A Bigger Bang
The Rolling Stones (Virgin Records)

No, Jagger can't chicken-strut forever, and Richards has skimmed death's surface a few times already. They're old, but they're not dead, yet. For 40 plus years, the Rolling Stones have strutted their way across rock 'n' roll's youthful terrain. Now A Bigger Bang, the band's first studio album since 1997's Bridges to Babylon, hammers home the fact that The Rolling Stones still have "it" -- and they're willing to grow. The famously sparring duo of Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards set aside their differences after drummer Charlie Watts developed throat cancer. With producer Don Was at the helm and longtime guitarist Ron Wood in the studio, Jagger and Richards scribed an array of their classically R&B-tinged rock tunes, plus some uncharacteristically confessional songs. Sweet Neo Con, a critical rant for this generally apolitical band, finds Jagger jabbing at President George Bush harder than Green Day: "You call yourself a Christian/ I think that you're a hypocrite/ You say you're a patriot/ I think you're a crock of ..." On Biggest Mistake, the 62-year-old singer showcases a refreshing vulnerability, considering his famed take-no-prisoners sexuality (i.e. 1971's Brown Sugar and 1966's Under My Thumb). Here, Jagger has made "the biggest mistake of my life" by walking out of a relationship because of succumbing to past "rebel" ways. "I acted impatient, acted unkind/ I took her for granted," he sings. Jagger even admits, after realizing his wrongdoing, that he's "becoming a grouch," drinking on the couch and watching TV. This from the man who once crooned "I only get my rocks off while I'm sleeping." Similarly, Laugh, I Nearly Died grooves on Richards's bluesy momentum and Jagger's falsetto pleading and wailing groans -- a lost soul looking for love and wandering the world. Richards also rips open his soft side on This Place Is Empty, a slow piano-sprinkled number sweetly darkened by his deep, underrated drawl. But the Stones wouldn't be the Stones without reminding us of their boot-stomping heyday. Big swivelling riffs in Look What the Cat Dragged In and Driving Too Fast recall the band's penchant for sweaty guitar assaults. Jagger even contributes stellar slide guitar on the simple swagger of Back of My Hand. No, Jagger can't chicken-strut forever, and Richards has skimmed death's surface a few times already. But for now, time is still on the Stones' side. Yes it is. -Reviewer Solfeg Shou

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THE WORLD OF MUSIC: CHOICE OF THE MONTH 

Neil Young
Prairie Wind (Reprise)

Neil Young's Prairie Wind is a gentle-sounding, acoustic-based album that packs an emotional wallop. It rightfully is being cast as the third in a trilogy of albums that started with Harvest in 1972 and continued with 1992's Harvest Moon. The spectre of death hangs over Prairie Wind, influenced no doubt by the diagnosis Young received around the time of its recording that he had a potentially deadly brain aneurysm. Luckily for music fans, Young survived and now the album takes on more of a tale of survival than loss. Really, Young does just about everything right on Prairie Wind. The lyrics are simple and heartfelt. The music is melodic and emotional. Together, they are classic Young and are likely to make Prairie Wind one of his most loved albums. Just as the title suggests, Prairie Wind has an open, airy feel about it. The other musicians -- Spooner Oldham on organ, Ben Keith on pedal steel guitar and Chad Cromwell on drums -- provide a strong, familiar backbone. Many of the songs seem like farewell notes -- to loved ones, his father and even his guitar. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to interpret Here For You as being sung from the perspective of someone who's already passed on. "Just close your eyes and I'll be there," Young sings. On Far From Home, Young makes a rollicking request to be buried on the prairie, not far from home, where the buffalo used to roam. The final tune, When God Made Me, is more a hymn than a rock song. With the Fisk University Jubilee Singers in the background, and Young at the piano, the song tackles some of the eternal questions that face many even when death is not imminent. It may be one of the most beautiful things Young's ever written. -Reviewer: Nell Young

All Jacked Up
Gretchen Wilson (Epic)

