New on CD 2/22/02

'This Is Rock 'N' Roll'

On the London Quireboys' latest release, "This Is Rock 'N' Roll," the bar-band draws from the best of '70s and '80s rock to create a basic, elemental sound of its own that's guaranteed to quicken the pulse.

Though their closest musical cousins are The Black Crowes, there are unmistakable influences here, ranging from The Faces to Cheap Trick to Edgar Winter to The Rolling Stones. Spike's raspy vocals can sound amazingly like Rod Stewart on one track, Trick's Robin Zander on another, and W.A.S.P.'s Blackie Lawless on a third.

This is plug-in-the-amps-and-down-the-beers stuff that exemplifies what made millions of guys pick up guitars in the first place. "Searching," which is evocative of "Wild Horses," has the makings of a major hit, and the rocking "C'mon" would be one of the best Faces tunes ever.

"To Be" smacks of Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Lovin' You," and the 'Boys even wax a bit Bruce Springsteen-ish on "Enough for One Lifetime." Good, all-purpose rock tunes such as "It's All Right" and the title track give this disc added punch. Instrumentally, they use choppy Keith Richards-like riffs and a very "Maggie May"-like tremolo organ to invoke classic rock history on tracks such as "Six Degrees." In an age dominated by boy bands, teen divas and hip-hop wannabes, let's be thankful for the London Quireboys.

'All the Love'

Oleta Adams has released several albums over the past decade, but she has yet to match the commercial success of her 1990 debut, "Circle of One," which contained her biggest hit, the soaring ballad "Get Here."

Hopefully, her latest release, "All the Love," will rekindle interest in the dynamic singer, who has been under the musical radar way too long.

The musical style of the disc is R&B-lite; soft, airy and seductive. But it's far from fluff; indeed, it would be hard for anything with Adams' deep, emotive voice to be anything but meaty. For example, her remake of Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" changes the dynamic of the song to something more emotional and substantial.

Adams wrote or co-wrote the majority of the songs, with themes ranging from simple love platitudes to the more complex. Perhaps the best track is an Adams-penned "Learning to Love You More," a song about two feuding sisters rediscovering each other.

Now, if only audiences would rediscover Adams.

- From wire reports

'Under Cold Blue Stars'

Josh Rouse calls himself a closet easy listening fan. That's an honest statement from the Nashville, Tenn., singer-songwriter, who is a bit more than that. His third release on Rykodisc, "Under Cold Blue Stars," shows Rouse has an ear fine-tuned to the rhythms of the real world.

Working with a new producer who added more color to the sound with loops, keyboards, cello, horns and programming, the essential Rouse comes through. A melancholy air lingers, reinforced with Rouse's breathy creak of a voice that pulls from his Midwestern roots.

In the title track, Rouse sings of a man whose dreams didn't outlast his transition to family man. In "Feeling No Pain," he sings earnestly to a new lover: "I'm inclined to tell you I don't need any room to breathe/I want to see you laid out, see you laid out, sleeping on the couch." The ringing guitars and workman beat of the song emphasize the simple, heartfelt desire.

Rouse is open and plainspoken. He coats his truths only in finely crafted songs. And, they're easy to listen to, too.

'Speaking of Now'

Given the freshness and creativity imbuing this record, it's hard to believe that the Pat Metheny Group is 25 years old. The secret to the PMG's long-standing success is that it has kept its core intact -- Metheny, keyboardist Lyle Mays and bassist Steve Rodby have been playing together for more than 20 years -- while regularly rejuvenating the group with up-and-coming jazz stars.

The newcomers here include Mexican-born drummer Antonio Sanchez; Vietnamese-American trumpeter-vocalist Cuong Vu, the PMG's first horn player; and Cameroon's Richard Bona, known primarily as an electric bassist but featured here as a percussionist and vocalist.

The newcomers give the composing team of Metheny and Mays an even richer palette of musical colors to enrich their lyrically appealing melodies. Sanchez demonstrates his mastery at shifting meters on the opening "As It Is," and his powerful solos drive "The Gathering Sky." Vu and Bona create a beautiful wordless vocal blend on the more serene "Another Life" and "You." Spurred by the new members, Mays (on "Proof") and Metheny (on "A Place in the World") come up with some of their most inspired solos on record as the PMG soars to new heights on "Speaking of Now."

- From wire reports