Nice try, Faith, but go back to the studio

Faith Hill

“Cry”

* 1/2, Warner Bros. Nashville

Memo to Warner Bros. Nashville Records: Thanks for the advance of the new Faith Hill album. You must be looking for some feedback before signing off on it, right? I can understand why. Faith’s last album sold 8 million copies, but someone needs to talk to her about this record. “Cry” is so filled with vocal histrionics that it borders on the unlistenable.

No one should blame Faith for not wanting to be Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. But why did she want to be Celine Dion? There are brilliant singers -- Emmylou Harris, Shelby Lynne and Alison Krauss -- who have moved beyond traditional country without sacrificing their soulful edge.

With regard to “Cry,” you should start by scrapping tracks 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12 and 13. The songs (mostly overwrought power ballads) are mediocre, her vocals are rarely convincing, and the arrangements are ham-fisted. The material is promising enough elsewhere to salvage the tracks by bringing in some advisors. Alanis Morissette could help Faith and the band convey some true romantic fury in the title tune; Lucinda Williams could suggest ways to achieve the lonely barroom ache needed in “When the Lights Go Down”; and Beck could show the way to the vulnerability aimed for in “Stronger.”

Or maybe you could just have Faith and her team go back into the studio and simply study the album’s one truly outstanding track: “You’re Still Here,” a tender, intimate reflection on how someone’s spirit stays with you even after the person passes out of your life. Faith sings it with touching restraint that makes the rest of the album seem all the more jarring.

You do have time to rethink this album, right? What’s that? It’s coming out Tuesday? Oh my.

Robert Hilburn

From under

the clouds

Tracy Chapman

“Let It Rain”

***, Elektra

Tracy Chapman is the poster woman for a zero-tolerance policy on unhealthy relationships. So what’s going on in “You’re the One”? “Some say you’re bitter / Think you’re mean ...” she sings. “I think you’re sensitive and sweet / Stay as you are don’t change a thing.” It’s almost Randy Newman-esque in turning romantic conventional wisdom inside out.

An emotional cloud envelops many of the songs in Chapman’s powerfully dark sixth album, as lovers often fall just short of fulfillment (“Almost”) or confront their ignoble side (“In the Dark”). The downcast tone -- almost existential in its gloom -- on the surface is heightened by Chapman and co-producer John Parish’s sonic touches from the Tom Waits back-alley-at-2 a.m. school.

That mood is leavened periodically by a gospel-music solace, which is most pronounced in the spare and swinging minor-key “Say Hallelujah,” which revisits the age-old theme that there’ll be joy in the afterlife because there sure isn’t much in this one.

Chapman is musing on the fine art of acceptance when life doesn’t turn out the way we hope: “So far from perfection, not truth or transcendence will set you free.” She ends with “I Am Yours,” with more resignation than celebration of faith in love’s ability to make things OK, if not necessarily different.

-- Randy Lewis

More songs for social change

Various artists

“Red Hot + Riot:

The Music of Fela Kuti”

***, MCA

This is the 14th album released by the Red Hot organization to promote AIDS prevention, and none has done a better job of matching the artist with the concept, the music with newly conceived interpretations. Fela, who died in 1997 of AIDS complications, was one of the first African superstars to aggressively speak out about social inequities, often triggering violent reaction by the Nigerian government against him, his family and his associates.

Songs such as “Zombie” and “Shuffering and Shmiling” -- both included in this collection -- are compelling examples of the penetrating manner in which the bandleader addressed social issues. Fela was also one of Africa’s most determinedly contemporary artists, with the funk-driven spontaneity of his live performances deeply tapping into the changing cultural landscape.

So it’s appropriate that his music is interpreted here in similarly contemporary fashion by a lineup of artists eclectic enough to include Sade, Macy Gray (with Roy Hargrove), Meshell Ndegeocello, D’Angelo, Nile Rodgers, Archie Shepp, Baaba Maal and Fela’s supercharged son, Femi Kuti. In the process, this valuable collection affirms Fela’s importance as a performer, an artist and a catalyst for social change.

-- Don Heckman

In brief

Uncle Kracker

“No Stranger to Shame”

***, Lava

He’s got all the Southern-fried charm and funky infectiousness that made Kid Rock a superstar, but Uncle Kracker’s laid-back libations, while simple by comparison, go down a lot more smoothly. The new one from Rock’s DJ and co-songwriter is less rap-driven than his hit debut, “Double Wide,” but it still oozes with groove-filled hooks. Though wistful, country-tinged ditties including “In a Little While” and a spot-on version of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away” (with Gray a guest on vocals) don’t take any chances, they’ve got a soulful sweetness that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

-- Lina Lecaro

Bon Jovi

“Bounce”

**, Island Def Jam

Another Jersey boy’s latest album is touched by Sept. 11, mostly in the mournful defiance of “Undivided” and the embrace-life rocker “Everyday.” Though cliched, these and the resilient title anthem are hooky and sincere, which is highly preferable to the lunkheaded, romantic-to-inspirational ballads that dominate the album. This time the music’s trademark epic quality comes less from Richie Sambora’s sprawling guitar work than from an overdose of strings and piano that reflects singer-actor Jon Bon Jovi’s movie and TV interests. But what’s really howl-worthy is the unintentionally hilarious “Right Side of Wrong,” a dead-serious, Springsteen-esque tale of desperate outlaws that redefines “hokey.”

-- Natalie Nichols

Miguel Migs

“Colorful You”

*** 1/2, Naked Music/Astralwerks

In the pop world, this Northern California producer-DJ could be a hit-making machine along the lines of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Instead, Migs is one of the fastest-rising acts in the dance music world. On “Colorful You,” he displays a dazzling gift for melody and soul, evidenced by the Sade-esque “Waiting” and the R&B; vibe of “Brand New Day.” For a dance collection, “Colorful You” may be the best neo-soul record of the year.

-- Steve Baltin

Amon Tobin

“Out From out Where”

** 1/2, Ninja Tune

Like the label he’s represented for four albums now, this Brit via Brazil loves to toy with the boundaries of electronic music. He believes any sound is fair game for his sampler, and “Out From out Where” is marked by an atmospheric sense of melody and a playfulness throughout. Unlike some tech heads, Tobin realizes his music can be cerebral without losing its sense of humor.

-- S.B.

Hot Hot Heat

“Make Up the Breakdown”

*** 1/2, SubPop

This frenetic foursome from Victoria, Canada, presides over a colossal jousting match between synths and guitars that is liable to leave its audience breathless. It’s as if Hot Hot Heat, which performs Wednesday at Spaceland, has imprisoned 10 punk songs in myriad dance rhythms. With Steve Bays’ faux-tortured vocals (Robert Smith on antidepressants?) providing the narration, listeners might want to rage, or they might want to disco. Or maybe both.

-- Kevin Bronson

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.