Fans of Gretchen Wilson's chart-topping 2004 debut album, Here for the Party, might have braced for a letdown with her latest, All Jacked Up. Feel free to unbrace. This album's even better than the first. The pride of Pocahontas, Ill., pulls no punches (again) and nearly every song sounds like a dare for someone to tell the country sensation she's all bluster -- and not expect a face full o' knuckles. The title track, All Jacked Up, is a romp about keeping an eye on your drinking. Wilson knows her way around a bar, she readily admits, and she's not one to shy away from a song about knocking a few back. But there's something responsible about her don't-do-it-while-driving caveat here. One Bud Wiser is a hands down instant karaoke classic. Every country girl worth her salt will be trying to belt this one out for years to come. Wilson looks to the bottle for a little solace after a bad breakup: "When he left me he took my brand new Silverado/ I started thumbin' and I finally hitched a ride/ I just came in here to drink a beer and watch the rednecks fight/ Now I don't feel so bad about going home alone tonight," she belts out in earnest. It's all here. Politically Uncorrect is the brazen flag-waver and Rebel Child is the strongly sung but cautionary tale about life in the fast lane that could use a little downshifting to avoid the mistakes of youth. Wilson turns tender for a moment on the waltz-paced I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today. She shows vulnerability, a rarity for a pretty girl without a smiling photo to be found on her website promo shots. Skoal Ring is the only weak link. Any song that glorifies a man halfway home to gum cancer is a dud. Sure, it's supposed to be country code for a hard working man of true grit. But it's a throwaway tune that unfortunately stayed on the album. That aside, Wilson is the real deal. If there's a better country act going, let's see it. -Reviewer: Roy Harris

THE WORLD OF MUSIC: CHOICE OF THE MONTH 

Souls' Chapel
Marty Stuart (Superlatone)

To tout Souls' Chapel as the best gospel record this year gives it short shrift, because Marty Stuart's latest work ranks with the best 2005 albums in any genre. The songs shimmer, and not just because of the tremolo guitars. Stuart's exploration of twangy, bluesy Delta gospel has produced 12 tunes filled with faith, love and humour that will play well even beyond the Bible Belt. Call it souls music. The material is far from staid: One tune swings, another rocks, and Move Along Train (with guest Mavis Staples) does the bump and grind. The well-chosen covers include two Pops Staples compositions, a Steve Cropper-William Bell song and Albert E. Brumley's 1958 gem, Lord, Give Me Just A Little More Time. Just as inspired are the original tunes. The instrumental closing title cut features surf guitar, Way Down benefits from a Green Onions-style organ vamp, and Come Into The House of the Lord is elevated by a classic couplet: "In my dissipation, I had a revelation." Putting Souls' Chapel over the top are the vocals, with Stuart and his band producing four-part harmonies pure as a prayer. Stuart makes a compelling case: Jesus loves you, so crank it up.- Reviewer: Stephen Winne

Late Registration
Kanye West (Universal)

