4Play

Jan. 31, 2007

Madonna - The Confessions Tour - Live from London - WEA/Warner Bros.

Madonna continues to be a remarkable musical phenomenon - need we even mention how many times she’s reinvented herself to go along with, or even precede, the current musical trends? And this concert recording is a great testament to the strength of her pop drawing power. Recorded at London’s Wembley arena, this sold-out venue was a prime locale to make a permanent record of one of Maddie’s shows, and she thrilled the crowds with selections from both her earlier recordings and her current chart-climbing set. Yes, you’ll hear relative newbies “Jump” and “Ray of Light,” but you’ll also hear “Lucky Star,” “La Isla Bonita,” and plenty of other M faves. Twenty-five cities, one Madonna, and one impressive two-disc set (one CD, one DVD) for you to remember this particular tour by - we’d say to remember Madonna by, but chances are she’s not going anywhere any time soon.

Various Artists - Dreamgirls Original Soundtrack - Sony

There’s a newly-minted Golden Globe winner on this soundtrack, and it’s not Beyonce. Nope - it’s American Idol top ten finalist Jennifer Hudson, whose confident rendition of the musical’s “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” is one of the highlights of both this disc and the movie musical itself. But that’s not to say that Beyonce is a slacker - on the contrary, again. Beyonce actually molds her pop-hop voice quite well to the ‘60s-esque songs on this set, and, if you’ve seen the film, you’ll realize how well she fit the diva character that she was cast as. You’ll also find the Hudson/Beyonce duet “It’s All Over” here, plus (if you snag the two-CD deluxe edition) a busy but danceable disco remix of the “One Night Only” ballad; the deluxe set also includes the demo version of Henry Krieger’s song “Patience,” as well as a larger booklet with more bonus material for Dreamgirls fans.

Neko Case - Live from Austin, TX - New West

Unique country-punk cabaret singer Neko was touring behind her Blacklisted disc when this recording was made, so it’s a decently comprehensive overview of what her live performances were like during that period. Light, spacious arrangements featuring mostly guitar and banjo (Jon Rauhouse), percussive bass (Tom Ray), and, of course, Case’s torch-song-friendly voice (plus harmonies by Kelly Hogan) do justice to her songs, from the lap-steel-festooned “Buckets of Rain” to the popular “Hex” and the more country-flavored “Deep Red Bells.” There’s not a lot here that can’t be found on other Case albums, but it’s mixed masterfully, and it’s the energy of the live performance and the interesting change-ups in the arrangements that will make you want to add this selection to your Neko Case collection.

Carly Simon - Into White - Sony

The follow-up to Simon’s 2005 release Moonlight Serenade finds Simon taking on a plethora of cover songs, and including some of her family (namely, son and daughter Ben and Sally Taylor, who throw in some harmonies) in the mix. The standout is perhaps Simon’s charming reading of The Beatles’ classic “Blackbird,” but there are plenty of additional tracks to like here, too; including Simon’s own takes on “Scarborough Fair” (Simon and Garfunkel), ex-husband James Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes,” The Everly Brothers’ “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” and the Cat Stevens title track. Simon also takes the time to revamp one of her own songs - namely the 1992 movie soundtrack contribution “Love of My Life” - and adds three new non-cover songs just to spice things up. It’s not anything particularly daring, but it is a pretty collection of tunes that is a pleasant listen.