GrooveOut Shorts

Janet Jackson
Damita Jo
"Relax, it's just sex," whispers Janet Jackson at the end of “Sexhibition,” the third song on her eighth album, Damita Jo. Those words were recorded long before her breast-baring exploits at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. The album is a sinfully appealing blend of infectious beats and scandalous lyrics. She has reinvented herself yet again, proving she has the sensuality and the voice to keep her at the top of the pop diva hierarchy. With the slow-tempo, sensual grooves, occasional up-tempo jam, and endless spoken interludes, it's as explicit as pop music gets. From Virgin Records (www.virginrecords.com). More info: www.janet-jackson.com. —Andrea Rodricks

Broadway Cast Recording
Wonderful Town
Donna Murphy may capture her third Tony for her full-out star turn in this hit revival of the 1950s musical (though she faces tough competition in Kristin Chenoweth’s pre-Oz Glenda the Good Witch in Wicked). In a part first created for Rosalind Russell, Murphy blazes through the show with a brassy performance. Oddly for a musical set among the denizens of Greenwich Village, there are no queers in evidence—at least judging by the CD—which is even more ironic because the at-least-bi Leonard Bernstein composed the light and pleasant music (Betty Comden and Adolph Green penned the lyrics). Jennifer Westfeld of the lesbian love story flick Kissing Jessica Stein sweetly handles the ingénue role of the sister. Best songs: the sisters’ homesick lament,“Ohio,” and the ringing “It’s Love.” From DRG Records (www.drgrecords.com). —Tim Brookover

Broadway Cast Recording
The Thing About Men
Based on the European film Men by Doris Dörrie, The Thing About Men tells the story of an advertising executive who will stop at nothing in an outrageous attempt to win back his wife’s affections. Stars Tony-nominee Marc Kudisch (Thoroughly Modern Millie). From DRG Records (www.drgrecords.com). —Suzie Lynde

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Connie and Carla: Music from the Motion Picture
Featuring vocals by the film’s stars, Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette, this soundtrack includes classic show tunes such as “Let Me Entertain You, “Mame,” and “There Is Nothing Like a Dame.” Debbie Reynolds also contributes to the soundtrack in addition to having a cameo in the film. From Epic Records (www.epicrecords.com). More info: www.connieandcarla.com. —Troy Carrington

Jane Olivor
Safe Return
The simultaneous DVD and CD releases of Safe Return mark the triumphant return for Jane Olivor. Still singing with her trademark rich and supple voice, she vividly revisits her beloved signature songs, pop standards, and several new songs, including “Safe Return,” a poignant new composition she co-wrote for this program. Olivor also performs a special solo version of “The Last Time I Felt Like This,” which she introduced with Johnny Mathis in the 1978 film Same Time Next Year and performed at the Oscars the next year. This intimate live set was recorded at the Berklee Performing Arts Center in Boston, the site of her first concert album over 20 years ago. From PS Classics (www.psclassics.com). More info: www.janeolivor.com. —TC

The Real Tuesday Weld
I, Lucifer
Stephen Coates is a modern-day electronic cabaret artist who calls himself The Real Tuesday Weld. I, Lucifer is the imaginary soundtrack to the best-selling book of the same name, about the devil returning to earth for a second shot at repentance and mortality. Weld has crafted a unique new sound, inspired by 1930s jazz, Serge Gainsbourg, Ennio Morricone, and modern electronica. This enhanced CD features the award-winning animated video for the dancefloor hit “Bathtime in Clerkenwell.” Available May 11 from Six Degrees Records (www.sixdegreesrecords.com). —TC

The Bangles
The Essential Bangles
The all-female rock band emerged from the paisley underground scene in Los Angeles, and now the ladies of the ’80s are back. The album features their Top 10 chart hits digitally remastered—Walk Like an Egyptian and Manic Monday, as well as the mesmerizing cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Hazy Shade of Winter. If you enjoy ’60s and ’70s guitar rock, you will surely love the music of the Bangles. From Sony Music Entertainment (www.sonymusic.com). More info: www.legacyrecordings.com/bangles, www.thebangles.com. —AR

