THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

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Colton Ford ( left ) and Ultra Nate. Respective photos by Joe Oppedisano and Karl Giant

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As one of the many singing back-up on Sing, Celine Dion very well may have the greatest voice in pop music. Dion is back with Taking Chances—her first outing in five years, now that she has fulfilled her concert obligations in Las Vegas. On Taking Chances, the Canadian diva does not stray too far from her formula. Here, she makes a solid pop album; doing a cover ( Heart's Alone ) alongside power ballads ( I Got Nothing Left ) sprinkled with a few up-tempo numbers ( Can't Fight the Feeling ) . But the vocal powerhouse also branches out into the turf claimed by younger chanteuses Shakira ( Eyes on Me ) and Carrie Underwood ( Surprise Surprise ) . Just try giving Taking Chances a spin without envisioning Saturday Night Live veteran Ana Gasteyer aping La Celine. As a keepsake of Dion's run in Sin City, she just issued the DVD Live in Las Vegas: A New Day. But Chicago fans will have to wait all the way until Nov. 4 to see her perform at the United Center.

Revisiting the progressive electronic sounds of his eponymous debut, Seal's fifth studio album, System, is produced by Stuart Price, the mastermind behind Madonna's Confessions on the Dancefloor. Not everything here is intended to be accompanied by a strobe light. Seal's mid-tempo duet with wife Heidi Klum, Wedding Day, easily could become the next sappy wedding ceremony staple, like Atlantic Starr's Always. Rolling and Immaculate are also sparse on the beats, allowing that unmistakable voice to take center stage. Even the video for the set's feature single, Amazing, possesses the futuristic traits of Seal's breakthrough clips Crazy and Killer.

The third time's the charm for Ultra Nate. The video for Give It All You Got, the third single from Grime Silk Thunder, finds the Free singer in a post-apocalyptic nightclub intended for Mad Max. Nate already morphed into over-the-top characters in her recent videos. She was Lady Chatterley for the clip to Love Is the Only Drug and then a sadomasochistic nurse in Automatic. Available as a digital single on iTunes, Give It All You Got has been remixed by some of the top names out there, such as Bimbo Jones, Soulcast, Risque and Redtop.

As a teaser to his forthcoming album Tug Of War, Colton Ford is releasing a remake of Alicia Keys' single, No One. The video, directed by Bart Everly, takes a jab at Senator Craig's now-infamous bathroom scene as Ford belts out No One a cappella. Produced by Matthias Heilbronn ( Chaka Khan, Angie Stone, Ledisi ) , Ford's cover and its remixes are available now on iTunes. The former adult film star scored a dance hit with Pepper MaShay redoing Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

Windy City siren Susan Werner is scheduled to take to the stage at Schuba's, 3159 N. Southport, on Sat.-Sun., Jan. 5-6. Ever the folk artist, Werner's knack for songwriting is in top form on the thought-provoking album The Gospel Truth. Here, she recounts childhood memories ( Sunday Mornings ) , ponders spiritual woes ( Heaven So Small, Our Father ) and modernizes the golden rule ( Help Somebody, I Will Have My Portion ) . She even treads more into the gospel sound on Forgiveness. This ever-evolving folk-jazz-soul musician tours regularly, with a live show that is not to be missed.

Two of my all-time favorite compilations are Pride 1998 and Winter Party 1998, both mixed by Julian Marsh. His feel-good dance music has been missed since his self-imposed retirement. With some persuasion, Marsh has returned with the warmth from the Sunshine State on T*Dance. Out now on Red Wallet Records, T*Dance is loaded with Marsh's signature sound and feel-good vibe. After listening to this mix—which is highlighted by the latin-flavored opening track Come Along by Kim Kuzma, My Life Again by Lauren Hildebrandt and Forever by Alyson—maybe Marsh should push back his retirement even further.

Every year I seem to be disappointed by the Grammys. Leave it to the new seven-disc series, Ultimate Grammy Collection, to restore my faith in the industry's prestigious award show. The contemporary R&B disc comprises gems from the last two decades, including Sade's seductive No Ordinary Love, R. Kelly's remake of I Believe I Can Fly and Soul II Soul's classic Back to Life, featuring Caron Wheeler. The contemporary pop compilation boasts 16 hits, including kd lang's pining Constant Craving, Shawn Colvin's crossover Sunny Came Home and Kelly Clarkson's anthem, Since U Been Gone. These collections deliver, with no tracks to be skipped. Sales proceeds go to the MusiCares Foundation and the Grammy Foundation.