Annie Lennox : Releases >>
Information provided by Amazon.com
Possibilities >>
Possibilities, by jazz piano/keyboard legend Herbie Hancock, with songs by Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Leon Russell, is a multigenerational masterpiece. Rock's "it boy" John Mayer leads off the CD with the spare, bouncy opener, "Stitched Up." Brit-born soul girl Joss Stone and bluesman Jonny Lang get down on the gutbucket "When Love Comes to Town." Christina Aguilera's excellent vocals illuminate "A Song for You." Not to be outdone, Annie Lennox delivers an operatic take on Holly Cole's "Hush, Hush, Hush," while Sting's "Sister Moon" swings with stealthy syncopations. Santana and the Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo provide the world flavor on "Safiotou," and the dreamy "Gelo No Montana," with ex-Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, is the lone instrumental. Hancock's tight solos and intelligent orchestral synths radiate all of the tracks. Like Frank Sinatra's Duets and Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company, Possibilities introduces Hancock to a new and awestruck generation. --Eugene Holley, Jr.
Recommended Herbie Hancock Discography
 Maiden Voyage (RVG Edition) |  Headhunters |  Speak Like a Child (RVG Edition) |
Songs of Mass Destruction >>
Menacing as they sound, the songs of mass destruction gathered on Annie Lennox's fifth solo disc don't manage to so much as nick the gorgeous instrument she's built her career on. Weaving artfully as ever around the contours of songs that suggest the worst--Lennox is world-wise and therefore maybe inevitably world-weary--she imparts gravity and grace in a voice as cloudless and surface-smooth as just-brewed mint tea; from the tentative beginnings of the mournful "Dark Road" to the gospel-bottomed gorgeousness of "Ghosts in My Machine," she's in full command of her considerable vocal powers. And it's possible she's never used them to such moving effect on a single record. Earlier Lennox or Eurythmics albums might have succumbed here and there to slight-seeming experiments in style, but Songs of Mass Destruction doesn't dilly-dally. All swerves, even playful ones (see "Love Is Blind" and "Coloured Bedspread," a synth-y song that wouldn't seem so out of place on a recent Madonna record), are on-message: "Womankind" busts wide open not only because it needs to (a voice this big can't be contained, it reminds us), but to demo empowerment, and the hopeful "Sing" signs off with a seconds-long African guest vocal. There's an upside to the destruction of cultural wellness that led Lennox to write this record, and it's artistic creation. Songs of Mass Destruction is a sterling, rock-solid, expert example. --Tammy La Gorce
Diva >>
Although traces of her synthpop roots certainly showed through, Annie Lennox's solo debut, Diva, made it abundantly clear that her new material would veer away from gender-bending robotics of the early Eurythmics sound and continue toward the more emotionally grounded soul of later releases. On Diva, Lennox infuses each song with tenderly perceptive lyrics, hypnotic rhythms, and irresistibly soulful wailings. Her arrangements are clean and simple, utilizing bare instrumentation and sometimes-languid chord work. The singles "Walking on Broken Glass," "Little Bird," and "Why" became radio mainstays, while gems such as the Eastern-influenced dream ballad "Primitive," the hauntingly autobiographical pop-lament "Legend in My Living Room," and the cheerfully satirical "Keep Young and Beautiful" gave the album a plump maturity. --Sally Weinbach
Medusa >>
Post-Beatles, the virtues of deft song interpretation have been consistently devalued in favor of self-contained composer-performers, seldom more so than in the initial response to this sequel to Annie Lennox's triumphant solo debut, Diva. That album's gripping originals deserve acclaim, but the lush Scottish alto remains one of the most riveting pop singers of the past two decades, and this smartly chosen, meticulously arranged collection of cover versions boasts its own abundant charms in her selection of obscure gems and bona fide classics from Al Green, Procol Harum, Neil Young, the Clash, the Temptations, Paul Simon, Bob Marley, and the Blue Nile. The songs are the rightful stars here, and Lennox brings passion and nuance to a set that plays beautifully. From the cinematic heartbreak of "No More I Love Yous" to the faithful recreation of the Blue Nile's "Downtown Lights," this is ravishing pop. --Sam Sutherland
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King >>
