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(04/04/08) Jim Brickman's 1997 holiday package is all satin bows and glowing hearth embers, precisely the approach his romantically inclined legions would have wished him to take. Those with less sentimental ears might argue that at times the pianist's approach... See more

(04/04/08) Jim Brickman's 1997 holiday package is all satin bows and glowing hearth embers, precisely the approach his romantically inclined legions would have wished him to take. Those with less sentimental ears might argue that at times the pianist's approach is a touch too sweet. "Joy to the World" would be more affecting as a solo work, for instance, and we could have done without the strings and music-box embellishments heard in "Angels." Yet Brickman compensates by delicately tracing a path to our heart-of-hearts in the album's two superb, nonholiday originals, "Fireside" and "Winter Peace." Three vocal tracks surface here: a breathy Kenny Loggins sings on the album's obligatory lullaby ("Starbright"), the female gospel group Point of Grace takes a bow ("Hope is Born Again"), and country vocalist Collin Raye performs a heart-clutching duet with Susan Ashton on the title track. It's not Brickman's finest record, but it's a very pretty one. --Terry Wood See less

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(04/04/08) Pianist Jim Brickman would like you to picture a world that is prettier, more contented, and more emotionally in-tune than the world you probably see through your windshield each day. It may be just wishful thinking, but Brickman's music indulges in... See more

(04/04/08) Pianist Jim Brickman would like you to picture a world that is prettier, more contented, and more emotionally in-tune than the world you probably see through your windshield each day. It may be just wishful thinking, but Brickman's music indulges in the dream anyway, and those inclined to share in the momentary journey will find it is a lovely, often romantic ride. The Cleveland-born pianist understands his strengths and sticks close to the white keys in this very inviting 13-track collection. Brickman specializes in crafting pop-influenced melodies that, to his credit, aim for the heartstrings through intelligence and subdued elegance rather than schmaltz. The album's most circulated cut is its lone vocal selection, the soft-pop hit "Valentine," sung by Martina McBride, but all 12 instrumentals are individual jewels of understated beauty. "Secret Love," for example, opens with sparkling, hopeful passages, followed by the hesitancy and uncertainty of a muted cello, resolved by a flood... See less

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(04/04/08) New Agey pianist Jim Brickman's history with children-friendly material goes back a long way--one of his early assignments was writing for Jim Henson, after all. On this album, he tackles Disney songs, although that definition is rather flexible. New... See more

(04/04/08) New Agey pianist Jim Brickman's history with children-friendly material goes back a long way--one of his early assignments was writing for Jim Henson, after all. On this album, he tackles Disney songs, although that definition is rather flexible. New tracks "Beautiful" (featuring vocalist Wayne Brady) and "I'm Amazed" (featuring country singer Lila McCann) aren't actually from any movie or TV show but inspired by Cinderella. (Other singing guests of note include former American Idol contestants Kimberley Locke and Josh Gracin.) Brickman's approach is so mellow that it's hard to tell the tunes apart in a Mary Poppins medley made up of five different songs, including the usually upbeat "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." This actually extends to the entire album, which feels like an extended medley. On the plus side, nothing comes in to peskily disrupt the soothing vibe. --Elisabeth Vincentelli See less

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(04/04/08) In this highly anticipated album release, Jon captivates listeners of all ages with his twelve inspiring LDS Hymn arrangements. Highlights include: A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, Onward, Christian Soldiers, For the Beauty of the Earth. This is his... See more

(04/04/08) In this highly anticipated album release, Jon captivates listeners of all ages with his twelve inspiring LDS Hymn arrangements. Highlights include: A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, Onward, Christian Soldiers, For the Beauty of the Earth. This is his first album containing LDS Hymns. See less

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(04/04/08) Although this is a "Winter" album, the music can be enjoyed all year round. It is a collection of a few unknown, yet amazingly, beautiful Christmas Carols, along with some new original pieces.

