> EP, R.E.M. completists (and those who just like a lot of tracks for their money) will be grateful for the inclusion of 15 additional B-sides and curios on this 1987 compilation. Not surprisingly, the non-<I>Chronic</I> material is a mixed blessing: while R.E.M. were much beloved for being notorious cover-whores during those early Athens live shows, their reverent takes on Velvet Underground classics stand the test of time far better than their odes to Roger Miller and Aerosmith. But all that will be forgotten by the time <I>Chronic Town</I>'s "Wolves, Lower" kicks in, signaling the official arrival of a band that forever changed the face of Southern rock. <I>--Bill Forman</I>

Genere: Rock

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: <I>Green</I> catapulted R.E.M. from campus cult favorites to rock stars of the highest order. The album contains three of the Athens, Georgia, quartet's most popular radio hits ("Pop Song 89," "Stand," and "Orange Crush"), punching up the big rock hooks and letting the spooky independent production slip away. Some diehard fans cried "Sellout!" but that's a strange attitude given singer Michael Stipe's environmental activism. "I'm very scared of this world," he sings above jangling mandolins on "You Are the Everything." It's still unclear what he's trying to say, but at least we can understand the words this time. <I>--Steve Knopper</I>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: Green catapulted R.E.M. from campus cult favorites to rock stars of the highest order. The album contains three of the Athens, Georgia, quartet's most popular radio hits ("Pop Song 89," "Stand," and "Orange Crush"), punching up the big rock hooks and letting the spooky independent production slip away. Some diehard fans cried "Sellout!" but that's a strange attitude given singer Michael Stipe's environmental activism. "I'm very scared of this world," he sings above jangling mandolins on "You Are the Everything." It's still unclear what he's trying to say, but at least we can understand the words this time. --Steve Knopper

Genere: Rock

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Trama: After a harrowing experience recording their previous album (1985's magnificent <i>Fables Of The Reconstruction</i>), R.E.M. reconvened the following year muttering something about a "poppier" sound. However, old fans were given little to complain about when <i>Life's Rich Pageant</i> was unveiled. Admittedly new producer Don Gehman had cleaned things up; you can even hear what Michael Stipe was singing on a couple of songs. And, yes, there's even a novelty cover ("Superman"). All these factors though, point to a band really enjoying themselves in the studio, from the euphoric clatter of "Begin The Begin" to the poignant waltz-time strum of "Swan Swan H". Highlights? Too many to mention--but it's hard to disagree with Stipe when he cites "Cuyahoga" and the hymnal "Fall On Me" as two of his very best. And, of the extra tracks, an exquisitely bare "(All I Have To Do Is) Dream" runs them damn close. <i>--Peter Paphides</i>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: R.E.M. pushed the jangle out of the picture with <i>Monster</i>, replacing it with reverberating snaps, crackles, and pops. An album that wraps itself to '70s glam finery while reaching out to the flannel-clad post-Nirvana throngs, it largely succeeds at demonstrating that these Georgians still know how to rock. The MTV fave "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" kicks things off on a high note as Peter Buck's distorted power chords set the tone for the 12-song set. "Strange Currencies" may be alarmingly reminiscent of the <i>Automatic for the People</i> hit "Everybody Hurts," but it's actually the superior song. "Let Me In" is a heavily distorted nod to the fallen Kurt Cobain. While <i>Monster</i> is far from R.E.M.'s most consistent effort, it stands as a ragged and risky respite from safe and sound alterna-rock. <i>--Steven Stolder</i>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: Though critics swamped R.E.M.'s 1983 full-length debut with country-rock comparisons to the Byrds, <I>Murmur</I> sounds like no one else. The title is an apt description of Michael Stipe's singing style, although his smooth pop vocal mannerisms sweeten the enigmatic poetry. Like all great bands, R.E.M.'s individual parts (Peter Buck's ringing guitar, drummer Bill Berry's persistent thumping, and Mike Mills's unifying bass) are as interesting as the collective sound. The album-opening "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion" endure as its radio singles, but the rest of the songs hang together well taken as a whole. <I>--Steve Knopper</I>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: <i>New Adventures</i>, despite its studiocentric title, is a snapshots-from-the-road record in the tradition of Neil Young's <i>Time Fades Away</i> and Jackson Browne's <i>Running on Empty</i>. Like them, it captures a where-am-I-and-why ambience, even with its concert and sound-check material reworked in post-tour sessions. This is very much a transitional album, its feel somewhere between the chamber-folk sweep of <i>Out of Time</i> and <i>Automatic for the People</i> and the distortion-pedal party that raged on <i>Monster</i>. It's the work of a band pretty near its peak consolidating familiar sounds and styles while tinkering with the edges. <i>--Rickey Wright</i>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: Though R.E.M. titled a later album <i>Monster</i>, this 1991 smash was the true monster, with the little Athens, Georgia, quartet graduating once and for all from its jangling independent-rock roots. The confusion Michael Stipe communicates in the catchy "Losing My Religion" and the dark-and-dreamy "Low" hit the mainstream-rock audience when it was most primed for uneasy angst. (Nirvana's <i>Nevermind</i> was released a few months later.) There are also odd but successful experiments, like ceding the opening "Radio Song" to rapper KRS-One (with Stipe playing the moaning straight man) and going peppy for the surprisingly nonsarcastic "Shiny Happy People." <I>--Steve Knopper</I>

