01.01.70

Pop:

MARY J. BLIGE "My Vital spark II: The Journey Continues (Act 1)" (Geffen, 3 stars)

Seventeen years ago, Mary J. Blige let let go with the harrowing "My Life." Filled with raw emotions evoked by an vile relationship and addictions of all kinds - to say nothing of her personal and professional move from pavement to penthouse - "My Lifestyle" set a high bar for all rap/R&B belters. Even Blige couldn't often coordinate "My Life's" nervously fatalistic yet hopeful soul.

Blige's autobiography and sound have famously moved past "My Life's" messiest affair. This second volume's first act (more continuation here than the "Final Destination" movie series) is a sequel, a star-stuffed (Drake, Nas, Beyonce) slice of smarmy soul, rapid-fire hip-hop, and sappy but solid ballads. Of order, it contains MJB's patented brand of angst anthem on "The Living Data," in which Blige starts out beaten down, only to rise like a self-affirming Technicolor phoenix. There are Chance & Huff and Wu Tang Clan samples to croon atop, covers to be tackled (Rufus/Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody"), and battles to be won over her costars. Tracks such as "Empty Prayers" and "25/8" show Blige at her mamma-beating best, giving the agonies of 1994 a genuine run for their money.

Source: Sacramento Bee

01.01.70

'Tis the metre of year when the marketplace is overrun with seasonal children's books. There are so many choices for stocking stuffers that it's intensely to know where to begin. One strategy is to close your eyes and appropriate.

But what about holiday-themed books for adults? They're on bookshelves and online too, as this sampling makes perfect. Just don't close your eyes.

"Jacob T. Marley" by William Bennett (Shield Mountain, $17.99, 192 pages): In Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" (1843), the regretful ghost of Jacob T. Marley – Ebenezer Scrooge's delayed business partner – shows up with warnings, then disappears. Here, the alibi is reimagined from Marley's point of view.

"A Christmas Dinner" by Charles Dickens, with a forward by Peter Ackroyd, recipes by Alice Ross and illustrations by Sharon Stein (Red Jar, $24.95, 88 pages): Dickens wrote this more cheerful celebration tale eight years before he invented Scrooge. It includes feasting, which is where Ross comes in, tweaking stock 19th century dishes to make them accessible today. A intrinsic treat.

Source: Sacramento Bee

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by dinowhaur

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