So this is where Kanye West wants to take hip-hop -- beyond the sped-up soul samples that made him famous, beyond his first album's gospel and R&B influences... into the orchestra pit. Fashioning himself on the adventurous Late Registration as more of a streetwise composer than arrogant producer-rapper, West piles on lush layers of strings, pianos and horns. Then some more instruments. And a few melodic lines from a choir. The abundance of sound results from the Chicago star's collaboration with Jon Brion, a southern California musician who has scored films, produced for Fiona Apple and had never before touched a hip-hop record. Together, they have created an album that is musically far more rich and complex than West's acclaimed first disc, and is easily the year's best hip-hop CD. Their quirky creativity makes Registration, which comes out Tuesday, less instantly accessible than The College Dropout, but more rewarding for repeat listeners. West's sometimes-mumbly voice is crisper, and his range of topics is again vast and intriguing. From his perch atop the pop world, West warms up with a few easy crowd-pleasers. Adam Levine of Maroon5 supplies the delicate chorus for Heard 'Em Say, a softie of a first song. Touch the Sky exuberantly jacks Marvin Gaye's Move on Up with one-liners about the hard life before fame: "Any pessimists, I ain't talk to them. Plus, I ain't have no phone in my apartment." The sly single Gold Digger features Jamie Foxx doing his Ray Charles I Got a Woman thing on the hook, and another rather obvious sample, Shirley Bassey's James Bond theme Diamonds Are Forever, gets reworked as Diamonds From Sierra Leone. That track and its remix, both included, feature West at his best -- introspective, political and witty. He raps in the original version about his night of petulance at the American Music Awards, where he lost in the new artist category and complained backstage. In the remix, featuring Def Jam label head Jay-Z, he examines African conflict diamonds: "I thought my Jesus piece was so harmless, til I seen a picture of a shorty, armless." West tends toward more such duality in production. Near the end of the car-celebrating Drive Slow, the jazz-infused beat gets stuck in syrup, slowing in the southern chopped-and-screwed style until the song title comes off as a rather ominous command, from a guy who famously knows well the consequences of car crashes. And in the odd yet enjoyable We Major, the pairing of lyrical heavyweight Nas with the drum break used in Run-DMC's Sucker MCs -- a perfect opportunity for some back-to-basics street rap -- is nearly overwhelmed by a Brion-style cacophony of twinkling pianos and swelling horns. West is at his creative peak when focusing on his family through the sweet la-la-laing Hey Mama and equally touching Roses, which uses a tale of his grandmother's hospitalization to criticize the state of health care. Determined to prove he's his own man, West invites Game to sing the hook on Crack Music despite the Compton rapper's coy rap war with Jay-Z, and doesn't even rap on My Way Home, given over to friend Common for a single magnificently crafted verse. Other guests on the 14 songs include Paul Wall, GLC, Brandy, Cam'ron and Consequence, who delivers a song-stealing verse on Gone. Conducting them all like a hip-hop maestro is West, a virtuoso of beats flaunting his laudable inability to be locked into a single style. -Reviewer: Ryan Pearson

THE WORLD OF MUSIC: CHOICE OF THE MONTH 

Daniel Powter
Daniel Powter (Warner Bros.)

Piano-playing Vernon native Daniel Powter evokes a pleasant '70s groove on his major label debut, a record that hit the big time overseas behind the single Bad Day, a No. 1 smash in numerous European countries.He's liable to repeat the success in North America, particularly if female fans pick up what he's throwing down. To be sure, Powter, who spent a number of years in Victoria before moving to California in 2003, is strictly for the ladies. But on his self-titled effort, which hits stores today, he nonetheless finds a nice balance between white-boy funk and singer-songwriter fare, although he does so while liberally aping Honky Chateau-era Elton John.While his capable vocals, hummable piano melodies and fondness for vintage sonics puts him a notch above soundalikes Jason Mraz and Train, Powter falls somewhat shy of adult-oriented pop-rockers Maroon 5 and Matchbox Twenty. Where does that leave him? Powter seems to know already. On Free Loop, one of the album's highlights, he sings: "In my life, I've found only time will tell."-Reviewer: Mile Delvin

Grown & Sexy
Babyface (Arista)

Compared to today's generation of R&B studs, Babyface seems a little old-fashioned on his latest offering, Grown & Sexy. The romantic troubadour sounds as genteel as ever: there are no songs dedicated to baby mama drama, getting trapped in a closet of a married lover, or all-night grinding. In fact, while the title of the opening cut, Tonight It's Goin' Down, hints at a night of reckless passion, the lyrics talk about the culmination of a long wait for love -- a couple in the "making babies" stage of a relationship instead of the one-night hookup. But while Babyface might be a bit old school, Grown & Sexy hardly sounds outdated -- just classic. Good 2 Be In Luv is a soulful, uptempo celebration of commitment, while Sorry for the Stupid Things, is prime Babyface, as he gallantly offers an apology for all the dumb stuff men are apt to do. Yet the man who so famously crooned about paying his girl's bills and cooking the dinner on the '80s hit Soon As I Get Home isn't without a backbone: Goin' Outta Business is a brush-off to a gold-digger. Babyface's always alluring tenor is in fine form here, with emotion that never boils over, but simmers with steady heat. And musically, the album offers some of the prolific singer-songwriter-producer's best work.-Reviewer: Nekessa Mody

