The Nashville Sessions

The Nashville Sessions (770867)
Those who don't pay attention to the jam band underground may be excused for wondering why such luminaries as Del and Ronnie McCoury, Taj Mahal, B? la Fleck, Sam Bush, Jo-El Sonnier, Jerry Douglas, Lucinda Williams, and Waylon Jennings appear on an album by Leftover Salmon, but those in the know will be aware of the Colorado act's burgeoning reputation. Throughout the '90s, the group quietly built up a following with a series of solid records and constant touring. By the end of the decade, they had become a popular cult band and were on a major label, which gave them the opportunity to record the star-studded Nashville Sessions. Every song on the album features a duet of some sort, and producer Randy Scruggs was able to secure the big names, which certainly gives the album character. Still, the set wouldn't be much more than glorified stunt casting if it didn't give Leftover Salmon an opportunity to flex their muscles, to illustrate how far they've come over the years. Not only are they working with strong material (something that hasn't always happened on their previous albums), but Scruggs keeps things clean and simple, putting the spotlight on the music itself. Throughout it all, Leftover Salmon successfully keep pace with their heavyweight guests and, in the process, they turn in the most charming album of their career to date. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

James Dean: The First American Teenager

James Dean: The First American Teenager (71785287)
In this documentary, narrated by Stacy Keach, the tragic screen-icon James Dean is remembered. Footage from early television appearances, stills from his life, and clips from his three Warner Brothers films are interwoven with interviews with his co-workers. The soundtrack includes music from Elton John, David Bowie, and the Eagles. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Girls Gone Wild: Hottest Texas Coeds [Blu-ray]

Girls Gone Wild: Hottest Texas [Blu-ray] (69304459)
This installment in the Girls Gone Wild franchise features several female attendees of various Texas area universities and technical colleges, performing nude and semi-nude antics at a number of parties and bar events. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi

It's Bad for You But Buy It

It's Bad for You But Buy It (2834303)
The Ace of Cups never released a record, but this 73-minute CD was compiled from late-'60s "rehearsals, demos, TV soundstages, and in-concert tapes," according to the liner notes. (Unfortunately no dates are given for any of the tracks, except the 1966 Denise & Company single "Boy, What'll You Do Then," a garage rock rarity with future Ace of Cups member Denise Kaufman on lead vocals.) It might not be fair to judge a band on recordings that were not originally intended for wide circulation, and did not benefit from truly professional studio production (though the fidelity's fine). However, simply to judge the music that's here, it's frankly pretty erratic, and not a convincing argument that they might have developed into a first-rate band had they gotten a real record deal. Rawness is not always a bad thing, but at its most raw -- particularly on the bluesy garage rockers -- the group often teeter on the line of sloppy amateurism. There's some promise here in some of the unusual song construction -- "Glue" detours into a commercial satirizing consumerism mid-song, and other tunes unpredictably change tempo and stretch out into long instrumental sections -- and in some of the eerie harmonies and melodies, particularly on the fragile tunes like "Music," "Simplicity," and "Taste of One." There's also some plain-speaking toughness reflective of a middle-class generation starting to truly express what was on their mind in popular music, somewhat reminiscent of the most straightforward blues-rockers by a San Francisco band that slightly preceded them, the Great Society. There's also a cool if not quite totally polished rock vocal cover of Mongo Santamaria's jazz classic "Afro Blue," and some interesting gospel-rock fusion of sorts in the most mature-sounding compositions; it's easy to imagine that the group might have headed in that direction had they started to record around 1970. But much of this is interesting, with off-kilter ideas in search of some h...

Beethoven: Septet in E flat, Op. 20; Serenade in D, Op. 25

Beethoven: Septet in E flat, Op. 20; Serenade in D, Op. 25 (88442333)
Though the music on this disc may not fit the stereotypical vision of Ludwig van Beethoven as a heaven-storming Prometheus, it may be all the more appropriate for casual listeners exactly because of that. Played with supple virtuosity and evident delight by the English chamber group Ensemble 360, the German master's Septet for winds and strings and Serenade for violin, viola, and flute have rarely been performed with such charm and style. Nothing here is especially deep; even the septet's Adagio cantabile and the serenade's Andante con Variazioni, as lyrically effusive as they are, do not touch the profundities of the composer's piano sonatas and string quartets of the same period. But with Ensemble 360's effortless technique and sympathetic interplay, the pieces emerge as beguiling as any of Mozart's lighter work, though with the rougher accent and more robust sense of humor for which Beethoven was known. Captured in clean but evocative sound, this disc will likely please longtime fans of the composer, as well as listeners who only know his greatest hits but are looking for something more. ~ James Leonard, Rovi

Dixie Dregs: Live at Montreux 1978

Dixie Dregs: Live at Montreux 1978 (8860750)
This program contains two live variety show performances by jazz fusion band Dixie Dregs. Both on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert and Dick Clark's American Bandstand, the band plays to enthusiastic audiences. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi

Beat Route: Around the World With Jools Holland

Beat Route: Around the World With Jools Holland (7981171)
Follow host Jools Holland as he embarks on a whirlwind tour of major cities all across the globe to put a finger on the pulse of contemporary culture while showing viewers just what life is like in such places as Dublin, Chicago, Budapest, Havana, Beirut, and Seville. Additional interviews with such internationally-known figures as Van Morrison, Ruben Gonz? lez, and The Chieftains offer an artistic perspective on day to day life in these world class locales as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi