GrooveOut Shorts

• Erasure

Loveboat

In an era of out-the-closet pop, Andy Bell and Vince Clarke have returned to remind the world of the quality of their craftsmanship and show off some rougher edges. Loveboat’s 11 tracks constitute the richest and most diverse Erasure album in years. “Freedom” is super-powered gospel techno. “Crying in the Rain” welds bent hip hop beats to Bell’s angelic keening. “Mad as We Are” provides a giant orchestrated Broadway pivot halfway through. The glutinous beats of “Moon & the Sky” churn beneath rave-referenced keyboards. “Surreal” provides the honeycomb pop kiss goodbye. As demonstrated in the Kraftwerkian-soul ballad “Love Is the Rage” (“...is divine,” “...is rage,” “...is bizarre”), Bell forges ahead with his psychoanalysis of heartache, allowing his continuing love of Motown, gospel, country & western, and Elvis to guide his concerns. Originally released in the UK in October 2000, Loveboat has only been available as an import until now. From Mute Records (www.mute.com). —Troy Carrington

• Robert Urban

Rock Widow

In the category of "self-made," you’ll find openly gay New York City songwriter Robert Urban. He wrote nearly all of the songs on this record and performed nine different instruments in the production. It was all recorded in his own studio to boot. Urban writes contemporary pop songs that borrow somewhat from rock songs of the late ’70s, when the volume had been turned down but the guitars kept rattling. He even steps out for a cover of Cream’s "Deserted Cities of the Heart," in reverence to the disruption currently ongoing in the Middle East. The songs border on New Age, but he appears to be keeping a finger on the pulse of GLBT culture, so watch out for more from this guy. From Urban Productions (www.roberturban.com). —Lance Walker

• Original Cast Recordings

Broadway Today

Can’t get enough Broadway music? The hits on Broadway Today include, among others: “Good Morning Baltimore” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray, “The King of Broadway” and “I Wanna Be a Producer” from The Producers, “Movin’ Out” and “Goodnight Saigon” from Movin’ Out, “Mamma Mia” from Mamma Mia!, “Circle of Life” from The Lion King, and “What Do I Need with Love” from Thoroughly Modern Millie. The CD includes songs by composers and lyricists as diverse as Elton John, Billy Joel, Mel Brooks, operatic composer Giacomo Puccini, and Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA. There’s even a bonus track of the “All That Jazz” number from the Chicago soundtrack. From Sony Classical (www.sonyclassical.com). —TC

• Original Broadway Cast

Nine, the New Broadway Cast Recording

Nine, inspired by the film 8 1/2 by Federico Fellini, stars Antonio Bandera, Chita Rivera, Mary Stuart Masterson, Laura Fenanti, and Tony-winner Jane Krakowski. Nine revolves around Guido Contini, a film director in the Fellini mold. Having just suffered through several box-office flops, he attempts to write and direct a new film but is unable to come up with a suitable plot. Drifting toward a nervous breakdown, Guido finds himself examining his past flawed relationships with the many women who have come through his life and struggling to act his mature age of 40 as opposed to nine. From PS Classics (www.psclassics.com). —TC

• Sophie B. Hawkins

Best Of

If I didn’t know better, I would say that Sophie B. Hawkins grew up as a drummer. The beats on her records are poignant, driven, and static where they need to be, additionally a product of hiring out two brilliant session drummers in Omar Hakim and Neil Conti. Hawkins was brought up in New York City and was provided with a fertile breeding ground in which to hone her craft, and did so for years before she began writing songs. Once she took that turn, though, there was really no looking back, and she became nominated for a Grammy for her first single, "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover." Is it too early for a Best Of album? Perhaps so, but she has taken a turn to the more restrained, acoustic realm, and in that a step back from her well-traveled career—a career that this record documents quite well. From Columbia/Legacy (www.legacyrecordings.com, www.columbiarecords.com). —LW

• Thalia

Thalia

Latin superstar Thalia, who has sold over seven million albums worldwide and achieved enormous success in her native Mexico, as well as in Europe, Puerto Rico, and Asia, has finished recording her first English CD, self-titled Thalia. The album’s first single, “I Want You,” a duet with Fat Joe, has already begun climbing the radio charts. The singer, who is a household name among Latinos, ended 2002 as the top female Latin singing star. Her self-titled Latin album topped the charts throughout most of last year, even staying at the number-one spot for six consecutive weeks. The album went multi-platinum and produced three number-one singles. At this time, she has two albums competing against each other on the Latin charts. The English CD will be available July 8 from Virgin Records (www.virginrecords.com). —TC

