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Billboard CD reviews: Christina Aguilera, Korn, Jewel
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Billboard CD reviews: Christina Aguilera, Korn, Jewel
Reuters - Saturday, July 3
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Singer Christina Aguilera performs the national anthem before the Los Angeles Lakers play the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Los Angeles, California, June 17, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Blake
ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA
ALBUM: BIONIC
NEW YORK , the 18-song set shows an artist confident enough to take direct cues from her tuned-in creative team. Because she's bold enough to do it her way, Aguilera maintains her reign.
ARTIST: KORN
ALBUM: KORN III -- REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE
A subtitle like "Remember Who You Are" implies a blast back to the past. That may be just what Korn intended by bringing back Ross Robinson, who produced the heavy rockers' first two albums. But "Korn III" ."
ARTIST: JEWEL
ALBUM: SWEET AND WILD
Two years after she got her twang on, Jewel is still a country girl on her latest album, "Sweet and Wild." But she steps a touch closer to the pop side than she did on 2008 set "Perfectly Clear." Fiddle, pedal steel and the occasional banjo flavor rather than define the 11 songs here, and the bare-bones acoustic versions on a second disc included in the album's deluxe version put Jewel right back into coffeehouse , while "No More Heartaches" slyly but defiantly kisses off a man who's done her wrong. And the lushly drawn "Fading" mixes a moody ambience with a quiet sense of desperation. The set is more sweet than it is wild, but it finds an effective middle ground between the multiplatinum troubadour and the modern country songstress.
ARTIST: JOHN MELLENCAMP
ALBUM: ON THE RURAL ROUTE 7609
"On the Rural Route 7609" isn't a boxed set meant to show off how many hits John Mellencamp has. There's no "Small Town" or "Hurts So Good" -- most of the big ones aren't here. Instead, this handsomely packaged four-disc, 54-track collection , it allows listeners to rediscover such laudable fare as "Jackie Brown," "The Full Catastrophe," "Theo and Weird Henry" and "Rural Route," as well as appreciate Mellencamp's music in fresh contexts. Particularly illuminating is a triplet of the abandoned "Jenny at 16," a precursor of "Jack and Diane," which follows in both demo and finished form. "On the Rural Route 7609" is a deserving and serious-minded overview for one of America's underappreciated titans of song.
ARTIST: SALIF KEITA
ALBUM: LA DIFFERENCE
One of the most alluring aspects of Afro-pop singer Salif Keita's sublime new album, "La Difference," is its intimate feel. The arrangements -- at once richly textured and gracefully understated -- truly give the listener a sense of Keita as a singer-songwriter. Add to this the highly personal nature of the title track, a song in which Keita ruminates on his albinism and the rejection he endured growing up in Mali as a result of his white skin. The balance of the tracks don't dwell on Keita's difference, but the title track sets the tone of the set, both musically and in terms of his social commentary. The song "Ekolo d'Amour," for example, targets ecological issues in Africa, and "San Ka Na" addresses the urgent need to protect the Niger River. Keita also revisits a pair of previously recorded tunes, including "Folon." With the aid of guitarists Bill Frisell and Seb Martel, Keita reprises "Folon" with an arrangement that's quieter and more introspective than the 1995 version.
ARTIST: ALEX CUBA
ALBUM: ALEX CUBA
Alex Cuba -- the Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter most recently known for co-writing Nelly Furtado's 2009 Spanish-language debut album, "Mi Plan" -- lets his versatility shine on this follow-up to the psychedelic folk-rock of his 2009 album, "Agua del Pozo." Cuba ventures into acoustic disco and a pop anthem, "Solo Tu," that should be the envy of every commercial Latin artist for whom Cuba likely will write. He's adept at filling his music with colors, textures and temperatures of the different worlds he thrives in by using funky horns, tender acoustic guitars and thoughtful lyrics.
ARTIST: TRAVIE MCCOY
ALBUM: LAZARUS
Relaxation, nostalgia, partying and acceptance. Such are the four stages of Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy's dynamic solo debut, "Lazarus." The 10-track album's inclusion of reggae-influenced beats and dance jams may polarize listeners, but its snappy wordplay and deep introspection will appeal to a wide demographic of music lovers. The track "Need You" showcases McCoy's lyrical finesse, but he does best when exhibiting raw emotion. "Akidagain" incorporates children chanting over bittersweet piano, and the organ-laden "Don't Pretend" seems to reference the singer's ex-flame Katy Perry. Fans might love or detest campy dance anthems like "After Midnight," but the relatable themes -- as heard on "The Manual," a track about self-acceptance -- will appeal to all.
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