It's not a new MJ CD, but sis Janet's a thriller, too From Philadelphia Daily News BEEN WISHING for a new album from King of Pop Michael Jackson? might concoct if he were making new music today. Most amazingly, when Janet moves her voice into its upper register, and the studio engineers tweak the processing machinery "just so" on songs like "Feedback," she sounds amazingly like Michael. Hope that changes with "Another Country" (Fantasy, A-), the title reflecting the country she wishes we had, and the alt-country music she makes for people who dread the hokey stuff. But...

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Posted Under: Chanson

The Fifth Element #46 From Stereophile Magazine "Fountain of Sorrow" is not quite on the level of craft of Richard Strauss's Hesse settings in Four Last Songs, but it sure is light-years ahead of Boz Scaggs' "Lido Shuffle." What this competition is about is finding five songs from what I will loosely call the Rock Era (written anywhere, but only since 1954) that, in craftsmanship, musicality, intelligence, and emotional impact, can give the lieder and chanson traditions a run for their money.

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Posted Under: Chanson

Dame Felicity Lott/Malcolm Martineau From Musical Criticism Everything about Dame Felicity Lott delineated her star status at this Wigmore Hall recital, from the nobility of her bearing to the finesse of her technical preparation, her easy platform manner and her spectacular gowns. Dame Felicity's natural, unfussy interpretation of the four Ravel songs on the programme was entirely appropriate to pieces which were set very directly by the composer, calling for little in terms of vocal display. Martineau also excelled in Roussel's 'Le jardin mouill ',...

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Posted Under: Chanson

Sarkozy Congratulates France`s Cotillard on Oscar From Javno.hr Cotillard became only the second woman to win the best actress award for a non-English speaking performance. The Parisian actress scooped the award for her portrayal of the chanteuse in bio-pic "La Vie En Rose," following in the footsteps of Italian legend Sophia Loren, the 1962 best actress winner.

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A fine one-disc summary of a complex period in music history From Audiophile Audition It works after hearing these three masses, it is easy to perceive the differences that pervade the often times popularly-thought monochromatic nature of this music. Only those who spend a lot of time with it are usually aware of the subtle distinctions that mark the music of this age, Even many collectors tend to categorize Renaissance music as of a stripe, but upon further discovery we see that this just isn t true. Thomas Ashewell, whose short life is betrayed by the few fragments of music...

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Posted Under: Chanson