Kevin McKeough

Vanessa Williams Star Bright (Mercury) (star) (star) 1/2 Various Artists Special Gift (Island) (star) (star) (star) Quad City DJ's Quad-City All-Star Christmas (Quadrasound) (star) (star) (star) The sleek, twinkling arrangements...

Rosemary Clooney White Christmas (Concord Jazz) (star) (star) (star) 1/2 If you want holiday music in the classic Bing Crosby tradition, try "White Christmas." After all, Clooney co-starred with der...

Jimmy Buffett Christmas Island (Margaritaville) (star) (star) Buffett's tropical goofiness fits the title song and Hawaiian sounds of "Mele Kalikimaka," but doesn't translate well on more traditional holiday fare.

Featuring Two Out of Three Tenors and a Soprano, "A Celebration of Natalie Cole, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo A Celebration of Christmas (Elektra) (star) (star) 1/2 Michael Bolton This is...

Rickie Lee Jones: At Orchestra Hall Saturday evening, Rickie Lee Jones banished both her 1979 hit "Chuck E.'s in Love" and the jumpy pop it represented. Instead, Jones and her...

Soundgarden: The most headbanging of the major bands to emerge from Seattle in the early 90s, Soundgarden's success has rested on its ability to rework familiar Led Zepplin and Black...

The Roots illadelph halflife(DGC) (star) (star) (star) What distinguishes this six-man Philadelphia rap crew isn't just that they create their beats with live instruments but how well they do it....

Abandoning the extravagant stage shows of past tours, ZZ Top's Aragon set emphasized what the band does best: Godzilla blues-rock spiked with sly humor. From new songs (the spidery "Vincent...

Chainsaw Kittens Chainsaw Kittens (Scratchie/Mercury) (star) (star) (star) Like fellow Norman, Okla., residents Flaming Lips, Chainsaw Kittens concoct an dense, idiosyncratic musical universe, mixing a walloping glam-punk guitar attack with...

Frosted Cold (DGC) (star) (star) (star) A member of all-women pop stars the Go-Gos in the early '80s, Jane Wiedlin puts her experience in life and California's original punk scene...