| Dido
Life for Rent
It has been a few years now since our favorite
closet homo/gay-basher Eminem took Dido’s
1999 song “Thankyou” and completely
gutted the melody from it to hold up his dark
and self-loving track “Stan.” Though
the lines in her song had a pointless connection
to his own, and it was obvious that whitey had
simply ripped it off to make his own “composition”
somewhat listenable, the effect it had on her
career cannot be downplayed. She has since gone
multi-platinum, and with the freedom that comes
along with that sort of immediate popularity,
she has gone a bit off the beaten path with this
record. The songs are dirtier, a bit edgier—some
of them almost like hip-hop songs, yet with her
solemn voice remaining intact. This is likely
due in no small part to the creative process this
time around, as she rented a house in the middle
of nowhere in her home country of England and
installed a studio in it where she and brother
Rollo, along with producer Rick Nowels, wrote
all of the tracks for this album. Let’s
hope she surpasses Eminem’s popularity this
time around. From Arista (www.arista.com). —Lance
Walker
Various Artists
The Celtic Circle: Legendary Music from a Mystic
World
The Celtic Circle is an ancient mythic emblem
symbolizing the cosmos, eternity, and the attainment
of happiness, concepts abundantly present in this
collection. This can be fully heard in this essential
two-CD compilation featuring the best traditional
and contemporary Celtic music performed by the
genre’s most acclaimed artists. Here bona
fide superstars Bono, Sarah McLachlan, the Corrs,
and Sinead O’Connor appear beside venerable
traditional Celtic musicians like the Chieftains,
Clannad, and Loreena McKennitt. Contemporary artists
like Phil Coulter, Vangelis, and Anuna update
this musically rich tradition with ethereal soundscapes
that flow seamlessly into sweeping Celtic-influenced
film scores from blockbuster films such as Lord
of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Braveheart. Available
from Windham Hill (www.wind ham.com). —Suzie
Lynde
Paul van Dyk
Reflections
Paul van Dyk continues to create a distinctive
brand of electronic dance music that continually
expands the horizons of an ever-growing electronic
music culture. With vocalists like Jan Johnston
(“Like a Friend,” “Homage”),
Brit-rock act Vega 4 (“Time of Our Lives”),
and German hip-hop artist DJ Tomekk (“Knowledge”),
Reflections is the gay-friendly singer’s
most ambitious and accomplished album to date.
Fans will find his characteristic dance-floor
anthems intertwined with vocal-encumbered tracks.
The CD includes van Dyk’s current single
“Nothing But You.” From Mute Records
(www.mute.com). For more info: www.paulvan dyk.com.
—Troy Carrington
The Lovelies
White Leather
The harmonies are here, the playing is here, and
the image is definitely here, but the album from
this coed trio from Milwaukee, despite all their
efforts, still leaves something to be desired.
Perhaps it is in the turns that the songs take
that they lose us. Almost all of the 14 tracks
on this disc start off in interesting directions,
but the chord progressions fall flat, or just
fail to sharpen up. It’s as if the listener
expects the songs to move in one direction, but
the turns they do take are a surprise, and though
not an unpleasant surprise, just one that leaves
the songs a bit too linear in the end. The Lovelies
do rock, though, and they will only continue to
get better at that part. They’re also going
to be able to save a lot of dough along the way
seeing as they all three use the same bottle of
white hair bleach. From Force MP (www.forcemp.com).
—LW
Various Artists
Lost in Boston
Lost in Boston is a collection of songs cut from
many musical theater’s finest shows, including
Chicago, West Side Story, The King and I, Annie
Get Your Gun, Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan,
Promises Promises, 110 in the Shade, Fiorello!,
Silk Stockings, Once on This Island, The Happy
Time, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. These shows
dropped great songs during tryout and preview
periods—due to time constraints, physical
production demands, changes in story line, or
just because they didn’t “work”—and
many receive their premiere recordings here. From
Fynsworth Alley (www.fynsworthalley.com). —TC
Original Cast Recording
Das Barbecü
Das Barbecü is a musical comedy loosely based
on Richard Wagner’s famous Ring Circle.
The German composer’s four-part, 20-hour
operatic cycle has been boiled down to a two-hour
package and relocated to Texas and focuses on
two sets of mismatched lovers and three generations
of characters from two feuding families. The music
ranges from Broadway to Texas swing to jazz to
country western. From Fynsworth Alley (www.fynsworthalley.com).
—TC
Esteban Ramirez
Fly with Me
Tex/Mex born-and-bred pianist/composer Esteban
Ramirez may have grown up in El Paso, Texas, but
don’t expect Tejano music from this part-Aztec/part-Mexican
artist. From the very first note of Fly with Me,
it is obvious that Ramirez is a master of the
acoustic grand piano featuring compelling ensemble
arrangements. From Descanso Music (www.descanso-music.com).
—SL
Wilshire
New Universe
Wilshire is the singer-songwriter duo Lori Wilshire
(born in Houston) and Micah Wilshire. Their melodic
pop-rock sound is influenced by the Beatles, classic
soul, and Top 40 pop. Both write, sing, and play
guitar. Their first single “Special”
is a driving track with an expansive chorus that
showcases the pair’s soaring harmonies.
From Columbia Records (www.columbiarecords.com).
—SL
Tonehenge
Tonehenge
Tonehenge, the brainchild of vocalist and cellist
Mystic Pete (Peter Ludwig), boasts the vocals
of Argentinean-born singer Ana Robles, who has
backed Luis Miguel of recent Naked Music fame
and Gloria Estefan. On certain tracks, Mystic
Pete marries the Euro-techno sound with the American
experience. Dawnia Carlson, lead singer on “The
One,” might be likened to dance divas Amber
or Deborah Cox. From Sound Designs International.
Info: www.tonehenge.com. —TC
If you have any comments about this article,
please email them to letters@outsmartmagazine.com.
|
