 Eleanor
McEvoy, Snapshots (Columbia 1999) - Irish singer Eleanor McEvoy
returns with her third LP, Snapshots. With her rich voice and strong musical background, Eleanor
continues to make smart women's music.
By way of background, Eleanor played violin in the National Symphony
Orchestra of Ireland before achieving star status in the Emerald Isle in 1992 when her song, "Only a Woman's
Heart," inspired the title for, and appeared on, the A
Woman's Heart anthology album, which has gone on to become the biggest-selling album in Irish history
(even bigger than albums by Van Morrison and U2).
 There's
something about Eleanor
that brings to mind Joni
Mitchell: maybe it's the timbre of her voice, or her timing.
Eleanor has since released two solo albums: Eleanor
McEvoy (a delight from 1994) and her Columbia debut, What's
Following Me? (1996).
Snapshots is an album made from a woman's perspective, with a woman's intelligence and attraction.
Explains Eleanor, "A great record is like a good friend.
It's like somebody you can talk to, who understands you when you're down. Maybe that 'friend' is Loudon
Wainwright III, Edith Piaf, or R.E.M., but
it's someone who can heal the hurt, and that's what is really important."
The new album was produced by Rupert Hine, (hitmaster
for Tina Turner, Howard Jones,
and The Fixx), who also provides programming and keyboards. Other players
include Eleanor on vocals, guitar, keyboards,
and string arrangements, Ian Thomas on drums, Pino Paladino on bass, Phil
Palmer on electric and acoustic guitars, Snake Davis on saxophone, and strings by the
London Session Orchestra.
 With
tracks like "All I Have," "Did You Tell Him?" and the radio-friendly "Please, Heart, You're
Killing Me" (the standout cut on the album), Snapshots weaves a delicate spell. While Eleanor
has worked to avoid being tagged as a folkie after the success of "Only a Woman's Heart," her strongest
suit is the acoustic pop of "Please, Heart, You're Killing Me."
If Columbia can market Sophie B. Hawkins
with success, then Snapshots can also find a receptive audience on adult Top 40. While the album
is not entirely steady (bringing to mind the genre-bending albums from Brenda
Kahn, with their flashes of brilliance), the strong tracks from Eleanor are transcendent. Give Snapshots
a chance to grow on you: you will be rewarded.
 Various
Artists, Soundtrack to Austin Powers (Maverick Records 1999)
- Hot on the heels of the successful soundtracks to The Wedding Singer and Matrix
comes the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. With a contemporary yet retro feel,
the soundtrack is a success.
The follow-up to the first "Austin Powers" film (with a box office gross of more than $50 million), the
"The Spy Who Shagged Me" opens with Austin honeymooning
in the French Riviera where he's unable to shag! It seems the nefarious Dr. Evil has time-traveled back to the
60's and stolen Austin's "mojo," the secret power behind his libido.
 Luckily,
Austin gets a time machine of his own (a psychedelic Volkswagen beetle) and teams up with Felicity Shagwell (played
by Heather Graham, the memorable Roller
Girl from "Boogie Nights"). The duo travels
back to the swinging 60's, intent on regaining Austin's mojo and thwarting Dr. Evil's plot to destroy the world.
Explains soundtrack producer Danny Bramson, "Our goal was two-fold - to put together a collection
of artists and songs that captures and represents the period, color, and spirit of Austin Powers, as well as producing
a soundtrack that's fun to listen to as a whole."
 And
the soundtrack clicks on all counts. Like all successful soundtracks, The Spy Who Shagged Me starts
with a standout single, in this case "Beautiful
Stranger" by Madonna.
With production assistance by U.K. beat master William Orbit (who also worked on the successful,
Ray of Light), "Beautiful Stranger" has a 60's sound that harkens straight back to Love.
Also included is a never-before-released BBC version of the Who's "My Generation," an
instrumental track ("Espionage" by Green
Day), and one of the album's most pleasant surprises, a cover of Tommy
James' "Draggin' the Line" by R.E.M.
 Trailing
behind are new tracks by Lenny Kravitz (a forgettable cover of the Guess Who's
classic, "American Woman"), Melanie G. (aka Scary
Spice), and Big Blue Missile (featuring heroin-ridden vocalist Scott
Weiland) with walk-thru of the Zombies' "Time of the Season."
The Spy Who Shagged Me captures the spirit and feel
of the movie with by including a duet between Elvis Costello and Burt
Bacharach and a cover of Bill Withers'
"Just the Two of Us," as performed by Dr. Evil and "Mini-Me." Enjoy the good vibes from Austin
Powers.
 Tom
Browne, R'N' Browne (Hip Bop 1999) - Trumpet
player Tom Browne, now a member of the music faculty at North Carolina Central University,
continues his 20-year recording career on R'N' Browne. With elements of funk, urban, and jazz
(bringing to mind George Benson), Browne has solid chops.
Browne released his first album, Browne Sugar in 1979, and scored a hit single in the early 80s
with "Funkin' for Jamaica." Browne's
backing band for the new album includes John Hart on guitar and Bob Belden on
keyboards.
 R'N'
Browne is a return to Browne's R&B roots, with guest appearances from Dianne
Reeves and Sybil on vocals, Christian McBridge on bass, KCB
on rap vocals, and Chieli Minucci on acoustic guitar. Hailed for his "warm tones,"
Browne delivers the goods on songs like "Back to Life" and "Never Stop."
In a sad trend, horn-based instrumental bands have been relegated to the slag heap of jazz bore-o-rama. R'N'
Browne shows that contemporary jazz can be exciting and interesting. Look for Tom Browne.
- Randy Krbechek © 1999
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