Sound Off

Arika Kane

Arika Kane

(BSE)

On the spine of the review copy I received for Arika Kane's new CD, the title is listed as "Self-Entitled Album." I'm going to give the folks who printed that potentially hilarious album title, and just assume that the meaning was that the CD is simply named after the artist.

Kane, who claims she has been performing since the tender age of 10, has an agreeable singing voice, and co-wrote all but one of the songs on this album.

That lone song that Kane did not pen is a cover of Bobbie Brown's "Rock Witcha," although on the track "Ring My Bell" the chorus basically swipes directly from the chorus of an earlier hit by Anita Ward by the same title, and yet nowhere in the liner notes is Ward given any credit.

Lots of luck with that forthcoming copyright lawsuit. As for the remaining tracks, Kane delivers some very mediocre R&B. Her voice is lovely enough, but songs such as "Make It," "Bcuz I Luv U," and "All My Life" sound dated, as if Mariah, Britney and the like passed on them.

The talent and artistic potential is there somewhere, but it will hopefully be more up to date on Kane's next release and with any luck will catch up to that beautiful voice. (C-)

Download These: "Rock Witcha," "Can't Be Without U" and "Ring My Bell."

Lyle Lovett

Natural Forces

(Lost Highway)

Few artists have taken a musical genre and carved out a niche as distinctively as Lyle Lovett. Since his self-titled debut CD in 1986, Lovett has been primarily classified as a country artist, although he loves injecting folk, jazz, swing, R&B and even gospel into his songs.

The guy also has a wicked sense of humor. Not much has changed on Lovett's latest, "Natural Forces," which kicks off with the lovely title track before the artist plants his tongue firmly in cheek for "Farmer Brown/Chicken Reel," an up-tempo number that features a double-entendre that pushes the envelope even for Lovett.

Lovett has always had a thing for songs about food, as evidenced by earlier tunes such as "Church" and "Here I Am." The song "Pantry" continues the trend, albeit with yet another double-meaning.

Other standout tunes on this album, which was recorded utilizing Lovett's famous Large Band, include "Bohemia," a beautiful cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Loretta," and the amusing "It's Rock and Roll," which Lovett co-wrote with his former next-door neighbor at Texas A&M, Robert Earl Keen.

That last tune, as the title might suggest, rock out harder than anything Lovett has done in the past.

Download These: "Pantry," "Loretta" and "It's Rock and Roll."

Lita Ford

Wicked Wonderland

(JLRG)

Wow, so this is what happens when an aging metal queen refuses to fade away quietly.

Lita Ford, who in the '70s played lead guitar with Joan Jett in The Runaways, and who in the '80s had a hit with a duet with Ozzy Osbourne on "Close My Eyes Forever," is apparently back.

Ford's attempt to reignite her career at the age of 51, "Wicked Wonderland," just might be the worst release of 2009. It isn't that Ford is past her prime; she still has a great set of pipes and can shred on guitar with the best of them.

It's just that on this new album she can't decide if she wants to be a metal babe, a dominatrix or Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

Songs such as "Crave," "Scream 4 Me" and "Betrayal" are all over the place, and Ford is trying so hard to sound evil and ominous, that in the end it becomes comical.

There are plenty of artists who attempt to make a comeback, and some even succeed. In the case of Ford, though, this half-baked collection of songs is just embarrassing. (F)

Download These: Save your money. That isn't a song title, but rather I'm imploring you to not waste your hard-earned cash on this mess.