Rhian Benson
Gold Coast
With a moniker such as hers, why would Rhian Benson bother to use her last name? It seems that in a time where surnames mean very little and artists such as Prince, Madonna, and RuPaul have set the stage for unique names taking a front seat (those are all their real first names) that it would be automatic for this artist to follow suit. Perhaps not. After all, there are a lot of things she could have done to follow suit on her debut album that she didn’t do. We are talking about an artist who dropped out of Harvard to pursue music—this, after having spent time growing up in the dissimilar cities of Ghana, New Delhi, and London. So she was well traveled—did it have an effect on her music? Certainly. It’s all over the place, and that’s where she feels most comfortable. With an upbeat take on contemporary R&B, Rhian has employed the finer elements of soul, jazz, and dub to help confuse the listener on both her origin and that of the music. Beyond that, she has a soft, silky voice that she allows to lapse into a raspy candor at times, leaving the listener to wonder if they’re only listening to one Rhian. After all, there is only one Rhian . . . right? From DKG Music. More info: www.rhianbenson.com. —Lance Walker

Blondie
The Curse of Blondie
Deborah Harry has one of the greatest voices in rock music history, and the new album proves that the band still has what it takes. They play with the same conviction that made them international stars in the ’70's. The disc is enhanced with a video for the disco groove-sounding single “Good Boys,” which is bound to climb the charts. Blondie stretches out to other genres, but you can still recall the old familiar sound on a few songs.
From Sanctuary Records (www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com). More info: www.blondie.net. —AR

Craig Linder
Blue Serenity
Craig Linder’s soul-massaging style of instrumental piano provide soothing ambience for stress relief, massage, meditation, yoga, or bodywork. Blue Serenity was created as an antidote to the stresses of everyday life, and its piano melodies tap into the listener’s inner resonance to help dissipate tension, almost like a “mental massage.” The CD’s program of 16 solo piano tracks was designed to last 60 minutes to support many healing modalities. From AquaHorse Records. For more info: www.craiglinder.com. —TC

Eliane Elias
Dreamer
This 11-track collection comprises rarely performed tunes from the American songbook, rapturous Brazilian bossa novas, and new originals from Elias. From the opening track, “Call Me,” to the final number, Burt Bacharach’s “A House Is Not a Home,” Dreamer captures Elias in a musical setting that is elegant, sophisticated, sensual, and romantic. From Bluebird (www.bluebirdjazz.com). More info: www.elianeelias.com. —SL

Stephanie Cooke
Everything
With her debut album, Stephanie Cooke brings the warmth, depth, and beauty of R&B to lush, jazzy, sophisticated club tracks created for her by some of the best producers in the business. Everything may very well be exactly that to those who like their club tracks to pump with a little heart. From King Street Sounds (www.kingstreetsounds.com). —SL

Banco de Gaia
You Are Here
To say that Banco de Gaia is politically motivated is somewhat of an understatement. Sure, there are undertones of producer Toby Marks’ frustration with the erosion of civil liberties around the world and the increasing presence of Big Brother all around in places where it has no business, but there is something here that exists even beyond that. Over the past few years, Marks has had to fight for the rights to his earlier albums with an older record label, a battle that will chip away at the enamel of any artist in the disheartening reality that music is money and that lawyers have more of a say sometimes than do musicians. The fact that Marks had to endure this over the years, though finally winning the battle, prompted the floodgates to open when he finally had room to experiment again musically. What resulted is a moving collection of instrumental tracks that center on world-beat themes but still introduce enough newer elements to keep it fresh. This helps it so that you don’t feel like you’re in the jungle while listening, but you can maybe still kind of see the jungle. From Six Degrees Records (www.sixdegreesrecords.com). —LW

