Music CDs Reviews

Otis Redding—The Best See + Hear
CD / DVD ($19.98)

Ready for some tuneful, tasty '60s R&B? Hear the greatest hits of the late, great Otis Redding, who died in a 1967 plane crash just before the song that would become his signature, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," was released. Groove along to "Try a Little Tenderness," "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and the original version of "Respect," which would go on to become a career-maker for Aretha Franklin. Then pop in the DVD, which documents two roof-raising concert appearances by Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, and Sam & Dave. It's easy to see and hear why, as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame notes, Redding's name "is synonymous with the term 'soul.'"
—Neil Pond, American Profile

Word of Promise Audio Bible
CD ($129.99)

More than 600 actors—including Jon Voight, Richard Dreyfuss, Jason Alexander, Gary Sinise, Marisa Tomei, Lou Diamond Phillips and Kimberly Williams-Paisley—participated in this dramatic all-star "audio theater" production of the Bible. With 79 CDs and more than 90 hours of dialogue, narration, music and sound effects, you'll feel like you're really there for the parting of the Red Sea, Jonah's adventure in the belly of the whale, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and the many other stories in the Old and New Testaments.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

Lynyrd Skynyrd
God & Guns
CD ($18.98)
 

Although the lineup has continued to evolve over the past 35 years, this legendary name-brand band of Southern rockers has never forgotten its swampin' stompin' roots. And as lead singer Johnny Van Zant leads his guitar-slinging crew through these 12 new barn-burners, you'll never find yourself wondering where they stand, especially on tunes like "That's Ain't My America" and the title track, which doesn't exactly seek the middle ground on a contentious subject. The closer, "Gifted Hands," is a soaring, muscular anthem that pays homage to the late Billy Powell, a founding member whose own "gifted hands" provided the keyboard signatures to dozens of Skynyrd staples, including "Free Bird."
—Neil Pond, American Profile

Beatles fans, rejoice-the group's entire album catalog has been meticulously restored, re-mastered and re-packaged in a new collector's series with original artwork, expanded booklets, rare photos and new video documentaries about each release. You can purchase them all individually ($18.98-$24.98), from 1963's Please Please Me to Past Masters, which corralled B-sides, stray singles and other loose musical ends. But if you really want to splurge, the handsome boxed set The Stereo Album ($259.98) is the ultimate Beatles bonanza, with 14 CDs and a DVD. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

John Fogerty
The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
CD ($13.98)
 

The former Creedence Clearwater Revival front man brings aboard a core of top-notch studio players for this delightfully rockin' cover-song romp through a dozen American folk, pop and country classics, including John Prine's "Paradise," John Denver's "Back Home Again" and Buck Owens' "I Don't Care (Just As Long As You Love Me)." Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles join for Ricky Nelson's "Garden Party," and it's musical magic when Bruce Springsteen hops aboard for Phil Everly's "When Will I Be Loved." This rollicking, rolling ride is over far too soon.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

George Strait
Twang
CD ($13.98)

For his 38th album, the Academy of Country Music's recently bestowed Artist of the Decade remains true to his time-tested formula of tuneful trad country, jaunty honky-tonk and easy-on-the-ears laments, all served up with a trademark twist of Texas trail dust. But look closer for some delightful surprises. Son Bubba (George Jr.) penned the gritty Old West ballad "Arkansas Dave," Strait sounds like he's having a blast with Delbert McClinton's "Same Kind of Crazy," and he closes things out with a south-of-the-border mariachi number—sung in Spanish! And he still makes it all sound so doggone easy.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

Let It Roll
George Harrison
CD ($18.98)
 

The "quiet Beatle" gets a proper shout-out on this 19-track retrospective spanning his entire post-Fab Four career. In addition to his No. 1s "My Sweet Lord," "Isn't It A Pity" and "Got My Mind Set On You," it also includes live solo versions of three Harrison-penned Beatles classics-"Something," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Here Comes the Sun"-performed at his all-star 1971 Concert For Bangladesh benefit at Madison Square Garden. The enclosed 28-page booklet, with rare photos and a detailed career retrospective, provides a glimpse of the man behind the music.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

Creedence Clearwater Revival: The Concert
CD ($11.98)
 

Recorded live in 1970, this 50-minute set captures one of the greatest bands of the era at the height of its success, tearing through "Proud Mary," "Down on the Corner," "Who'll Stop the Rain" and 11 other rootsy, rocking tunes. Playing for a hometown crowd at a packed stadium in Oakland, Calif., John Fogerty and his mates gave the audience one heck of a show, and this newly remastered CD lets you experience it start to finish. For anyone with an appetite for classic rock, it's one tasty time capsule.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

Holly Williams
Here With Me
CD ($9.98)
 

The legacy of the great Hank Williams continues through the music of his granddaughter, 28, whose second album marks her full bloom as both a writer and performer. Country without a hint of corn, it's a solid mix of soulful confessions, sensual daydreams, personal reflections and raw self-portraits that reveal a young songbird spreading her wings and finding her own flight path. Highlights include the autobiographical "Mama," which provides an intriguing glimpse into her mother Becky's brief marriage to Hank Jr., the intoxicating "Three Days in Bed" and "Keep the Change," a jaunty anthem to letting go and moving on.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

The Rock
Tracy Lawrence
CD ($14.98)

Once a honky-tonk hell-raiser, country hit-maker Tracy Lawrence now finds himself at a different place in his life, one reflected in the 10 heavenward-looking songs on his first inspirational album. Featuring original tunes like "Dear Lord," "Somebody Who Would Die For You" and "Say a Prayer," it fulfills a promise he made a long time ago to his parents to someday record a gospel album. But it also has the sound of a promise he must have made to himself—and an honest, heartfelt ring of spiritual conviction rather than a grab for the spotlight.
—Neil Pond, American Profile