“The Soul of Rock and Roll” Roy Orbison
WHY CARE?: Roy Orbison gets the box set treatment in an expansive four-disc collection that includes hit singles, live material and rare demos among its 107 tracks.
TRIVIA: According to the chunk of liner notes written by Bruce Springsteen, when he was recording “Born to Run,” the goal was to sing like Orbison. If you’re saying to yourself, “But ‘Born to Run’ sounds nothing like Orbison,” you are correct. That’s because Springsteen realized no one can sing like Orbison.
HIGH POINTS: There are many, but the 1961 hit “Running Scared” stands out. Orbison uses his theatrical voice to great effect, making you forget there’s no actual chorus. Instrument upon instrument piles up — guitar, piano, then horns — making the short track sound like an epic.
FANS ALSO LIKE: Timeless rock.
ANDY SAYS: This is almost entirely good, albeit in small doses. Otherwise, all those early rockabilly songs and pop ballads run together. That said, the collection, billed as having both Orbison’s first and last recording, should thrill any fan of the deceased singer.
GRADE: A-minus
“A Winter Symphony” Sarah Brightman
WHY CARE?: Sarah Brightman, the Broadway star turned pop star, releases her first Christmas album on Tuesday, six weeks before she plays a Dec. 14 show at Comcast Arena.
TRIVIA: Brightman co-stars with Paris Hilton in the upcoming film version of rock opera “Repo! The Genetic Opera.” The movie was produced by the people who made “Saw.”
HIGH POINT: The zippy “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday,” a hit in England, serves Brightman’s soprano delivery well.
FANS ALSO LIKE: Ornately produced carols.
ANDY SAYS: Do we need another version of “Silent Night” or “Ave Maria?” The answer is no. Thankfully, Brightman trots out just a few classics to remind listeners that this is indeed a Christmas album. Most of the time, she sings less familiar material, such as Neil Diamond’s “I’ve Been This Way Before” and “In the Bleak Midwinter,” which is brighter than the name implies.
GRADE: B
Andy Rathbun, Herald Writer, arathbun@heraldnet.com, 425-339-3455
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