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THE WORLD OF MUSIC: CHOICE OF THE MONTH 

Bonnie Raitt
Souls Alike (Capitol)

Some things improve with age -- Bonnie Raitt, for example. Raitt, whose first LP was released in 1971, sounds better than ever in her latest album, Souls Alike. She can still wrap her voice around a lyric and effortlessly conjure the appropriate mood -- edgy or sweet, submissive or aggressive, melancholy or joyful. But now she does it with a maturity and self-assurance that set this latest performance apart from her earliest work. The new album is her 18th and the first on which Raitt gets credit as producer. And not one lemon turns up in its mix of 11 songs of various styles. It starts with one of the better cuts, I Will Not Be Broken. Raitt, who recently experienced a series of personal tragedies, sings the song's lyrics confidently ("Push me to the limit/ Maybe I may bend/ But I know where I'm goin'/ I will not be broken") and a jaunty, buoyant sound conspires to create a song that promises to become one of her classics. Another outstanding performance is found on the spiritual-sounding God Was in the Water. Its simple but haunting sound can easily take root in the listener's mental jukebox and play itself back at will. So Close is slow and sweet. And in the sneakily contagious Crooked Crown, the singer is trying ever so hard to maintain the delicate balance to survive. I Don't Want Anything To Change is a melancholy ballad tinged with self-pity as the singer is unable to accept that her lover has left. Ending the set is The Bed I Made, with its poignant performance reminiscent of Raitt's classic I Can't Make You Love Me. The songs offers a variety of styles and influences: rock, ballads, spiritual, blues, and even a bit of patter. Raitt handles all with equal aplomb. Chances are, each listener will create his own particular set of favourites. -Reviewer Ron Bethel

Back Home
Eric Clapton (Reprise/Duck Records)

Sure legends die and stars inevitably begin to fade. If you're Eric Clapton, though, you simply return home. So it is for the 60-year-old British bluesman's aptly titled Back Home, which brings into sharp focus the reflections of a music man of four decades who has grown to value home and family above all else in the twilight of his years. To make that point, the album's opening track So Tired doesn't chronicle the bone-deep fatigue a seemingly endless string of show nights would bring. Instead it's an uplifting melody to accompany a parent's lament on the daily grind of raising children. Wait a second. Babies and band practice? Has one of the most influential guitarists ever grown soft? Say it ain't so. The truth is that even the wildest grow timid with years. And following his reunion last summer with his bandmates from Cream, that 1960s psychedelic British powerhouse, Clapton has reason to step back and count the blessings his guitar has brought. As much as the album is a reflection, it's also homage to the songs that move Clapton just as those life-changing blues die. Stevie Wonder's I'm Going Left and George Harrison's Love Comes to Everyone bookend Clapton's first original material in five years, even if the recordings sound closer to elevator ditties than soulful biographical ballads. Still, the three-time Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer has earned time to ponder where his music has taken him. The album's title track and final number does just that. Flush with countrified blues and foot-tapping rhythms, Clapton captures with electrifying sentimentality that road-weary moment when going home is more soothing than any melody. Going home and leaving the scene? Clapton has earned that right.- Reviewer Lyon Rens

THE WORLD OF MUSIC: CHOICE OF THE MONTH 

Somewhere Down In Texas
George Strait (MCA Nashville)

While country trends (most of them regrettable) come and go, George Strait has varied little from the buttoned-down traditionalism that's earned him more than 30 No. 1 hits, including Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind and The Chair. Strait's latest, Somewhere Down In Texas, won't change that. On weepers like the Lee Ann Womack duet Good News, Bad News, his unaffected tenor allows stock lines like "But I'm in love with you/ With all my heart" to land without so much as a smirk. Other songs, such as If the Whole World Was a Honky Tonk, feature twin fiddles and more imaginative rhymes: "We'd tell our troubles to the bar/ Over cryin' steel guitars." Coming at a time when country seems self-consciously hip, Somewhere Down In Texas keeps things on the straight and narrow. -Reviewer: Paul Griffin

