Boston Globe -- CD reviews

Bocelli scores with Christmas CD

2009-11-25T22:29:38Z

This should not come as a surprise: Andrea Bocelli, the Italian tenor singing sensation, has the No. 1 album on Billboard’s holiday and classical charts. “My Christmas’’ (Decca) is also sitting pretty in the No. 2 slot on the general Billboard 200.

Becoming ‘Dolly,’ a four-disc set

2009-11-25T22:28:55Z

Dolly Parton is many things - country queen, caricature, pop-culture icon, astute businesswoman - but the last thing you’d call her is an unsung songwriter. Yet that’s the premise, and a mighty convincing one, of “Dolly,’’ a new four-disc set that rescues a trove of Parton’s songwriting gems that never made the leap from scratchy (and pricey) vinyl to digital ...

Holiday CDs

2009-11-25T22:18:56Z

Various artists, “A Very Special Christmas 7’’ The latest iteration of the all-star Special Olympics benefit albums targets the young, with folks like Miley Cyrus, Sean Kingston, and Colbie Caillat working the merry and bright lane. The standout here is Carrie Underwood with “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.’’

Box sets

Globe Staff — 2009-11-25T22:09:22Z

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Live Anthology’’ Some bands are studio titans while others are kings of the road. Petty and his merry cabal of rabble rousers are both. This four-disc set collects the best live stuff - hits, covers, and rarities - into one rip-roaring, “no overdubs, no fixes’’ package.

Annie, 'Don't Stop'

2009-11-23T01:50:43Z

Good things come to those who wait, and in the case of Norwegian pop tart Annie, great things have come to those who patiently counted the days to the release of "Don’t Stop."

Bon Jovi, 'The Circle'

2009-11-23T01:50:30Z

The circle of which Bon Jovi speaks via the title of its 11th album is the return to the big rock sound that fueled this band's ride out of New Jersey back in the 1980s heyday of pop-metal.

Justin Bieber, 'My World'

2009-11-23T01:50:25Z

Armed with Zac Efron's hair, Natasha Bedingfield's voice, and Usher's imprimatur, Justin Bieber arrives riding a wave of industry hype touting him as the genuine article, a preternaturally gifted and self-assured 15-year-old star in waiting.

50 Cent, 'Before I Self Destruct'

2009-11-23T01:50:21Z

It's tough for an insanely rich MC to try to go back to the streets - it's easier going back to insane, like Eminem - but that's what 50 Cent does here with mixed success.

A vital chronicle captured live

2009-11-23T01:50:15Z

My first impression of Tom Waits's concert in Atlanta last year was that it could never be captured on disc.

Holiday shows’ various guises include off-color

Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff — 2009-11-21T17:31:22Z

There is no Santa Claus at the Ramrod. But starting next week, you’ll find the holiday spirit in a basement theater at this gay bar, where a gussied-up Ryan Landry and his Gold Dust Orphans bring back their camp-fueled comedy “All About Christmas Eve.’’

Mayer gets intimate in ‘Battle Studies’

Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff — 2009-11-16T19:25:56Z

Heartbreak can be a songwriter’s best friend, and judging by the detailed and exquisite sadness radiating off of “Battle Studies,’’ John Mayer has clearly been getting acquainted.

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2009-11-16T19:25:56Z

Jones takes a fresh, cool turn

James Reed, Globe Staff — 2009-11-16T19:25:45Z

As the millennium’s first decade wraps up, the time is ripe to reflect on its influential pop musicians, regardless of whether you like their music. Norah Jones springs to mind as an emblematic artist who divided folks into two camps: “This is the soundtrack of my life!’’ versus “This makes me want to take my own life.’’

Familiar territory for a spirited voice

2009-11-16T02:40:34Z

Leona Lewis made history by having last year's biggest-selling single, "Bleeding Love," from her debut, "Spirit." It capped a remarkable year for the ingenue who won Britain's "The X Factor" talent show in 2006 with her surefooted contemporary R&B that reminded most everyone of early Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

Chita Rivera, 'And Now I Swing'

2009-11-16T02:40:28Z

The first track on the legendary Broadway hoofer's new record is called "I Won’t Dance/Let Me Sing." You can't fool us, Chita.

Them Crooked Vultures, 'Them Crooked Vultures'

2009-11-16T02:40:24Z

When in doubt, freak 'em out.

Paul McCartney, 'Good Evening New York City'

2009-11-16T02:40:19Z

After helping Billy Joel to close Shea Stadium - site of the historic 1965 Beatles concert - in 2008, Paul McCartney returned to baptize the new home of the Mets, Citi Field, with three shows this past summer.

Kris Allen, 'Kris Allen'

2009-11-16T02:40:16Z

Pop Kris Allen Kris Allen 19/Jive ESSENTIAL “Alright With Me’’ It’s tough to say that “American Idol’’ winner Kris Allen’s debut is disappointing because it’s just the type of record anyone who watched the show last season would expect him to make. It’s a polite mix of soft rock with hints of boundary jumping that, unfortunately, never truly come. There’s ...

Hockey, 'Mind Chaos'

2009-11-09T02:36:02Z

Midway through Hockey's debut album, "Mind Chaos," Ben Grubin proclaims that he "stole [his] personality from an anonymous source."

Morphine, 'At Your Service'

2009-11-09T02:35:48Z

Mark Sandman hasn't been with us for 10 years now, but thanks to his proclivity for recording everything he played with everyone, his untimely death did not bring his music to a halt.

Slayer, 'World Painted Blood'

2009-11-09T02:35:34Z

In the Slayer world view, your deity will not save you; your leaders will betray you; your neighbor may dismember you; and, on really bad days, it rains blood.

Wale, 'Attention Deficit'

2009-11-09T02:35:18Z

After mixtapes and high-profile cameos, it’s hard to believe this is the debut from Wale (pronounced wah-Lay).

Underwood straddles country-pop line

2009-11-09T02:35:01Z

With two albums under her belt, Carrie Underwood clearly knows what works for her, so much that she co-wrote seven of the tracks.

Soul bellows

Joseph P. Kahn, Globe Staff — 2009-10-26T21:14:09Z

CUMBERLAND, R.I. — In any competition to crown the world’s geekiest musical instrument, the accordion would be a top contender. Invented in Germany in the early 1800s, it’s most closely associated in this country with polka music and Lawrence Welk’s bygone television show, the epitome of postwar squareness.

For Aerosmith, a summer of sour notes

Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff — 2009-08-23T02:22:52Z

Aerosmith’s summer of bad luck began when guitarist Brad Whitford banged his head getting out of a car, forcing him to miss the opening dates of the band’s tour in June. A few weeks later, lead singer Steven Tyler hurt his leg performing at the Mohegan Sun Arena, causing seven shows to be postponed. Then bassist Tom Hamilton, who was ...