Reviews by Deseret News staff writers of recent country, movie soundtrack, rock and pop recordings:KENNY ROGERS; "Back Home Again" (Reprise). * * 1/2
The "claim" mined by Kenny Rogers in country music, oddly enough, is not far away from the claim of Garth Brooks. Both have found a way to make country music palatable to the crossover crowd.In the case of Rogers, that means taking tunes that are obviously hard-country keepers, then adding strings, synthesizers and a certain Las Vegas casino slickness (the rap against Rogers is his stuff is "over-produced").
When the songs no longer sound like traditional country, he pitches them to the easy-listening set.
This CD is no exception. "Someone Must Feel Like a Fool Tonight" is a classic country waltz with gloss added; "When You Were Loving Me" is an old-fashioned weeper, and "If You Want to Find Love" - his current hit - is a story song along the lines of "Lucille," but with the driving melody instrumentation of "Let's Go Out in a Blaze of Glory."
My own favorite here is a little Mickey Newbury number, "Sunshine."
Rogers got where he is by finding good material. Along with Newbury, Jimmy Webb and Slip Ewing have songwriting credits here.
If you like Kenny Rogers, you'll love this release, even though he only chooses to do 10 songs. - Jerry JohnstonMOVIE SOUNDTRACKS:
"Dogfight" (Nouveau). * * *
"Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man" (Mercury). * * 1/2
"Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" (Metal Blade). * *
There ought to be another name for movie soundtracks that feature no instrumental arrangements but are instead collections of songs that played on a given film's soundtrack.
Be that as it may, of these three, "Dogfight" is clearly the winner in this corner, with its very nice mix of oldies, ranging from "Easier Said Than Done" by the Essex to Van Morrison's "T.B. Sheets" to Muddy Waters' "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" - and yes, even the Weavers doing "Wimoweh" and Pete Seeger's "We Shall Overcome."
The heavy metal/rap anthologies in "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man" and "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" are strictly for fans of the genre.
"Harley," for me, was the better of the two, with hard-edged numbers by Copperhead and L.A. Guns intertwined with Waylon Jennings' soft and easy Western style and Vanessa Williams warbling a bluesy tune. But "Freddy" offers little more than one redundant headbanging song after another, provided by the likes of Goo Goo Dolls, Iggy Pop and Young Lords.
Oh, well. Variety is the spice of life, they say. But the latter two won't be rotating much on my shelf. - Chris HicksNANCI GRIFFITH; "Late Night Grande Hotel" (MCA). * * *
Ever since she signed with MCA, Nanci Griffith has seemed unable to settle into a comfortable niche. Not that I'd ever wish her to stop experimenting or trying new material, but she's gone from her self-styled "folkabilly" sound to an odd pop style that doesn't quite mesh with her talent.
It is regrettable that "Late Night Grande Hotel" seems to be her weakest album yet, with songs that range from wonderful ("It's Just Another Morning Here," "It's Too Late," "San Diego Serenade") to OK ("Fields of Summer," "The Power Lines") to mediocre ("Fields of Summer," "Heaven").
Still, those that are wonderful will keep me coming back to "Late Night Grande Hotel." It's just that Griffith's earlier albums, which were filled with memorable songs that had heart and depth, spoiled me. I'll come back to those more often.
And, of course, I'll look forward to the next one. - Chris HicksEROS RAMAZZOTTI; "In Ogni Senso" (Arista). * * *
With a first name like Eros, chances are any male could get a date even on the night before Christmas.
Nevertheless, 27-year-old Eros himself doesn't have to ask for dates, not anymore, they now ask him. He's the all-Italian pop superstar from Milan who has been successful all over Europe for the past five years. Recently, he released "In Ogni Senso," which is Italian and means in every direction, in the United States.
Any males who would like to get dates just like that, SNIP, or those females who wouldn't mind traveling to Italy just to ask someone out on a fabulous evening involving ravioli and amore, should listen to Eros.
Included in this release are some of Eros' greatest hits ("Adesso Tu" and "Una Storia Importante," none of which includes the recipe for Tortellini Milanese, by the way) from various European-released albums since 1986.
All kidding aside, Eros' voice is incredibly sensuous at times and has the strength to calm down even the most melodious pop tunes and turn them into enjoyable, voice-oriented, often catchy, ballads.
He is very articulate (take my word for it) and extremely careful to put as much emotion and dedication into each song as possible. Even those few Americans who don't speak Italian will appreciate his pronounciation, which is always clear and distinct.
How poppy is he really? Well, most of the music behind Eros' dominating - but not overpowering - voice consists of power chords stemming from Ferrari (I guess) synthesizers. Occasionally, they can get a little sappy, but thank goodness, there is always Eros who bails them out with his almost godlike voice. - Dagi Binggeli