'MIRACLE'

'MIRACLE'
Celine Dion & amp; Anne Geddes
(Epic)
ss Celine Dion offers some baby love on her latest CD, a collaboration of love songs and lullabies with noted infant photographer Anne Geddes. Dion sings; Geddes' contribution -- creative shots of just-borns cradled by Dion -- is included in the CD booklet (or a separate hardcover book or CD/DVD package).
Dion certainly has the engaging and warm personality to make this loving mother and baby concept fly -- although including a rather overdone "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" again (she previously recorded it for her 1999 hits CD) is stretching things a bit.
Otherwise, Dion tones down her vocals and her version of John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy" is no more cloying than his 1980 original. Easy-listening selections "Brahms' Lullaby," "Le loup, la biche et le chevalier [une chanson douce]" and "What a Wonderful World" are pretty.
But an hour of this sweet mellowness is enough to make baby AND mom nod off.
'FUNERAL'
The Arcade Fire
(Merge)
sss1/2 The Arcade Fire's "Funeral" opens with a somber fanfare of distant, tinkling piano; sawing strings; and a fuzzy six-note electric-guitar hook. Then, in a quavering voice akin to that of Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, Win Butler sings of tunneling through a snowstorm to meet a lover, and as "Neighborhood 1 [Tunnels]" builds in intensity, that hook recurs in several guises, ultimately as a triumphant vocal chorale.
"Funeral is an impressive debut, full of songs that twist in unexpected directions, such as the jittery conclusion of the stately "Une Annee Sans Lumiere" or the Motown beat that turns the buzzing, dark "Wake Up" into a dance party.
The Montreal sextet, led by Butler and wife Regine Chassagne, colors its songs with accordion, strings, glockenspiel and piano. And like the late, lamented Neutral Milk Hotel, it manages to turn indie rock into something grand, surprising and often magical.
'STILL NOT GETTING ANY'
Simple Plan
(Lava)
sss There are so many bands that Simple Plan sounds a bit like, it's easier to define them with musical math. Simple Plan's new album "Still Not Getting Any" is Blink 182 plus Good Charlotte divided by Dashboard Confessional.
What it really equals is solid album, thanks in part to the production prowess of the legendary Bob Rock, who's worked with everyone from Metallica to Bon Jovi.
For all of their sophomoric songwriting, Simple Plan is too tight to ignore. It's a flawless creation of teen anthems with a knowing nod to the forlorn high schooler, me-against-the-world turmoil.
Simple Plan, hailing from Canada, knows the pain of young Johnny Everykid, and the five-piece band stuffs vague lyrics about overcoming a "big bad something" into every song.
"Shut Up" is a cascade of guitar sound strutting through a real catchy melody, then giving way to lead singer Pierre Bouvier often nasal vocals.
And "Welcome To My Life," another top track, pours on more of the same. "Do you ever want to run away?/ Do you lock yourself in your room with the radio on turned up so loud, that no one hears you screaming?" Bouvier opines.
There are a few misses. "One" has a fully annoying violin back-up section, and we all know that if bands like Metallica can't make the marriage of rock and opera night work, no one can.
Overall, this is real good stuff from a pretty good band that is exceeding expectations.
'ASTRONAUT'
Duran Duran
(Epic)
ss The original members of Duran Duran reunited for their first album together in 21 years, and that's where the originality ends for the U.K. band's "Astronaut."
Unfortunately, the release isn't even a blast of nostalgia, with the group approximating the sound of such 1980s hits as "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Is There Something I Should Know" and "The Reflex."
Instead, vocalist Simon LeBon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and those unrelated Taylors (guitarist Andy, bassist John and drummer Roger) compile 13 rather nondescript tracks, most of which might have been rejects from their heyday.
At least "Astronaut" finds enough footing for a few flashes of redemption. A demanding rhythm and pounding beat fill "Nice" with a disco sensibility (even if LeBon's heavily processed vocals zap out some of the life), and "Want You More!" churns with an insistent electro twist. Also, the bass-smeared confection "Taste the Summer" is a diverting nod to old-school pop, and the band explores an endearing soulful groove on the ambient "Point of No Return."
"Astronaut" is otherwise a shameful display of kitsch.
'NOTHINGMAN'
Ben Schachter and Sung/Unsung
(Ben-Jam Music)
sss Tenor saxophonist Ben Schachter lays down some impressive blowing on this quartet recording. The Temple University jazz faculty member projects a vivid tone on tenor and soprano, along with a penchant for dramatic ballad playing.
There's also a lot of fierce interplay with guitarist Jef Lee Johnson, who performs some characteristically searing lines. Bassist Matthew Parrish and drummer Craig McIver create the setting for the strong cooking here.
This disc is both traditional and experimental, echoing the greats while challenging convention. "Tribal Delusions" exudes a vintage Blue Note feel, and John Coltrane's "Moment's Notice" sounds clean and classic. The leader's back-and-forth with Johnson on "Suddenly Sentient" is way outside, and "Everyone's a Genius" is just diabolical in its meandering lines.
That balance between mainstream and way upstream runs through "Nothingman."