The Bee Gees helped define the disco era with gems like Stayin' Alive, You Should Be Dancing and Tragedy. The legacy of the Brothers Gibb lives on with the newly revamped retrospective, simply titled Greatest. Unlike the Bee Gees's Number Ones collection, this newly updated double-disc compilation focuses on the trio's heyday in the late '70s. Also added are four new remixes of their Studio 54-era mega-hits plus the previously unavailable Warm Ride. During Barry Gibb's appearance on American Idol last season, he made it apparent that The Bee Gees's influence on the music world is impossible to capture on a mere two-disc set. Sure, To Love Somebody and How Can You Mend A Broken Heart are clearly missing, but Greatest has all of the symptoms of a 'Saturday Night Fever.'
_________________
Pictured: Stevie Nicks, Evelyn Champagne King Blue, Angie Stone, Naommon
_________________
It was no surprise Thelma Houston won first place on the TV show Hit Me Baby, One More Time with her flawless take on Alicia Keys' Fallin'. Houston returns with her first album of new material in over 17 years with A Woman's Touch, a collection of covers made famous by men. ( Remember, her disco classic Don't Leave Me This Way was originally done by Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes. ) Houston takes a breather from the dance floor with a soulful version of Marvin Gaye's Distant Lover, but she picks up the pace with a medley of Sylvester's Dance ( Disco Heat ) and You Make Me Feel Mighty Real. Her reworking of Sting's Brand New Day ends up more like her 'brand new version,' whole-heartedly claiming it as her own. Two of Houston's other best moments here are the blues-hued Ain't That Peculiar and the closing track Please Send Me Someone To Love.
Also returning with an overdue new album is Evelyn 'Champagne' King. Accompanied by her husband/guitarist Freddie Fox, King's Open Book marries her history with dance music and R&B. When she reigned with her staples Shame, Love Come Down and I'm In Love, King already had a voice mature beyond its years. It may seem like King has been out of the limelight, but she has constantly been performing and collaborating with other artists. Hearing her now show off her vocal muscle on her latest reveals no signs of slacking. Highlighted by the downtempo title track as well as Skillz, Creeps and The Dance, King's return is certainly worth the wait. Open Book is scheduled to hit shelves this January via RNB Entertainment Group.
When it comes to soul divas who can turn up the funk, 'ain't nobody' can compare to Chaka Khan. Her musical legacy spans four decades and her catalog has been tapped by many, including Bette Midler, Whitney Houston, Richard X, Stardust, Diana King, Jaki Graham and Faithless. Now the Chicago-raised Khan is covering others' works, but she is adding her signature piercing wail on Funk This. Jimi Hendrix, Prince and Joni Mitchell are not safe from the wrath of Khan. If you don't think Khan can handle tackling somebody else's tunes, then 'I feel for you.' On The Waiting To Exhale soundtrack the icon raises the bar with her take of My Funny Valentine and completely transforms Never Miss The Water with Me'Shell NedgeOcello from Khan's hits collection. Produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Funk This is out now and features duets with Mary J. Blige on Disrespectful and Michael McDonald on Carly Simon's You Belong To Me.
The Classic Disco installment of UME Number Ones series can make the disco ball turn on its own. Containing mainstream and forgotten classics, this set serves as a well-intended time capsule. Sure, the crossover hits like Flashdance…What A Feeling, Y.M.C.A. and Funkytown draw the listener in, but it is hearing disco treasures such as Meco's Star Wars Theme and Stephanie Mills' Medicine Song that keeps the party going.
One of my favorite records from the '70s is Heart's Dreamboat Annie. Ann Wilson's delivery on Crazy On You acts as an endearing battle cry. The Wilson sisters recently recorded the whole Dreamboat Annie album live and added covers by bands like The Who ( Love Reign O'er Me ) , Led Zeppelin ( Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop ) and Pink Floyd ( Goodbye Blue Sky ) , saluting those who made the sisters want to become rockstars. This live DVD and CD serve as the first chapter of the Classic Albums Live series and both are due out Oct. 23 via Shout Factory. Heart's frontwoman just released the solo outing Hope & Glory. Not to worry, her sister Nancy appears on three of the numbers.
She may have been the butt of sophomoric humor on South Park, but Stevie Nicks is getting the last laugh. Her standard, Stand Back, has been remixed by Tracy Young, Ralphi Rosario and Morgan Page, and it turned out to be a massive dance anthem for her this summer. Following suit, remixes to Edge of Seventeen have been commissioned by Young and Peter Rauhofer. This year, the Fleetwood Mac singer also issued another hits package, Crystal Visions: the Very Best of Stevie Nicks. After a successful summer tour with Chris Isaak, Nicks is scheduled to perform at The Rosemont Theatre on Fri., Oct. 19.
The Rainbow Connection
Looking to add all of the colors of the rainbow to your play list? Here are 10 LGBT artists you should know:
The Cliks—This Canadian rock band makes no apologies and deservingly got the party started as the opening act to this summer's True Colors Tour.
Dirty Sanchez, featuring Jackie Beat—This trio from Los Angeles adds humor to its body of work, which includes covers of Prince's U Got The Look and Soft Cell's Sex Dwarf.
Girl In A Coma—Signed to Joan Jett's record label, this trio is breaking out with its cut Road To Home.
Brian Kent—Stepping out with his debut, Breathe Life, Kent seamlessly makes the transition from figure skating to music making.
Joshua Klipp—Full of energy and life, this multi-talented artist from San Francisco is well onto Justin Timberlake's game and then some.
Ivri Lider—Having already become a sensation overseas, this Israeli singer-songwriter is making waves stateside with his electronic ode to a boy titled Jesse.
Naommon —Combining the best of the Euro sound and New York underground, Naommon is making an impression with his debut, Allnighter.
Kirsten Price—The soulful Price made a steamy video for Magic Tree featuring clips from the L Word. Now, she can be heard covering Sir Duke on Lee Jeans commercials.
Dylan Rice—Ever wonder what the Smiths would have sounded like if they had an out front man? This Chicagoan is the answer.
Swati—Soft yet harsh, Swati's debut outing, Small Gods, descended to rave reviews this spring.
The Hits Keep Comin'
While Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears will have unavoidable media onslaughts to promote their forthcoming new albums in the next few months, Pop Making Sense wanted to alert you of 10 worthwhile titles that are due out shortly or that have already been released. As always, details are subject to change.
Gabrielle—Always ( Oct. 1 )
Reba McIntyre—Duets ( Sept. 18 )
Joni Mitchell—Shine ( Sept. 25 )
Alyson Moyet—The Turn ( Oct. 22 )
Olivia Newton-John—Christmas Wish ( Nov. 1 )
Pet Shop Boys—Disco 4 ( Oct. 15 )
LeAnn Rimes—Family ( Oct. 9 )
Jill Scott—The Real Thing ( Sept. 25 )
Seal—System ( Oct. 30 )
Angie Stone ( above ) —The Art of Love & War ( Oct. 16 )
