

CD reviews: Dolly Parton; Sara Evans; INXS; The Mothers

Dec. 22, 2005
At 60, Dolly Parton seems to be holding up quite well
At 60, Dolly Parton seems to be holding up quite well
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Dolly Parton

"Those Were the Days"

Sugar Hill

Three and a half stars out of four

The 60-year-old queen of country music has gathered some hip youngsters to back her up (such as Norah Jones, Lee Ann Womack and Keith Urban) and lobbed a protest album into the red states.

The idea behind "Days" is that she picked '60s and '70s songs she likes and Dolly-ized them. But it's hard to mistake her purpose with songs like "The Cruel War" and lyrics like "How many deaths will it take till we know that too many people have died?"

What may surprise some listeners is how fresh Parton makes these Vietnam-era standards. Although strong throughout, three songs leap from the CD with inspired renditions.

A smart, new acoustic guitar rhythm gets applied to "Me and Bobby McGee," and Parton masterfully taps the song's sexuality and desperation.

Rising bluegrass star Rhonda Vincent lends smoke to a killer version of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now."

And then she takes us on a cosmic ride with "Where Do the Children Play." Many of the original artists help on their songs, but it's especially meaningful that on this track she taps Cat Stevens, aka Yusuf Islam. Both sides now, indeed.

RIYL: Nanci Griffith; Willie Nelson; Johnny Cash

-- Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal

Sara Evans

"Real Fine Place"; RCA

Three and a half stars out of four

Most of the songs on Sara Evans' latest CD are better than the typical garbage heard on country radio. Like almost all radio-friendly country music, several of the songs contain cliche-plagued lyrics. But the rhythm of the music is wonderfully catchy, and Evans voice is as powerful and beautiful as any female vocalist in country music -- or any other music genre, for that matter.

The bluegrass-inspired "Coalmine" opens the disc with a fun tune about waiting for a lover to return from working in a mine. The beautifully sung "Bible Song," about escaping the trappings of small-town life, is a moving song with a darker theme than the other tracks. Among the rest of the more pop-country tunes, "A Real Fine Place to Start," "New Hometown," "Supernatural" and "Missing Missouri" are the strongest, with great beats and lyrics that highlight Evans' singing ability.

Of the 13 songs, only a few feel like fillers that don't really need to be there. "Cheatin'" and "Momma's Night Out" seem like Evans is trying to be Gretchen Wilson instead of herself, and "These Four Walls" lacks the emotional punch it aims for.

RIYL: Dixie Chicks; Jo Dee Messina; Martina McBride

-- Andy Bourelle, special to the Reno Gazette-Journal

The Mothers

"Township Sessions"; Mr. Bongo Recordings

Three stars out of four

"Township Sessions" takes a collection of Xhosa recordings made in 1998 by the South African choir The Philani Mothers and passes them through the prism of dance/electronica DJs such as Nitin Sawhney, Kid Loco, the Kalahari Surfers and others. The original songs, which encourage health and nutrition in South Africa's poorest communities, don't occupy center stage on this album. They tend instead to create an echoing, murky background that comes in and out of focus amid a varied and exotic sonic itinerary of trancelike beats, moods and textures. Many of the tracks blend one into the others, and the best of them, such as the soulful "Learning," the morning-fresh "The Written Word" and the reggae-esque "Faith," are the ones where the Mothers' choral singing comes through loud and clear.

RIYL: Nitin Sawhney; Kid Loco; Moby

-- Jeff Gifford, Reno Gazette-Journal


"Switch"; Epic Records

Two stars out of four

I'm not sure if the name "Switch" is a subtle reference to the shameless replacement of the band's late singer, Michael Hutchence, but the dignity-destroying televised contest INXS went through this year leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

New singer J.D. Fortune was found "American-Idol" style in the CBS series "Rock Star: INXS," (with Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro as a contestant critic somewhat tarnishing his reputation as well) and he does a fine imitation of Hutchence's breathy vocals. At times you can't tell the difference. Fortune was crowned the new singer only in September, so you can imagine how quickly this album was cranked out in order to be on store shelves three weeks ago. What made that possible is a team of consultants, songwriters and guest musicians. The songwriters include Desmond Child, The Matrix and Gregg Alexander (of the one-hit band New Radicals), while guests include "Rock Star" runner-up Suzie McNeil.

It's not that this is a bad record (it's hardly a new sensation, either). In fact there are some decent, funk-peppered rock songs here that go nicely in the INXS catalog. But it's possible this album would not have been any better if Hutchence were still around. After all, INXS was in a career slide in the 1990s when Hutchence died, anyway. Fans that discovered the band on TV will probably like "Switch" fine, but to hear this aging band (most of them are in their 40s) crank out a song with the lyrics "looking out my window at some girl as I'm writing this, and I watch her eat a peach the way she's biting it, biting it" in "Hot Girls" kind of makes me throw up a little in my mouth. I wonder what Hutchence would think of this whole rock spectacle?

-- Jason Kellner, Reno Gazette-Journal


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