• Jessica Molaskey

A Good Day

Jessica Molaskey pays tribute to Peggy Lee and the jazz she wrote and recorded with her husband, guitarist Dave Balfour. Molaskey also mixes in originals she wrote with her own husband, guitarist John Pizzarelli, which fit in beautifully alongside this collection of songs from the 1950s. Her strong, beautiful voice, along with the all-star jazz band, revives an era all but gone. From PS Classics (www.psclassics.com). More info: www.jessicamolaskey.com. —Andrea Rodricks

• Rosanne Cash

Rules of Travel

One of country music's most notable artists has returned. Rosanne Cash has one of those familiar voices with a sultry, husky tone. Produced by her husband John Leventhal, Rules of Travel includes well-written, melancholy, folk/pop songs, haunting melodies, and slide guitars. Steve Earle guests on "I'll Change for You," and Cash's legendary father appears on a classic-sounding "September When It Comes." From Capitol Records (www.capitolrecords.com). More info: www.rosannecash.com. —AR

• Freax

S/t

Freax writes metal songs from a really laid-back angle—as if somewhat of a calm settled over them before they started recording. The band was started in Brazil some years back by drummer Lou Ferreira and eventually relocated to Southern Florida. They soon imported lead singer Keith Caputo—best known for his work with Life of Agony—and got to work in the studio. Though this isn’t too far of a stretch for them, the band still catches you off guard here and there. It feels like a bunch of guys that spend a lot of time in the studio and pour over every detail carefully. Amazingly, that is reflected in the sound as well. Self-released (www.freax.com). —LW

• Leif Ove Andsne & Ian Bostridge

Schubert - Klaviersonate D 850

This is the second release in a series of Franz Schubert collaborations from tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Leif Ove Andsne. Bostridge has rocketed to major prominence in the world of classical music; Andsne has established himself as one of the world's most celebrated pianists. Together they decided to combine Schubert Sonatas with Lieder (famous romantic poems set to original music). These recordings bring together two exceptional artists. From EMI Classics (www.emiclassics.com). —AR• Various Artists

Lost on Arrival

Naked Music compilations are always on the tip—they’re always pushing something, moving in a forward direction that one wouldn’t necessarily expect, that one wouldn’t seek out but still wouldn’t shy away from. This time around they have gone backward. Well, not so much in a regressive sense but in a retro sense. Lost on Arrival is an homage to the fat and dirty disco beats of the ’70s, but doesn’t tend to ape the style in all those obvious and easy ways. They have essentially taken a palette of ideas that were born nearly three decades ago and made them their own today—a tall order and, might I say, a fine execution of such orders. From AstralWerks (www.astralwerks.com). —LW

• Various Artists

Believe . . . The Songs of the Sherman Brothers

The album is a collection of the Sherman Brother’s most memorable songs from the Disney movies to their Broadway shows. The songs are sung in a Broadway/pop style that brings a renewed spirit to the songs. Performed by some of today’s most impressive singers, this album pays tribute to a wide variety of enchanting songs by composers/lyricists Richard and Robert Sherman. From Fynsworth Alley (www.fynsworthalley.com). —AR

ALSO FROM FYNSWORTH ALLEY

Fynsworth Alley has reissued two CDs from their catalog: Just in Time: Judy Kuhn Sings Jule Styne, featuring the Broadway star (She Loves Me, Les Miserables) performing songs by the composer of Gypsy, Funny Girl, and Bells Are Ringing; and the original cast recording of John & Jen: A New Musical by Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald, starring Carolee Carmello and James Ludwig.

• Cornholin’ Cowpoke Cuts Country Comedy CD

Porn star Jeff Stryker is currently in the studio recording cuts for his forthcoming country music comedy album. Yep, you read that right. The CD takes a 10-gallon nod to his decade-long career in gay films with songs that should delight fans, two-steppers, and talk-radio hosts alike. "Pop You in the Pooper," the first single, is already buzzing on the Internet and mainstream morning talk radio. Other equally bawdy tracks include "What a Man Has to Do," "Ridin’ Hard," and "Wild Buck." Tentatively titled Ridin' Hard!, the album by Stryker and his Soggy-Bottomed Boyz is set for release this fall by Los Angeles-based EVI Records. Still, it's unlikely Stryker's Opryland dream will thrust itself into his day job. "I love Johnny Cash," says the tumescently talented star of Bigger Than Life, Powertool, and Stryker Force, "but I don't want to f--k him." —TC

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