Genere: Alternative Rock

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: R.E.M. have no right at this advanced stage in their career to be making such a spirited and beautiful album as <I>Reveal</I>. Twenty years after "Radio Free Europe," they're still jiggy as year-old pups. <I>Reveal</I> is the sound of a band that's beyond feeling the need to change or to prove themselves to each new generation, but retains its passion. Michael Stipe's voice is at its most evocatively beautiful on "I've Been High," and Peter Buck's eclectic tunes continue along the highly accessible vein mined on 1998's <I>Up</I>. Stipe continues his emergence as an up-front vocalist whose lyrics, if never entirely self-explanatory, now make ingenious use of more readily identifiable phrases, images, and vignettes. Hovering over much of the album is the spirit of Brian Wilson, whose genius is echoed in "Beachball" and almost transcended in the astonishingly plangent "Summer Turns to High." With so much to live up to, it's not far short of astonishing that R.E.M. can still come up with a song such as the gorgeously chiming and shimmering "Imitation of Life," which, on its own, is worth the price of admission. But, from the first synthesizer swirls of the opener "The Lifting" onward, there's nary a dud to be heard on <I>Reveal</I>. <I>--Johnny Black</I>

Genere: Rock

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Genere: Blues

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Genere: Rock

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Genere: Rock

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: Given the indifference that greeted the wonderful <I>Mondo Bizarro</I> (1992), the Bronx brudders have opted this time for a Pin Ups-style flashback to the '60s. They play it disappointingly safe on over-exposed material from the Jefferson Airplane, Jan & Dean, and the Stones, but kick out the jams convincingly for, "Substitute" (featuring guest vocalist Pete Townshend) and reveal what could-a-been with hard and fast versions of, "7 And 7 Is" and "My Back Pages." <I>--Jeff Bateman</I>

Genere: Rock

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: i believe this cd shows just how underrated the rascals were. sure their in the hall of fame but i believe they haven't gotten the recognition they deserve. songs like groovin, how can i be sure, and people got to be free are classics, but album cuts such as if you knew, find somebody and love is a beautiful thing are just as memorable. i disagree with the past review that said the rascals later stuff dosen't hold up. great songs like see, carry me back, glory glory, temptation's bout to get me, nubia, and heaven. case closed. the thing about the rascals is they had a wide varuety of styles. they didn't just stick with one formula. listen to this cd, and you will see my point. a must listen in my opinion for anyone who enjoys 60's music.

