The End Of The Affair (OST)

Original released on CD Sony Classical SK 51354

(US 1999, November 23)

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BETH HART: "Screamin' For My Supper"

Original released on CD Atlantic 83192-2

(US, 1999)

L.A.-based rock singer Beth Hart released "Screamin' for My Supper" in 1999, three years after her debut, "Immortal". Producing herself with help from longtime collaborator Tal Herzberg, and playing piano, keyboards, and arranging string sections, "Screamin' for My Supper" is a mature, fully realized sounding record. She kicks things off with "Just a Little Hole," a midtempo, smoldering cut with organ that gives it a blues/gospel feel. Hart's slightly raspy vocals complement things with a twinge of heartache and regret. "Delicious Surprise" is a punchy, roots-inflected rocker co-written with Glen Burtnik. "L.A. Song," the lead single, explores the darker side of sunny Southern California with gentle piano backing and hushed, understated vocals that make the song thought-provoking and compelling. Other noteworthy cuts include the slinky melody of "Is That Too Much to Ask," with an infectious chorus and smoking harmonica, and the poignant "By Her," which adds strings and accordion to the mix. "Screamin' for My Supper" is a confident effort that is a bit more rough-hewn than Sheryl Crow but fits comfortably into the same arena. (Tom Demalon in AllMusic)

ANDREA BOCELLI: "Sogno"

Original released on CD Polydor 547 221-2

(UK 1999, March 30)

"Sogno" consists entirely of new compositions, much of which are deliberately skewed toward the pop audience whom Andrea Bocelli was well on his way to earning in the spring of 1999. In other words, it's an album that seems to be a progression, at least on the surface, but it's also a consolidation of the crossover audience that he wooed over the course of the late '90s. "Sogno" pulls off that trick, balancing Bocelli's opera background with modern pop and Italian music. That stance alone - finding a middle ground between classical and modern pop music - will alienate the purists (who, truth be told, haven't been all that thrilled with Bocelli in the first place), but this doesn't discredit the music. True, there are moments on "Sogno" that don't work as well as others, but overall it flows nicely and maintains a fine balance between pieces that suggest opera without actually being opera, and adult contemporary songs such as "Nel Cuore Lei" (a duet with Eros Ramazzotti) or the Celine Dion duet "The Prayer," which was originally featured on the soundtrack for "The Quest for Camelot". The most interesting moments are songs like "Come Un Fiume Tu," a collaboration with Ennio Morricone that manages to not only find a middle ground between those two extremes, but to push forward, as well. Songs like these keep "Sogno" fascinating, but it's the adult contemporary-flavored numbers that stand to bring in a larger, pop-oriented audience, who will then likely explore the rest of Bocelli's catalog. For skeptics, however, the very presence of pop-leaning numbers will confirm their doubts. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

"American Beauty" (OST)

Original released on CD DreamWorks 0044-50210-2

(US 1999, October 5)

This movie is one of my alltime US favorites, drilling down on the 'misses and hits' of US American lifstyle and daily horrors ! But without the music this movie would not work - great combination... That one deserved the Oscar a 200%! True - the end is absolutely un-american, no happy end in the typical sense of the viewership - but hell, nobody gets out of here alive - right? The soundtrack is composed of several songs related to each of the three main characters plus what I would call the film themes done by Thomas Newman. It works out pretty well, but I can't stand the boring jazz taste of the mother so that ruins it a bit for me. The hard rock of the father is good, as well as the alt rock of the daughter. The tracks done by Thomas Newman are the real treaty here. (in RateYourMusic)

Remembering Madison County

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PATRICIA KAAS: "Le Mot De Passe"

Original released on CD CCK 91266

(FRANCE 1999, May 14)

"When You Say Nothing At All" By ROMAN KEATING

"A Voar Por Cima Das Águas" By FAUSTO & ORLANDO COSTA

JOÃO PEDRO PAIS: "Outra Vez"

Edição original em CD Som Livre/EVC VSL 1202-2

(PORTUGAL, 1999)

