THE SWEETEST DAYS
Vanessa Williams (Wing 314 526 172)
Never content to be "just another pretty face," Vanessa Williams proved that she deserved diva status with her second album, "The Comfort Zone." Now, with "The Sweetest Days," she takes her talents a step further, moving beyond mere pop appeal to show her flair for soul balladry and jazz stylings. That she has mastered the former discipline shouldn't come as a surprise to long-term listeners, but even so it's hard not to awed by the confidence and authority she shows here, simmering enticingly through the samba-flavored "Betcha Never" and entering Whitney Houston territory with the title tune. Still, it's the album's jazzy side that seems most impressive -- not just because of the ease with which she soars through the Ella Fitzgerald tribute "Ellamental," but thanks to the easy swing and deft phrasing she brings to Sting's "Sister Moon." Given how much Williams accomplishes here, it almost seems a shame the title only speaks of "Days" -- most listeners will want to spend months with the album.
IT'S NOW OR NEVER: THE TRIBUTE TO ELVIS
Various Artists (Mercury 314 524 072)
Even though the concert itself was conceived as an homage to Elvis Presley, "It's Now or Never: The Tribute to Elvis" ends up being less about paying respect to his memory than in restaking country music's claim to the King's legacy. It isn't just that the album ignores Iggy Pop and David Bowie in favor of Travis Tritt and Billy Ray Cyrus; frankly, the country singers seem to "get" these songs on a level the rockers rarely do. True, Michael Bolton does a decent job with "Jailhouse Rock" and Melissa Etheridge credibly heats up "Burning Love," but Wet Wet Wet's "It's Now or Never" owes more to Dean Martin than Elvis, while Chris Isaak's "Blue Moon" seems to have been recorded during a partial eclipse. Dwight Yoakam, by contrast, steams through "Mystery Train," Faith Hill puts just the right amount of honky-tonk twang into "Trying to Get to You," and Marty Stuart brings the right amount of sass and finesse to "Don't Be Cruel."
THE LONG BLACK VEIL
The Chieftains (RCA 62702)
Any album where the guest list includes Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Sting and the entire Rolling Stones (along with a solo contribution from Mick Jagger) would have to be a pretty rockin' affair, right? Well, no -- not if it's the new Chieftains album "The Long Black Veil." Despite cameos by all the above, as well as Ry Cooder, Sinead O'Connor, Tom Jones and Marianne Faithfull, the music itself is pretty much all Irish traditional fare, from the dreamily mournful "She Moved Through the Fair," which matches O'Connor's voice with Cooder's guitar and Paddy Moloney's tin whistle, to the raucous waltz-time rip through "The Rocky Road to Dublin" with the Rolling Stones (really!). Proof positive that Irish folk is a major part of rock music's roots, as well as one of music's most vital living traditions.
BEHIND BARS
Slick Rick (Def Jam 52847)
Other rappers might play at having a criminal reputation, but Slick Rick isn't kidding when he calls his new album "Behind Bars." Incarcerated since 1991 on an attempted murder rap, he's done enough hard time to have genuine gangsta cred. But rather than glorify crime and violence, Rick's raps argue for traditional values and against anti-social behavior. Not only does he stand up for morality in "Cuz It's Wrong," but "All Alone" finds him painting a sympathetic view of the hard life faced by single mothers, while "Get a Job" makes it clear that nobody ever got ahead by just laying around, trying to look cool. But even as he debunks the myth that there's glamour to be found in jail life -- a point eloquently made in the title track -- there's nothing nicey-nice about his music, which ranges from the bass-driven punch of the title tune to the sweet, reggae-inflected lilt of "A Love That's True."