Citizen Cope, "Every Waking Moment" (RCA): Heads up, Dave Matthews nation. Citizen Cope is selling something you didn’t know you needed but absolutely must have. Every Waking Moment excises guitar solos from the jam band format and replaces them with a heavy dose of Sgt. Pepper-psychedelia. "Friendly Fire" dazzles like a mash-up of Ben Harper and Tears For Fears. "All Dressed Up" sounds like a cut from a lost Jeff Lynne-produced Bob Marley album. Citizen Cope mastermind Clarence Greenwood even titles one song "John Lennon." It’s all good. ($13)
Aaron Neville, "Bring It On Home... The Soul Classics" (Sony): Christmas came early for music programmers at upscale retailers. Aaron Neville provides an ideal soundtrack for costly shopping binges as he interprets songs associated with the likes of Sam Cooke, Al Green and the Temptations. Unfortunately for soul music fans, that means that Bring It On Home is polite to a fault. So the horn section on "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay" lacks punch, and "Rainy Night In Georgia" fails to convey heartbreak. Even so, it’s impossible to dismiss the pairing of one of the world’s great voices and this seminal material. ($19)
Sandi Thom, "Smile...It Confuses People" (Columbia): A brilliant guerrilla marketing campaign catapulted Scottish folk thrush Sandi Thom into prominence. She’s sustained the momentum with the hit "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)," but most of her major label debut is shrill and irritating pap. ($13)
Natalie Walker, "Urban Angel" (Dorado): If the world is clamoring for a mall-rat update of Kate Bush, Natalie Walker is going to be a massive star. Walker’s pretty voice muses about romantic travails over lush, piano-based production. Urban Angel is lovely, even for people who aren’t 17-year-old girls. ($17)
| Bill Brownlee
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