Genere: Jazz

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Trama: Since his return to ECM with Easy Living in 2003, the grand master of Italian jazz has gone from strength to strength, in a series of truly exceptional recordings including Tati, The Words and The Days, The Third Man, and New York Days. Enrico Rava is currently playing at a peak of lyrical invention, and his newest Italian quintet is amongst his strongest ensembles. Gianluca Petrella, Rising Star Trombonist in the Down Beat Critics Poll of 2005, is retained from The Words and the Days line-up and he has a front-chemistry with Rava which burns in this project. Fast-moving, quick-witted exchanges abound. Enrico has always encouraged younger musicians, and pianist Giovanni Guidi (born 1985) is a real find, a player of creativity and imagination: "When I notice the gifts of a young musician, I immediately involve him in my groups. This is not motivated by altruism," Rava insists. "Giovanni Guidi is like Bollani and Petrella: he astounds me every time." Bassist Gabriele Evangelista (b. 1988), another young player of promise, works splendidly alongside widely-experienced drummer Fabrizio Sferra, whose resume includes work with Chet Baker, Paul Bley and Kenny Wheeler. Material on Tribe includes new and old tunes by Rava and a brace of collective improvisations. The album was recorded at Arte Suono Studio in Udine in October 2010, with Manfred Eicher producing.

Genere: Jazz

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Genere: R&B

Durata: 50:42

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: <I>Greatest Hits</I> attempts to sum up the history of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but its focus is firmly in the second half of their career. Early on, in the late 1980s, the Chili Peppers were an LA band who played a unique fusion of punk and funk--four guys, united by a love of partying and playing music. But they had a problem: although they were developing an underground following, nobody was buying their albums. Their first three albums failed to set the charts on fire, though they finally had a bit of a breakthrough with 1989's <I>Mother's Milk</I>. It wasn't enough--their label, EMI, dropped them. <p>EMI's A&R department must be kicking themselves now because the Red Hot Chili Peppers have since gone on to become one of the most popular bands in the world. Their next album. <I>Blood Sugar Sex Magik</I>, was a massive, worldwide hit, containing such huge singles as "Give It Away" and "Under the Bridge". It's follow-up <I>One Hot Minute</I> was frankly a bit poor, but it hardly stalled their upward trajectory. These funky punks had matured and they found a whole new audience on albums such as <I>Californication</I> and <I>By the Way</I>. On them, there's the perfect marriage of playful innuendo, blistering musicianship (Flea is--quite rightly--considered one of the finest bassists in rock) and thoughtful songwriting. <I>Greatest Hits</I> focuses on these later years of the Chili Peppers' career (only the Stevie Wonder cover "Higher Ground" predates <I>Blood Sugar…</I>). It may not please all of their fans, but it's certainly a great starting point for the casual listener. <I>--Robert Burrow</I>

Genere: R&B

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Trama: <I>Otis Blue</I> has always been that rarest of beasts: a '60s soul album that could actually have been made as an album, rather than as a slapdash assortment of singles and fillers. The point being that there is no filler among these eleven classic Redding tracks that range from the crisp stomp of "Respect" and the Stones' "Satisfaction" to the touching pop of the Temps "My Girl" and Sam Cookes "Wonderful World"--not forgetting, of course, the heart-rending anguish of "Ole Man Trouble" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long." <I>Otis Blue</I> captures Redding at the very peak of his raw, unpolished powers, with the peerlessly punchy backing of Booker T. and the MGs. <I>--Barney Hoskyns</I>

Genere: R&B

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Trama: One Redding greatest-hits is pretty much as good as another--his work as the king of soul spanned barely five years, and the big issue is how you want to hear his hits sequenced. <i>Ultimate</i> leads off with a few signature songs, then concentrates on the very similar 6/8 deep-soul ballads that he specialized in early on. Redding, with his gritty-as-cornmeal drawl, could communicate the depths of romantic despair better than anyone of his era, but he was also a great uptempo soul shouter. It's not until the second half of <i>Ultimate</i> that a few more of the faster, more joyful numbers that he got to sing later on show up, as well as "Tramp," a priceless bit of Southern humor he sang with Carla Thomas. <i>--Douglas Wolk</i>