Nasceu e viveu sempre em Lisboa. Na pré-primária já se lhe conhecia o jeito pela música, uma vez que os seus tios avós maternos eram quase todos músicos de guitarra portuguesa, viola, piano e violino. Também o desporto é uma área a que se dedica, tendo-se tornado campeão por diversas vezes no estilo Greco-Romano. Esporadicamente toca em alguns bares e conhece grandes músicos africanos, tirando daí o gosto pela viola. Aprendendo de ouvido, consegue fazer bares sózinho a tocar covers de música portuguesa – Trovante, Fausto, Zeca Afonso, entre outros. Não sendo a alta competição compatível com a vida de músico, João Pedro Pais faz a sua última participação desportiva em 1995 no Rio de Janeiro, onde consegue o 1º lugar. Participa no programa “Chuva de Estrelas”, tendo chegado à etapa final onde obteve o segundo lugar interpretando a canção "Ao Passar um Navio", dos Delfins. Continua a levar a sua música a bares, até que lhe aparece a oportunidade de gravar o primeiro disco, em 1997. "Segredos" revela-se um campeão de vendas logo à partida, onde os temas “Ninguém (é de ninguém)” e “Louco (por ti)” se tornam dos mais emblemáticos da sua carreira. Muitos espectáculos vão sendo agendados, o que o leva a ascender rapidamente no mundo da música em Portugal. Acarinhado por um público muito vasto, de norte a sul, João Pedro Pais torna-se uma referência ímpar para muitos dos seus fãs. Este "Outra Vez" , o segundo disco, chega-nos em 1999. Mais uma vez consegue surpreender com a sua sonoridade ligada ao Pop/Rock, não descurando de letras genuínas e sentidas. É de novo nomeado para os Globos de Ouro na categoria de Melhor Intérprete. O tema “Mentira” é também eleito para a categoria de Melhor Canção. (in MeoMusic)

A HERANÇA MUSICAL DE JOSÉ AFONSO

V.A. - "Surfin' Senorita" - A Tribute to HATB

Original released on CD Wildebeest WBST 003

(US, 1999)

A blueprint of how to make a tribute album if the artists are going to stick close to the originals. Everything on "Surfin' Senorita" is good to great. It's all about tasty "Whipped Cream". These underdogs collectively can play. This is a collectors album to have because it is a variety of good surf bands covering songs of Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass. That in itself makes this worth having and raises the unique factor way, way, high. I have a feeling Herb Alpert is pleased with the results. I like this tribute. (in Amazon)

"You Must Remember This..."

Original released on LP Virgin 8482711

(EU 1999, October 19)

Bryan Ferry invests considerable time and energy in cover albums (he should, considering that they compose a good portion of his solo catalog), treating them with as much care as a record of original material. He's always found ways to radically reinvent the songs he sings, so it's easy to expect that his collection of pop standards, "As Time Goes By", would re-imagine the familiar. Instead, "As Time Goes By" is his first classicist album, containing non-ironic, neo-traditionalist arrangements of songs associated with the '30s. That doesn't mean it's a lavish affair, dripping with lush orchestras - it's considerably more intimate than that. Even when strings surface, they're understated, part of a small live combo that supports Ferry throughout the record. He's made the music as faithful to its era as possible, yet instead of rigidly replicating the sounds of the '30s, he's blended Billie Holiday, cabaret pop, and movie musicals into an evocative pastiche. Ferry is at his best when he's exploring the possibilities within a specific theory or concept; with "As Time Goes By", he eases into these standards and old-fashioned settings like an actor adopting a new persona. Since Ferry has always been a crooner, the transition is smooth and suave. He makes no attempt to alter his tremulous style, yet it rarely sounds incongruous - he may sound a little vampirish on "You Do Something to Me," but that's the rare case where he doesn't seamlessly mesh with his romantic, sepia-toned surroundings. On the surface, it may seem like a departure for Ferry, but in the end, it's entirely of a piece with his body of work. True, it may not be a major album in the scheme of things, but it's easy to be seduced by its casual elegance. (Thomas Erlewine in AllMusic)