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The album's liner notes suggest that "The Cookbook" is laid out to resemble a full-course meal, from the starters and sides of the tracks "Joy" and "Partytime" that begin the CD, to the liquid refreshers of "My Man," "Teary Eyed" and "Bad Man" that end the record, [MISSY ELLIOTT] serves as your musical Emeril, hitting just about every note with her own signature version of "Bam!"
Other guests on "The Cookbook" include Mary J. Blige, Grand Puba, Ciara, Fat Man Scoop, Mike Jones, and even "American Idol Season 3" winner, Fantasia. Despite the illustrious guest list at this musical smorgasbord though, it is still Elliott who comes out on top.
"I Want You Back," "ABC" and Jackson's cover of "Rockin' Robin" are all here, although a few early gems (what happened to "Dancing Machine"?) are noticeably absent.From there, the collection moves on to Jackson's solo material. Disc one ends with the better songs from the blockbuster album "Thriller." Included within that first CD are Jackson classics such as "Enjoy Yourself," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Rock With You," "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'."
MISSY ELLIOTT - "THE COOKBOOK" - (GOLDMIND/ATLANTIC)
On her latest effort, "The Cookbook," Missy Elliott continues to up the ante in terms of production and sheer entertainment value. Her previous experience as a record producer means that she is just as comfortable at a mixing board as she is in front of a microphone.
The album's liner notes suggest that "The Cookbook" is laid out to resemble a full-course meal, from the starters and sides of the tracks "Joy" and "Partytime" that begin the CD, to the liquid refreshers of "My Man," "Teary Eyed" and "Bad Man" that end the record, Elliott serves as your musical Emeril, hitting just about every note with her own signature version of "Bam!"
Standout tracks include "Irresistible Delicious" (which benefits from the always smooth rhymes of veteran rapper Slick Rick), the decidedly adult-oriented "Meltdown" (there is a warning sticker on the CD's cover), and "We Run This," which features a sample from the Sugarhill Gang's "Apache" that eventually gives way to what sounds like a college marching band.
Other guests on "The Cookbook" include Mary J. Blige, Grand Puba, Ciara, Fat Man Scoop, Mike Jones, and even "American Idol Season 3" winner, Fantasia. Despite the illustrious guest list at this musical smorgasbord though, it is still Elliott who comes out on top.
Sure, she could have chosen to remain just a really stellar record producer, but the music world today would be a lot less fun if she had. (A)
DOWNLOAD THESE: "Lose Control," "Irresistible Delicious," "We Run This"
VARIOUS ARTISTS -- "MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE THE DUKES OF HAZZARD" -- (COLUMBIA/SONY MUSIC SOUNDTRAX)
"What do you call a farmer who has a sheep under each arm?"
That's the riddle posed by the character of Uncle Jesse at the beginning of the soundtrack for the film version of the popular '80s television show "The Dukes of Hazzard."
I'll leave it to you to either see the film or pick up the CD soundtrack to find out the answer to that down-home brainteaser.
Yes, you read right -- "them Duke Boys" have made the jump from the '80s nostalgia books to the silver screen.
Obviously this isn't a film that is supposed to be taken very seriously, and as a result one would expect a collection of music to match that mood.
Surprisingly, this soundtrack turns out to be a fairly entertaining compilation of classic Southern rock tracks from the last three decades or so. If the Allman Brothers Band ("One Way Out"), Stevie Ray Vaughan ("Pride and Joy"), Molly Hatchet ("Flirtin' with Disaster") and Lynyrd Skynyrd ("Call Me the Breeze") are your idea of a good time, then this CD contains more of that sort of music than one of those $3.99, truck-stop-bootleg cassettes.
New material includes Jessica Simpson (who plays Daisy Duke in the film) vamping her way through a cover of the Nancy Sinatra novelty "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," as well as Willie Nelson (who plays Uncle Jesse) taking a swing at the show's theme, which was written and originally sung by Waylon Jennings.
Other more recent, yet compatible acts include Blues Explosion ("Burn It Off") and what is probably the best choice of the whole compilation, Southern Culture on the Skids' "Soul City."
I usually shy away from film soundtracks that bare simply a bunch of songs that may or may not go with the film's plot. In this case however, I have to admit that the album's producers got it mostly right.
So if rock from below the Mason-Dixon line is your thing, you'll actually enjoy this one.
You'll also get to hear the answer to Uncle Jesse's other joke, "What you'll get when you cross a donkey with an onion?" (B+)
DOWNLOAD THESE: "Hillbilly Shoes" (Montgomery Gentry), "Soul City" (Southern Culture on the Skids), "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" (Jessica Simpson)
MICHAEL JACKSON - "THE ESSENTIAL MICHAEL JACKSON" - (EPIC/ LEGACY)
Just in time to coincide with (or perhaps cash in on) his recent acquittal comes Michael Jackson's two-CD hits set, "The Essential Michael Jackson."
While there have been other collections of Jackson's music released in recent years, this anthology is worth picking up for the simple fact that it combines material from MJ's early days with the Jackson 5 and his later solo efforts.
"I Want You Back," "ABC" and Jackson's cover of "Rockin' Robin" are all here, although a few early gems (what happened to "Dancing Machine"?) are noticeably absent.From there, the collection moves on to Jackson's solo material. Disc one ends with the better songs from the blockbuster album "Thriller." Included within that first CD are Jackson classics such as "Enjoy Yourself," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Rock With You," "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'."
While disc two is considerably weaker as a whole (it begins with the songs from "Bad"), it does have some tunes worth saving. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Smooth Criminal," "Black or White" and "Will You Be There" are examples of this.
Basically, if you already own a Jackson 5 anthology and a decent collection of Jackson's solo work, then you are already good to go. For the budget-minded fan of Michael Jackson's career as a whole, this set will probably be adequate, as long as one doesn't mind a few glaring omissions. (B)
DOWNLOAD THESE: "I Want You Back," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Smooth Criminal"
Credit: Special to The Post and Courier
Copyright The Post and Courier Jul 28, 2005