(04/04/08) Although this is a "Winter" album, the music can be enjoyed all year round. It is a collection of a few unknown, yet amazingly, beautiful Christmas Carols, along with some new original pieces. See less

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(04/04/08) The Mississippi-based quartet 3 Doors Down has only one thing that sets them apart from other hard rock bands: lead vocalist Brad Arnold is also the drummer. The group shops the sounds of Pearl Jam and the Goo Goo Dolls, pointing at what they like,... See more

(04/04/08) The Mississippi-based quartet 3 Doors Down has only one thing that sets them apart from other hard rock bands: lead vocalist Brad Arnold is also the drummer. The group shops the sounds of Pearl Jam and the Goo Goo Dolls, pointing at what they like, picking it off the shelf, and throwing it into the stew. While the music on The Better Life, their debut, sounds overall both competent and confident, the songs themselves are equally uninspired and clichéd. For example, the riff from the track "Loser" is straight out of the Alice in Chains songbook, adding much more cringe-worthy lyrics ("Addiction needs a pacifier, the buzz of this poison is taking me higher"). In fact, most of the lyrics zero in on well-worn rock themes of aggravation, confusion, and frustration, feelings that 3 Doors Down will easily coax out of discriminating listeners. --Jason Josephes See less

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(04/04/08) Michael Bublé's assured debut and the tireless year of globe-trotting touring he spent promoting it elevated the 20-something Vancouver native into the first rank of pop crooner revivalists. His sophomore studio follow-up largely turns on the same... See more

(04/04/08) Michael Bublé's assured debut and the tireless year of globe-trotting touring he spent promoting it elevated the 20-something Vancouver native into the first rank of pop crooner revivalists. His sophomore studio follow-up largely turns on the same formula that helped make his considerable vocal prowess so attractive to mainstream audiences, mixing the nigh flawless, if expected Sinatra-channeling ("I've Got You Under My Skin") with more playful and inviting renditions of pop standards like the Gershwin's "A Foggy Day in London Town," "Feeling Good," "Try A Little Tenderness" and Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin." But it's the eclectic mix of more contemporary material the singer seasons them with -- apt tribute to Bublé hero Bobby Darin -- that keeps him walking the narrow tightrope between artistic intrigue (a blues-tinged vamp of Holland-Dozier-Holland's "How Sweet It Is," Leon Russell's lovely "Song For You," with a guest turn by Chris Botti) and the kitsch-laden abyss... See less

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(04/04/08) Pop's rush to raid the cradle continues with this promising debut by 25-year-old Canadian singer Michael Bublé. And while the young vocal star's good looks are smart enough for a boy band, his muse seems to have sprung from a more sassy and... See more

(04/04/08) Pop's rush to raid the cradle continues with this promising debut by 25-year-old Canadian singer Michael Bublé. And while the young vocal star's good looks are smart enough for a boy band, his muse seems to have sprung from a more sassy and compelling musical era. Mentored by Paul Anka (whose '50s hit "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" is covered in dreamy, cabaret fashion here), Bublé sings in the orbits of Darin and Sinatra, covering swing epoch gems ("Come Fly with Me," "The Way You Look Tonight," "That's All") and rock era standards (Van Morrison's "Moondance," "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by the Brothers Gibb, Queen's "Crazy Little Ting Called Love") with equal aplomb. David Foster's production is typically slick and played to the back row of the bleachers, but it's informed by smart contexts provided by such arrangers as Johnny Mandel, Randy Waldman, and Mike Melvoin. If the choices of material are sometimes staid and predictable, they also give the singer a crucial framework... See less

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(04/04/08) In 2005, James Blunt was everybody's favorite overnight success story. In 2007, he's the guy who's making rock meaningful again. All the Lost Souls,, the sophomore effort from the Brit responsible for restoring the seriousness of "beautiful" as a... See more

(04/04/08) In 2005, James Blunt was everybody's favorite overnight success story. In 2007, he's the guy who's making rock meaningful again. All the Lost Souls,, the sophomore effort from the Brit responsible for restoring the seriousness of "beautiful" as a compliment, brims with big build-ups, epic-sounding ballads, and lyrics to lose yourself in. The vibe, laid out neatly on first single and opening track "1973," is clear-eyed and heavy-hearted; in anybody over 35, it'll produce nostalgia tempered by hopefulness--here's a set that suggests rock has got its head screwed on straight again, that the path to real feelings need not necessarily be led by Norah Jones. In anybody younger, it'll cause the unsinkable suspicion that a lot of modern balladeers should be digging deeper. But in both cases it will satisfy. Compared with David Gray and Damien Rice last time out, this time Blunt seems to owe a debt to Barry Gibb--his voice quavers as sweetly and with the same delicate reach. Stand-outs on a... See less

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(04/04/08) With three years passed and a new producer at the helm, the Dave Matthews Band find themselves stretching beyond the borders of Before These Crowded Streets to more emotionally explorative territory. On Everyday, Matthews's clenched-jaw delivery has... See more

