THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 24, 1995 TAG: 9502230122
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Record Review
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
Maybe it's all the time Trisha Yearwood spends touring, but her new ``Thinkin' About You'' finds her singing often about the road and escape. Some songs, like the James Taylor knockoff ``O Mexico'' and the pseudo-feminist ``Restless Kind,'' don't make much of an impression beyond Yearwood's flawless vocals. But when she launches into the broken-hearted ``On a Bus to St. Cloud'' or steals Melissa Etheridge's ``You Can Sleep While I Drive,'' she's able to convince you that ``Thinkin' About You'' is a better disc than it really is.
The upbeat title single and last summer's hit ``XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)'' are slighter than her talent deserves. Hand her a real song - the ballads ``Those Words We Said'' and ``Till I Get It Right'' (once a hit for Tammy Wynette) - and there's not a false note to be heard. Though still several cuts away from the consistent record she has in her, Yearwood has moved many steps closer.
Belly, ``King'' (Sire/Reprise) -
The problems that rendered Belly's gold debut ``Star'' less than perfect are in evidence again on this followup. Although it shows growth in ambition, the album offers little of the catchy pop of such earlier singles as ``Feed the Tree.''
Leader Tanya Donelly's arty affectations sometimes outstrip her abilities as a tunesmith. For such a reputed pop goddess, the former Throwing Muse and Breeder writes underdeveloped songs. ``Red'' is sung from an interesting viewpoint - that of an older woman facing the imminent death of a son, presumably from AIDS - but its irritating vocal hook detracts from the drama.
Still, when she stops the high-pitched, aimless wailing, Donelly is capable of some of the sexiest singing in current pop. The sensual imagery of lyrics like those of the title track and ``Untitled and Unsung'' momentarily lift the record. But there aren't enough of those seconds of pleasure to keep ``King'' on track very long.
John Lee Hooker, ``Chill Out'' (Pointblank).
John Lee Hooker is apparently so secure in his musical direction that he'll give anything a shot. On ``Chill Out (Things Gonna Change),'' the first cut of this album, he reunites with fan Carlos Santana, lending his gruff throatiness to a Latin-lite groove led by some antiseptic Santana guitar. The result, reminiscent of the Hooker/Santana collaboration on the former's 1989 comeback effort ``The Healer,'' is such a weird piece of music that it's hard to even get mad at it.
Fortunately, Van Morrison, who shows up a few tracks later, doesn't take advantage of the star's deference to his guests. Morrison allows the elder statesman to set the pace on a six-minute medley of ``Serves Me Right to Suffer'' and ``Syndicator'' before, to Hooker's obvious pleasure, torching the songs.
Otherwise, Hooker is often all but on his own here, engaging in solo and small-group renditions of both old and new numbers. The teen romance of ``Too Young'' is given further poignance by the 75-year-old bluesman's reading. And if the laconic urgency of ``Tupelo'' and ``Woman on My Mind'' is stuff Hooker can deliver in his sleep, well, let him dream on.
Morrissey, ``World of Morrissey'' (Sire/Reprise).
Young Steve Morrissey's new collection of singles A's and B's and live tracks is both enjoyable and frustrating. It's good to hear the self-mocking ``Sister I'm a Poet,'' Morrissey's rewrite of ``Moon River'' and the current UK 45 ``Boxers'' all in one handy package. There's also ``Have-a-Go Merchant,'' reportedly a slap at Natalie Merchant's botched cover of ``Everyday is Like Sunday.''
But where the similar collection ``Bona Drag'' (1990) duplicated only one song from the solo album that preceded it, the 14 tracks on ``World'' include four tracks from `` `Your Arsenal' '' and ``Vauxhall and I'' and an in-concert take of a fifth. And marvelous as ``The Last of the Famous International Playboys'' is, it's already widely available - on ``Bona Drag.''
The Manhattan Transfer, ``Tonin' '' (Atlantic).
This guest-star-heavy set of pop and soul covers couldn't be much worse. The Transfer is relegated to glossy backing work while the worn voices of Frankie Valli and Smokey Robinson add little to new versions of their ``Let's Hang On'' and ``I Second That Emotion.'' And Phil Collins' singing ``Too Busy Thinking About My Baby'' is less a tribute to Marvin Gaye than an insult. ILLUSTRATION: Trisha Yearwood
Belly
by CNB