Genere: Jazz

Durata: 53:32

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Genere: Jazz

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Trama: Since taking over the piano bench previously occupied by Marcus Roberts in the Wynton Marsalis band, Eric Reed has quietly established himself as a force to be reckoned with in contemporary jazz. On <i>Manhattan Melodies</i> he returns with his regular trio of Reginald Veal (bass) and Gregory Hutchinson (drums) for an album of songs that pay tribute to the city so nice they named it twice, New York, New York. While not as splashy or idiosyncratic as some of his piano contemporaries, Reed is an outstanding player privileged with a band that swings with effortless grace and understated muscularity. To his credit, Reed is both captain of the squad and a team player, often allowing his sidemen to shine while he lays low. While many tunes here seem obligatory (his "Harlemania" suite contains "Drop Me Off in Harlem," "Harlem Nocturne," and "Take the 'A' Train,") to the album's theme, Reed also interprets Paul Simon's "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" and Sting's "Englishman in New York" to add contemporary flavor. The album's centerpiece is a smoky-cool Dianne Reeves appearance on "Letter to Betty Carter." Just one of many classy moments on a very classy album. <i>--S. Duda</i>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: Lou Reed may have been a reluctant icon for the smart, art-fueled post-classic rock upheavals his efforts with the Velvet Underground and early solo albums inspired, but he's gratifyingly become one of the genre's wisest and most beloved godfathers. This two-plus hour live double-disc collection captures the 62-year-old Reed onstage in Los Angeles in 2003 on the heels of his ambitious, if commercially disappointing tribute to Poe, <I>The Raven</I>. Yet despite that unpromising context, the performances captured here nonetheless represent another unlikely career high-water mark. Wending his way through a body of work that seems ever more resilient and uncompromising in an increasingly disposable, marketing-mad pop landscape, Reed manages to evoke both big-rock grandeur and a surprisingly playful cabaret intimacy, cutting his too easily clichéd nihilism with bracing doses of cautious, world-weary optimism. The focus may be on Reed the troubadour/poet, but his unusual, drummer-less band (including Mike Rathke on guitar/synth, bassist Fernando Saunders and the bold, occasionally chilling cello of Joan Scarpantoni) imparts the performance with both a stunning range and dramatic edge, be they smartly rethought Velvets classics or stark, timely revisitations of "The Day John Kennedy Died" and "Men of Good Fortune." It's the rarest and best kind of live album: One that showcases a familiar artist in a compelling new light. <I>-- Jerry McCulley</I>

Genere: Rock

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: After spending a good many years searching for his main line, Lou Reed tapped into a fresh vein of creativity with 1989's <i>New York</i> and <i>Songs for Drella</i>, a tribute to Andy Warhol made with his former Velvet Underground partner John Cale. With two friends suffering from cancer--one being songwriter Doc Pomus--Reed went to work on his most soul-searching effort to date. The rollicking opening cut, "What's Good," suggests he found the rock & roll heart in such tragedy, but once the supple rhythm section is supplanted by a slow, time-checking click, the reality of death's ominous shadow casts a doom and gloom on the proceedings. The result is an extremely grim, yet fascinating, song cycle. <I>--Rob O'Connor</I>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: <I>New York</I> is arguably Lou Reed's greatest hour as a solo artist. A song-cycle about his beloved city in the '80s, Reed adopts a conversational tone to discuss politics, AIDS, romance, TV preachers, and whatever else is on his mind. While his voice never ranges far, the album kicks into high gear with the twin guitar attack of Reed and Mike Rathke, which takes simple, three-chord rock into a truly transcendent space. "Romeo Had Juliette" cruises like a cab down a bumpy avenue, while "Strawman" curls with rage. Like the city that gives it its name, <I>New York</I> never rests. <I>--Rob O'Connor</I>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: Recorded live in 1973, <I>Rock N Roll Animal</I> is Reed's glam-rock sneer back at his Velvet Underground legacy. Four of its five tracks are VU classics (two about the redemptive power of rock, two about the transformative power of dope), transformed into slick, flashy twin-guitar noodlefests, with great big riffs and showboating solos and Reed practically phoning in his singing. It was something of a hit at the time, and it's easy to hear how the simple forcefulness of these songs sounded good on early-1970s radio. But Reed doesn't bother to conceal his contempt for the commercial trappings he's put on his songs--"Heroin," in particular, turns from savage ambivalence into an easy cartoon--and the album's hard to like now. <i>--Douglas Wolk</i>