(04/04/08) With three years passed and a new producer at the helm, the Dave Matthews Band find themselves stretching beyond the borders of Before These Crowded Streets to more emotionally explorative territory. On Everyday, Matthews's clenched-jaw delivery has an unrelenting constancy that's cunning and determined. "I Did It" opens the CD in an aggressive groove, while "When the World Ends" follows with clipped licks that dive into a muddier, open-flowing chorus. From there on out, the floodgates open into something that often recalls Peter Gabriel, which is ironic, given that the band replaced producer Steve Lillywhite, whose work with Gabriel is legendary, with Glen Ballard, whose work with Alanis Morissette is of equal note, if not acclaim. The album is Gabrielesque in scope, from Matthews's deepening rasp to the epic instrumentation. Yet, what's lacking is Lillywhite's ability to capture a sense of naked honesty. Instead, Ballard dosses down the tracks in designer-suit production, unable to... See less

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(04/04/08) On Dashboard Confession's fourth album, Christopher Carraba welcomes listeners back into his emotionally claustrophobic world, where relationships are minefields, women are brittle and self-absorbed, and every cloud has a pewter lining. But all this... See more

(04/04/08) On Dashboard Confession's fourth album, Christopher Carraba welcomes listeners back into his emotionally claustrophobic world, where relationships are minefields, women are brittle and self-absorbed, and every cloud has a pewter lining. But all this is only fodder for his runaway id, as he deconstructs every encounter, giving us evidence of the pain and betrayal that lurks behind every corner. Finding a home somewhere between the positive punk of Green Day, circa "Time of Your Life," and the stream-of-consciousness poetry of the early Counting Crows, this collection is more musically coherent than Dashboard Confessional's earlier albums. Gil Norton's production has taken the band to new heights, allowing the music to have as much grit, substance, and dynamics as the lyrics. The anxious expectorated sputum of "Am I Missing," is an existential assault on your very sanity, with its fretful drumming and spectral chorus, but this album doesn't sound just that one apprehensive note; Carraba... See less

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(04/04/08) On their full-length debut, Denver quartet the Fray don't exactly reinvent the wheel, but those looking for melodic, mid-tempo pop could do far worse. That said, the 12 songs on Top 40 hit How To Save a Life are barely distinguishable from each... See more

(04/04/08) On their full-length debut, Denver quartet the Fray don't exactly reinvent the wheel, but those looking for melodic, mid-tempo pop could do far worse. That said, the 12 songs on Top 40 hit How To Save a Life are barely distinguishable from each other. If you like one, you'll probably like the rest (and you'll be in the company of thousands of other listeners.) If you don't like one, it's unlikely the others will change your mind. Formed in 2002 and signed by Epic in 2004, the band consists of Isaac Slade (vocals, piano), Joe King (guitar, vocals), Ben Wysocki (drums), and Dave Welsh (guitar). Since their formation, the Fray have elicited comparisons to British groups like Coldplay and Keane, and American ones like Counting Crows and the Wallflowers. They've also toured with Weezer and Ben Folds and had songs--like first single "Over My Head (Cable Car)"--featured on such popular programs as Grey's Anatomy. Though they incorporate guitar, unlike Keane, Slade's expert piano playing is... See less

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(04/04/08) Snow Patrol are frequently compared to Coldplay in the press, which seems strange as they write far better songs and do not appear to be quite so self-hating, nor as rich. Their delightfully dour little pop songs do touch on the melancholic side of... See more

(04/04/08) Snow Patrol are frequently compared to Coldplay in the press, which seems strange as they write far better songs and do not appear to be quite so self-hating, nor as rich. Their delightfully dour little pop songs do touch on the melancholic side of things, but the lyrics are wonderfully slice-of-life descriptions. Singer/lyricist Gary Lightbody gives a shout-out to Sufjan Stevens when on the punchy "Open Your Eyes" he sings, "The anger swells in my guts." Perhaps a better comparison would be American indie-rock act Sebadoh? Regardless, this band continues to surprise. If you went to see this mixed Scottish/Irish group on tour after hearing their wistful, breakout third album Final Straw, you might have been a bit confused by the rock juggernaut confronting you. Eyes Open is their most straightforwardly rock record yet, and thanks in large part to producer Garret Lee, it's their best. If there was ever perfect music to get lost to while driving around confused about a relationship, this... See less

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(04/04/08) Maroon 5 aren't the first band to fuse R&B and rock, but they certainly are one of the most convincing. One can almost hear Stevie Wonder's beaded braids clattering in time to their deep, funky grooves. At best, the band conjures up latter-day... See more

