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Music

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A check of some new music.

By SEAN DALY
Published March 18, 2007

The Notorious B.I.G.

Album: Greatest Hits Bad Boy

In stores: Now

Why we care: Ten years after his unsolved murder, the Notorious B.I.G. is whispered about in reverent tones, a fat saint found on tribute T-shirts. But myth aside, was he really any good?

Why we like it: Unlike Tupac Shakur's handlers, Bad Boy Records has been (relatively) restrained in cashing in on their fallen rap idol. As a result, Big's hits still sound fresh: the lazy-river flow, the corpulent magnetism, the rhymes alternating between street fantasy and bleak reality. This isn't a perfect comp: no Mo Money, Mo Problems, too many remixes. But the opening trio of Juicy, Big Poppa and Hypnotize remains masterful.

Reminds us of: Everything that's right - and wrong - about rap.

Download these: Juicy, Big Poppa and Hypnotize

Grade: B-

The Feeling

Album: Twelve Stops and Home (Cherrytree/Interscope)

In stores: Now

Why we care: Just when you thought Brit-pop (Coldplay, Doves, Travis) was losing its charm, those melodious mopes evolve in a natural direction: '70s soft rock. Bloody brilliant! This quintet from Sussex and London channel the sound of SoCal pop circa the Carter administration.

Why we like it: The jaunty piano and guitar hooks might as well come with sideburns and sunburn. Lead singer Dan Gillespie Sells has memorized the phrasing of every America album - and is not ashamed to sing like he's courting Sister Golden Hair. The band runs out of ideas, but this is a swell start.

Reminds us of: Coldplay meets Pure Prairie League.

Download these: Never Be Lonely and Love It When You Call

Grade: B+

Charlie Louvin

Album: Charlie Louvin (Tompkins Square)

In stores: Now

Why we care: Such luminaries as Elvis Costello and George Jones show up on this pleasantly bizarro duets album to pay tribute to the 79-year-old country legend. FYI: Louvin (and late brother Ira) co-wrote such gems as When I Stop Dreaming and Great Atomic Power, the latter of which is juiced here by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy.

Why we like it: Much like the Man in Black, Louvin isn't afraid to make a late-career album that reveals the cracks of old age. You can hear every guitar pluck and foot stomp, every breath, every sigh. And when Jones joins Charlie for Must You Throw Dirt In My Face, the sucker-punch emotion is a tutorial in twang.

Reminds us of: Johnny Cash's American farewells.

Download these: Must You Throw Dirt In My Face and The Christian Life

Grade: B

SONG OF THE WEEK

Dokken

Song: Breakin the Chains

Album: From Conception: Live 1981 (Rhino)

In stores: Now

Why we care: Why do we love hair metal? Because right now some 38-year-old dude working at Orange Julius is flipping out about the remastered release of this nascent recording from the German-born, L.A.-raised, hard-rock quartet. That same hirsute dude is also banging his head in enlightenment, realizing that Breakin the Chains was the early spelling of future hit Breaking the Chains. Metal rulz!

Why we like it: Dokken featured a savvy vocalist (Don Dokken), a ferocious guitarist (George Lynch) and a manic drummer (Mick Brown). Chains is good solid metal: sturdy riffs, slightly operatic wails and a chorus you can sing while simultaneously chugging Pils Light.

Reminds us of: When all was good and shaggy in the world.

Song grade: A

Album grade: B

Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8467. His blog is at blogs.tampabay.com/popmusic.

[Last modified March 15, 2007, 10:16:19]