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Wow, it’s finally happened - Paul McCartney, whose last project I really dug was 1997’s Flaming Pie, has been dragged into the 90s. Not a bad trick, considering that this album was released in 2001.

I was pleasantly surprised by Driving Rain, having been bitterly disappointed by the retro-cover-fest that was Run Devil Run. And one of the things that I believe surprised many people about Driving Rain was the fresh frankness of the lyrics, dealing openly with McCartney’s second marriage following his first wife’s death due to cancer. But while the subject matter is a bit different for the former Beatle, his way with a pop song isn’t. Tunes like “Your Way”, “Magic” and “Driving Rain” demonstrate his melodic gift, complete with trademark hooks.

Songs like “Spinning On An Axis” and “She’s Given Up Talking”, however, introduce something new to the equation - a bit of modern groove and a much more modern sound production-wise. These things aren’t unwelcome, and I felt the number of songs given this treatment wasn’t overpowering. You won’t be wondering why Sir Paul suddenly changed his entire sound - because he hasn’t.

“Riding Into Jaipur” is the kind of Indian-flavored tune we might have expected from the late George Harrison, while “Heather” turns out to be another surprise, with a lengthy instrumental jam eventually leading up to a single verse song. “Rinse The Raindrops” is also mostly instrumental, and clocking in at ten or so minutes with its atmosphere of a nice loose jam, it would’ve made a nice album closer. But as most people know by now, it’s not the album closer - that honor goes to the hurriedly-written song “Freedom”, which addresses the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. in what I can most charitably describe as a token manner, with jingoistic, repetetive lyrics that don’t really rise to the challenge of addressing the momentous events that inspired them. Honestly, I would’ve rather he’d ended Driving Rain with “Rinse The Raindrops”, or perhaps moved the “No More Lonely Nights”-esque “Your Loving Flame” down to end the album; “Freedom” is, in itself, hardly a song befitting the occasion, and not as good as the rest of the album.

1. Lonely Road (3:15)
2. From A Lover To A Friend (3:48)
3. She’s Given Up Talking (4:57)
4. Driving Rain (3:26)
5. I Do (2:55)
6. Tiny Bubble (4:20)
7. Magic (3:57)
8. Your Way (2:54)
9. Spinning On An Axis (5:15)
10. About You (2:53)
11. Heather (3:24)
12. Back In The Sunshine Again (4:21)
13. Loving Flame (3:42)
14. Riding Into Jaipur (4:06)
15. Rinse The Raindrops (10:11)
16. Freedom (3:31)

Released by: Capitol
Release date: 2001
Total running time: 66:55

Love her or hate her, Jewel is back. I admit to liking quite a bit - but not all - of Jewel’s past work, but I can also see where there’s a bit of pop culture backlash against her trying-almost-too-hard-to-be-earnest style. And to some degree, wisely, she sheds some - but not all - of that style in her latest album.

“Standing Still”, which also led the album as its first single, starts things off with a burst of raw energy which carries Jewel firmly out of the wanna-be folkster category and into rock ‘n’ roll territory. Some might be a bit dubious about this transition, but she actually carries it off well - her voice is capable of pulling it off respectably.

Other standout tracks include L”ove Me, Just Leave Me Alone”, “Serve The Ego”, and “Everybody Needs Someone Sometime”, all of which feature something of the same rocky feel as “Standing Still” to varying degrees. On other tracks, such as “Break Me”, Jewel retains her signature style, proving for the doubters that perhaps she hasn’t changed as much as you might think.

Overall, there’s actually a pretty good balance of new Jewel and old Jewel, stylistically speaking, and there are even a few live tracks thrown in at the end of the album just to mix things up even more. Still, there’s something missing - the ballads don’t come close to reaching the eloquence of “Amen” or “Deep Water”, and the rockier numbers somehow aren’t on the same plateau as, say, “Down So Long” or “Who Will Save Your Soul”. It’s just possible that Jewel has run out of inspiration and is falling back on old tricks to fill things out. The press material for This Way made a point of telling us that Jewel had been burned out on touring and promotions during the publicity trail for her second album, and retreated from performing for a while to recoup her energies; This Way, while certainly listenable in places, comes across as a bit hollow both musically and lyrically. Maybe Jewel wasn’t quite ready to come back.

