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CD REVIEWS

Thursday, October 17, 2002

Faith Hill Cry Warner Bros.

As you plod through the hourlong Faith Hill album "Cry," the songs start to run into each other. One cut's melodramatic chorus blends into another tune's pseudo-rock melody and then careens into yet a third track's drum-machine-fueled beat.

There's nothing memorable to distinguish one mundane number from the next -- certainly not Hill's voice. Sure, she can carry a tune, but so can a dozen other pop and country hopefuls. The singer we hear on "Cry" sounds as detached and soulless as she did on her sweet but forgettable country-pop debut album, 1994's "Take Me as I Am."

And today, country is at the bottom of the Mississippi native's list of priorities. Since she tasted pop crossover success with 1998's cloying single "This Kiss" and 1999's "Breathe," Hill permanently left the heartland.

"Cry" is produced for major sonic effect and stuffed with power ballads, the worst of which is the overblown title cut.

She's got a gospel choir singing with her on a song or two, and every once in a while there's a fabricated R&B rhythm. A few revved up electric guitars give us the impression there's a rock edge here, too. Her idea of soul sister material is "If You're Gonna Fly Away," with its drum machine beat, and the reggae-lite undertone of "One."

-- Mario Tarradell, Dallas Morning News

Faith Hill is scheduled to perform Friday morning on NBC's "Today" show.

Buddy Miller Midnight and Lonesome HighTone

Buddy Miller makes cool roots music with a brooding edge. His albums are like a shadowy excursion through a half-lit forest. By combining traditional country with rock, blues, folk and even Cajun, then tossing in a dose of his own stinging guitar riffs, the Nashville resident creates a sound that bites as it nourishes.

"Midnight and Lonesome," his fourth solo outing, has no shortage of penetrating songs, from the simmering roots rocker "Water When the Well Is Dry" to the jubilant Cajun number "Oh Fait Pitie D'Amour (Love Have Mercy on Me)." Miller penned some of the tracks; his wife, Julie, wrote others. He even offers a trio of covers, including Jesse Winchester's hauntingly beautiful "A Showman's Life."

All of it is top-notch. Miller, who has spent time as Emmylou Harris' touring guitarist, understands the emotional power at the core of simple songs. "Midnight and Lonesome" is filled with potent examples.

-- Mario Tarradell

Warren Zevon "Genius -- The Best Of" Rhino

Though his first few albums were produced by Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon was always the odd man out in the Los Angeles singer- songwriter cabal of the '70s. Sure, he was as capable as the next J.D. Souther of coming up with sensitive balladry on the order of "Hasten Down the Wind" and "Reconsider Me." But there were other sides to Zevon, and they ganged up on the well-heeled tunesmith.

He's capable of great subtlety but has been just as likely to roar over the top, preferably to the accompaniment of rock noises rude enough to make his L.A. neighbors nervous. So the "Excitable Boy" grows into a "Mr. Bad Example" whose collaborators have included Hunter S. Thompson, Carl Hiaasen and R.E.M. His satires -- such as "Detox Mansion," where he bites the hand that's treating him -- skewer the singer as frequently as any other target.

"Werewolves of London" was his only hit, but this 22-track compilation does a splendid job of representing three decades of deliciously contradictory behavior, the acerbic alongside the tender.

Zevon was diagnosed with untreatable lung cancer just as this retrospective was being readied. "You're my witness, I'm your mutineer" goes the refrain to one of his most moving recent songs. We are, he is, and however long we have Warren Zevon with us, it will have been too short a time.

-- Ben Edmonds, Detroit Free Press

Bon Jovi Bounce Island

From Bruce Springsteen we expect a response to Sept. 11. From fellow Jersey rockers Bon Jovi, best known for fun but ultimately meaningless hard-rock anthems like "Bad Medicine" and "You Give Love a Bad Name," we do not.

"Bounce," written in the wake of Sept. 11, isn't as bad as it sounded on paper.

Jon Bon Jovi and company are not poets or great thinkers (at least, not on record) as Springsteen at his best can be. So, on "Bounce," they avoid Springsteen's mournful and expansive take, heard on "The Rising," and opt for a more upbeat exhortation to America to lift its spirits, or they simply express anger as on the opening "Undivided."