(04/04/08) Maroon 5 aren't the first band to fuse R&B and rock, but they certainly are one of the most convincing. One can almost hear Stevie Wonder's beaded braids clattering in time to their deep, funky grooves. At best, the band conjures up latter-day Motown, complete with a shuddering organ and hyperbolic vocals; at worst, they sound like a stylized boy band, with all the attendant close harmonies and dramatic pauses. But despite these musical schisms, Maroon 5 are a thoroughly engaging outfit, thanks to throbbing bass lines, hooky songs, and lead singer Adam Levin's swaggering delivery. --Jaan Uhelszki See less

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(04/04/08) Faith Hill finally has her first greatest-hits album after 6 successful albums. The Hits spans the superstar's career by bringing together seven number one hits like "This Kiss," "Breathe," and "Mississippi Girl" plus more fan favorites.

(04/04/08) Faith Hill finally has her first greatest-hits album after 6 successful albums. The Hits spans the superstar's career by bringing together seven number one hits like "This Kiss," "Breathe," and "Mississippi Girl" plus more fan favorites. See less

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(04/04/08) Father of five children, pop musician Kenny Loggins follows up 1994's highly successful Return to Pooh Corner with this More Songs collection. "Your Heart Will Lead You Home," the title track for Disney's animated Tigger Movie, leads off. Cowritten... See more

(04/04/08) Father of five children, pop musician Kenny Loggins follows up 1994's highly successful Return to Pooh Corner with this More Songs collection. "Your Heart Will Lead You Home," the title track for Disney's animated Tigger Movie, leads off. Cowritten with Disney's legendary songwriting Sherman Brothers, "Your Heart" sets the tone for what is to come: a various-source compilation of clean, classic family fare in the tradition of The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, and Beauty and the Beast. "Flying Dreams," a ballad from The Secret of Nimh beautifully pairs the artist with Olivia Newton-John. Loggins's original "Always, in All Ways" tenderly champions unconditional parental love, and "That'll Do" from Randy Newman's score for Babe: Pig in the City is a welcome treat. "Turn Around" and "The Inchworm" sound a more nostalgic note, rounding out More Songs into a truly lovely collection. --Paige La Grone See less

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(04/04/08) In paying tribute to her roots, Martina McBride doesn't merely cover a selection of classic country favorites, she conjures an entire era. You'd swear that was Floyd Cramer playing piano on the album-opening "You Win Again," and Chet Atkins picking... See more

(04/04/08) In paying tribute to her roots, Martina McBride doesn't merely cover a selection of classic country favorites, she conjures an entire era. You'd swear that was Floyd Cramer playing piano on the album-opening "You Win Again," and Chet Atkins picking guitar on the following "I'll Be There." The steel guitar featured so prominently throughout Timeless recalls a time when country sounded distinctly--and proudly--different from rock, while the background chorale on "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Once a Day," as well as the soaring strings on "Rose Garden," remind one of the "countrypolitan" crossover sound. Except for a delicate rendering of Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone," McBride's versions don't really add anything to the originals, because these songs weren't missing anything. But she makes "I Don't Hurt Anymore" sound as fresh and pure as it did when Hank Snow recorded it more than a half-century ago, while her rendition of "Till I Can Make It on My Own" has all the brittle... See less

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(04/04/08) Kelly Clarkson could have played her American Idol-propelled career much differently, languishing in the role of dippy ingénue or shunting her musical development by leaning too heavily on overnight stardom. Instead she dug in her heels and allowed... See more

(04/04/08) Kelly Clarkson could have played her American Idol-propelled career much differently, languishing in the role of dippy ingénue or shunting her musical development by leaning too heavily on overnight stardom. Instead she dug in her heels and allowed good sense (or a good manager) to steer, and somewhere Simon Fuller and the rest of the TV gang ought to be smiling. Credit Breakaway, which couldn't be more aptly titled--the sophomore effort represents a seismic split from the thin if pretty debut, Thankful. Here we encounter Clarkson as superstar, with the humility that made her likable on the first disc tucked tightly under her arm. First single and leadoff track "Breakaway" topped the pop charts on arrival, and its rock-friendly thumps, dips, and rolls don't wear out their welcome. Instead,they blend into the firestorm of beats and guitars that is "Since U Been Gone," another shout-it-out rocker. Those songs set the tone for the rest of the disc in all its fury: The innocence is long... See less

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(04/04/08) It's hard to imagine a more schizophrenic album than Fireflies, but Faith Hill, the comely pride of Star, Mississippi, had a lot of different factions to please. There's the country set, furious about the L.A. excess of 2002's Cry, as ravaged a pop... See more