TP.3 Reloaded
R. Kelly (Jive)

On R. Kelly's last album, Happy People/U Saved Me, which was released after he was hit with child pornography charges, R. Kelly chose a family-friendly, spiritual vibe -- praising the joys of God instead of his usual wild sexual shenanigans. With his new disc, Kelly will have plenty to repent for. If you thought the man who came up with such freaky songs as Bump 'N Grind or Ignition (on which he compared lovemaking to driving a car) couldn't come up with anything wilder, take a listen to Sex In the Kitchen. Remote Control continues his penchant for comparing sex to machinery -- "baby push enter, than fast forward," he croons on one delightfully naughty track. Put My T-Shirt On sounds like a reply to Destiny's Child's pillow-talk slow jam T-Shirt, but of course Kelly ratchets up the foreplay and a whole lot more (take that, Jay-Z!) -- never has a white T sounded so erotic. And his duet with fellow Jive artist Nivea on Touchin' sounds so tender and lovely, it would be appropriate for a wedding -- if it didn't have lyrics like "something tells me this may be the greatest sex in history." The disc is weakest when Kelly tries to appeal to the fellas with thug anthems like Players Only with The Game. But for all the sex talk, Kelly's best effort is the five-part serial drama Trapped in the Closet (a bonus DVD includes the music video). The song -- or more accurately, songs -- tell a dramatic story about an episode of infidelity that has a ricochet effect, touching several different people and leading to dramatic confrontations that are hilarious and riveting at the same time. Even after hearing the Trapped songs a dozen times, they're still stirring, demonstrating Kelly's amazing ability to draw in listeners with either raw sex grooves or musical cliffhangers. It's hard to imagine any other artist, in any genre, with such a gift.

Made in China
Juliana Hatfield (Ye Olde Records)

Forget Juliana Hatfield the waif. Ditch that memory of her song Spin the Bottle, the one that seemed to emanate from the film Reality Bites. Forget the Massachusetts girl who made up a third of the Blake Babies. She's gone. And that's a good thing. Hatfield has eviscerated her past, exorcised her previous pure-pop lyrics and dumped the foundation of her previous recordings in the dustbin. On Made In China, her eighth LP, Hatfield emerges scarred and smarter, playing a collection of biting, angry but oh-so-melodic songs that herald the indifference of not fitting in and, frankly, not giving enough of a damn to even try. The 37-minute, 12-song disc is a collection of defiant yet personal songs and music that is more Husker Du than Blake Babies or Lemonheads. Lust, addiction, the hurt of betrayal and the sting of loneliness emanate from the songs, including standout singles Digital Penetration and Stay Awake, which could rip out the floor if the volume is high enough. Maybe it's being victimized by rants from critics jaded by her failure to be pop queen she was supposed to be. Or it could be the state of music today, where women are resorting to near striptease and selling sex rather than singles. It doesn't matter. Her rage, indifference and edginess are in full effect on Made in China, and her damnation has brought salvation. This is her best album ever. -Reviewer: Matt More