Other tracks, like the typically infectious title song (basically, an "It's My Life, Part Deux"), are more aggressive than usual, thanks to Richie Sambora's punchy fret work, although the band continues to pander to radio on wimpy ballads like "You Had Me From Hello" and "Open All Night." In addition, Jon Bon Jovi's thin voice continues to be this band's weakest element.

-- Howard Cohen, Miami Herald

Various artists "Brown Sugar" soundtrack Magic Johnson Music/MCA Records

Not since the 1997 "Love Jones" soundtrack has one compilation showcased just about everything that's right with R&B and rap. Key words in the previous sentence: "just about." While the artists on this CD almost effortlessly come up with singles that outdistance much of today's radio fare in terms of delivery and production, the often uninspired lyrics ultimately keep them from rounding the bases.

Mos Def proved himself a great writer and rhymer on his classic 1999 solo debut, "Black on Both Sides," but in this first smattering of songs since he broke away to be a TV ("Def Poetry"), film ("Brown Sugar") and stage ("Topdog/Underdog") star, there are only glimpses of his smarts. Then again, his three variations on the same song ("Brown Sugar -- Extra Sweet" with Faith Evans, "Brown Sugar -- Raw" with Black Star, and the best, "Brown Sugar -- Fine") should have been more than a hint that this effort didn't require him to do a lot of creative stretching.

Another standout talent, Jill Scott, re-emerges on "Easy Conversation," a beautiful ballad that finds her way up in the Minnie Riperton registers. And yet instead of actually saying something, "Conversation" is strictly a mood-setter. Angie Stone and Rahsaan Patterson manage to conjure Aretha Franklin in the church ("Bring Your Heart") and Chaka Khan back when she was redefining soul with Rufus ("You Make Life So Good") -- but again, who can remember much more than the hooks?

The only wholly new offering on this soundtrack is from an artist whose first two albums always managed to be just a step or so away from being incredible: Erykah Badu. Her sweet lilt and deceptively simple description of hip-hop's growth make "Love of My Life" (with Common) as much a tribute to the culture as break dancing and gold rings that spell out your whole name.

-- Sonia Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Various artists Red Hot and Riot: The Music of Fela Kuti MCA

This is the 14th album released by the Red Hot organization to promote AIDS prevention and none has done a better job of matching the artist with the concept, the music with newly conceived interpretations.

Fela, who died in 1997 of AIDS complications, was one of the first African superstars to aggressively speak out about social inequities, often triggering violent reaction by the Nigerian government against him, his family and his associates.

Songs such as "Zombie" and "Shuffering and Shmiling" -- both included in this collection -- are compelling examples of the penetrating manner in which the bandleader addressed social issues.

Fela also was one of Africa's most determinedly contemporary artists, with the funk-driven spontaneity of his live performances deeply tapping into the changing cultural landscape.

So it's appropriate that his music is interpreted here in similarly contemporary fashion by a lineup of artists eclectic enough to include Sade, Macy Gray (with Roy Hargrove), Meshell Ndegeocello, D'Angelo, Nile Rodgers, Archie Shepp, Baaba Maal and Fela's supercharged son, Femi Kuti. In the process, this valuable collection affirms Fela's importance as a performer, an artist and a catalyst for social change.

-- Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

Uncle Kracker No Stranger to Shame Lava

He's got all the Southern-fried charm and funky infectiousness that made Kid Rock a superstar, but Uncle Kracker's laid-back libations, while simple by comparison, go down a lot more smoothly.

The new one from Rock's DJ and co-songwriter is less rap-driven than his hit debut, "Double Wide," but it still oozes with groove- filled hooks. Though wistful, country-tinged ditties including "In a Little While" and a spot-on version of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" (with Gray a guest on vocals) don't take any chances, they've got a soulful sweetness that's nothing to be ashamed of.

-- Lina Lecaro, Los Angeles Times

Uncle Kracker opens for Counting Crows on Nov. 29 at the Riverside Theatre, 116 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Look for Nick Carter's review of the new Al Jarreau album in Friday's Weekend Cue.

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