Genere: Rock

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Genere: Jazz

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Genere: Jazz

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Trama: In the wake of the sometimes uneven live album <I>In the Moment</I>, Diane Reeves returns in exceptional form with a concept album, <I>The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan</I>. A tribute to one of jazz's legendary heroines, <I>The Calling</I> catches the many moods of the singer who became known simply as Sassy, delving into songs the jazz great popularized, including "Lullaby of Birdland" and "Send in the Clowns." On "Lullaby," Reeves summons Sassy's ghost with familiar phrasing and a majestic, powerful delivery. But it is on the lesser-known Vaughan numbers that Reeves really excels, making the standards her own. "Obsession" was recorded by Vaughan on her final album, 1987's <I>Brazilian Romance</I>. Reeves explores the emotional vehicle like an eagle, soaring grandly over surging orchestral accompaniment. Reeves then changes mood with an intimate cocktail version of "If You Could See Me Now" that includes a graceful piano solo by Mulgrew Miller. "I Remember Sarah" recalls the self-involved "The First Five Chapters" from Reeves's <I>In the Moment</I> album, but again, the outstanding full orchestra (featuring Billy Childs, Greg Hutchinson, Russell Malone, and George Duke) is so inspired and lush that it's impossible to remain unmoved. Reeves also offers a splendid, bopping, Afro Cuban version of "Fascinatin' Rhythm." Other Vaughan favorites include a lusciously swinging reading of "Key Largo," and a delightful take on "I Hadn't Anyone Till You," with Clark Terry humorously joining in. Again, this recalls Vaughan in her swinging, stunning prime. Reeves is obviously no Sarah Vaughan clone, but by surrounding herself with gloriously realized orchestral accompaniment and Sassy's indelible songs, she both pays respect and sets herself apart. <I>--Ken Micallef</I>

Genere: Jazz

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Trama: For three decades, Dianne Reeves has been one of the most popular vocalists, thanks to her well-produced recordings and engaging live shows. On this date, recorded before an audience of 300 fans, Reeves weaves her trademark, hornlike contralto over smooth grooves that cross over mainstream jazz, contemporary pop, and world-music lines. Her band, featuring keyboardist Otmaro Ruiz and Wynton Marsalis's bassist, Reginald Veal, delivers the Cat Stevens-associated church hymn "Morning Has Broken," Mongo Santamaria's classic "Afro-Blue," and Cole Porter's immortal "Love for Sale." She also pays homage to jazz's Brazilian roots with her splendid, spirited readings of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Triste," a duet with guitarist Romero Lubambo, and Milton Nascimento's "Bridges." On her lyrical, midtempo "Come In," Reeves's cousin, keyboardist George Duke, turns in a brilliant solo, and "The First Five Chapters" is an autobiographical number inspired by author Portia Nelson. But the zenith of the set is "The Best Times (Grandma's Song)," her new version of her most requested song, "Better Days," which sings the praises and virtues of family values better than our politicians. <I>--Eugene Holley Jr.</I>

Genere: Jazz

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Trama: It's a match made in musical heaven: Dianne Reeves, the cool and collected contralto, and Arif Mardin, the esteemed producer behind the success of Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, and Norah Jones. Backed by a young and hungry rhythm section featuring drummer Greg Hutchinson, bassist Reuben Rogers, and pianist Peter Martin, Reeves finds herself in a straight-ahead setting where she can show off her jazz chops without compromising to pop-oriented concepts and expectations. The result is a recording of unadulterated and honest jazz in the classic sense. Her skillful blending of the best of Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter is evident on Richard Rodger's "Loads of Love." The Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo adds Joe Pass strains to Cole Porter's "I Concentrate on You," while trumpeter Nichlolas Payton lend his mellow tones to Reeve's heartfelt rendition of "You Go to My Head." <I>--Eugene Holley, Jr.</I>

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Genere: Folk

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Genere: Zydeco

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: No doubt that playing the minstrel in <I>There's Something About Mary</I> gave Jonathan Richman the greatest exposure of his career. But don't expect success to spoil him: <I>I'm So Confused</I>--which includes that movie's "True Love Is Not Nice," if not the title song--finds the charming if offbeat pop-folkie singing the same simple-minded odes he's been doing since disbanding the Modern Lovers way back when. Produced with negligible effect by Ric Ocasek, <I>Confused</I> is mostly of a romantic nature, although with the occasional surprise. "The Lonely Little Thrift Store," for one, digs deep with arresting lines like "The avocado-green appliances with the smell of domestic violences." Perpetually quirky, Richman is nearly the definition of <i>cult artist</i>. No role in any blockbuster film's going to change that. <I>--Neal Weiss</I>