Horacio Ravera
Tango Project Vol. 1
Native Argentinean tenor Horacio Ravera is a critically acclaimed, world-renowned tango interpreter. He brings the tango to the forefront of romantic music. Often considered the dance of passion, it is also one of the most beautiful and romantic forms of song. The disc includes classic tango numbers such as Sentimiento Gaucho and La Cumparsita. The sexy syncopations of tango can be heard on this enhanced CD that has two new tangos and three DVD-videos. From Caliente Records/Pimienta Records (www.caliente-music.com, www.pimientarecords.com). —AR

Jack Donahue
Strange Weather
His voice glowing with warmth and sensuality, Jack Donahue is an elegant, jazz-inspired crooner who was recently called “one of the most entertaining and engaging young singers around” by The New York Daily News. Strange Weather features new interpretations of classic songs mixed with works by more contemporary writers. From PS Classics (www.psclassics.com). —TC

Patty Griffin
Impossible Dream
Impossible Dream is a world of great emotional and social turmoil, a world in which Patty Griffin’s “Truth #2” became—for her friends the Dixie Chicks—the song that spoke most clearly about what it’s like to be censored. Griffin doesn’t write protest music, but songs like “Don’t Come Easy” and “Cold as It Gets” come straight out of a way of seeing the world with politicized eyes. From ATO Records (www.atorecords.com). More info: www.pattygriffin.com. —TC

Various Artists
Lullaby: A Windham Hill Collection
This double-CD features quiet vocal performances on one CD, while the other contains soothing instrumentals. Carly Simon, Sinéad O’Connor, Amy Sky, and Phil Coulter join Windham Hill favorites Jim Brickman and George Winston, among others, to create almost two hours of easy listening. From Windham Hill (www.windham.com). —SL

Music DVDs

Luther Vandross
From Luther With Love: The Videos
In his 1998 appearance at Rodeo Houston in our then-beloved Astrodome, Luther Vandross emerged from behind the curtains next to the stage engulfed in thunderous applause. Without saying a word, he and his band, along with a full compliment of backup singers, launched into a flurry of his emotionally sanctioned ladykiller ballads before he ever bothered to address the crowd. When he finally did begin to speak, that smooth, velvet voice we’d heard coming from the speakers was gone, replaced by a weak, hoarse voice that could barely sound out the words “How y’all doin’?” As the crowd continued to applaud in an understandably confused manner, Luther threw his arms up into the air, erupted into laughter and again began to speak in his ordinary warm, rich tone, confessing “Ah, I’m just playing with y’all!” The crowd roared back even louder than before, thus setting the stage for an hour and a half’s worth of concentrated intimacy with the man. Luther Vandross has made a career out of making men cry and making women hot, and there is no better example of this than his collected visual works. This DVD features 15 of his best-known videos, focusing on no era in particular, instead encompassing his lengthy and prolific career. It is well worth a look and a listen; just watch out for him trying to play tricks on you—he’s got the voice to do it. From Epic/Legacy (www.epicrecords or www.legacyrecordings.com). —LW

The Doobie Brothers
Rockin’ Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert
When the Doobie Brothers hired a young Michael McDonald to help fill the spot of vocalist/guitarist Tom Johnston on tour in 1975, they knew they were getting a talented young musician in the deal. What they didn’t know was that they were acquiring someone who was going to refinish the veneer of their music and produce a hit song for them in his first year as a member of the band. This DVD collection recounts that exchange as well as numerous other anecdotes about the band through the years, focusing on 1996’s sole union of their three vocalists onstage at a benefit concert for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Despite their age, and the fact that McDonald is the only one openly conceding to having white hair, the band is in great form. Most of the sessions are a little rehearsed—not so much coming across like concert footage as it does a studio performance, but it is further proof that age has little to do with ability and that rock ’n’ roll is still thicker than blood (no, none of them are actually brothers). From Legacy (www.legacyrecordings.com). —LW

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