Henderson still packs power; McBride returns to form

Somehow, Joe Henderson s 1969 LP Power to the People, one of the tenor saxophonist s greatest masterpieces, has previously eluded reissue on CD, except for appearing in a pricey eight-disc Henderson box more than a decade ago.
It s tempting to see the neglect as a reflection of the general indifference that Henderson, forged in the crucible of Detroit s late- 50s jazz scene, faced for much of his career. Though he became an unlikely star in the decade before his death in 1991 at age 64, the public and a depressing number of critics slept on his innovations for decades.

But musicians always knew the truth, and Power to the People has always resonated strongly with them.
It offers a potent distillation of Henderson s abstract rhythmic and harmonic language, and paced by the loose, splashily interactive rhythm section of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette, the music remains a model for edgy exploration rooted in tradition: the disciplined balance of freedom and form.
The album also finds Henderson and jazz itself turning a corner.

Recorded at the dawn of the fusion era, the two signature tracks, Power to the People and Afro-Centric (both by Henderson), are open and aggressive jazz-rock structures with jittery grooves, electric bass and piano and a zeitgeist vibe. Miles Davis recorded Bitches Brew about 12 weeks later. Henderson channels his famously slippery rhythmic language and phrases pop out of his horn like silly string into the stream-of-consciousness flights, full of suspended time and flickering broadsides, that would define his mature style.

(Trumpeter Mike Lawrence, a talented but obscure figure who died young, is a fine foil on both numbers.)
Waking Up Laughing marks a welcome return to form for Martina McBride who, since her 1992 debut, has too often drowned her wonderful contralto in sentimental sap. That s not to say McBride has altered her approach too much: Waking Up Laughing still has songs of family and struggle that resonate on country radio and American Idol.

The big, optimistic ballad Anyway, for instance, should cross over in a big way when McBride sings it as American Idol s guest coach on country night this Tuesday. (An early McBride hit, Independence Day, helped Carrie Underwood win Idol s fourth season).
Credit McBride for this CD s tighter production, tasteful singing and stronger songs.

She s co-produced her albums, but this is the first set of originals she s produced alone and, for the first time, she s co-written a few tunes, including two of the best, Anyway and the child-abuse tale Beautiful Again.
McBride also layers electric guitars into the mix for a crisp, less sweetened flavor. She hasn t forgotten the hooks Everybody Does is a radio smash waiting to happen but singing classic country covers on her last album, Timeless, has clearly inspired McBride to up her game.

You can t blame Jennifer Lopez for wanting to be taken seriously. At 37, her romance-crashing, belly-baring tabloid reputation was overshadowing her career, and her Latinidad had become a kind of voluptuous caricature. Now she and husband Marc Anthony have a production company doing Latino films like the Hector Lavoe biopic El Cantante, and Lopez has released her first CD in Spanish, Como ama una mujer (How a Woman Loves).

But this syrupy, formulaic effort is as manufactured as the airbrushed, mannequin-like image of Lopez on the cover. Produced by Anthony and Julio Reyes, a veteran of the worst commercial Latin pop, with a music-by-committee credit list, Una mujer sounds like one long, overblown pop ballad. Some tracks are more uptempo (with dated 80s-style rock guitar solos), others more saccharine.

Lopez s voice sounds thin, and she doesn t have the vocal power or the emotional commitment to sell the over-the-top sentiments. The lyrics range from cliched to inane. Latin pop for anyone younger than 50 has moved beyond this, as hitmakers like Juanes, Shakira, and many, many others could testify.

With her clout, energy and confidence, Lopez seems a natural to lead the way into a new kind of Latin pop. Instead, she s gone from Jenny on the block to plastic diva. Neither lives up to her potential.

Pod Picks: None, but if you must, Que Hiciste, Adios.
The Miami Herald.
It would have been excellent to be in Toronto on Jan.

19, 1971, for this legendary solo acoustic show. But as most of us weren t, we can be content that Young is finally releasing his archives to the public with the help and support of his label and producers, including David Briggs, on this outing.
This is the album that should have come out between After the Gold Rush and Harvest, Young has written.

Instead he made us wait 36 years, but it was worth it as the 17 songs here are elegant and intimate and brief, which is important to note, given his last bootleg release, Live at the Fillmore East, included only six songs. The songs were long and lush, with the late Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten leading the way. It made for an intoxicating record.

This record is every bit as addictive, although it s a more thoughtful and less rocking Young in the house. Especially stunning is the A Man Needs A Maid/Heart of Gold suite and Old Man, played with a tenderness only Young can reach. This disc catches Young, a native Canadian, playing in front of a particularly receptive audience, singing with an endearing clarity.

While it s tough to imagine future live releases topping these two, who knows what else awaits in Young s expansive archives?