Genere: Rock

Durata: 32:05

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Trama: With this CD, Jonathan Richman embraces the country ethos, but without a trace of the urban irony one would expect in the context of his early Modern Lovers days. It includes some fun, honest originals that make it sound like Jonathan's been writing country songs all his life, as well as some heartfelt covers. There are some duds here, too, but the hilights outweigh them. The session work on this cd is also a highlight, especially the guitar work, which is both true to the country vein and blends well with Jonathan's unique style.The opening track, "Since She Started to Ride," sets the pace well. On the surface, this is a simple song about a girl whose equestrian leanings are getting a little out of control in her boyfriend's opinion. I've always thought this also held a deeper level as well, a musing about growing apart wrapped in a goofy fable."Reno" follows up with it's infectuous, two-word chorus ("Reno, Reno, Reno, honey, Reno, Reno, Reno"). A great song about infantile impatience and the little city in Nevada that caters to it."I Must be King" is a good cover with some nice flourishes of honky-tonk piano, though the line "She and I are like brother and sister" makes my neurotic, Freudian side a little uncomfortable."You're Crazy for Taking the Bus" is probably my favorite song on this CD. It's a great little slice of Jonathan's simplistic philosophy. It's a great open road song, lightly shunning our jet set culture. The chorus is a great rockabilly back-and-forth that will stick in your head for days and make you laugh out of nowhere at inappropriate moments."Neighbors" is full of the Spanish kind of flavor Jonathan has delved into in more recent years, but I guess it fits on a country record in a Southwest kind of way. The lyrics are more Jonathan philosophy, though a little more ambiguous. Whatever it means, it's a great song with more of his comedic vocal style in full force.The center of this CD, in my mind is the haunting cover "Man Walks Among Us." This song has more old-fashioned stylings than the other selections, but this belies the underlying sophistication of the lyrics. Images of animals scurrying from a man wandering through the desert, signaling to each other "Man walk among us, be still," are followed by the words "Soon will be gone all the deserts. Cities will cover each hill." Do the animal understand Man's destructive force better than we do? This was definitely more than I expected from a fun country detour of a CD."Satisfied Mind" closes the disc on a similarly subdued note, a cliched but warm and melodic cover about the falsity in our dreams of riches.The rest range from descent to throwaways, but the CD does work as a complete listen, especially driving down the Western highways that inhabit this unique and wonderful cd.

Genere: Rock

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Genere: Jazz

Durata: 35:48

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Genere: Jazz

Durata: 40:54

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Trama: <I>Percussion Bitter Sweet</I> is the most compelling, varied, dynamic snapshot of Max Roach's post-Clifford Brown ensembles. It features the doomed young genius Booker Little on trumpet, the innovative Eric Dolphy on alto and bass clarinet, Clifford Jordan on tenor, Julian Priester on trombone, Mal Waldron on piano and Art Davis on bass. Roach is never content just to mark time. Instead, his drums essay complex metric and polyrhythmic devices, while suggesting keyboard-like counterpoint and melodic motifs, as Davis goads him on with stately walking bass lines. But what makes <I>Percussion Bitter Sweet</I> such a rich, enduring recital is the drummer's colorful use of Afro-Cuban percussion and voice as a powerful multicultural subtext, celebrating the struggles and triumphs of Africans and African Americans (circa 1960) from Harlem (the celebratory "Garvey's Ghost") to Capetown ("Man from South Africa"). Little's darting filigree on the hard-swinging "Mama" is indicative of his breakthroughs in harmony and phrasing, while Dolphy's glorious, airborne flute, fulminating bass clarinet, and torchy, enraged alto enliven the waltzing "Tender Warriors" and the sardonic "Mendacity." On the latter, vocalist Abbey Lincoln's sassy, theatrical phrasing drips bluesy sarcasm in her spanking of a hypocritical racist establishment, setting the stage for Roach's furious, ritualistic rhythmic exorcism. Inspiring stuff. <i>--Chip Stern</i>

