'WILD FOR YOU'

'WILD FOR YOU'
Karrin Allyson
(Concord)
ssss Just call Karrin Allyson delightfully unpredictable. Her last three CDs found the eclectic jazz singer ranging far beyond the standard repertoire as she offered her own spin on French and Brazilian songs, ballads associated with saxophonist John Coltrane and the blues. But with "Wild for You," it's personal, as Allyson reinterprets the songs she grew up with that made her want to be a singer: late 1960s and '70s soft-rock tunes by singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Cat Stevens and Carole King.
Allyson, with her seductive, slightly grainy alto voice and natural sense of swing reflective of her Kansas City roots, rises to the challenge of turning these familiar pop-rock tunes into jazz. She gets a big assist here from keyboard player Gil Goldstein's arrangements, which respect the melodies while altering the colors, tempos and moods.
While there are a few misses among the 13 tracks -- for example, the dirgelike version of "[Goin'] Wild for You Baby," popularized by Bonnie Raitt -- Allyson scores on most of the tunes, particularly the slower tempo numbers. Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" is turned into a romantic jazz ballad with a simple piano-bass-drums accompaniment, while Elton John's heart-wrenching "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" becomes a torch song with a bossa nova touch, with Goldstein's melancholy accordion solo providing a poignant interlude. The highest marks go to Allyson's sensual, spellbinding interpretation of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," with some intricate contrapuntal playing among the soloists including Allyson on piano, which more than holds its own against the classic Roberta Flack version.
'UH HUH HER'
PJ Harvey
(Island/Def Jam)
ss Listening to PJ Harvey's seventh disc is like waiting for a payoff that never quite comes.
Her bluesy, passionate style has been influential for many acts that admire her intensity, so much so that it's been rendered indistinctive.
Too many of the songs on "Uh Huh Her" seem stuck in neutral. There are half-baked ideas (two clock in at barely more than a minute), and other songs are burdened with repetitive arrangements.
"The Life and Death of Mr. Badmouth" and the third cut, with a title we can't repeat, seem built on riffs rejected from Led Zeppelin. "The Letter" isn't much better musically, but burns with a sensual energy.
Oddly, the most impressive moment here is buried at the end, following a full-minute recording of seagulls. "The Darker Days of Me and Him" is vaguely Eastern-sounding and haunting. "You taught me a lesson," Harvey sings, "I didn't want to learn."
This may be one of those mid-career malaise albums, where the inspiration level is low and the audience is taking you for granted. Her last disc won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in 2001, so you can forgive a clunker.
'CONTRABAND'
Velvet Revolver
(RCA)
sss Crawling from the generally self-imposed wreckage of their ex-bands, the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots and a trio of Guns N' Roses survivors join forces for this turn-the-volume-up-to-11 collaboration.
The album starts with the howl of a police siren -- as good a way as any to launch things, considering the rap sheet of ex-STP frontman Scott Weiland.
The singer tears into the opening track, "Sucker Train Blues," as guitarist Slash, bassist Duff and drummer Matt Sorum provide the backing histrionics. (Guitarist Dave Kushner of The Cult rounds out the quintet.)
"Hands are shaking, got your finger on the trigger," Weiland sings, and the boys are into familiar musical terrain on this 13-track collection.
The single "Slither" begins as a suitably slinky track before cranking into a rocker reminiscent of STP, but accented by Slash's frenzied guitar -- a radio-friendly track likely to earn tons of airplay.
And the album closes with one of its three ballads: "Loving the Alien," featuring Weiland's voice at its most emotive, singing rather than battling to overcome the band. Another slower tune, "Fall to Pieces," offers the feel of a classic Guns N' Roses power ballad.
The album has everything you'd expect of this assemblage: a parental advisory for lyrics, Slash's driving guitar solos, the pounding rhythm section of Duff and Sorum.
But that's part of the problem, isn't it? There's really nothing too unexpected on "Contraband."
'MOZART: LE NOZZE DI FIGARO'
Concerto Koln, Jacobs
(Harmonia Mundi)
sss1/2 Mozart's masterpiece about the crazy goings-on on Figaro's wedding day has had previous "authentic" recordings. But this one led by Rene Jacobs feels the most radical and yet is ultimately the most convincing.
Winds and low strings dominate the orchestral sound, and a fortepiano constantly comments on the action. The music goes along at a fast clip without denying the lyrical moments breathing room.
No fewer than nine singers have arias to perform, all of them musically beautiful in a new way that moves the action forward.
The cast is nearly ideal. The two aristocrats (Simon Keenlyside as the Count, Veronique Gens as the Countess) sound noble indeed. Figaro (Lorenzo Ragazzo) and his bride Susanna (Patrizia Ciofi) combine strong young voices with lusty Italian attitude. Only Antonio Abete as the dour Don Bartolo lacks sufficient vocal muscle.
'ONE SOUL NOW'
Cowboy Junkies
(Zoe)
ssss With smart, well-written tunes and captivating vocals, "One Soul Now" is a refreshing and memorable studio effort from Toronto's Cowboy Junkies.
This unassuming quartet broke through commercially in 1988 with a sensual, low-key cover of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane," a song that has become a staple of their concert repertoire. They have since taken many critical hits for rarely varying their signature slow tempos, hushed volume, Margo Timmins' languid soprano and morose subject matter.
One listen to "The Stars Of Our Stars" on their new recording should silence many a detractor -- this one's an up-tempo number with upbeat subject matter and loud, distorted guitar-work from Margo's brother Michael Timmins. The also unquiet "Why this One" showcases some dynamic interplay between bassist Alan Anton and drummer Peter Timmins (yep, another sibling). Sure, there are also many tracks that have the band's more laid-back trademark sound, but they stand out too. Michael Timmins is taking more chances musically, even on the slow tunes, and has developed into a mature, intelligent lyricist. And Margo has never sounded better.