Madonna: Celebration (Warner)

Madonna’s new two-CD set titled Celebration comes stickered as “the ultimate collection, digitally remastered from the original tapes.”

I guess the 51-year-old dance-pop diva predates the digital era but if you are a fan of Madge’s pop radio hits, you will love this 36-track anthology.

These discs are loaded with smash hit after smash hit including #1s such as Like A Virgin, Holiday, Secret, Take A Bow, Beautiful Stranger, Music, 4 Minutes, Hung Up, etc.

While this huge package is indeed a “celebration” of all Madonna top hits the CD title is also the name of her new single which is also a smash and yet another superb Madonna song with irresistible dance hooks.

It is interesting to note the arty Andy Warhol styled CD liner photo of Madge in Marilyn Monroe pose covers up the printed lyrics behind the material girl.

Style over substance indeed, but then who wants more than style from Madonna anyway?

There is only 78 shopping days until Xmas and this superb stocking stuffer will shift like hot cakes.

NOTE: This has been co-released with a two-DVD set of 47 videos to various songs.

B+

Terri Clark:

The Long Way Home (Capitol/EMI)

This is Terri Clark’s first new studio album in four years. A few of those years found Clark helping out her mother who succumbed to cancer but The Long Way Home doesn’t closely address this issue as much as this is yet another solid Terri Clark album.

There is some energized country rock here with the guitar-driven Gypsy Boots (she name drops Johnny Cash) but the main focus here will most likely be the duet ballads.

First up is the romantic slow song The One You Love sung with Vince Gill while in Canada the main song will most likely be the album closer You Tell Me. On this track Clark shares a mic with Scottish Canadian Johnny Reid who absolutely cleaned up this years Canadian Country Music Awards and his dry Rod Stewart-like rasp is bound to push this song to the top of the country charts.

I also liked Clark’s no nonsense, clear-eyed perspective on the semi topical What Happens In Vegas Follows You Home.

A sturdy return.

B

Larry The Cable Guy: Tailgate Party

(Warner)

After his dreadful and supremely unfunny Xmas CD Christmastime In Larryland a couple of years ago, I can’t say I was overly thrilled at the prospect of listening to this new Larry The Cable Guy (aka Dan Whitney) release.

But this is Larry’s live stand-up routine in front of 50,000 people and LTCG is much funnier in front of an audience than he is in the studio.

There are several good chuckles, a few laughs and some groaners on Tailgate Party where LTCG ruminates on Walmart (the place where the bulk of his CDs sell), pickup trucks, obesity, global warming (it doesn’t exist in Larryland), prostate examinations, male enhancement etc.

Just about the only topic the proudly self professed redneck LTCG doesn’t discuss is actual tailgate parties—go figure?.

C+

Ingrid Michaelson: Everybody

(Cabin 24 Records)

This CD is supposed to be Ingrid Michaelson’s breakthrough album after the moderate success of her debut Girls And Boys a couple of years ago and her minor adult contemporary hit The Way I Am (the single got nearly a million downloads).

In the interim Michaelson has had several songs on Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill while Old Navy used one of her songs for a major advert campaign.

She may look like a young teen in her photo but Michaelson is aged 30 and she has toured extensively with Jason Mraz.

Almost all of her songs are about relationships and affairs of the heart which often come off as a tad too light weight and not necessarily insightful.

On this sophomore album she tries to up the pop quotient with some breezy tunes and some hand clap-along tempos but you might find, like I did, that you were expecting a little more from a would be star making album.

Pleasant but nothing to write home about.

C+

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson: Break Up (Atco/Rhino)

Singer/songwriter Pete Yorn recorded this album with actress Scarlett Johansson over three years ago. The casual home recordings were not intended to be released but friends apparently convinced Yorn to issue this short nine-tune half hour CD which is a mini concept album on the dissolution of a relationship—hence the title Break Up.

This is actually a fairly strong set of mostly forlorn songs but the song I Don’t Know What To Do is a surprisingly upbeat and breezy styled song with a hint of skiffle pop.

Scarlett Johansson has a delightful and earthy voice. It is odd she sounds better here than on her all Tom Waits cover CD of last year titled Anywhere I Lay My Head that bombed like crazy.

C+

bwcmitchell@shaw.cav