This final chapter of Peter Jackson's sprawling adaptation of Tolkien's "Ring" trilogy closes out one of the most accomplished cycles in cinema--and film music--history. As he's done for the saga's first two installments, composer Howard Shore has honed a mature, brooding orchestral masterpiece that's long on subtle shadings of mood and nuance, while eschewing the hollow bombast that's characterized all too many mainstream action and adventure films for three decades. If anything, he's pared this chapter of his music for Middle Earth even closer to the bone, the trilogy's familiar themes repeated with a sparing hand that only heightens their dramatic power. Like Herrmann before him, Shore has a preternatural understanding of orchestral timbres and their almost mystical connections with human emotions, and he's used it here to close out this remarkable trilogy with Wagnerian dramatic sweep, yet one with a distinctly modern, understated melodic sense that is Shore's alone. James Galway and Renee Fleming make key instrumental and vocal contributions, respectively, while Annie Lennox's soulful "Into the West" makes the expected, if unobtrusive, bow to the theatrical pop song conventions. --Jerry McCulley
Bare >>
Annie Lennox's first album of original songs in 11 years on is a stylish tour de force that showcases the former Eurythmics chanteuse in all her chilly, shimmering splendor. Her formidable voice is still a supple and intriguing instrument, lithely shape-shifting between emotions, personas, and musical forms. Lennox moves effortlessly from the sparse and pristine lament of "A Thousand Beautiful Things" to the deceptively simple "Pavement Cracks," a solemn ballad that is transformed by electro dance beats that recall some of the best of the Eurythmics. But Lennox's quixotic voice is best utilized as an old-school soul instrument; she makes a metaphoric journey to Motown on "Hurting Time," a reflective ballad could have been lifted off a Miracles album. "Honesty," shows the Scottish diva at her well-mannered best, occupying the same sophisticated space formerly held by Carly Simon. --Jaan Uhelszki
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason >>
While it's cast largely in the same musical mold as its winning predecessor, there's a more palpable sense of romantic melancholy wafting through this soundtrack to the further misadventures of Rene Zelwegger's lovably hapless, love-triangulated Bridget. Though still aimed at adult contemporary tastes, it's also imbued with a healthier dose anglocentric cool via tracks like Jamelia's torchy "Stop," Will Young's elegant take on Sade's "Your Love is King," teenaged Alfie contributor Joss Stone's soulful "Super Duper Love" and the ubiquitous Kylie Minogue's teasing "Can't Get You Out of My Head." Mary J. Blige offers up a stark, melodramatic cover of Elton John's "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" while Rufus Wainwright (with Dido) turns Anna McCarrigle's (Wainwright's mother) "I Eat Dinner" into an emotive centerpiece. There are the expected 70's chestnuts (10cc's "I'm Not in Love," "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon, Minnie Ripperton's "Lovin You") and the obligatory superstar remake (Sting and Annie Lennox muscling up his "We'll Be Together"), but a few surprises as well, including the deliciously over-the-top, nouveau glam-rock left turn by The Darkness, "I Believe In A Thing Called Love." --Jerry McCulley
Music from the Lord of the Rings: The Trilogy >>
Three disc set featuring music from The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy including 'Fellowship Of The Ring', 'Two Towers', & 'Return Of The King', all performed by Mask. 38 tracks packaged in a three-panel digipak. World Of Music. 2004.
Sing >>
2008 CD pressing of this single pulled from Annie's fourth solo album Songs Of Mass Destruction. Lennox invited 23 of the world's most acclaimed female superstar voices to record with her on a song she had written, called 'SING', in order to help to draw attention to the HIV AIDS pandemic, most especially focusing on the country of South Africa, where women and children are most badly affected. The list of artists who appear on 'Sing' include Madonna, Celine Dion, P!nk, Shakira, KT Tunstall, Dido, Faith Hill, Fergie, Sugababes, Beth Orton, Bonnie Raitt, Martha Wainwright, Joss Stone, Anastacia, Melissa Etheridge, Angelique Kidjo, Beverley Knight, K.D Lang, Shingai Shoniwa, Gladys Knight, Isobel Campbell, Sarah McLachlan. Features two versions: 'Glen Ballard Remix and Nitin Sawhney Remix. RCA.
Pavarotti & Friends: For Cambodia and Tibet >>
With the seventh installment of Pavarotti & Friends: For Cambodia and Tibet, the beloved tenor assembles yet another all-star cast of musicians in hopes of helping the children of Cambodia and Tibet. The music of the pop stars--which ranges from the modern rock of the veteran Eurythmics to the dance-pop of Aqua--really steals the show here, with Pavarotti lending his impeccable vocal support. Tracy Chapman performs "Baby Can I Hold You" as a duet with Pavarotti, and Eurythmics team up with him on "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)." Of course, the tenor's fans will be begging to hear the opera great in his element, and it's no surprise that he shines on Bizet's "Agnus Dei," with international pop star Mónica Naranjo joining in; Eduardo Di Capua's "O Sole Mio," with Savage Garden; or even Luigi Denza's "Funiculi, Funicula," with Aqua and a children's chorus. As globetrotting benefit tributes go, this is a mixed bag, but there's probably something here for everyone. --Jason Verlinde