CD REVIEWS
Fleetwood Mac proves timeless; Vines, inconsistent

Knight Ridder News Service

"Winning Days" by The Vines; Capitol

One signal (among many) that the Vines are trying awfully hard to be the next important rock 'n' roll band: "TV Pro," from the Australian quartet's intermittently pleasant sophomore effort, "Winning Days."

The tune begins in a spacey mood, and just when singer and principal songwriter Craig Nichols settles into his reflective voice, a gear shift jolts you. Serenity is replaced by fireworks-and-tambourines rock. Back and forth it goes, and though "TV Pro" strives for the heaving dynamic switchbacks (and disconsolate observations of pop culture) that Nirvana made famous, it's a calculated bit of choreography. The decent songwriting fragments are diluted to meaninglessness when combined.

"Winning Days," which follows the Vines' 2002 platinum debut, "Highly Evolved," has its share of missteps. The gorgeously harmonized "Autumn Shade II," which might be the album's shining example of hookcraft, is followed by another song in the same sludgy tempo. The dizzy opener, "Ride," and the closing hard-rock taunt "FTW" promise loud thrills, but the overwrought refrains grow tiresome before the songs peak.

But glimmers of promise lurk: "She's Got Something to Say" is a crafty update of early Beatles blues. "Animal Machine" juxtaposes doo-wop vocal traits against a menacing guitar attack. And the graceful theme of "Amnesia" suggests that though Nichols and his cohorts are determined to cultivate the rock mystique, they'd be better off concentrating on the music.

"Fleetwood Mac" (expanded and remastered; Reprise); "Rumours" (deluxe edition; Warner Bros.); "Tusk" (deluxe edition; Warner Bros.); all by Fleetwood Mac

Three landmark albums by Fleetwood Mac — from left, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (and Christine McVie, not pictured) — have been re-released. Neal Preston • Gannett News Service

Try one of the most overlooked masterpieces in the history of rock.

The highlight of this trio of classic Mac reissues, "Tusk" was Buckingham's baby (the demos comprising disc two of this deluxe edition provide proof) — one that took 13 months and $1.4 million to deliver.

Buckingham's obsession about avoiding a "Rumours II" cash grab resonated in skittering, crudely recorded new-wave and rockabilly rave-ups ("Not That Funny") and Brian Wilson-style melancholia ("Save Me a Place"). And though Christine McVie's velveteen "Over & Over" and Nicks' "Sara" lack the convention-trashing cachet of Buckingham's songs, they're golden contributions to a timeless album that deserves a re-evaluation.

"Finally Woken" by Jem; ATO

Until recently, there was an open slot on the pop spectrum, somewhere between Dido and Liz Phair, for a female singer-songwriter with sharp hook instincts, an ear for looped rhythm programming, and a slightly optimistic outlook.

With the engrossing, low-key "Finally Woken," emerging British talent Jem pretty much fills that vacancy.

The best tracks are cool collages that work on several levels. The opener, "They," starts with an almost comical '50s easy-listening chorale, and when Jem wanders through, pondering questions about "who makes the rules," the contrast is jarring and effective.

The basic message of the title track echoes the buoyant horizons of the Studio One '60s — "today is the first day of the rest of your life" repeats several times — but the musical embellishments include lugubrious bass clarinet and a snapping beat borrowed from acid jazz.

Jem doesn't live on Melancholy Lane all the time. She's got a breezy way of singing that works whether she's dissecting heartbreak or advocating, on the pop gem "Just a Ride," lightening up as a life strategy.

"Scrape" by Ivan Neville; Compendia

"I'm running out of that funky stuff," Ivan Neville laments at the outset of his new CD. Sure he is. This scintillating set from the son of the Neville Brothers' Aaron Neville — who guests with Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt and other luminaries — is virtually swimming in delicious New Orleans funk.

Neville pays tribute to his hometown, Meters, with the rubbery instrumental title track, and quotes Marvin Gaye and Sly Stone in spots. But his songs mark him as his own man, from the hard-edged, attitude-heavy R&B of "The Ugly Truth" to the sweet-soul balladry of "Lost Ball" and the dance-oriented sleekness of "Dance for Free."

At the heart of the album, Neville does a 180, from "Ode to 5 A.M.," a wrenching portrait of an addict's dark night of the soul, into the uplifting "Life's Been Good" — and sings both with the conviction of someone who's been both places.

"Strong Suspicion" Curtis Salgado; Shanachie

Curtis Salgado has been around a long time — he has sung with Santana and Robert Cray, and supposedly was the inspiration for John Belushi's Blues Brothers character. He's a soul man, all right, and on "Strong Suspicion," this journeyman lifer delivers old-school sounds with the passion of a true believer.

Like Delbert McClinton, Salgado is right at home in the roadhouse, with greasy, high-energy romps, such as the title song and "I Can't Stop Lovin' You," a duet with Bekka Bramlett. But real soul men prove it on the slow stuff, and that's what Salgado does here with his own "Help Me Through the Day" and the Beatles' "I'll Be Back," which he gives a superb, Memphis-soul makeover.