New on CD 3/1

'Bryn Terfel Sings Wagner'

Ever since Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel burst onto the international opera scene in the early '90s, it was clear he possessed the penetrating power, tonal beauty and musical expressiveness to be a memorable interpreter of Wagner. So his fans have been counting the years until his voice would ripen sufficiently for him to take on the demanding roles without risking early vocal decline.

Now, at 36, Terfel appears ready.

His new CD, "Bryn Terfel Sings Wagner," shows him in brilliant form in samplings from five operas, including the Flying Dutchman's brooding soliloquy, Amfortas' anguished cries from "Parsifal" and Wolfram's elegiac "Ode to the Evening Star" from "Tannhaeuser." Most impressive are his excerpts from the heart of the Wagnerian baritone repertory: the poet-cobbler Hans Sachs' two monologues from "Die Meistersinger" and Wotan's farewell to Bruennhilde from the closing scene of "Die Walkuere."

No matter how heavy the orchestration, Terfel keeps a smooth line and never forces or "barks" the way many Wagner baritones do. And the purity of his tone in quiet moments is breathtaking. His Sachs and Wotan may not yet resonate with the depth of worldly experience that some of Terfel's predecessors have offered, but these are roles he will surely grow into as he begins performing them on stage.

'Meant to Be'

Elegance and class. Many entertainers have them. Pianist-composer Ramsey Lewis and singer Nancy Wilson embody them. "Meant to Be," their first collaboration in some 20 years, is a nearly perfect display of both.

Lewis has always worked well in the classic trio format. Here, he backs Wilson's smoky, sensual singing on five of the 11 cuts. The result is a simple pleasure - two professionals working at peak form.

Whether it's Diana Krall's "Peel Me a Grape" or "Did I Ever Really Live" from "Fame," Wilson delivers smooth readings with a graceful power. She playfully drops in a little laugh at the end of "Grape," perhaps a sign of the fun these two old friends had making the disc.

The two last appeared on a disc together in 1984 ("The Two of Us"), but recorded their tracks separately. "Meant to Be" truly was - in that Wilson flew to Chicago on Sept. 10 for the session. They decided to work, despite the turmoil following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

Lewis brought five of his own compositions to the studio, including the title track. The lush "Time Peace" is a beautiful cap to a fine piece of work from two classic artists.

'Come Away With Me'

With a sultry voice that strikes a familiar chord, while at the same time sounding totally unique, 22-year-old Norah Jones makes a promising debut with "Come Away With Me."

The spare arrangements, most often featuring Jones on piano with guitar and drum accompaniment, clearly put her smoky vocals in the forefront - where they belong.

The daughter of sitar master Ravi Shankar, Jones cuts through genres, particularly with her sparkling cover of Hank Williams' classic "Cold, Cold Heart," but she never strays too far from a pop feel.

Given her vocal talents, it would be nice to see her explore other musical types - particularly jazz - in more depth. But that's a minor complaint given the catchiness and beauty of tracks such as the opener, "Don't Know Why," and one of her self-penned songs, the enticing title track.

When she sings "Come Away With Me," the listener is hard-pressed not to follow her direction.

'Dreamgirls in Concert'

Even though "Dreamgirls" hasn't been on Broadway for years, the music from that hit show remains etched in our memory, thanks to the dazzling performances of Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine and Jennifer Holliday.

"Dreamgirls in Concert" is culled from last year's one-night restaging of the '80s musical with Broadway performers Heather Headley, Audra McDonald and Lillias White.

The two-set disc is a disappointment. Listening to "Dreamgirls in Concert" is like buying the songs of your favorite singer, and finding them sung by someone else. It just makes you want to listen to the original even more.- From wire reports

"Nothing But a Dream"

For starters, Paul Kelly's new release deserves a Grammy for best couplet: "I can order sandwiches/in seven different languages."

The rest of "Nothing But a Dream" isn't quite up to that standard. But for the uninitiated, it's a fine introduction to the Australian pub rocker, who is big Down Under but still looking for a breakthrough Up Over.

The 15-song disc - including four cuts from an EP released last summer - starts quietly with the lovely ballads "If I Could Start Again" and "Change Your Mind," both recorded in Kelly's garden shed.

By the third cut he's making wisecracks - "By the way, have you still got that stupid car?" he sings on "Midnight Rain." Then on "Somewhere in the City," he begins to rock out, as he's done so well for 25 years. Smart and funny, "Nothing But a Dream" is for Kelly devotees and new fans alike.

"2002 New Year's Concert"

Each year, the annual New Year's Day Strauss concert by the Vienna Philharmonic from the Musikverein, Vienna's premiere concert hall, is among the world's most-watched television programs.

Seiji Ozawa, who is retiring this summer after 29 seasons as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, takes over next season as music director of the Vienna State Opera, where the Vienna Philharmonic provides the pit musicians. He was selected to conduct this year's concert, and Philips released the New Year's Day concert in record time for a classical audio recording.

"2002 New Year's Concert" is a pleasant and sometimes exciting account of the usual Strauss family waltzes - and is one of the better in the series. Still, Ozawa doesn't have the grace of two of his famous predecessors. The preference still is for either the 1989 Carlos Kleiber concert, the 1992 Kleiber concert, or the 1987 Herbert von Karajan concert, all available on CD or DVD.

"Lucky 7"

The swing craze may be long over, but you wouldn't know it from listening to Reverend Horton Heat. The trio's latest album, "Lucky 7," finds the boys still partying like it's 1999 with a raunchy, lively set of swing-influenced rock tunes.

It's a refreshingly carefree sound in this day of overproduced pop, but unfortunately the band takes sloppiness a little too far. The witty, unpolitically correct "Loco Gringos Like a Party" sounds like it was recorded in a badly microphoned garage - come on, guys, a little attention to detail wouldn't have killed you.

There's also the sense that the trio had more fun making the album than we'll have listening to it. The album closes with "Sermon on the Jimbo" and "You've Got a Friend in Jimbo," both dedicated to upright assist and on-stage antic king Jimbo Wallace. The overly long tracks are funny the first time around but should probably have been saved for the second encore at a late-night show, not an actual album.

- From wire reports