Genere: Jazz

Durata: 33:33

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: Lightning does strike twice. Robbie Robertson's breathtaking 1987 solo debut was every bit as remarkable as another debut he'd masterminded two decades before, The Band's <I>Music from Big Pink</I>. Even more impressive was the fact that Robertson's new sound owed so little, other than a shared vision, to the sonic Americana he'd created with The Band. Robertson cashed in The Band's rustic tones in for a lush, beat-box womb created by coproducer Daniel Lanois. His own weird, almost spectral voice, also turned out to be the right vehicle for the words he'd been handing to others for so long. Bono, The BoDeans, and Peter Gabriel join in on keepers like "Fallen Angel" and "Broken Arrow." --<I>Michael Ruby</I>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: Commissioned to come up with a soundtrack for the 1994 Turner Network Television special <I>The Native Americans</I>, Robbie Robertson delivered some of his most haunting and evocative work to date. Combining the sleek atmospherics of 1991's <i>Storyville</i> with traditional tribal chanting and instrumentation, <I>Music for the Native Americans</I> often manages to sound both contemporary and timeless. Unfortunately, Robertson's lyrics are often as clunky as they are well intentioned--though brief, his liner notes are far more powerful and informative--and his gravelly speak-singing is consistently outclassed by Native American guest vocalists Pura Fe, Soni, and Jen, whose "Mahk Jchi (Heartbeat Drum Song)" is also the album's highlight. File under "flawed but interesting." --<i>Dan Epstein</i>

Genere: Blues

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Genere: Blues

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Genere: Blues

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Genere: Folk

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Trama: The Roches' off-key singing is a taste well worth acquiring. "A Dove" is the best place for novices to start. It finds the perfect middle ground between their acoustic debut and their failed attempt at technopop, "Another World." The increased emphasis on melody brings them slightly closer to the mainstream without sacrificing any of their personality. The opening song, "Ing," sounds like a conventional pop song until the chorus, which uses vocal sampling similar to that in Lindsey Buckingham's "Don't Look Down." "Somebody's Gonna Have To Be Me" does just the opposite: the verses are full of unexpected stops and starts, before a guitar solo brings everything into focus.<p>I'll admit the album as a whole is a bit of a downer, but that's part of what makes it so compelling. A sense of melancholy prevails, from the disappointment expressed in "Expecting Your Love" to the urban paranoia of "Too Tough Hide" (the most rocking track, with guitar borrowed from Heart's "Barracuda.") The mood never really lifts until the country-flavored 2/4 stomp "You're The Two." Youngest sister Suzzy contributes the only throwaway, "Troubled Love," but give her credit for "Beautiful Love of God," the album's most moving song.

Genere: Folk

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Genere: Zydeco

Durata: 0:00

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Genere: Zydeco

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Genere: Zydeco

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Genere: Rock

Durata: 50:05

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Genere: Rock

Durata: 46:41

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Genere: Country

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Trama: By 1930, Rodgers had hit his commercial peak. By adding to mountain music hints of jazz, blues, and cowboy music he'd picked up while working the trains, he'd broken new ground, and his popularity gave him many options in the studio. Two installments of his "Blue Yodel" series are included here: No. 8, which became "Muleskinner Blues" and No. 9, with the unlikely husband-wife team of Louis and Lil Armstrong. Rodgers whines and moans on steel-guitar-laden ballads with Lani McIntire's Hawaiians and swings with Bob Sawyer's Jazz Band. Also memorable are the two duets with Sara Carter and two of Rodgers' most vivid lyrics: the poignant "T.B. Blues," which presages his death from tuberculosis two years later, and the ribald "Let Me Be Your Side Track," with Clifford Gibson's fluid blues guitar. <I>--Marc Greilsamer</I>