(04/04/08) It's hard to imagine a more schizophrenic album than Fireflies, but Faith Hill, the comely pride of Star, Mississippi, had a lot of different factions to please. There's the country set, furious about the L.A. excess of 2002's Cry, as ravaged a pop album as ever made. Then there's the club set, which actually mistook Cry for music, and wanted more. Finally, there's Hill herself, still bruised from the critical drubbing the last album got, and obviously feeling the need to prove herself anew, going brunette to show her transformation. The bad news about Fireflies is that the all-out country songs--the autobiographical "Mississippi Girl," which practically begs forgiveness for Cry, and the cartoonish "Dearly Beloved," a hoedown ditty about a shotgun wedding--are embarrassing attempts to show that the Dixified diva hasn't gotten above her raising. Then, two other offerings--Darrell Scott's preachy protest number "We've Got Nothing But Love to Prove" and the beautiful torch ballad... See less

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(04/04/08) Martina McBride is something of a marvel. Throughout her career she has managed to walk a tightrope between Nash-Vegas commercial concerns and the high art of well-crafted songwriting and serious singing that makes up modern country at its best. Her... See more

(04/04/08) Martina McBride is something of a marvel. Throughout her career she has managed to walk a tightrope between Nash-Vegas commercial concerns and the high art of well-crafted songwriting and serious singing that makes up modern country at its best. Her hits in the Nineties ("Wild Angels," Independence Day," "Life #9," "Safe in the Arms of Love") were beacons of light in a darkness of clichéd and over-produced cowboy-disco tunes. Martina continues her tradition of tasteful tune picking and powerful but never over-the-top vocals. "This One's for the Girls" mines much missed Mary Chapin Carpenter territory, while tunes like "In My Daughter's Eyes" and "So Magical" (with its scenes of rural bliss) stay safely this side of excessive sentimentality thanks to McBride's considered performances. Even pop tunes like "When You Love Me" and "Learning to Fall" are kept country with an emphasis on guitars, fiddles, and steels over syrupy synthesizers. Throughout, producers Paul Worley and McBride... See less

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(04/04/08) Shania Twain--recluse, happily married, mother of one--has sold more than 40 million albums with flirty, hook-laden, beat-heavy, country-tinged pop that has all the subtlety of a musical wet T-shirt contest, yet is as irresistible as Swiss chocolate... See more

(04/04/08) Shania Twain--recluse, happily married, mother of one--has sold more than 40 million albums with flirty, hook-laden, beat-heavy, country-tinged pop that has all the subtlety of a musical wet T-shirt contest, yet is as irresistible as Swiss chocolate and Pringles. There are a few heartfelt, moon-in-June love ballads on this generous and long-awaited 20-song collection, which includes three new songs along with all the predictable chart-toppers and near-chart-toppers. But it's the mostly nonstop, uptempo booty-shakers--too often with garish overproduction and vapid lyrics--that, for the unconverted, tend to run together after a while. No doubt, this relentlessly upbeat retrospective will keep Twain's millions of fans jumping up and down on their sofas. --Bob Allen Recommended Contemporary Crossover LeAnn Rimes, This Woman Faith Hill, Faith Dixie Chicks, Top of the World Tour LeAnn Rimes, Blue Faith Hill, Breathe Martina McBride, Martina See less

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(04/04/08) With her breakthrough 2002 debut, Let Go, Avril Lavigne tried to market herself as the bona fide alternative to tarty teen queens, Britney and Christina. Her guitar-pop hits were irresistibly bratty but the whole "Complicated" teen pose was a little... See more

(04/04/08) With her breakthrough 2002 debut, Let Go, Avril Lavigne tried to market herself as the bona fide alternative to tarty teen queens, Britney and Christina. Her guitar-pop hits were irresistibly bratty but the whole "Complicated" teen pose was a little hard to swallow, especially since two songwriters called the Matrix--who had at least twenty years on the Canadian singer--fed her most of the material. Having had the chance to live a little, Lavigne returns to make good on her angsty image with Under My Skin, an album rippling with delightfully dour melodies and heartfelt lyrics about loneliness ("How Does It Feel") and fractured relationships ("Don't Tell Me"). Is it clichéd? Sure. Will it scare off her necktie and t-shirt wearing fans? Possibly. But there's nothing quite as satisfying as watching a teen-pop icon actually reveal her soul. --Jaan Uhelszki See less

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