 An exciting and sophisticated vocalist who infuses every well-chosen song with a stylish and smooth delivery, Alyson Green first trained as an actress and singer. She has appeared in many high profile stage, TV and film productions including the first Superman, with Christopher Reeves and Young Winston. She also toured the UK with Grease and The Rocky Horror Show and with the Herb Miller Big Band before forming her own quartet with whom she is touring and reaching a larger fan base. Alyson was influenced by music and particular, jazz, from an early age – Alyson’s father, Gerry Green, was a professional drummer and her maternal grandmother played saxophone with, among others, the BBC Radio Big Band. Whilst her friends would listen to pop records, Alyson preferred to listen to those of Mel Tormé, Barbra Streisand and Sarah Vaughan.  Secret is a stylishly delivered compilation of 12 songs, including some lesser-known gems as Where I Belong (Lawrence Hopgood/Kurt Elling) and Horace Silver’s Love Vibrations.  Bacharach and David’s A House Is Not A Home and Cole Porter’s What Is This Thing Called Love? sit comfortably with Alan Lerner’s Show Me and the title song, Secret, an inspired  reworking of a contemporary pop song from Maroon 5. Arranged and produced by Mark Edwards, the album was recorded with Mark Edwards (piano), Jim Mullen (guitar), Andy Cleyndert (bass), Ben Castle (saxophone), Paul Robinson (drums) and Tristan Banks (percussion).  SECRET  has already gained quality reviews: “Alyson’s singing is from the heart, delicate, real and passionate. A really impressive debut” – Claire Martin, BBC Radio 3. “This may be Alyson Green’s debut recording but she brings to it a wealth of performing experience and musical savvy…Green is a sweet toned storyteller, whose completely unaffected style fuses an innate feel for the musical phrase.” – Peter Quinn, Jazzwise . “This may be Alyson Green’s debut recording but she brings to it a wealth of performing experience and musical savvy…Green is a sweet toned storyteller, whose completely unaffected style fuses an innate feel for the musical phrase.” – Peter Quinn, Jazzwise . “Alyson is a truly accomplished singer with a repertoire rich in character.” Clive Davis, The Times. “I really love this CD, the title track, Secret is a stunning version. Everyone is looking for those elusive new songs to make sense for jazz, and Alyson has done it with imagination and skill.”  - Sarah Ward, Jazz(Smooth) FM . (S&G Records – distributed through Proper Music Distribution). Secret is available from Ray’s Jazz @ Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2   www.jazzcds.co.uk and www.alysongreen.co.uk. Distributed through Proper Music Distribution

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THE WORLD OF MUSIC: THE 5 STARS CDs  

Liesl Müller is the Real Thing!

A refined lady who sings like a femme fatale chanteuse of "Les annees folles" and Paris Pigale of 1930. A warm and sinfully evocative voice which brings to life the magic, nostalgia and tender beauty of a vanished golden era of the early days of Cabaret and Kabaret of Paris and Berlin. Listening to Liesl Müller's "Paris Canaille" is a joyfully sad delight, because  Liesl awakes in us cherished memories we lost for ever. Liesl's interpretation of Edith Piaf's "Milord" is tenderly sublime. She did capture the intimate moments, the passion and the vocal virtuosity of Piaf. Liesl did not sing Piaf's biggest hit with a French flair. She did it her way; an honest, warm and emotionally captivating personal interpretation. Liesl Müller is an authentic cabaret chanteuse with class, style, finesse and emotions. She is the real thing!  Her recent CD " Wien und der Wein" is a vocal and musical triumph.

Photos from L to R: Diva Muller, Legendary Maestro Caio Bescarano.

The simple, yet melodiously beautiful musical arrangements, the fabulous accordion half java, half musette "flons flons", and the voice of Ms. Müller gave us a magnificent recording. The accompaniment of Caio Bescarano, Mario Cavaceppi and David Perkins are first class. And this is exactly what Ms. Muller needed to authentically and truthfully recapture the golden era of European cabaret. The song "Drunt' in der Lobau" (Down there in the Lobau)  is a pure magic. It tells us the story of a woman who "cannot find the place where her young lover kissed her, but she does remember every bit of that wonderful moment when they kissed: nightingales were singing, happiness laughed from a thousand branches, and they dreamt of an everlasting love." Liesl did a superb job in singing that song. Wien und der Wein is a marvelous CD. Two thumbs up! Rating: 5 stars out of 5. Buy it. Get your copy. You will treasure it for many years to come.- Reviewer: Maximillien de Lafayette, syndicated columnist and art critic. London. UK.

WIEN UND DER WEIN: GEM IEJCD3. Licensed by MCPS. Highbreck Associates. www.golden-era.co.uk.