Genere: Country

Durata: 47:25

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Genere: Blues

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Genere: Blues

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Genere: Blues

Durata: 54:16

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: The band that proclaimed itself "The Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World" has long since represented rock's most overarching confluence of art and commerce--with a distinct emphasis on the latter in recent decades--a notion this 40-track, five-decade-spanning anthology can't completely escape. While this is the first anthology to gather hits from the band's entire career, it's the early tunes that highlight one of the Stones' central ironies: virtually their entire "bad boy" reputation was built working for The Man. That original '60s musical arc bounded from '50s rock and R&B revivalism ("Not Fade Away," "The Last Time") to anti-Mop Top aggression ("Satisfaction," "Get Off My Cloud," "19th Nervous Breakdown") to proto-goth cynicism ("Paint It Black," "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby") and psychedelic minstrelsy ("She's a Rainbow," "Ruby Tuesday") to the epitome of blues-based cock rock ("Street Fighting Man," "Jumpin' Jack Flash") in quick succession. Wresting control of their own destinies--and future copyrights--at the end of the '60s, they'd spend the next 30 years largely recycling their earlier incarnation ad infinitum--their music sprinkled with occasionally successful forays into contemporary club and disco fodder ("Some Girls," "Shattered")--and resting on their well-paid laurels. Unfortunately, the listless quartet of new tracks that flesh out this collection seems little more than another business deal to hype their 2002-03 world tour, with "Don't Stop" arguably the weakest in a long string of post-'80s Stones McSingles. If Jagger seems typically detached here, Keith Richards injects some welcome, craggy warmth into the closing barroom lament, "Losing My Touch." But it's also a performance that suggests his legendary band has become little more to him than "The Greatest Day Job in the World." <I>--Jerry McCulley</I>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: A fresh, uncompromising attempt to incorporate 1978 pop techniques into the band's familiar sound, "Some Girls" opens with the disco sass of "Miss You" and closes with the self-destructive punk of "Shattered." (Both songs, especially "Miss You," with its distinctive Mel Collins sax solo, remain live showstoppers.) So the Stones declared credibility in the dance circuit without sacrificing their hard-rock reputation. Though the anti-love "Beast of Burden" and the stylishly slow "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" continue to rack up the most airplay, the obscurities stand up surprisingly well. Worth replaying: Keith Richards's rickety rocker "Before They Make Me Run." "--Steve Knopper"

Genere: Rock

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: Opening with "Sympathy for the Devil," the Stones' infamous we-are-evil poem, this all-original 1968 album began a quality streak almost unmatched in rock & roll. Mick Jagger begins writing from the working-class hero's perspective--especially on the anthem "Street Fighting Man" and "Salt of the Earth"--and Keith Richards buttresses his partner with rock-solid slide licks recently graduated from the School of Old Blues Records. "Jig-Saw Puzzle," which inexplicably never became a hit, is the only known instance of Jagger's describing the Stones' individual personalities in verse. <I>--Steve Knopper</I>

Genere: Rock

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Genere: Rock

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Trama: It's no use comparing Stones albums to <I>Exile on Main St.</I> anymore; the world's greatest rock & roll band clearly substitutes finances for passion these days. But compared to, say, Soul Asylum or the Black Crowes, the band still produces worthwhile records--"Flip the Switch," "Out of Control," and the closing Keith Richards suite all give <I>Bridges</I> the edge over the Stones' spotty previous <I>Voodoo Lounge.</I> Despite dross like the plagiarized hit "Anybody Seen My Baby," and the underutilization of the talented Dust Brothers production team, the Stones don't deserve our indifference just yet. <I>--Steve Knopper</I>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: A fresh, uncompromising attempt to incorporate 1978 pop techniques into the band's familiar sound, <I>Some Girls</I> opens with the disco sass of "Miss You" and closes with the self-destructive punk of "Shattered." (Both songs, especially "Miss You," with its distinctive Mel Collins sax solo, remain live showstoppers.) So the Stones declared credibility in the dance circuit without sacrificing their hard-rock reputation. Though the anti-love "Beast of Burden" and the stylishly slow "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" continue to rack up the most airplay, the obscurities stand up surprisingly well. Worth replaying: Keith Richards's rickety rocker "Before They Make Me Run." <I>--Steve Knopper</I>

Genere: Rock

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Trama: This second greatest hits collection serves up the band's classic mid- '60s period, capped off by the death of Brian Jones for whom this collection is dedicated. Having made their breakthrough with hits that challenged the status quo, the Stones were in no mood to calm down. The insistent chaos of "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" "Jumping Jack Flash," and "Street Fighting Man" display the Stones at their most powerful, while "Dandelion" and "She's a Rainbow" are the Stones succeeding with psychedelia. "Paint It, Black" and "Ruby Tuesday" strike a perfect balance. A decent introduction to an essential period of Stones music. <I>--Rob O'Connor</I>