1. Standing Still (4:29)
2. Jesus Loves You (4:20)
3. Everybody Needs Someone Sometime (4:08)
4. Break Me (4:03)
5. Do You Want To Play? (2:55)
6. Till We Run Out Of Road (4:45)
7. Serve The Ego (4:57)
8. This Way (4:16)
9. Cleveland (4:09)
10. I Won’t Walk Away (4:46)
11. Love Me, Just Leave Me Alone (3:47)
12. The New Wild West (5:05)
13. Grey Matter (4:40)
14. Sometimes It Be That Way (4:21)

Released by: Atlantic
Release date: 2001
Total running time: 59:41

When some of the tracks on the two volumes of ELO BBC recordings - Live At The BBC and The BBC Sessions - were exactly the same as the final versions that appeared on their albums, I had a few trepidations about picking up yet another BBC Sessions album. As it turns out, The Move: The BBC Sessions features some dandy rarities I’d never heard before, most of them taking the form of cover songs that haven’t appeared on previous collections.

Some not-quite-finished session takes of some classic Move chestnuts are included here, from “Flowers In The Rain” to “Night Of Fear” to “Blackberry Way”, and while they’re not as polished as the final album cuts, it’s interesting to hear a slightly different spin on them.

Some of the covers are real gem, and reveal The Move’s legendary live act - “Stop, Get A Hold Of Myself” and “Morning Dew” are among the highlights of the covers.

If you can find it, The Move: The BBC Sessions is worth tracking down for Move completists and even not-so-completists.

1. You’d Better Believe Me (3:00)
2. Night Of Fear (2:23)
3. Stop, Get A Hold Of Myself (2:35)
4. Kilroy Was Here (2:40)
5. Walk On The Water (3:04)
6. I Can Hear The Grass Grow (3:18)
7. Morning Dew (2:43)
8. Flowers In The Rain (2:20)
9. So You Wanna Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star (2:55)
10. Stephanie Knows Who (2:32)
11. Cherry Blossom Clinic (2:26)
12. Hey Grandma (3:04)
13. Fire Brigade (2:17)
14. Weekend (1:52)
15. It’ll Be Me (2:32)
16. Useless Information (2:46)
17. Kentucky Woman (2:28)
18. Higher And Higher (3:10)
19. Long Black Veil (2:53)
20. Wild Tiger Woman (2:33)
21. Piece Of My Heart (3:03)
22. Blackberry Way (3:08)
23. Going Back (2:50)
24. California Girls (3:08)
25. Christian Life (2:02)

Released by: BBC Music / Strange Fruit
Release date: 1998
Total running time: 67:42

We’ve been awaiting something new from Jason Falkner since his second solo album. But while some diehard fans may have felt Bedtime With The Beatles was a misstep for their favorite practitioner of power pop, it does serve as something that, perhaps, another all-original solo project wouldn’t have done: it’s a testament not only to the enduring power of the Lennon/McCartney catalog, but also to Falkner’s incredible musicianship.

Falkner is known for playing virtually everything on his solo albums himself, and this album is no exception, with the only session musicians manning classical string instruments. The album’s packaging hypes it as a lullaby album, suitable for singing baby to sleep, and indeed it is quite relaxing; the webmaster’s cats dozed off listening to it pretty quickly. But those who stay awake can marvel at the intricate new arrangements. Beatles tunes have long been fodder for instrumentals, but this isn’t elevator music. It may be slowed down, but the sheer beauty revealed in some of the songs is staggering.

The album opens with “Blackbird”, the original version of which I’ll fess up to not particularly liking, and which I have to admit may even be the best track on the entire disc. Some of the others songs are among my personal favorites in the Beatles’ repertoire: “Across The Universe”, “Here, There And Everywhere”, “And I Love Her” and “I’m Only Sleeping”, which in particular has an appropriately dreamy quality.

Lyrics are included for those who literally do want to make a lullaby out of the Beatles classics…and those of us who still have our eyes open at the end of “The Long And Winding Road” sincerely hope that Jason Falkner will find some time in his schedule to do another Bedtime With The Beatles album.

1. Blackbird (3:36)
2. Across The Universe (4:07)
3. And I Love Her (3:07)
4. I’m Only Sleeping (4:11)
5. If I Fell (3:43)
6. The Fool On The Hill (3:46)
7. Mother Nature’s Son (2:51)
8. Michelle (3:14)
9. Here, There And Everywhere (3:53)
10. In My Life (3:25)
11. The Long And Winding Road (3:58)

Released by: Sony Wonder
Release date: 2001
Total running time: 40:09